Four Flavors of Alt-Rock

I love listening to all kinds of music genres, but sometimes I get fatigued from choice overload. When that happens, the well I return to most is what hooked me young. Fast, punchy rock bands. There's something energizing about the simplicity of just drum, bass, guitar and vocals. I've been listening to several bands that get to the point and don't overstay their welcome.

Check out four albums released in the last few months. Each of these albums clocks in at around a half-hour, and most songs don't exceed four minutes. With such a driving sound, they're perfect to toss on in your car and let them sink their hooks into you on repeat.

Cloud Nothings - Final Summer (CD)

Cloud Nothings are a three-piece band from Cleveland, Ohio, that started 15 years ago. I loved their first few albums. They reminded me of '90s alt-rock like The Lemonheads or Sebadoh in a way that feels natural, not put-on. But they were clearly modern with little nostalgia in their sound. Cloud Nothings balance a strength for melody and hooks with a cynical edge that lends to discordant guitars.

​On Final Summer that balance has swung closer to the sunny side. There's a brighter tone here with fuzz pedals giving their guitars more warmth. The lyrics are pragmatic too. "Do you dream about the world you know / Do you care to change a thing at all?" they sing in On the Chain. On the song Common Mistake they nod toward the Beatles with, "You'll be alright / Just give more than you take." Thankfully, this positive approach seems like a natural evolution for Cloud Nothings, not a betrayal of their past angst.

Sheer Mag - Playing Favorites (CD)

Sheer Mag just reached their decade mark as a band and they show no signs of slowing. This four-piece band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, places the fiery vocals of Christina Halliday front-and-center. She’s supported by a pair of brothers on guitars and bass, and a keyboardist who also lends rhythm guitar. The combination leads to a full, driving sound that wears its ‘70s rock influence on its sleeve. This is their first album since the pandemic. The band is stretching its sound beyond its earlier bar-brawl rowdiness, trying out ‘70s styles like it was changing radio stations. Sometimes even in the same song!

While you have their AC/DC powerage on the hammy Eat It and Beat It, you also find Jackson 5-style Motown vocals on the earworm Moonstruck. New to this album are Clash-like chanted backing choruses, but on other songs the backing vocals go lyricless in a crooner style. Throughout, the brothers' guitars harmonize beautifully, most pronounced on the Allman Brothers worship of Don’t Come Lookin’. While fans of their harder edge might be disappointed, it’s a blast hearing each member of the band expand their horizons in unexpected ways.

Shellac - To All Trains (CD)

Shellac is the Chicago trio best known as the long-running band of producer/engineer Steve Albini. He tragically died of a heart attack in May, making this his final album. A legend of the punk, indie and alternative scene, Albini played in several different bands through the '80s and began mixing other bands’ albums at the same time. By the ‘90s, his reputation working with the Pixies enticed Kurt Cobain to hire Albini to record Nirvana's final album In Utero (he also produced Cloud Nothings’ second album). Albini’s productions were known for raw, unadorned takes without studio trickery. He worked affordably and efficiently with smaller bands, and emphasized analog recording for high-fidelity.

All of those qualities are here on Shellac’s new album, released right before his death. His reputation for being a cantankerous critic of the music industry and a provocateur came across in his lyrics. As a singer, he doesn’t shy away from challenging subjects or imagery. But he imbues much of it with a dry humor and nerdy impatience for fools. As a guitarist there’s a lilting urgency and looming dread to songs like Wednesday. Bassist Bob Weston and drummer Todd Trainer also deserve credit in their rhythmic tightness that reveals the 32 years of partnership. Despite his claim in I Don’t Fear Hell that “If there’s a hell, I’m gonna know everyone,” Albini’s passing revealed a deep, lasting impact on the entirety of alternative rock based on their heartfelt tributes in memorial.

X - Smoke & Fiction (CD)

X is one of the founders of Los Angeles’ punk scene, going so far as to name their debut album after the city. They’re also one of the few still around. Having survived the hard living pitfalls that disbanded many of their peers, they’re still rocking with their original line-up. Smoke & Fiction is their second album after a 27-year hiatus. From interviews, it might be their last by design. But if so, it’s a heck of a way to go out.

I got to see X at the Uptown Theater in Kansas City on July 6 this year, and I'm still reminiscing on how good it was! They started right in, powering through 22 songs without a lot of extra banter. X played a great mix of songs from their 44-year career, with the three from this album blending in perfectly. A group summed up my feelings on the show and this album as we exited, "They still sound just how you hope they would!"

There's a self-awareness and self-absurdness to their lyrics now that's rare in punk bands. John Doe and Exene's harmonies don't reach their former highs but blend as well as ever. You can hear their influence on California bands like No Doubt and Queens of the Stone Age. And Johnny Zoom's rockabilly guitar still recalls Dick Dale with its surf twang.