Staff Pick

Best of 2005

Item: Sickboi's picks
Rating: 10
Author: Chris Moran

Sickboi's picks (2005)

staff picks

Reviewer Chris Moran
December 31st 2005

Reviewer Rating

Chris "Sickboi" Moran is a video journalist and reviewer here at Punknews.org -ed

"The ironing is deliciousâ¦"

2005 was truly a year that liked to mess with my emotions. Here, have a Kid Dynamite reunion, but now you're losing Hot Water Music. Lifetime reunites for Hellfest, which I refuse to attend, then Hellfest gets cancelled, and I get to see them 2 nights in a row. Jeebus works in mysterious ways.

And hardcore coming back? Yes! 7 Seconds, Kill Your Idols, Bane and many other "real" hardcore bands came back to show the screaming babies and chug-chug steakheads what intense music is really about.

But wait, there's more. Green Day! Green Day! Green Day! I love these guys as much as the next mid-20's punkrawker, but I please Billie Joe, go away for a little while. The Matt Skiba look doesn't even look good on Matt Skiba.

Speaking of fashionâ¦..ugh. That about sums up fashioncore and dancepunk. While everyone and their white belt was losing a load to Bloc Party, Franz Ferdinand and DFA 1979, I was losing my lunch. I mean, yes, our scene can be fun. But this shit is just goofy. Look at your parents' photo albums from when they were teens, and wonder what they think now. Style over substanceâ¦..sigh.

So what else? Video of the Week launched this year. Not to pull my own chord, but I think it was pretty rad we could pull this off. Thanks to the many labels and artists that either agreed to let me film, and/or agreed to allow us to show your stuff on PN.

Top 20 of the 0 to tha fizzle

20. Shook Ones â Sixteen

Endwell

Anything that is influenced as heavily by Kid Dynamite is good enough. These guys actually add to it.

19. With Honor â This is Our Revenge

Victory

I was a little late getting on the bus with these guys but am glad I did. Great melodic hardcore.

18. Stretch Arm Strong â Free At Last

East/West

Definitely a grower on me. Hated it at first, but slowly found myself listening to it everyday.

17. Bane â The Note

Equal Vision

Yes, for the millionth time, its no "Give Blood", but honestly, what is? Regardless, this is still about 99% better than all of the other hardcore out there.

16. The Unseen â State of Discontent

Hellcat

Call this my "guilty pleasure".

15. Kill Your Idols â From Companionship to Competition

Side One Dummy

Just when you think hardcore is a dying bread, leave to some veterans to show you how it's done.

14. Propagandhi - Potemkin City Limits

G7 Welcoming Committee / Fat Wreck

Intelligent, aggressive and thought-provoking.

13. Western Addiction â Cognicide

Fat Wreck

I don't know what to label these guys, so I won't. No frills punk rock.

12. Street Dogs â Back to the World

Brass Tacks

Mike McColgan has finally separated himself from his DKM fame. This sophomore effort walks the thin line between street punk and straight rock n' roll. And does it well.

11. The Aquabats â Charge!!

Nitro

I don't think I've had this much fun with a record in a longtime.

10. Darkest Hour â Undoing Ruin

Victory

I don't listen to a lot of metal. But I do listen to Darkest Hour. Do the math.

9. A Wilhelm Scream - Ruiner

Nitro

The guys suffered from the same problem as Bane. And from a lot of "haters". Don't believe everything you read, because AWS are one of the best and most innovative & exciting bands to come out in a long time.

8. Comeback Kid â Wake the Dead

Victory

Time to face facts kids, this album is better than "Turn it Around". Better lyrics, better music, just better. Just because you can't perform floor punches and windmills to every song, it doesn't make it bad.

7. Teenage Bottlerocket - Total

Red Scare

Pop punk is alive and well.

6. Against Me! - Searching For A Former Clarity

Fat Wreck

Hate! Hate! Hate! Don't pay attention to the label, pay attention to the music. AM! Are not the basement band you can feel cool that no one else knows about anymore, get used to it.

5. The Suicide Machines - War Profiteering Is Killing Us All

Side One Dummy

Ska, Punk and Hardcore have never been played so well together by one single band.

4. Paint It Black - Paradise

Jade Tree

I still say "CVA" was better.

3. Lagwagon â Resolve

Fat Wreck

I've been a casual Lagwagon fan at best since I first heard them in the mid-90's. This record changed that. Joey Cape is one of the best songwriters of our time.

2. 7 Seconds â Take It Back, Take It On, Take It Over!

Side One Dummy

This has been my #1 album all year. Positive hardcore, making you want to sing along to every song over and over again. Aggressive feel-good music.

1. Smoke Or Fire - Above the City

Fat Wreck

I don't know if a record and a band have ever grown on me so much. When I first hear this album, immediate "meh". Liked maybe, 2 songs. After a few road trips of playing this album start to end, I started to appreciate it more and more. Until it made an almost daily trip to my car stereo. Honest and sincere post-hardcore, though more aggressive in nature, Smoke or Fire are picking up where Hot Water Music left.

EP of the Year