Four ridiculously underrated rock songs that deserve more love

You might know the four songs below because that would mean you love rock and roll. Good rock. Not that Fleetwood Mac kind of stuff. You want to rock out and get rid of that pent-up emotion. That's partly why the genre exists.

Still, there are few lists (unless it's one specific to each band) that will have these songs on the best-of's rock. They should be on that kind of list, however. They would just get passed over by "Stairway to Heaven" or "Hotel California." On a lot of lists, there is not a lot of originality.

That isn't meant as a swipe as the people who put those lists together, mind you. "Stairway to Heaven" is a fine track. So are the four songs that follow.

Four fantastic rock songs that deserve more attention

"Backwater" - Meat Puppets

The song starts fast and just keeps going. The lyrics almost seem to strain to keep up, but what gloriously fun words they are. Like this: "And when I shoulda been gone a long time/Laughs and says, I find ways/Just when we're sheltered under paper/The rockets come at us sideways." What does that even mean? Who cares, though?

The song will sweep you away and likely be the most fun track you will listen to on any given day. It's loud, but not heavy. It's alternative but straightforward. It's brilliant.

"Lateralus" - Tool

Nothing Tool does is without a lot of thought. This is one reason the band takes so long in between albums. Even the concepts of the tracks likely take months to flesh out. The band also uses a lot of mathematical principles which can make their songs sound both rigid and interpretive at the same time.

The track was originally going to be called "987" because the chorus time signatures alone change from 9/8 to 8/8 to 7/8. Not many rock groups can pull that off with ease. But Tool almost always does and this quiet to extremely loud song is a perfect example of what the group can do.

"Teen Angst (What the World Needs Now)" - Cracker

Cracker is a band that used a lot of biting wit in their lyrics and delivered so dryly that a new listener might think the band is simply full of themselves. This fun rocker begins with "I don't know what the world may need/But I'm sure as hell that it starts with me." That is a lot of sarcasm that helps propel the track forward relentlessly.

Cracker also used a bunch of country and Americana influences in their music so when singer David Lowery emotes, "'Cause what the world needs now is another folk singer/Like I need a hole in my head," the kids that adore rock might love it while the more bookish can appreciate the tongue-in-cheek-ness of it all.

"Knights of Cydonia" - Muse

Muse knows how to create a great basic rock song but they kind of have left that behind a bit and replaced that with a more conceptual sound. They still sound great, but their songs might not be as catchy as ones such as "Stockholm Syndrome."

What makes "Knights of Cydonia" so grand is the build-up of the first four minutes and then the kick to the finish in the last two. Each part of the track is wonderfully listenable, but when the break happens, you will be forced to get out of your seat and pump your fists with happiness. It's cathartic.

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