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.”
-
Sonic Youth – “EVOL” (1986)
Completely desolate. Wandering aimlessly through a seemingly abandoned, worn-down industrial city at the dead of night, from the streets above to the subway below and back home again. EVOL is Sonic Youth’s most atmospheric release and one of their absolute best. The whispering, anxiety-ridden “Shadow of a Doubt” is perhaps the greatest highlight. Kim Gordon’s… (read more)
-
Blondie – “Autoamerican”
Autoamerican is Blondie‘s most accomplished album. The amount of varying styles on this album is simply staggering considering they’re a pop band. Whether it’s the lounge pop of “Here’s Looking at You,” or the jazz crooning of “Faces,” Autoamerican is a consistently exciting and unpredictable listen. The hit songs such as the reggae-tinged “The Tide… (read more)
-
Fleetwood Mac – “Tusk” (1979)
Tusk Review Tusk is a pathetic follow-up to the previous two albums by Fleetwood Mac. And pathetic is the right word to use as Lindsey Buckingham, heartbroken after the events now permanently documented in 1977’s seminal Rumours album, is in too shitty a mood to write a good song, content with simply gliding by on… (read more)
-
Nirvana – “With the Lights Out” (2004)
With Kurt Cobain having tragically passed away, Courtney Love continues to cherish his memory by building and spending the fortune he amassed for his work. With the Lights Out is a posthumous release compiling a bunch of rare and/or unreleased Nirvana tracks. The bulk of these are made up of live recordings and demos of… (read more)
-
Arcade Fire – “The Suburbs”
Name(s): The SuburbsArtist(s): Arcade FireFormat(s): Album (63:55)Genre(s): Indie Rock / Indie Pop / Indie FolkRelease Date(s): August 3, 2010 I don’t completely understand why some people malign The Suburbs so much. It makes sense Arcade Fire would strip down their rambunctious sound and lyrical obscurities to reflect the simpler nature of their suburban youths. It’s… (read more)
-
Foo Fighters – “Foo Fighters”
In the running for the best Foo Fighters album. Being their first, it has a less-produced sound than their later albums and is essentially a garage rock album. Very melodic alternative rock with several great riffs and a lot of energy accompanied with Dave Grohl’s soft voice or tuneful yells. At times borders on noise… (read more)
-
Sonic Youth – “Dirty” (1992)
Dirty is commonly called Sonic Youth’s “sellout” album. Why, I have no idea, because this contains some of the band’s most abrasive material. I’m a big Sonic Youth fan, and the piercing noise some of these songs pivot around even gets on my nerves. My primary complaint is that Dirty runs too long at just… (read more)
-
Arctic Monkeys – “Humbug”
‘Humbug’ doesn’t sound like stoner rock, but Turner’s strength is his ability to pen catchy sing-along choruses. Restrained energy doesn’t accentuate that. (read more)
-
Foo Fighters – “The Colour and the Shape”
Similar pop songwriting ideals of the debut album, but the hooks are bigger and the production is cleaner. Loses the more lo-fi, garage-y, punk feel of the debut that made it so charming. Almost all songs are midtempo, and there’s only two types of songs: brash rockers and strummed mellow electric guitar ballads. The latter… (read more)
-
Sonic Youth – “Experimental Jet Set, Trash and No Star” (1994)
Experimental Jet Set, Trash and No Star is one of the only Sonic Youth albums I just cannot get into. There’s not even one song here I think is a killer and encourages returning to search out other highlights. I’ve listened to it more than once, but every time, I feel the album is overly… (read more)