Best of 2012

Chris Moran's picks (2012)

Joe Pelone

[Chris Moran is the Video Editor/King Punk of RVA.]

I made a list of records I enjoyed this year. If you don't care, don't read it.

10
Propagandhi: Failed States
Epitaph Records
Never been their biggest fan, but this record found its way into my weekly rotation quite often. More structured, less snarky.

9
No Trigger: Tycoon
No Sleep
Yes, we all like Canyoneer more, but this is a solid record from a great melodic hardcore band.

8
Teenage Bottlerocket: Freak Out!
Fat Wreck Chords
Much like the band's history in cover art selections, their latest offering is much of the same, with a little bit of a twist - not a bad thing at all.

7
Nas: Life Is Good
Def Jam
N.Y.'s finest MC returns to his roots to deliver the best hip-hop record of 2012.

6
Tim Barry: 40 Miler
Chunksaah
Lyrically honest and stripped down, and arguably Barry's best solo effort to date.

5
Masked Intruder: Masked Intruder
Red Scare
Gimmick or not, these guys write some great pop-punk tunes, and released the best pop-punk record of 2012.

4
Bouncing Souls: Comet
Rise Records
It's the Bouncing Souls; they'd have to pull a H2O Go to not make my year-end list.

3
The Menzingers: On the Impossible Past
Epitaph Records
Their third full-length and first for indie-juggernaut Epitaph, Dunder Mifflen's favorite sons deliver a stellar record to solidify their place as one of the most exciting young bands around.

2
Hot Water Music: Exister
Rise Records
Everything I could have hoped for and more from one of my favorite bands of all time. There's not much I can say about HWM that hasn't been said before; if you like HWM you probably own this record. If you don't like HWM, your loss.

1
The Gaslight Anthem: Handwritten
Mercury
The jump to a major label and a legendary producer had no negative impact on the best record of the year. The title track alone makes this album worth the purchase, and the rest is far from filler.