American Rebel Songs (2024-2025)
I mean, overall, I can’t complain. At Punknews, I got to do some cool interviews. Buzz of Melvins talked about the band’s 40th year anniversary. Cheetah Chrome of Dead Boys ranted about AI. I did a short profile on Mean Jeans. I also got to design some cool Dwarves special edition album jackets and I got to throw Ramonesmania wherein DanJoMar, the band fronted by Joe of Dead Milkmen, did an ASTOUDINGLY GREAT all Ramones set. It was a once-in-a-lifetime kind of thing and was an absolute dream.Oh, also, Punknews almost got sued by a band from the ‘90s….
Well, here are the objectively best records of 2024!
Top 20 albums of 2024 (Non-Melvins Division)
20: Vempire - Your Steps
Self-released
Vempire combines synth-pop with goth and a little bit of industrial. It's spooky and dancey. So, if you're feeling sad but want to get funky, here is your soundtrack. Also, don't bother talking to me if you're a person that doesn't like to get funky.
19: Judas Priest - Invincible Shield
B2B
The Priest is Back! Yet Again! This band has had highs and lows, but Shield is definitely a laterday high point. the band cherry picks their best angles since the early '80s and cuts a fast, snappy record of metal in the stlye that only priest can do!
18: The Pist - Is Risen
Ryvvolte
It's been almost 30 years since the Pist last released a studio LP and three decades later, they come out blasting. The band slams hard all while talking politics, examining socio-politics, and name checking people they like- check out the swinging "Jim Martin." There is also a song about when your pet ties. Who expected a tearjerker from these hard cracking punkers?!
16 (Tie): Turkey - The Queen’s Diary
Fear of War
Fletcher from the Garden releases a surprise full on avant-synth album. It zaps. How are the Garden brothers so excellent AND so prolific?
16 (Tie): Romeos - Romeos
Big Love
Wyatt from the Garden releases a surprise full on punk album. It smashes. How are the Garden brothers so prolific AND so excellent?
15: The Brood - for the Dark
Armageddon
After something like 13 years as a band, The Brood FINALLY release an LP. It rips. It's fast. It's hard. It's political. It's got a lil' bit o' that ol' witchiness. There is also a song called "destroy fuckers." What else do you need to know.
14: Me First and the Gimme Gimmes - Blow it at Madison’s Quinceanera
Fat Wreck Chords
Only Me First and the Gimme Gimmes could make Captain and Tennille and Abba assaultive. By taking over a little girl's birthday party, baiting the audience, and turning it into their own party, Me First cut an LP that makes an interesting argument- the last area of dangerous punk isn't in noise or grindcore or sheer offense- it's it dusty, am radio rock.
13: Fucked Up - Some Day
Self-released
Fucked Up released no fewer than FOUR studio LPs in their "day" series. The last one, Someday is the broadest and most cohesive. Wiring together the band's many facets into a compact 40 minute release, the band shows how their entire universe can be compacted into a singularity... in a single day. The band has announced that they are going dark for a while, so this is a great sonic boom sendoff..
12: Mean Jeans - Blasted
Self-released
The MJ boys are back with another pack of super snappy pop punk rippers. Blasted finds the Mean Jeans doing what they do at the highest form they can do. As is with most of their music, there is an ocean of creativity and nuance contemplation under the so-called "dumb bashing." For instance, the lead track is "I don't give a shit anymore," but you don't make an album like this unless you give lots and lots... of shits... as it were.
11: A Flock of Seagulls - Some Dreams
August Day
Flock of seagulls may be forever symbolic of the '80s, but unlike most of their peers, the band has emerged from their trappings and stand as an incredible band in any decade. On Some dreams Mike Score and crew show how their spacey synth-pop is timeless, but also, despite all the robo-sounds, the songs are built around PERFECT songcraft. This band is TIMELESS.
10:Dog Party - Dangerous
Sneak Dog
The Dog Party crew kicks it out snappy riffs and catchy tunes and they tinge it with a sense of Sun records styler melody... and maybe some Gilman pop punk, too. Anyways, Dangerous is a fitting title because while the album sounds super sweet, there is a serrated edge down there waiting to slash. Go and actually reads the lyrics to "do it all the time." This band is not only solidifying just who they are, but they are expanding into new galaxies.
9: The Cure - Songs of a Lost World
Polydor
Oh my God this album is so depressing, making so very Cure-ish. Sure, Robert Smith and crew might be rebuilding old versions of their '80s highpoints, but damn, this album is so cohesive and so good... and so sad. You might wonder how a millionaire can still find things to be bummed out about, but he seems genuine. This dude is SAD.
8: Schoolly-D - Cuz That Ni**a's Crazy! That’s Why!
Ruffnation
This album has come out in drips and drabs over the past few years but the "full version" came out this year so it counts as a '24 release... and it BOOMS and BAPS. Schoolly makes no bones about being from the old school and drops a slightly modern sheen over his '80s beats and turns in a hard hitting, invigorating HIP HOP album. The only thing crazy about Schoolly is how crazy good he still is. .
7: Redd Kross - Redd Kross
In the Redd
The culmination of the Redd Kross dream, the band's self-titled LP (issued fittingly on redd vinyl on In the Redd Records)finds the band stepping forward and achieving what they have been promising ever since Born Innocent. Fitting that the LP ends with a song of the same name, though this record isn't so much the completion of a circle as it is the completion of a journey... though it looks like the journey is still moving forward...
6: Mykal Rose / Subatomic Sound System / Hollie Cook - Rockin Like a Champion
Dub Shot
Michael Rose is, without question, one of the greatest voices in reggae, ever. So, why, after leaving Black Uhuru, has he had such difficulty cutting a solid album? Sure, he has had KILLER singles, but a bulletproof full length player has eluded him... until now. The mighty Subatomic SoundSystem (who deserves much respect for rescuing Lee Perry) has given Rose the backing tunes he so much deserves. The pair are clearly vibing off each other and they cut Rose's not only best solo Lp to date, but his most daring and adventurous. Oh... and then Hollie Cook comes in and makes an amazing LP even more amazing. This is all eras of reggae locking together and the result is something magical.
5: Bunuel - Mansuetude
Skingraft
Alas, Oxbow is no more, but Eugene lives! Bunuel is heavy, avant-garde, and mean- all the things Eugene does best. The band's fourth album sometimes feels like a metal band in combat with itself and sometimes it sounds like the Velvet Underground. It's daring... but all Eugene releases are... but it rocks and sometimes it just demolishes. This is punk/metal/rock for both the educated man and the primal one... maybe that's the same guy?
>4: Cassie Ramone - Sweetheart
CD-R Records
Finally, finally, finally! A full on, full band, full swing album from Cassie Ramone. It is as glorious as I knew it was going to be. Cassie looks at her past, present, and future and then launches that into a weird outer space, propelled by girl group melody, ganrly-as-hell-guitars, and maybe a little goth ether. This album is as massive as it is personal. Let's hope the next LP orbits to us much quicker than it took the time for this one to make it to earth!
3: Marissa Paternoster - Paternoster Listener Alliance
CD-R Records
Following the end of Screaming Females, Marissa Paternoster went on a mad-collab tear! This release finds Paternoster trying out new styles that are still distinctly Paternosterian. The result is a sprawling release that makes a clear statement: sadly, Screamales is done, but there is a new universe being born
2: The Dwarves - Keep It Reel
Greedy
A companion to the masterpiece Dwarves Concept Album, Keep It Reel builds off that release with some remixes, some cool covers, and some brand new tracks- including "I had a dream," a soul shaking tune that tells you more about Blag Dahlia than any debauched third-hand account could. Between their tales of sex, drugs, and violence, the Dwarves have always kept it real, and as usual, this LP is reel-y, reel-y great.
1: Danbert Nobacon - Kochtopus’s Garden
Verbal Burlesque
I thought Danbert's last album was the one where he really swung for the fences... well, that one was just a warm up. His new LP is TWO massive discs that tell the story of two robots on the run in post-capitalist America which is run by a giant corporation... uh... maybe that hits a little too close to home? Across the massive span, Danbert shows just why he is a main anarcho-punk legend. There's some folk stuff, there's some musical stuff, there's some punk stuff, and there's even an extremely tasty reggae number about how if we all band together, tearing down d-bags like Elon and Trump actually isn't that hard... we just have to do it. Hey, that classic Chumbawamba biting, but funny and mischievous flame burns throughout. Despite the dire state of the nation and the negative topics detailed herein, the release is positive and is exactly what we need in these times.
Top 10 EPs of 2024 (Non-Melvins Division)
10: X Cops - XCAB
Pit Records
The GWAR spinoff band returns after some 30 years away. It's still hilarious and it still rocks. There's a bit of a late 80s Judas Priest vibe this time around and I am here for it!
9: Civil Rats - Don’t Get It
Dummest Records
Civil rats continue their hot streak with another snappy EP. This one finds the band doubling down on their inspirations "I wanna go down into the basement"; "Now I wanna take a nap" and totally blowing out the speakers with very noisy rockage. The band juggles a early CBGBs vibe with full on Ramones attack and in doing so, kick out a fully formed, kind of funny EP that suggests an killer LP is right around the corner.
8: Joe Jack Talcum / Chris Oliver - Gender Blender
Dummest Records
JJT and Chris Oliver cut an interesting record- Joe records tow tracks and then hands them over to Chris who remixes them, chops em up, and adds in new stuff. It's a daring release that has both literal and metaphysical implications. This stuff is deep... and a lot of fun..
7: Blank Chrome - Protest Selfie
Self-released
BC have a soaring, spacey punk attack. "Protest Selfie" sounds huge and important and the band sounds like they are from mars. There's a Lou Reed style biting critique in the song. It's brutish and intelligent- which is exactly what we need to defend ourselves in 2025....
6: Hasty - Hasty
Self-released
Three pop punk heroes cut a pop punk supergroup EP. It's fast, it's funny ("this rent is too damn high"), it's brash, it's catchy, and it is pop punk excelling at pop-punks highest level. .
5: Circle Jerks / Descendents - Split
Trust
Covers EPs are usually throw away releases. But here, the Cjs cover the Descendents on two tracks (with one held in the vault, sadly) and Descendents cover three CJ tunes, and it feels like a culmination, a full rotation, and a victory. Finally, these two bands, which have launched tens of thousands of other bands, are getting their due in sales, respect, and audience. This EP seals the win. How fitting that two of the most ground breaking bands in West Coast punk toast each other, and in doing so, grant a boon to all of us..
4: Crazy and the Brains - Past Futurism
Self-Released
CatB continue to evolve. A new wave bounce now propels the band and there's a saxophone sometime too. The band continues to be one of the most interesting groups in punk and they are as hard to pin down as ever except to say that, they are more THEM than they have ever been. .
2 (Tie): NOUN - Wanted
Self-released
.Screaming Females is Dead... and NOUN is reborn. Marissa calls up Phil Price from Kayo Dot and the duo make Patti Smith Meets Black Sabbath type music. These tunes are HEAVY and SCARY and THRASH and BASH and this is the kind of darkness I want to hear. .
2 (Tie): 34 Trolley - Relaxation
Feel the Four
Jarrett calls up some friends, some old, some new, and cuts an AMAZING Ep of post-punk dance jams. It's fresh, it's funky, and it is soaked in paranoia and skepticism. Now, THAT's how I like to get down..
1: Zorn - Endless Funeral
Sorry state
In contrast to the sprawling Zorn, the Endless funeral EP is five quick strikes. The band is leaning more towards their metal side here, but there is a certain Earth A.D. psych-charge. Zorn has continued to grow, ep by ep, eventually culminating with a stellar album. The new EP finds them refining that even further and perfecting their initial vision. Surely, their next album is going to be a quantum leap. Zorn, now some ten years in... and ten years in sin... is more exciting than ever..
Top 5 Melvins releases of 2024 (Melvins Division)
5: Dumb Numbers - In Heaven
Joyful Noise
Far out space sounds while Dale smashes them drums in the back! Have you ever wanted to go on that journey seen at the end of 2011 a space odyssey? Here you go!
4: King Dunn - Sidewalk Begging
Self-released
Buzz and Trevor Dunn cover the Dicks in a creepy, acoustic style. The original was a sort of proto grunge/noise rock smasher. Buzz and Trev turn that on its head into a sinister slither.
3: Melvins / Boris - Twins of Evil
Amphetamine Reptile
The Melvs take the centerpiece from their new album and slightly rework it into a... um... "single" mix... a 19 minute single. It's massive and a lot of fun to find the differences between the LP version and this slightly stranger cut.
2: Dale Crover - Glossolalia
Joyful Noise
Dale talks to angels on his new solo lp... and they talk back... through the tongue of Tom Waits. Dale teams up with a few friends and cuts one of his most poppy albums, dare I say. It's compact, tightly written, and every so often, that sense of Dale wickedness leaks through. Dale does decimating damage destroying dense drum drops. There's a tongue twister for ya.
1: The Melvins - Tarantula Heart
Ipecac
The Melvins have many hallmark releases and maaaaan, this is one of them. The quirk here is that the band had Dale and Roy of Nausea lay down some drums while the band jammed. Then, they deleted everything but the drums and laid down all new instrumentation. The high point here is the side long "pain equals funny," which is just how I like my Melvins- acerbic and mean. The band is leaning more towards their experimental side again and in doing so, somehow become even more Melvin-y than they were before. How is this band still soooooooooooooo good?
Never mind the ballots…
Well, while I wasn’t as in touch with music as I would have liked to have been in 2024, there already is some cool stuff on the horizon. Melvins have ALREADY announced a new album is completed… with the four piece version of the band! Surely, the Dwarves must have something in the works. I’m hoping we get that new, rumored Circle Jerks album. Surfbort says they have been working on new stuff… Integrity has a split covers EP coming out, but I keep waiting for the follow up to the tremendous Howling, for the nightmare shall consume! I’m hoping the Rudimentary Peni reissues keep trucking along. Oh, and I can’t wait to see what NOUN does next. Hopefully KRs-One releases a new LP… it’s been about wo years since the last one and for KRS that is like a decade. Will Pinksoap release a record this year???I’m very much looking forward to Punk Rock Bowling- especially for FLAG and Surfbort. I’m ultra psyched to see the Damned with Rat Scabies. I hope to see Michael Rose with Subatomic Sound System. I’m always up for Yellowman and KRS. At this point, I’m really not sure of there will be a Summer Soiree 8. SS7 wil be hard to top and frankly, I’m sort of focusing on different things right now, but we will see.I have no words of wisdom… except, we’ve got a challenging four year ahead. A lot of punks like to tear each other down to make themselves seem “the most punk,” or maybe it’s lout of some sport of envy or desire to control others. That’s stupid and it’s self-defeating.. We need to band together now more than ever. Get out there and create your own thing! Be a doer! I know I will. So, as I always say, 2025, Hey! Ho! Let’s Goooooooooooooooooo!!!!