Contemporary Rock And Roll Music

[The Plaque Goblin]

I can't believe that after all these years of supposedly liking this stuff I am only just edging into exploring what seems to be the real thing.

I'm talking about rock music that is genuinely raucous, intense and visceral, not the kind of tepid, derivative crap the NME seems to be pushing the kids at the moment.

I'm talking about bands like:
New Bomb Turks, Mono Men, Supersuckers, Oblivians, The Mummies, Bantam Rooster, The Flaming Sideburns, Baseball Furies, etc..

...who are on record labels like:
Crypt, Sympathy for the Record Industry, In the Red, Estrus, Dirtnap, Rip Off,  Big Neck, Gearhead, Alien Snatch, Norton, Rip Off, Trickknee, etc..

I'm just wondering if any of you are into this kind of thing and what's worth bothering with.

[dirkfunk]

yeyyaahh the New Bomb Turks

man, they are only the best rock and roll band of the last 15 years

shame they split last year, fucking amazing live. Eric Davidson is one of the best front men ever

buy everything, especially Destroy oh boy

some more cool rock and roll bands for your ears

devil dogs

Candy snatchers

Gaza Strippers

have a look in Selecta disc

[Partridge's Love Child]

The Rocks

Their debut album has just been released.  I'm sure you'll be delighted to know that the NME doesn't like it.

[Dirty Boy]

Mclusky

The Icarus Line

The Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster

Pretty Girls Make Graves

[chand]

The Icarus Line are great. I was listening to 'Yank Crime' by Drive Like Jehu the other day, I suspect The Icarus Line own some of their stuff.

[The Man With Brass Eyes]

Mclusky
The Icarus Line
The Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster
Pretty Girls Make Graves

yeah, I'm with you on the Mclusky thing (anyone post on the Mclusky forums?)

I think I caught the Icarus Line at Reading.  I wasn't massively impressed by them.
I heard a band early Saturday (either the Bloc Party or Read Yellow on the Radio One stage) who sounded very good (but y'know how it is, when you're with friends and you miss bands).  very much like the Mars Volta.

I'm going to give another nod to Jarcrew again.  No-one's heard of them.  but they are the greatest thing live.  Majority Welsh band.  very At The Drive In.  very fantastic.  in the same neck of the woods as Biffy Clyro (geographically and sonically).

what are Pretty Girls Make Graves like?  Another one I missed.

[Capt.Midnight]

Yeah, i'd also recommend the Icarus Line, the new album Penance Soiree is excellent. Their live shows are a bit hit and miss, but catch them on a good day and you'll be quite amazed. Try downloading 'spit on it' ,'on the lash' and 'kiss like lizards', guitar fx and noise aplently.

[The Man With Brass Eyes]

tell you what.

I'm not sure if it was Icarus Line, or Ikara Colt.  they sort of sound similar by name.

[dirkfunk]

i used to know one of Ikara colt
she looks so different now though
they are a bit mediocre to tell you the truth


anyway

gimme New bomb turks or Devil Dogs,
the two best rockand roll bands of the past twenty years[/u]

[The Plaque Goblin]

I love the way The Icarus Line have made half of their new album available for free on their website.

[TraceyQ]

Soledad Brothers, The Dirtbombs, The Fourty-Fives,  Reverend Horton Heat, Death From Above, The Hells, The Blueskins, Eagles Of Death Metal, Yer Blues Explosion.....

[The Plaque Goblin]

My particular favourite recent discovery on the interweb are The Fireballs of Freedom.

The New Professionals Empty Records ©1998
1. Street Smart

Total Fucking Blowout Estrus Ear Damage ©2000
1. Don't Take My Freedom
2. Dirtbox
4. Sick Again
10. Sweat Vest

Welcome to the Octagon Estrus Ear Damage ©2001
1. We Do It Everyday
Video- 2. Out of My Head
9. Panties Off

40min live show from June 2000

Judging by their website, however, they don't seem to have been very active over the last couple of years.

According to Estrus, however, they are putting out a new record in October!

I discovered FoF on epitonic.com along with other bands whose tracks I liked who turned out to be on the same record label:

Fatal Flying Guilloteens
The Immortal Lee County Killers II
The Von Zippers
The Drags
The Quadrajets

Visit the Estrus downloads page and you'll find lots of other good stuff like The Mistreaters, Federation X, Total Sound Group Direct Action Committee, Thundercrack, etc. (even the Soledad Brothers.)

[The Plaque Goblin]

Are any of you familiar with The Oblivians?

They seem to be regarded by many to be a band that'll prove to be an important signpost on the twisty turny road of Rock'n'Roll history like The Stooges, Velvet Underground, Ramones, etc...

These MP3s are on the Crypt Records website's downloads page which is the best one I have ever seen:

'No Reason To Live ' (from 'Soul Food' -1995)
'Christina' (from 'Popular Favorites' -1996)
'Don't Wanna Live Alone' (from 'Play 9 Songs With Mr. Quintron' -1997)

[Auntie Ovipositor]

Morrisette, the bass player for the Monomen, intruduced me to my wife. I'd say they're one of the truly great bands of all time (and not just for the hook-up), but I'm biased. After they called it quits, Crider went on to form a band called Watts, and now is in a band called the DTs. The DTs are a really different thing, though, which you may or may not like. It's often just guit/drums/vox, although sometimes they have an organ in the mix and on a few occasion have horns. Crider's playing's changed a lot, and is a lot more complex, but not so's you'd notice. The woman singing does a spot-on Janis Joplin routine - I'll let you sort out whether that's a good thing or a band thing for yourself.

If they ever get over there, go see the Fireballs of Freedom - as great as they are on record, they're even better live. I still can't believe how good they were when I saw them.

I highly recommend The Lord High Fixers, one of Tim Kerr's more recent bands. Stunning stuff. Lots of feedback and, as hard as it is to believe, a bunch of sound collage going on in between songs. Of all of Tim Kerr's bands, that's the one that has managed to put out records that stitch together the full scope of what he can do.  And it doesn't hurt that most of the band are from Sugar Shack - another ace in the Estrus deck.

Drive Live Jehu and Rocket from the Crypt are both pretty damn fine, but with RftC you kinda have to stick to the early stuff. Members of both are also in Hot Snakes, a really incredible band.

And then there's England's own Billy Childish. Not to be overlooked. I haven't kept up with the Buff Medways stuff, but the first single was a charmer.

And ditto Mclusky. Finally tracked down a copy of Do Dallas and haven't listened to much else since.

[boki]

I can't believe that after all these years of supposedly liking this stuff I am only just edging into exploring what seems to be the real thing.

I'm talking about rock music that is genuinely raucous, intense and visceral, not the kind of tepid, derivative crap the NME seems to be pushing the kids at the moment.

I'm talking about bands like:
New Bomb Turks, Mono Men, Supersuckers, Oblivians, The Mummies, Bantam Rooster, The Flaming Sideburns, Baseball Furies, etc..

You might wanna check out The Yo-Yos, the band that Danny McCormack formed after the Wildhearts split a few years ago.  They only got as far as one album ('Uppers and Downers', which came out on Sub Pop) before disintegrating and Danny and Neil going back to their old bands.  It's straight-up, big quiffed rock music and when it hits, like on 'Rumbled' and 'Home From Home', it hits big.

[The Plaque Goblin]

Bantam Rooster

Hailing from Michigan's capital city of Lansing, Bantam Rooster's two piece guitar and drum approach pays tribute to the minimal aesthetics of 60's garage rock recorded on duct taped equipment. Gotten together in 1994 after T. Jackson Potter (guitar/ vocals) and Eric Cook (drums) were both experiencing down time from their full-time bands would eventually result in a series of gigs all through the Mid-West before signing with Crypt Records in 1996. With their first 7" EP Miss Luxury released that same year, their first album Deal Me In came out in 1997 followed by a European tour. Upon their return to the states, and another 7" on Ypsilanti's Flying Bomb Records, Bantam Rooster's second album The Cross and The Switchblade came out in 1999; Fuck All Y'All appeared a year later.

-Albums:
Deal Me In (1997, Crypt)
Cross & the Switchblade (1999, Crypt)
Fuck All Y'All (2000, Au-Go-Go)

-MP3s:
Brokeback Fit
Bantam Rooster Theme
From "Deal Me In."

She Stalker
From "The Cross And The Switchblade."
Source page

Big Mess
From their 7" EP, "Big Mess." Released in 2000 on FLYING BOMB RECORDS, FLB-112.
Source page

Summer In Hamtramck
From their 7" EP, "Mexican Leather." Released in April of 2001 on BIG NECK RECORDS, BN015.
Source page

[Spiteface]

I'm going to give another nod to Jarcrew again.  No-one's heard of them.  but they are the greatest thing live.  Majority Welsh band.  very At The Drive In.  very fantastic.  in the same neck of the woods as Biffy Clyro (geographically and sonically).

I've heard of Jarcrew. Saw them at one of the bars at Uni, on the same bill as Miss Black America. Wasn't sure what to make of them, so I might need to give them another listen.

[Dirty Boy]

I picked up 'Destroy Oh Boy!' by the New Bomb Turks a while ago and i have to confess it's one of the best  straight up punkrock'n'roll albums i've ever heard.Is their other stuff this good too?

The new Eighties Matchbox... single/video is amazing too.I have a feeling their next album is gonna be one of the best out this year...

[TraceyQ]

The new Eighties Matchbox... single/video is amazing too.I have a feeling their next album is gonna be one of the best out this year...

Oh, baby, like you wouldnt beleive. The sampler has been knocking about for a few weeks and it's as tasty as you like. I agree about the video too, it's one of the best this year. I heard a track called "Alex" by them a few weeks ago and I've had it on the old ipod a lot over the last few days. Fookin' Clarse.

[The Man With Brass Eyes]

I've heard of Jarcrew. Saw them at one of the bars at Uni... wasn't sure what to make of them, so I might need to give them another listen.

Did they not blow you away??  (in a good way, not a loaded gun to the head... bang! kind of way).

Trouble is, their albums are never as awesome as the live stuff.
doesn't capture the energy.  shame really.