albums you need to hear

alright lets face it, most music being marketed in the punk rock (or any genre for that matter) spectrum is just god awful.... metro station anyone? just as a keen observer of the ever changing musical landscape that i've engulfed myself in for almost a decade of my two decade life i've noticed it's not longer about how good youre record is just about who you know. few bands that are up and coming have made a legit path to success with hard work and non stop touring (set your goals)

the point i'm trying to make is i found out epitaph (probley my favorite label in my early highschool days) is putting out horrible albums by pretty 'bad-boy-band-with-instruments-wannabe-pop-punk-but-never-heard-a-blink-182-album-in-their-life -just-signed-to-make-brett-money-bands' a prime example of this is: sing it loud



now that band is on EPITAPH... what the hell is the world coming to?! the same label that has put out albums from: nofx, rancid, osker, pulley, bad religion, dwarfs... you get it.

if this trend continues i feel like no one will go out and see the good bands who struggle to sell records and tour (saves the day) and bands like sing it loud and boys like girls will all that will be on tour.

okay okay maybe i'm going way too far with this. i mean all of the O.G. bands will always be around but labels don't want that at the moment they just want the quick buck and can you blame them?

well i dont i like money and to eat like everyone else. but i feel the need to list the most my favorite pop-punk-indieish related albums that made pop punk such a great genre to grow up on and makes me angry to see where its gone now... (i'll prob miss a ton of a great ones but i'm just sticking to my all time favorites that stick out in my mind...)

midtown-'save the world lose the girl'
midtown's 2000 debut was and still is an album i hold close to my heart. its raw but at the same time has the poppy elements, triple vocals, and touch of hardcore influence that helped midtown separate them self from the countless blink-182 copycats who came out of the woods in the late 90's early 00's

saves the day- 'stay what you are'
this is one of those albums that really brings out every emotion you can possibly have, and it's in a totally good way. every song just seems to have its own vibe to it and chris' lyrics are really on point. plus musically the production on it is incredible everything sounds just so well and distinct.

blink-182- 'dude ranch'
i really think this is where blink found their sound and realized the talent they possessed. every song just has that blink charm to it that sadly no band can re-create but thats what made blink so special. you know the thing with blink is that people dont realize is a lot of bands have sat a top the pop punk throne (sum 41, good charlotte, fall out boy, yellowcard... etc etc) but blink is the only one who came and never went. all of those bands came and went (fob's next album will flop, bet me anything lighting dont strike 3 times) and now play small clubs nightly after having 15 minutes of fame. if blink got back together they would sell out every night of the tour.

the starting line- 'say it like you mean it'
oh starting line. this album came out at the height of the drive-thru explosion and still to this day is a gem. the young poppy fast sound is what still attracts to me this album time and time again. it really takes you back to highschool is just a solid album at the end of the day.

allister- 'last stop suburbia'
the trend of recently breaking up bands continues. this is the most underrated album in all of drive-thru's catalog. every single song is just wanting radio play and the progression they made here from their debut 'dead ends and ex girlfriends' makes this album just amazing. again a fun catchy album.

millencolin- 'pennybridge pioneers'
just a perfect album. mc really found their sound on this album and ran with it. its great to see them still around. oh and the song 'no cigar' is one of most classic songs i've heard.

osker -'treatment 5'
teen angst at its finest. this just a fast snobby punk rock record that paved the way for where devon is now. lyrically this album is on a different level than all the others mentioned. you just need to hear it to understand.

those are just to name a few. i could name 20 more but at the end of the day the ones i named are the ones that really stick out in my mind when it comes to the pop-punk game.

don't deny it you indie rock kids, you all started with pop-punk. its okay to admit it... its our childhood bands we are losing now to shitty made for radio boy bands.

posted by nicholas b. @ 12:03 AM