Spending your night on Howl at the Moon’s dance floor is always an incredible part of going out in your city, but spend enough time with us and you will start to realize something—we really love letting loose and rocking out! Once the crowd comes alive and the room is packed with incredible parties and awesome people, we know it is time to break out the stuff that will really have everybody jumping up and down. To honor some of our favorites, we are counting off on our favorite songs to influence the state of rock music by decade, starting with right now. Here are the top rock songs since 2010!
“Shut Up and Dance”–Walk the Moon (2014)
There’s only one place to start on this list. It’s no secret to anyone that Walk the Moon’s “Shut Up and Dance” completely overtook the nation—if not the world—throughout the summer of 2014. It was nearly impossible to walk more than a few blocks without hearing the song’s signature build-up, featuring bright, arpeggiated guitars and a kicked-out drum beat impossible not to tap along to. The moment it all comes together is tantalizing as a hook to a fish, and of that blitzing chorus is honestly impossible not to “shut up and dance” to. The relentless summer jam can still be heard at beaches, barbecues, and even every Howl at the Moon location across the country!
“Tighten Up”–The Black Keys (2010)
Let’s get back to the beginning of things. Patiently, The Black Keys had been putting out album- after-album of high-quality, experimental music that took roots from Memphis blues, early rock n’ roll, and garage rock throughout the early-to-mid 2000’s. It wasn’t until the duo’s sixth album, 2010’s Brothers, that they would finally finally capture the ears of a national audience and that’s largely due to the success of the album’s lead single, “Tighten Up.” The track had a noticeably more upbeat feel to it from much of The Black Keys’ former catalog, making it well-suited for an audience who began to feel jaded on the overly-produced pop-punk and commercial rock scenes of the decade prior. “Tighten Up” is a little bit of nostalgia mixed in with fuzzed and flanging guitars, plus a potent drum beat that carries you through. Simple like the White Stripes but interesting enough for a new decade, The Black Keys brought rock music back to a place where it could be built upon once again.
“Ready to Start”–Arcade Fire (2010)
In hindsight, the initial hype around Arcade Fire seems overblown in 2018. Similar to The Black Keys, Arcade Fire has been around since the early 2000’s and released two albums with moderate success prior to 2010. Everything changed once they released The Suburbs. The album was a huge success and even went on to take Album of the Year at the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards, where the band performed The Suburbs’ two singles and closed out their night with a transcendent performance of “Ready to Start”. The group was officially a household name and the chimes and whirls of “Ready to Start” could be heard on even pop radio stations throughout the rest of the year. Arcade Fire’s popularity peaked at that Grammy performance, however, and the band’s last two albums have been met with mixed reviews in the united states (though the group is popular as ever in their hometown of Montreal.) Still, “Ready to Start” is a remarkable hit filled with spacy vocals from singer Win Butler alongside a group of talented musicians who collectively feel almost like an orchestra. Throwing on anything from “The Suburbs” brings about the nostalgia of an era that’s just starting to appear in the rearview but is still full of energy.
“Walk”–Foo Fighters
The Foo Fighters were creatively drained in 2011, despite not releasing an album since 2007. After years of rapid touring followed by long stretches of dormancy, it became clear that the band would either need to let go of the strings keeping them together or double down on their efforts and hope that, with a little luck, a new sense of inspiration and creativity would will the Foos into the next decade. Lucky for all of us, that’s exactly what happened. Bringing in former Nevermind producer Butch Vig and welcoming Pat Smear back into the band on baritone guitar proved to be just the lightning-in-a-bottle that Dave Grohl needed to work with, and Wasting Light became the Foo Fighters’ most interesting, musically-diverse album to date. The biggest single without any doubt is “Walk”. Written several years earlier as Grohl was witnessing his daughter’s trials in taking her first step, the track ends the album on a positive note and features the band’s signature loud-soft dynamic throughout. Guitars set a layered undertone for Grohl’s ripping vocals to play with, and due to heavy radio play all over the country, the single eventually reached the number one slot on the Billboard Rock Charts and still receives consistent play today.
Live Music Venue
Ready to rock with us yet? Howl at the Moon puts on the most exciting live music show in any city, complete with jaw-dropping drinks and plenty of space to party with your crew. Our musicians play the biggest hit songs all night long, even taking plenty of your best crowd requests too! From happy hours and after parties to private and semi-private space for birthday parties, holiday parties, corporate events, bachelor parties, bachelorette parties and more. Howl brings the excitement to any night and is ready to make your next event unforgettable.
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