After the positive reception of the REBEL INSIDE collection of mixtapes I generated the Spotify version of what is becoming one of the most appreciated selections of this blog.
The compilation includes most of the tracks of the original mixtapes and it will be updated periodically with the best songs that will be released.
Enjoy and follow the playlist!
Inspired by a business trip I’m planning to do in a few days in UK, I decided to refresh the chart with the best punk rock albums of the year. There are a few interesting new entries in the list, but the chart is starting to consolidate around a number of groups that most probably will remain close to their current positions until the end of 2017. For the records, this edition of the punk chart features 6 bands from the US, 2 from the UK, 1 from Canada and 1 from Germany.
Modern Ruin is the second album released by English punk rock band capitanated by former Gallows frontman Frank Carter, here supported by Dean Richardson, Thomas Mitchener and Gareth Grover (The Rattlesnakes). Released on January 2017, this album immediately topped all the music charts of this blog and still remains one of the best LPs across al genres. It’s an incredible compilation of energetic and catchy songs supported by an incredible sound which magnifies the fantastic voice of the band leader. This can’t really miss in your collection.
One of the best albums released during the summer, The Knife is the seventh studio album by American ska punk band Goldfinger. This work arrives after the total revolution of the lineup operated by the leader and veteran rocker John Feldman, who basically sacked all the previous musicians of the band and created a sort of punk supergroup featuring the almighty drummer Travis Barker (Blink-182), talented bassist Mike Herrera and Story of the Year’s rhythm guitarist Philip Sneed. The result is one of the more enjoyable and refreshing rock albums of 2017.
Laure Den Nature is the new album from German punk rock veterans Die Toten Hosen, the seventeenth studio album in their large discography. It’s evident how these rockers from Dusseldorf still have a lot to say after so many years of playing together, and the album is a recommended listen in particular for those that are not familiar with these German punkers. Combat rock from Germany, sehr gut!
Hardcore Celtic-Punkers Dropkick Murphys have been rocking the scene for over twenty years and their last album, 11 Short Stories of Pain & Glory, is the ninth of their long career. Musically speaking, this work presents their signature irish-inspired rock sound, without to much innovation or diversion from the successful recipe that they have been perfectioning through time. Catchy anthems, celtic rocking melodies, fast and fun energetic song. As a side note, most of the songs are inspired from the work that the band did in support of the The Claddagh Fund, a charity organization which the band established since 2009 for actively helping the drug recovery community and other children’s and veteran’s organizations. As a result, most of the tracks are permeated with a sense of positive energy, a sort of encouragement to go beyond the little or big failures that we may encounter in our lives.
CJ Ramone was the “young guy” within the Ramones and the last one to join the band when the punk rock masters were playing their songs in the last part of their influential career. After they retired, CJ eventually started a solo career which has already generated a few albums. American Beauty is the last release of CJ Ramone’s solo production and the third album of his studio discography. As you might expect, CJ has kept the Ramones in his heart and the music he plays is basically what his fans want to hear: simple and straight punk rock.
Wild Cat is the eighth studio album by Danko Jones, which is the Canadian rock trio led by vocalist and guitarist Danko Jones, supported by John ‘JC’ Calabrese on bass guitar and Rich Knox on drums. The band is active since almost 20 years, and this is one of those groups that didn’t reach the attention of their fans through changes and innovations. And this last album is no exception. Wild Cat gives us in fact just another bunch of furious and totally enjoyable “macho” rock-party anthems. These guys draw on an inexhaustible source of catchy rock melodies and they just keep doing what they can do best, without too many frills or ambitions for musical evolution.
Cock Sparrer is a band of punk rock veterans that was formed in 1972 in the East End of London. The band has released in 2017 a new album, called Forever, which arrived 10 years after their previous LP. The lineup of the band is almost stable since 25 years, and these street rockers managed to realize a strong, vibrant, and damn enjoyable compilation of punk songs.
Odd Boat is the seventh album by Flatfoot 56, a band of American celtic punkers from Chicago, and maybe one of the best they released so far. The guys here keep playing their unique blend of traditional Irish folk music and punk rock, and the LP is filled with catchy tracks, infectious energy and passion.
True Sound of Liberty is another legendary Punk Rock band from the U.S. (according to many fans, as much inflential as Social Distortion and the Ramones). They have relesead this year the tenth studio album of a long career. Their discography explored many different influences other than just punk (from Gothic Rock to Glam Metal) and their lastLP, named The Trigger Complex, makes a sort of comeback to classic and hard-hitting punk, except maybe for a few tracks such as the new-wave oriented single I Wanted to See You.
Gogol Bordello, the gipsy punk rockers from Manhattan, have crafted and consolidated through the years a unique musical blend of balkan beats and gipsy melodies played with a punk rock attitude. Their last album, Seekers and Finders, doesn’t find the band moving away from this succesful formula, and it has been recorded in a way that reproduces, to some extent, the sound and vibrations of their live gigs.
This summer has given us a number of very good rock albums and the result is that the new volume of I FOUND ANOTHER BEAT mixtape series is maybe one of the best released so far. This compilation presents a special selection with the best tracks from the new albums by Goldfinger, Gogol Bordello, Rise Against and many other groups that have published their works in the recent weeks. Enjoy the mix and check for some additional info just below the widget.
First track of the mixtape is the beatufiul song The Violence taken from the LP Wolves, which is the the last album by the American rock band Rise Against. The song selected for the mix has been the lead single for the new LP, and it was clearly inspired by the recent US Presidential elections. The song generated also some controversy when the band was apparently rejected to shoot the video because of the anti-american message that many recognized in the lyrics.
Second track of the compilation is You’ll Be the Death of Me from Up In Arms, the new album by the US group Bloodclot, which contains an incredible mix of raw hardcore tracks with a heavy punk influences. The band is today a “supergroup” project featuring John Joseph of the Cro-Mags, a few former members of Queens of the Stone Age (the spectacular Joey Castillo on drums and the crazy Nick Oliveri on bass), and former Danzing guitarist Todd Youth. The album composed and recorded by these 4 influential musicians is one of the most impressive, violent and crusty things that have been published in last few months,
I have already introduced The Knife, which is the new album by American ska-punk middle-aged rockers Goldfinger, when presenting my selection of the best albums of the summer. The album is definitely one of the most enjoyable things that have been released in the year and this is reflected also by the fact that you can find many of their songs in a number of Spotify selections, including the two tracks that I’ve selected for the mix, i.e. Who’s Laughing Now and Put The Knife Away. The group has crafted a special version of that horn-driven ska-rock punk which is often called as the “third-wave” of ska.
Another nice surprise of the summer has been the last album by Russkaja , the ska-punk band from Austria who claim to be the inventors of the “Russian Turbo Polka Metal” and who’ve been spreading their sound since their debut in 2007. Their last effort, Kosmopoliturbo, is the 5th album of their discography and it sees the band merging together as many different musical genrese they could fit in a single LP. Despite the chaos of putting aside so many different influences, their songs are always nice to hear and vibrant. The track selected for the mix, Chef De Cuisine, is maybe one of the songs of the album which best represents their crazy musical style.
Last of the new entries in the new volume of the mixtape series is Gogol Bordello, the renowned American gipsy-punk band which has recently dropped on the shelves their seventh studio album, Seekers and Finders, which is also the first in four years. The LP offers their signature blend of ska, gipsy rock and punk, which is beautifully represented by the song I’ve chosen for the mix, Walking on the Burning Coal.
The remaining tracks of the mixtape come form artitst that were already presented in the past editions of the series or who are in any case regular visitors to the pages of this blog, i.e. 311, You Me At Six, and Dropkick Murphys.
The complete series of rock mixes:
I FOUND ANOTHER BEAT – Volume 1
I FOUND ANOTHER BEAT – Volume 2
I FOUND ANOTHER BEAT – Volume 3
The Best New Rock Songs (Volume 2)
The Best New Rock Songs (Volume 1)
The Best of New Punk
Punk Rock never dies.
I’ve dedicated this new series of mixtapes, called REBEL INSIDE, to the wonderful world of Punk. There a high number of bands that keep playing and recording very good punk songs, all around the world. My job is to select the best and newests and mix them together. Start with the playlist, and then as usual you can find a few additional information after the widget.
This mixtape introduces a new band that we never included in any previous playlist. I’m talking about Cock Sparrer, a band of punk rock veterans that was formed in 1972 in the East End of London, After 45 years of playing together (they had actually a few lineup changes), they’re still on the road kicking asses! The band has recently released a new album, called Forever, which arrived 10 years after their previous LP. The new album is damn good and more refreshing and energetic than the average music produced by the younger generations. Incredibly strong, vibrant, punk to the bone. I’m in love with this album and I’ve taken two tracks for the opening and the conclusion of the mixtape, respectively.
The second track of the mixtape was picked up from Odd Boat, the new album by American celtic punkers Flatfoot56. Someone may have noticed that this band appeared also in one of the recent rock mixtapes of this blog (I Found Another Beat, Vol.1). Their muxic in fact is a blend of traditional Irish folk music and punk and their music may be categorized in both rock and punk categories.
There’s also another band that contributed both to the succesful rock mixtape I Found Another Beat, Vol.1 and the present one which is fully dedicated to punk music. I’m talking about the German rock veterans Die Toten Hosen. They published this year the seventeenth studio album of their career (!), called Laune der Nature (Freak of Nature), from which I selected here the title track.
Eventually we arrived to one representative of the younger generations of punk rockers. The fourth song of the mixtape, named Bullshit, comes in fact from The Kids Will Know It’s Bullshit, which is the second album released by Dune Rats, an Australian three-piece punk rock band from Brisbane.
With the next track we move from Australia to Finland, where the punk band Rejected is playing – since almost 20 years – an explosive blend of catchy melodies and street punk sounds. From their new album, Suicide Hotline, I selected the irriverent and bitter track called The World Is Going) Down The Drain.
The following track of the playlist comes from a frequent guest of my mixes: Danko Jones and their crackling and cheerful album Wild Cat. This is the eighteth album by the Canadian rock trio and it features an impressive selection of mainstream-ready hard rock and garage punk tunes, like the fast and unleashed I Gotta Rock that was selected for the mix.
Last contributor to this playlist is CJ Ramone, who was the “young guy” within the Ramones and who eventually started a solo career which already generated a few albums. American Beauty is the last release of CJ Ramone’s solo production and the third album of his studio discography. I’ve taken a couple of songs: Girlfriend In A Graveyard and Let’s Go.
If you enjoyed this playlist you might want to listen to the last issue of the rock mixtape series.
I Found Another Beat is the new series of rock mixtapes of this blog with all the best rock songs that are released in the last few weeks. This is going to be a regular publication and we’ll be capable to see which direction is taking modern rock by taking into account all of its main sub-genres: indie, alternative, punk, post-punk, post-rock, hard rock, ….
The first volume of the series features two very recent songs by ’68 and Nickelback, plus additional songs by authors like Kasabian, Nothington, Wavves, Buttercup and many others. You can access the mixtape through the widget below; after the widget you’ll find the commentary for all the 10 tracks of the playlist. Enjoy!!
The mixtape is opened by the poignant and wonderful song No Montage by the American rock duo ’68, which features guitarist and vocalist Josh Scogin (who previously played with The Chariot), and drummer Michael McClellan. The song is taken from Two Parts Viper, the second full-length studio album by the duo, which was released on June 2, 2017. The nice thing about this album is that the songs differ a lot one from the other, whilst maintaining a sense of coherence throghout the whole album. No Montage, the song I selected for the playlist, represents maybe the most melodic piece that the band ever recorded since their formation. This is definitely a band to keep following, not easy to digest at first but definitely interesting to hear.
The second track of the mixtape is Silent Majority by Canadian rockers Nickelback, who have just published their ninth studio album, Feed The Machine. Released on June 16, 2017, this work interrupts a period of inactivity due to singer Chad Kroeger needing to have surgery on his vocal cords and also a legal battle becaus of a cancelled tour. Feed The Machine doesn’t bring so much innovation on the sound of the band: mainstream rock anthems with powerful riffs and post-grunge elements. Nothing new, but this is not a bad album at all if you like their style. The track selected for the mixtape is my preferred: it has a catchy chorus and very nice melodies.
With the next song of the playlist we enter into the realm of punk. I was honestly surprised to hear Laune der Nature (Freak of Nature), the new album from German punk rock veterans Die Toten Hosen, released on May 5, 2017, which is the seventeenth studio album from the band. I was fascinated by the freshness and immediacy of the songs, and it’s clear that the guys from Dusseldorf still have a lot to say after so many years of playing together. The track included in the mixtape is Llass Los, one of my favourite of the album.
From a relatively niche band we move to a group that’s nowadays well known worldwide, Kasabian. For Crying Out Loud, the new album published by the four rockers from Leicester on on May 5, 2017, is the fifth of their discography and it topped the UK music chart in the same week of its release. The musical formula of the album remains essentially the same of their previous works: the album is packed with easy to listen rock grooves and melodic anthems. These are songs which don’t pretend to bring any particular message or to represent any form of innovation but which manage to stay always away from mere formulas for the commercial success. The songs of the album have been recorded in only a few weeks and this helped to preserve the spirit of the immediacy of the entire work. The song included in the list is Ill Ray (The King), the record’s opening track.
Next song of the playlist is Daisy, the opening track of You’re Welcome, the new album released (for free streaming) on May 19, 2017, by Wavves, the American rock band based in San Diego, California. The band formed in 2008 and started as the recording project of singer / guitarist Nathan Williams and then evolved into a more standard indie rock quartet. The new album is the sixth released by the band and it still keeps a garage-pop approach with brash noise and catchy choruses, even if with some elements of innovation from the previous works from the band. Daisy, the song selected for the mixtape, has all the typical elements of their sound and is also one of the nicest pieces of the album.
We enter the second part of the mixtape together with Flatfoot56 and their new album Odd Boat, released on March 14, 2017, which is the seventh produced by the American celtic punkers from Chicago and probably one of the best they released so far. The guys here keep playing their unique blend of traditional Irish folk music and punk rock, and the album is filled with catchy tracks, infectious energy and passion. P.S., the track included in the playlist, is a near hardcore rock anthem and it’s probably one of the best representatives of the sound of the band in 2017.
The following track is taken from STORMCHASERS, the new and long awaited album from Lucky Boys Confusion, the rock music band from Chicago which interrupted an eight years hiatus since their previous release. The new album, released on April 14, 2017, mixes elements of rock, punk, and pop, as shown by Good Luck, the song included in my playlist.
Next song is the irresistible and catchy Gud Gurls from the performance art collective Buttercup from Texas. Their newest record, Battle of Flowers, was released on April 14, 2017, and it’s their first recording to consist totally of live takes recorded in the band’s rehearsal studio, and probably one of their best album to date. Buttercup are one of those bands that have been playing good and solid rock for many years but they didn’t achieve the success and popularity they deserve.
We approach the final part of the playlist with In the End, the new studio release by San Francisco alternative-punk rockers Nothington. The album, which was awarded here in this blog as best rock album of April 2017, interrupts a period of silence of almost five years since their last studio release and it arrives when the band is celebrating ten years of activity. In their last work, the guys from California repeat their successful musical recipe without any particolar innovation: radio-friendly catchy rock and melodic punk-rock anthems, as represented by the song Cobblestones that is mixed in the playlist. There are a few moments in the album where the tones are a bit more thoughful and introspective, but the essence of their songwriting is definitely on the energy side. Sometimes we don’t need at any cost musical innovations or masterpieces, but just nice and good rock songs to put in our musical playlists.
The mixtape ends with Fool’s Gold by Carousel Kings, the American easycore band from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, whose last work, Charm City, was released on February 10, 2017. The album shows a variety of different influences and it’s a solid mainstream pop-punk record, here represented by the nice and happy Fool’s Gold, which concludes this first edition of the “I FOUND ANOTHER BEAT” series.
See you on next issue!!
Edit: if you arrived to this page via a search engine, please be aware that there are updated charts about Rock for the year 2017. Check them out from the home page, yuo can jump easily into the the Rock section from the website menu.
Today the punk scene is definitely different (and less influential) than 40 years ago. Nevertheless, there are still a number of good releases that appear periodically on the shelves and the genre is characterized by a varied number of influences and different sub-styles. There are a few punk veterans who continue to publish very good albums, but also new groups entering the scene with nice and energetic punk songs. We have selected here the best punk rock albums that have been released since the beginning of the year, presented in strict alphabetical order. Did you miss anyone of these?
American Beauty is the third solo album by CJ Ramone, the American rocker best known for working from 1989 to 1996 as bassist and vocalist of the legendary Ramones (and today one of the three surviving members of group)
Life Without Sound is the fourth studio album by the American indie rock trio, which managed to balance a punk rock approach with hardcore and power pop sonorities.
Wild Cat is the eighteth album by the Canadian rock trio from Toronto, which features an impressive selection of mainstream-ready hard rock and garage punk Tunes.
Laune der Nature (Freak of Nature) is the seventeenth studio album from the German punk rock veterans, which confirms their consolidated recipe of punk metal and hardcore punk.
11 Short Stories of Pain & Glory is the ninth studio album by American celtic punk band from Boston, which have nowadays accumulated more than 20 years of honest and good punk music.
The Kids Will Know It’s Bullshit is the second album released by the Australian three-piece punk rock band from Brisbane, which are among the youngest representatives of the contemporary international punk rock scene.
Odd Boat is the seventh album by the American celtic punkers from Chicago, and it’s probably one of the best they released so far.
Modern Ruin is the second studio album by the English punk rock band led by singer Frank Carter. Here in this blog it still maintains the top position in the overall rock chart for 2017.
Near to the Wild Heart of Life is the third studio album by the Canadian rock duo, which features a more polished version of the garage punk style that made them gain a well-deserved public success in their 10 years career.
In the End is the new studio release by San Francisco alternative-punk rockers. The album interrupts a period of silence of almost five years since their last studio release and it arrives when the band is celebrating ten years of activity.
Suicide Hotline is the new album from the Finnish punkers. The band is active since the end of 90’s and their music combines catchy choruses with typical bitterness and irreverence of street punk.
The Trigger Complex is the eleventh album released by T.S.O.L., the hardcore punk veterans from California which are active since 1978. The album is their first release since 2009.
Edit: if you arrived to this page via a search engine, please be aware that there are updated charts about Rock for the year 2017. Check them out from the home page, you can jump easily into the the Rock section from the website menu.
Despite the fact that in the last weeks there have been a few nice and interesting new releases for the rock category, the highest ranks in our rock chart remain basically untouched. In the bottom part of the list, of the contrary, we had a number of changes with groups leaving the chart (such as AFI and TSOL) and some other entering the Top Ten (Kasabian and Nothington). In view of this changes, let’s see the updated chart for rock music in the moment we enter the second third of 2017.
Fun and easy. This has always been the motto for the four rockers from Leicester. And in an era where too often we’re provided with over-conceptual albums, such a relaxed approach to music sometimes is just what we need. For Crying Out Loud is the the fifth album from Kasabian, and it topped the UK music chart in the same week of its release. The album contains 12 new tracks and the deluxe version contains a second disc with a live performance recorded last year at the King Power Stadium.
The musical formula of the album remains essentially the same of Kasabian’s last works, the disc is packed with easy to listen rock grooves and melodic anthems. These are songs which don’t pretend to bring any particular message or to represent any form of innovation but which manage to stay always far from those trivial mechanism for the mere research of the commercial success. To some extent we see here that the process of simplification has reached a further level and this is combined also with a sense of urgency that emerges from many of the tracks on the album. As a matter of fact, all the songs have been recorded in only a few weeks and this helped to preserve the spirit of the immediacy of the entire album.
Overall this is an album of simple celebration, not mindful reflection. (The National)
In the End is the new studio release by San Francisco alternative-punk rockers Nothington. The album interrupts a period of silence of almost five years since their last studio release and it arrives when the band is celebrating ten years of activity. Born on the ashes of their former band Tsunami Bomb, Nothington’s founders Gabe Lindeman and Jay Northington have developed through the years a special and successful mix of catchy end energetic punk rock, which allowed them to gain a relatively high commercial success and made them as one of the most important rock groups from the Bay Area.
In their last work, the guys from California repeat their successful musical recipe without any particolar innovation: radio-friendly catchy rock and melodic punk-rock anthems. There are a few moments where the tones are a bit more thoughful and introspective, but the essence of the album is definitely on the energy side. Sometimes we don’t need at any cost musical innovations or masterpieces, but just nice and good rock songs to put in our musical playlists.
This is an album full of triumph and tenacity, turmoil and turbulence. Just the way you like it. Even better yet is that now that the band has awakened from hibernation, they’re going to be active with tours and festival plays. Welcome back, gents. (Bandcamp)
Wild Cat is the eighth studio album by Danko Jones, which is the Canadian rock trio led by vocalist and guitarist Danko Jones, supported by John ‘JC’ Calabrese on bass guitar amd Rich Knox on drums. The band is active since almost 20 years, and this is one of those groups that didn’t reach the attention of their fans thorugh changes and innovations. And this last album is no exception. Wild Cat gives us in fact just another bunch of furious and totally enjoyable “macho” rock-party anthems. These guys draw on an inexhaustible source of catchy rock melodies and they just keep doing what they can do best, without too many frills or ambitions for musical evolution.
The album is crammed with groovy, sleazy riffs and hooky choruses, all delivered with a surge of raw energy from Danko himself, whose enthusiasm for his craft clearly hasn’t dipped after eight albums. (Team Rock)
In addition to this successful and field-proven recipe, the Canadians have understood very well how important may be an excellent production, in particular if you’re going to the easy listening way to rock. Wild Cat benefits from a perfect recording which is consistent with their style and which gives an furhter element of enjoyability to their work.
CJ Ramone was the “young guy” within the Ramones – and the last one to join the band – when the punk rock masters were playing their tunes in the last ten years of their influential career. After the American punkers retired, CJ kept on playing and singing in Ramones’ cover band and he eventually started a solo career which has already generated a few albums. American Beauty is the last release of CJ Ramone’s solo production and the third album of his studio discography.
As you might expect, CJ has kept the Ramones in his heart and the music he plays is basically what his fans want to hear: simple and straight punk rock. It would be really a complete madness to compare CJ’s songs to those of Ramones: there is honestly an abyss that can’t be filled even by calling the support from a few punk veterans as his backings. Anyway, it’s not crazy to say that American Beauty, judged as a stand-alone product, doesn’t look bad when compared to today’s rock scene, where it rather brings a breath of freshness and immediacy.
Once again CJ Ramone managed to record an album that not only pays great tribute to the band he helped continue until 1996, while also keeping the Ramones sound fresh. His song-writing and vocals get better and better with each release and American Beauty is no exception. Fans of the Ramones and CJ’s past solo work will be extremely happy with this album. I’m sure Joey, Johnny, Dee Dee and Tommy are looking down and totally rocking out to it. (PunkNews)
Night People is the new album from the English alternative rockers You Me At Six and it arrives three years after the previous succesful album Cavaler Youth, which topped the UK chart on the same week of its release. The reception from critics and fans for Night People, however, hasn’t been the same as the previous job, and many reviews pointed oud that the new album is less coherent and homogeneous than the previous works since aside a few songs of clear value there are a number of tracks of much lower level.
If we can agree to some extent that not all the songs of the album have the same enjoyability, here in this blog we prefer to focus on those bunch of tracks that gave a very positive vibe. Despite the highs and lows, in fact, Night People still contains a good number of pretty damn catchy rock songs which are today regular guests of our rock playlists. Certainly their sound has taken a more commercial and “pop” direction, but the final result is definitely not to be overlooked.
Upon first listen to the opening track of You Me At Six’s new album, it’s easy to see its potential for polarising opinion. The euphoric sheen of their last record ‘Cavalier Youth’ has been swapped for something altogether darker, groovier, and it sounds like nothing they’ve ever dared to try before. Yet, by the end of ‘Night People’s succinct ten tracks, it’s clear they’ve navigated their new musical direction very well. (DIY)
The Reid brothers are back. After about twenty years of silence (their previous LP dates back to 1998) the two belligerents Scottish rockers have put aside differences and incompatibilities and eventually found the inspiration and motivation to get back into the studio and produce a new album. Damage and Joy is the seventh album in the career of The Jesus and Mary Chain, and it is almost unbelievable to recognize how this record seems in every respect the natural evolution of their earlier works, despite all the time that has passed in the meantime.
Damage and Joy is a keen reminder of what the Jesus and Mary Chain naturally possess that too many newer bands lack: a strong and inimitable personality, one that cannot be separated from their music and how it works, and one that is still largely intact. (Pop Matters)
The album collects together a few tracks written by the band during the last ten years, basically since they started again to play music together, and some newer songs composed specifically for this record. Their music is always very interesting to listen: they have a special gift in balancing immediacy with inspiration and, as a matter of fact, their melodies never transcends into banality or the pure replica of an established pattern. The songs of Damage and Joy are less energetic and raw with respect to their previous works and the songwriting has evidently matured towards a more calm and introspective approach.
Hardcore Celtic-Punkers Dropkick Murphys shoudn’t require too much introduction since these guys from Massachussets have been rocking the scene for over twenty years and their last album, 11 Short Stories of Pain & Glory, is the ninth of their long career. Musically speaking, this work presents their signature irish-inspired rock sound, without to much innovation or diversion from the successful recipe that they have been perfectioning through time. Catchy anthems, celtic rocking melodies, fast and fun energetic song.
Beyond the purely musical aspect, most of the songs are inspired from the work that the band did in support of the “The Claddagh Fund”, a charity organization which the band established since 2009 for actively helping the drug recovery community and other children’s and veteran’s organizations. As a result, most of the tracks are permeated with a sense of positive energy, a sort of encouragement to go beyond the little or big failures that we may encounter in our lives. This is not going to be the best album ever released by the band, anyway it’s a solid and valuable work which contains quite a good number of very high quality songs.
Loss and the possibility of redemption represent the twin themes of pain and glory fueling the Celtic-punk band’s ninth album, a collection of songs by turns bleak and triumphant, and sometimes both at once. (Paste Magazine)
Life Without Sound, the fourth studio album by the American indie rockers Cloud Nothings, finally shows the most serene and enjoyable face of this fantastic band. Although always influenced by the dirty and scratchy guitar of Dylan Baldi, the ecletic singer, musicians and lead songwriter of the band, the songs of the album seem to manifest a happy point of arrival in the articulated musical path the band went through in their 8-years long career.
“Generally, it seems like my work has been about finding my place in the world,” Baldi says. “But there was a point in which I realized that you can be missing something important in your life, a part you didn’t realize you were missing until it’s there—hence the title. This record is like my version of new age music,” he adds. “It’s supposed to be inspiring.” (Bandcamp)
This album is also relevant since it features the official new entry of a second guitarist in the band, which has now become a quartet. Chris Brown, who had joined the band earlier in the year as a touring member, is now a full-time member of the indie rock group together with Baldi, drummer Jayson Gerycz, and bassist TJ Duke.
A very positive element of this work is that the quality of the songs improves with time. The positive opinion we had initially of the album has been not only consolidated but further improved with subsequent listening, and some of the songs which didn’t caputre our attention at first are now among the songs we appreciate the most. This fact, for our experience, is a typical characteristic of the great albums.
Near to the Wild Heart of Life is the long awaited third studio album by the Canadian rock duo Japandroids consisting of Brian King (guitar, vocals) and David Prowse (drums). The album fills a gap of five years since their previous beautiful Celebration Rock, the album which gained a widespread acclaim from both critics and fans, and it also interrupts a long time span in which the band has been also totally silent.
Musically speaking the album is still characterized by the raw and garage-style rock sound that has marked all their previous works. The band, however, has somehow eased the most aggressive tones maintaining in any case a good emotional tension in all the tracks of the LP. A very nice characteristic of their music is given by the perfect way in which the different sounds and instruments fit one on the other, adding incremental layers as the song develops.
The duo have nailed the art of the crunching, life-affirming crescendo. The title track has rousing get-in-a-moshpit-and-hug-your-mates choruses but it’s also pleasantly grown-up: emo-rock for those who still wear plaid shirts and skate shoes but who also now brew their own craft ale. (The Guardian)
As soon as we started playing the new album by Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes we knew that we were in front of a great work. Modern Ruin, in fact, not only does contain quite a good number of good songs, but it is graced as a whole by a positive energy that emanates from every one of the 12 tracks included in the disc.
Don’t come to Modern Ruin looking to be cheered up then, but if it’s catharsis you’re after, there’s nothing more fitting. (NME)
This is the second LP produced by the British band and it arrives on the shelves a year and a half after the sensational debut album, Blossom. Frank Carter, the leader of the band, became however famous first as the frontman of the English hardcore punk outfit Gallows, then as the leader of the American-British rock band Pure.
Compared to Carter’s previous works, Modern Ruin may seem more inclined to melody and somehow less visceral, but this didn’t affect the pleasantness of the songs and indeed the album has gained fluidity and longevity.
You will find in this compilation the best rock music of 2017 (so far!), selected and mixed into a single explosive playlist. With artists such as Frank Carter, Japandroids, Cloud Nothings. Dropkick Murphys, The Jesus and Mary Chain, CJ Ramone, Danko Jones, Nothington, Kasabian, AFI (and many others), this is the definitive playlist for the first 4 months of the year. Enjoy!!
In the End is the new studio release by San Francisco alternative-punk rockers Nothington. The album interrupts a period of silence of almost five years since their last studio release and it arrives when the band is celebrating ten years of activity. Born on the ashes of their former band Tsunami Bomb, Nothington’s founders Gabe Lindeman and Jay Northington have developed through the years a special and successful mix of catchy end energetic punk rock, which allowed them to gain a relatively high commercial success and made them as one of the most important rock groups from the Bay Area.
In their last work, the guys from Californian repeat their successful musical recipe without any particolar innovation: radio-friendly catchy rock and melodic punk-rock anthems. There are a few moments where the tones are a bit more thoughful and introspective, but the essence of the album is definitely on the energy side. Sometimes we don’t need at any cost musical innovations or masterpieces, but just nice and good rock songs to put in our musical playlists.
Edit: there is a new playlist for Indie & Punk Rock which can be accessed from the home page!
We’ve selected and mixed the best songs from the Top Ten Indie & Punk Rock Albums in 2017. This playlist features tracks by The Menzingers, CJ Ramone, Rejected, Danko Jones, AFI, You Me At Six, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Cloud Nothings, The Sounds of Liberty, Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes and Japandroids.
Edit: if you arrived to this page via a search engine, please be aware that there are updated charts about Rock for the year 2017. Check them out from the home page, you can jump easily into the the Rock section from the website menu.
Here we are again! Let’s see the top 10 Indie Rock and Punk albums that have been released in the first quarter of 2017.
Modern Ruin is the second album released by Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes, which follows their debut in 2015. This record contains an impressive number of beautiful and energetic songs, we foresee that this will compete for a long time for the best position in the chart.
Maybe not as extraordinary as their previous releases, Near to the Wild Heart of Life is in any case a solid and enjoyable work from the Japandroids. In their third album the Canadian rockers have somehow softened their sound with lighter tones and most accessible melodies, without losing too much of their aggressive charge.
Short Stories of Pain & Glory is the ninth studio album released by the legendary American punk rockers and even this time we fell in love with their crazy stories and their celtic anthems.
Life Without Sound is the fourth studio album released by the American indie rock band from Ohio. This is a delightful collection of post-punk and indie-rock songs whose value fully reveals the more you listen to them.
Night People is the fifth studio album published by the English rock band You Me At Six and, for many critics, it’s their most natural and accomplished step so far.
Damage and Joy is the seventh album in the career of The Jesus and Mary Chain and it seems in every respect the natural evolution of their earlier works, despite all the time that has passed in the meantime (their previous LP dates back to 1998).
American Beauty is the third solo album by CJ Ramone, the former bassist and vocalist of the Ramones and today one of the three surviving members of the legendary punk group. The album still keeps the spirit of classic punk and was recorded with the stellar backing band of Steve Soto (Adolescents), Dan Root (Adolescents), and Pete Sosa (Street Dogs).
Wild Cat is the eighth studio album from the Canadian rock trio which is led by vocalist and guitarist Danko Jones. The album benefits from a fantastic production and it contains an handful of enjoyable and furious rock songs.
The eleventh album by the influential Southern Californian hardcore punk pioneers is one of the most inspired albums of the last decades.
The comeback album by the American rock band is the tenth studio release of their long career.
And The Wasters are a funny and explosive group from Bristol which gained some recognition in the UK and Europe in the last few years for their ability to mix Folk-Punk and Ska with Hip-hop, Balkan and Latin grooves. The band supports a number of political campaigns withing the Punk world and beyond, and they are also active in promoting and fertilizing the “Do It Yourself” scene.
A few days ago the band released on bandcamp their new EP, named State of Repair. You can listen to the five songs of the EP with the widget below this text. The good news, however, is that the album can be dowloaded for free (you may decide you price, actually). The free digital download includes high-quality files in both MP3 and FLAC. Check it out!
Enjoy this selection of the most energetic and aggressive punk songs released in the first two months of the year. And do it fast, before the Brexit takes place!
The compilation includes tracks from Dune Rats, Danko Jones, Frank Carter, Dropkick Murphys, Japandroids and Cloud Nothings. Special guest: Nigel Farage speaking to the European Parliament.
As soon as we started playing the new album by Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes we knew that we were in front of a great work. Modern Ruin, in fact, not only does contain quite a good number of good songs, but it is graced as a whole by a positive energy that emanates from every one of the 12 tracks included in the disc.
This is the second LP produced by the British band and it arrives on the shelves a year and a half after the sensational debut album, Blossom. Frank Carter, the leader of the band, became however famous first as the frontman of the English hardcore punk outfit Gallows, then as the leader of the American-British rock band Pure. Compared to Carter’s previous works, Modern Ruin may seem more inclined to melody and somehow less visceral, but this didn’t affect the pleasantness of the songs and indeed the album has gained fluidity and (we believe) longevity. As a matter of fact it’s now almost one month that a number of songs from this LP are played in rotation in my mp3 reader and I must say that they keep on working as an injection of raw energy and, in fact, I always find myself turning up the volume.
Guerino’s rating: 8 / 10.
The second album that the former Gallows/Pure Love mainman has made with this new band acknowledges his past while embracing his present, resulting in a compelling overview of Carter’s varied, layered songwriting skills. (AP)
Don’t come to ‘Modern Ruin’ looking to be cheered up then, but if it’s catharsis you’re after, there’s nothing more fitting. (NME)
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