Rockage

Those who know me know that I no longer “rock.” I gave up rock music years ago, dismayed with the seemingly unending repetition coming from 99% of the bands who aspired to rock. Most things with guitars generally deter me, and almost all things emo/indie/post-rock make me gag.

But, rather belatedly, I’ve come upon several exceptions to this rule: Spiritualized, The Flaming Lips, and Neutral Milk Hotel. Now, for most people, these bands are not average rock music. But I guess that gives you some sense of just how disconnected from that sound I’ve become. All have guitars, employ a verse-chorus-verse songwriting style for most of their numbers, and write songs about rock sorts of things, like love, sex, and death. Of these bands, I can’t get enough of the following songs: “Cool Waves” by Spiritualized, “Holland, 1945” by Neutral Milk Hotel, and “Ego Tripping at the Gates of Hell” by The Flaming Lips.