10. Shoppers - Goodbye to All That (honorable mention: Silver Year)

I hate to be that guy, but the demo totally destroys the LP. The album is pretty good, but the recording on the demo suits the songs much better than the more blown out sound of the full-length. Plus, the demo has a way more definitive version of the best song on the LP—you know, the one with the line “hold me down / fuck my mouth.” And the history nerd part of me gives bonus points for the title/cover art. Anyway. Creepy, beautiful music for people who wish Vivian Girls were more fucked up, or that The Wipers smoked hard(er) drugs. This band is definitely balanced on the precipice of blowing up. 

9. Hoax - 7” 

This band makes me think that the “mysterious guy” trend might finally, officially be at a low ebb. Hoax are as nasty and ugly as all those crummy hardcore bands that were crummy harsh noise bands five years ago, but the difference is that they actually write SONGS. Remember those? ”Fagget” might be my pick for song of the year: it sounds like someone spraypainted the word “PISSED” on an old, grimy skateboard, ground it into paste, and forcefed it to you with PVC pipe. The rest of the 7” can’t measure up, but it’s worth paying eBay prices (or clicking mediafire links) just to play that jam over and over until your brains leaks out of your ears.

8. Citizens Arrest - Soaked in Others Blood

This isn’t all that mind-blowing, but it is very undeniably good, and it’s just exciting to hear. Daryl’s vocals are still first class too, although it kind of bums me out that he doesn’t really do the feral birdman screams anymore. Also lame that it’s an “e-release”, but what are you gonna do? 2011 is fucking bullshit.

7. The Copyrights - North Sentinel Island

Honestly, this is their weakest album yet, but due to The Copyrights’ curve-wrecking prior output that means it’s still better than 90% of other records released in any given year. I’m afraid that they’ll never top Make Sound, though. Who could?

6. Burning Love - Songs for Burning Lovers

This was released in 2010, but I don’t give a shit because I still listened to it way more than anything all year—again.  (Low Threat Profile also falls into this category.) Probably the best band in existence, and a devastating riposte to the undying plague of the shitty-sounding, songless hardcore bands.

5. Fucked Up - David Comes to Life

I actually don’t love this album quite as much as some folks, but it’s definitely way better than ChemCom, and solid all the way through. I could kind of take or leave the “storyline”, which feels like it’s constraining Haliechuk and Abraham from writing the kind of beautifully weird and weirdly beautiful lyrics that made the last two albums so indelible. But this is a corker, no question. Hidden World is still the gold standard though.

4. Marvelous Darlings - Single Life

A singles comp, but singles rule the world. No new MD stuff this year, probably because Cook was preoccupied with Fucked Up - but that’s okay, because these are still the most amazing pop songs I’ve ever heard. A more essential collection of music may not currently exist on planet Earth.

3. J Church - The Lost Demos

Not a “proper” album (although it should be—what do you say, No Idea?), but for me it was still more exciting and more listened to than most of what came out this year—and it was “released” in November! R.I.P. Lance, we miss you.

2. Leatherface - Viva La Arthouse

When can you justify a live album as one of the best of the year? When it’s Leatherface, when it sounds this good, and when the setlist is this fucking STACKED.

1. Smart Cops - Per Proteggere e Servire

First hearing this album was one of those instances where you sit straight up and lean forward in rapt attention, because you didn’t realize music this good was still being made (at least, outside of Marvelous Darlings singles). Ludicrously catchy songs that boil over with nervy energy, all beautifully recorded and totally unafraid of being classically, Platonically punk. Great logo? Check. Sexy uniforms? Present and accounted for. A jaw-dropping 12” collection of weapons-grade pop narcotics? That’s a big 10-4, buddy. As they used to say in MRR, buy now or pose forever.