10 Most Unsung Heroes In Rock History

A lot of the nerd rock crowd has put a golden halo over the first handful of Weezer records. Up until their breakup in the late '90s, both the Blue Album and Pinkerton remain some of the most infectious pieces of work these pop punk nerds have ever put out. While some point to Rivers Cuomo for the band's drop in quality, is everyone forgetting the musical Swiss army knife they had in Matt Sharp?

Across the band's first few records, Sharp's basslines and backing vocals were a foundational part of the band's sound. Being a cross between Krist Novoselic from Nirvana and Mike Mills from R.E.M., Sharp's role was perfectly balanced throughout his tenure, with a bass that growled with intensity and a powerful falsetto that livened up the mood whenever you heard it. Though songs like Undone and El Scorcho may be great on their own, they aren't half of what they are without Sharp's amazing backing vocals.

Sharp also deserves some credit for writing one of the most infectious basslines of the modern age on Only in Dreams, which is both hypnotic and off-kilter all at the same time. With him now doing his own thing in his side gig the Rentals, Sharp is still carrying some of that pop punk energy with him wherever he goes.