Best ACTUAL Rock Bands Still Left

[PaCrappa]

Not to bust in on this too much, but I'm curious about a couple of things you've said, Pa...I really don't listen to the type of stuff mentioned in this thread, so I'm not really in tune with "contemporary rock" or whatever you'd care to call it, but some of the stuff you mentioned caught my attention, mainly your preference of shorter songs and less "flowery and trumped up" music in general, and saying that "ballads" (I guess songs that don't fit the above descriptions fit under there?) aren't really "rock." I have no problem with your preferences, but if nothing else it seems that you have a rather narrow definition, not just of music you like (again, no problem with that, I'm much the same), but of "rock" as well...it sounds like you'd only consider 2-minute power-chord-fests as "real" rock, and anything more lengthy or complex than that as something else. Those sorts of credentials would seem to really limit what the genre would be able to do, if they were applied more widely...they seem vaguely reminiscent of the play/movie Amadeus, wherein the "experts" criticize Mozart for having "too many notes" in his work.

Again, I'm not criticizing your tastes here, I'm just curious if something along the lines of the above is actually what you mean when you talk about "rock" according to your own definition.

Where to begin?

Well, I love Mozart first thing. That guy was a beast and he's my favorite of the clasical guys. While I do like simplicity in rock and would criticize many a rock band past and present for shoehorning too many notes, Mozart is off the hook.

Ballad:

bal·lad
n.
1 a. A narrative poem, often of folk origin and intended to be sung, consisting of simple stanzas and usually having a refrain.
b. The music for such a poem.

2 A popular song especially of a romantic or sentimental nature.

I got no problem with some songs that fit the first definition. AC/DC, Fu Manchu and many others have made songs that fit that bill and they came out just fine.

It's the second definition that I was throwing around. So much "rock" music now comes with these lyrics just sound like the sappy blog of some crybaby ADD kid. It is pure antirock as far as I'm concerned. Rock was never designed to support whining.

As far as what, exactly, I consider rock n roll to be... That's pretty tough. I know it when I hear it. Power chords are not mandatory, though I sure do like 'em Fast is better than slow. Electronic gadgetry is best avoided. Genuine, insane energy will usually carry more weight than genuine, insane musicianship. Contrivance is not to be tolerated. Lack of "originality" is just fine and, in a way, encouraged (shumpheads should know exactly what I'm talking about). If my mom can't tolerate it something is wrong with it. Rock should gratify, not impress.

It's easier for me to just scratch bands/songs/albums off the list than it is to define what it takes to be on the list. I'm the same way with videogames. I know what I do and don't like and can detect those things quickly but that's about as far as it goes in the cognitive reasoning department.

Pa

[Dandy J]

That post is pretty useless when you x out all the names.

[Rob]

I've heard a few of the bands you mention, Pacrappa, so I think I've got a decent idea of what you might like. Not an active band, so I refrained from mentioning them (w/ samples):

Six Finger Satellite - Bad Comrade (2:42)
live version from the opening track of Severe Exposure

Six Finger Satellite - Massive Cocaine Seizure (2:22)
from 7" single

Also:
Hot Snakes - Think About Carbs (2:13)
from Audit in Progress (if you haven't heard them already)

[ResOGlas]

White Stripes
Bob Dylan (More like Folk Rock)
Devendra Banhart (Not sure if he falls under Rock at all, but definitely in my top 3 bands that still exist)

[magnum opus]

Bob Dylan (More like Folk Rock)

just because you play guitar doesn't make you a rock band.

[it290]

Xxxxxxxxx- I knew I would regret trying to listen to every band in this thread that I 'd never heard. Did this band do the theme for the movie Neverending Story?

No, that was Limahl.. the song was written by the infamous Giorgio Moroder.

[Rob]

Devendra Banhart (Not sure if he falls under Rock at all, but definitely in my top 3 bands that still exist)

hippy

[howmuchkeefe]

Man, I tried to love Fu Manchu; I succeeded in liking them. My brother violently responds to any exposure to Fu Manchu or Nebula, and it's because of the vocals. I understand his point of view. I liked the music immediately; I had to inure myself to the lyrical style. I had to do the same years before with Megadeth.

It's a shame, I really dig Glass's work. It's a double dog shame that he apparently decided to sound as much like Scott Hill as possible when singing.

I've been disappointed quite a bit these past few years. Monster Magnet followed up the almost perfect Powertrip with the much weaker God Says No and later released the even more disappointing Monolithic Baby. Their previous albums had me singing along before the songs freaking ended. I've had to find the value in God Says No, and I haven't even bought Monolithic Baby... I gave my brother's copy a few spins, but the album proved almost 100% forgettable, much like Meeks' Days of the New III and (to a lesser degree) Tool's Lateralus.

I gave up on my thrash metal heroes long, long ago. Slayer lost their minds and decided to imitate Pantera, who had decided that the immensely entertaining, thrashy and kinda glammy style of Cowboys From Hell didn't suit them as well as sludgecore (which I find monotonous) did. Megadeth and Metallica just stopped rocking as hard, and at times I felt that they were actually trying to hurt their fans (inSOMni-OMni-OMni-A!).

The lesson I learned: Sample the music of new and previously unknown bands frequently.

[Marc]

Come on Pa, fill in the names, you know you want to. We won't be offended, promise. I've a certain admiration for anyone that know what they like and doesn't give a fuck what anyone else thinks about it.

Fu Manchu, shit haven't heard them in years. Used to have a couple of 7"'s - Daredevil (I think - the sleeve had a pic of a hang-glider at sunset?) and 'If You See This Van Rocking', fucking ace, never could listen to a full LP though.

[ResOGlas]

Bob Dylan (More like Folk Rock)

just because you play guitar doesn't make you a rock band.

Dylan has some rockin' stuff. Not the majority of course, but folk is better than rock any day of the week.

[Tar-Palantir]

Iron Maiden?

[magnum opus]

Bob Dylan (More like Folk Rock)

just because you play guitar doesn't make you a rock band.

Dylan has some rockin' stuff. Not the majority of course, but folk is better than rock any day of the week.

i'm afraid you sir are an incurable pussy.




also bob dylan is generally considered in the "singer/songwriter" thing not folk, frankie lane, johnny horton, thats folk.

[howmuchkeefe]

i'm afraid you sir are an incurable pussy.

psst... I like Tears for Fears, some ABBA, Bon Jovi, Rush, Blue Oyster Cult, every Eagles song you probably hate and... WHAM!

I think that Depeche Mode is a kick ass band!

[Dandy J]

WAKE ME UP BEFORE YOU GO GO DONT LEAVE ME HANGIN LIKE A YO YO

Also, Rush is a very manly band.

[howmuchkeefe]

Also, Rush is a very manly band.

Come to think of it, you're right. I don't know any women who listen to Rush.

[PFG 9000]

i'm afraid you sir are an incurable pussy.

You say that because of his musical preference? That's pretty shallow. And Bob Dylan's music is commonly considered folk rock. Some stuff is more folkey. Some is more rocky. Most is somewhere in the middle.

[barmskii]

If its rock you want then you really need to listen to this lot....

http://www.myspace.com/explodingmetal

[tiktak]

Esqarial

Damn, lead guitarist of this ban lives few streets away and he showed me how to play guitar;] Absolutely cool band!

[BAD]

Terror (first Despair, then Buried Alive, and now Terror. Scott is the man)
Hatebreed (unstoppable)
Madball (hard as nails)
Freya (restructured Earth Crisis, still good)
Poison The Well (still together, even with member changes)
Sick Of It All (still together, still rockin)
Deftones (good, even with changes)
Korn (not as good as they used to be, but some good stuff here and there)

Sorry if this was supposed to be the butt-rock thread; I saw some hardcore and metal bands on here, so I thought I'd name some, too...

[PaCrappa]

Okay. First of all, you can't call somebody a pussy because they like soft music. My jiu jitsu teacher listens to nothing but Bob Friggin Marley. He'll break your arm faster than you can say "Sorry sir, but I guess it's me who's the pussy".

Thanks alot rob! That's easily the best I've listened to in this thread. Neither was perfectly my cuppa tea but I especially thought that Hot Snakes one was good. If I could choose three bands that sort of encapsulate where my head has been musically for the past couple years I would say (in order) The Spits, Thee Headcoats and The Mummies. In fact here: http://www.thespits.com/music.html "Take Back the Alley" is probably my favorite available for download. Those guys changed my life, seriously. Also, the MySpace, http://www.thespits.com/music.html The song for the video is perhaps their worst one ever. Just so you know.

On Fu Manchu/Nebula. Eddie Glass is not trying to sound like Scott Hill. I think it was in the late 70s that Kiss decided that each member would do a "solo" album. Each cover was nothing but the face of the guy whose album it was. Since Kiss always sucked, three out of four albums solo albums really sucked. But Ace Frehley's was awesome. And if you listen to it, you will find that Scott and Eddie both are copycatting Ace. Which is awesome because that style of vocal is just perfect IMO for the type of rock they're doing. Fu Manchu and Nebula were my big discoveries of 1997. Especially Fu Manchu. I've seen them a half a dozen times and Nebula twice. The last Fu show pissed me off though. I hate it when Zeke has to open for a band that isn't as tight as them. It used to happen with the Murder City Dumbutts too, but I digress. A few years ago Zeke and Fu Manchu played Friday and Saturday with Zeke opening for Fu Manchu on Friday and Fu Manchu opening for Zeke on Saturday. That shit was crazy! This time though, Zeke came out and shredded people's faces off and Fu Manchu rocked mistake after mistake. Very uncharacteristic. The thing that pissed me off is that not many people seemed to care that Zeke was slaying it up there, yet they were all stoked for a mistake ridden Fu Manchu set. Which was mostly consisting of material from the new album "Start the Machine" which is trash. I can't believe it came from The Fu. They were my favorite band once

And that, tangentially, brings me to a real life point. Okay, you go to a rock show, and what do you do? You rock the fuck out. Right? Right. So when you youngsters go to a say, Poison the Well show, what happens when they slow it down for the girly slowjam bit in the middle of a song that was rocking (in a modern electronically overproduced way of course, don't get me wrong)? I mean when I go to a rock show I want the fucking thing to ROCK! No slowing down in the middle of a song. No! So my question is, if you've been jumping around like a maniac, throwing beer cans at the band and trying to avoid a full on fight with the skinheads, what the fuck do you do when the music gets all slow and flowery in the middle of the song? This is real life here. A rock show where the people who write the music have to perform the stuff what they wrote. And I want answers because that shit is, for lack of any kind of better term, the gay.

After a lifetime of not liking them at all, my brother dragged me out to an Iron Maiden show at the Tacoma Dome a few years ago. Whoah! Those dudes are crazy. I mean they still totally suck but I gotta respect them for being exactly what they are. Their new shit sounded just like their old too which I thought was nice. The 20 foot animatronic Eddie was nuts but that lead singer guy (Bruce is it?) really stole the show zipping all over the stage on wires.

My final point in this post is that people need to stop trying to sound like Pantera. That shit is old with the mold and I never would have guessed that such an annoying vocal style would get such a stranglehold on kids these days.

Pa

[Jon]

Devendra Banhart (Not sure if he falls under Rock at all, but definitely in my top 3 bands that still exist)

hippy

Egad man. He looks just like the panhandling homeless folks that I constantly have to chase off the properties I work at. I had always heard he was pretty good but after finally hearing his material I have gotta say I was pretty underwhelmed. I guess his voice just grated on me a bit. Give me Iron and Wine or the Mountain Goats any day of the week.

Oh and Pa...if you liked the Hot Snakes stuff Rob suggested please check out their sophmore release Suicide Invoice, truly a great rock record if their ever was one. Of course all of this is going to pale when compared to Mr. Childish and his wonderfull Headcoats of which I know you are already a fan. Have you checked out Billy's current band the Buff Medways? Their not as good as Thee Headcoats but imagine them with a bit of a sixties influence and your almost there. I have their first full length on vinyl and last time I was at the record store it looked like they had just released the follow up. I would also recommend the Baseball Furies. Wonderfull, no frills unpretentious rock and roll at its finest. Its not quite as lo-fi or as stripped down as a band like the Mummies (who also rock by the way ) but good none the less. Check 'em out.

[it290]

Almost forgot, but Shonen Knife is still rockin' it.

[PaCrappa]

Very cool. Thanks man. I will check out both. I have not heard Buff Medways yet for some reason. I suppose I don't get too motivated when every single person that comments on them says what you just said: "They ain't as good as Headcoats". I really dug The Mighty Caesars but The Milkshakes never did a whole lot for me. At any rate, regardless of The Milkshakes or anything he might do now that is not up to snuff, he will always be the absolute king.

Pa

[PaCrappa]

Almost forgot, but Shonen Knife is still rockin' it.

I really can't refute that

Pa

[howmuchkeefe]

And if you listen to it, you will find that Scott and Eddie both are copycatting Ace.

That explains a lot! I've never really listened to KISS, about the only song of theirs I'm truly familiar with is "I Wanna Rock and Roll All Night" (if that's even the title of the song, forgive my ignorance).

I do love the music, I just wish the vocal style was less airheaded/stereotypical California stoner.

So my question is, if you've been jumping around like a maniac, throwing beer cans at the band and trying to avoid a full on fight with the skinheads, what the fuck do you do when the music gets all slow and flowery in the middle of the song?

The only answer I can think of is "grab your girlfriend". I truly believe that such stuff is made for the benefit of rocker's girlfriends, who usually don't have quite as much testosterone coursing through their veins.

Edit: On the subject, I've never understood why so many people compare Glass to Homme's work in Kyuss. IMO, they sound nothing alike. Is it the tone? Glass sounds like rocking, groovy fun; Homme sounds like twisted carnival/lonely anguish. Even in Fu Manchu's spookier tracks Glass' flavor is totally different.

[MadSteelDarkness]

I quite enjoyed 400 Blows when I saw them six months ago. Might be worth a go for folks who like Unsane...