This song brought The Toadies some tidbits of stardom back in 1994, previously limited to playing small clubs in and around their home town of Fort Worth, Texas

The Toadies recently regrouped and released their latest album in August, 2008. They are now touring.

Chances are, if you go to their show, they’ll play this jam. If they don’t, there’ll be some unhappy people in the audience.

Not sure if The Weeks are trying to sound exactly like the Kings of Leon…but that’s EXACTLY what this song sounds like. Heck, I don’t really care, as I could always use another Kings of Leon album.

Here’s to The Kings of Leon, er, The Weeks.

Getting their name from the book White Noise, The Airborne Toxic Event incorporate strings and keyboards into their music, giving them a slightly unique style of post punk. They sound to me like a more relaxed version of the Hold Steady.

They got some good lyrics too. Their singer and lead guitar player, Mikel Jollett, was a one-time novelist.

Random thought, does the guy in the back left look like Russell Brand to anyone else?

Second random thought, these guys are bringing back sideways bangs.

Labeled by many as the ‘Southern version of the Strokes,’ Kings of Leon offer a similar gritty, post punk style as do the NYC foursome.

The Kings of Leon are made up of brothers Caleb, Jared, and Nathan Followill, as well as their cousin Mathew Followill. The brothers were born in Tennessee, but cousin Matthew was born in the not-so-southern state of Oklahoma. Despite Matthew’s midwestern routes, the band has been able to resurrect Southern grunge rock, and bring it to the masses.

20 years from now, one of their songs (hopefully this one) might show up in an Adam Sandler movie about a wanna-be hockey player who picks up golf and then wins a national tournament against a guy named ‘Shooter McGavin.’

Every band can only wish that they’ll be that lucky some day.

In the meantime, I’ll drink, work, walk, and/or entertain while listening to this song. I love how the vocals don’t land perfectly on any of the down beats. Its nuances like this that sets apart the Kings of Leon from other southern grunge rock bands in my mind.

Songs similar to Kings of Leon – Taper Jean Girl

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club – Ain’t No Easy Way
The Black Lips – Feels Alright

If I had started this blog two years ago, I would have written up their song “Lazy Eye,” but at this point, it has appeared in so many car commercials and been played on so many young professionals’ car stereos that I thought it would be best to emphasize the fact that the Silversun Pickups are not a one hit wonder.

Well Thought Out Twinkles bring the Smashing Pumpkins-esque sound as well as any of their other jams. With a female bassist, also a la the Smashing Pumpkins, the Silversun Pickups could even pass for the Pumpkins by a casual observer – if only Brian Aubert shaved his head.

Also like the Smashing Pumpkins, let’s hope that they don’t get overly involved in electronic experimentation, and start recording soundtrack music for really, really bad movies.

Random Thought: One could say that the Silversun Pickups revitalize 90s Alternative Rock similar to how The Hold Steady revitalize 70s Rock and Roll.

From their third and latest album, Boys and Girls in America, this track makes you want to order a beer, tip the bartender a dollar, drink the beer, then order another one.

Its not too surprising that The Hold Steady were voted ‘best bar band in America.’ Who votes for these types of awards is still unknown, but I’ll still see this band the next time they play at a bar near me. True to their best-bar-band status, they sound like a typical bar band, but on steroids. Kind of a Jose Conseco of bar bands.

Let’s hope they don’t write a book about it…then get arrested coming into the US from Mexico with illegal substances.

Rumor has it that frontman Craig Finn and lead guitarist Tad Kumler decided to start The Hold Steady while watching The Last Waltz and wishing their were more bands with that 70s rock and roll sound. That makes three of us.

Iron Maiden, er, Black Tide really have the metal thing down. Rumor has it, one of their members failed the seventh grade three times. Really?!? I guess seventh grade CAN be the best 4 years of your life if you really put your mind to it.

The first track off their album, Lights from Above, definitely makes you want to drive 95 miles per hour at night on a highway, preferably in a wooded areas, but I guess there aren’t many heavily wooded highways.