The Best Of The New 'Vintage' Rock

As production abilities have progressed, and we are now capable of making record with inhuman levels of perfection, there's something undeniably appealing about the wave of 'vintage' rock bands that take their tones and colors from the classic rock of the past. I love the organic sounds of albums that feel like a band plugging in and playing live in the studio, even though they are still meticulously made records. It's being able to hear the instruments are they actually sound, and not as a wall of obviously processed and quad-tracked distortion, that makes the music special. There's room for the songs to breathe, there's space for the band's personlities to come through.

What I have found is that making such music is far harder than you might think. It's easy to pull out some old amps and get the right sounds, but to write songs that highlight the approach and live up to the standard, is another thing entirely. Only a few bands and albums have been able to squarely hit that bulls-eye. These are the ones I think have achieved that feat.

Graveyard - Graveyard/Hisingen Blues/Lights Out

Of all these bands, Graveyard is the best of them, by a fair margin. We have called them the best rock band of this day and age before, so how could they not be? We here disagree slightly on what their peak has been, but for me it's their first three albums, which perfectly encapsulate everything great about this timeless sound. They are raw enough to sound natural, but played so well they use that to amplify the power and emotion of the songs. They use simplicity to their advantage, and make music that is utterly timeless. From the crystalline chunky guitar tone on "Don't Take Us For Fools", to the scraming passion of Joakim's vocals on "Slow Motion Countdown", there isn't much better in rock than these records.

Blues Pills - Blues Pills

The blues are a tough thing for me, but Blues Pills nailed it on their very first try. Like Graveyard, they use under-gained guitars to set more of a mood, and those give Elin Larsson's voice more space to roar. She is a powerhouse, and it's purely magical when the band drops in and she bellows the final chorus of "Astralplane". The album is full of slow burns and subtle melodies, which rewards coming back to the atmosphere the production is able to conjure up. They haven't been able to match this yet, to me, but it was a hell of an opening salvo.

Lykantropi - Tales To Be Told

Speaking of atmosphere, that is where this record shines. The blend of folk and vintage crunch sets an atmosphere like sitting around a campfire on a chilly autumn night. These songs sound like a group of friends telling each other ghost stories, nervously laughing at those who are scared by them, while feeling slightly nervous themselves. It's a cloudy album, one that wafts over you rather than hit you right in the face. There's a beautiful and delicate nature to the writing and playing, and it's the sort of record that reminds us that the quiet moments are just as powerful.

The Black Marbles - Moving Mountains

I don't remember where I found out about this little gem, but it's a record I have come back to time and time again. With some searing guitar solos, and a voice we didn't get to hear from nearly enough, this album feels the most to me like a reincarnated Led Zeppelin, with a twist of course. Marcia's voice was the star of the show, but even as good as she is, it wouldn't have worked out this well if the band didn't deliver songs up to her talents. With heavy riffs, a balance of blues and folk, and Marcia's powerful voice belting out some great hooks, this one-off combination proved that some stars burn hot and short, and that's ok.