Sweet Guitar Riff Bands. I know. Too general.

June 23, 2011 4:50 PM

A very general question looking for your tastes. I like basic rock with awesome guitar licks/riffs where I can understand what the singer is singing (or at least has something melodic). I am open to any suggestions for bands post 2000, if not recent. I don't know what subcategories there are but am game for your input.
posted by snap_dragon to sports, hobbies, & recreation (24 answers total)

You may want to give Megadeth and Gamma Ray a shot.
posted by ignignokt at 5:05 PM on June 23, 2011

A contemporary group you might like? Try the The Black Keys. I prefer their early material but they have a lot of good stuff. Straightforward skillful blues-rock. Good guitar licks a plenty. And they can be a good jumping off point to go back in time and learn about who inspired their sound. Enjoy. If you want to go chronologically their first full length album is The Big Come Up (2002).
posted by Jibuzaemon at 5:08 PM on June 23, 2011

Keb' Mo and Kenny Wayne Shepherd come to mind for guitar licks.

As do Derrick Trucks and Susan Tedeschi.

In fact, almost anything blues-oriented (like the aforementioned Black Keys) would work.

I don't think of Megadeth as having intelligible lyrics, but perhaps that's just me.
posted by dfriedman at 5:15 PM on June 23, 2011 [1 favorite]

Muse
posted by fire&wings at 5:17 PM on June 23, 2011 [1 favorite]

hey this is where I just list my favorite bands right?

The Hold Steady
The Gaslight Anthem
The Loved Ones (the modern Philly punk band, not the old Aussie punk band)
Jim Jones Revue (more rockabilly/White Stripes)
Foxy Shazam (started out emo, now glam)
early Kings of Leon
Drive-By Truckers (more country rock)
seconding the Black Keys
The Greenhornes
The Raconteurs (Jack White + The Greenhornes)
Supersuckers (pretty old, but maybe you haven't heard them)
Alkaline Trio (bit on the edge of emo)
Pulled Apart By Horses
Blacklist Royals
posted by Lovecraft In Brooklyn at 5:17 PM on June 23, 2011

Seconding the Raconteurs.
posted by pts at 5:20 PM on June 23, 2011

Coheed and Cambria
posted by lobbyist at 5:24 PM on June 23, 2011 [1 favorite]

The Bronx
The Mars Volta (amazing guitar playing, incomprehensibly bizarre lyrics)
Off With Their Heads
Johnny Casino and The Secrets and the other bands on Australian label Off The Hip
You Am I (been around for awhile, but another Aussie act)
The Living End (ditto)
Titus Andronicus
Okkervil River
posted by Lovecraft In Brooklyn at 5:28 PM on June 23, 2011

Is new stuff from bands who've been around for ages OK? If so Cheap Trick's The Latest fits the bill perfectly.
posted by scody at 5:40 PM on June 23, 2011

"Awesome guitar licks/riffs" makes me think "Metallica"...I dunno what your specific tastes are, but more mainstream, bluesy type stuff can be found on the album "Load" (e.g. King Nothing).
posted by 3FLryan at 5:42 PM on June 23, 2011

Anything by the Rockford Mules
posted by Lipstick Thespian at 5:48 PM on June 23, 2011

Also, from back inna day....The Gun Club!
posted by Lipstick Thespian at 5:52 PM on June 23, 2011

(here is a modern Metallica song: Broken, Beat & Scarred...if this guitar riff doesn't rock your socks off, you aren't wearing any socks)
posted by 3FLryan at 5:55 PM on June 23, 2011

TV on the Radio

You can clearly hear two versions of the lyrics at the same time in every song.

;-)
posted by humboldt32 at 6:00 PM on June 23, 2011

Another vote each for Coheed and Cambria, the Mars Volta, TV on the Radio, Muse. On the poppier end of that closer to Muse, I'd also add Placebo.

If you want more classic-blues-rock type stuff, maybe Joe Bonnamassa.

OTOH, for more clever power pop with great guitar parts, try Jason Falkner.
posted by treblemaker at 6:04 PM on June 23, 2011

in the interest of completeness, I'll add Wolfmother
The Vines
Violent Soho
I've heard good things about Tame Impala
posted by Lovecraft In Brooklyn at 6:06 PM on June 23, 2011

The Black Keys
Spoon
The New Pornographers
Queens of the Stone Age
Arcade Fire maybe
posted by Threeway Handshake at 6:22 PM on June 23, 2011 [1 favorite]

Eagles of Death Metal
Clutch
posted by Lovecraft In Brooklyn at 6:23 PM on June 23, 2011

The Donnas
Morningwood
The London Souls
posted by nicwolff at 7:10 PM on June 23, 2011

well I'll be the guy to suggest Iron Maiden. Aside from not overly recent, they meet or exceed your criteria
posted by Redhush at 7:14 PM on June 23, 2011 [1 favorite]

Smith Westerns- Their first album is pretty fuzzed out, but the newest one (Dye It Blonde) is exactly what you are looking for. They draw on a lot of late 70's sounds (in some ways their style feels like a direct extension of 'All the Young Dudes'-era Mott the Hoople) and have tons of great riffs going on throughout their songs. The solo on 'Imagine pt. 3', although not particularly complicated or over-the-top, is one of my favorite moments in rock music in the last year or so.
posted by jimmysmits at 7:34 PM on June 23, 2011 [2 favorites]

Visqueen!
posted by KingEdRa at 8:16 PM on June 23, 2011

kings of leon and cage the elephant might be up your alley.

I'd approach Pandora rather and askme with this. Make a station with your favorite pre-2000 bands. Like away. Note the unfamiliar bands it plays for you after learning your preferences. This works great for me who would otherwise be unaware of any post 2003 bands (you missed three crappy years there, grandpa!)
posted by oblio_one at 10:36 PM on June 23, 2011

I'll try blip.fm and last.fm, too. I approached askme first as it is the quickest way to the jugular of finding some music sampling before I download to ipod w/o having to listen to track upon track while selecting from the above sites or Pandora. All great suggestions, though and thank you all for your input.
posted by snap_dragon at 6:25 AM on June 25, 2011