10 Modern Classics By Old Bands

As the millennium passed, Tom Petty didn't have anything to prove to anyone in the music business. With the Heartbreakers, Petty had scored numerous hits across every decade since the 70's and was becoming one of the most respected musicians in the business.

Rather than rest on his laurels, Petty spent the rest of his career following his muse from bluegrass to acoustic rock to blues. In 2014, his latest release Hypnotic Eye melded the perfect blend of hard rock and blues on "Fault Lines." The song's swinging riff and rockabilly rhythm is the heaviest this band has sounded since the 80's. Petty's vocals definitely feel aged but the approach suits the song's message of uneasiness incredibly well. Guitarist Mike Campbell moves the groove along before settling on a bridge full of discord and uncertainty. As the band descends into the solo break, Campbell's guitar tone takes you through the stratosphere and back down to Earth in less than a minute.

While this was a creatively fertile time for Petty, the songwriting machine came to a stop as Petty passed away in 2017. As such, this song stands as not necessarily a final hurrah but a look into where Petty's muse was in his final days.