Top 10 for 2010

I usually don't have much to say about hardcore and punk but if I was to recommend ten records that came out last year they would be these ones.

1. HERATYS LP - HERATYS are from Sweden. They are made up of members from Malmo and Uppsala. The weird thing is they sing in Finnish. But they play d-beat which is most closely associated with the Swedish sound. An unrelenting d-beat sound that reminds me more of what AARITILA were trying to accomplish with their mixing of Swedish and Finnish hardcore. I welcome this mixing of the two Scandi traditions. (Not Enough - Poststugan 144, 211 65 Malmö, SWEDEN / dustnconcrete@yahoo.com / http://notenough.se/)

2. CITIZENS PATROL LP - Holland’s latest hardcore prodigy. It seems like there is one every year from Holland. CITIZENS PATROL are from a small town in the south known as Paningen and some of the members used to play in a band called MY REPLY. The band has been nursed on early American hardcore and sounds like some hybrid of early RKL meets the ACCUSED meets ANTIDOTE, but without the dodgy poilitics. This is their third release but their first full length. 15 songs on 45 RPMs will rip you a new one. (Way Back When Records - Taskinlaan 9 / 2361XM Warmond / The Netherlands / http://www.waybackwhenrecords.com // Even Worse - Noel de Boer, / van Ostadestr 93-F / 1072SR, Amsterdam / the Netherlands / http://members.upc.nl/n.boer445/index1.htm)

3. PAHAA VERTA LP – This is the band’s third release but their first full length. They are from just outside of Helsinki and play a brand of hardcore akin to HERESY meets HERO DISHONEST with some early EXCLAIM manicness. (Bad Hair Life – e-mail: mosquitopool@gmail.com / http://badhairliferecords.blogspot.com/)

4. CHUCK DAMAGE / SHORT FUSE split ep – CHUCK DAMAGE and SHORT FUSE have done to NEGATIVE APPROACH what DS-13 did for MINOR THREAT a decade ago. Breathed new life into the sound. They are the latest champions of the motor city legends that starts with VOORHEES and ends with DEAD STOP. Both bands are from Munster, Germany which is near the border to Holland. I understand that the band’s share a member or two. They certainly share a scene and an inspiration. Makes for a split that sounds like a single. (Hardware – P.O. Box 1646 / 49006 Osnabruck / Germany / www.hardware-records.com)

5. LAPINPOTHAJAT LP – A new release by a band that comes from a town with the population of 300 in Lappland. Those are already harsh odds and making good punk rock. But when it embodies some of the greats from the Finnish cannon like RATTUS, RIISTETYT and APPENDIX you become the stuff of legend. They are like the SONS OF ISHMAEL of the Finnish scene. (Kämäset Levyt – Nakari / Iisakintie 18 / 37560 Lempäälä / Finland / www.punkinfinland.net/kamanen)


6. P.R.O.B.L.E.M.S. – A Portland band made up of scene veterans who’s lineage includes RESIST and POISON IDEA. This could either be really bad or really good. Well if it has made my top favourite releases for 2010 you know which way I have decided. The baggage of their past does not interfere with these guys writing some punk anthems. I think it only facilitates the process. This two song ep leaves me needing more. There was only 300 of these pressed so I consider myself lucky to have one. (Tombstone Records – 4546 NE 33rd Avenue / Portland, OR / 97211 / USA / kellymotxo@hotmail.com)

7. THE ERGS! “Thrash Compactor” ep – This is a one sided 7”. I hate bands who don’t make use of all the space they have. But this is simply explained by how quickly these songs go by. There are 5 of them. And they were recorded three years ago, which makes me feel weird about putting them on a Top 10 from 2010. But most of these bands recorded these in a year other than 2010. It was only brought to our attention in this year with it’s release. The ERGS were from New Jersey and so references to A.O.D. constantly get made. But Jersey is a silly place. Bands like BEDLAM expressed it even better.The ERGS continue along in that tradition. If you took the manic power of NEW BOMB TURKS, combined it with the BEDLAM sense of humour and made them write songs that were like STARK RAVING MAD or STRAIGHT AHEAD length you would start to understand the genius of the ERGS. “I Shot the Devil’s Son” seems like a remake of SUICIDAL TENDENCIES “I Shot the Devil”. It is the same subject matter. I mean the exact same. And “Throttle Boy” and “Society Hill” rip right into each other. And who the fuck is Johnny Rzeznick? I am ready to kick his ass based on how good the ERGS are. No one this good could have a bogus vendetta. I shouldn’t be hyping posthumous releases but this one is worth it. (Grave Mistake Records – P.O. Box 12482 / Richmond, VA / 23241 / USA / www.gravemistakerecords.com // Firestarter Records – 2619 Guilford Avenue / Baltimore, MD / 21218 / USA / www.firestarterrecords.com)

8. COMMITMENT CREW “What are You?” LP – COMMITMENT CREW are from Sweden. They do not sound like what you think of when you think of Swedish hardcore. Particularily the d-beat known for coming from Goteburg. Distortion Records was form here and always put out the monster kang releases that would define Swedish hardcore. Instead you get some Boston / DC appreciation in the form of a band that sounds like SLAPSHOT meets SSD meets IRON CROSS. Neat idea bringing together two scenes that used to be at war with each other. (Crucial Response Records - Von-der-Mark Str. 31 - HH / 47137 Duisburg / www.crucialresponse.com)

9. GLOM DA! “Grisigast I Ostergotland” ep – Yet another Swedish band in my top 10. I’m partial to Swedes, what can I say. My mom’s family lives there and they took her in during the war, but that is not why I love Sweden so much. It is hardcore like GLOM DA. It is all out fierce sounding and super political. This release has songs about the H1N1 paranoia, Nazis, MP3 files, and a neat parody of MODERAT LIKVIDATION. They totally remind me of an early version of AVSKUM. Five labels pulled together to release this. (Smattra Kang – glomda@gmail.com)

10. YDINPERHE “Hyvinvointikakarat” ep – YDINPERHE from Helsinki remind me of HATE UNIT in their unassuming straight forward hardcore approach. Short fast songs. Isn’t that what it is all about? (Vilja Joensuu – Hameentie 6C 34 / 00530 Helsinki / Finland / ydinperhe@gmail.com)