Best Punk Albums of 2009

Despite real lack of anything new on the "bonus disc," the rereleased material on this compilation is essential enough that Enter The Vaselines warrants inclusion on this list. With lyrics full of double-entendres and tongue-in-cheek references, blended with guitar lines that are often as dirty as their minds, the Vaselines simultaneously blend a playful innocence and a raw sexuality in their songs. Key to it all are the pairing of Eugene Kelly's bold and occasionally gruff vocals with Frances McKee’s sweet, innocent coyness. Together, the play between the pairing is like peeking into a teenage summer romance.

One of the most influential and talented of post-hardcore bands, Thursday also one of the bands that made it OK for millions of bad screamo bands to follow in their wake. Setting that bias aside, it becomes also plain to that what sets Thursday apart their weak progeny is their ability to continually evolve and explore sound, and simply not settle into a fast riff accompanied by the overwhelming pairing of incomprehensible screams and heartfelt emo lyrics. Essentially, Common Existence is the way post-hardcore should always be done.

With a brutal blend of grindcore, electro and high weirdness, iwrestledabearonce have managed to warp grind into a bizarre hybrid that appeals to fans of the most brutal music, and everyone else as well. On one hand, the band displays an extreme talent for playing pure instrumental viciousness, with frenzied blasts of tight guitars and all-out noise accompanied by the deep death metal growls of Krysta Cameron, the band’s vocalist, which barely sound human, let alone like they could be coming from a woman. On the other hand, electro-laden hoedowns, Bjork-ish interludes and electronic beats keep the music more varied, interesting, complex and fun than your typical grind record.

In what has become 2009's most welcome and exciting transition, Old Crows/Young Cardinals finds Alexisonfire making a steady transition from post-hardcore to hardcore. Vocalist George Petit has traded his screaming in for vocals that are grating and gravel-coated, and the resulting record is rawer and more punk, without really changing who Alexisonfire is as a band. I for one welcome the abandonment of screaming and hope it becomes a heavily followed trait in the near future of punk.

While many albums earn their stripes for being innovative, or for showing the evolution, maturation and progression of the band involved, Coaster earns its spot on the list for being just the opposite. Instead, it's a NOFX record, and rather than go for any big surprises, it delivers exactly what one would want from a NOFX record. With the requisite rants about religion and politics, and liberal drug and alcohol references, Coaster is like a joke we’ve all heard before, but it's so funny that we never get tired of hearing it.

When the frontman for a hardcore band hangs it up to become a folk singer, one would be surprised to find out that the resulting records are even punker. But that’s what happened when Frank Turner, former singer for Million Dead, went unplugged, and on Poetry of the Deed, Turner has probably made his punkest record yet.

As a singer-songwriter, Turner has become an amalgamation of all his experiences, a folk-punk troubadour that is equal parts Woody Guthrie, Billy Bragg and Joe Strummer. His songs and songwriting are deeply emotional, but not in “go cry in the corner, emo boy” sort of a way, but more in the sort of way that makes you want to hoist a pint with a bittersweet tear in your eye.

The followup to 2007's Both Before I'm Gone, Trio B.C. is a clear sign that the girls of Girl In A Coma have never even heard of a sophomore slump. The trio from Joan Jett’s Blackheart Records have produced diverse record that shows a lot of maturing, and while the Smiths influence is ever apparent, the band also displays a louder, heavier sound, grabbing a rawer guitar sound, often coupled with fuzzy, loud instrumentation.

Rancid's first studio album in six years was definitely a record worth waiting for. Featuring a variety of sounds that range from classic Rancid to old school rocksteady ska, Let The Dominoes Fall is both the most complex and topical Rancid album so far. while still maintaining the essence of what makes Rancid so good. It's exactly what one should hope for from a band that has over the years exemplified punk rock in the U.S.

Another amazing release from the Texans who make great records and put on even better live shows, Underneath the Owl collects and redistributes all of the energy we know and love the Gamblers for, tempered with songs that are more complex than on earlier releases and what is probably the best road anthem written in years.

New Tomorrow's debut on Frank Iero's (My Chemical Romance, Leathermouth) Skeleton Crew Records, We’re Counting On The Youth is a blast of old school hardcore that tastes like a breath of fresh air. At times, the album produces blasting drumbeats and buzz saw guitars that evoke old school influences like Circle Jerks, Black Flag and Bad Religion, and when they dig deep, they sound like they're playing heavily revved-up Less Than Jake anthems.

We’re Counting On The Youth is a flawless example of what hardcore has been, and will hopefully continue to be; music that's equally at home in a circle pit or in a stereo.