1. Frank Turner – Tape Deck Heart
Frank Turner has to be probably my favourite singer/songwriter of this last decade. The problem is that at times he actually makes me angry in the way that he writes songs which I feel like I should have written, and is basically doing what I think I would be doing if I had such an opportunity to focus on creating music as a profession. He comes from a fairly hardcore punk rock background, but has settled into playing acoustic based folk tales, but not without his raging punk spirit and a vigilant defiance against growing out of it. He is now 5 albums in, and Tape Deck Heart is probably his most focused and consistent effort to date. On each album he has managed to include at least a song or two that almost never fails to make me cry. His lyrics are always strikingly poignant and desperately sincere. His songs always seem to hit that sweet spot in the core of my soul that sometimes needs to be sung to and be assured with that simple melody that everything is going to be ok. What stands out about this record is that each and every song has something in it that speaks to me.
Song to check out: "The Way I Tend To Be"
2. Bad Religion – True North
Bad Religion never really stopped putting out albums. The problem is that most of them since Generator have not been particularly outstanding. For the most part they have always somewhat maintained their uptempo, anthemic spirit with clever melodies and deeply intelligent lyrics. However, they just seemed to sound as if on auto-pilot for a decade or so without really bringing anything exciting to the table. True North seems like a very appropriate title for this new record. After a lengthy string of albums plagued by major label pressure, lineup changes, and just a general lack of focus and direction, this album has the band finding the same formula that made Suffer and No Control such incredible landmarks in punk rock. These songs are rampant with vitriol and social anxiety, while further mastering the art of layered melodies and with catchy, yet tasteful choruses.
Song to check out: "Land of Endless Greed"
3. The Bronx – IV
The Bronx are really what rock and roll has needed for a long time. They play a sleazy, cocaine-fuelled type of hard rock that is wildly reminiscent of Appetite For Destruction -era Guns ‘n Roses, while blatantly espousing a penchant for hardcore rhythms in the vein of Black Flag. They have also progressively and very gradually incorporated more melody into their sound with each successive album. This is their most melodic outing yet, but I assure still maintains every bit of their destructive edge. Their previous 3 records have all been solid, and are brilliant with classic hard rock grooves and raw aggression. The improvement here is the attention to actual songwriting. Their songs now are just now more distinctive from one another with their outstanding choruses that are shamelessly designed to worm their way inside your head and stay there.
Song to check out: "Too Many Devils"
4. The Motorleague – Acknowledge, Acknowledge
If you’re as tired as I am of bands like The Trews representing what Eastern Canada offers for rock music, then you probably already own this album and don’t need my testimony. You would know this record is astoundingly brilliant with hard rock that is very carefully and artfully crafted, yet is still quite to the point and ridiculously infectious. The band takes their name from the title of a Propagandhi song, to suggest some melodic hardcore background, but this album actually comes off sounding like arena rock at times with some very epic hooks. It is very clear in the sound that everything in here is very professionally produced, and this is something that really brings these songs alive. The songwriting is extremely strong, and the heavy production qualities bring life to these massive choruses which can rival some of the best Foo Fighters hooks.
Song to check out: "Burned in Effigy"
5. Son Volt – Honky Tonk
I’ve always felt like this band has been one of the most criminally overlooked acts in music. Their first 3 albums were perfect statements of gritty roots rock with a very sincere and authentic country influence. Jay Farrar also has one of the most real and honest voices for such a singer/songwriter in this realm that is almost a perfect meld of Neil Young and Steve Earle. I’ve always loved their brilliant amalgam of sloppy rustic harmonies with loud overdriven guitars. Honky Tonk, as its title suggests, is the band’s first outing that is all-out country. This is somewhat of a throwback effort that pays brilliant homage to the classic Bakersfield sound in the vein of Buck Owens, with lots of weepy pedal steel and southern fiddle. This sound doesn’t push the band into any real adventurous territory, however this is a very fitting platform for Farrar’s songwriting and everything just feels right when listening to this album. It’s like comfort food for the soul.
Song to check out: "Seawall"
6. Queens Of The Stone Age - …Like Clockwork
This album was well worth the wait after the band’s very reckless and inconsistent Era Vulgaris five years ago. The band re-shifts and simplifies their focus here and comes out with a very solid and thorough bombast of super heavy riffage and funky grooves, all brilliantly laced with incredibly catchy hooks and an expected cocky swagger that only these guys can pull off with such charm and grace.
Song to check out: "I Sat By The Ocean"
7. Alkaline Trio – My Shame Is True
There isn’t anything terribly adventurous or exciting with the new Alkaline Trio album. However, it is a very refreshing return to form after the last few outings which were an overproduced experiment in banality. Matt Skiba took a few years vacation to exploit his guilty impulses to create pedestrian pop rock, but this record feels like a very comfortable return to catchy, but ironically dark pop-punk with all of the trademark hooks and clever self-deprecating lyrics. Everything here is immediately fetching, and many of the songs ring with welcome familiarity and sincere passion.
Song to check out: "One Last Dance"
8. Arctic Monkeys – AM
This is the first Arctic Monkeys record to really grab me. This album really reaches and touches on all kinds of interesting sonic influences, while still keeping a firm footing in classic British invasion style rock music. The guitars get loud, but there are funky beats abound, and even with some solid hip-hop grooves and jazzy interludes. The rock influences are also very stated, which some overt homage to the Rolling Stones and the Velvet Underground.
Song to check out: "Arabella"
9. Billy Bragg –Tooth & Nail
For this newest effort from Bragg, he takes it a bit easy on the political rhetoric and settles into some more simple, yet effective songwriting. The atmosphere is very warm and simplistic, and allows for his voice to carry his honest and charming narratives, with some very basic instrumental accompaniment courtesy of his acoustic guitar, some Dobro, and pedal steel.
Song to check out: "No One Knows Nothing Anymore"
10. The Flatliners –Dead Language
This is a band which has slowly evolved from a prototypical ska-core outfit to a more direct sounding melodic punk rock. The journey has been fun, as their previous albums have been an enjoyable tapestry of punching riffs, engaging hooks, and deep ska-grooves. Where we finally arrive is a place where the ska sounds are eliminated altogether, in favour of a more focused approach to emotion, melody, and calculated aggression. The melodic elements are very prominent, and make for catchy anthemic choruses, and tasty harmonic interludes.
Song to check out: "Drown In Blood"
