Thulsa Doom - The Seats Are Soft, But The Helmet Is Way Too Tight - Norwegian stoner rock band Thulsa Doom has managed to stand out from the crowd of fuzzed-out retro rockers with the help of some quirky songwriting and excellent vocals from singer Papa Doom, and while they've released three LP's, it's their debut that always jumps to my mind. Maybe it's the nasty, speaker-melting bass tone that does it.
Witchcraft - Legend - It would be easy to label Witchcraft stoner metal as well, and it's near impossible to read a review about Witchcraft without seeing the name Black Sabbath (though it's Pentagram that they more accurately resemble), but while many stoner rock bands give lip service to Seventies sounds, Witchcraft actually takes the "retro" thing to the next level. Brilliant guitar work, a singer who can actually sing, and fascinating production choices make this record, their latest, something of a feast for anyone who enjoys the sounds of hard rock and metal in its primordial age.
Santeria - Year of the Knife - Santeria are incomparable, in that I can think of no one to compare them to. They sound like nothing so much as the deep south itself. Bluesy and soulful, shot through with dirty rock and roll and touches of latin flavor here and there as well. If the linked track even kind of grabs you, definitely check out more. Their stuff is widely varied, musically speaking, but still of a consistent quality. In addition, their singer, Brother Dege Legg, has released solo material consisting mostly of some impressive dobro playing and his amazing voice.
Blackroc - Blackroc - I'm not sure why hip-hop seems to so often eschew live instrumentation in favor of electronic beats, because when it works, it works really well. For some reason I didn't hear about this collaboration between the Black Keys and a number of high profile hip-hop artists until well after it happened, but it does have a certain nocturnal charm to it. In the linked track, "Ain't Nothing Like You," Mos Def displays some singing chops while Jim Jones handles the verses.
New Bomb Turks - Destroy Oh Boy! - Does anyone remember when punk rock made you want to drive really fast and set things on fire and throw them off of buildings? Well I do. I like my punk rock dirty, loud, and filled with mayhem. It should sound like it's doing 200 miles an hour and barely on the rails. And if possible, it should also retain a sense of intelligence as well. That may sound like a tall order, if not downright contradictory, but not for the New Bomb Turks. Clever wordplay, interesting lyrical perspective, and best of all, speedy, filthy hijinks abound here on my favorite of their albums.
Meat Puppets - Too High To Die - A total classic from a long-running, but frequently overlooked band. The Meat Puppets of course began in the 80's, but this 1994 album is perhaps what they're most remembered for. On this record they smooth off some of the weirder edges from their earlier work and boost the fuzz to create something that lies on the edges of grunge, country, and psychedelia, and works better than it probably should. This album contains their best-known song "Backwater," but I've linked the stranger, speedier "We Don't Exist."
