Themed Thursday: Guitar Solos

This week’s Themed Thursday theme is the art of the guitar solo. Many artists and groups have lost the desire to shred a guitar, and this is lamentable. But some musicians (such as Ted Leo, The Strokes, etc.) have been able to satisfy us with face-melting, heart-pumping guitar solos to get the blood flowing and the body rockin’. This is the worst writeup ever. Just listen to the music.

Nicholas’ Choice: Rye Coalition – Communication Breakdance

Rye Coalition prides itself on pelvic-thrusting riffs and gritty vocals in the vein of AC/DC, but this song provides a pocket allowing for an extremely tight solo near the end. I’m sure you’ll enjoy it. Other notable mentions of great guitar solos are Pele’s “Blacks Socks”, and Maps & Atlases’ “Songs for Ghosts to Haunt To”.

Adrian’s Choice: The Mars Volta – L’Via L’Viaquez

By far my favorite song off Frances the Mute. The guitar solo you hear about three minutes into the song is actually the work of the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ John Frusciante. I feel bad for choosing this song because Mars Volta guitarist Omar Rodriguez-Lopez’s guitar playing style is absolutely phenomenal and could be showcased with some other song. But this song’s combination of prog-rock, latin rhythm, and of course face-melting guitar solos, gives me the chills every time I listen to it.

Zack’s Choice: Ted Leo & the Pharmacists – Timorous Me

Ted is the master of the guitar solo, as evidenced by the fact that I had to re-listen to almost every one of his albums to choose just one guitar solo that stood out above the rest. “Timorous Me” was the obvious choice, with two absolutely incredibly dual-guitar solos, found at the 1:56 and 2:53 points of the song. I really believe that the second solo is my favorite part of any song, ever.

Tune in to next week’s edition of Themed Thursday, and enjoy Guitar Solos.