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Kevin S. Hoskins's Chugchanga-L Poll 2001 Entry
1. Rocket from the Crypt- Group Sounds (Vagrant)
Strike Anywhere - Change is a Sound (Jade Tree)
Pilot to Gunner - Games at High Speeds (Gern Blandsten)
American Steel - Jagged Thoughts (Lookout! Records)
Hot Water Music - A Flight and a Crash (Epitaph)
National Skyline - This = Everything (File 13)
Fugazi - The Argument (Dischord)
Propagandhi - Today's Empires, Tomorrow's Ashes (Fat)
Anti-Flag - Underground Network (Fat)
Blueline Medic - The Apology Wars (Fueled by Ramen)
Burning Airlines - Identikit (DeSoto)
Clumsy - Center of Attention Deficit Disorder (Idol Records)
Cursive - Burst and Bloom EP (Saddle Creek)
Dismemberment Plan – Change (DeSoto)
Dirtbombs - Ultraglide in Black (In the Red)
Idlewild - 100 Broken Windows (Odeon/Capitol)
The Lot Six - The Code Mode EP (Espo Records)
Moviola - Rumors of the Faithful (Spirit of Orr)
Some Soviet Station - s/t (Moodswing Records)
Superchunk - Here's to Shutting Up (Merge)
Honorable Mentions
Drowningman - Still Loves You EP (Equal Vision)
The Lawrence Arms/The Chinkees split CD (Asian Man Records)
Resolve - My Stars... (Born + Over Records)
Rival Schools - United by Fate (Island)
Slowcoach - New Strategies are Necessary, This is Not Solid Ground (Silver
Girl Records)
Thoughts on my Top 10
Rocket from the Crypt- Group Sounds (Vagrant)
"Break dance with knives stuck in your back"
Hands down -- the winner in my book. I'll rescind my original statement
that this could be their best record yet. No, a review of their discography
showed this to be their best. Repeated listens only confirm --- this is a
first-rate rock record with hooks out the wazoo, plenty of swagger, and the
tightest horns they've had yet.
Strike Anywhere - Change is a Sound (Jade Tree)
"Inside us there's a nation hidebound and unaware....
a people's insurrection of the soul to kill despair...release us now!"
Maintaining a non-stop presence on the frequent listening stack here at
Rockist H.Q. is the first full-length release from this Richmond, VA band.
The first thing one notices about the record is just HOW HUGE the guitars
sound. The second thing you notice is the inspired and uplifting vocals
that make this an incredibly fun and empowering sing-a-long album. Punk
rock that drives musical inspiration from New York H/C of the late 80s and
early 90s, the melodic H/C of bands like Lifetime, and their contemporaries
Avail and Hot Water Music and lyrical inspiration from the need to live
better lives than what we're handed.
Pilot to Gunner - Games at High Speeds (Gern Blandsten)
"We'll make the math work, if it's the last thing we do."
An incredibly impressive first full-length from a relatively new band, GHS
is the sound of a band well aware of its musical predecessors but sounding
like no one else in particular, a band willing to push the envelope and
combine tricky verses with big sounding choruses. And they're just getting
started...
American Steel - Jagged Thoughts (Lookout! Records)
"Light some spark in a sluggish mind. And all the world is a powder keg
I remember you loved freedom too."
>From my review of this album for All Music Guide: " From the opening
staccato chords of Jagged Thoughts, one gets the sense that this is a giant
step forward for these Berkeley punks. The one-two-three-four punk of their
self-titled debut and the urgent feel of the songs on Rogue's March are
still present, but they are subverted to the substantial expansion of the
band's sound. Reggae and Latin-influenced rhythms mix with Clash-style
anthems, raucous punk, and choruses that sounds a mile wide to form a
picture of a band hitting their stride. What's more, the crisp production of
Kevin Army (Green Day, Mr. T Experience) brings the gravely voices of
American Steel's two singers more to the forefront than their previous
releases. All of these elements serve as the backbone behind the band's
knack for writing lyrics that are wistful and hopeful at the same time. A
strong, strong record reflecting tremendous growth."
Hot Water Music - A Flight and a Crash (Epitaph)
"To know. Know before I act, act before I grow. In control, with fear on
hold. Cutting me loose from old rules."
Hot Water Music took a giant risk in 2001 by choosing to release this album
on Epitaph (which quite surprisingly alienated some of their fans) and by
choosing to mix up their sound a bit. But the variety of tempos and
melodies are only a backdrop to the cohesiveness of this album and the
strength of their songs, which plough deeper thoughts and more intense
feelings than past releases yet somehow come across just as anthemic and
powerful.
National Skyline - This = Everything (File 13)
An odd choice for me, only because it can hardly be called a "rock" record.
But knowing the bands (Hum, Castor, Compound Red) that these guys came from
and hearing their evolution (both from their prior bands and from their EP)
has to give one pause. The soundscapes and beautiful pop that these guys
create is nothing short of majestic.
Fugazi - The Argument (Dischord)
"memo to the partners...I'm changing all the locks...I'm pissing on your
modems...I'm shredding all the stock...choose a color for your ceiling...I'm
waiting for the bottom to drop"
Argument may be a slightly more difficult album for people to latch onto
than their previous albums, but the rewards are just as great. Fugazi seems
to have found a place that many aspire to - the two-headed beast of comfort
within one's skin and a desire to push the envelope of melody and sound in
new directions.
Propagandhi - Today's Empires, Tomorrow's Ashes (Fat)
"Conclusion: the nail that sticks up gets hammered down..."
The evolution from Less Talk, More Rock is so pronounced that this record
should not be ignored. The lyrics are likely the smartest critiques of
American imperialism, misguided foreign policy, false idols, and consumerism
in the realm of music and short of a Noam Chomsky work. So intelligent they
silence the critics that label "preachy" any punk rock that dares to
question.
Anti-Flag - Underground Network (Fat)
"They try to blind us but wee..
Stand up and fight! Stand up and fight!
They try to keep us ignorant but we...
Stand up and fight! Stand up and fight!
They want to take our rights away so...
Stand up and fight! Stand up and fight!"
Pittsburgh's Anti-Flag issue a call to action to the nation's youth with a
series of street punk anthems in the manner of The Clash and Rancid. The
reality of post-September 11th America is the Left has been pushed out of
the picture by the galvanization of the nation in our war efforts. And it
is tough to change our American policies in such a culture. But this album
serves as a potent reminder that we have to know what we're fighting for
(are you so sure anymore?) and that's tough to do in the current culture.
Anti-Flag takes a stand for and against a number of different issues all of
which are no less relevant today than they were in August, the over-ridding
theme being the calculated disenfranchisement of a vast majority of the
nation's citizens and the suppression of information need to make informed
decisions. The songs are not just blowing in the wind, however; they are
grounded in information and research, the sources of which are provided
throughout the liner notes. And you can be assured, that these words are
backed up by catchy melodies and razor-sharp riffs. Extremely potent stuff
here.
Blueline Medic - The Apology Wars (Fueled by Ramen)
"you say I have to get a real life but I'm not sure how that in making
someone or other rich is any more real than making the niche for yourself"
All the kids that miss the introspective lyrics and aggressive yet catchy
pop-punk of Jawbreaker should sell their Jets to Brazil albums and pick up
this one instead. These guys are from Australia, but you get the sense that
they've listened to their fair share of American 'college rock' (in addition
to a healthy dose of The Smiths). Anchored by the incredibly intelligent,
wholly self-aware, and occasionally dramatic lyrics of singer Donnie Dureau,
this is a truly terrific record.
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