Track Star

It takes either a bunch of heroes or a group of idiots to play the same two chords for half an hour, record the results, and have people buy it. Track Star qualify as heroes because when they do that, you realize they're not trying to be conceptual. Rather, they're just genuinely fascinated with the sound they make, and they find a way to make it fascinating for the rest of us. They don't simply manufacture feedback-fueled noise, they also write lovely melodies and powerful lyrics, while clearly spending a great deal of time on dynamics. The simplest string of notes always threatens to explode into an extended blast of fury, and the ones that never do are just as thrilling as the rest. Track Star are the best band in San Francisco at the end of this century.