Tag: Punk Rock
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Elvis Costello ‘My Aim Is True’ (1977)
Juggling a day job as a data clerk at Elizabeth Arden, Elvis Costello squeezed recording sessions for My Aim Is True into six four-hour sessions, tracked on a shoestring budget with little time for polish. The urgency bleeds through in every note. Backed by the American country-rock band Clover—who were blissfully unaware of the sardonic…
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Patti Smith ‘Horses’ (1975)
Patti Smith’s Horses was a pivotal punk album that blended poetry, garage rock, and performance art. Recognized for its raw energy and influence on punk, it echoes The Velvet Underground’s artistic expression. Today we explore its impact.
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The Days of Stillness ‘The Days of Stillness’ (2006)
EDITOR’S NOTE: Today we’ll be covering my high school band The Days of Stillness. We re-released our old recordings this week onto the world wide web, and as part of the process I got together with the guys to reminisce about those golden days of our late teenage years and what it was like playing…
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Leatherface ‘Mush’ (1991)
One of my favorite part of writing about an album every single day for the past two and a half years (this is #844 for the record) is when you stumble upon a band that you’ve never heard of before but one that still sounds so incredibly familiar. And about halfway into the second song…
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Bodyjar ‘How It Works’ (2000)
Hearing How It Works first song “Not The Same” always manages to bring me back to the glory days of middle school. I was a pretty religious video game player back in the day and Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater was an absolute go-to. That series was a defining part of my childhood and digging back…
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Jawbreaker ’24 Hour Revenge Therapy’ (1994)
24 Hour Revenge Therapy is one of those records that echoes far louder than its initial release might suggest. Dropping in 1994, it helped shape what punk would become over the next decade, offering a version of hardcore that was emotional without being soft, smart without being smug. Blake Schwarzenbach’s lyrics read like scuffed-up poetry,…
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Millencolin ‘Home Sweet Home’ (2002)
Home From Home found Millencolin stretching out and showing just how much range lives inside their high-speed, melodic punk DNA. While rooted in the band’s Swedish skate punk core, this album isn’t afraid to take detours across a wide variety of punk genres. There’s a garage rock looseness to tracks like “Man or Mouse,” a…
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State Champs ‘The Finer Things’ (2013)
The Finer Things, State Champs’ 2013 debut, is a sugar-rush of pop punk energy—tight, fast, and full of heart. It’s the sound of youth at full sprint what with its crashing drums, soaring hooks, and massive guitar hooks. There’s very much a mid-2000’s vibe to State Champs (think in the vein of New Found Glory…
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Operation Ivy ‘Energy’ (1989)
Founded by future Rancid members Tim Armstrong and Matt Freeman, the Berkeley-based Operation Ivy had the distinction of being an incredibly influential band in the ska punk scene despite the short-lived nature of their existence. They only released one full length album during the course of their two-year career (Energy) and buoyed by their raucous…
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Bayside ‘Bayside’ (2005)
Bayside is part of a rare breed of bands from the mid-aughts who despite being really good 20 years ago might be even better today. Their 2024 album There Are Worse Things Than Being Alive is an absolute banger, rivaled in stature only by their second album Bayside which we’ll be covering today. All the…
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The Unband ‘Retarder’ (2000)
Known for their wild live shows that featured on-stage antics like vomiting, lighting fires, and stripping on stage, The Unband are certainly a chip off the ol’ block when it comes to good ol’ fashioned rock and roll. Their music embraces the same reckless hedonism that their live shows celebrated, taking a page out of…
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D Generation ‘No Lunch’ (1996)
Imagine if Ramones and The New York Dolls got together to form a supergroup that was fronted by a garage rock version of Billy Corgan and you have a good understanding of what D Generation sounds like. With a mix of glam, punk, and garage rock, it’s pretty clear from the jump that No Lunch‘s…
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The Exploited ‘Punks Not Dead’ (1981)
The Exploited are one of the definitive Oi! punk rock bands, a movement that emerged in the UK during the early 1980s as a raw, working-class response to the more art-school direction punk had taken. Punks Not Dead by The Exploited is largely considered one of the defining albums of the sub-genre. By combining aggressive,…
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Blink-182 ‘California’ (2016)
Blink-182’s California marked a major turning point for the band as it was their first album without founding guitarist and vocalist Tom DeLonge, who departed in 2015 to focus on other projects amidst a strained relationship with Mark Hoppus and Travis Barker. In his place they added Matt Skiba of Alkaline Trio, whose addition added…
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Sum 41 ‘Half Hour of Power’ (2000)
Hate to be the old head hucking around hot takes, but Half Hour of Power is my favorite album by Sum 41. I’m not claiming that it’s their best album or the one I would recommend to folks listening to them for the first time (that would obviously be All Killer, No Filler). But Half…
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Fenix TX ‘Fenix TX’ (1999)
I went on a bit of a pop punk bender this weekend busting out some of the old classics like Blink-182 and Sum 41 which usually leads to a “Shirtless Saturday” type situation with my toddlers where we take our shirts off and dance around the house like crazy (I swear I’m a good dad…
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Viagra Boys ‘Cave World’ (2022)
My brother shared this band with me a few weeks ago and it’s a total trip. The concept of Cave World is simple yet brilliant– the band dove deep into the world of terminally-online conspiracy theorists and wrote an album based off the first-person perspectives of those they were mocking. The band explores these topics…
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Ramones ‘Animal Boy’ (1986)
I remember the first time I heard “Bonzo Goes to Bitburg”. I was about 14 years old, at home watching Jack Black’s classic movie School of Rock (an absolute favorite of mine). The song is playing during a montage scene that features Black showing the kids a history of rock genres and footage of some…
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Codefendants ‘This Is Crime Wave’ (2023)
Originally coined as their self-made genre, This Is Crime Wave evolved into a fluid fusion of punk, hip-hop, and reggae layered with dark, cinematic storytelling. With Fat Mike (NOFX) at the helm alongside Sam King (Get Dead) and Ceschi Ramos, the group embraced a raw, unfiltered sound reminiscent of The Transplants meets Days N’ Daze.…
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D.O.A. ‘Hardcore ’81’ (1981)
D.O.A.’s Hardcore ’81 not only helped define a genre but gave it a name—it was the first record to explicitly use “hardcore” to describe the raw, aggressive offshoot of punk rock. Hailing from Canada’s underground scene, D.O.A. blended the fury of classic punk rock a la The Ramones with the muscle of 1970’s rock ‘n’…
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Nirvana ‘Bleach’ (1989)
Kurt Cobain, Krist Novoselic, and an evolving roster of drummers (Dave Grohl wouldn’t join the band until 1991’s Nevermind) came together to distill raw, unpolished essence of the Pac Northwest’s burgeoning grunge scene with their debut album Bleach, setting the stage for a sound that would eventually change a generation. Recorded in a modest session…
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Beastie Boys ‘Licensed To Ill’ (1986)
Once a hardcore punk band, the trio of Mike D, MCA, and Ad-Rock brought their raw, chaotic energy into the world of rap, trading guitars for turntables without losing an ounce of their rebellious spirit. Their debut album Licensed To Ill is pretty much a masterclass in blending irreverence with innovation, marking one of the…
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Misfits ‘Walk Among Us’ (1982)
Walk Among Us marked the Misfits’ official album debut (although it was actually the third record they had recorded). A curious blend of 1950s pop sensibilities and blistering punk energy, the album reimagined doo-wop harmonies and rockabilly-inspired melodies through the chaotic, snarling lens of punk rock. Misfits have always had a knack for crafting infectious…
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Rancid ‘…And Out Come The Wolves’ (1995)
Released during a time when punk was flirting with mainstream acceptance, Rancid’s …And Out Come The Wolves stood out with its unapologetic grit and raw authenticity. Tim Armstrong’s sneering vocal delivery that just barely hits the right note is immediately recognizable for anyone who is even remotely familiar with punk rock, his raspy tone dripping…
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Dag Nasty ‘Can I Say’ (1984)
Emerging from the vibrant hardcore punk scene of Washington, D.C. in the mid-1980s Dag Nasty was a band that bridged the visceral intensity of their peers with melodic sensibilities. Formed by guitarist Brian Baker—who was already a hardcore legend from his days with Minor Threat—Dag Nasty’s sound on their first-full length 1986 debut Can I…
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Relient K ‘Let It Snow Baby…Let It Reindeer’ (2007)
My love for pop punk isn’t a well-kept secret (it’s basically the genre that shaped my musical tastes in middle school as I’ve described in great detail over the past two years) and Relient K is one of those bands that have always held a special place in my heart. Their 2004 magnum opus Mmhmm…
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Joyce Manor ‘Never Hungover Again’ (2014)
If you’re looking for an album that is a masterclass in brevity, you’ve come to the right place. Never Hungover Again packs an emotional punch into its 19-minute runtime that most albums twice its length struggle to achieve, and marked a turning point for the band which saw them refinine their punk-rooted sound into something…
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The Story So Far ‘Under Soil and Dirt’ (2011)
The Story So Far arrived in 2011 like a shot of adrenaline to a pop-punk scene that had grown relatively complacent in the late 2000’s. Recorded at the now-legendary Panda Studios in Fremont, California (which is about a 20 minute drive north of me), the album captured the Bay Area’s burgeoning pop-punk scene with anthemic…
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Amyl and The Sniffers ‘Comfort To Me’ (2021)
Amyl and the Sniffers are a fiery throwback to the raw energy of 1970s punk rock. Frontwoman Amy Taylor commands attention with her ferocious vocals and unapologetic swagger, leading the charge on their sophomore album Comfort to Me, and delivering a no-frills blitz of snarling guitars, thundering rhythms, and fist-pumping anthems that channel the reckless…
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Bad Brains ‘Bad Brains’ (1982)
Bad Brains stood out from their early 80’s hardcore punk peers in nearly every single– here was four Rastafarian black men playing fusing punk rock and reggae while staying grounded with their “Positive Mental Attitude” in their native Washington DC, drawing a stark contrast to the primarily white male bands with angry screeds against the…
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New Found Glory ‘Nothing Gold Can Stay’ (1999)
Recorded on a shoestring budget in Miami, Florida, Nothing Gold Can Stay captured the raw, unfiltered essence of suburban teenage life and was a staple in my Walkman during my middle school years. Tracks like “Hit or Miss” blended catchy hooks with a relentless tempo, laying the groundwork for the infectious, emotionally charged sound that…
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The Replacements ‘Tim’ (1985)
By 1985 Minneapolis-based The Replacements had carved out a space in the punk rock underground, but Tim marked their shift toward a sound that began to explore the roomier horizon of alternative rock. With their ragged guitars and Westerberg’s soulful voice, The Replacements blended punk’s sharp edge with a melodic sensibility that gave them a…
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Militarie Gun ‘Life Under The Gun’ (2023)
Music had always been a lifeline for Militarie Gun frontman Ian Shelton. Growing up in a small Washington town, Shelton was drawn to the raw intensity of hardcore punk as an outlet for pent-up frustrations (a love affair I can certainly understand). After years of honing his craft in other bands, most notably as the…
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Descendents ‘Milo Goes To College’ (1982)
Milo Goes to College by the Descendents is widely celebrated as a punk essential, landing on critics best-of punk rock lists from industry luminaries like Spin and Rolling Stone. Critics praise its punchy, fast-paced tracks that capture teenage angst with humor and honesty– it was effectively the blueprint for modern pop punk as we know…
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Green Day ‘Dookie’ (1994)
In 1994 Green Day’s Dookie exploded onto the music scene like explosives duct-taped to someone’s spine (yes that is a “Having A Blast” reference), vaulting the band into the mainstream. They were born in the gritty punk clubs of California’s East Bay right up the road from me, in an underground scene where DIY ethics…
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The Clash ‘The Clash’ (1977)
In the spring of 1977 a burst of raw energy and defiance echoed through London’s streets when The Clash released their self-titled debut album. Recorded in just three weekends at a cost of around £4,000, the album captured the urgency and frustration of a generation fed up with unemployment, social injustice, and a stagnant music…
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