Amazon judges 2000 Punk/Ska
This is just a perspective... me/Aubin/Punknews do not agree/disagree with any of this, its just interesting to see what "they" think.
These are the punk and ska bands that (at least I noticed) are on Amazon.com's top 100 albums of 2000 (the critic's list, not by sales... which is all crap). Now before the anti-commercial people jump on me, this is not saying anything good about amazon, its just an observation on how the music we report on showed up in their list.
Rancid is #18, the International Noise Conspiracy is #65, and Hepcat is #74. Take the critic's comments and choices with a grain of salt...
#18 Rancid - Rancid (2000) Albums that make Amazon.com's yearly "best of" list are sometimes judged using high-falutin' artsy talk. Rancid has landed on the list because it compelled editors to scribble anarchy symbols in public hallways, buy skateboards, and start punk bands. Twenty-two songs, 39 minutes, and not one wasted second. A pure punk joyride with the throttle wide open. --S. Duda
#65 International Noise Conspiracy - Survival Sickness: The trailblazing American feminist Emma Goldman loved to say, "If I can't dance, I want no part in your revolution." Emma Goldman would love the International Noise Conspiracy. Combining radical anarchist politics and punk-mod-soul sounds, the International Noise Conspiracy's debut, Survival Sickness, reads like a manifesto but moves like a triple-bill featuring the Small Faces, Booker T and the MGs, and Fugazi. The revolution may not be televised, but at least now it has a soundtrack. --S. Duda
#74 Hepcat - Push N Shove: Though Push 'n' Shove emerged from the Hepcat hepsters in the summer of 2000, it sounds like a long-lost ska classic. They nail the old-school sound with dead-eye precision, but still, somehow, it never sounds derivative. The laid back, low-key groove of "Daydreamin'" and "Gimme Little Sign" are a refreshing reminder of ska's original power in days of frenetic ska poseurs. What a treat. --Tod Nelson