The Top 5 Modern Punk Albums

I've been noticing a trend lately. When I mention to any sort of casual music listener that I still follow punk music to some degree, I am greeted with one of two understandings to the term "punk". Either it is, "Oh yeah! I like punk! I just saw Simple Plan a few weeks ago!" (I'm obviously several years behind on my shitty pop "punk" bands.), or, "Oh, you mean that 3 chord stuff?"

It's begun to bother me, as punk has evolved into so much more then 3 chords repeated over and over, and it is certainly not Good Charlotte (Old reference again! Did they die? I kind of hope so.). So I've decided to make a Top 5 list of modern punk albums.

Think of it as a combination public service announcement (Punk does not suck!) and list of recommendations. Do yourself a favor and listen to each one of these albums in their entirety, be it through legal or illegal means. This is punk music, if they cared about theft then they would be sell-outs.



#5 - Cobra Skulls - Sitting Army

I found out about Cobra Skulls from a post on the #4 bands website. I listened to what I could online, and it easily convinced me to buy their CD. I compared their sound to Against Me at first, simply because I thought the singer sounded the same. But upon more listens, they grew into their own beast.

It's a more stripped down, sort of rockabilly sound at times. The most appealing part is that they know of to write songs that aren't needlessly complex, and poppy enough to catch in your head while at the same time fast enough for you to rock out to. And then when you think you might get tired of the CD, they start singing in spanish.

Charming the Cobra

The Cobra and the Man-Whore


This is their first full length, but they've since released a second one. I wrote up my thoughts on it earlier this year.



#4 - Lawrence Arms - Oh! Calcutta!

I had always viewed Lawrence Arms as a slower band, which wasn't a problem, but I just never really listened to much. For some reason I did listen to Oh! Calcutta! though, and I was blown away. From what I can gather, they've got two regular singers, and when the one sings, the songs are usually faster to match him. He is at the forefront of almost every song on this CD.

At least that's what I can tell from listening and from retroactively checking out their previous releases. Anyway, the point is, they are an amazing band that I have fallen in love with. Calcutta is a much faster album, but their older stuff still has plenty of moments, and is great even when it's slower.

Cut it Up

Are You There Margaret? It's Me, God.

#3 - Leftover Crack - Fuck World Trade

If you couldn't tell by the name, or the album cover, Leftover Crack will probably offend more people then will actually bother to read their lyrics. And of the minority that do that, even more will be turned away by things like their absolute hatred of cops.

Remember when punk used to be intimidating? Now, "The government sucks!", is about the closest you'll come to some real disent. Leftover Crack isn't afraid to put everything out there, even if sometimes they way they do can be crass and may offend. I really don't like cops most of the time, but I question their choice to openly sing about killing them.

Still, I'll defend their right to do that, and when police in their native NYC shut down their shows at every opportunity for no other reason then they know they have a few songs that are anti-cop, I get pissed off.

No matter what you believe, though, they are one of the only punk bands still around that aren't afraid to just say what they feel. A band like Rancid, might try to act like they don't care what people think, but when you think about them spending an hour spiking their hair, the illusion dies out.

Leftover Crack just walks out in clothes they've probably worn for weeks straight, and say whatever they happen to be thinking. I respect that, even if I don't always agree with how far they take their viewpoints.

Gang Control

Burn Them Prisons

#2 - Against Me - Searching for a Former Clarity

"Punk purists" are probably going to call me a "poser". "Against Me sold out!", "They've changed!". Just ignore that BS.

While they may have changed, it's more of a growth. I'm not picking this album because I think their major label debut New Wave went downhill. I love that album as well, I just think this one has a higher quantity of great songs, and would be the best for a new fan to get into.

If you like this one and want even more, be sure to check out everything else by Against Me.

From Her Lips to God's Ear (The Energizer)

Even at Our Worst, We're Still Better Than Most




#1 - Propagandhi - Supporting Caste

While most bands get worse with each new release, Propagandhi somehow get exponentially better. Perhaps it's because they take a good 4 years or more between each release, but everything improves.

On previous albums, they were prone to randomely changing the tempo of the song at a moments notice, which I loved. While they still do it on this CD, they've gotten a lot better at blending it better. Plus, none of their songs have a set verse, chorus, type of structure which keeps things fresh.

If every other punk band in the world suddenely died, I would be perfectly content with just Propagandhi filling my punk needs. They put everyone else to shame. I could drone on about them for a long time, but I'll let the music speak for itself. The two songs I picked both have slow build-ups, but they are some of my favorites, so give them a complete listen. Here's my write-up of Supporting Caste after it's release.

Supporting Caste

The Last Will & Testament



Well there you go. If that doesn't give you a better idea of what some great modern punk sounds like, then I've failed horribly. I'll probably do a second one of these just because I had trouble cutting out some albums, so keep an eye out if you enjoyed this one.