Best of The Year: Scotty Tankcrimes / Chris Urban / toyGuitar / Jennie Cotterill
Merry Christmas! Today we're continuing to bring you year-end lists from a who's who of artists, label folks and more. Today's lists come from Scotty Tankcrimes of Tankcrimes Records, Chris Urban of Crazy and the Brains, toyGuitar, who released In This Mess on Fat Wreck Chords earlier this year, and Jennie Cotterill of Bad Cop/Bad Cop. Today's lists are brought to you by Sheena, who in addition to being a punk rocker, also looks quite stylish in her Santa hat.
Scotty Heath is the owner of Tankcrimes Records. They put out really cool records by Ghoul, Fucked Up, The Shrine, and a lot more.
Hey Punknewzers! Johnny G reached out to me, Scotty Heath, Tankcrimes Records owner/operator and Oakland, California weed enthusiast. If you're not familiar, we do hardcore punk and metal records, check us out if that's your bag. 2015 in records? I heard some other good stuff this year but these are the ones I bought and listened to the most. Yes my list is full of nepotism, but that's all I know. I started releasing records because my friends were making great music, this many years down the road I just keep meeting bands I love or end up loving. It was a slow year for Tankcrimes, after a busy 2014 we kept quiet mostly gearing up for an ambitious 2016. We did squeak out 2 albums and I did include them, I listened to them more than anything. I want to mention I'm also a fan of all these labels, all at different stages of the game, some with more of their own identity than others, all putting good music into my ear.
Night Birds:
Mutiny at Muscle Beach
Amazing melodic hardcore punk rock full of passion, hooks and heart. For real my favorite album and top recommendation of 2015. I love a bit of surf in my punk (and metal), I love tasteful leads, I love choruses, I love backups, I love the track list order and attention to detail production wise and also the layout and cover photography these guy follow through on each and every time. "Left in the Middle" is the best punk track of the decade so far. For fans of punk music played very well by a band at the top of their game.
High Roller Records
Are you a fan of "How Will I Laugh Tomorrow, When I Can't Even Smile Today" or maybe "Lights, Camera, Revolution" by the mighty Suicidal Tendencies? If so stop reading this and check out Sweden's Negative Self. They excel at this style. The riffs, leads and vocals are all so spot on fantastic. No other band plays like this right now.
So this record comes out in North America in January but dropped in Europe in October. I know distributors are weird about holiday releases and timing and these guys just started a 45 day Europe tour so I get it but still weird, whatever. I'll put it on my 2016 list as well. This shit is so good, Venice Beach's, The Shrine took their formula of Black Flag / Sabbath meets skate rock, but remember their version has already been filtered through Annihilation Time and the HC scene of the mid '00s, and got a real producer to help them put it together. Dave Jerden is best known for Chili Peppers, Jane's Addiction, Alice in Chains, Social D and he knows his shit and nails it on this record the production is huge and The Shrine back it up on their 3rd album and big label debut. He actually came out of retirement and approached them once he heard this band. These guys are about to be huge.
Grave Mistake Records
A big difference in hardcore shows today vs. 10 years ago? Kids in Obituary t-shirts. This band exemplifies that in a similar way Power Trip did a couple years back. Not saying they have death metal vibes at all or even sound like PT but this is a punk band with heavy metal / metallic / crossover riffs who are backed by a hardcore kid following. I'd love to see the metal scene get into this as well. It stands out because it never gets boring which is the beauty of combining genres, take out the weak stuff and hold onto the strong. For long time TC fans or Bay Area kids, this reminds me of STFU at times.
Vivisick Recordings / Tankcrimes
The most undefinable record on my list, Tokyo's Vivisick put together an album masterfully mixed with traditional Japanese hardcore punk, wild fastcore chaos, caustic chants and whoas plus pop sensibilities and chaos dance riffs. I keep saying "The Stalin meets Toy Dolls" and a few people get it.
Tørsö :
Sono Pronta a Morire
Agipunk / Sorry State
Bay Area band playing badass aggressive no frills underground threatening D-Beat hardcore punk to the fucking maxx. It's got the riffs and hooks and mosh tendencies missing from so many contemporary bands who wear a shoe lace on their head. Great production by Jack Shirley combined with these folks talent really make this album shine.
Leftover Crack:
Constructs of the State
While remaining a fan, I wasn't paying much attention when LOC put out their last album in 2004 or the split with Citizen Fish, I was much too busy at the time immersed in fastcore and wondering when the next DisReAntiYouthHellChristBastardAssManX 7-inch was dropping or who was gonna cover the most obscure '80s HC jam. But before that in the mid-late '90s I was real big on that crack rock steady beat and everything that came before it. This new one nails it, so killer! Really thoughtful songs and production, a blend of pretty and ugly. Perfect nostalgia for a punk who was moving out of his small town parents house to the big city around the time Give em the Boot came out. Guesting from everyone on the mix tape in the Walkman I moved to SF with: Op Ivy, Bouncing Souls, Dead Milkmen, Crass. It's punk, it's metal, it's pop, it's ska, it's anthemic, it's dissent, it's rad.
Tankcrimes
Blending slow heavy riffs with fast as fuck punk blasts and an omnipresent weed theme is now called Stoner Violence, thank you Connoisseur. It's powerful and anthemic and full of good vibes and humor to balance the angry and the heavy.
Fuck You Pay Me:
Public Disgrace
Deep Six Records
Fast, negative, anthemic dark hardcore done correctly. From Clevo. Economic desperation.The wrong color on a pregnancy test. Dropping your phone into the shitter. 3:17 a.m. at Steve's Hot Dogs. They sound a lot like that.
Blasting Concept:
Sloth Rocket
Ebullition
A new release from Ebullition in 2015 and it's beer fueled stoner punks on acid. Fans of Annihilation Time / The Shrine get on this, these Santa Barbara, Goleta, Ojai kids grew up drinking the same water and you can hear it.
Chris Urban
Brain Freeze [EP]
this year.
10. The Weeknd
:
Beauty Behind the Madness
The kinda record that makes you start feeling yourself. You listen to this and think " I'm getting laid tonight" The singles are the best songs on the album. "Prisoner" featuring Lana Del Ray is also tasty cakes.
9. Leftover Crack:
Constructs of the State
This record basically picks up where Fuck World Trade left off. Nothing wrong with that in my opinion. I'm excited to have another LOC record. One of the only few bands in the punk community that do not follow rules.
8. Brian Wilson:
No Pier Pressure
I am very happy this dude is still making music. He is important. Forget the fact that he once appeared on "Full House." I like to think he was too drugged up to even realize he was there. You can put this album on, get drunk with your family off wine coolers and everyone will be happy.This is music for laying down and smiling. If you don't like laying down and smiling every now and then, you are loony. Even the song with Zooey Deschanel ("On The Island") is good.
7. Kendrick Lamar:
To Pimp a Butterfly
Top Dawg/Aftermath/Interscope
This album is at the top of so many lists. Deservedly so. Musically its going places most hip hop records are not going right now. Certain flows become trendy and you hear a variation of the same few in every song. All Kendrick's flows on Butterfly are new, unique and cool as fuck. My fav songs are"Alright" "King Kunta" and "Institutionalized."
6. Jared Hart:
Past Lives & Pass Lines
It's pretty hard for me not to relate to to this album because I hail from the same city / same neighborhood as this kid. These songs are rugged and acoustic. Classic storytelling tunes. Your dad could probably get down to this record. That ain't a bad thing. Also great driving music. Fuck it, throw this record on, get a 12 pack and go for a drive with your dad.( yes I am talking about drinking and driving) You will have an excellent time. Just be careful and don't get arrested. If you do get arrested don't blame Jared.
5. The Libertines:
Anthems for a Doomed Youth
Harvest
Another very important band in my opinion. We need more messy rock n roll like this. Pete Doherty actually sounds a little cleaned up on this record but its still all good. Cleaned up for The Libertines is still way too messy according to Arctic Monkeys standards.
Self Released
Dark, weird and kind of confusing. If your music is pissing people off then you might be doing something right. This music definitely gets under people's skin. I like that. The beats are creepy. This is what music sounds like when you robo trip and get extremely drunk off Olde English. Best song is "Cream of The Crop(Don Salamanca)."
3. Cannonball Statman:
Shriekoffreak
Self released
You can't fuck with this kid. He puts modern "punk" acts to shame. Very aggressive folk music. This is like acoustic Dead Kennedys. He sounds like he is about to snap and he barks like a dog. I think there is something wrong with him…in the best way possible.
2. Toby Goodshank:
Toby Goodshank
self released
Toby has been around for a while. He's been part of numerous amazing bands. Most notably The Moldy Peaches. I think his role in these bands probably played a significant role in their success because all of his solo material is dope. This record is a great example of the dopeness. "Big Deal" offers up a blunt perspective on life I think everyone needs to hear sometimes. "Baby I Feel Like I Just Got Cut in Half" is a classic pop song with much better lyrics than most classic pop songs. The best thing about this album and all of Toby's albums is that they are interesting. They keep you guessing. I am always excited to hear what will come next.There is also some really hilariously excellent guitar work on this record. ( for all you nerds out there)
1.Miley Cyrus:
Miley Cyrus & Her Dead Petz
Smiley Miley Inc.
Every song on this album is my favorite song. Honesty and raw emotion are most important to me when I'm listening to music and this album is saturated with both. Maybe its an act? I don't really think so but if it is she is a fucking brilliant actor so I don't care. The Flaming Lips are a sick band and they are the perfect compliment to her weirdness. I don't think another band could have done it justice the way they did and I'm not even a huge fan of theirs. I don't own any of their records. In order to love this album you kinda have to believe she means it and I believe she does.Even if you don't believe it or don't care, the beats on this release are fire sauce. "Bang Me Box" is my #1 fav followed by "The Floyd Song(Sunrise) and "Space Boots"…and then "Fweaky" ….. all of them are my favorite. I saw her live at Terminal 5 last week. I've been happy ever since.
ToyGuitar
ToyGuitar is a neat-o band that includes a lot of punk veterans. They released
In This Mess
this year.
2015 has been a great year for us: A new record, a ton of awesome shows all over the world, and LOTS of time on the road to listen to music. So, in no particular order, here are the toyGuitar Top Ten van jams of 2015:
10. Dirty Fences:
Full Tramp
Slovenly Records
We played with these sultans of sleazy listening a while back and have been hooked ever since. Listening to Full Tramp is like a white-knuckle ride through late night traffic in a coke-fueled boogie van with members of The Dictators and Kiss who are inexplicably blasting early '90s garage-punk. Or maybe it's like the best possible outcome of Red Kross covering The Dickies covering Sabbath? We're not quite sure, but whatever it is, put it in your one-hitter and smoke it…
9. Night Birds:
Mutiny at Muscle Beach
Surf's up, you fucking poseurs. Do you like punk that:
a) is in the classic-but-not-formulaic-hardcore vein? b) owes as much to anxiety, fast food, video games, and self-loathing as it does to smashing the state? c) slyly nods to past rippers like Agent Orange and Circle Jerks, but sounds like nothing you've heard before?
Well, you're in luck. Night Birds are d) all of the above - mixed with everything you love about fast, loud, and sweaty punk. These dudes absolutely slay, both on their records and live. If you've been fortunate enough to witness the spectacle that is a Night Birds show, you know what we mean. They've been busting ass, touring, and pretty much crushing non-stop for years and their third full length is the true culmination of stoke.
Sharp as a razor and steady as bullet train. Absolute buzzsaw pop perfection.
Static Shock
Take a rag-tag DIY punk band, raise them on cheap beer and all-ages warehouse shows, but then make them really good, like actual shredders on every instrument, then throw in really cool, genre-defying songs, add some lead vocals that have that perfect blend of raw power and can't-help-but-sing-along hooks, and, finally, sprinkle some Thin Lizzy and BTO on top, and you get Philly's Sheer Mag. They've been all over news this year with features in Rolling Stone, Pitchfork, NPR, Noisey and more, yet they don't even have any social media accounts and do all their own promotion and booking. They've managed to conquer on the strength of two killer 7-inches (one of which actually came out in 2014, but who's counting?) and non-stop touring. Pick up their records and you'll see why they're legit and punk as funk.
6. Royal Headache:
High
What's Your Rupture?
The first record by these Aussies seemed to come out of nowhere in 2011 and blew everyone's minds. This highly anticipated sophomore follow up is no exception and might even surpass their debut in some ways. It has all the soulful, mod-tinged-punk energy of the first record, plus some forays into darker, but just as catchy territory. It's as if they wrote the album in a basement somewhere, partially high, partially buzzed on black coffee, and all the while the The Replacements' Let It Be and Tim played on repeat in the background and subconsciously wormed their way into the songs.
5. Mean Jeans:
Singles
Calling all slimers, slackers, ragers, punx, drunks, sportos, motorheads, geeks, freaks, bloods, wastoids, dickheads, and neo-maxi-zoom-dweebies: Mean Jeans are here and they're ready 2 rip. While this collection of b-sides, singles, and mostly non-album tracks technically qualifies as a 2015 release, the songs here actually stretch from their earliest 7-inch (2008's Stoned to the Bone) to recent splits with URTC and Big Eyes. All of them are great and totally on par with their albums Are You Serious? and On Mars. These cretins recently joined the Fat Wreck family and we couldn't be more stoked. We're possessed to party when we hear these jams and can't wait for their next full length in 2016!
Burger Records
The consensus band favorite across the board. We have had the pleasure of playing with them several times and, aside from being total rulers as people, they straight rip. Everything they've put out comes highly recommended, and Banshee is no exception. It is equal parts pounding punk, droney dark-wave, slithering surf, and raucous rock'n'roll, all wrapped into a six song slab of post-punk perfection. We're eagerly awaiting their second full-length, Peeling Out, which is due in early 2016.
3. Western Addiction:
I'm Not The Man That I Thought I'd Be [7-inch]
Some of the heaviest, angriest hardcore from some of the nicest people on the planet. This is the soundtrack to hangry commutes, skating and/or smoking bowls, and Friday night pre-gaming. Even though they may be one of the less prolific bands on Fat, they are definitely one of the best. We're hoping for another full-length at some point, but we'll take what we can get.
2. Shannon And The Clams:
Gone by the Dawn
Hardly Art
From sugary, sweet, and stompy, to hazy, lazy and downright sad, this album covers the gamut of everything you love about soul, pysch, classic R&B and baroque-y pop. Both Shannon's and Cody's voices are amazing in their own right, then throw in exceptional hooks and musical chops, and the result is full album of ups, downs and all around gold.
It's hard to beat Spike's golden pipes oozing over classic jams from the canon of pop, especially when his voice is complemented by delightful, uke-centric arrangements and janktastic orchestration. A van favorite - "Xanadu" - is conspicuously absent from the album, but maybe we can look forward to a proper recording of it surfacing in 2016?
Honorable Mention:
Multiple tours/hangs with our brothers in arms, Swingin' Utters Darius Koski - Sisu (LP) Fat Wreck 25 - US, Canada & Japan The Flatliners - Live & Resuscitation of the Year (7") Genuine Parts - Demo (Tape) Red Dons - Dead Head of Tradition (LP) Divers - Hello Hello (LP) AwesomeFest 9 in San Diego Ryan Davidson - A Wick Burning High (LP) Barreracudas - Can Do Easy (LP)
Jennie Cotterill
Jennie Cotterill is kick ass and she plays kick ass guitar in the kick ass band Bad Cop/Bad Cop. They released
Not Sorry
this year.
I just got this actually and "Trying" is officially my theme song.
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("Silent Kill" was my theme song til I got that Bully record, PS) Jeff Burke is a GOD and a genius and he must shit dubloons because literally everything he makes is gold. That s/t record was just insane.
Imaginary People is a fuckin' smoker. "Wild Vile Flesh" was in my head for about a month and I still love it.
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Hits me right in the Boys Next Door. I loved New Creases -- Nervosas has pretty much nothing to do with that but Mickey is a shredder and this sound is too cool for school.
An EP but dang "Gain Ground" is a jam and I'm ready for a whole album.
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In this Mess is perfect. A total ripper start to finish. So so stoked on that record.
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Self Released
The G.L.O.S.S. demo is so exciting! Again an EP, but god damn it gives me chills and hope for the future.
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Red Dons:
The Dead Hand of Tradition
Taken By Surprise/Deranged
Fake Meets Failure was so good. Glad to hear new jams from these guys.
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Shannon And The Clams:
Gone by the Dawn
Hardly by Art
This fucking band is unreal and I will buy everything they ever put out as long as I live, so help me god.
Lauren Records
I'm loving the '90s thing and knowing I wasn't the only weird girl dreaming of starting a band. It's like teenage me covering Jawbreaker. (but better)