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Yes, 2005 has been over for almost a week and I should have had this list done awhile ago, but becoming another year older hasn't made me any less lazy. 2005 has been the best year in recent memory (i.e. ever), and there was a lot of great music that consumed my year, whether I was happily spending time with Sarah or sitting on my ass for three months wondering why no one would hire someone with two degrees (despite the three months of no working, I still managed to have four jobs this year, and I'll hopefully be staying at this one for awhile).
This year also brought about a new look for the website, which I'm hoping people enjoy and that I'll also be able to figure out all of the little kinks. Because of this website, I was able to meet and interview so many wonderful people, as well as some bands that I truly admire and were a big part of my growing up (Subhumans, Pennywise). That is a feeling that only few things can top. I was also able to check out a ton of great bands, and I can not thank all of the labels and PR companies enough for being so nice to me.
I only chose five albums because I did my quarterly reviews. I had a tough time narrowing it down, though I only put a minimal amount of thought into it. All five of these bands are quite incredible and all play with an honest enthusiasm that should not go unnoted.
5. Blacklisted-The Beat Goes On-A lot of albums could have taken this spot, but Blacklisted is just so damn ferocious and such angry American Nightmare inspired hardcore that I couldn't keep it off this list. (Deathwish Inc.)
4. Paint it Black-Paradise-Dr. Dan Yemin can do no wrong. He took Paint it Black's already great old school hardcore style and added just a touch of melody to take this band to the next level of awesomeness. (Jade Tree)
3. Bear vs. Shark-Terrorhawk-Terrorhawk and Paradise are incredibly even in my realm of music enjoyment. I decided to give Bear vs. Shark the #3 spot because they unfortunately broke up recently (the only band break up that actually bummed me out; I usually don't care all that much, but these guys were on their way to immortality), so this will be the last Bear vs. Shark album I'll ever hear, sadly enough. Put honesty and integrity together in a blender with creative indie music, and you still won't be at the caliber of music of Bear vs. Shark. (Equal Vision)
2. Lucero-Nobody's Darlings-Like Bear vs. Shark (and every band on this list, for that matter), Lucero are a band full of honesty and integrity, but their music leans towards an alt-punk country side with songs that could bring a tear to your eye (not that they're particularly sad, but they're packed with honest emotion). Ben Nichols voice fits this band perfectly, and his lyrics are able to tell stories, which I really enjoy. (East West/Liberty & Lament)
1. Against Me!-Searching for a Former Clarity-Against Me! have become one of my favorite bands in the past couple years. Searching for a Former Clarity is a new direction forward for the band, while still being the Against Me! that everyone has become to know and love. The catchiness of the songs is uncanny, and their honest lyrics are quite entertaining to sing along to. After many repeated listens, I think that this album has become my favorite Against Me! release. There's a reason this band gets as much universal praise as they do. (Fat)
10. Red Sparowes @ The Living Room in Providence, RI on August 24: This performace included visual as well as audio stimulation. Red Sparowes rocked out with their intricate instrumental music while the projector did its thing showing old looking footage.
9. Between the Buried and Me @ Alley Katz in Richmond, VA on September 28: Matt and I drove all the way to Virginia to catch this show, and it was well worth it. Ridiculous road trips with little to no meaning are always the most fun, and we got to see a kickass performance in the process.
8. Pennywise @Lupos in Providence, RI on November 19 : This may have been my first time seeing Pennywise play a show that wasn't the Warped Tour, surprisingly enough. I can't remember ever seeing them at a club, but I may have and just forgotten about it over the years. I will not forget about their performance, cover of "Astro Zombies" or the fun I had interviewing Fletcher on their tour bus while Bryan waiting with a patient anger to watch Lost.
7. Street Dogs @Warped Tour in Northampton, MA on August 15: I was able to catch their set because their drummer was late to the show. This worked out well for me because they had one of the best performances of Warped Tour. Mike McColgan completely owned the stage, reminding everyone of why he is one of the greatest frontmen in punk rock.
6. Rise Against @The Palladium in Worcester, MA on August 20: Rise Against is a band that I enjoy listening to, and they played a great live set. The fact that they didn't play an encore was a huge plus.
5. No Trigger @The Living Room in Providence, RI on December 18: I was pleasantly surprised by their set. I knew that they were a good band, but not this good. They are going to blow up soon, and their live performance will be part of the reason for their popularity.
4. Subhumans @Middle East in Cambridge, MA on July 18: Getting to see legendary bands is always a highlight, especially when said legendary band is one that meant a lot to me during high school (and still today, but moreso back then). This was the second time I was fortunate enough to see them, and they were absolutely incredible, playing with the energy that some bands half their age don't even play with.
3. Bane: I saw Bane play four times this year, and all four shows were incredible. My faith was renewed in this great hardcore band, and they played with such passion; a passion I have not seen in them since their old drummer left the band. They are ready to retake their thrones among the kings of hardcore, in which a live show is very important.
2. Against Me!: Against Me! is another band that I saw a few times this year, with each show being incredible. Their songs are so fun to sing along to, especially live when everyone else is joining in, though not as many people were singing along when they played with Green Day.
1. Bouncing Souls @The Living Room in Providence, RI on April 22: It was great seeing the Bouncing Souls in such an intimate setting. Its been years since I was last able to do that. Being able to sing along only inches away from the band brought back many teenage concert memories. Nostalga aside, the Bouncing Souls played a fun set that I enjoyed singing every word along with them.
15. "Godmornin' Da" by The Tossers: This was my first taste of The Tossers, and I was sold by the first line. (Victory)
14. "5, 6 Kids" by Bear vs. Shark: It was hard picking one song, as this is such a solid album, but the opening guitar line is killer, as is the rest of the song. (Equal Vision)
13. "D.E.A.D.R.A.M.O.N.E.S." by Modern Life is War: The repeated chant of the title is a wonderful listen, and I can't wait to see people sing along to it in a live setting. (Deathwish Inc.)
12. "Leaving Jesusland" by NOFX: This is NOFX at their best. Its full of sarcastic wit and catchy vocal lines. This is a very fun listen. (Fat)
11. "All Bodies" by Between the Buried and Me: This is quite an inspiring song, especially with the wonderful guitar parts of Paul Waggoner, which serve as a great motivater. This song has pretty much every subgenre of metal represented, and it works incredibly well. (Victory)
10. "Unprotected Sex With Multiple Partners" by Against Me!: This is a catchy look at the insides of the music industry, told in a way that only Against Me! could pull off. (Fat)
9. "Land Locked Blues" by Bright Eyes: I first heard this song when they played on one of the late night talk shows, though I can't remember which one. There are a lot of little stories in the lyrics, which are really powerful in this song. (Saddle Creek)
8. "Memorial Day" by Paint it Black: The ending is so ridiculously catchy, as is the rest of the song...and the whole album for that matter. I'm a sucker for acoustic guitar sing alongs in hardcore songs. Great stuff. (Jade Tree)
7. "The Witness" by The Heavenly States: This is a sad sounding song, which is what I like best about it. (Baria)
6. "Counting the Days" by Cephalic Carnage: This song may quite possibly have the best breakdown ever. (Relapse)
5. "Like Trumpets" by With Honor: This song sounds like Ignite and has a wonderful group sing along at the end. Whats not to like about it? (Victory)
4. "Swan Song" by Bane: When Zach starts singing, I get that feeling in my heart that lets me know that I'm listening to a great song. This is the only time Bane has used singing in their songs, but they pick such a perfect time to use it. There's also a wonderful sing along at the end. I really hope that this isn't their swan song. (Equal Vision)
3. "Composing" by Boys Night Out: "Its all about the song in my head/The one where the audience is all dead." Such a memorable line sung in quite a catchy way. (Ferret)
2. "Wagon Wheel" by Against Me!: The reason this song isn't in the #1 spot is because they didn't write the song. Bob Dylan did, though he never recorded it himself. My friend Anthony has a version of it by another band, but this is the only version I've heard so far. Tom Gabel's voice is so raw and outstanding singing this song. I can listen to it over and over again and still love it, which is saying something because I usually don't like listening to songs more than once in a row. (Fat)
1. "The War" by Lucero: A wonderful acoustic song that shows off both Ben Nichols wonderful voice and his ability to tell a story. The 5+ minutes of this song go by so quickly, leaving me wishing it were longer. This is another song that I can listen to over and over again without getting sick of it. (Liberty and Lament)
9. Revelation: Rev is in a transistion year, but they were still able to release some great music, as well as sign some incredible bands that will keep this label in the front of everyone's minds for a long time. The release of the Generations Comp was a great introduction to a lot of the new breed of hardcore, and is a rare comp that I enjoy.
8. Nitro: Nitro has been turning themselves back into a label force to be reckoned with over the past year. This year had some good releases (A Wilhelm Scream being the cream of the crop), but they also signed some great bands that should have them much higher on this list next year.
7. Relapse: You can always count on Relapse to release great grind or metal bands. Hell, everything they release is great, plus, they sell all their CDs for $10 at Metal Fest.
6. Candlelight: A huge label that releases some wonderful metal albums, including Dark Funeral and Lord Belial. They've released a lot more albums this year, but those are the two that currently come to mind.
5. Jade Tree: This label has such a strong roster that I'd be surprised if they ever didn't make this list.
4. Equal Vision: A strong roster and rereleases of Converge and Boys Sets Fire really rub me the right way. Plus, they signed Boy Sets Fire, which I'm eagerly awaiting.
3. Victory: Say what you will about this label, they have a good roster of bands and know how to turn them into household names. This is the label that people love to shit on the most, but they just come back with bands who can sell hundreds of thousands of records, as well as some great hardcore and metal bands (cough:Comeback Kid, Between the Buried and Me, etc.:cough)
2. Deathwish Inc.: Deathwish has always had a knack for releasing great music, but they ripped the hardcore world a new asshole this year with releases from Blacklisted, Modern Life is War, Killing the Dream and Embrace Today. I think Doomriders is a tad overrated, but they're still a decent band, and the rest of their lineup more than makes up for it.
1. Fat: This shouldn't come as any surprise to anybody. In addition to releasing my favorite album of the year in Against Me!, they also put out a long overdue Propagandhi album, Lagwagon, Chixdiggit, The Epoxies, The Soviettes, No Use for a Name, The Real McKenzies, as well as a "Best Of" Screeching Weasel disc. They also released a compilation that I actually enjoy listening to, which is rare (the fact that there were two in the same year is double rare).
5. "Jarhead"-This film had critical praise, but it went to the cheap movie theater rather quickly, which surprised me. A movie full of tension and insanity about a soldier's trek in the first Gulf War. This is the most interesting and entertaining movie ever in which nothing actually happened.
4. "King Kong"-The movie was three hours long and I didn't get bored once. Sometimes, I can't even watch a half hour television show without feeling that I have to be doing something else.
3. "Crash"-This is a film that is very important, showing that everyone-regardless of race-has prejudices against other races. On the flipside, it also shows that we are also good natured as a human race and have the ability to help people in need, regardless of our opinion on the color of their skin.
2. "The 40 Year Old Virgin"-The longest dick joke ever, but I'm not sure if there were any moments in the film where I wasn't laughing my ass off. This is one of the best comedys to be released in recent memory. Steve Carell played his character, Andy, so perfectly, that it has turned him into a household name.
1. "Walk the Line"-Even better than "Ray," "Walk the Line" takes us through about half of Johnny Cash's life, dealing with his drug abuse, battles with his father and his courting of June Carter. Joquain Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon did an excellent job portraying Cash and Carter respectively, and the music was obviously awesome. Plus, could you imagine seeing Cash, Elvis and Jerry Lee Lewis playing a concert together? That must have been an amazing experience.
