BROTHERS IN ARMS: Dynamite

Here we've come to the end of Brothers in Arms Week, and I'm torn. So many great bands feature brothers, it's hard to pick just five. It's tempting to write another Beach Boys post, but let's give them a rest for a while. Kings of Leon have three brothers too, the Followills, but they frighten me. Same for the Black Crowes. And the Allman Brothers weren't even my favorite members of the Allman Brothers Band. So basically, for today, it was down to Hanson and AC/DC. Guess who won.

Australia's Angus and Malcolm Young have been rocking together as AC/DC for thirty-five years. Like Van Halen, their sidemen and frontmen have come and gone, but these guys just keep on spreading the good word. Only they lost their original lead singer not to artistic differences but to alcohol poisoning. Bon Scott's 1980 death was labeled "death by misadventure," which makes it sound like he was killed trying to climb a tree or chasing a leprechaun.

His replacement, the prodigiously phlegmy Brian Johnson, picked up right where Scott left off and gave voice to the band's biggest hit, "Back in Black." Johnson still sings with the group, and they plan to release a new album later this year. Fans know what to expect, as AC/DC have never done anything other than what they do best: riff-based, no-frills rock and roll.

AC/DC (I am spelling their name incorrectly only because my keyboard does not have a lightning bolt) were a lean, mean rock band, a rarity in the 1980s. Listen to "Back in Black" again: there's not a single wasted note. Drummer Phil Rudd does little but pound out a backbeat, the bass pulsing along. The guitar solo is fast but clean, concise, almost elegant. Bands like Guns 'n' Roses didn't seem to grasp this Less is More approach, but let's not get into the things the guys from Guns 'n' Roses don't grasp.

TODAY'S RECOMMENDATION: "It's a Long Way to the Top (If You Want to Rock and Roll)" by AC/DC
AVAILABLE ON: T.N.T.; iTunes

NOTE: I decided to mock Hanson instead of the more timely Jonas Brothers for a reason. I can't say I really dig those Jonas boys, yet, but I think I could. Let's see what puberty does to them. I remember writing off John Mayer a few years ago, and then he inexplicably got awesome, so I'm trying to be fair to the kids. Hanson's had a decade to impress me and they, as of this writing, still suck.