F & L Best of 2018

I've been teasing my best of 2018 lists all month on Facebook, but I always save my official lists for the very end of the year. Once again, the amount of great music released this year far exceeds my capacity to keep up with all of it. So what follows accounts for only a fraction of the best punk, power pop, and rock n' roll music released in 2018. On to it!

Top 20 Albums of 2018
Honestly, I could have easily done a top 25 or top 30 albums and not run out of worthy contenders. Streaming links have been provided when available.

20. Hakan -  III
Hakan's third album wasn't too different from its second, which wasn't too different from its first. If it ain't broken, why fix it? Garage pop/punk done right!


19. Sore Points - self titled 
Sometimes nothing less than pure blistering punk rock will do. A classic debut from this Vancouver trio recalling the heyday of DOA and The Subhumans.


18. Jagger Holly- The Last of the International Playboys
The best pop-punk album in at least five years.


17. Freak Genes - Qwak Qwak
The dynamic duo of Andrew Anderson and Charlie Murphy return with 17 more songs marrying the experimental/arty side of '70s UK punk to modern-day garage and pop. Now with 100% more synthesizers! Somehow this album manages to be both weirder and catchier than its predecessor.


16. Extra Arms - Headacher  
No longer just a vehicle for solo Ryan Allen, Extra Arms are now a full-fledged rock band playing alt rock/power pop of the crunching later '90s vintage. Recommended if you like Superdrag, Sugar, Foo Fighters, etc.


15. Blockhouses - Greatest Hit Songs Of All-Time 
Long-awaited debut from NYC power trio featuring Guy Lyons (ex Figgs) on guitar and vocals. If you like power pop that doesn't stray far from the blueprint of good old rock n' roll, this is the album for you.


14. The Peawees - Moving Target
After more than two decades as a band, The Peawees somehow manage to keep getting better. Moving Target remains faithful to the band's punk rock n' roll roots while also incorporating the influence of soul music, new wave, and Springsteen anthem rock. Their best album yet?


13. The Speedways - Just Another Regular Summer 
This was the surprise power pop delight of 2018: a one-off project from Matt Julian (The Breakdowns). 12 brilliant tracks that would not sound out of a place on a compilation of the best of '70s power pop.


12. Nick Piunti -  Temporary High
The creative run that Nick Piunti has been on in recent years really needs to be appreciated. Temporary High is his fourth album in six years, and it's another clinic on how to write perfect pop songs with clever lyrics.


11. Tommy and the Commies - Here Come...
Debut album from Sudbury, Ontario powerpop/punk trio will have you pushing the repeat button all day. Like the Dickies? Like the Buzzcocks? You'll like this!


10. Shanda and the Howlers - Hurt For Me 
This band's debut Trouble was one of my favorite albums of 2017, and the follow-up did not disappoint! Hurt For Me compared to Trouble has a rawer sound and digs deeper into old blues and roots R & B. If you're on Spotify, check out "Baby, You're The One" for an example of perfection in soul music. I can't understand why Shanda Cisneros is not yet recognized as an international singing superstar!

9. The Cavemen - Nuke Earth 
The title pretty much says it all. Blood and guts rock n' roll extraordinaire from the world's most dangerous band.


8. Rich Ragany - ...Like We'll Never Make It
Following three Role Models albums in three years, Rich Rags releases his solo debut...and it's brilliant! No longer confined to the arenas of glam-punk and power pop, Ragany emerges as a singer/songwriter of tremendous talent and broad appeal. A truly stunning effort.

7. The Kurt Baker Combo - Let's Go Wild! 
Kurt Baker is such a prolific talent that it can be easy to take his output for granted. That would be a mistake! His second studio album with the Combo is a great example of how to take the live energy of the best garage rock n' roll and actually capture it on record.

6. The Connection - Wish You Success 
You know 'em, you love 'em, and they've come through again! 11 brand-new Palmer/Marino originals that were well worth the three-year wait. America's best rock n' roll band.


5. Neighborhood Brats - Claw Marks 
This album is proof that great punk albums are still being made in 2018. The style is still classic SoCal punk, but with this album the Brats show a greater melodic sensibility and a fondness for the pummeling sounds of the Stooges and Saints. With meaningful lyrics of both a political and personal nature, this is your soundtrack album for the real life dystopia we are currently experiencing.


4. Lovesores - Gods of Ancient Grease 
Hot take: this is as good as any Humpers album.


3. Terry and Louie - ...A Thousand Guitars 
The super-duo of Terry Six and Louie Bankston finally release their long-awaited debut album, and it's every bit the face-melting masterpiece Louie told me it would be. American release coming in late January!

2. Devious Ones - Plainview Nights 
A+ powerpop/punk that reads like a love letter to Detroit and the entire American Midwest. The title track is an instant classic.


1. Phone Jerks -  self titled 
Did I step through a portal to 2003?! Alien Snatch Records has released my favorite album of the year, and it sounds like a combination of every classic Rip Off Records LP ever issued. This is garage punk as garage punk ought to be: trashy, primitively recorded, and so transparently derivative that you can make a drinking game out of identifying the stolen Teengenerate and Supercharger riffs. This is exactly the album I've been waiting for someone to make the last few years. And it couldn't have been made better! Make sure your liquor cabinet is stocked.


Honorable Mentions:
Dark Thoughts - At Work
Lucy and the Rats - self titled
Real Sickies - Get Well Soon
The Mandates - Dead In The Face 
Maniac - Dead Dance Club 

Looking at the above list, I must say it was a fine year for LPs. I ended up leaving out quite a few albums I really liked, and of course there were a number of albums that I intended to listen to but never got around to hearing. Perhaps I will rectify some of that over the next week or two. Anyone who claims that there's no good music out there these days needs to dig a little deeper!


Top Five Singles of 2018
5. Fashionism - "Come On My Baby"
Sounding more pop than ever, and you know I'm not complaining!


4. Midnite Snaxxx - "Let Me Do What I Want"  
Last year's F & L album of the year winners came back strong again in 2018. This was their second of two excellent singles.


3. Amyl and the Sniffers - "Some Mutts (Can't Be Muzzled)" 
I'm rarely in agreement with the "cooler" precincts of the punk press. But in this case of this band, all of the hype is justified. I love "Cup of Destiny" so much! 


2. Control Freaks - Double Dose of Hate
Best single yet from Lowery and company. Two songs, and they're both about hate. Gotta love it!


1. The Cheap Cassettes - "Kiss the Ass of My Heart"
Technically an EP, but half of the songs are from a previous single. So I count it as a single. Either way, this one should have sold millions and made tabloid celebrities out of these power pop heartthrobs. In a just world, people would be shouting this chorus in the streets! 



Top Six EPs of 2018
5. Justine and the Unclean - Heartaches and Hot Problems 
Justine Covault is emerging fast as one of my favorite songwriters.  


5. Indonesian Junk - Darkness Calling 
Yes, I'm aware I have two number number fives. I just could not leave either of them out! Pound for pound, this might be the strongest IndoJunk release to date. If Joey Ramone, Stiv Bators, and Iggy pop somehow all fathered the same baby...
 
4. Gino and the Goons - "She Was Crushed"
They also released an album this year, which I only recently discovered was available to hear online. I like this EP even better. "Wrong Side of a Cigarette" is the Ramones rip all Ramones rip-offs wish they could write.  


3. The SUCK - self titled
Street rock has taken over, and there is just no turning back. Debut album coming sooner than you realize.


2. The Dahlmanns - American Heartbeat
Songs written by Bjôrne Frôberg/Chips Kiesby and performed by The Dahlmanns. If you think that sounds epic, you would be very right! 


1. Night Birds - Roll Credits 
You could argue that this was actually an album, but the band was going for its own version of some of the classic hardcore 12" EPs that came out in the '80s. So I will respectfully follow the band's format definition. Although, you know, it is longer than Circle Jerks' Group Sex...




Top Debut of 2018:
Character Actor - self titled
New Jersey dad rock supergroup featuring Jeff Schroeck (Black Wine, Ergs!), Brian Gorsegner (Night Birds), and Evan Kiel (Forward To Death) plays loud, fuzzy pop that wouldn't sound out of a place on a mixed tape between Husker Du and Dinosaur Jr. I could sit around all day reading lyrics by Jeff Schroeck! 


Top Album of 2018 (Masters Class):
Swingin' Utters - Peace and Love
I have traditionally awarded this honor to the best album released by a band that's 25 years or more into its career. Don't let the title fool you into thinking the Swingin' Utters have gone soft. They've never sounded more impassioned or overtly political, and Peace and Love is absolutely a "vintage" Swingin' Utters release. These guys are practically writing the manual on how to achieve longevity as a punk band. 


Top 2017 Cassette Released as an LP in 2018:
The Whiffs - self titled 
Originally titled Take A Whiff, this debut album from Kansas City's The Whiffs sounds like a lost classic of American power pop circa 1978. Second LP due out in 2019!


Top Singles Collection of 2018:
Geoff Palmer - All The Hits and Some Other Shit 
If I had not conveniently classified this as compilation, it would have been one of my top ten albums!


Top Vinyl-Only Release of 2018:
Jonesy - self titled 
I wish I had been able to review this one, but it is not available via any digital format. Debut album from Montreal trio follows in the spirit of its infamous debut single. Catchy New York style '77 punk with lyrics that make the Dead Boys sound like choir boys! 


Top Label of 2018:
Bachelor Records
I could easily have given this one to Drunken Sailor Records again, but how about some love for Bachelor Records in the year it put out its 100th release? Not only did Bachelor release my #3 album of the entire year, but it also issued two of my top ten singles in Control Freaks' "I Am Crime" and Midnite Snaxxx's "Let Me Do What I Want". And that rescuing of The Reekys' debut album from the dustbin of history was a wonderful surprise! Let's hear it for Bachelor Records - still going strong after 13 years!  


So there you have it. 2018 was a great year for new music. I know I say that every year. But let me tell you: the year I stop saying that is the year that I stop doing this blog! Bring on 2019!


-L.R.

Final Thoughts: 2018

On the eve of New Year's Eve, I reflect back on this blog's eighth year of existence and look forward to its ninth. When I started F & L, I didn't really have a vision for how long I would be doing it. But I certainly never imagined it going on as long as it has. I would attribute its longevity to the same thing that surely frustrates a lot of you who submit music to me: I'm very selective about what I write about. If you haven't figured it out by now, I have a personal philosophy of only writing positive reviews. I have limited hours to work on this blog, and I will not waste my time writing about stuff that I'm not excited about. Moreover, I try to "stay in my lane" of punk rock, power pop, and rock n' roll. Honestly, I get a lot of submission that are quite good that I simply don't have time to get to.

That said, if I do have a 2019 "New Year's resolution" for F & L, it's to make more of an effort to write about new bands. There was so much great music this year from bands that I have previously covered, and my focus on all of that took me away from seeking out newer groups. I just think this is a great time to be into punk, power pop, and rock n' roll. You will never find me complaining about how terrible mainstream music is. Seriously, who cares what's being played on the radio? Between podcasts/Internet radio, streaming services, and online platforms like Bandcamp, there are SO many ways to hear music that doesn't suck. Especially within the general style of music that I follow, there are as many great bands out there as ever. That's what motivates me to keep this blog going. Frankly, I foresee myself writing an even smaller quantity of reviews in 2019. And of course I will have much to say about personal favorites of mine (Pale Lips and Nato Coles, you're on deck!). But I also plan to discover a whole lot of new bands - or at least bands that are new to me (probably already covered by Mick Fletcher years ago! Ha!). I'll be back tomorrow with my best of 2018 list, and then it's on to a new year!

-L.R.

Geoff Palmer - All the Hits and Some Other Shit

This will likely be the last proper review I write in 2018, and I can't think of a better way to wrap up such a fine year in music. This really has been the year of The Connection. The band released the brilliant Wish You Success -  its first new album in three years. On top of that, Brad Marino and Geoff Palmer both released a number of digital solo singles. Palmer released so many singles this year that I wasn't able to keep up! Luckily he has compiled them all onto a digital collection called All The Hits and Some Other Shit. For whatever price you choose, you get all eight (!) singles plus four bonus tracks. And let me tell you: this is not a bunch of throwaway stuff that Palmer released just for kicks. These are smokin' tracks! The name of the first single was "This One's Gonna Be Hot", and I suppose it isn't boasting if it's true! I've really enjoyed hearing Palmer return to his pop-punk roots with these solo recordings. Covering the likes of Sinkhole, The Invalids, and The Vapids, Palmer has made this project a veritable tribute '90s/2000s pop-punk. And on the terrific original "I Like Murder Too", he has written the ultimate anthem for all of us who are way too obsessed with true crime shows on television. Elsewhere Palmer shows off his power pop chops on the hilariously self-deprecating "Velcro Shoes" and indulges his '60s pop worship on the magnificent "That's What You Do". The latter brings to mind his stellar contributions to The New Trocaderos. If Palmer ever did a full album of Beatles/Beach Boys inspired songs, I would be SO into that! 

Part of the fun of this project was Geoff Palmer allowing himself to record songs that might not have fit on a Connection release. On top of that, he had the opportunity to work with talented friends like B-Face and Adam Cargin. Perhaps he didn't set out to make one of the best albums of 2018, but that's sure what he ended up with! Whether you're a Connection fan or go even further back to Palmer's previous band The Guts, you would be crazy to pass up all of this pop and punk goodness!



-L.R.

https://geoffpalmer.bandcamp.com/album/all-the-hits-and-some-other-shit-singles-collection 
https://www.facebook.com/GeoffPalmerMusic/ 

Wes Hollywood - Dynamite

Let's not bury the lede here: Wes Hollywood describes his own music as "Ray Davies and Elvis Costello having a punch-up in the front row of a Cheap Trick concert". That could not be more accurate! So you can understand why I am a fan of his new album Dynamite. It really hits that spot where '60s British Invasion and '70s new wave pop intersect. Hollywood (Kingsize, tenniscourts) is a longtime fixture in the Chicago underground music scene, and he does give his largely British influences somewhat of a Midwestern power pop treatment. Nothing about Dynamite reinvents the wheel, but there's something very admirable about a guy who acknowledges his inspirations and just sets out to write really good pop songs. He's particularly adept at penning plaintive yet lovely melodies ("Nothing To See Here", "No One Loves You"). "When Sunday Roll Around" could not possibly be any more Kinks-like, yet I honestly don't mind. The Costello worship is very up-front right down to the look, so it's hardly a surprise that many of the album's better tracks are reminiscent of EC's "classic" (first three albums) period. Okay, so maybe this isn't quite The Jags. But then again, what is? I just have a soft spot for anything that reminds me of new wave and power pop circa 1978-80. And in the case of this particular record, I must say the style is carried off well. How many other songwriters out there are name-checking Bram Tchaikovsky as an influence?! Thanks to Dany Laj for turning me on to this record! 

  
-L.R.

https://weshollywood.bandcamp.com/album/dynamite 
https://www.facebook.com/WesHollywoodMusic 
https://soundcloud.com/weshollywoodmusic 

The Antidon'ts - We Reap What You Sow

I had rave reviews for The Antidon'ts a couple years back, but I must say the Florida punk trio has really outdone itself with its new album We Reap What You Sow. Musically, this release is largely vintage Antidon'ts - raging like the best of '80s hardcore/skatepunk with a touch of surf. But lyrically, it's absolutely intense and a perfect summation of present-day youthful despair. Different bands have been inspired by our current state of affairs in many different ways, and in the case of The Antidon'ts that means going very, very dark. And while the bleak outlook of this album is a tough pill to swallow, you have to admire the band for really telling it like it is. The band for the most part avoids the obvious political statements (although "Keep That Shit Out Of Our Scene" is a scathing indictment of bigotry) and instead probes into our deeper malaise. These are songs about our inability to avoid the noise and manipulations of the media, about how both sides of the political spectrum are misinformed and overly reliant on the opinions of others, about the way people have become willing participants in their own oppression. While hardly the first band to comment on the falsity of the American dream, The Antidon'ts have done so here in a way that rings particularly true in 2018. And as dark as the album gets, the message is not so much "We're doomed!" as it is "We're doomed if we don't wake the fuck up!". When the songwriting turns personal on the powerful "Confessions Of A Nihilistic Alcoholic", there's similar light peering at the end of the tunnel. It's a dark tale, but one that ends with hope and positivity.

As impressed as I was by The Antidon'ts previously, I'm pretty blown away by how far they've come in just a couple of years. They clearly put a lot of thought and effort into writing these songs, and that shows in both the music and the lyrics. We Reap What You Sow finds the band more stylistically diverse than ever, and the conviction driving these songs is undeniable. This album is a perfect reminder that when it comes to using music to articulate meaningful ideas and inspire free thought, punk rock is as vital of a force as ever.



-L.R.

https://theantidonts.bandcamp.com/album/we-reap-what-you-sow 
https://www.facebook.com/theantidonts 

The Wheelz - Top 10 Super Hits!

So do you like snotty '77-style punk? I sure do! And this new album from The Wheelz called Top 10 Super Hits! has me fondly recalling a time when this type of sound was all the rage. The Wheelz hail from Tulsa, Oklahoma and play catchy-as-hell sing-along drunk punk that takes me straight back to the '90s. Out on Wanda Records in Europe and Boulevard Trash in the States, Top 10 Super Hits! is the perfect album to crank loud when you're in a foul mood and just want everyone around you to fuck off. This album is just straight-up fun! Those gritty vocals, fist-pumping choruses, and humorous/brilliantly dumb lyrics make for a winning formula, and the somewhat jokey album title is not too far off from the truth. These guys may come off as obnoxious louts, but they sure know how to write a good song! "Throwaway" is nothing short of an instant drunk punk classic. Play it once, and you'll be singing it all night. Do they still call this sort of stuff "street punk"? I call it brilliant! 


-L.R.

https://wandarecords.bandcamp.com/album/top-10-super-hits
https://www.facebook.com/TheWheelz/
https://boulevardtrashpunk.com/
https://www.facebook.com/wandarecords/

The Reekys - self titled

Now this was a wonderful, out-of-the-blue surprise! Formed in Munich way back in 1996, The Reekys were one of Europe's leading gangs of teenpunk Ramones disciples in the late '90s/early 2000s. They released two seven-inches (one a split with fellow Germans The Boonaraaas!!!) and were immortalized in song by The Highschool Rockers. In 2005, they recorded a full-length album that never saw the light of day...until now! For its 100th release, Bachelor Records' has finally issued this "lost" debut album from The Reekys. And given the current status of Ramonescore as a thriving genre of music, perhaps this was the perfect time for a Reekys LP to come out. As it should be, this album makes no attempt to stray from the Ramones blueprint of simple and stupid punk rock. 9 of 14 tracks clock in at under two minutes, with lyrics addressing the big issues like girls, wrestling, and being an idiot. This is Ramonescore by the book, and I must say it holds up well! Whether this release brings back fond beer-soaked memories of your youth or simply speaks to your love for fun three-chord punk rock, Bachelor Records has done us a great service in unearthing it. It's limited to 500 copies, so get one before they're all gone!



-L.R.

https://thereekys.bandcamp.com/album/self-titled 
http://bachelorrecords.com/ 
https://www.facebook.com/bachelorrecords/