My brother dips a toe back into rock music

Here are five really good albums from artists your brother probably never heard of, but which should appeal to his sense of taste for good old rock 'n roll.

1. Wilco - Being There (or Summerteeth)
(The later albums (especially Yankee Hotel Foxtrot and A Ghost is Born) are also good, but might be a bit too Avantegarde for him now. When he gets into Wilco though, he'll find both of those albums are at least as good as the other two I recommended.)

2. Death Cab for Cutie - Plans (or Transatlanticism)
(Ignore the band's name, and trust me that this is a very good group, and both of these are very good albums.)

3. The Decemberists - The Crane Wife
(A very english sounding band, IMHO anyway, even though they are not from Great Britain.)

4. Fiona Apple - Tidal
(A great singer/songwriter, who does not try to hit you over the head with her vocal range, unlike some lesser women singers, who shall remain nameless.)

5. Coldplay - Rush of Blood to the Head
(This is their best album by far, IMHO, but their other albums are very good too, just not up to the standards that this one set.)

In case your brother heard of this last one, (and he very well might have, as this was a really popular album), here are some alternative suggestions: either Oasis' "What's the Story Morning Glory?", (espeically if he likes the Beatles), or if he just wants some good old fashioned fun Rock 'n Roll, The Fratellis' "Here We Stand".

My two cents worth anyway.

Tindersticks
Calexico
16 Horsepower
Elbow-they last album
Wolf Parade

given fan of joni / buffalo (which i also like), cannot go wrong w/:
1) decemberists: picaresque is the best release (must hear mariner's revenge song)

2) neil young at massey hall

3) ray lamontagne: til the water turns black

4) jack johnson: on & on

5) sufjan stevens: michigan (same sort of tenderness that joni has)

I'm running a special today--one free recommendation with any request for five!

Here's my contribution--I enjoy just about the entire catalog of all these artists and have made some recommendations for specific albums. Although all don't tend to be considered "rock" first, they either have rock roots, or on these albums lean into rock/pop vs. their traditional niche (jazz, blues, folk, etc). In other words, there's some diversity of style on each album, song to song and the do a nice job of showcasing each artist's range.

1. Holly Cole--Romantically Helpless or Don't Smoke in Bed
2. Keb' Mo--Just Like You
3. Mark Knopfler--Shangri La
4. Steve Forbert--The American in Me
5. George Harrison--Brainwashed (last album--posthumous release)
6. Shawn Mullins--Beneath the Velvet Sun

Great idea for a thread, by the way!

william lyall-solo casting; paul jones-crucifix in a horsehoe; elliott murphy-aquahow; jules and the polar bears-ain't got no breeding; michael d'abo-down at rachael's place;the church-the blurred crusade; jim carroll band-catholic boy;the fugs-it crawed into my hand, honest.