Top 20 Albums of 2015: Part 2

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.