Top 20 of 2004

Adam's Picks (2004)

Adam White

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Ever since the leaves started to change I've been hyping "list making time" around the proverbial Punknews office like it was the coming of the Christian apocalypse. There's a zeal us music geeks have for this that I can't quite explain, comes with the occupation I guess. So let's all just sit back and breathe in for a moment, appreciating the sheer mount of nerdy obsessing that's gone into this collection of articles. It was truly a majestic waste of time.

My whole outlook on this exercise has changed in the past few years. I've come to realize that despite the ebb and flow of influences in young punk bands, my personal tastes have never really extended to metal or emo and no amount of hyphenised genre names are going to change that. I've spent more money this year on 60s Jamaican ska and catalog Neil Young releases than I have on anything that starts with "post" or ends in "core." There's always some pressure to give accolades to those few bands that "the scene" has united around, but more often than not these bands aren't the ones I've been interested in.

So, my friends, this really shouldn't be an effort in populism and I make no claims of being any sort of zeitgeist. This is purely an exposition of what music had me singing and dancing like an idiot when no one else was around. So who's breaking new ground? What's shockingly original? Who has the most punishing breakdowns or the most earsplitting emotional screams or the darkest eyeliner? Who deserves to be on this list?

Hell, I couldn't tell you. My name's Adam and I'm a news editor and reviewer for Punknews.org. Welcome to my headspace…

Who Rocked The Casbah In 2004

#20. Detonations - Static Vision
April 13 on Alive Records (Bomp)

Spazzed out, feedback drenched, dirty rock'n'roll somewhere on the map between The Stooges and Crime. This New Orleans three piece kicks through a collection of dirty blues and sleazy rock with an unconventional lineup (no bassist but bass strings on a Tele hooked into a bi-amp that's wired through the flux capacitor, or something like that). The bottom spot on the list is always the most contested spot, as it's the last place where the decision is made between who gets mentioned and who doesn't, but Detonations show so much potential that they swaggered right past the competition.
[…read the review]

#19. Jeffie Genetic and his Clones - Need a Wave
January 20 on Dirtnap Records

The solo side project of Jeffie Pop of Vancouver's New Town Animals is a geeky 27 minute blast of hyperactive new wave punk that should appeal to fans of the Epoxies or The Spits. Jeffie's Ramone-monotone zips along atop a batch of Undertones / Buzzcocks inspired bubblegum. I've read so many reviews of this that have said "fun, but not essential" and in some ways that's true, but I can't deny the fact that this weird little album has been spun far more times this year than most other things.

#18. The New Breed - Off The Beaten Path
October 26 on Thorp Records

I'm really more of a traditionalist when it comes to punk rock, and an honest band playing an old formula with passion will always win me over before a something on the bleeding edge. The New Breed embody that description and with Off The Beaten Path they deliver the some of the best working class punk rock since McColgan-era Dropkick Murphys. The social and cultural roots of Halifax bleed through the music and give the port city rebels a regional voice that we don't often hear. […read the review ]

#17. Tangiers - Never Bring You Pleasure
April 27 on Sonic Unyon Records

I've been torn on this record for most of the year. After their rocking garage-punk debut Hot New Spirits half of the band quit, leaving the remaining songwriters with far more freedom to pursue their own ideas. What results is a record that's more eclectic, sounding less like the effort of a full band and more like a raw indie side project. Yet the stellar songwriting of Josh Reichmann and James Sayce shines through, and this year's model Tangiers proves to be just as exciting and memorable as the prior.

#16. Ted Leo / Pharmacists - Shake The Sheets
October 19 on Lookout Records

I wasn't as immediately taken by Shake The Sheets as I was Hearts Of Oak, but it was only a matter of time before Ted Leo's huge hooks and undeniable tunes worked their way deep into my head. Ted's formula of writing honest mod / punk infused rock songs seems pretty obvious on paper, but for whatever reason nobody else is doing it quite as well. With such a steady output of quality material, it's a wonder that Mr. Leo and his ever-able Pharmacists are still being ignored by the larger rock mainstream.

#15. Million Dollar Marxists - Give It A Name
September 7 on Gearhead Records

High octane punk rock'n'roll in the lineage of the New Bomb Turks, Devil Dogs and The Pagans, but out of Ottawa of all places. Beneath the high energy punk emerges a sinister streak that gives the band a range that their style often lacks. It's always nice to find a band so tight and focused on their debut full length, and the Marxists are certainly that. […read the review]

#14. The Futureheads - The Futureheads
September 7 on 679 Records / Sire (WMG)

So let's say The Jam were horribly injured in a NASA accident and a crack team of scientists lead by Gang Of Four's Andy Gill boasted "Gentlemen, we can rebuild them. We have the technology…" and thus they installed some crazy robotic time signatures and a cappella harmonies. Soon this new bionic Six Million Dollar Jam went out fighting crime and rocking out in style, only to realize they needed a new moniker for a new millennium, and thus they would be dubbed The Futureheads.

#13. Hot Snakes - Audit In Progress
October 5 on Swami Records

The John Reis / Rick Froberg war machine marches ever forward, proving that there's still unique and exciting music to be made in a stype so content with rehashing past. Audit In Progress shows a sharper, more concise version of the band, but still one that has the energy and drive of a swarm of angry hornets.

#12. Social Distortion - Sex, Love and Rock'n'Roll
September 28 on Time Bomb Records

Not that they're exactly getting soft with age, but Social Distortion shows a lot of heart on their much anticipated comeback album. Mike Ness sounds a little wiser, a little more introspective, and while he's still playing the outlaw greaser, his lyrics hint that he's made some peace with his demons. Sex, Love and Rock'n'Roll, a remarkably brisk record considering it's hype, sidesteps just about every pitfall that plagues the "comeback album." […read the review]

#11. Bedouin Soundclash - Sounding A Mosaic
April 27 on Stomp Records (Union Label Group)

Kingston and reggae go together in most people's minds, but Kingston Ontario probably isn't what they're thinking about. Bedouin Soundclash's mix of dub, reggae and ska is given an eerily captivating treatment by Darryl Jenifer's big spacious production and Sounding A Mosaic proves to be one of most unique and soulful albums of the year. [