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 Telescopes – “Taste” (1989)
Expecting Taste to be all shoegaze could seem honest mistake due to the melancholy, acoustic opener “And Let Me Drift Away.” However, immediately after, the band makes an immediate 180—the first sign of Taste‘s true punk aesthetic—and explodes into fast-paced noise rock. Emphasis on the rock. The ethereal sonic soundscapes commonly attributed to shoegaze aren’t… (read more)
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Morrissey – “Your Arsenal” (1992)
I wish Your Arsenal were my favorite Morrissey album. I wish it were. Probably because “Bigmouth Strikes Again” and “The Queen Is Dead” are among my favorite songs by The Smiths. Likely due for the fact that the music is actually aggressive to match Morrissey’s venomous words, as well as being able to contrast with their… (read more)
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Sonic Youth – “Washing Machine” (1995)
Washing Machine is like, the exact definition of mid-tier Sonic Youth to me. That ain’t a bad thing; it’s Sonic Youth, so it’s still a good album, relatively speaking. But as a prelude to their post-90s sound, Washing Machine lacks an identity and strength when compared to their later refinements of that style. Even the… (read more)
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Sonic Youth – “A Thousand Leaves” (1998)
Latter career Sonic Youth, meaning A Thousand Leaves sounds more melodic than their earlier stuff and has less of an attitude. That’s not a bad thing though, because the band has crafted some beautiful stuff past their heyday, and some of it’s on this album. The Thurston Moore and Lee Ranaldo tracks are consistently great… (read more)
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Mad Season – “Above” (1995)
My most recent listens to Above revealed it to be better than I remembered. Mad Season have given us one of the, say, five or so supergroup albums that’s actually worth multiple spins. On the other hand, the mid-album material is emblematic of the band’s lack of experience playing together, and seemingly the time spent… (read more)
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Sonic Youth – “NYC Ghosts & Flowers” (2000)
NYC Ghosts & Flowers isn’t as bad as some reviews would lead you to believe, such as a particularly fucking awfully-written one that I likely don’t need to name. I believe it comes closest to matching the atmosphere of EVOL, something no other Sonic Youth album has attempted since. It paints a similar picture of a… (read more)
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Shoji Meguro – “Persona 3: Original Soundtrack”
Shoji Meguro is possibly the greatest video game composer of all time, and Persona 3 is one of his greatest works. Put two and two together… Meguro blends a variety of modern pop, electronic, and hip hop music, flourishing it with even more genres such as nu jazz, blues, and classical music to make a… (read more)
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The Smashing Pumpkins – “Zeitgeist” (2007)
Zeitgeist is more of a disappointment than “bad,” if that makes sense. It’s disappointing because The Smashing Pumpkins have seemingly completely abandoned their layered, psychedelic sound. I liked Machina II, but Zeitgeist comes off as mostly standard modern alternative rock. The things that keep it above that are Corgan’s distinctive voice and excellent guitar playing,… (read more)
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The Smiths – “Meat Is Murder” (1985)
Yes, the title track of Meat Is Murder is really stupid and just a shortsighted version of “How Soon Is Now?” (which is even on the American version of this album), but pound for pound, I consider this the best Smiths album after The Queen Is Dead—no question. Lyrically, Morrissey trades in some of his trademark… (read more)
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The Smiths – “Strangeways, Here We Come” (1987)
Strangeways, Here We Come is an admirable attempt by The Smiths to explore new sonic territory, understandably so with the limited structure and format of the jangle pop genre. Here, the jangle is all but gone. Without a doubt, the highlight of Strangeways, Here We Come is the synthesized string arrangements by Johnny Marr. They… (read more)