More favorites of 2010! Not all metal this time, nerds.

So, I wrote a bunch about my favorite metal albums.  Now, I'll write about my favorite albums in general.  Let me start off by saying 2010 wasn't the greatest musical year for me, but there were certainly some shining gems.

Ready?

My favorite album of the year is.........

Iron Chic - Not Like This

This band is awesome.  You want to know what kind of punk rock I like the best?  This kind.  Sad-sounding (without being emo [not that I mind emo {do you like my triple parentheses?}]) mid to fast tempo jams that I can relate to.  Hey Iron Chic, do you get sad sometimes?  Weird, me too.  Hey, do you like to drink and be with your friends?  I can't believe it!  Me too.  Do you want to go do karate in the garage?  If you are anything like me, or even just some sort of rad person, then you should get this album.  They put on a pretty good show, too.  Check it out, would ya?  Oh, and former members of Latterman are in this band.  That's a good thing.

THE REST ARE IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER, I JUST REALLY LIKE THEM.

The Gaslight Anthem - American Slang

The Gaslight Anthem wear their Springsteen influence on their fucking faces.  Which is fine with me, cause I like that dude.  This one's pretty much an expected progression from the rest of their catalogue (which is good stuff), and I love it with my heart.  Punk influenced rock songs about girls and dudes and living in the past and being a boxer or some shit.  Hey, you should come over to our apartment and you can listen to this with us.

RVIVR - RVIVR

Another Latterman alum-band.  These dudes are super positive, super catchy pop punk from old New York.  Awesome use of male/female dual vocals, good song writing, and lyrics that make you wish you lived in New York, too.  Listen to "Real Mean."  That song's fucking awesome.  Apparently, here in Lexington, this is the one non-crust band that the crust kids like.  Should that change your opinion?  No.  But, I think it's interesting.  Maybe it's because they sell patches.  

Against Me! - White Crosses

Against Me have been a favorite of mine for a long damn time.  I've sort of always thought that Against Me, Hot Water Music, and Alkaline Trio were the three kings of "new punk" or whatever the hell you want to call it.  These dudes have had quite a ride, if you don't already know, all the way from Anarcho-acoustic punk sing along jams to the majors.  They've lost some fans and gained some fans all that crap, but I still like them.  Is this the Against Me! of the past?  No, probably not.  But it's still great.  It's obviously more of a pop rock album, but I don't mind.  

1994 - FCKYRHED

Two piece bands can be really stupid.  Not this one.  This one's really great.  So much talent crammed in to these two dudes.  They play a sort of post-hardcore, spazzy, screamy, catchy style of punk that shreds real hard.  These drum parts are crazy as hell.  The guitar ain't too shabby, neither.  They kind of fit into that Algernon Cadwallader/Grown Ups section of the DIY punk scene, just with a little more of a harsh sound. It rules, dudes.  Promise.

The Flatliners - Cavalcade

These sweet ass home boys from north of the border just get better and better.  They started out pretty ska-core, went a little post-hardcore/pop punk, and now they're an awesome combination of all of it.  There are songs on this album that flow pretty seamlessly from a basement DIY style pop punk sound, to an almost metallic feel, and then bring to reggae/ska without irritating the shit out of me, which is what reggae/ska normally accomplishes.  And they're incredibly nice people!  I realize it sounds like name-dropping, mentioning we know them, but they're too nice not to mention it.

Kylesa - Spiral Shadow

I like this band and I don't even smoke pot.  I say this because they've got that stoner drone-y metal thing going for them.  Plus, they have two drummers.  Which they actually work out pretty well.  Good for you, Kylesa.  Keep that shit up.  This album's a little more melodic than their past stuff, but it's still heavier than hell.  Georgia gives birth to more good metal than it has a right to (Mastodon, Baroness, Black Tusk, James Brown), but it's all pretty good.  Check this out if you like not being a stupid wuss.

That's it for now.  Check out the playlist below if you wanna hear some of this stuff.  I couldn't find everything, and some of these songs aren't from the albums above, but check it out anyway, if you want.  Also, click the links in this post for adventures, nerd.