2011's Best Rock Songs

Rev Theory specialize in high-octane rock tunes, and "Justice" is very much meant to get your blood pumping. Rich Luzzi bellows his vindictive, taunting lyrics while the guitars slash and burn behind him.

Alter Bridge encourage the listener not to look back on "Ghost of Days Gone By," a soaring song that mixes melancholy with determination. Singer Myles Kennedy understands that it's hard not to regret the past, but "Ghost" is about trying to focus on the future and the possibilities of what could be.

Incubus get moody on "Adolescents," a shimmering mid-tempo song about feeling emotionally lost at sea. Frontman Brandon Boyd can't quite pinpoint what's wrong, but he knows something's not right, and the song's shifting groove adeptly reflects the singer's uncertainty.

Nobody was surprised that Beady Eye, the new band from Oasis singer Liam Gallagher, would sound a lot like his old group. But probably what was a surprise was how enjoyable the group's first record, Different Gear, Still Speeding, turned out to be. "The Roller" finds Beady Eye diving deep into Liam's Beatles obsession with very pleasing results.

R.E.M.'s latest disc, Collapse Into Now, is a more stylistically diverse record than 2008's Accelerate, and "Mine Smell Like Honey" recalls the jangly guitar rock of the band's '80s efforts while embracing the pop accessibility of their '90s Warner Bros. albums. And as with the band's best songs, it's highlighted by great background vocals from bassist Mike Mills.