Infinite props to our wonderful friends in White Reaper for penning this beautiful riff. We had the pleasure of touring the USA with them and to me, this one is better than "Mr. Brightside."
Rock Hits
The Dirty Nil’s Luke Bentham Names the 10 Greatest Riffs of the Last 10 Years
Canadian alt punk band The Dirty Nil's riff-tastic new album Fuck Art hits the world today (Jan. 1), and in honor of its release, we asked singer/guitarist Luke Bentham to share what he deems the greatest riffs of the last 10 years.
So what makes him qualified to make this distinction? The Dirty Nil write some criminally underrated riffs for their catchy-as-hell punk bangers.
While some of these may be familiar to you (Power Trip, Against Me! and Turnstile all make appearances), we're willing to bet you'll find some artists on this list that may just win you over with their A-plus riffing.
So sit back, open your hearts (and ears) and see what Bentham says are the 10 Greatest Riffs of the Last 10 Years. And, give Fuck Art a spin here.
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10
“Judy French” – White Reaper
2017
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9
“Fan the Flames” – Sheer Mag
2015
Motown groove through the lens of Guided By Voices. What a banger of a riff — so percussive and upbeat. One of my favorites to play when I’ve got a guitar in my hands.
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8
“Real Thing” – Turnstile
2017
Power. Unadulterated Power.
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7
“Executioner’s Tax (Swing of the Axe)” – Power Trip
2017
A Brutal thrash passage of the highest caliber by one of the coolest bands of the last decade. Rest in Power Riley Gale, and thank you for everything.
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6
“Black Me Out” – Against Me!
2014
Simple, lyrical, memorable and so beautiful. It’s Turbo Folk. When we toured with Against Me!, this was the highlight of the show — every night.
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5
“Christian Girls” – Single Mothers
2011
This one is truly unique. It’s chromatic and heavy with an almost Flamenco flare?
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4
“All My Friends” – The OBGMs
2020
One of my favorite records of 2020, the lead is hypnotic and the rhythm track is driving as hell. Simply put it’s a banger.
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3
“Leader of the Night” – E.A. Miller
2020
Bandcamp Ross Miller is a hardcore lord, and I’m honored to have played in his band. This was my favorite one to play each night, and I still find myself fretting it when I’ve got a guitar handy.
Listen here.
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2
“Total Football” – Parquet Courts
2018
Macho, sarcastic, playful and perfect.
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1
“Doom Boy” – The Dirty Nil
2020
Just being real, "Doom Boy" rips.