I bumped up against punk rock in the late ’80s, a few years after bands like Black Flag and Minutemen got in the van and took on the world. When it’s right (well, my version of right, of course), the genre (and its many tentacles) still lights a fire under my ass. What follows is a list of nine albums that possibly (I mean, who knows, right?) saved my life.
mssv – Human Reaction
No one has waved the punk rock ethos flag longer and stronger than the mighty Mike Watt. Forty-five years into one of the most eclectic careers in music history, Watt shows no signs of slowing down (he appears five times on this list of 2023 favorites, including on yesterday’s Albert Bouchard record). Joined by singer/guitarist Mike Baggetta and former Tom Waits drummer Stephen Hodges, mssv (Main Steam Stop Valve) is yet another in a long line of interesting right-turn projects for the bass-thumping punk rock legend. Also, track one from Human Reaction, the jangly “Say What You Gotta Say”, made me do Molly Ringwald’s Breakfast Club dance. So, do with that information what you will.
Required listening: “Say What You Gotta Say”, “Human Reaction”
Rancid – Tomorrow Never Comes
Death, taxes, and Rancid crafting catchy, pogo-inducing punk rock. My favorite from the band since 2000’s self-titled Rancid, Tomorrow Never Knows sounds like the most focused Rancid record in over two decades.
Required listening: “Tomorrow Never Comes”, “Devil In Disguise”
DRAIN – Living Proof
DRAIN is one of a handful of bands that surprised me in 2023. The mix of thrash, punk rock, hardcore, and Sammy Ciaramitaro’s Anselmoesque vocals results in a heavy but catchy album loaded with pit-inducing anthems.
Required listening: “Run Your Luck”, “Good Good Things”, “Devil’s Itch”
MSPAINT – Post-American
Sometimes, I take to the Googles and randomly search a city or state for new bands. I bumped into synth-punk MSPAINT’s 2023 release while researching “hardcore bands from Mississippi”. The first thing that stood out to me — the band doesn’t have a guitarist! It works, however, with the band mixing punk rock, hardcore, and hip-hop into a Devo-meets-Orange 9MM frenzy.
Required listening: “Hardwired”, “Delete It”, “Decapitated Reality”
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Buggin – Concrete Cowboys
Buggin is infectious. Seriously, I defy you to listen to the manic good time that’s had on Concrete Cowboys and not fling yourself around like a rag doll. When Bryanna Bennett tells me to “fuck it up” on the march-to-stomp “Get It Out”, I fuck it up. You will, too. Concrete Cowboys is unquestionably my favorite hardcore album of the year.
Required listening: “Bug Slam”, “Get It Out”, “Snack Run”
Gee Tee – Goodnight Neanderthal
Lo-fi garage rock with an obvious (and welcome) nod to the Ramones. The “bird is the word”, good people. “Papa ooma mow mow,” indeed.
Required listening: “Goodnight Neanderthal”, “Heart-Throb”
Stymie – Toil & Folly
Recorded over five sessions more than 30 years ago, Toil & Folly finally found its way into the hands of listeners after former member (and current Sub Pop creative director) Jeff Kleinsmith grew tired of staring at the uncompleted session tapes on a shelf each day during the COVID lockdown, contacted the other former members of Stymie, and released the 13-track, gritty post-punk album on their own New Rage Records label.
Required listening: “Creepy Boss”, “Arbor Day”, “One Proud Stout”
Half Japanese – Jump Into Love
When Kurt Cobain, Jello Biafra, and magician Penn Jillette sing your praises, you’re bound to be just weird enough to be amazing, no? Half Japanese started as a mid-seventies bedroom art-punk project by brothers Jad and David Fair. Brother David (mostly) left the band in the eighties (he still shows up for the odd guest appearance), but Jad continues to release albums under the band’s name (as well as a host of other musical escapes). Jump Into Love is the band’s 21st full-length studio release.
Required listening: “It’s OK”, “We Are Giants”
Jad Fair & Samuel Locke Ward – Destroy All Monsters
Speaking of Jad Fair’s “other musical escapes”…
Jad Fair loves collaboration. Besides all his Half Japanese and solo output over a 50-year career, Fair has also teamed up with a host of fellow indie legends like Yo La Tengo, Thurston Moore, Daniel Johnston, and J Mascis to release tuneage. On Destroy All Monsters, Fair has locked arms with cartoonist and zine machine Samuel Locke Ward to craft 18 tracks of sparse, jangly weirdo pop.
Required listening: “The Crawling Hand”, “Invaders From Mars”, “A World That Did No Harm”
That’s all for now, folks! Check back on Monday for a pile of artists who are content to let the music do their talkin’!
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