Number 2

Hygiene: Town Centre: EP (Static Shock Records)
Have you ever come across a record that draws your attention with just the cover art alone? I like skateboarding demons and abstract Nick Blinko style artwork just fine but every now and then I'll come across a record whose simple, black and white, subtle yet meaningful images speak out to me as if to threaten to curse me if I pass up on it. I'd been seeing it in several distros online and in the record bins at stores a few times. I was expecting some sort of  obscure, midwestern hardcore nugget but instead I was taken by surprise by a very roughly recorded post-punk 7" from the UK worthy of being praised by punks and "part time punks" alike. The Fall minus the arty parts. The Slits without the estrogen. Gang Of Four sans the musicianship. Everything that makes all those other bands who they are (were) combined with a penchant for public spaces/transportations makes for a band that caught and then held my attention for the remainding half of the year. The completist nerd in me forced me to go and find the other three Hygiene EP's that were floating around out there and I'm anxiously anticipating more to come.

Number 3

Mean Jeans/White Wires: Split: EP (Dirtnap Records)
One song seven inches never quite do it for me. It's usually not enough to sink your teeth into. You're either unimpressed and move on from a record or you're captivated and wish there were more to listen to. Having been already familiar with Means Jeans and their retardedly fun approach to punk rock (and life, for that matter) I was more than positive that I would not be let down by their tidbit. And yes, of course it's solid gold! Or maybe just armpit crust yellow that turned gold after the seventh or eighth binge drinking spree. Sounds so much like a Misfits song floating face down in a wading pool full of empty tall cans and Kool butts. Ace. Ottawa's White Wires were an unearthed treasure up until the minute I dropped the needle on their side. Basic, but not boring, mid tempo punk with a soft surfy vibe. Much more simplistic in style than Mean Jeans but still catchy as fuck. I've been picking up everything and anything with their name on it since then including a recently released LP also on the mighty Dirtnap. This picture you're looking at is of the cover to the Mean Jeans side of their split with White Wires but is of the version released on P Trash which features both bands covering each other's songs. Worth tracking down but not as essential as the Dirtnap version.

Number 4

Masshysteri: Self-titled: LP (Feral Ward Records)
It comes as almost no surprise that Masshysteri would come through with yet another masterpiece of a punk rock record. Their debut from a couple years ago was nothing short of amazing. I guess when you add a member to an already solid lineup, things can only go up from there. Brooding punk with a brush of darkness just so that not every song sounds the same. There's a bit more of instrumentation on this album (synths, acoustic guitars) than before but it does nothing to dull the attitude or urgency of the music. Might I also say that these Swedes get my vote for "Best Looking Band" of 2010. Yes, I'm talking about the guys too. I'm comfortable with my sexuality...

Number 5

Catburglars: Self-titled: LP (Criminal IQ Records)
Judging by the cover alone, you'd guess these guys were going to shimmy and shake their hips all over the place. Luckily, such is not the case here. Chicago seems to continue to bless us with gifts in the form of bands who break up long before their due was given. Raw as fuck, bloody knuckle punk rock is what we are treated to on this start to finish full length gem. Lyrical diarrhea if there ever was such a thing but it complements the music perfectly. If I lived in Chicago, I'd buy these guys a round of beers and then stiff them with the bill. I'm sure they'd appreciate such dickhead behavior.

Number 6

Walls: Stare At the Walls: EP (Iron Lung Records)
What we have here is a superb example of what present day hardcore ought to be: a sum of a band’s counterparts, where every component is just as crucial and key in the process of creating such vile yet endearing sounds. Walls are the kind of band whose members magnify each other’s presence instead of outshining either the instrumentation or the vocals. I was witness to this: they are fucking wrecking balls live. And the great part about this record is that the madness captured onto vinyl is just as intense as seeing them in person. Yeah, I heard Rorschach got back together and did some live shows. Walls are what Rorschach would have sounded like if they had decided to take it to the next level. 

Number 7

Mata Mata: Self-titled: Cassette (Silenzio Statico/Crepusculo Negro)
The cassette is a format which its relevance and necessity is often disputed. But when the music dubbed onto it is as insanely pulverizing as this it could be recorded onto a four track and I would still bother to listen to it. South Central Los Angeles apocalyptic hardcore crust punk. Doom and Discharge on a Four Loko induced bender. Music to throw piss filled bottles at the cops to. I see great things in store for this band so long as they can stay together long enough to not self-destruct. And by the way, South Central kids... give it up with the fucking Ska-core already. This is where it's at.

Number 8

Nerveskade: Self-titled: LP (Black Water Records)

I don't know about you but I have a few labels that I blindly trust to provide me with exceptional listening experiences. It may be a bit naive but I can honestly say that Iron Lung Records has yet to let me down. Nerveskade released a two song EP earlier this year on Iron Lung and it was most definitely a scorcher. But I could never have imagined that these Portland based noise punks had much, much more up their sleeves. This self titled debut on Black Water Records is as perfect as a debut album can get. Did you like the intensity of Heresy's "Face Up To It" as much as I did? How about the noisiness of early UK bands such as Disorder or Doom. Well, this is your wet dream involving a shrapnel bomb exploding inside the local Nordstroms come fucking true. Every song is a winner and not a one disappointed me for even a second. Drink a twelve pack, listen to this,  puke on your neighbors doorstep, and fuck shit up!

Number 9

Daughters: Self-titled: LP (Hydra Head)

The first time I heard Providence, Rhode Island's Daughters debut "Canada Songs" I couldn't help but be put off by how much they sounded  like The Locust. Not to say that it was a bad record, because it clearly wasn't. I just couldn't help but think "The world only needs one Locust!" Their sophomore effort, "Hell Songs", was just what they needed to distinguish themselves from the hordes of bands that were falling over themselves to cash in on the "screamo" fad. That album  was where Lex (vocalist) decided to drop the screaming and take on an actual singing role reminiscent of Nick Cave during his stint in the Birthday Party. The rest of the band let up on the speed and took up a more intricate, almost acrobatic approach to the songwriting. "Hell Songs", which debuted in 2006, won me over in a big way and so this new self-titled  album was one of my most anticipated releases of the year (which, ironically enough, came out a couple of months before I even gained knowledge of its release.) Oh, what time does to a band. In most cases it builds up anticipation of expectations that can't possibly be met. You can also expect the unexpected but will more than likely find yourself saying "this is exactly what I expected." I was so glad to be met with nine songs of an unmistakable Daughters delivering an unexpectedly fluid album that was a bit hard to get into at first (due largely to the fact that the songs had  more simplistic arrangements than before) but only got more and more infectious with each listen. Unfortunately, this is also the band's swan song after their highly publicized less than amicable break-up. You really can't go wrong with any Daughters release and seeing as how this is their final offering to the world, the artwork of women weeping with tissues to their faces is fitting in that I will now shed a tear for what once was an amazing band.