Arise! Get off your knees!
Yo yo yo yo yo yo yo yo yoooooooo, Punknews, WHAT IS UP! 2016- whew! What a onslaught. The fact is, people seemed to think that 2016 was generally an objectively bad year. I may or may not agree with that, but no matter what, some pretty crappy things did happen this year. Even from a hyper personal scale, people close to me suffered some real hardships. Meanwhile, to a degree, it does seem like assholes just keep on winning.
What does this mean? Honestly, I don’t have any succinct summation of the current state of the universe… and I would urge you to view with caution anyone that does… That being said, I guess what I will say is that we should never give up the fight, even if it is in vain. A lot of my very favorite musicians and artists fought like hell to the very end, never really earning any major fame or cash or anything else. At the end of the day, at least you can say, “I did my best.â€
And as for Punknews, I certainly tried to do my best. Real life kept me busier than ever this year, and more so than ever before, I was mired in back-end Punknews stuff that took a lot time which I would have preferred to use on stuff like features, interviews, and reviews.
Though, I did get to do some cool stuff this year. Harley Flanagan told me about his headspace. The fantastic Captain Sensible gave me the deets on his 40 years of smashing it up. The ALWAYS stellar Keith Morris told me how great James Brown is. Jack Terricloth gave me some insight into the history of Sticks and Stones. Plus, I’m really proud of the X-mas podcast special. Plus, Mixtape #2 is STILL on its way. I know it is taking forever, but hurdles come up in life all the time and you just have to keep jumping.
The fact is, I did not complete all the things that I wanted to complete at Punknews this year. But, with a few long term projects about to wrap up, this year I will try to get more feature length stuff written and do some more wackier hijinks. We’ve already got TWO cool projects in the works, so stay tuned Punknewsers. Here are my favorite jams of the year.
TOP 20 ALBUMS OF THE YEAR (NON-MELVINS DIVISION)
Modern Pop
After four long years of work, Johnny Madcap releases his debut LP and it is worth the wait. Johnny takes the power-pop of Nick Lowe, the love of songcraft from Elvis Costello, and the sweet-nihilism of Buzzcocks and releases a unabashed rock record. This record does rock, but that’s not all it does, though, when it rocks, it really, really rocks. Rock on.
Milo comes back from the workplace and the original pop-punkers demonstrate why they are as heralded as they are. You can make the argument that later day Descendents records are uneven, which is why Hypercaffium Spazzinate is so effective. The band takes the best points from their career and stitches them into a single, wild, but thoughtful, record. Despite their earlier declaration, the Descendents DID grow up, but, as it turns out, we head nothing to worry about. The Descendents are still the Descendents, be it ’82 or ’16.
Decca
Look, this record didn’t need to exist. No one was asking for it. No one had even considered it. But, that just goes to show why this record was conceived in the best possible incubator: the true joy of creativity. Pink Floyd’s classic album reimagined as an orchestral piece shows just how orchestral Pink Floyd really is and just how how these songs lend themselves to flickering timbre of woodwinds and strings. Add Alice Copper and Rick Wakeman onto a few tracks and you get a gloriously unnecessary, but gloriously wonderful release that does everyone involved justice.
Vapor / Warner Brothers
You asked for it, they did it: Tegan and Sara went one hundred percent pop. But, whereas everyone expected a Madonna-inspired dance soundtrack ala Gwen Stefani’s first solo album, instead, Tegan and Sara looked to the gloomier side of the 80s and crafted a release more akin to Modern English than Ms. Ciccone. It’s sad and earnest and, really, it’s one of the rare records where indie-stalwarts go mainstream and hold onto their former values and core identity.
Loma Vista Recordings
What we had all feared for decades finally happened: Iggy acknowledged that one day, he will get old. So, on Post-Pop Depression, a release touted as the Iguana’s final full length, we get what we thought we’d never hear- a mature Iggy. But, as he winds through these detached, robotic numbers, often paying homage to those first two Ig-Bowie LPs, a relevation is born. Iggy isn’t really “mature†and the frantic, crazed-eye Raw Power fiend wasn’t juvenile. These to things are different representations of the same primal understanding of the universe. So few artists have tapped this force as purely as Iggy has and if Post-Pop Depression really is his final statement, then he’s pretty much summed up his thesis perfectly.
Dog Party are kicking out an album a year and each one is better than the last. Til You’re Mine is their snappiest, most energetic, most rocking release to date AND they cover Bikini Kill. Here is a true punk band doing what true punk bands do: maintain a unique identity, make interesting conceptual statements, and kick out the frikkin jams.
Dick Lucas and the boys suddenly appear and release the first Culture Shock record in 27 years! And not only that, it' one hell of a ripper, with the band skipping through anarcho-punk smashing, ska jumping, and reggae grooving like they’re one in the same. One often wonders why reggae and punk fit together so well. Well, for one, it' because they were birthed in similar backgrounds. But, on a more scientific scale, its because Dick Lucas saw the connection and made them work in tandem, and one 40 years later, we are all still enjoying the benefits of his design.
13. Funeral Cone: Turn Me On Dead Man
Breadkfast
What other hardcore band pays homage to the Beatles, smashes along like the Stooges, and has a spooky haunted-house keyboard? Funeral Cone is smart, aggressive, weird, and best of all, unpredictable. There are riddles within riddles in this release and puzzles to be solved... for example, even though the B-side is just the A-side in reverse, there are minute differences. are you mad enough to find them? Will you go mad searching for them? Frankly, there are worse ways to lose one's mind than listening to a fresh, kicking, weirdo punk band. Get my straight jacket, baby!
12. NOFX: First Ditch Effort
Although they have been around for thirty-three(!) years, NoFX have always sounded like a contemporary band. Maybe it' because they don’t bullshit in their lyrics (one never feels as though NoFX is posturing) and they love to give waaaay TMI. First Ditch Effort is literally the first NoFX album I’ve actually listened to all the way through and boy did I jump on the train at just the right time. This is a record that salutes new school, old school, hardcore, and pop punk- and it all feels so organic, likely, because the band has had a hand in all of those genres. If there is to be a link between underground punk and mainstream, then let it be this band that excels in both arenas.
Slovenly
As Picasso once said, “Bad artists imitate, the great artists steal.†And, you know what, P and the P’s are the modern Picassos of punk rock. They are not Stooges and Ramones inspired- they literally rip off the Stooges and the Ramones. And, in this theft, the band takes these foundational works, cuts them up, uses them as their own without any shame, and in doing so, preserve that rare force heard in the original compositions that so many bands try to utilize, and fail miserably horribly. If theft results in a net positive for society, is it still a bad thing?
10. Katy Goodman / Greta Morgan: Take It, It's Yours
Who are you, Katy Goodman, and who are you, Greta Morgan to DARE to touch the great compositions of his Holy Majesty Iggy Pop, of the Dark Lord Glenn Danzig, of the Noble Princely Rocker Billy Idol, WHO, I ask you?! I’ll tell you who you are, you are two amazing musicians with skill immaculate. So many artists would have whiffed when recording the classic punk jewels in a singer-songwriter context. But Goodman and Morgan, with their steely resolve, pulled the beauty out of these sometimes ugly numbers and made new creations from things that we all had thought were tapped out. I wonder if it is ironic or fitting that two of the most interesting modern punkers rise above to greatness via a collection of forty year old songs?
Burger Records
After almost over twenty-five years in the vault, Blag and the Boys finally release their “glam rock†spin off band for the first time ever. But, with their Dwarves pedigree, Penetration Moon’s definition of “glam rock†is closer to scummy, LA and drug addled, NYC punk rock, and really, thank goodness for that. This album is a raw, savage appreciation of the rock in punk rock without any pretense or artifice. This is nasty music played by nasty guys.
8. Plow United: Three
Local Philly Boys Make Good! Sure, sure, making a banging comeback album is one thing⦠but who can make a banging album after the banging comeback album? Well, let me tell you, Plow United banged it out with Three. Man, this band is so good: 90 second bangers that are frantic, wiry, heartfelt, and intelligent. Lots of guys can do the 90 second slammer, and lots of guys can do the deep-thought heartwrencher, but only Plow United can do both of those things at the same time!. Plus, the whole album is basically one giant Rush homage but none of them will admit to it!
Katy Goodman teamed up with her husband Todd Wisenbaker and then those two Smiths-maniacs went straight to Smiths town. Music to Listen to Music To wears its influences on its sleeve, and in doing so, becomes something its own. That wonderfully drifting Mozman croon is here, as channeled through NJ-punk-kid-pipes, and those hazy Johnny Marr guitar lines are here, as played by an LA-slash-country music gunslinger, but, in this mix, we see Katy Goodman as THE Katy Goodman, and not as someone reaching for any station. Katy Goodman is here and she is singular. Every La Sera record is different than the last, and boy, is this band growing. Their next phase could be anywhere and everywhere and I am thrilled.
Polydor
How fitting is that in this great Ouroboros, one of the first two giant rock groups closes their career playing the very music that gave them their start? But, when the Stones first started fifty four years ago they were fire starters looking to tear up the contemporary pop scene with the wildest, down and dirty music they knew and to forge a new path for rock music itself. Now, as they proceed to their final bow, they take that same material and use it as a way to appreciate from whence they came, tipping their hats to those that lit the fire in the beginning. Oh, also, no one howls like Mick. No one bends those chords like Keith. No one.
5. VCR: R.I.P. Sportsboy
Barfbag REcords
It’s the great irony of punk that most (not all) of the greatest punk bands ignite, burn like a supernova, and then flame out within the span of a single album. With their their art-damaged synth punk, VCR were born collapsing in a ball of nuclear fire. Between their songs about pantsing the prime minister, BDSM, and getting abducted by aliens, VCR were just too much for this reality to to take. So, they came, the spanked themselves, and exploded in wonderfully manic mess of fire, dog collars, and MAD Magazine style humor. They are gone, but will never be forgotten.
Tankcrimes / Pirate's Press
For a punk rocker like myself that cherishes the genre’s original ethos, Kicker is just perfect. Four punk veterans coming together to make a straight up unabashed PUNK record. Yet, where this could have a been retro-ripoff, or could have been a repetitive masquerade, instead, the talent and sheer charisma of these four comes together and forges an amazing, insightful, rocking, funny record. This is punk rock at its most excellent, even though most of the songs are about guys drinking too much, eating too much, and not having enough cash to pay for bus fare.
MVD
In 1986, an immaculate hardcore album called Age of Quarrel appeared, seemingly plucked out of an ether of rage, mysticism, and street life. Yet, for decades, the various creators of that wondrous slab have chased those great heights, sometimes together, sometimes apart. Yet, for each grasp they made for those heights, they seemed to get pulled back by poor production, squabbles, or lack of conviction. That is to say, the “magic†seemed to be extinguished. But, assuming the world does operate in “Ages,†it’s fitting that exactly 30 years later, Harley Flanagan comes out of retirement and rips out his best solo album ever, and unquestionably, the best Cro-Mags related release since that vaunted AOQ. The magic is back. In just twenty minutes, Harley slams out 12 songs that rip like a harley and smash like a wrecking ball. This man is a man bearing his soul and his soul is pissed off!
2. David Bowie: Blackstar
Leave it to Bowie to make art out of his very death. There is no more intense statement than that. And yet, even though this record is Bowie’s literal death knell, it sounds like a man reborn, recharged, and reinvigorated. Using jazz and avant grade set pieces, Bowie created a dark trip-- an ambient album unlike any LP that he made previously. Yet, despite at how different this release is, the whole thing is quintessential Bowie. Fly on, Starman, Ziggy, Duke, and David. Your waves are legion.
self-released
If you read my list from last year, I ended by praying to Ari Up and asking her to send forth a burning light that would burn away mediocracy and leave only a blazing, resplendent, immutable, excellence. Well, Ari must have listened to my pleas and in her benediction, she sent forth four Seraphim: one, a pint sized hellion that whipped people with chains and howled like a banshee; one, a keyboard mangler with hair of pure fire; one, an immovable construct of stone that with the flick of her fingers caused the very floor to shake; one, a jackhammer in humanoid form that smashed downward with unrepentant destruction. And when their siren call cut through my ears and into my brain, it was so sublime that my every atom of my body did shatter into their component parts, roll across the floor, and then, after re-polarzing themselves, reassembled once again into my present state- greatly changed, greatly moved, more intelligent, stronger, and more AWARE. Bad Canoes have already ascended back to that astral dimension from whence they came, but in their wake, they did leave this MASTERPIECE of a record. As their witness, I shall continue their crusade upon the early plains for ever more. Having witnessed their immaculence, I shall never be the same.
TOP 10 SINGLES/EPS OF THE YEAR (Non-Melvs)
10. Green Meteor:Acute Emerald Elevation
self released
Stoner metal meets space-rock. Think if Hawkwind did weed instead of acid… a lot of weed… and also, a good amount of acid. This band is just getting started and their opening salvo suggests that this band can take this sound to the very edge of the universe and beyond. The final frontier is in your mind, maaaaaaan. My Riker-like flippancy aside, this band is really cool.
Murder City
Sheer sonic punk destruction. The successor band to VCR, Prom Nite shows that band’s love of chaos with just a bit more respect for traditional song structure. Though, this band isn’ traditional… they sound like a guitar being hurled into a thresher while someone rants like Silence of the Lamb’sMiggs over the cacophony. But unlike Miggs’ “product,†I want this product in my ears constantly.
Jonny Cat
Angry political punk with a front woman that shouts and screams and spits and flips between singing and just ranting about Yoko Ono. This is punk that is pissed off but still retains a sense of humor. This is a band that can laugh at the absurdity of 2016 and then take that twisted take, unable it, and say something profound… even if they are using Yoko Ono as a metaphor for genitals. (You have to hear it to get it}
Some people might call Men at Work a guilty pleasure. I do not. I simply call those first two MAW albums a pleasure. So, when one of my favorite punk bands covered one of my favorite new wave bands, the result was magical. Both bands sway between dread and farce and fittingly, this cover, while silly, seemed just a s reverent as it was raucous. Those bands that cannot be easily categorized are usually the best.
Throughout their career, Integrity have reveled and wallowed int he obscure. There are secret codes stacked on top of mysticism placed over top obscure references covered by double meanings. So, it’s fitting for their first cover in a number of years, frontman Dwid Hellion chooses to cover an super obscure spin-off band by a pretty obscure Japanese band. Of course, Integrity darkens up the already dark affair resulting in the rebirth of long dead tune. With a new album on the horizon, Integrity seems to be fueling itself by picking the bones of the long deceased. Fitting.
BuyBack Records/Anxious And Angry
Creativity just flows from Ezra Kire like a faucet. The dude has released three kick ass records in six years and not a single drop of it is less than stellar. Being an EP, Post War Psalms lets Kire get a little riskier, and it pays off. Kire could be playing classical, Hip Hop, or country, and it would be amazing. Let us thank our lucky stars he chose punk as the manifestation of his otherworldly skills.
Self Released
Few bands are able to take dark, biting humor and wrap it up in a bouncy, stiff style power pop. Joel Tannenbaum aka The Rentiers is a master of the craft. “Don’t Go to College†is a damning, Dylan-esque survey of some twit where Tannenbaum basically tells someone to not even bother trying… and it’s all set to a soundtrack that could fit on Innocent Man. Oh, Joel!
The mighty Oderus Urungus’ final message is a reinterpretation of Billy Ocean “Get out of my dreams and into my car.†Except, where Billy Ocean would chirp away in a toothless squeal, Oderus roars, “JUST GET IN THE FUCKING CAR!†Such is the power of this fallen space-barbarian that he could flip a songs entire meaning and message with a mere change in inflection. This universe shall never see the likes of Oderus again and sadly, this final recording only underscores this point. Hail Oderus.
Black Noise
Brad Logan and Eva Hall are a good damn dynamite team. Logan’s Moorhead-meets-Discharge guitar, Hall’s enraged Penelope Houston vocals, and of course, Logan’s contrasting bark. Oh that bark. This band is getting heavier, faster, and nastier. They’ve been keeping it cool on EPs. Once they spread out on an entire release, I am expecting a hardcore record for the ages.
self released
Posers roared back with their second EP and it’s very much an evolution from the first. The band still pays homage to the pure power of those classic ‘7 punk singles, but they’re getting a little wilder and their songs are getting a little stranger. They’ve hit that perfect sweet spot between raw power, song craft, weirdness. Put out an album, already.
TOP 5 MELVINS RELEASES OF THE YEAR (Melvins Division)
Amazon
The thing with “Carol of the Bells†is that it’s kind of spooky already. So, when the Melvins set their iconic gregorian chant and Glen Buxton guitars to it, the song becomes a thing of Holy terror. Trans-Siberian Orchestra, get out of here, you have been shown for the frauds that you are. The Melvins are the guys that truly understand the dark design under this ominous ode.
4. Melvins with Haze XXL: Hang Up [digital single]
Amphetamine Reptile
The Melvs team up with pal Haze XXL and cover the Wailers! (No, not those Wailers). The result is a Munsters-style garage rock number that retains all of the out-of-focus menace of the original while it slowly unravels, getting wilder and more unpredictable with each roll of the riff. Of course, unpredictability is what the Melvins do, so its kind of their specialty at this point.
3. Melvins: Three Men and a Baby
The long lost Melvins & Mike album resurfaces after nearly twenty years! And, it is every bit as experimental and spastic as the ingredients would lead you to believe. This is 40 minutes of heavy, spazzy, amorphous rock and roll. If the band could misplace a classic like this, what else is sitting around their HQ? Send a search party over there quick!
Amphetamine Reptile
Melvins! and Teri! and Omar! The killer cut of “Rebel Girl†from last year was just a taste of this pure awesomeness. It take a strong hand to hold one’s own against the titanic power of Buzz and Dale, but Teri has got the goods and goes round for round with these heavy weights. So rarely do super groups live up to their expectations. Crystal Fairy may very well surpass them.
1. Melvins: Basses Loaded
In a year in which the Melvins released MULTIPLE FULL LENGTHS, even the battle for their top LP was fierce. But, for me, Basses Loaded is a classic Melvs-slab. (I also like their unexpected releases, too). But here, the Melvins take classic rock rumble, jack it up with their titanium tank thunder, and blast full throttle forward. By pairing up with SIX, count ‘em, SIX bassists, the band shows how artfully they deploy their troops as well as their MULTIPLE styles of attack: Metal blitzfrieg? Check. Hawkwindian acid drone? Check. Beatles cover? Check. Song about a baby drowning in doo-doo? CHECK. Infanticide never sounded so artful.
Rise into the light / And set a flame to the night
Already, 2017 is looking to have some awesome releases. The Melvins and Teri Suarez will be releasing the Crystal Fairy album, Fucked Up will release Year of the Snake, a new Damned album, hopefully some new material from OFF!, maybe something from the Dwarves, maybe some Rentiers jams, maybe some Crazy and the Brains tuneage, an EP from Green Meteor, possibly a new GWAR LP, perhaps a Posers LP (it’s time, yo), maybe some more Amebix archival releases, maybe some more Stones reissues and live recordings, a new Tau cross album, a new Integrity album (and first all new material LP since 2010!), maybe an Alice Cooper release, and a ton of other stuff. ALSO, HEY GLENN, WHERE'S THE MISFITS TOUR ANNOUNCEMENT?! WHERE IS IT, DUDE?!!!!!2016 did it have more than its share of loss. The one most affecting me was the loss of Erik Petersen of Mischief Brew. Mischief Brew was the first band I ever interviewed and I was blessed to be able to continue that relationship, interviewing the band 10 times or so, over the years. There’s that cliche that the brightest candle flickers out the quickest, and maybe its true. Erik truly was next level in terms of songwriting a performance. Just listen to lyrics like, “Property is theft until the thieves are away/ if we did this in a month, we’d be arrested and detained, for dragging’ all our brains beyond the barb-wire chain†abutted against the band’s sometimes-rolling, sometimes-charging, sometimes lallygagging rhythm. Mischief Brew was a truly special, unequaled band. And more importantly, Erik was a truly decent, kind, intelligent, sensitive person. If only we could all have 1/4 of his perception and conscious. Erik may have left us after 30 some years, but he has left his mark on myself and this world, for time eternal. Erik, you will never be forgotten.
I know at this point, at lot of people are like “2016 was terrible! I hate the world!†And, it did seem that 2016 sucked in many, many, many ways. But, my brothers and sisters, now is not the time to wallow in discouragement and defeat. People like you are needed now more than ever. Arise, all you punkers, get off your knees! Now is the time to strike! Now is the time to get charged up! Now is the time to make great art! Now is the time to make a difference!
Keep Erik Petersen and people like him in your heart all the year round, for the rest of your lives, get fired up, get heated, get charged, envision the goal in your mind, grit your teeth 2017, I want a piece of you! If I have have to tear some goodness out of you with my teeth, I’ll do it. PUNKNEWS, LET’S GOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!