Best of 2013

John Gentile's picks (2013)

Bryne Yancey

YO YO YO PUNKNEWS!!!!!!!
Whadduuuuup Punknews?!!!!!! I moved back from Cali to the PA this year, and man, I
miss the burritos. I miss the beautiful Cali girls. I miss the insane amount of awesome
live music that passes through "da bay." And most of all, I miss the record stores… oh,
Streetlight Records, how I long
to finger through your bins, to flick through your CD shelves, to bask in your warm
embrace… (*breaks down sobbing*)

But to be fair, in my absence, Philly really has upped its game. There are hella more live
venues here now than when I first left, and way more great live music coming through.
Plus, there are an exciting crop of new record stores forming, so it ain't all bad. Plus,
East Coast pizza annihilates West Coast pizza. Don't even try to debate that. You are
wrong.

Punk rock wise, I did some pretty fun stuff. I got to see FLAG at one of their earliest shows
and without a doubt, it as one of the GREATEST shows I have ever seen-EVER. I also
got to talk to all five
members about it which was a true highlight for me. Jack Terricloth of World/
Inferno Friendship Society let me have an extended interview
with him and I was really proud of how it turned out. Old school wise, I got to sit
down with members of Crass and talk about the Crass re-issues and the
band's history.

New school wise, I got to see Jeff Rosenstock play an
utterly phenomenal set and after much delay, my now horribly-out-of-date-and-
retroactively-innaccurate piece about the end of Bomb the Music Industry! finally went up, thanks to my homegirl Brittany Strummer. Also, I got to talk
to a bunch of totally awesome artists, Blag Dahlia let
me pick his brain and also, Jello was totally cool.

Honestly, new music wise, I sort of feel like this year was a little bit of a lull. No doubt,
there was some awesomely mind-blowing new releases this year (see below), but there
wasn't a "Keith Morris is back and doing his best work ever!" or "Amebix Reunion!"
or "Jesse Michaels doing hardcore punk!" record that really surprised me. Though,
some of the new guys did do some stuff that really was transcendent. I'm thinking 2014
will be a year that makes my head explode. (Dear Amun-Re, Odin, and Ahura Mazda,
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE let FLAG put out a live album).

THE TOP 20 BEST (NON-MELVINS) ALBUMS OF 2013

20
Boboso: Grown Ass Man
Phat ‘n Phunky
Boboso ups his game. Harder hitting beats. Tighter rhymes. Garfield
references. Boboso excels where many emcees fail--he's not gangsta and knows it, but
he doesn't overcompensate by going the nerd-core angle nor does he go the played-out-
beat-poet-backpack-rapper route. Instead, he samples Morrissey and claims,
"Heaven knows I'm a miserable asshole." He finds a way to inject his own style
into the music in a way that is honest, original, and damn funny. (Also, Classics of
Love's Morgan sings Mariachi music on this.) I didn't think Boboso could top his
previous collaboration with Jesse Michaels where Michaels spit the rawest dis ever
("I'm the best and you're just an asshole!"), but when Boboso teams up with Jeff
Rosenstock and they rap about sweatshirts and sex toys(?)--well, it's a real Sophie's
Choice situation.

19
Black Sabbath: 13
Vertigo / Universal
I wanted to hate this record on principle. No Bill Ward = No Black Sabbath.
Brad Wilk, the drummer for Rage Against the Machine, replacing perhaps the greatest
metal drummer ever? Please.. A cover and title that were designed via focus
group (and a rather bland one at that). Laughable. But then, I heard Iommi's massive
riffs supported by Geezer Butler's sludgy bass, and I… I had to give props were props
were due. Even Ozzy sounds the best he has in three decades. The magic is still
there… though it would have been even better magic if Ward was on board…

18
The Hound of Love: Careful Houndy
Burger Records / Gnartapes
Careful, Houndy isn't a perfect record, but when it is perfect, it's
damn perfect. The best parts of darker synth-pop mixed with video game style
music and classic rock. Also, there are some daring covers that work exceptionally well.
Who would have thought that a cheap Casio could sound so sinister?

17
Ghostface Killah: Twelve Reasons to
Die
Soul Temple Records
Let's be real, a lot of Wu-Tang stuff is phoned in. And honestly, I think that
maybe, on this release, Ghostface just rapped over some generic bars and the music
was added later. What makes this release so surprising is that despite all of this, the
album is rich in sonic texture and perfectly weaves with the master emcee's unhinged
narrative. Truly, the skills of the emcee and producer are both the reason for this
album's success. Few records are recorded in such a slight time frame and have such a
lasting sound.

16
King Khan and the Shrines:
Idle No More
Merge Records
Idle No More would have been in the top 20 of this year if it was just the
last track, "Of Darkness I Dream" and 11 tracks of Bette Midler. On that track alone,
Khan reaches a level of honesty that is divine and as is so rare in music, creates a true
connection with the listener--despite the song's obsequiousness, we know exactly what Khan means. The rest is straight up classic soul meets rock and is icing on the
cake.

15
Integrity: Suicide Black Snake
A389 Records
The tracks on Suicide Black Snake have been floating around in demo
and single form for about three years now. But, now that they are packaged together, re-
recorded and tightened up, we get what might be the fiercest Integrity album to date,
and definitely the darkest one. Frontman Dwid Hellion likes to avoid the term "hardcore"
but this album alone represents hardcore in both its most savage and most
sophisticated form. Rarely is music this mean so intelligent.

14
Chrome: Half Machine from the Sun
King of Spades Records
Chrome's fault was that they were 10 years too early. Had they debuted along
with NIN, they would be one of the biggest bands in the world- well, actually, probably
not, because while groups like NIN and Ministry are fundamentally anchored in pop
structure, Chrome are as out there as Hawkwind- not for the faint of heart. Who would
have guessed that what essentially amounts to an "Odds and Ends" album, would yield
not only some their very best material, but perhaps their tightest album, which
mystifyingly, is also their most accessible? This is as far out as it gets and yet it's as
easy to listen to as Chuck Berry. Hawkwind meets Bauhaus meets Ministry meets
something from out of this world.

13
KRS-One: Never Forget
self-released
The Blastmaster has had a fruitful half decade, releasing about ten albums in
that time. Most of them are pretty good, a few have been amazing, and a few have
been outtakes compilations or just bloated. But with Never Forget, which is so
underground even I couldn't find it, the Teacha drops his hardest, tightest
rhymes in a decade. There is no fancy footwork here, or wasted words for the sake of
showiness. These are tight as hell, hard rhymes dropped over booming beats. KRS
spits metaphysical knowledge that is otherworldly and practical. The fact that this might
have been recorded in a day just shows how insanely talented KRS is. The fact that this
release is way, way, way underground shows how dedicated to the art he still is. Thirty
years on and Knowledge (Still) Reigns Supreme.

12
The Last: Danger
End Sounds
First-wave LA power-pop-punkers recruit Bill Stevenson and Karl Alvarez and
release their first album in 17 years--and get this, not only is it their highest energy,
most ripping release to date, but… it… it might be their BEST!. For the most part,
this album speeds along in high energy, fun pop-influenced rock, but every so often,
when if deeps down into nasty danger, it becomes sublime. This is how to do a
comeback!

11
David Bowie: The Next Day
Columbia
First of all, I am hella pissed at Bowie. I dropped significant bank (like twice the
price of a normal CD) on the so-called "Deluxe" edition so that I could get all the tracks.
Then, about six months later, he released a super-deluxe-edition with even more
tracks. I got hosed and that's no way to treat a fan. Still though, this album, which winds
and twists throughout Bowie's decades of style, is really, really good, and shows that
the Main Man creates timeless art. Most of it seems to be set in his Berlin period
and for an artist of his age and accomplishments, the cold burn on this LP is perfect.

10
Nobunny: Secret Songs: Reflections from
the Ear Mirror
Goner Records
Nobunny's first record was a shock because not only was it so raw that it
sounded like it was recorded on a Walkman, but every song was a perfect, classic rock
and roller, supplemented by an unquantifiable weirdness. The follow up was smoother
and more polished, but it didn't quite have the danger in the tape hiss. First Blood kept things fairly polished, but the volatile weirdness is back. "Buried in a
Bong," "Little Bo Bitch," "Bye, Bye Roxie"--Nobunny is at a new apex and what makes
this so rocking and just a little bit scary is unknown, making it that much more
threatening and inviting.

9
Night Birds: Born
To Die In Suburbia
Grave Mistake Records
Yesssssssss! Everyone knows that Night Birds rock the hell out (and in fact,
are one of the few newer punk bands to really go all out on the berserk rock-n-roll live
show). But until this point, they didn't seem to be able to deliver a ful- length that
expressed the anger, mania, zaniness, and horror in their live show. Well, not only did
they figure out how to spread their message across an entire album, keeping the whole
thing ripping from start to finish and constantly engaging, but they knocked it out of the
park! It's not easy to craft a full LP that just kicks all the way, but Night Birds made it
look easy.

8
Jello Biafra
and The Guantanamo School of Medicine: White
People and the Damage Done
Alternative Tentacles
When so many 50+ artists are slowing down, picking up acoustic guitars and
basically being old farts, Jello and crew explode back with their most berserk work to
date. "Road Rage" is one of J-man's nastiest cuts ever and it is also one of his funniest.
The nearly Slayer-style storm of "John Dillinger" is eloquent and just rocks the hell out.
Perhaps the best Biafra work since the DKs. Why can't all musicians get this worked up
as they age? I also should point out, that despite my repeat mentioning of Jello's age,
this doesn't feel like an old dude record--to the contrary, Jello sounds like he's 19 and
the album feels like a hot new band's debut.

7
Joan Jett: Unvarnished
Blackheart Records
Joan always puts out consistent records, but they don't all have the snap
of those first two classics. On Unvarnished, she teams up with Dave Grohl
and Laura Jane Grace and cuts, without a doubt, her best release since Bad
Reputation. This is all classic Jett, but it feels so fresh. Joan Jett rocks. I'm in love.

6
Janelle Monae: The Electric Lady
Bad Boy Records
Did Jesus hear my thoughts and send a funky futuristic angel down to
serenade me? ‘70s Stevie Wonder meets ‘80s Prince meets all eras of George Clinton
sung by the classiest yet sassiest vocalist reaping the soul scene right now. SMASH
SMASH! BANG BANG! CHALANGALANGALANG! I'm in love.

5
Tegan and Sara: Heartthrob
Warner Bros.
They've been threatening to do it since The Con, but the Quinn twins
finally did it. They made a straight up pop album. And you know what, it rules. It's
danceable, it's bouncy, it's snappy, but it also has true heart (what most pop records
miss these days) and pays tribute to past dance-pop (a la Madonna) while doing
something new (I even taste just a nip of some Factory Records in here.) Intelligent pop
at its finest. I'm in love. Twice.

4
Crazy and the Brains: Let Me Go
Baldy Longhair
HOLY SNAPS. Rock and roll that is as fresh as it was in the '50's. Riffs that just won't
quit. A hilarious and possible mentally disturbed frontman. Wild, out of control shows that are as
sloppy as they are enthusiastic. A XYLOPHONE. You might think it's simple to write out simple
rock banger after simple rock banger without the tunes getting old, but it's NOT. Each tune here
is as clever as it is fun as it is unique. Crazy and the Brains are geniuses of the form. Get hip to
it.

3
Dog Party: Lost Control
Asian Man Records
Dog Party are giving punk rock a good kick in the ass. These sisters tear along like the
Ramones, stomp down like the Weirdoes, and every so often, lament like Patsy Cline. Every
track here is just perfect. So many riffs. So many choruses. So much style. Enough of your
namby-pamby caterwauling about friendship, flannel, and whisky--THIS is what punk rock is
about.

2
The Garden: The Life
and Times of a Paperclip
Burger Records
This is no other band in the world that sounds like the Garden. Twin brothers bust out
aggressive, cold, scary, punk rock blasts that range from 15 seconds to one minute. One guitar,
one drum, one voice. Every song has a meaning but you'd have to be as crazy as Nick Blinko to
figure it out. Every second is essential. Every note is interesting. Every lyric is perplexing. You
could make a comparison to early Wire, but that's only because no one knew what to make of
them then, either. THIS is punk rock- rule breaking, eccentric, unexpected, just completely off
the wall. Plus, it sounds HELLA AWESOME. This record will never be replicated, especially
because the brothers have moved onto different, but equally interesting things. The whole
album might only be about 18 minutes, but that's all they need. THIS is what it's all about.

1
GWAR: Battle Maximus
Metal Blade
GWAR are a band that just continue to triumph over adversity after adversity after
adversity. When they lost band members Flattus Maximus/Cory Smoot, the band were seriously
threatened--the two people that had revitalized the band and brought it into its greatest era
suddenly were gone. Instead of accepting defeat, the band charged ahead, brought in Pustulus
Maximus, and released an album that is still straight up slamming metal, but is as intricate and
dynamic as it is savage. Not every cloud has a silver lining, but GWAR accepted tragedy in the
best possible way: By striking out and redoubling their own reserve and cursing the fates. This
is victory torn from the jaws of defeat. Who would have ever thought aliens could demonstrate
the best aspects of humanity?

THE TOP 10 BEST (NON-MELVINS) EPS AND SINGLES OF 2013

10
Blowfly: Black in the Sack
Pata Records/ Burger Records
Clarence Reid is a famous composer who wrote hits for K.C. and the Sunshine
band, Sam & Dave and Betty Wright. But his alter-ego, Blowfly, is the filthiest soul man
that you ever heard and literally invented Dirty Rapp. Despite being halfway through his
70s, he's still cutting the nastiest, filthiest (and most hilarious) originals and parodies,
like on Black in the Sack which is best AC/DC cover ever (sorry Exodus) and the
grossest version of "Rainy Night in Georgia" ever… "conceived."

9
Funkadelic: The Naz
C Kunspryruhzy
George Clinton resurrects the greatest funk band of all time, teams up with Sly Stone,
and releases a perfectly wigged out track that features Stone jiving and rapping about Jesus'
return in a language that only Stone can understand. The b-side, "Nuclear Dog," is 7 minutes of
classic Funkadelic soloing. There's a reason why George is every rapper's favorite musician--it's
because he's the greatest. Period.

8
Gnarboots: S.I.Z.Z.L.E.R.
self-released
If you thought Gnarboots were weird before, then you better go out now and buy some
more underwear. Gnarboots have always cut unusual tracks, but often, they were based off
standard rock/pop structure. On S.I.Z.Z.L.E.R., recorded to commemorate the time that
Mike Park bought them dinner for breaking even on an album that had a run of 300 records, shit
gets real. A pounding synth thunders in the background while a distorted, almost demonic voice
just spouts the restaurant chain's name over and over. You could make a Ween or Captain
Beefheart comparison, but neither of those guys were ever this menacing or this tactical. I think
Gnarboots are about to evolve into something unlike anything that has come before.

7
Jeff Rosenstock: Summer Singles
Really Records
Bomb the Music Industry! might be ending (again?) but the Jeff-meister is at a creative
high point. Massive, extended Neil Young cover? Check. Classic exploding bombast tune?
Check. Aborted hardcore tune from an aborted hardcore EP? Check. JEFF YOU GO BACK TO
YOUR ROOM AND RECORD THAT HARDCORE EP RIGHT NOW, YOUNG MAN!

6
Morning Glory: Born
to December [7-inch]
Fat Wreck Chords
An amazing title track about overcoming addiction and a flip-side that could be a
Chubby Checker tune if Chubby Checker was into blasphemy. The Crack Rock Steady crew
have split and maybe it's for the best. Each of the main CR7 rockers are making the best music
of their careers.

5
Blag Dahlia: Metrosexual
Man [7-inch]
Riot Style
A collection of tunes that Bag submitted to TV shows that were rejected. Why? OH I
DON'T KNOW MAYBE BECAUSE THEY HAVE LYRICS ABOUT BLAG PISSING ON THE
HEAD OF BOB AND DOUG MCKENZIE OR HAS HIM RAMBLING ABOUT ADOPTING
FOREIGN BABIES. But, that's what makes the Dwarves so great--unrestrained, unrepentant id.
So many artists would try to make the blandest, poppiest single possible. But, Blag being Blag,
can't help himself and sends a demo to Bob and Doug that is mostly about has Blag has sex
with lots of girls and only casually mentions the duo in their own theme in the last few seconds.
This is why the Dwarves are rock legends.

4
Rats in the Wall: Demo Tape [cassette]
self-released
Brad Logan cements this band's lineup and releases an EP that is everything that he
and his crew do best--charging hardcore, twisting crust riffs, and that Logan-bark… oh that bark.
Dark, pessimistic, totally rocking. Also, do I detect just a pinch of Blue Oyster Cult?

3
Mischief Brew: Free
Radical Radio Fever [7-inch]
Fistolo / Gunner
How far are we gonna go back? WAAAY BACK. Mischief Brew go back to their roots
and release a purely acoustic EP, like their earliest recordings. The tunes here could have been
written now or just as the black plague was ravaging Europe. Erik Petersen and crew know how
to tell the tale of the working man without sounding like ivory tower academics or uber-punk kids
that have never had to pay a water bill. Why? It's because they ARE working men… also, I
assume they pay water bills.

2
Books of Love: Space Time
self-released
Katy Goodman and Greta Morgan team up to write a tune about how the laws of the
universe function to keep them from finding true love. Where the plot sounds something along
the lines of the Cure, the girls flip the script by busting out a rollicking but sweet, musical
backing that is equal parts Patsy Cline, Ronettes and Stephen Hawking, making the tune an
upbeat snapper with an underside that's either depressing or reassuring, depending on how you
look at it. Physics majors aren't usually known for writing the best love tunes, but as with all data
sets, some anomalies are bound to occur.

1
World/Inferno Friendship Society:
Turnstile Comix #2
Silver Sprocket
World/Inferno are every bit the equal of Queen, the Rolling Stones, or the Stooges.
There are good bands and then there are the titans. So much talent. So much skill. So much
style. Turnstile Comix finds the band reaching back into their earliest days and to the
future from the classic "Second Chance Saloon" which is a Roaring ‘20s tale of saloons and
fighting cops to the charging, massive, re-statement of purpose "The faster you go, the better
you think." No one sounds like this band, not even remotely. Sometimes Jupiter does reach
down and grant us a boon and here it is. To arms! To arms! GO FASTER!! THINK BETTER!!!

THE TOP 5 MELVINS RELEASES OF 2013

5
Melvins: Billy Fish Alive [Flexi]
Joyful Noise Recordings
From the same live sessions as the massive Sugar Daddy album, The Melvins
show why they are one of the best live bands EVER. Huge, crushing guitars. Drums that stomp
like Tiamat. A tempo that storms along like a freight train and is three times as heavy.

4
Melvins / Napalm Death: Sugar Daddy Split Series Vol. 9 [12-inch]
Amphetamine Reptile
The Melvins kick out a live version of "The Hawk" that shakes the room. Buzz Osborne
calls out in his angry wail that is as much Ozzy as it is a mob of angry zombies.
CRUNCHCRUNCHCRUNCH! Meanwhile, Napalm Death, ever self-challenging, do a hella
wigged out Cardiacs cover and it rules and then they bust out the grinding, deeply
political but equally slamming "Oxygen of Duplicity." Two weirdo heavy groups pairing up.
Napalm Death's atheism is hereby disproved because this is a match made in heaven.

3
Melvins: Live at Third Man Records
Third Man Records
For their 30th anniversary, the Melvins stopped off at Jack White's place and recorded
a portion of their birthday tour direct to acetate. Even better, they focused on the pure, rumbling
sludge from their first quantum leaps--Bullhead and Eggnog. "Charmicarmicat"
even gets a full side of the LP to do its unbelievably massive thing. The real birthday present?
The Melvins are even better now then they were when these monumental records first came
out.

2
Melvins: Everybody Loves Sausages
Ipecac Records
Covers albums are not supposed to be this good. Covers albums… are NOT
supposed to this GOOD. I'M FREAKIN' OUT, MAN! The Melvins pick artists that influenced
them through their career, some obvious (Venom) some completely unexpected (John Waters'
Divine). To make it even better, the Melvins bring in friends like Scott Kelly and J.G. Thirwell to
handle parts of some tracks. Even Blondie's Clem Burke shows up! These songs are so tight
and lock together so well that it feels like an album of original material, despite that only one
track was written by the band. Oh, also--The Jello + Melvins cover of Roxy Music's "In Every
Dream Home a Heartache" might be the greatest cover ever--like, for real.

1
Melvins: Tres Cabrones
Ipecac Recordings
The Melvins have entered their Duke Ellington phase. There is no "one" Melvins. Any
Melvins recording, or lineup, is merely one expression of an intangible idea. Tres Cabrones is a mutation of the band's earliest lineup, now with usual drummer Dale Crover on bass and
original drummer Mike Dillard back behind the kit. The best part? They don't cut an album like it
was written in 1983. Instead, they create an alternate reality where Dillard never left the band
and had been playing and progressing with them for 30 years. Short, hard punk numbers are
abutted next to nine minute long drone stompers. There is also a song called "Tie My Pecker to
a Tree." How can one band put out so much music, make so many daring choices, and make
every move the least expected one and STILL fundamentally be the same band with the
same core concept? Simple--they are true artists. This is as punk as it gets.

Carpe Diem, My Dawwwwwggzzzz!!!

And thusly, we shuttle onward into the next year and one year closer to the end of the mortal
coil. 2014 is looking pretty hot, that's for sure. I'm looking forward to new albums by World/
Inferno Friendship Society (This Packed Funeral), The Dwarves, OFF!, La Sera,
Gnarboots, Mischief Brew, Jeff Rosenstock, Raekwon, Kicker, KRS-One and Mad Lion, Ice
Cube, and of course… MELVIIIIIIIIINSSSSSSS!!! I am also super excited about the last
Bomb the Music Industry! show (ever)--stay tuned, we've got a few pretty cool things planned.

As for my annual lesson bequeathed upon ye, let me tell you Punknews people, I turned 30 this
year and everywhere I look, the Grim Reaper is standing. I look in my rear view mirror and that
skeletal visage reflects from my back seat. I open my closet, and that dreadful cloak hangs
between my hella fresh Fila track jacket and my mad fresh Adidas track jacket. I take a whiz
and that ghastly specter is looking over my shoulder (which is doubly freaky). Listen son, get
going on whatever it is that you want to get done, because time moves way quicker than you
think. On that fateful morning when you wake up and that ghost leers over your bed, grinning,
he will not wait for you to finish the last 80 pages of your novel, he will not give you time to go
kiss your loved ones, he will not pause two weeks so you have time to go visit Madrid--you'll
open your eyes, he'll laugh, and that scythe will drop--SHUNK!!!--and that's it, baby. Lights out.
So, not tomorrow, not next week, but get moving NOW. Right now!. GET TO WORK!!!!

…but in the meantime, I put together a continuous mix of some of my favorite new songs and re-
releases from this year. It's got some exclusive songs, some brand news stuff, and tons of
shout outs from punk rock celebrities--ALSO IT HAS GEORGE CLINTON--so be sure to listen.

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