Best Records of 2010

2010 was an interesting year for me personally- had 3 jobs (and still have 2 of them), Bloodtype released 2 records, Wormeaters released a 7", my new band recorded a demo (more on that later) and I got to tour Europe with Coke Bust. Here's some records I really enjoyed this year. Obviously there's more than just these on my list that I'd recommend checking out, but these get my highest recommendation.

Best 7"s of 2010

1. Duress- Indifference
2. School Jerks- s/t #2
3. Manipulation s/t #1
4. Culo- Nuke Abuse
5. Male Nurses- s/t

I loved Duress' demo, and their 7" was no let down. Fucking fast and furious, angry and hard. Killer cover art w/ a Japan style obi strip. School Jerks released another short 7" this year which is probably the best early Black Flag/ Germs sounding band this side of the 2000's. New 7" or an LP this year hopefully? Manipulation's demo was pretty killer, and their 7" was even more raw and fast. Reminds me of a Japanese band playing the early Discharge singles. Culo came out of nowhere and was a total surprise hit for me, definitely be a band to watch this year. Male Nurses did a demo like 2 years ago, which was ok, but not too memorable. This 7" on the other hand is fucking great. Hopefully they don't wait as long to do another record.

Best LPs of 2010

1. Insubordinates- s/t
2. Night Fever- New Blood
3. No Class- s/t
4. Extortion- Loose Screws
5. Anti You- Two-Bit Schemes And Cold War Dreams

I honestly had a hard time compiling a list of my top 5 LPs for this year. The Insubordinates LP was my hands down favorite, it was so musically diverse, while remaining interesting. No clue if the night Fever LP came out this year or last, but it's fucking killer. A lot of people I know think it's goofy or weird, but fuck them, because it rules. No Class released a killer demo, and and even better LP this year. Haven't gotten my hands on the vinyl yet, so a full review will come later. "Loose Screws" isn't Extortion's best, but after a few listens it really growns on you. It's a lot heavier, but still fast as fuck. Anti You released a bunch of 7"s, and finally comes out with an awesome LP after being pretty quit last year.


Best demos of 2010

1. Boston Strangler
2. Night Prowler- Crime Wave
3. Boiling Over- Barriers
4. Noose
5. Rations- Anger and Disgust

Boston Strangler seriously nailed it with this demo. Fuck, nothing came close. If it was a 7", it'd be the best 7" of 2010. The Night Prowler demo really hasn't gotten talked about at all, which is a shame because it's awesome. Boiling Over broke up this year, but before they left, they released a tape (and later a 7" of this), which is their best songs. You guys are dumb. The Noose demo I liked, but then once winter hit, it's perfect music for angrily walking through the city in the cold. Getting pressed to wax by React in January. Rations is a new DC supergroup of sorts with members of Coke Bust, Sick Fix and Time to Escape. Damn good demo, hopefully an even better 7" will happen soon.

Honorable Mentions:
Rival Mob- Saw this band a bunch, and even got a "Raw Life" tattoo this year. Hardcore for Hardcore was awesome, but hopefully they do another LP and tour this year. They're one of those bands that really stand out in the more "mainstream" HC bands that play all the big fests, and have their merch sell for ridiculous ebay prices.
Coke Bust- After seeing this band every day for 3 weeks all over Europe, I'm still not sick of this band. Their new 7" is great, and they're always killer live. Hopefully they'll let me tag along on more tours, because it's always a lot of fun.
Free Spirit- their demo ruled, as did their 7", they were a definite contender for the list. Really hope they do another 7" and tour more.
Urban Blight- Another top contender for the best 7"s, their Total War EP was a perfect follow up to their More Reality LP last year.
Low Threat Profile- A project band that recorded a 7" back in 2001 just had their 7" finally released, and it fucking shreds. When you have members of No Comment, Infest and Lack of Interest at the helm, it's hard to go wrong.

Reissues:
Antidote- I would without hesitation say this is my favorite HC 7" ever. I have2 different bootlegs of this, and now an official press on green
Chronic Sick- Seriously blown away that this actually happened, but No Way did a great job on these 2 reissues. Get em both, no reason to have to choose.
C.I.A.- God, Guts, Guns is a fucking killer 7", coupled with some demo and unheard tracks, a crucial LP.
Welcome to 1984- Awesome international 80's hardcore comp back in print through MRR.
F- The best 80's FL hc/punk band. Way underrated, You Are an EP is as good as any 80's CA punk band.
Negative Approach- Their classic 7" finally had a legit reissue, but with awful cover art. A 7" of lost tracks was also released this year with even worse cover art.
Dischord- I guess they realized they haven't released anything good since the 80's, and have been reissuing everything on colored vinyl w/ download codes. In all honesty, why not keep the label afloat based on your killer back catalog. SST does it, Mystic does it, Lookout should have done it.

Anticipated Releases in 2011:
No Tolerance 7"- Their demo fucking ruled, but it was 4 songs and came out 2 years ago. It's recorded, what's the holdup Youngblood?
Waste Management 7"- Already released as a tape as Waste Taste 2, it will be out on Painkiller soon.
Stripmines 7"- Best new band for sure, this should be out any day now on Sorry State. I hear they will have a split LP this year as well.
Omegas LP- This will be on parts Unknown,a nd I have no doubts that it will be killer. SLAM SKANK!
No Comment reissues- I already pre-ordered the 2 7"s, fuck yea!
Extortion- I'm sure they'll have at least a few splits this year. Also doing a US tour in some capacity this summer.
Life's Blood discography- Prank's doing this, which will have the 7"s, comp tracks, demo and live set. I'm sure it will be killer.
Hoping for good 7"s from the good demos this year, and good LPs from the good 7"s this year.

Predictions for 2011:
- Hopefully the "mysterious guy hardcore" trend dies. None of those artsy lame bands have brought anything good to the table, and have only inspired more trend jumpers and imitators. Maybe this time next year we can all laugh about this phase, and the Youth Attack web store updates won't sell out within 10 minutes.
- Seems like the 90's are back. Bands are playing more slow, metallic, boring style of HC that I hated int he 90's too. Also bands are going in a more alternative/grunge direction, like Give and Blacklisted. Nirvana sucks, Negative Approach rules... fuck this.
- I do like some of these oi-influenced demos I've heard lately like Reckless Aggression, Skrapyard and Troops of Tomorrow. Them and Criminal Damage will hopefully inspire more bands to lace up their boots, and play some non-shitty oi sounding hardcore.
- As if the reunions haven't been excessive enough, seems like any mediocre band from the past 20 years has been doing reunion shows. Even if they try to write new shit, it's still terrible. Start a new band, and preserve the legacy of your old band. If you've heard that 2 song single that the Gorilla Biscuits did a few years back, you know what I mean.
- More crappy stoner/black metal influenced HC bands
- Still waiting for the next youth crew revival...