Let's do another one of these.<\/p>\n
Here are my three:<\/p>\n
1. Marah - The Closer<\/strong>
\nThe first Marah review I ever read (and all of them since) said that they were the \"last rock and roll band\". I thought that was typical hyperbolic rock critic nonsense - like how U2 or Oasis were supposed to be the next Beatles, how Nirvana single-handedly saved rock, etc.. But, you know what? In a way, it's actually true. If you take \"rock and roll\" to mean the kind of loose, raw and raucous grit that 70's bands like the Rolling Stones, The Faces, or Bruce Springsteen, and later The Replacements, worked in, then yeah it's true: Marah may just be the only band still making that kind of music - and doing it well (also, all Marah reviews must mention those bands). They've got the Stones' swagger, the Faces' reckless abandon and Springsteen's underdog-worship. And even better (IMO), they've got that sorta- sad-sloppy-silly semi-apathy that made the Replacements charming<\/em> - they aren't Rock Gods from days past, they're a really good bar band that's working hard but having a tough time making it big. If I was synesthetic<\/a>, Marah would smell like beer. And just to be clear: they aren't pre-packaged, arena-ready, retro-novelty douchebags. They sound like a really good band who un-self-consciously plays a style of rock that few other bands are doing these days (Wilco gets close though). And that's probably why they're still relatively unknown: that sound is a bit anachronistic, and describing it as Stones + Springsteen makes it sound even less interesting: \"Classic rock? No thanks.\" And yet, every time there's a party at my house, I slip this song into the mix and people inevitably walk up and ask me \"Hey, who's this<\/em>?\" So, here's the first song from their \"If You Didn't Laugh, You'd Cry\" record (which you should own), \"The Closer\":<\/p>\n