November 6, 2010

Top 5 Favorite 2010 Bay Area Garage Rock Albums

The Bay Area appears to be the epicenter for a kick ass garage rock scene that encompasses the full range of sloppy rock n’ roll, from fuzzy and hazy pop to loud and psychedelic jams. Even though the year isn’t over, there are already way too many albums to include all the great releases. So let’s go see who’s playing at Thee Parkside, knock back a couple tallboys, and argue over who I missed.
  1. Kelley Stoltz - To Dreamers (San Francisco)
    Damn catchy retro pop nuggets.

  2. Hunx and his Punx - Gay Singles (San Francisco)
    A wild and hilarious dude fronting a glammy girl group band. Think gay Ramones.

  3. Nobunny - First Blood (Oakland)
    Dude wears a bunny mask and tosses off blistering garage punk hooks. Hell yeah!

  4. The Fresh & Onlys - Play It Strange (San Francisco)
    Seamlessly integrate country chug and classic stroll into fun psychedelic pop.

  5. Bare Wires - Seeking Love (Oakland)
    Like all great garage bands, they only lift from the best and have Seeds-like attitude to spare.

13 Comments:

awmercy said...

It was hard leaving off Ty Segall and Thee Oh Sees, but these weren't their best albums.

Nightrain said...

I need to track some of these bands down.

awmercy said...

They are all worth picking up.

awmercy said...

Or at least going to see live next time they play nearby.

awmercy said...

I really wish I could post a list of my Top 5 Favorite Portland Garage Rock albums, but there aren't enough albums, let alone good albums, to fill out the list.

Pure Country Gold are great and I've liked seeing the Pity Fucks, but I can't find a single place to buy, beg, or steal the album they supposedly released this year.

I always check out the Intellegence, but I wasn't that impressed with Males.

Which bands am I forgetting?

Mona said...

I wish one of you garage-rock geniuses would make one for NYC bands. I should be able to help out but I just can't keep up with y'all, let alone new releases to know wehre to begin. There's gotta be a few, eh?

PDX is short of good garage rock? Why does this leave me in disbelief...

awmercy said...

Portland has a great label for garage rock in Dirtnap Records and at least two great venues for garage rock in the East End and Slabtown. A couple others do the occasional show now and again. But either I missed them or not that many local garage bands released an album this year.

Nightrain said...

Maybe, with all the Portland gentrification, there just aren't enough garages.

awmercy said...

Going to see The Fresh & Onlys at the Doug Fir on Wednesday! They're opening for Clinic.

awmercy said...

You would think with their abundance (7.4 strip clubs per 100,000 residents), Portland would create a new genre called Strip Club Rock.

awmercy said...

For context, and in case you didn't follow the link, Las Vegas and San Francisco have 5.8 and 2.2, respectively.

Suck on that North Beach!

awmercy said...

Although the more I listen to it the more I like Warm Slime.

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