Favorite Albums of 2016 From the National Bands
Deciding on a name for this, and how to sort the bands that aren’t from Phoenix, but don’t tour a ton outside of their home towns and states was a little difficult. In the end, I wanted to put an emphasis on the guys from Phoenix so this category covers everyone else. These are bands I will continue to say check them out if you can in 2017 in whatever location you can find them!
It got a little tougher to sort through this one. Down to the well-known fact that NOFX is my favorite all time artist and they had a new release. Almost a companion to their excellent book release, it is an album with a lot more personal touches along with the humor in other songs you come to expect. Meanwhile, Pulley had not only one of their strongest releases, but one of the best sounding albums I’ve heard this year. Of course, my friends in PEARS put out their first true release on Fat with that harder punk sound I’ve come to love a bunch. However, in the end it came down to one of the best works I’ve heard come from Jeff Rosenstock, in any of his solo stuff or bands, and Mean Jeans. Splitting hairs, I leaned toward the less heard punk style and sound of Mean Jeans as my number one album in 2016. From the lyrics, to their sound, down to the art they put on their album, these guys have a unique thing going for them that I just love to listen to.
Regardless, a bunch of awesome music came out over the twelve months. AJJ put out an excellent album in “The Bible 2.” If you’re asking why do they sit on this list, the explanation is that while local they are a nationally, and internationally, touring artist so lumped them in with the big boys. In addition, there was a strong Ska offering from the self-titled Slackers album and Interrupters “Say It Out Loud.” Skinny Lister the other stand out among the many punk bands on my list, giving a strong outing on their latest “The Devil, The Heart, The Fight” album since I discovered them. Face to Face and Descendents continued to deliver with a quality of songs that I love from them this year. The rest are touring artists that I discovered most this year, and will argue for the sake of a two piece band when they sound like the Two Tens. Overall an amazing year of music, with nods to some solid releases from Weezer, Green Day, and the local guys in Jimmy Eat World. The full list sits right below here so be sure to check out all these great albums!
- Mean Jeans – Tight New Dimension
- Jeff Rosenstock – Sorry
- NOFX – First Ditch Effort
- PEARS – Green Star
- Pulley – No Change in the Weather
- Nerf Herder – Rockingham
- AJJ – The Bible 2
- The Interrupters – Say It Out Loud
- The Slackers – The Slackers
- Get Dead – Honesty Lives Elsewhere
- Skinny Lister – The Devil, The Heart, The Fight
- Face to Face – Protection
- Descendents – Hypercaffium Spazzinate
- Lucky Eejits – Do It Again
- Red City Radio – Red City Radio
- Fea – Fea
- The Two Tens – Volume
- Lost in Society – Modern Illusions
- Joyce Manor – Cody
- The Negative Nancys – Sorry, Not Sorry
