What’s up readers?! My name’s Dylan (aka the kid who runs Pinhead Records/plays acoustic punk under the name “Plug“) and i’ve been writing for Dying Scene for about a year and a half now. 2012 has been a bad-ass year for new punk/ska albums. So many great releases came out and, as you can imagine, it was hard to narrow down my favorites to a measly 10 albums. Anyway, I ended up doing it after a lot of not-so-hard work, and ended up with a pretty sweet list. Here it is…
10. Less Than Jake – “Greetings and Salutations”
This record is kind of half-assed, when you consider the fact that it’s just a slapping together of two EPs LTJ released over the last two years, but who really gives a shit? It’s Less Than Jake. They are one of my top 3 favorite bands of all time and I’ve seen them live around 6 times now. The two new songs on this record are bad ass anyway.
9. Sic Waiting – “Vices”
Fast, catchy, melodic punk rock from one of the best independent bands I know of. What else is there to say? Sic Waiting rules and so does this EP.
8. Teenage Bottlerocket – “Freak Out!”
Not my favorite effort from TBR, but none-the-less, “Freak Out!” is still a fucking awesome album. It’s got everything I love about a Teenage Bottlerocket record on it, and obviously the band’s signature sound is still in-tact.
7. Bouncing Souls – “Comet”
At first, I didn’t think I was going to be all-to-impressed with this record. Bouncing Souls are one of my favorite bands and I’ve seen them live a handful of times with various bands, but I didn’t think “Comet” would live up to the high standard set in my mind by “How I Spent My Summer Vacation.” Boy was I wrong.
6. NOFX – “Self-Entitled”
No description needed. It’s a half-assed NOFX record, which is something we’ve all come to love. I liked “Wolves in Wolves Clothing,” contrary to popular opinion, and this album sounds a lot like that one.
5. Green Day – “Uno!”
Ah, yes, Green Day. “Uno” gets the job done, but “Dos” and “Tre” were pretty much a kick in the balls to me, as a long-time fan of this band. This album is nothing fantastic and doesn’t come near topping the quality of the almighty “Insomniac.”
4. Capitalist Kids – “Lessons in Love, Sharing & Hygene”
This one’s another record that unexpectedly blew me away. All you’ll find on this album is catchy, broken-hearted oldschool pop-punk goodness. The only song I’m not into is the one that’s talking shit about Ben Weasel; he’s my hero.
3. MxPx – “Plans Within Plans”
I had big expectations for this album and MxPx fulfilled every last one of them. “Life In General” and “Slowly Going the Way of the Buffalo” are two of the greatest albums in the history of mankind, and that’s a fact. “Plans Within Plans” is a true example of MxPx’s ability to write an album where the songs are different enough to keep you interested from beginning to end.
2. Sit On It – “We Used To Be Progressive… We’ve Never Been Civilized”
Yeah, I released this album on my record label. So what?!?! I’m not being biased, in fact, that further validates my love for this record. Sit On It is a one-man band that my friend Andy does and he truly amazes me with the music he puts out. Feel free to download this beast for free here.
1. Masked Intruder – “Masked Intruder”
From the second I heard this band’s demo EP on Death To False Hope Records website, I was hooked. Since then, I have bought their “First Offense” 7-inch, which features demos of songs on this record, and their split 7-inch with The Turkletons. I was going to hold out until this full-length got a vinyl release, but I’m probably going to break down and get the CD soon.