Rocktober Album #3: American Bang – American Bang (2010)

Do you like beer-and-whiskey-soaked cock rock?  If so, American Bang is the band for you.  They're from Nashville, and they are one of the handful of newer bands who plays what I would consider neoclassic rock.  They do it very well.  It's kind of Kings of Leon meet Led Zeppelin and The Black Crowes, with some Tesla and GNR mixed in.  Lead singer Jaren Johnston has a nice Southern twang to complement his great rock voice.  The guitars are excellent, and the rhythm section provides a very solid backbone that keeps these guys rocking hard at all times.

This is one of those bands that sounds great on tape, but is jaw dropping live.  I saw these guys at Lollapalooza in 2010, and they blew just about every other act out of the water.  I saw them again a few months later at the House of Blues Back Porch stage, and they kicked the asses of the hundred or so people there.  They look like a rock and roll band and they sure as hell play rock and roll.  If you like great live shows, I beg you to check them out the next time they come to your city.  You won't be disappointed.  (Apparently, you will be.  I just went to the band's website, and the last update was in December 2010, so maybe they're no longer together, although the band's August 4 tweet suggests otherwise.  But then, three of the band members apparently formed another band called The Cadillac Black.  I don't know what to believe anymore.)

If you think I'm lying or overhyping these guys, legendary producer Bob Rock produced this album.  We're talking about the guy who produced Dr. Feelgood and the Black Album.  He doesn't just produce any up-and-coming hard rock band's debut album.

Only one song was on Playlist.com, so I am just including links to any song that might be on YouTube.

1. "Whiskey Walk"

The album starts off with a – wait for it – bang.  If you've ever been drunk on whiskey, they you know what the "whiskey walk" is.  It's usually accompanied by a hand on the face and asking yourself "Jesus Christ, why did I do this to myself again?"  And then comes the vomiting.  This song does not make me want to puke.  It does make me want to drink whiskey.

2.  "Wild and Young"

This is kind of their signature song.  It's a great hard rock song.

3. "Rewind"

A lot of you out there probably don't get the reference when the lead singer says "If I could just push rewind," but rest assured it's an apt analogy for wishing you could change something you screwed up.  This song also rocks.

4. "Angels"

I may classify this as a power ballad.  It starts off acoustic, and then eventually kicks into some electric goodness, with a Slash-like solo.

5.  "She Don't Cry No More"

This is a solid, straightforward rocker about self-redemption.  I like the line "Three drinks later, it ain't that complicated."  I've been there.

6.  "Hurts Like Hell"

This is my favorite song on the album.  It's another one of their signature songs, or so I think.  It is a snarling, teeth-kicking rawk song, with a driving beat, swirling guitars, hooks, and a sing-along chorus.  I love twin lead guitars, and this song has a bit of that, as well as a ball-busting solo.  Here is a link to their performance of this when I saw them last December at the House of Blues.

7.  "All We Know"

"All We Know" has a nice bass line that drives the song, and it's just another one of those great rock songs that I tend to enjoy.

8.  "Wouldn't Want to Be You"

This one is a little more bluesy than rest of the songs, and it has a Tom Petty quality to it.

9.  "A Man Can Change"

I guess this is their attempt at humor.  This one's a little slower, which is to say it's not really slow at all.  I'm happy I could provide you with absolutely nothing helpful with that last sentence.  Whatever, dude.  It's a good song.

10.  "Other Side of You"

Presumably a song about butt fucking, this is another non-slow slower song.  Look, I just don't want to talk about it.

11.  "Roll On"

This is a nice end to the album.  It's a fuzzy rocker with a chorus that's catchy as hell.  Hooks are always welcome, and this song has 'em.  It also has a positive message about taking it on the chin, rolling with the punches until the very end, and keeping on rolling on.  It also has a wicked guitar solo.