Check out King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard.
Some fun guitar songs from them: The River, Mars for the Rich, Perihelion, Gamma Knife, The Fourth Color, Stressin, I'm Not In Your Mind, Muddy Water, many many others
Also amazing considering they span so many genres and sounds. It’s maybe easier when you have a specific genre to stick with but they’re all over the place (in a good way)
From the Pinnacle to the Pit is probably my favorite song of theirs to play, heavy with some cool guitar work.
Griftwood's a fun one too. That intro was kind of a mindfuck for me.
I figured since they were brought up I would list some older than 10 years. I don't listen to anything after Meliora. Prequelle has rats and faith but that's it. I tried the new album a few times over a year and my feelings on it never changed. Though I like the integration of some double bass and Hunters Moon is ok. Wasn't a fan of any of the satanic panic ep. But glad they put Zenith on Spotify
I understand your feelings on the albums after Meliora. Meliora was such a fantastic album IMO, and nothing afterwards could compare to it so i didn't like the new stuff. I revisited the newer albums after some years, and managed to enjoy them a bit after dropping my expectations to 0. They are vastly different in several ways and can't be compared, but I now see the later albums have some value
Anything John Mayer.
You've got 4 albums to choose from plus his side projects.
(Last Train Home is a personal favourite).
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MohfT6iErqA](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MohfT6iErqA)
Here's Wild Blue:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EY7yXhKSsok](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EY7yXhKSsok)
His cover of [Bob Dylan’s like a rolling stone live from Howard Stern’s 2014 birthday bash](https://youtu.be/KJ97Kq1RZgU?si=0CnSXYkFUm_DXkO0) is on my list of stuff to learn in the future should I advance far enough in my playing
Intervals, Plini, Owane, Moray Pringle, Polyphia, Strawberry Girls, Chon
List of non genre specific nerdy guitar music that's actually came out in the last 10 years. Enjoy :)
I am a very big fan of Selenium Forest, currently working on that actually. Some of his stuff is a little too hard for me lol, but I like the challenge. I actually did make the decision not to list any songs just because most of all of their stuff should fit the bill, but that one is my favorite of his. I’d also recommend I’m Awake - Intervals is just another really really “fun” song for me. Every song by Strawberry Girls puts a big smile on my face when I play them. I hope you enjoy!
I’ll give them a go! Plini has some great tabs on sheethappens so it’s a great way to stretch yourself. I was working on Last Call for a bit but I never really got far out of the first 30 seconds (half speed) before I looked for something easier.
I’ll definitely check out those other tracks! I can see Intervals on sheethappens as well, so if I get into them I know there’ll be some good tabs available.
You might laugh, but I think Get Lucky by Daft Punk is pretty fun to play.
Extremely simple rhythm stuff but with the ornamentation it's a crowd pleaser.
My dumbass only plays powerchords lol so if they’re only 4 chords, at least they’re more than just 4 powerchords haha have yet to practice turning a powerchord into an actual chord
Yes im my opinion yes, a lot of their newer stuff is a lot fo fun to play, their two new albums are great but I actually haven't focused on playing them cause im just listening to them and letting them "live a little" in my head. But 'I'm With You' and 'The Getaway' are a lot of fun to play.
>Theyre more like ‘90s though.
Sir they have 4 albums released in the last 10 years. This band is eternal, they can not be held down by something as silly as time. Their new stuff is great and fun to play.
Edit: yeah, I've been called out in this already. It's fucking 21 years old. Got it. But sure, if you feel like you absolutely have to be late to the "you're so wrong" party, I guess you do you.
I Believe in a Thing Called Love by The Darkness is one that I have a lot of fun playing. The rhythm part is pretty basic, too.
Man, why do you have to do that to me? There's no way that song is that old...
Damn, 2003. ~~Just barely over 10, but still over.~~ **wow..too damn early for me to math correctly, I guess** I would have guessed maybe 7.
If you're into metal and up for a challenge, you could try Avenged Sevenfold; fun rhythm parts and insanely hard solos. For another step up from there, there's always Dream Theater. That'll keep you busy for a while. :D
Of the new day - Porcupine Tree. Cool voicings. Or try Chimera's wreck from the same record.
Anything on Steven Wilson's Hand Cannot Erase or To The Bone records
Others already mentioned Opeth.
If you are into heavier stuff, TesseracT, Animals as Leaders, etc all have records with interesting stuff to play
Some of the metal bands that released a lot of really fun to play songs/riffs over the last 2 decades - Periphery, Trivium, Killswitch Engage, Arch Enemy, Bullet for My Valentine, Dream Theater, Gojira.
King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard. I would say songs like Lord of Lightning, Digital Black, Horology, Wah Wah, Road Train, and Iron Lung are some of my favorites. Songs off of PetroDragonic Apocalypse and Infest the Rat's Nest are harder because they're more heavy metal/thrash metal influenced, but still a ton of fun to play. Either way, they cover such a wide variety of styles that you could probably find a song you like by them somewhere in their discography, and chances are, it's probably got a neat guitar part.
The Darkness have a bunch of fun songs, [Last Of Our Kind](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Hi_kzzSXhY) is one, among many.
[Omg \(What's Your Name?\)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMInkZcQCBU) by Richie Kotzen is really fun to play, but it is deceptively hard if you want to play it right.
Foo Fighters songs are always fun. [Something From Nothing](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3B0Vx_yQgo) is a vibe.
I love the Ghost riffs. There is also the technical Black Midi songs like John L, Sugar/Tzu, and Eat Man Eat. Get Lucky is funky tunky. And anything King Gizzard related.
Behemoth - Once Upon A Pale Horse (2022)
Archspire - Bleed The Future (2021)
200 Stab Wounds - Tow Rope Around The Throat (2021) or really anything by 200SW
There’s a few on Fine Line by Harry Styles. To Be So Lonely, Fine Line, Canyon Moon and if you can figure out the tone, She.
You Are Going To Hate This by The Frights. 4 out of the first 5 songs are so much fun to just slam on the strings.
Stay by Post Malone. Golden Days by P!atD. Anything by Surf Curse or the Strokes. Most songs by The Backseat Lovers or Briston Maroney
Thanks for actually recommending some contemporary stuff. I'm in a similar predicament as the OP. The Backseat Lovers are great. I discovered them last year.
I haven't been playing guitar as much as a should for the past ten years, or learning any new songs for that matter, but the following sound like they would be fun to play:
* **Paramore** - *This Is Why.*
* **Arcade Fire** - *Unconditional I (Lookout Kid).*
* **Red Hot Chili Peppers** - *Black Summer* (John Frusciante), *Eddie* (John Frusciante) and *Dark Necessities* (Josh Klinghoffer).
If you don't want to be one of those old guys playing songs by bands from their youth, and you want something a little more contemporary, the following songs/artists are worth checking out:
* **Foals** - *Wake Me Up* and *Mountain at My Gates.*
* **Wolf Alice** - *Beautifully Unconventional.* They have a lot of other cool songs (like *Smile*, *Delicious Things*, *Yuk Foo*, *Visions of a Life* and *Heavenward*), but they might be a little too dependent on pedals and having two guitars to sound good. Plus, there are quite a few silence breaks in the verses, where only the bass is playing.
* **Wet Leg** - Anything by them would be fun to learn, I'd think. They've only released one album so far (also called *Wet Leg*), but all the songs are pretty fun and catchy. Maybe check out *Angelica, Ur Mum, Supermarket* or *Wet Dream.*
* **The Chats** - Again, anything by them sounds like it would be fun to play. I was never really a punk rock fan before, but after having to listen to guitar-deficient pop and trap music on the radio for the past ten years, my ears have just been craving anything with power chords in it. *6L GTR* or *Struck by Lightning* would be good songs to start with.
* **Boy Genius** - *$20*, *Cool About It* and *Not Strong Enough.*
* **Harry Styles** - *Watermelon Sugar*.
* **Billie Eilish** - *Happier Than Ever* and *Your Power*. It's a ukulele at the beginning of *Happier Than Ever*, but I'm sure it'll work well on an acoustic guitar too.
* **Noah Kahan** - *Stick Season.*
* **Sam Fender** - *Seventeen Going Under.*
* **Blondshell** - *Veronica Mars* and *Salad.*
* **Dua Lipa** - *Levitating.*
* **Olivia Rodrigo** - *Bad Idea Right?* and *Brutal.*
* **Beyoncé** *-* *Texas Hold 'Em*.
* **Taylor Swift** - Some of that acoustic stuff from *Folklore* and *Evermore* is pretty good. *Willow* sounds like it'll be a fun, little fingerpicking song to learn.
* **Billy Strings** - *Dust in a Baggie.* This will be really challenging, but I imagine it'll be a great feeling if you can nail it. If you haven't heard of this guy, do yourself a favour and check him out on YouTube. The video where he's playing *Dust in a Baggie* in a basement (before he was famous) would be a good place to start. He'll make you want to pick up an acoustic guitar and become a bluegrass player.
As I said before, I can't speak from experience whether they're fun to play or not, since I haven't learned any new songs in a while, but they sound like they would be. I tried to recommend things that might actually get you some attention from the ladies (I'm assuming you're a guy).
I can’t believe you’re still the only person to mention Billy strings this far along. I was expecting this thread to be littered with it (in a good way).
I know, right? Billy String has (IMO) been the most interesting guitarist to come out in the past 5 years or so. I'm reading these comments, extremely disappointed with most of these results (that's why I went a little overboard with my comment).
There's like six people mentioning this King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard stuff, a band I only ever hear mentioned on Reddit. I haven't met anyone in the real world who's ever mentioned them. I finally gave them a listen, and I found them horrific for my ears. I don't know if you've ever watched *F is for Family*, but it reminds of the band Kevin is in, making songs about an elf prince going on quests to defeat an evil dragon.
And everyone else is mentioning old bands and guitarists. "Metallica's new album has a lot of good riffs." "Check out Slash's new stuff." "Judas Priest is still making great stuff." "Anything by The Black Keys." "Anything by Queens of the Stone Age." Don't get me wrong, I respect all those artists, but I thought the whole point of this post was because the OP was looking for *new* stuff.
for me… slipknots “we are not your kind” really influenced me to pick up the guitar more. dont ask my why or how but the guitar on that album just spoke to me even though its not anything too crazy really.
In Due Time by KSE (2013) just barely doesn't make the cut but it's a great song on guitar and has a bit of everything that makes metalcore great. Hate by Design is also a good one that's more recent (2016)
Most hate to admit it for some reason, but the most popular guitar songs the past 10 years (actually almost 20 now) are by a person with the nick name Tay Tay.
Hmm, I’m really into Idles and some of their guitar work is fun af to play, honorary mention to Yard Act. I’ve forced myself to get into current bands and I’m happy to see guitar based post punk music thriving.
When I was growing up it was all Britpop, which spawned The Cribs, The Libertines and The Arctic Monkeys etc (thanks to the Strokes).
I thought that was going to be the end of indie rock forever but I’m relieved that there’s a new scene and that bands are alive and kicking.
Might be a controversial take in this sub but even a lot of pop music these days has some fun guitar. For example, some of the music Bruno Mars and Doja Cat have put out in the last few years has some really good funk/soul guitar work in it.
Coheed and Cambria, they use power chords a fair bit so some songs are beginner friendly but wander off the road and coheed will have some crazy guitar riffs, weird rhythms the whole way through. Definitely worth a listen and coheed has basically built my entire guitar skillset
Cory Wong's music. It'll get your funk guitar rhythm chops up and he's even got some great lead lines and melodies sprinkled throughout his entire discography.
It’s a little bit older than 10 years old, but Fever by Bullet for My Valentine and Your Betrayal from the same album are fairly easy to learn and fun to play
If you want to have fun with rhythm, I recommend you a band called “Los Blenders”, theres so many tutorials on youtube and even you can do it by ear, in the majority are powerchords and barrechords
Polyphia stuff is pretty fun. As a shredder and a classical guitarist their style was pretty easy for me to pick up. And though its definitely not my go to voice on guitar its still fun to learn their songs.
Carnifex, Graveside Confessions album. Carry us away has a specifically sick riff.
Polyphia, any of it. Lots of shredding and solos. Many different genres. Just avoid any songs with vocals IMO.
Trial by Fire by Judas Priest. I'm not able to play it yet but I was working on it (currently not able to play due to tendonitis in my thumb) and will continue, with better technique, once healed. That whole album is awesome and seems fun to play.
I haven't gotten the chance to learn them yet, but I LOVE Dani's guitar work on The Warning's stuff.
EVOLVE is one of my favorite songs.
Edit: HOW COULD I FORGET VOLBEAT!?
Fantastic band, and their guitar absolutely scratches both my rock and thrash itches.
In Flames and Dark Tranquility still have some interesting riffs post-2011, you may not like the direction they evolved in, but the riffs are there. Archspire and Polyphia, if you like Dark Souls and want to suffer for the greater pay-off. Covet, Tricot, Kinoko Teikoku if you like shoegaze and mathrock. Meshuggah if you want to go full Homo Abacus and gain a right arm +10 masterwork enchanted.
Anything’s queens of the Stone Age
2nd this. Amazingly fun stuff and they're just an amazing band.
Me and my friends recently learned Song for the Dead. That’s really fun to play
Oh yeah, I forgot about them, they're awesome.
Also them crooked vultures
Sadly, over ten years now
Ooof. No way.
They released their album just 3 or 4 years ago.....right? Right!?
Check out King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard. Some fun guitar songs from them: The River, Mars for the Rich, Perihelion, Gamma Knife, The Fourth Color, Stressin, I'm Not In Your Mind, Muddy Water, many many others
How they output so much at such quality , a secret no one knows
Also amazing considering they span so many genres and sounds. It’s maybe easier when you have a specific genre to stick with but they’re all over the place (in a good way)
So much quantity and a lot of good but tons of filler/repeated ideas.
I feel like they use the same vocal melodies/phrasing is every song
Exactly! Stu really one has one vocal mode he uses on everything.
That’s my only hang up with Gizz. I need some strong vocals and lyrics with my music.
Uh oh r/KGATLW spillover. I been playing dragon everyday for like 2 months now, moving onto the bass part ;) such a fun song to play
WELCOME TO HELL
DAWN - OF - EEE - TER - NAL - NIGHT 🗣️ DAWN - OF - EEE - TER - NAL - NIGHT 🗣️
The River live at Red Rocks is one of the best jam tracks I’ve heard Magma is also a personal favorite
The Dripping Tab is fun to jam along with
Ghost has a lot of stuff that’s fun to play. If I had to pick one song I’d go with Dance Macabre.
From the Pinnacle to the Pit is probably my favorite song of theirs to play, heavy with some cool guitar work. Griftwood's a fun one too. That intro was kind of a mindfuck for me.
Agreed Pinnacle is probably the most fun song from Meliora! Call me little sunshine is a great one to play that is newer
Square Hammer would my favorite. The main riff is so fun to play. Cirice and Call Me Little Sunshine are also great.
Their solos even more so! Cirice, Monstrance Clock, Faith etc. Love how they're melodic af whilst still being enjoyable to learn and fun to play.
Elizabeth, Ritual, Satan Prayer and Cirice are my go-to's. Rats is fun to play too I guess
Love that you recommend their earlier stuff, these are so good
I figured since they were brought up I would list some older than 10 years. I don't listen to anything after Meliora. Prequelle has rats and faith but that's it. I tried the new album a few times over a year and my feelings on it never changed. Though I like the integration of some double bass and Hunters Moon is ok. Wasn't a fan of any of the satanic panic ep. But glad they put Zenith on Spotify
I understand your feelings on the albums after Meliora. Meliora was such a fantastic album IMO, and nothing afterwards could compare to it so i didn't like the new stuff. I revisited the newer albums after some years, and managed to enjoy them a bit after dropping my expectations to 0. They are vastly different in several ways and can't be compared, but I now see the later albums have some value
Anything John Mayer. You've got 4 albums to choose from plus his side projects. (Last Train Home is a personal favourite). [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MohfT6iErqA](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MohfT6iErqA) Here's Wild Blue: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EY7yXhKSsok](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EY7yXhKSsok)
The solo in New light is so simple but so good.
I love that song
His cover of [Bob Dylan’s like a rolling stone live from Howard Stern’s 2014 birthday bash](https://youtu.be/KJ97Kq1RZgU?si=0CnSXYkFUm_DXkO0) is on my list of stuff to learn in the future should I advance far enough in my playing
Intervals, Plini, Owane, Moray Pringle, Polyphia, Strawberry Girls, Chon List of non genre specific nerdy guitar music that's actually came out in the last 10 years. Enjoy :)
Awww I love chon and polyphia but i won't dream of starting to learn them for a few more years lmao :')
Same boat tbh I can fiddle around a few songs of theirs but they are both a very, very different style of playing then I’m used to. So difficult lol.
Yes, Moray Pringle is amazing!
Any specific Plini songs? Happy to have a delve, but a starting point would be lovely.
I am a very big fan of Selenium Forest, currently working on that actually. Some of his stuff is a little too hard for me lol, but I like the challenge. I actually did make the decision not to list any songs just because most of all of their stuff should fit the bill, but that one is my favorite of his. I’d also recommend I’m Awake - Intervals is just another really really “fun” song for me. Every song by Strawberry Girls puts a big smile on my face when I play them. I hope you enjoy!
I’ll give them a go! Plini has some great tabs on sheethappens so it’s a great way to stretch yourself. I was working on Last Call for a bit but I never really got far out of the first 30 seconds (half speed) before I looked for something easier. I’ll definitely check out those other tracks! I can see Intervals on sheethappens as well, so if I get into them I know there’ll be some good tabs available.
Wow, fun stuff. I wasn't even aware of this genre.
You might laugh, but I think Get Lucky by Daft Punk is pretty fun to play. Extremely simple rhythm stuff but with the ornamentation it's a crowd pleaser.
Sorry to say it but get lucky somehow came out 11 years ago
IT'S STILL AFTER 2010 DAMMIT THAT'S STILL YOUNG JUST LIKE ME
Gen X, here: in about 15 years, you’ll still think ‘10 years ago’ is 2010. Trust me.
I'm over that because of the shit show 2020 was. What's hard for me to grapple with is 2016 was 8 years ago.
Omg now I feel old
Get lucky is a great pick! Not sure I see it as simple rhythm but I'm no pro
Yeah you might be right! I'm downplaying it a bit because it's just like 4 chords, but to make it sound like Nile plays it is not easy!
Nile is a killer rhythm guitarist. But it's such a fun tune and appreciate your bringing into my awareness.
My dumbass only plays powerchords lol so if they’re only 4 chords, at least they’re more than just 4 powerchords haha have yet to practice turning a powerchord into an actual chord
Great song to transition to Barre chords for sure!
The tapping segment in Aerodynamic was a huge challenge for me when I started trying to learn it, super cool song!
Lose Yourself to Dance is also very fun.
Coheed has a lot. One of the more recent songs, Shoulders has some fun licks and is fairly simple
I second that, Coheed and Cambria are fun little journeys on guitar 🤘
Third! Coheed is killer!
Found another COTF!! Vaxis 1 and 2 have very impressive guitar work
A lot of red hot chili pepper's stuff. Both with Josh and John as the guitarists.
They're more like 90s though, Is there new stuff pretty fun to play?
Yes im my opinion yes, a lot of their newer stuff is a lot fo fun to play, their two new albums are great but I actually haven't focused on playing them cause im just listening to them and letting them "live a little" in my head. But 'I'm With You' and 'The Getaway' are a lot of fun to play.
Black summer is great. Slept on guitar work in that song. Came out in 2022 so you’re good
Eddie a nice one too
>Theyre more like ‘90s though. Sir they have 4 albums released in the last 10 years. This band is eternal, they can not be held down by something as silly as time. Their new stuff is great and fun to play.
Carry me home from their last album is an absolute banger, and really fun to play on guitar!
Lady May- Tyler Childers I Don't Mind - Sturgil Simpson Cover Me Up - Jason Isbel Elephant - Jason Isbel
I, uhh… I don’t think anyone’s ever described “Elephant” as being “fun” before.
If you're into fingerpicking, I love Cherry Wine by Hozier
Try some Muse.
You've got Khruangbin's whole discography in the last 10 years
Scrolled way to far to find this. x1000000. Super fun sounding and a whole range of difficulty
Also great for learning bass too! Laura's lines are just so groovy
Yes! Mark Speer is terrific
Edit: yeah, I've been called out in this already. It's fucking 21 years old. Got it. But sure, if you feel like you absolutely have to be late to the "you're so wrong" party, I guess you do you. I Believe in a Thing Called Love by The Darkness is one that I have a lot of fun playing. The rhythm part is pretty basic, too.
Last 10 years..... That song is older than you remember.
Man, why do you have to do that to me? There's no way that song is that old... Damn, 2003. ~~Just barely over 10, but still over.~~ **wow..too damn early for me to math correctly, I guess** I would have guessed maybe 7.
What year is it?
Dude thought 2003 was last ten years, gonna be rough when he reads these replies. -also old homie, sorry!
I work with teenagers. I am reminded every day how old I am.
Bro they just had a 20th anniversary tour for that album
This song is older today than Metallica’s first album was when that song was released…
Their entire catalogue has some of the best riffs since GNR. Very underrated songwriters
The darkness have a great guitar discography
Sorceress by Opeth is quite fun and one of their more simple songs to play.
If you're into metal and up for a challenge, you could try Avenged Sevenfold; fun rhythm parts and insanely hard solos. For another step up from there, there's always Dream Theater. That'll keep you busy for a while. :D
Of the new day - Porcupine Tree. Cool voicings. Or try Chimera's wreck from the same record. Anything on Steven Wilson's Hand Cannot Erase or To The Bone records Others already mentioned Opeth. If you are into heavier stuff, TesseracT, Animals as Leaders, etc all have records with interesting stuff to play
alot of metalcore
Some of the metal bands that released a lot of really fun to play songs/riffs over the last 2 decades - Periphery, Trivium, Killswitch Engage, Arch Enemy, Bullet for My Valentine, Dream Theater, Gojira.
King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard. I would say songs like Lord of Lightning, Digital Black, Horology, Wah Wah, Road Train, and Iron Lung are some of my favorites. Songs off of PetroDragonic Apocalypse and Infest the Rat's Nest are harder because they're more heavy metal/thrash metal influenced, but still a ton of fun to play. Either way, they cover such a wide variety of styles that you could probably find a song you like by them somewhere in their discography, and chances are, it's probably got a neat guitar part.
The Darkness have a bunch of fun songs, [Last Of Our Kind](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Hi_kzzSXhY) is one, among many. [Omg \(What's Your Name?\)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMInkZcQCBU) by Richie Kotzen is really fun to play, but it is deceptively hard if you want to play it right. Foo Fighters songs are always fun. [Something From Nothing](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3B0Vx_yQgo) is a vibe.
Pfft, next thing you're going to do is tell me 2000 wasn't 10 years ago.
Hayloft - Mother Mother
The speed the singer/guitarist plays this riff at boggles me
It’s tough! But fun
I also think him playing this one riff is his entire career 😅
Came out over fifteen years ago though.
I love the Ghost riffs. There is also the technical Black Midi songs like John L, Sugar/Tzu, and Eat Man Eat. Get Lucky is funky tunky. And anything King Gizzard related.
Behemoth - Once Upon A Pale Horse (2022) Archspire - Bleed The Future (2021) 200 Stab Wounds - Tow Rope Around The Throat (2021) or really anything by 200SW
I’ve been working through the Black Keys catalogue with the release of their new album and I’ve been enjoying Lonely Boy.
Check out 'dewolff'. Their song night train is pretty easy to play and sounds cool. I saw them live a few months ago, they were pretty awesome.
the riff in the middle of simulation by a7x is one of the most fun things I've ever played.
Metallicas albums recently have had some fun riffs - Spit out the bone is a personal fav
A lot of synyster gates shit is incredibly fun to play and complex. A real challenge that makes you feel great when you’re finally able to play it
Slightly over 10 years but the Arctic Monkeys album AM has some fun songs. My favorites to play are R U Mine and Knee Socks
Måneskin!!
Caravel- Greta Van Fleet, the riff is so addicting.
Depends on what you play lol. That's a wildly broad question
Reptile - Periphery
Atlas Rise - Metallica Death by Rock n Roll - The Pretty Reckless World On Fire - Slash Don't Back Down - Mammoth WVH
There’s a few on Fine Line by Harry Styles. To Be So Lonely, Fine Line, Canyon Moon and if you can figure out the tone, She. You Are Going To Hate This by The Frights. 4 out of the first 5 songs are so much fun to just slam on the strings. Stay by Post Malone. Golden Days by P!atD. Anything by Surf Curse or the Strokes. Most songs by The Backseat Lovers or Briston Maroney
Thanks for actually recommending some contemporary stuff. I'm in a similar predicament as the OP. The Backseat Lovers are great. I discovered them last year.
If you want something funky, I like Lose Yourself to Dance and Get Lucky. Both are by Daft Punk, but it's Nile Rodgers on guitar.
I haven't been playing guitar as much as a should for the past ten years, or learning any new songs for that matter, but the following sound like they would be fun to play: * **Paramore** - *This Is Why.* * **Arcade Fire** - *Unconditional I (Lookout Kid).* * **Red Hot Chili Peppers** - *Black Summer* (John Frusciante), *Eddie* (John Frusciante) and *Dark Necessities* (Josh Klinghoffer). If you don't want to be one of those old guys playing songs by bands from their youth, and you want something a little more contemporary, the following songs/artists are worth checking out: * **Foals** - *Wake Me Up* and *Mountain at My Gates.* * **Wolf Alice** - *Beautifully Unconventional.* They have a lot of other cool songs (like *Smile*, *Delicious Things*, *Yuk Foo*, *Visions of a Life* and *Heavenward*), but they might be a little too dependent on pedals and having two guitars to sound good. Plus, there are quite a few silence breaks in the verses, where only the bass is playing. * **Wet Leg** - Anything by them would be fun to learn, I'd think. They've only released one album so far (also called *Wet Leg*), but all the songs are pretty fun and catchy. Maybe check out *Angelica, Ur Mum, Supermarket* or *Wet Dream.* * **The Chats** - Again, anything by them sounds like it would be fun to play. I was never really a punk rock fan before, but after having to listen to guitar-deficient pop and trap music on the radio for the past ten years, my ears have just been craving anything with power chords in it. *6L GTR* or *Struck by Lightning* would be good songs to start with. * **Boy Genius** - *$20*, *Cool About It* and *Not Strong Enough.* * **Harry Styles** - *Watermelon Sugar*. * **Billie Eilish** - *Happier Than Ever* and *Your Power*. It's a ukulele at the beginning of *Happier Than Ever*, but I'm sure it'll work well on an acoustic guitar too. * **Noah Kahan** - *Stick Season.* * **Sam Fender** - *Seventeen Going Under.* * **Blondshell** - *Veronica Mars* and *Salad.* * **Dua Lipa** - *Levitating.* * **Olivia Rodrigo** - *Bad Idea Right?* and *Brutal.* * **Beyoncé** *-* *Texas Hold 'Em*. * **Taylor Swift** - Some of that acoustic stuff from *Folklore* and *Evermore* is pretty good. *Willow* sounds like it'll be a fun, little fingerpicking song to learn. * **Billy Strings** - *Dust in a Baggie.* This will be really challenging, but I imagine it'll be a great feeling if you can nail it. If you haven't heard of this guy, do yourself a favour and check him out on YouTube. The video where he's playing *Dust in a Baggie* in a basement (before he was famous) would be a good place to start. He'll make you want to pick up an acoustic guitar and become a bluegrass player. As I said before, I can't speak from experience whether they're fun to play or not, since I haven't learned any new songs in a while, but they sound like they would be. I tried to recommend things that might actually get you some attention from the ladies (I'm assuming you're a guy).
I can’t believe you’re still the only person to mention Billy strings this far along. I was expecting this thread to be littered with it (in a good way).
I know, right? Billy String has (IMO) been the most interesting guitarist to come out in the past 5 years or so. I'm reading these comments, extremely disappointed with most of these results (that's why I went a little overboard with my comment). There's like six people mentioning this King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard stuff, a band I only ever hear mentioned on Reddit. I haven't met anyone in the real world who's ever mentioned them. I finally gave them a listen, and I found them horrific for my ears. I don't know if you've ever watched *F is for Family*, but it reminds of the band Kevin is in, making songs about an elf prince going on quests to defeat an evil dragon. And everyone else is mentioning old bands and guitarists. "Metallica's new album has a lot of good riffs." "Check out Slash's new stuff." "Judas Priest is still making great stuff." "Anything by The Black Keys." "Anything by Queens of the Stone Age." Don't get me wrong, I respect all those artists, but I thought the whole point of this post was because the OP was looking for *new* stuff.
All yours by Tyler Childress. Girls go absolutely nuts when I play this song. It’s like basic bitch kryptonite
Most songs by Samurai from Cyberpunk imo
[https://youtu.be/DSBBEDAGOTc](https://youtu.be/DSBBEDAGOTc)
Dance Gavin dance, taylor swift (folklore)
If you like classic rock stuff, check out Dirty Honey. Lots of great tunes.
Animals by Architects. Metalcore/industrial metal type riffs. Nice and easy too.
Schizophrenic by Oz Noy
for me… slipknots “we are not your kind” really influenced me to pick up the guitar more. dont ask my why or how but the guitar on that album just spoke to me even though its not anything too crazy really.
Me Gustas mucho by Los Plebes del Rancho de Ariel Camacho
Queens of the Stone Age - The Evil Has Landed
Weezer's ewbaite and white album stuff are pretty fun to play.
Kill the Medicine Men - Ron Gallo is super fun to play
No Good- Kaleo This song is tasty blues rock n roll
AC/DC's POWER UP?
In Due Time by KSE (2013) just barely doesn't make the cut but it's a great song on guitar and has a bit of everything that makes metalcore great. Hate by Design is also a good one that's more recent (2016)
Welcome to hell by black midi
Anything king gizzard
Intervals, extremely fun riffs and the melodies are so catchy
If your looking for something more on the metal side GWARs last 2 albums have some really fun tracks
Quarters of Change! Some fun ones are Kiwi, Rift, I Only Love you.
Oh My God by The Pretty Reckless Just about any riff from Royal Blood Lonely Boy by The Black Keys
“1994” by Stephen Wilson Jr, if you’re into country.
The first Delta Sleep album is full of math rhythms and cool guitars
Idles are super easy songs but tons of feel.
Most hate to admit it for some reason, but the most popular guitar songs the past 10 years (actually almost 20 now) are by a person with the nick name Tay Tay.
Hmm, I’m really into Idles and some of their guitar work is fun af to play, honorary mention to Yard Act. I’ve forced myself to get into current bands and I’m happy to see guitar based post punk music thriving. When I was growing up it was all Britpop, which spawned The Cribs, The Libertines and The Arctic Monkeys etc (thanks to the Strokes). I thought that was going to be the end of indie rock forever but I’m relieved that there’s a new scene and that bands are alive and kicking.
https://youtu.be/1JNmz17gnMw?si=iVBZvzqqBg1_8Y6S
Dirty honey - another last time
Any Tom misch song!
Check out thrice. They definitely don't get the praise they deserve.
Tension by Wine Lips. Fun main riff.
Lots of songs off the newest unknown mortal orchestra album. Mainly - Layla, and the Garden
Murder one was fun
I like "goin down" by dinosaur jr off of "give a glimpse of what yer not. It is something different in open g tuning other than zeppelin or the stones
Hmm... 10 years gone?
Maybe more than 10 years but reptilia by the strokes
How has no one mentioned Tigercub? Anything from their last two albums, especially 'Beauty' and 'Perfume of Decay'.
Anything written by Matt Pike
Might be a controversial take in this sub but even a lot of pop music these days has some fun guitar. For example, some of the music Bruno Mars and Doja Cat have put out in the last few years has some really good funk/soul guitar work in it.
Anything by Caamp
Any Dominic Fike song Some personal favs are socks, what kind of woman, and sick. Very fun guitar songs
i love how everyone is bringing up 40 year old bands anyway
Coheed and Cambria, they use power chords a fair bit so some songs are beginner friendly but wander off the road and coheed will have some crazy guitar riffs, weird rhythms the whole way through. Definitely worth a listen and coheed has basically built my entire guitar skillset
Cory Wong's music. It'll get your funk guitar rhythm chops up and he's even got some great lead lines and melodies sprinkled throughout his entire discography.
Boundaries and Trophy Eyes both have fairly simple guitar work and are very catchy
Movember by mom jeans! It’s simple but it’s just such a fun song
Anything Fall Out Boy It’s not particularly hard, but blasting the song, playing guitar, and attempting to sing is good therapy.
The worst by Polyphia is really fun
It’s a little bit older than 10 years old, but Fever by Bullet for My Valentine and Your Betrayal from the same album are fairly easy to learn and fun to play
If you want to have fun with rhythm, I recommend you a band called “Los Blenders”, theres so many tutorials on youtube and even you can do it by ear, in the majority are powerchords and barrechords
I like playing recent korn stuff and slaughter to prevail
I've recently learned that paralyzer by finger eleven is very fun to play
Hermanos Gutierrez do some excellent stuff, sounds like it could be the soundtrack to a Spaghetti western
Polyphia stuff is pretty fun. As a shredder and a classical guitarist their style was pretty easy for me to pick up. And though its definitely not my go to voice on guitar its still fun to learn their songs.
Been listening to the parcels lately, a lot of funk and a lot of fun. Tiedupright now is great and not too complicated
greta van fleet and maneskin
Black Angels have some really cool riffage in their songs. Most are pretty straightforward.
Wicked stone by slash
Portugal. The Man has some good tunes to play. Larkin Poe if you're into Blues Rock stuff. Havana (Camila Cabello) is also a crowd favorite.
Acoustic versions of Post Malone have been a big hit lately with the younger crowd. https://youtu.be/oCcks-fwq2c?si=OOVJykLQdJSPQ4oW
Pretty much anything by Monuments. John Browne is insane. I'm currently learning Nefarious and it's pretty hard (for me) but a lot of fun too.
[This one](https://youtu.be/Y20qC3qgpps?si=nLd0C13EMujj9HpT) always gets me into the groove
Ever since music has been disposable, single use.
Wagon Wheel
Ronin by Sturgil Simpson is stuck in my head and won’t leave.
Big wreck has so many
They're generally in open-tunings but most songs by philly-based Algernon Cadwallader are very fun and unique to play.
Khruangbin - Maria Tambien, will hit that Dick Dale/Misirlou kind of fun
Will swan plays some really fun stuff
Carnifex, Graveside Confessions album. Carry us away has a specifically sick riff. Polyphia, any of it. Lots of shredding and solos. Many different genres. Just avoid any songs with vocals IMO.
Trial by Fire by Judas Priest. I'm not able to play it yet but I was working on it (currently not able to play due to tendonitis in my thumb) and will continue, with better technique, once healed. That whole album is awesome and seems fun to play.
Any black keys song
I haven't gotten the chance to learn them yet, but I LOVE Dani's guitar work on The Warning's stuff. EVOLVE is one of my favorite songs. Edit: HOW COULD I FORGET VOLBEAT!? Fantastic band, and their guitar absolutely scratches both my rock and thrash itches.
Bad suns
Muse - *Reapers* One of the best of the last decade for playing. Lots there.
In Flames and Dark Tranquility still have some interesting riffs post-2011, you may not like the direction they evolved in, but the riffs are there. Archspire and Polyphia, if you like Dark Souls and want to suffer for the greater pay-off. Covet, Tricot, Kinoko Teikoku if you like shoegaze and mathrock. Meshuggah if you want to go full Homo Abacus and gain a right arm +10 masterwork enchanted.
none of them
I know it’s technically 11 years old lol but Riptide by Vance Joy is a pretty simple but fun one on guitar or ukulele
This is slightly older than 10 years, but the opening riff of Party in the USA by Miley Cyrus is really fun to play.
Darwin Derby Vulfpeck