Scotch Sampler

sadchild

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I was playing Dead Weather last night. 3 songs into it my wife goes, "What is this?" After explaining Jack White, his recording philosophy, etc, ultimately I ended up changing it to something else. Not her cup o' tea.

Listening to Kills right now, I can see why he recruited her for the project.
 
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scotchandcigar

All I wanted was some steak
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Bonus round!

By 2005, many years had passed since the grunge era, and I think people were once again ready for some guitar-heavy classic rock sounds. And the 3 guys from Australia called Wolfmother were ready to supply it. They brought psychedelic rock and 70's classic rock to the aughts, with some style, talent, soaring vocals, and imaginative lyrics.

They stuck around for a while, and went through many different incarnations, but I prefer the original lineup that produced their self-titled debut, which was released in the US in 2006. It seemed to come out of nowhere, and was packed with hit songs. It generated no less than 6 singles, including Mind's Eye, Love Train, and all these

Wolfmother – Dimension



Wolfmother – White Unicorn (live)



Wolfmother – Woman (live on Letterman)



Wolfmother – Joker & the Thief (compilation with Johnny Knoxville)



Their subsequent releases make me think of the band Boston - not bad, but not different enough (or better enough) to be notable.
 

scotchandcigar

All I wanted was some steak
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I thought Wolfmother would get a little more enthusiasm, as they scored a Billboard top 10 and 3 top 40s... but I'll move on.

Another band that hit the scene in 2006 was L.A. artists Silversun Pickups. And they presented a very similar conundrum to Stone Temple Pilots, when they were new. STP was being called Stone Temple Pearl Jam; and SP was Silversun Pumpkins. At times, they sounded just like Smashing Pumpkins. However, they put out some good music, and if you saw them perform live (especially acoustic), they seem to have a talent of their own.

The album Carnavas gave us the following hits

This early performance highlights their grungy roots

Silversun Pickups - Well Thought Out Twinkles (live)



As I said, you get a different perspective on their sound and talent when they play acoustic

Silversun Pickups - Lazy Eye (live acoustic)



2009's Swoon gave us a couple more hits, such as these

Silversun Pickups – Panic Switch



Silversun Pickups – Substitution (live acoustic)



Their next release in 2012 produced the hit Bloody Mary (Nerve Endings), but their popularity was fading.
 

HecticArt

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I think SSP are great. I need to circle back around to listen to the acoustic tracks, but I like how they are able to capture the jam-band groove thing and still be pop/rock radio friendly. Good stuff.
 
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scotchandcigar

All I wanted was some steak
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I've heard of most of these band names before, but that's about all I know of them.
Well I've conveniently posted their best songs right here.
I think SSP are great. I need to circle back around to listen to the acoustic tracks, but I like how they are able to capture the jam-band groove thing and still be pop/rock radio friendly. Good stuff.
I don't remember why I originally came across their acoustic performances a while back, but it shows real performance chops.
 
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sadchild

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As usual I'm the polar opposite lol.

First song I got into by this band was "Dots And Dashes" in 2013. Then 2014 I liked "Cannibal". Then 2016 I liked "Circadian Rhythm". All from when their popularity was fading.

Silversun Pickups - Well Thought Out Twinkles
Wow sounds like a different band completely (to the three songs I like)
Silversun Pickups – Panic Switch
Oh yeah, I forgot about this song!
 
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scotchandcigar

All I wanted was some steak
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As usual I'm the polar opposite lol.

First song I got into by this band was "Dots And Dashes" in 2013. Then 2014 I liked "Cannibal". Then 2016 I liked "Circadian Rhythm". All from when their popularity was fading.
I think our preferences are more circumstantial than not. I was tuned into them at their inception, but they weren't on your radar. Then when you became interested, I was moving on.

Honestly, if I first learned of them from their more recent work, maybe I'd prefer those. But it's cool that we both like them!
 
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HecticArt

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and if you saw them perform live (especially acoustic), they seem to have a talent of their own.
The acoustic performances are really captivating.
It's cool to see how he's building those guitar parts to make it sound fuller. He's droning big sections and playing low and high parts at the same time. It almost sounds like 2 guitars sometimes.

I like em even more now. :thumbup:
 
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scotchandcigar

All I wanted was some steak
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When we last left Pearl Jam, it was the mid-90s. They continued cranking out albums every 2 years, but I had my fill, and was all set with them for a while. They put out a couple of good songs during this period, such as 1998's Wishlist, and this one in 2002, which reminds me of a sailor's drinking song

Pearl Jam – I Am Mine (live on Letterman)



But it wasn't until 2006 that I bought another CD of theirs, the eponymously named Pearl Jam, which contained these rockers

Pearl Jam – World Wide Suicide (live on Letterman)



I had to feature the Letterman performance here, as this song became a regular for Paul Shaffer's band
Pearl Jam – Life Wasted (live on Letterman)



2009's Backspacer was another good album, with Amongst the Waves, and the sappy-but-popular Just Breathe. They also have a few good songs from their more recent albums too.
 

scotchandcigar

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They lost me with all of the sappy ballads, but these are a start back in the right direction.

I've always said that they are best when they are pissed off about something.
Yes, but it's a fine line. I find it hard to accept that a group of wealthy old rockers are as authentically pissed as a bunch of angry kids. I no longer want to see Howard Stern toss baloney onto porn stars' asses. Likewise, I don't want to hear Eddie Vedder whine about inequity. But try to keep rockin'.
 

sadchild

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Their live rehearsal recording of "Last Kiss" came out during the years you're talking about and it piqued my interest. And I dig last year's "Great Escape" which I ranked at #79 of my favorite songs of 2020. Pretty good, considering I liked 170 songs last year and hated probably a thousand!
 

scotchandcigar

All I wanted was some steak
Feb 13, 2009
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OK, now onto a 2000's band, for my 2000's timeline. The Killers became a cool band to like. Guys like them, because they're not all sappy, but they sing about emotional things in a rocking way. Girls like Brandon Flowers. Flowers is another one of those front-men who mixes singing with prose/spoken word. Sometimes it appears to be intentional, other times not. It's a bit like Lou Reed, or Tom Petty, as we see here - when the Killers are picked to perform a tribute to the man, upon his passing just before the 2018 RRHOF ceremony

The Killers - Tom Petty tribute (live, 2018 RRHOF induction ceremony)



Going back to the beginning of the Killers, they scored big right off the bat with their 2004 debut Hot Fuss. Songs like Mr. Brightside and Somebody Told Me were great story songs full of imagery, and their signature style. But this is my favorite from that album

The Killers - All These Things That I’ve Done (live)



But their biggest album was 2006's Sam's Town, which was full of hit songs. Here are my favorites

The Killers – When You Were Young (live)



The Killers – Read My Mind



The Killers – Bones (live on Jools)



They followed-up with 2008's Day & Age, which produced hits Human and Spaceman. But by then, they were getting a little too pop for me.
 

IdRatherBeSkiing

Sherbet is NOT and NEVER WILL BE ice cream.
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I have "Mr. Brightside" and "Somebody Told Me" in my library. I have heard them on my local 70s-80s-90s station. Until I looked just now I did not realize the album came out is 2004. I actually assumed I hadn't heard them before because they were an obscure Canadian band (they are not). They just came out at a time when I was not listening to current hits. Anyways, I like them.
 
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sadchild

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I love their song "Runaways". The lyrics really get to me. Especially these lines:

At night I come home after they go to sleep
Like a stumbling ghost, I haunt these halls


Not that I relate to them personally, but they paint a solid picture of a broken home.

That song has an amazing team behind it:

"there was always something missing, so we brought in the freight train .... Brendan O'Brien and Steve Lilywhite. Another hero on that one is Alan Moulder"

Didn't realize Brandon Flowers was the frontman of Killers. I liked this one when it came out, it's been years since I've heard it (well, until this moment)

 

IdRatherBeSkiing

Sherbet is NOT and NEVER WILL BE ice cream.
Oct 11, 2008
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I like "Runaways" too. I also really like all the ones you shared in the original post. I will do some downloading tonight.