Best of 2010

First things first: Warpaint's The Fool was this year's best record. I'm a punk at heart, so most of my friends gawked at my love for them. Whatever, you don't get a Rumours every decade, so when it comes you have to take notice.

That said, I still had my eye on a lot of punk this year. From my list you'll see my pallet is quite Canadian-centric. Well, it's not my fault that we have some of the best punk and metal bands around.

Hoser-shit aside, I was blissfully impressed by Early Graves's debut record Goner. That came viciously close to Agnostic Front's Victim In Pain, for many, myself included, the pinnacle new-age hardcore record. On the other end of the spectrum was Jam frontman Paul Weller's solo record Wake Up The Nation. Chock-full of dubs and delectable garage-to-anywhere guitar, he approached filling Joe Strummer's shoes.

Anyway, enough of my rambling. Here's my favourite records, in the genres I have the right to judge, of 2010.

PUNK

1. Fucked Up - Year Of The Ox
2. Germ Attak - Death to Cops EP
3. Little Girls - Concepts
4. The Business - Doing The Business
5. No Age - Everything In Between

HARDCORE/METAL

1. Fuck The Facts - Unnamed EP
2. Bison BC - Dark Ages
3. Early Graves - Goner
4. 1349 - Demonoir
5. Madball - Empire

INDIE/GARAGE

1. Warpaint - The Fool
2. Myelin Sheaths - Get On Your Nerves
3. The Sadies - Darker Circles
4. Best Coast - Crazy For You
5. Weakerthans - Live At The Burton Cummings Theatre

This article was originally published by Tangible Sounds

Early Graves

Goner

Rating: 4.5/5

Listen To: Rot
Skip It: Nothing.

All I can say to all my friends lately is "Holy fuck! Early Graves is awesome!" Their sophomore album, Goner, is a non-stop blowout of ferocious hardcore, dipping into thrash, punk and death metal for a smorgasbord of musical monstrosity.

Title track "Goner" jolts you into hysteria using a blaring siren effect, and then quickly slips into Early Graves's fast paced momentum. Chris Brock and Tyler Jensen's thrash knack is right at the fore front, buzz grinding through riffs like the best of 'em. The track provides a tasty breakdown with gut-ripping Terror-style vibrance. Enough said, I know, but I must go on.

"Rot" has an oldschool street tinge reminiscent of Victim In Pain era Agnostic Front. Raunchy guitar feedback rings over blasting drums before tempo slows for a crashing breakdown, and Makh Daniels venomously rips through the mic like a latter day GG Allin.

"Rot" leads seamlessly into another blastout, "May Day," which turns into a sludgy chug-fest for which Daniels keeps splattering his little black heart out. The song drowns out with over a minute of resonating guitar whine before "Wraiths" keeps the tempo down, relying on heavy metal riffing and more melodic feedback.

"Trauma," "Give Up" and "Bastard Tears" get your shitkickers moving again to their crashy, four-on-the-floor progressions. Brock and Jensen riff, chug, and solo around in amazing hooky fashion. Final track "Harm," another electroshocking feedback display, features John Strachan from The Funeral Pyre on vocals for a most furrow-browed album sender.

Simple yet one of a kind, Goner will leave you bloody nosed with its relentless energy.

Track Listing:

1. Goner
2. Faith Is Shit
3. Old Bones
4. Rot
5. May Day
6. Wraiths
7. Trauma
8. Give Up
9. Bastard Tears
10. Harm

Published by Tangible Sounds Magazine