Rock
Noah’s Barks pages related to the rock music genre. Combine with other tags for subgenres, e.g. “alternative+rock,” “noise+rock,” and “indie+rock.”
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The Byrds – “The Notorious Byrd Brothers”
On ‘The Notorious Byrd Brothers,’ The Byrds oversaturate their album with too much hippy-dippy, reverbing, psychedelic production and undermine the immediacy of their signature jangly pop rock. (read more)
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Big Brother & The Holding Company – “Cheap Thrills”
I decided a long time ago, pretty confidently, that I hated Janis Joplin‘s voice. Listening to Cheap Thrills now, I’m not sure what the hell was wrong with me. Not only is her righteous roar undeniably showstopping, but it’s the best thing about this album by a wide margin. I rarely even notice the band… (read more)
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The Soft Machine – “The Soft Machine” (1968)
The Soft Machine are a rightfully-named band. Their compositionally-layered blend of jazzy, psychedelic rock with frantic organ playing sounds like a machine straight out of a cartoon huffing and puffing, tooting and whistling while it bounces around, blowing smoke everywhere. Seriously though—that organ. Mike Ratledge is incredible here, and gives even Ray Manzarek a run… (read more)
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Madrugada – “The Nightly Disease” (2001)
I can see where people are making the connection to latter-career Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, but I think Madrugada sound like a rockier Tindersticks. As such, The Nightly Disease (TND) is great gloomy, nocturnal music to down your liquor to. The non-depressed folk will still be able to get along with Robert S. Burås’s suave… (read more)
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Alice Cooper – “Love It to Death”
History hasn’t been kind enough to Alice Cooper band, who stand alongside fellow Detroit-rockers The Stooges as the true progenitors of punk rock. Alice Cooper don’t have as high a threat level as The Stooges’s out of control mayhem, but they make up for it in intelligence, as their melodramatic teenage introspective classic “I’m Eighteen” makes perfectly… (read more)
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Killing Joke – “Pandemonium”
Pandemonium is the true start of Killing Joke‘s second (and my preferred) phase. Going from their post-punk roots to fully embracing what had become of the industrial rock sound they pioneered, Killing Joke finally sound ironically at peace again being able to rock out harder than they have since their debut. The fun ’80s new… (read more)
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Killing Joke – “Killing Joke” (2003)
Killing Joke 2003 is one of the most aggressive, genuinely angry albums I’ve ever heard. Very cathartic. When I’m in a shitty and pissed off mood, I find it difficult to enjoy music. But rarely, this and Big Black still work for me. For all its fury, Killing Joke is the world’s loudest pop rock album and… (read more)
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Prolapse – “Pointless Walks to Dismal Places” (1994)
Pointless Walks to Dismal Places is an interesting blend of ’80s C86 indie rock and post-punk with dashes of ’90s post-hardcore and noise rock. Throw in some other early ’90s indie signifiers like shoegaze and the sometimes twee-esque vocals of Linda Steelyard, and you have a true smorgasbord of underground rock at the time. Mick… (read more)
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The Auteurs – “New Wave”
Delightful. I thought I was never going to like Britpop outside of a few exceptions, but The Auteurs are much less obnoxious than the ear-splitting volume of Oasis or the smartass vibe of Blur. The guitar on this album is very light and sparkles with elegance, perfectly accompanied by Luke Haines’s soft vocals that still… (read more)
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Anathema – “Alternative 4”
Anathema are a funny little band. They have every melodramatic trope of progressive metal but aren’t heavy enough to be called metal. I think this works to their favor, because it makes their melodrama less obnoxiously… melodramatic. And in some cases, Alternative 4 actually makes it seem stylish. Listen to “Fragile Dreams,” for instance. It’s the… (read more)