Top 5 punk-ish bands of 2013

I don't usually do 'end of year' lists, but here is the Good Days And Cliches Top 5 punk or punk-related bands of 2013, based on my last.fm play count. Surprisingly, all but one have had an album out in 2013, so it's actually vaguely relevant. You won't find any tumblr bands here..as much as I want to keep up with modern pop punk, I think I'm slightly stuck in the Epifat, skate punk years!

1. Alkaline Trio



Every time I'm drinking with my punk rock friends, drunk, feeling nostalgic, feeling bitter, feeling trapped, or a mixture of all the above, I listen to Alkaline Trio. Even if they hadn't released the decent offering of My Shame Is True they would still be in my top 5 list, based on play count.

 2. A Day To Remember



ADTR are one of the newer/younger bands on my list, but they've been stapling breakdowns to pop punk songs for ten years now! I got to see them this year, so I was listening to them a lot even before they dropped their latest album, Common Courtesy, which is getting better with each play.

3. Bad Religion



Bad Religion released a new album this year and I was also lucky enough to see them for the first in 2013. Though I haven't listened in a while, True North was on regular rotation for me when it came out first. I took a short break from listening to them after seeing them live, but they are never far from my speakers.

4. Nofx



The only band in my top 5 not too release an album this year or play a show nearby. Nofx make the list through the sheer volume of their back catalogue, which is stuffed full of classics.

5. Chunk! No, Captain Chunk!



Scraping in at number 5 are the French easycore specialists. Pardon My French was one of the best albums of 2013, even if it did veer away slightly from pop punk.

Honourable mentions go to Less Than Jake and Streetlight Manifesto, who both released good albums this year!

The new Bad Religion is goood y'all

Bad Religion don't need to make albums anymore. I'm pretty sure they're all rich enough from their 800 releases to date that they can easily just spend their days reading the newspaper, or wandering around the grocery store and generally do whatever it is that older gents do to pass the time. But, they're STILL making albums so it seems that they still love-a the punk rock-a and that's cool.

The preconceptions

• It's been said that the Bad Religions have been writing the same song for the last 52 years and while that is kinda true, it's a pretty fucking good song!
• Many people will say BR haven't been on the top of their game in many years and the newer albums suck. I say they've been consistent and Maps of Hell is a good CD.
• True North has been called their best since The Process of Belief. TPOB is probably my favourite album so this is a lot to live up to inside my tiny head.

The evidence 

True North

Now that's some classic Bad Religion! Lead single/title track True North is a quintessential BR song; short, snappy, with a, eh, succulent chorus. Yeah, succulent. The subtle stop and rhythm change around the 1.02 mark is what separates them from the generic punk that they can border on. Me gusta!

In Their Hearts Is Right

This is probably my favourite song as of now. The transition from good punk song in the verse to DAT CHORUS is just ridiculous as the guys flex their songwriting muscles and toy with your ideas of what a punk song should be. It's somewhere between System of a Down and the Beach Boys, right?! The best part is that as BR are one of the classic punk bands, loads of teenage AGGGGHPUNKX will listen to this and realise you don't have to vomit your songs/vocals into the face of THE MAN to get your point across. Let's face it, a lot of punk is horrible, out of tune and badly written. This, however, is like having your ears hugged by a little political panda.

My Head is Full of Ghosts

This goes about as hard as Bad Religion go! But it's still full of honey sweet harmonies and an almost youthful bounding pace that reminds me of, yes, The Process of Belief. This seems effortless, it's not exactly reinventing the wheel but then again the wheel is pretty good as it is. Who the fuck wants a square wheel?

The Island

Let it not be said that they don't try anything new! How about the little stop mid verse and multiple rhythm changes, eh?! Everything works so nicely and flows so well and I'm super jelly of their skillz.

I doubt I've said anything that fans didn't know already. Or changed any opinions. Like DAMN, I'd given up on Bad Religion, but NOW I'm gonna reconsider. But if for some reason you haven't checked out the album yet and want another dozen or so songs to add to your music library that will never be embarrass you when you put shuffle on at a party, then this is for you!