What are some new songs that have a swing beat?

Question

I listen to the song "Chelsea Dagger" by the Fratellis. Are there any other songs that have similar sounds, as in you can call them rock but they have a swing beat (as in ONE two THREE four, or one TWO three FOUR)?

Answer 1

Because modern Rock, Pop, and Dance music is based on the Swing/Jazz/Blues lyric structure and rhythm, you can pretty much swing dance to any modern song that has an appropriate tempo.



When it comes to swing dancing, you really are talking about either West Coast Swing or Lindy Hop. Lindy Hop, as the original dance from the 1930's, is meant to be danced to faster music with more energy, while WCS is a smoother variation that changed as the music changed.



To compare, here are two videos.



West Coast Swing, as it's danced today, to the music that normally goes with it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3ZxiPKmacg



Then, here is Lindy Hop, to music that Lindy Hoppers normally don't dance to:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYsW7vsXEX8

Obviously, this is fun, but normally Lindy Hopper would rather be dancing to something like this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdgaVz56hlA



So I guess you have to ask yourself, which dance do you most identify with, and what kind of music are you going to like the most. If you don't like the music that's played most often, then you won't enjoy yourself, so keep that in mind.



So to answer you question....



If you are talking WCS, then some songs would be like:

"Bringin' Sexy Back" - Justin Timberlake

"Toxic" - Britney Spears

"Beggin'" - Madcon

"Idlewild Blues" - Outkast

"The Way You Move" - Outkast

"The Windmill" - The Gorillaz



Just to name a few.



If you are talking Lindy Hop, then really the heart of the music is with real swing music, but there are a lot of amazing modern swing bands recording songs today. Probably the best would have to be "Jonathan Stout and His Campus Five" who the home town favorites in the LA swing scene:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000QJQMPW/ref=sr_shvl_album_1_artist_rd?ie=UTF8&parent=B000QQWR68&qid=1261425925&sr=301-1

Check out their versions of "Diga Diga Doo", "Bugle Call Rag", "Dark Eyes", "Flying Home" and "Minor Swing" just to name a few.



Some other great bands would be:

Bill Elliott Swing Orchestra

George Gee Big Band

Casey MacGill and His Spirits of Rhythm (or his Blues 4 Trio)

Indigo Swing

Stompy Jones



Anyways, I hope that helps!

Answer 2

This is a thread that I don t has many good answers. I love Christine s answer with dancing - yes, swing dancing can fit into most grooves, but I think the bigger subject here is the FEEL of the music.



As a drummer, I deal with rhythm every day. To me, it s all about subdividing the beat into smaller spaces, and there are two prime ways you can subdivide a beat:



1) Straight

2) Swing



1 - If you subdivide it straight, you re breaking every pulse into even bits. So you end up with 2 s, 4 s, 8 s, etc. inside of a beat. This is what modern rock and roll usually feels like. Everything is evenly cut in halves or doubled. Some example off the top of my head for straight rock feels: (not a hard thing to think about)



- Back in Black - AC/DC

- Satisfaction - Stones

- Brainstew - Green Day

- Hard Day s Night - Beatles

- millions more



2 - the other common subdivision is "swing." Now, this is a broad term, but there is a very distinct feel between a straight beat and a beat that is "swung." When you subdivide in swing, you are breaking the pulse into 3 pieces. So now every beat has more spaces. More often than not, you will feel this as 1 - (2) - 3, with the 2 being silent. This is where you get that groove you were feeling in your mentioned song, "Chelsea Danger."



This subject goes pretty deep and even a straight rock song can have hints of swing in it, and vice-versa, but simply put - straight it even 2 s - swing is uneven 3 s.



Here are some modern rock songs in "swing:"



- Holiday - Green Day

- Gold on the Ceiling - The Black Keys

- Unaware - Allen Stone

- Help - The Beatles



Hope this helps, as my answer differs from the dancing one stated above and talks about subdivision/feel of a groove rather than the style of a dance.

Answer 3

Leonard Lee and Nick Williams posted the same question. You should see the answers side by side.