New bands in rawk...

[tonym]

I've been watching a fair bit of MTV 2 over the last year and I've noticed many new - old fashioned bands appearing. These include Jet, The Strokes (well, newish), Kings of Leon, White Stripes etc. Much of it very derivative (what isn't?) but largely enjoyable.

Some of the riffs are complete rip-offs of Stooges, Zep etc. but I still find myself tinking "these are quite good".

Am I a last chance teenager or is it just the music fan in me; will I always be a sucker for a catchy riff, throbbing bassline and denim?

Anyone care to share their fondness for these bands or just pretending you're 17 again? Any rock press critics out there over 40, around the first wave of punk, but still hailing The Strokes as the best thing to happen since The Sex Pistols?

Hope you come forward.

[vibes]

I watch MTV2 when I work out in the mornings sometimes, and I've found some of this stuff catchy too. Jet and the White Stripes, in particular, have a couple of pretty decent songs out there. I don't know that they're catchy enough to make me want to buy their CD's, but I'd considering downloading a song or two from iTunes or whatever.

[Chrome]

I'm from the Detroit area, so it's like White Stripes central here ... if anyone's heard of the Von Bondies, the mother of their lead singer, who was in a much-reported fistfight w/Jack White, was our nurse for the birth of my 4th kid. (The Von Bondies singer got into the fight, not his mother!)

The music ... well, on the one hand, not too much of today's rock engages me, but, on the other, I really think part of that is a function of my not focusing too much on it in the first place.

I mean, I think most of the criticisms I could lodge against rock could just as easily be lodged against jazz by a non-jazz lover, if that makes sense.

[Noj]

I really like the Whitestripes, their album ELEPHANT is the best rock album I've heard in a long time. I love that they incorporate blues in their sound, at times they sound very Zeppelin-esque (which, in my book, is a good thing).

[Muskrat Ramble]

or is it just the music fan in me; will I always be a sucker for a catchy riff, throbbing bassline and denim?

With any luck "Hope I die before I get old." When you lose interest in rock, you've taken a big step towards becoming a boring old fogey.

[BruceH]

I became a big fan of Fountains of Wayne last year, even going so far as attending a concert. Not sure if you'd really consider them a "new" band, but compared to the Ramones...

[Brandon Burke]

My favorite band to emerge in the last four/five years is easliy The Clientele. Like the others mentioned, they have a "retro" sound as well but The Clientele goes more for a dreamy/psychedelic thing, which I can relate to much more than macho rock posturing. I especially adore their production style. In headphones, one can hear the vocal mic being potted up and down while everything else is muffled and hazy. Very true to the era and, more importantly, completely lacking in irony. I've heard quite enough of ironic music, thank you....

A Tower link w/ samples.

The AMG page is unusually informative as well. Unfortunately, they have restructured their site so I can't include the link.

[tjluke68]

I haven't gotten into too much new music lately since most of my purchases are Jazz related, but I did happen to check out THE START on FUSE TV. Really great stuff and sorta reminds me of 80s new wave. Check out their song, "The 1234" on thisisthestart.com - click the PLAYLIST button in upper right corner...

Rock On!

Edited January 28, 2004 by tjluke68