Punknews.org is staffed by volunteers, writing when they have time and largely of their own individual motivations. There is no editorial mandate here, no bands that we collectively plan coverage of, and likewise none that we collectively plan to praise or pan in reviews. It's fitting then that this overall site list is first seen by most of the editors when the public sees it.
Thus this overall list is determined entirely by math, scoring the albums on the individual Punknews.org writers' lists and running the totals. Once again, we believe you'll find a nice cross-section of the tastes of the Punknews editors and reviewers here.
Of course, the real meat of our yearly retrospective can be found in the individual staffers lists. Make sure to check them out, there are quite a few this year. Also, don't forget about your list, the top 20 releases of the year as voted by the Punknews community. That list should be posted shortly.
I first saw Ceremony this year when I went to see Paint It Black at 924 Gilman. Although I had never heard Ceremony before, as their set went on, I knew something was special. Intrigued, I picked up Rohnert Park to find a hardcore album that was undeniably hardcore at heart, but was also deft enough to add in weird elements like surf instrumentals, sampled monologues and tunes that wouldn't be out of place on a Jane's Addiction record. If this is the future of hardcore, we've got a lot to look forward to. JohnGentile
While I had no problem with Neon Bible, I have to agree with those who've commented on how much better the Arcade Fire sounds with some bounce back in their step. The Suburbs deserves all the praise it's been getting. It's ambitious, subtle, emotionally resonant and wonderfully varied without being overwrought, overthought, over-produced or inconsistent. It's easy for us in the punk scene to sneer at bands like this, to write them off as more self-important fodder for the holier-than-though Pitchfork crowd and their mainstream followers. I dare you to look past all that. There's indisputable quality here. Adam
Four years after the classic-but-grower This Is Satire, None More Black have returned in a big way. I wasn't expecting this album to just plain rock as much as it does, but I'm glad these guys can pull off those riffs without it sounding forced. Jason Shevchuk's intensely personal lyrics are great, as always. Bryne
The Upsides is a collection of uplifting and nostalgia-inducing tunes. It reminds me of all those "gateway" bands that were around when I was getting into punk, except with...talent. In a nutshell, it's just got ridiculous amounts of playability. mikexdude
Another great record from these Japanese atmospheric masters. The light parts are compelling and release into emotionally affective heavy parts. For me, Envy evokes deep contemplation on a still winter day. OverDefined
Moving ever-so-slightly closer to the mainstream hasn't hurt Off with Their Heads at all, as In Desolation combines some of the band's best tunes in "Drive"
with their biggest hooks like "Trying to Breathe." America's reigning road warriors have amassed a legion of followers over their years of touring, and In Desolation is the perfect album to introduce OwTH to all the rest. GlassPipeMurder
I was late to the party with these mopey Ohioans and even then it took me awhile to appreciate Boxer. They are like the modern Joy Division: chill
vocals over tightly-wound, perfectly constructed backing. Greg0rb
Expanding on the momentum of last year’s Learn to Surf EP, Superchunk really came out swinging with their first album in nine years. As the EP hinted, Majesty Shredding takes all of the band’s previous output and runs it through a ringer, cutting out the excess, mixing the sophistication of their later recordings with the edge of their early '90s material for the best indie pop album of the year. The lyrics are odd and progressions dart off unpredictably, but it is all held together by one of the most original senses of melody in modern independent music. SloaneDaley
I may have dropped the ball on this one. My bad. Ted Leo makes solid albums, and I said "Eh" after a few listens the first time through. Fast-forward to the Year-End Album Crunch, and me going "Oh, shit. A Ted Leo album." Ted Leo is totally badass, and The Brutalist Bricks is probably better than how I'm ranking it here. Like I said. My bad. Jesse
Ignore the dubious title and got-damn horrendous artwork, and you’ll find a slinking, atmospheric juggernaut awaiting. In some ways, Crime in Stereo’s I Was Trying to Describe You to Someone outdoes Is Dead’s ideas, becoming more atmospheric, more dissonant, more willingly un-hardcore. I remember a lot of people calling CiS too experimental circa 2007. Three years later, the band makes seemingly “experimental” numbers like “Choker” and “Third Atlantic” sound like outright pop songs. I’m still bummed about CiS breaking up, but like my friend Nate and I always say, “Drugwolf forever!” Jelone
Another entry in this list that proves [our] soft side for progressive melodic hardcore acts. On their sophomore full-length, Hostage Calm fits this bill steadfastly. The band is pushing forward but they aren't afraid to look back—plenty of nods to the Smiths and the Clash infect this album, but there's a playful angularity and melodic manipulation respectively reminiscent of modern cult faves like Gatsbys American Dream and Crime in Stereo. It's all tied together with some of the most articulate, socially and politically aware subject matter this subgenre's seen in a long time. Brian
A band that takes its name from Shakespeare and writes a concept album about the American Civil War should have no business occupying so much time in my
stereo. Leave it to Titus Andronicus to turn that assumption on its head. With a mix between Desaparecidos and the Hold Steady (Craig Finn drops in for a visit), the band gallops through indie rock that is bursting at the seams with angst and done with enough energy to get me to sing aloud with a chorus that is simply, "You will always be a loser." Ben
This is everything that New Wave should have been. It's totally 100% over the top in every manner. While Tom will probably never pen "Walking Is Still Honest," why should he? We don't expect any other iconic songwriter to revisit the past. Once you're over this band's past you can embrace the total poppy goodness of an album like this. It's a 16-year-old's guide to punk rock politics and the lost soundtrack to an unmade John Hughes movie all in one. Why think about it any harder than that? Justin
Like Against Me! with White Crosses, Gaslight continue to dig into their American origins for inspiration, bringing everything from the obvious (Bruce Springsteen, the Replacements) to the surprising (Van Morrison, Exile-era Rolling Stones) It's a shock how much this band has grown and accomplished since 2007's Sink or Swim. Aubin
The age-old story about a Canadian ska band that gets signed by a large indie label, changes up their sound on their next album, ditches most of the ska, gets some mixed reviews, then comes back with a face-splattering, technically sound rager of an album. Tale as old as time. Rich
If Fake Problems have taught us anything during their nearly 10 years as a band, it's been that we shouldn't ever try to pigeonhole them. We thought they were the next Against Me! and then we thought maybe they were the next Gaslight Anthem. With Real Ghosts Caught on Tape I'm not sure just what they are. They've certainly matured and are willing to take more risks, writing darker and more dense songs than we've heard in the past. But through it all they held onto the spunk that made them a favorite of so many in the first place. The risks the band took in writing Real Ghosts have paid off in spades. Ben
Around four years ago, Punknews Editor Justin August sent me a demo by a band he swore was the best thing he heard in years. Later that year at The Fest, Justin, myself and about four others caught the Menzingers at 1982 and I knew he had been right about them earlier. It's been amazing following the Menzingers the last couple of years, not just because they've grown in popularity but because they've done so by making some of the best music out there. Chamberlin Waits is the sound of maturation done right. Rich
World class bonafide shitshow indeed. Is there an award for "most improved band"? So good. Classic, early '00s Fat Wreck punk rock taken from the playbooks of the Lawrence Arms, Lagwagon and Kid Dynamite. Killer tunes. Justin
Like many an emotionally sensitive punk, I grew up on Jawbreaker. I committed frontman/guitarist Blake Schwarzenbach’s words to memory, using songs like “Accident Prone” and “Chesterfield King” for armor. When ‘bach’s band forgetters came together, featuring Kevin Mahon (Against Me!) and Caroline Paquita (Bitchin’), I was ecstatic to hear his return to punk (although I loved the indie-leaning Jets to Brazil. Can we finally acknowledge as a society that they were just as good as Jawbreaker?). Their four-song debut does not disappoint, issuing grainy, throaty, passionate punk rock with Schwarzenbach’s trademark hyper-literate lyrics and perhaps his best vocal takes yet. Sometimes it’s political (“Not Funny”), sometimes it’s personal (“Too Small to Fail”), sometimes it’s about vampires (“Vampire Lessons”), but it’s always great. Jelone
It's hard to say what the highlight is here: the second half of Touché Amoré's "Hideaways" or the absolutely banging pair of post-hardcore ragers by Make Do and Mend. Either way, both sides have some of each band's best moments, from TA's scrappy, screamo-driven hardcore to MDAM's pounding rhythms. Brian
If I had a section for “Best Band of the Year,” Mixtapes would get it. Every single release (one LP, two EPs and one split 7”) this year has been fantastic, fun bursts of pop-punk goodness, and this particular release is my favourite, like sunshine in audio form. Anyone not down with this shit probably doesn't like candy, or puppies or kittens or breathing very much. SloaneDaley
Returning from a seven-year leave of recording absence, the Swingin' Utters have evidently not lost a step. Of course, they've been releasing outstanding music as members of Druglords of the Avenues, Filthy Thieving Bastards and the Re-Volts in between, but the excellence of songs like "Lepers Thieves and Whores" is on par with
anything they've ever done. Can't wait for more. GlassPipeMurder
Torche has quickly become one of my favorite bands. Who are you to tell a sludge metal band that they can't write poppy, minute-long finger-snappin' ditties? Meanderthal expanded on their sludge metal roots by incorporating melody and harmony to the album—Songs for Singles is 21 minutes of positivity and toe-tappin', poppy rock tunes. Okay, it's a smarter album than that, but those of you waiting for another "Warship" probably shouldn't hold your breath. These dudes just jumped the cliff on the genre map, and their jeep is in unknown territory right now. And it couldn't be more awesome. Jesse
I stand by what I said last year in my write up of their full-length Scrambles: Jeff Rosenstock is one of the most important people in punk rock. He and his collective remain the absolute gold standard example of how to embrace the Internet and online distribution to connect, create hype, and keep the fans engaged for the long haul. Of course, it helps that the music is so clever and exciting, which this EP most certainly is. I can't wait for more and given how BtMI! operates, I know I'll get it sooner rather than later. Adam
Here are all the punk albums that I ranked in my Top 40 and then my complete top ten:
38. The Black Pacific
36. Smoke or Fire
34. Devil's Brigade
33. Calabrese
32. Amber Pacific
27. Authority Zero
26. Anarbor
25. Bad Religion
21. Valencia
18. The Creepshow
17. Stephen Egerton
14. Allister
10. Exodus (thrash metal)
9.Alkaline Trio
8. We are the In Crowd
7. Motion City Soundtrack
6. Elvenking (folk progressive metal)
5. Street Dogs
4. Heartsounds
3. Avenged Sevenfold
2. The Gaslight Anthem
1. ANCIENT BARDS (symphonic power metal)
IMHO that top 5 is easily interchanagable. I would have went 5)The Gaslight Anthem 4)Mend and Make Do 3)Fake Problems 2)The Menzingers 1)The Flatliners. *note* this is not MY top 5, just based off their list.
however, this list lost all credibility when i saw against me at 6. The worse part of it to me is "this is what new wave could have been". What!? New wave shits on white crosses. White crosses is overproduced overthought garbage. And it puts me on the verge of hating against me (until I listen to crime and RAR and love them)
Of course I think Iron Chic, RVIVR, Arrivals, and the Dopamines need to be rated higher, but what where's the House Boat love? Processing Complaint's is that shit.
oh geez. the list itself is an actual topic separate from the article announcing the fact that the list exists? which is where I thought I was posting my comm.
x Gang Green and x Stompbox members unite for new release. Download the new single, "FIRST NICKEL" BY NUNS OF PUNK. https://www.cdbaby.com/cd/nunsofpunk . This ripping track features Erich Thaler of Stompbox with Glen and Chuck Stilphen from the Alcohol / Another Wasted Night-era of Gang Green.
"Any record list for 2010 without My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy is ludicrous. I don't much listen to rap or hip hop, haven't liked ANY Kanye West song I've heard before, and needless to say am sickened by his personality, but his new album is a flat out MASTERPIECE. Can't believe I'm admitting this but that douchebag is one of the most talented artists working in music today."
this is a fucking lie. Kanye West is a joke. This album will be forgotten in five years. No one will remember it. it was a two-bit cheap-shot filled with shallow pop-culture references. LAME!
so confused....how could the new riot before, the gamits, and iron chic not make the list? yet, white crosses does make the list? what is really going on?
Although I don't agree with parts of it, I'd say this list does this year in punk justice. Aside from two glaring omissions (Iron Chic, Riot Before) I can dig it. A few records I would've included:
The State Lottery-When The night Comes
Fresh Coats- A Train Wreck Named Desire
Both of these bands are heavily underrated. I'd recommend them to anyone.
Any record list for 2010 without My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy is ludicrous. I don't much listen to rap or hip hop, haven't liked ANY Kanye West song I've heard before, and needless to say am sickened by his personality, but his new album is a flat out MASTERPIECE. Can't believe I'm admitting this but that douchebag is one of the most talented artists working in music today.
my last comment seemed a little harsh. I guess what I mean is, as a fan I was waiting for their big comeback like Leatherface and the Gamits and what was produced left me so flaccid I perish the thought of listening to it again.
what? i actually did like two off the menzingers album, but the rest sounded so damn whiny i couldn't finish it. where was screaming females? well, whatever, no big.
Biggest surprise: None More Black. That record STINKS. It is like someone took some week old canned tuna left it out in the sun then crammed it up my ass while I ran a marathon, then squeezed it out my sweaty butt cheeks and sandwiched between two festering dog turds garnished it with some singed pubic hair and fed it to someone with a mouth full of dead teeth. Then a method was found to somehow turn that person's breath into notes and chords and it was recorded and commited to plastic and wax. (I patiently wait the day that the members of NMB corner me at a festival somewhere and threaten to box my nose in).
Other surprises: Against Me!, Menzingers, Gaslight Anthem. Those are some okay records I guess, I'm surprised at any sort of "universal" love of them though.
I really don't understand why people get so pissed when a band they like doesn't make the top twenty. I just see all these lists as a way to catch any great records I may have missed during the year, not as a ranking system designed to tell you one band is better than another.
It's a pretty solid list. Sure i think there are a couple omissions (Iron Chic, RVIVR) the only major complaint for me is that OWTH should have been ranked a tad bit higher.
Super glad that Menzingers got the number one spot: those guys deserve it.
Aside from Forgetters, Flatliners, None More Black, and Superchunk, this is a pretty weak list.... And I knew fuckin White Crosses would be on there somewhere... LAME
yeah, i agree with the comment below: that review of rebellion was god-fucking-awful. everyone verklempt about it not making this year end list - blame mattramone. or go on with your lives, cause who cares.
To all the "Where's *band* on this list" There are writers and editors who had almost nothing in common with this list, look at Mike...Now look at me. Where are we? We're on the internet.
Anyhow, There are a few I'd love to see on this list (just look at my list) but it doesn't pan out this way. As for albums that are well reviewed that don't make it the review is just one person's opinion (It's an opinion that is typically voiced well enough we feel it warrants publishing but it's never claimed to be "the voice of Punknews"). For the Riot Before it received a great score and an awful review. I don't even know if Matt would stick by what he wrote (as he claimed to be drunk when writing it). In conclusion, people have different opinions and they may not be yours but if they're able to explain them rationally, let it slide.
Its a bit disheartening (though I understand it comes with the territory) to realize that so many people will be put off by all of these year end lists and the comments that accompany them. So many people relegate their dreams to the garbage dumps and all because everyone's a critic and everyone feels that they have a right to say what's good and what's bad, like they wrote the book. Its a demon I face quite frequently. In my eyes, nothing I do is ever good enough. If we are doing what we love and were doing it with integrity, its not for anyone to say that its bad or good. I'm preaching to the choir here but music is an art form--an expression. A song (an album, a lyric) may be inept and meaningless to you, but it could mean the world to someone else and its not for you to tell them that they are wrong in harboring their opinion. Its a "Live and let live" kind of thing. I know that we all understand this and that we've heard it before but I just feel like it needs revisited. Just think about what you say before you say it, don't pen the words that kill the dreams.
"A bad review is even less important than whether it is raining in Patagonia."
Surprised Transit's last record didn't get more love this year. I went to see The Gaslight Anthem and The Menzingers in Madison this fall and I listened to that record 3 times during my drive. Here is my Top 6, because I know you care:
1. The Gaslight Anthem - American Slang
2. Transit - Keep This To Yourself
3. The Forecast - The Forecast (Saw this in someones Top 10, nicely done sir/madam)
4. Look Mexico - To Bed, To Battle (Another record that I was surprised not many mentioned)
5. The Menzingers - Chamberlain Waits
6. The Riot Before - Rebellion
I will have to listen to Iron Chic more before I decide if their last record was one of my favorites. I really liked Small Arms Dealer's Patron Saint of Disappointment, and Iron Chic is like a less abrasive version of them.
I'm surprised by the exclusion of "Good Morning, Magpie", "Rebellion" and "First Four EPs" (yes I know it got a honorable mention" This Addiction was solid too.
Needs more Iron Chic, Mixtapes (Maps), and RVIVR (my three favorite albums of the year).
True that, friend. Also, add yourself the La Dispute/Touche Amore split and the Mixtapes/DH! split and you've got yourself a real solid list that anyone should be happy to walk away from 2010 with these contributions to music.
That being said, people gotta quit smashing the list just because their personal favorites (ei. The Riot Before) didn't make the list. Obviously, not every great release is going to make it on a "top" list. The list would be meaningless if it didn't have some sort of exclusivity. It doesn't mean that albums like The Riot Before and RVIVR weren't great albums (indeed, they fucking rule), they just didn't make the cut.
Well maybe I'm weird, but I think this is quite a good list. Although no, I didn't hear the new Riot Before album. Somehow I missed out on that ever being released.
I find the inconsistency in reviews weird. Yes I know it's a community driven website but how does an album ranked #4 overall for 2010 not even make the "best new music" list?
How does Rebellion, one of the best reviewed albums of the year not even make anyone's list?
How does White Crosses, one of the worst reviewed and worst received albums of the year manage to make most "best of year" lists?
Glad to see The Wonder Years and Bomb the Music Industry! getting some well-deserved recognition. However - and maybe it's just me - I didn't get the big deal about Real Ghosts Caught On Tape. I mean, it's not bad, but 3rd best album of the year? I dunno...
I didn't have the least contributions!! Close though with only 4. I must be letting the readership influence me, and nobody wants that. Right, Brendan Kelly?
I try not to define my personal listening habits into a genre, but 7 of your top 10 albums & 3 of the EPs were on my personal list. Guess I officially listen to Org-core. Fuuuuuck.
Also, I first saw the Menzingers 3.5 years ago, and part of why they're my album of the year is the growth I've seen them make over that time. I hope for their sakes in 5 years they'll have an album as hated yet as loved as "White Crosses."
1. abracadaver - lawrence arms
2. we're doing fine - steve and the alcoholics
3. as the cold rain falls - tiger army
4. spirit of jazz - gaslight anthem
5. river city blackout - banner pilot
6. (white man) in hammersmith palais - the clash
7. throwaway style - exploding hearts
8. 15 minutes - broadways
9. it threatens - sharks
10. my boatless booze cruise - lawrence arms
11. 1979 - smashing pumpkins
12. bright lights - placebo
13. nausea - matt skiba
Who decides this shit? Is there a system to this? Iron Chic not on the list? Chamberlain Waits being at #1? No Arrivals? No RVIVR? This list is highly suspect. I expected more from you, Punknews. I know it's completely superficial, subjective, and meaningless, but at least try to reflect consensus with these fucking lists.
I'm kind of surprised none of the lists included After The Fall - Eradication. This band used to suck, but this record rules! Also Menzingers totally deserve that #1 spot.
What am i missing on, The Menzingers: Chamberlain Waits, i think the lyrics are cheesy, sounds like something i wrote when i was a 14 year old punk, the music is mediocre and i seen them live with the cheap girls last summer and was way way under impressed. whats the deal with this band. what am i missing. i gave this record like 10 spins and still nothing. now cheap girls, wow!
Cheap Girls
Kite Party
The Sidekicks
Useless ID
Gleam Garden
Shit Creek
Caseracer
Sonic Avenues
The Menzingers
Ben Kweller
Cursive
Cheap Girls
Revengineers
![The Arteries Dead Sea [reissue]](/images/covers/thumb/the-arteries-dead-sea-reissue.jpg)
The Arteries
Claudio Sanchez / Chondra Echert
The Men
![RVIVR Dirty Water EP [12-inch]](/images/covers/thumb/rvivr-dirty-water-ep-12-inch.jpg)
RVIVR
Guided by Voices
