The Song Fight Bulletin Board

Should be some discussion value in this. I'm thinking of artists whose music kicks Metallica's ass with weight of intent or force of instrumental arms. Metallica being the classic gradeschool measure of "rocking", with debates going like "Dude, Metallica could kick Iron Maiden's ass with their amps set to 2." "Fuck you man, Iron Maiden kicks Metallica's ass just by walking onstage." "Nuh uh." "Yuh huh." "NUH UH!" "YUH HUH!"

My nominations:

Neutral Milk Hotel. Sometimes I think he's going to break that fucking guitar's neck.

Olivia Tremor Control. Egad, motherfuckers, egad.

Soul Coughing. YUH HUH!

Violent Femmes. Of course.

Ben Folds Five. Sometimes.

Iron and Wine. Ok, so I saw him recently in concert with Calexico, and it was just fucking awesome, so much so that I haven't listened to any Iron and Wine since then because the concert was kind of louder and funner and much more bliss-inducing than I find Iron and Wine to be normally.

Bjork. I will fight you if you say different.

Aw jeez, this thread could describe just about the entirety music collection... I'll come back to post after I've narrowed it down somewhat...and I'll try to keep it to the RAWK.

PW Long (post-Mule w/ MacMcNeilly) jumps to mind for some reason. Many would argue that his music is more bluesy than RAWK, but good golly did those guys put on a show...

Well, the list of bands that rock harder than Metallica is a fairly huge one.

Some that come to mind:

Mclusky - just one of the most incredible bands I've heard in a while. So intense and hilarious and unsettling and razor-sharp.

Junior Kimbrough - Just... get one of his albums god dammit.

The Fall - hate you and want you to die.

Rites of Spring - Guy is just one of the most manic singers ever.

Otis Redding - The greatest, most intense, most passionate singer of all time.

Static Age-era Misfits - Don't think I need to say any more.

a number of years ago, i saw iggy pop, and let me tell you, that muthafucka can rock like a 20 year old. the opening band was a relatively unknown band (for norfolk virginia anyways) named janes addiction. this was the nothings shocking tour, and they actually busted out the sympathy/rock and roll medly at the end. i was part of the crush in the second or third row and that show remains arguably the greatest balls to the wall rock and roll show i ever saw by 2 bands that rock harder than metallica.

also, pete townshend might be an old geezer but i bet he could take hetfield's ass. i know he could take kirk's ass. he made the windmill legendary for christ sakes.

I won't talk about other asses Pete might take. Hey-oh.

Ol' Dirty Bastard rocked harder than most people can even imagine rocking. Listen to Nigga Please's "I Can't Wait". When he starts screaming it's absolutely magnificent.

The Dwarves. DUH.

guided by voices and ween.

I think there is something about certain artists whereby seeing them live at least once is a key ingredient to getting to enjoy their recorded works. Like before you see them live, you're kind of ho-hum about them, but then afterwards, it sort of makes sense, because you can remember the way the music sounded live, even if the records sound noticeably different.



It's like reading a Mitch Hedberg joke: you have to be familiar with his delivery to think the joke is funny. Some musicians, it helps to see them live.

I think the Mountain Goats are like that. I don't think I really started liking them until I went to see them live. It's cool/scary how into the singing he gets.

Awww... I was going to pick both Rites of Spring and Janes Addiction! Y'all beat me to it. I always liked Guy's voice better than Ian's... thereby earning the scorn of countless boys. (I still like Mr. MacKaye, don't get me wrong)

NoMeansNo puts on one of the better shows you'll ever see...although I have no idea what the heck they're up to these days, or whether they're even still playing.

Early Heatmiser is fun 90s left-coast rock...I regret never having seen them live. I like "Dead Air."

Many say they're strictly middle-of-the-road indy-pop, but I still say Built to Spill RAWK... I'm not a fan of the epic show closers, but, ya know, that's their thing. "There's nothing wrong with love" and "Perfect from now On" are two of my favorite albums.

And how could I not mention Gogol Bordello? Holy crap, it takes some kind of miracle to get all the hipsters of Portland off their asses and dancing, and Gogol Bordello is that miracle. Fantastic! It's like being in an Emir Kusturica movie.

Finally, I'd like to put in a plug for my friend Andy's old band Hubcap. If you like angular, punky, Chicago art-rock...hell, even if you don't, these guys thoroughly kicked ass. I say this not as a friend. I say this as a fan. I think you can still get their album here: http://www.fiftyfourfortyorfight.com/

See also my "Girls who Rock" for other non/questionable - Rock.

Johnny Cash came on while I was checking this thread. I think that's probably a big fucking "duh."

anti-m wrote:NoMeansNo puts on one of the better shows you'll ever see...although I have no idea what the heck they're up to these days, or whether they're even still playing.

Fuck yeah! Unfortunately, they split up back in the 90s I think. Oddly enough, I was on a nomeansno nostalgia trip last night (ask drewtetz if you don't believe me) 'Wrong' and '0+2=1' are incredible albums.

Sven wrote:Fuck yeah! Unfortunately, they split up back in the 90s I think. Oddly enough, I was on a nomeansno nostalgia trip last night (ask drewtetz if you don't believe me) 'Wrong' and '0+2=1' are incredible albums.

Aw! That's too bad! I did wonder why they didn't seem to be touring anymore...

While I concur that nomeansno where an extremely good band, I question the logic of their appearance in this thread.

Who wouldn't think they would rock, unless you'd never heard of them?

Also, Luke Henley, again The Fall? Who wouldn't think they rock, having heard any of their music? Also you got it wrong - they don't hate you, they don't think enough of you to form an opinion one way or the other ...

j$ wrote:
Also, Luke Henley, again The Fall? Who wouldn't think they rock, having heard any of their music?

I've heard The Fall. I don't think they rock. Unless your definition of "rock" means sounding like a whiney little English twat.

But while on the subject of whiney little English twats - and Eric's comments above about seeing people live - I must admit - I didn't think Billy Bragg rocked until I saw him live

They Might Be Giants rock pretty hard live. My ex-girlfriend and I had to leave early once because they were too loud for the damn club.

j$ wrote:While I concur that nomeansno were an extremely good band, I question the logic of their appearance in this thread.

Many of my friends thought they "sounded kinda cheesy." (I think it was the bass sound / occasional math-i-ness of some of their songs...)

Again, I suspect anyone who ever saw a live show would likely revise that opinion immediately...

As to The Fall, I do love The Fall, but when I saw 'em live (granted, a little late in the game...) they were a little too drunk and apathetic to put on quite the rockin' show I had hoped. Where was the upper-register squeaking / shrieking? I demand squeaking!

Pavement was another consistent "live disappointment." I adore the Pavement. But I've never seen a show that quite lived up to my expectations. (Which, I suppose, were astronomical.)

TMBG DOES rock live! And tricks like the "radio game" make their shows even more impressive. (By the by, for fans of They... did all y'all catch John Linnell on use it or loose it on "The Next Big Thing?" He's a genius. You can still find his song on their website...)

Oh yeah! And along the lines of "bands Emily thinks rocks...but whom other people find cheesy..."

Shudder to Think

Never saw 'em live, but I looove their stuff.

Sven wrote:The Dwarves. DUH.

Fucking straight. I love the Dwarves
and Ill fuck anyone who says different

Oh and then theres

Alice Donut................best band alive
Dead Kennedys..........best band ever
Ozzy.........................best Ozzy ever
Motley Crue...............best party Ive ever been to
The Dogs d'Amour......best guit teacher I ever had

I could go on...but I wont

the decemberists - i mentioned this in another thread, but their live version of "mariner's revenge song" is amazing.

Nashville Pussy. Their cd is...meh. Their live show made me a fan. Reverand Horton Heat too. Guitar Dudes Who Dig Maiden and Shit seem to be awestruck when they see the good Reverand work.

jb wrote:They Might Be Giants rock pretty hard live. My ex-girlfriend and I had to leave early once because they were too loud for the damn club.

Agreed. When I think it's too loud, and I'm wearing earplugs, then it's definitely too loud.

And on a Decemberists note, Mariner's Revenge Song + Chimney Sweep + Infanta = Worth the price of admission.