Here is part two of my top twenty albums of 2015.
10. The Regressives
by The Regressives
New York's The Regressives came out of nowhere with this
release. Street punk feels like a genre that is on the decline so this release
was refreshing. Displaying a great variety of songs this fourteen track album
always manages to keep me interested from beginning to end.
9. Bird by Bangers
I've always enjoyed Cornish punk rockers Bangers but 2015's
Bird really helped cement their place in my list of favourite UK bands. Roo,
Andrew and Hamish create a sound that is distorted and raw but full of pop punk
hooks and massive choruses. You will be singing the words to I Don't Feel Like
I'll Ever Be Clean Again for days.
8. Math The Band The
Band The Album by Math The Band
This album is fast, fun, unpredictable and in your face.
Math The Band are clearly a band that don't take themselves too seriously and
this is shown throughout the album. That's in no way meant in a negative way though;
it's why I love it. This album just makes me want to dance as quickly as I can.
7. MakeWar by MakeWar
Since changing their name and becoming a full electric band,
MakeWar have excelled. Their debut self-titled album is a fantastic break-up
album full of heartfelt and honest sing-along punk gems. It will break your
heart as well as giving you the urge to throw your fists in the air. Sounding
like a cross between Against Me! and The Movielife, MakeWar are a band I can't
wait to hear more from in 2016.
6. I Feel Weird by
Great Cynics
When Giles, Bob and Iona - the trio known as Great Cynics -
release an album it's a big deal. When I Feel Weird was released on the
fantastic Specialist Subject Records I was incredibly excited to hear it and it
did not disappoint. Everything I love about Great Cynics is on full display on
I Feel Weird; upbeat, joyous songs with smart and catchy lyrics and excellent
vocals from both Giles and Iona. It's a crime that Great Cynics aren't
recognised as one of the best bands in the UK.
5. Dead Weight by
Jake and the Jellyfish
Jake and the Jellyfish are a band I've been aware of for a
while but never given much attention to. Then I caught them live at the Late
Summer Skank Fest at The Fleece in September and I was hooked. One of the first
things I did when I got home after the festival was check out their album Dead
Weight. It's an album full of folk/ska/reggae punk that helps make Jake and the
Jellyfish one of the most unique bands in the scene.
4. Hit Reset by
Random Hand
When Random Hand announced their upcoming hiatus at the
beginning of the year punks up and down the country were gutted. Thankfully
they did one final, massive tour and put out one final album (called Hit Reset).
Most bands would have just phoned one last album in, but this is not Random
Hand’s style. It's an unstoppable force of ska punk done by the best ska punk
band this country has ever seen. As much as I love this album there is also an
element of sadness to it - it will be a long time, if ever, till I get to see
these songs performed live.
3. Leave The Suburbs!
by The Exhausts
When I first heard Leave The Suburbs my socks were well and
truly blown off. The Exhausts have created a sound that is full of as much
spite as it is fun. Deep down it's an indie pop punk album with the intensity
really ramped up. I can't help but smile when I listen to this album and the
fact that it is only third on my list shows just how good the top two albums are.
2. We Cool? by Jeff
Rosenstock
Jeff Rosenstock is one of the most respected and loved men
in punk rock today. His 2015 album We Cool? was one of the most anticipated of
the entire year and with good reason. With former bands Arrogant Sons Of
Bitches and Bomb The Music Industry Rosenstock proved what a fantastic
songwriter he is and this is continued on his debut solo album. The overall
theme of the album is getting to a certain age and wondering whether or not you
are in the place you want to be. As you would expect from Jeff Rosenstock, it's
raw, honest and full of passion.
1. The Anachronists
Cookbook by Will Tun And The Wasters
If I'm being completely honest I didn't expect anything to
beat Jeff Rosenstock to number one on my top albums list. Then I stumbled
across Will Tun And The Wasters. The Anachronists Cook Book is a brilliantly
unique album combing ska, punk, Baltic, reggae and folk music. You never know
what will come next on the album, with it’s variety of different instruments,
vocalists and sometimes even languages, but nothing ever feels out of place.
It's an album with plenty of strong messages as well, including topics such as
immigration, looking at your life, feeling like you can't go on and fracking.
There is literally nothing I dislike about this album, it's absolutely perfect.
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