Rapeman, "Monobrow"
The disconnected guitar skronk at the front of this song is weirdly something that kind of sticks with me. I think because it kind of lays bare what noise rock kind of sounds like when its stripped of all the layers. And, of course, when the rest of the band joins in, it's thunderous magic.
Claw Hammer, "Three Fifteen"
I guess we're going to open all the songs today with a lil' guitar wank. OK by me!
This is from Ramwhale, the last Claw Hammer record before they made it to Epitaph records. Unlike a lot of bands, Claw Hammer mostly got weirder as their record labels got bigger - the records they put out on Sympathy for the Record Industry were relatively straightforward blues/rock/punk records. Oh, and a full record cover of a Devo album.
Palace Brothers, "I Am A Cinematographer"
Days In The Wake is just about as spare a record as you can make, just Will Oldham and his guitar. When there's nothing else going on, you're basically betting everything on the songs, and thankfully, the album is a quiet masterpiece.
The Afghan Whigs, "Birdland"
Greg Dulli "reformed" the Afghan Whigs in 2012, after 14 years which he mostly spent recording as the Twilight Singers. However, given that there's only one other member of the original Whigs that rejoined him, the shift back to recording as the Whigs was mostly ceremonial. And, indeed, the two post-reunion records are pretty much like the Twilight Singers. Which isn't a bad thing, exactly, but you're not getting the same guitar pyrotechnics as the first incarnation of the band.
So, this song comes from the second of those records, In Spades, and I'd rate it as middle of the pack among Twilight Singers. Which is pretty good!
Incredibly, this is the first Afghan Whigs sone we've had here, but I'll save the superlatives for when we get a tune from one of their peak records.
Fall Out Boy, "Saturday"
Take This To Your Grave is a thoroughly charming set of pop-punk, one that's hard not to smile at. Lots of clever bits, plenty of catchy melodies, and nothing overstays its welcome. As they got bigger, I think they got less interesting to me, so this is my favorite record of theirs.