10.) The Hold Steady - Stay Positive
Hipster-approved punk? The best bar-band in America? I don't know really. Those kinds of labels aren't really gonna help with the Hold Steady. They simply create some of the best classic rock infused pop music available. Here they expand their musical pallet a bit with strange instrumentation (I think there's a harpsichord, but I don't know a harpsichord from a lyre anyway), country flares (see "Lord, I'm Discouraged"), and a heavy Hüsker Dü influence ("Constructive Summer"'s title and guitar tones). The lyrical themes have gone from tales of partying, drugs, and holy salvation to the slow process of growing up. There are heavy doses of nostalgia on this record's four sides (or one if you're a douche who still buys CDs [or none if you're a mega-douche who relies on mp3s]) that take form lyrically as opposed to musically. Craig Finn and company are in rare form, and it's still pretty great to drink to.
9.) Dillinger Four - C I V I L W A R
Six years in the making, Minneapolis' reigning punk kings make their triumphant return to wax and ones and zeroes with this one. These guys have never been reinventing the punk rock wheel, and I don't think they ever will, but this time around the Four are at their peak as performers. Paddy and Erik's voices have improved greatly since their early singles (thanks in part to Erik quitting smoking) and it gives the album a certain professional feel that was absent from the earlier recordings. The lyrics here have also made some advances. Hell, one of the songs ("Gainesville") is happy. What the fuck? What more do I really need to say? It's a new record from Dillinger Four.
8.) The Riot Before - Fists Buried in Pockets
This band puts out some of the best folk-infused punk rock out there. Somehow they've been pegged as a folk-punk band which I think is a bit off, but whatever. Brett writes really insightful lyrics of both political and personal natures. The band's lightly distorted folky strumming underneath the decidedly punk vocals are one of the best examples of the currently popular formula. I, admittedly, have not been listening to this record as closely as most of the others on this list, so my wealth of information on it is pretty much spent, but it is most certainly an entertaining punk rock record.
7.) Paint it Black - New Lexicon
You ever been angry? Dan Yemin apparently has, and apparently more so than you, or I, or really anyone since Henry Rollins. Sure there has been angrier music made between Black Flag's demise and this record, but man, that shit ain't half as real as this. This is hardcore at its best: an expression of emotions without phony layers of artifice. It's pounding, bass-heavy rythms drive the thoughtful and very well written lyrics with great emotional intensity. Mr. Yemin rails against religious hypocrisy, hopelessness, and corrupt political figures without delving into the simplistic sloganeering that tends to be par for the course in the punk scene. And then there is the production. Oktopus of Dalek adds noisy, bass heavy instrumental parts between tracks adding yet another menacing level of intensity to this already intense album. This is the Damaged of 21st century hardcore.
6.) Jay Reatard - The Matador Singles
Garage Punk doesn't seem like a genre where musicians can grow artistically, but Jay Reatard found a way to expand the parameters. Expanding on the promise of Blood Visions, Reatard released a series of singles for Matador Records in 2008. They were compiled and released as a full-length in October. The songs have a little less of the punk rock kick of 2006's full length, but that allows the great pop songwriting to start shining through. In fact, some songs on here could probably cross over to a more mass-appeal type audience if not for the subject matter and offensive artist name (see "Ugly Death"). But what's even more surprising is the presence of acoustic based songs. With these Reatard shows just how versatile he is, capturing the listeners attention without shredding licks and heavy distortion. Hell, "You Were Sleeping," is downright beatiful. Look out for a full length from this dude sometime in '09.
5.) Off With Their Heads - From the Bottom
Never has pop-punk been so depressingly great. In this gem, also from Minneapolis, Off With Their Heads rips through twelve stories of one of Minneapolis bands' favorite subjects: glorious loserdom. Songs here run the gambit from being about how lead singer, Ryan Young, represents everything you hate about yourself ("I am You") to the manipulative nature of the American News media ("Terrorist Attack?"). Young's gruff delivery over the band's blend of Dillinger Four with a touch of 77 english punk suits the subject matter beautifully. It's all topped with the touching "Hope you Know," a song the band apparently doesn't like, but it ends the album in much the same fashion that "Jackie Lee" ends the Hospitals EP, a sad story that puts all of the other songs in perspective. As much as a fuck up anyone is capable of being, we can hope to redeem ourselves.
4.) King Khan and The Shrines - The Supreme Genius of King Khan and the Shrines
Okay, so all of this stuff has been available in Europe for a while, but this is the band's American debut I believe. Either way, it's fucking great. King Khan was the bass player for Montreal's infamous Spaceshits and their are certainly similarites to the ragged garage-punk they were thrown out of clubs playing here, but this record has way more soul to it. King Khan is something of a Punk-rock/hipster James Brown with his capes and costumes and funky-ass soul band. The songs are funner than hell, and they make you want to shake your ass so furiously that it can actually be confusing. They lyrics add to the fun, soulful atmosphere, dealing with the typical soul fare of love and sexuality with a humorous twist. The guitar work is often reminiscent of the Beatles and Stones at their most experimental, and the vocals ooze soul. If you want to get up and dance, get this fucking record.
3.) Shorebirds - It's Gonna Get Ugly
Ex-Latterman, Ex-Jawbreaker. Need I say more? Probably. This DIY pop-punk record takes off where Latterman left off. The lyrical themes are certainly much less positive, but that's what happens to you as the world slowly beats you down. Here, instead of singing about scene unity and keeping a positive outlook, Matt Canino sings about urban decay and the lethargy that comes with getting older. But he doesn't glorify them. He's scared by some of these changes. I don't really have a lot of academic stuff to say about this record, it's mostly an emotional response to the thing as a whole. What I can say is that "Upside Down" is one of the best punk-rock love songs I've heard in my life. This record is something of a coming of age record. It's a shame they broke up.
2.) Andrew Jackson Jihad - Only God Can Judge Me
In the past year and a half, this band has shot from a band I never heard of to one of my absolute favorites. This record is their best so far. Sean Bonnette's guitar work has progressed from the simple three or four chord patterns of the early records to a bit more intricate progressions. And this record is more dynamic than previous outings. While the furious folky songs on Candy Cigarettes and Capguns were great, here they have added slower, balladic numbers. And with the musical change came a lyrical change. Prior to this, AJJ had written their share of serious songs, but there was a guarded level of humor to them. Here, on songs like "Human Kittens," "Candle in the Wind: Ben's Song" and "Guilt: the Song" the band lets its inner emotions out without hiding it in funny word play. Here they have made the full cycle to an almost Replacements-like combination of funny songs and serious songs, and they do so with only acoustic guitar and stand-up bass.
1.) The Gaslight Anthem - The '59 Sound
Like you didn't know this already. I think I've written extensively on this. Right time, right place. These songs are all about escape, and heartbreak, and hoping for more. The boys in Gaslight Anthem have done here what Springsteen did with Born to Run. They have written aabout huge themes and matched it with a huge album. This is guitar-based white-boy soul, and it still brings tears to my eyes every time I listen to it. Brian Fallon's Springsteen after a Jawbreaker bender swoon deliver these adolescent stories of escape and broken hearts maybe even better than the boss could have. I don't know, I wasn't born in 1975, but this record more than makes up for that. These guys are getting tons of press from this record, and they deserve every bit of it. Not only is this my record of the year, but it's still in serious contention for my favorite record ever. Let's hope they keep this up just like the Boss did.
Now that that's done, some stuff that should get mentioned, but won't get a paragraph.
Banner Pilot - Resignation Day
Gnarls Barkley - Odd Couple
The Loved Ones - Build and Burn
And here are a few records that surprised me a lot, but weren't making my list.
Alkaline Trio - Agony and Irony
Less Than Jake - GNV FLA
Best Show:
Hot Water Music, the Lawrence Arms, and Static Radio NJ January 25, 2008 at the Starland Ballroom in Sayreville, NJ. This was the reunion show for the North East. All three bands killed it.
Best Single Set:
The Gaslight Anthem, August 16, 2008 (day before my birthday!) The Knitting Factory, NY. The record release show. I fucking love this band.
Most anticpated release of 2009:
Right now, either Bruce's new record or Black Lips' new record. But the Lawrence Arms apparently have something down the pipeline, and Propagandhi is always pretty great. It remains to be seen I guess.
That's all.
Happy whatever Holiday.
