The only ACTIVE punk worth listening to

[Guest saturnmark4life]

NOFX

Rancid

Misfits

guttermouth (what the hey)

 

and if we include ska

SOME less than jake

reel big fish

mad caddies

save ferris

goldfinger

 

these are decent bands caught up in all the shit.

[Guest redbaron51]

those are all decent punk bands but none of them compared to Dead Kennedys and Fugazi

[Guest]

The Movielife is great also.  I just saw them last night and they have some of the best stage presence I've ever seen.

[Guest Anorak]

those are all decent punk bands but none of them compared to Dead Kennedys and Fugazi

I thought the last Fugazi album was right up there with their best stuff, not many bands can be so consistantly good and have so many good albums in them. The Dead Kennedy's are probably one of the most overated punk bands ever, their music sucked and has dated horribly.

 

NOFX are still decent and likeable but their best stuff is long behind them, Punk in Drublic was a long time ago now. They have never exactly been an essential band for me.

 

Misfits should have called it a day long ago.

 

Rancid are still a worthwhile band, I didn't think they had another great record in them a while back but their last album proved me wrong.

 

Guttermouth have never been any good.

 

Most American 'punk rock' ska I find irritating, Operation Ivy were good but they helped spawn a major trend for too many tiresomely goofy ska influenced bands who are ten a penny. Its all a lightweight and sanitised version of that kind of music, go out and buy an old Specials album or something.

[Guest PlatypusFool]

Fugazi are the greatest band ever to grace planet earth... easily. Every album is an absolute classic and they have always been inventive, impassioned, tuneful and wonderfully clever lyrically.

 

As far as more... straight punk goes, I'm gonna have to go with Pennywise as well as most of the ones saturnmark mentioned... although I will have to delete Mad Caddies, Goldfinger and Save Ferris because they just sound generic to me.

[Guest Nevermortal]

Might want to check out AFI & Tiger Army too. I've got pretty much everything by them, and they very rarely suck (despite of the fact some songs sound very similiar).

[Guest CoreyLazarus416]

Penis Flytrap and Toxic Narcotic own them all...

 

Well, Toxic Narcotic is more hardcore...hell, they ARE hardcore...but fuck you.

[Guest jimmy no nose]

I like that Oi! kind of music.  That's where it's at these days.

[Guest]

Alkaline Trio and The Living End

[Guest Coffin Surfer]

theres plenty of good punk out there:

 

Dillinger 4

Junction 18

Boy Sets Fire

Hot Water Music

Braid

Dwarves

Humpers

New Bomb Turks

.......etc.

[Guest swan]

Gotta add Fear to the list.

[Guest PlatypusFool]

"theres plenty of good punk out there: ...

 

... Hot Water Music"

 

Hot Water Music I really wouldn't call a punk band, no way. I don't know why but I just wouldn't call them a punk band. I suppose they are punk in the same way as Fugazi, but neither of those bands can be in the same catergory as Guttermouth or NOFX as they sound completely different.

 

HWM are fantastic though... download 'driving home' if you're bored for that is an amazing song.

[Guest]

How can u guys omit Pennywise, they are one of the top 3 punk acts still going strong and their stuff hasnt fallen off that much since About time, they are still awesome.

[Guest LooseCannon]

Gotta add Fear to the list.

Are Fear still putting out albums?  Last one I heard was Have Another Beer with Fear and it was pretty awful.  I highly doubt they'd ever top The Record.

 

 

As for the four bands mentioned at the top of the thread.

 

Guttermouth has never put out a good album.

 

Nofx have really only put out two really good albums, neither of which is good all the way through, and they've been going downhill since '94.  Though still a good band, I'd catch their show if they came to town.

 

Stopped listening to Rancid a few years ago, so I can't comment on their newer stuff, but their were real good up untill ...And Out Came the Wolves.

 

Misfits - While deserving of their iconic status, they never really had any albums that were good all the way through, but most of their stuff is pretty solid and they had some classic songs that more than make up for it.  Their new incarnation does nothing for me.

 

This thread has reminded me that I haven't bought any new punk CD's in a while.  But I'd throw Jets to Brazil and Avail on the list.  Maybe some others I can't think of right now.

[Guest LooseCannon]

How can u guys omit Pennywise, they are one of the top 3 punk acts still going strong and their stuff hasnt fallen off that much since About time, they are still awesome.

I never got into Pennywise much.  Found them too derivative of Bad Religion who did it much better when they were still good.  But objectively speaking, they probably should be on the list.

[Guest]

is bad religion still around?

[Guest LooseCannon]

Yeah, I saw them on Conan back in november.  They played something crappy off of what I took to be their new album, which I'm assuming is as crappy as their last two.  They really should've called it a day after the Gray Race, which wasn't a good album, but it was at least listenable.

[Guest PlatypusFool]

I didn't omit Pennywise!

 

Also, Bad Religion's new record was meant to be a great return to form, although I've not heard it.

[Guest LooseCannon]

That's what was said about the New America (not completely sure if that's the right title) after the No Substance debacle.  I'm not getting suckered again. Bad Religion is dead to me.

[Guest Coffin Surfer]

"theres plenty of good punk out there: ...

 

... Hot Water Music"

 

Hot Water Music I really wouldn't call a punk band, no way. I don't know why but I just wouldn't call them a punk band. I suppose they are punk in the same way as Fugazi, but neither of those bands can be in the same catergory as Guttermouth or NOFX as they sound completely different.

 

HWM are fantastic though... download 'driving home' if you're bored for that is an amazing song.

Hot Water Music is postpunk, which is just as punk as shitty generic poppunk like NOFX. Sure Hot Water Music don't sound like Minor Threat, but neither does fucking NOFX.

 

When will people realize that their is alot more to punk, than playing at a fast tempo and having bitchy whined vocals.  I'am sorry but comments like HWM aren't punk, but NOFX are, really pisses me off.  Wake up people, there is no one true defining sound of punk.  There never was, and there never will be.  Just because alot of the Epitah SoCal bands decide they all want to sound alike, doesn't mean they are the one true punk sound.

[Guest]

Hot Fuck Trio is good as well. Dillinger 4 is ace. Same goes with as is Boxer and Broadways.

[Guest swan]

Are Fear still putting out albums?  Last one I heard was Have Another Beer with Fear and it was pretty awful.  I highly doubt they'd ever top The Record.

They released a new album in 2000 (American Beer) and a live one last year.

[Guest PlatypusFool]

"When will people realize that their is alot more to punk, than playing at a fast tempo and having bitchy whined vocals.  I'am sorry but comments like HWM aren't punk, but NOFX are, really pisses me off.  Wake up people, there is no one true defining sound of punk.  There never was, and there never will be.  Just because alot of the Epitah SoCal bands decide they all want to sound alike, doesn't mean they are the one true punk sound."

 

I said that HWM are not punk because the word 'punk' has now gained a stigma which effects how people perceive it. Because the 'fast tempo and having bitchy whined vocals' model of punk has become the mainstream definition of the word that is how people see any music that is described as punk. I was trying to take bands like HWM and Fugazi away fro mthat because they are not like that. I agree that punk is an attitude rather than a sound, but the majority of people do see it as a sound so I felt the need to differentiate.

[Guest]

Bad Religions new album is pretty tight actually, their best since Stranger than Fiction, Brett played guitar on it so its of course a quality disc.

 

And Nofx has four great albums (Ribbed, White Trash, Punk in Drublic, and Heavy Petting Zoo) and one very good one (So long and thanks for the shoes).

[Guest]

Yeah, I'll second that Tiger Army motion.  Although some songs sound similar, all great punk bands have songs like that.

 

If you want a good Tiger Army song, download True Romance off of Audiogalaxy or somewhere.

[Guest saturnmark4life]

Of all the ones mentioned i'll add AFI.

[Guest Coffin Surfer]

I said that HWM are not punk because the word 'punk' has now gained a stigma which effects how people perceive it. Because the 'fast tempo and having bitchy whined vocals' model of punk has become the mainstream definition of the word that is how people see any music that is described as punk. I was trying to take bands like HWM and Fugazi away fro mthat because they are not like that. I agree that punk is an attitude rather than a sound, but the majority of people do see it as a sound so I felt the need to differentiate.

O.K, I understand what your saying.  But still I could care less what the mainstream fans think. I think that's a bad philosphy, its like saying just because Mainstream fans think Linkin Park is metal, I shouldn't call Opeth metal.  Because mainstream fans have a differenet perception of metal.

 

Punk has different subgenres and styles just like metal. Poppunk is the only punk modern mainstream fans know, aside from ATDI(postpunk, but they dont know that.  They think they are RATM ripoffs are something).   Therefore, Fugazi and NOFX are all punk, just different styles of it.  The list asked for best punk bands, not best poppunk bands.

 

BTW, HWM does have songs with high vocals and a fast tempo.  Check out "Incisions" one of my fav. songs by them.  They also have straight up hardcore punk songs like "Turnstile".  Another one of my fav. HWM songs.  

 

If you haven't checked out their first two albums, you should.  They blow away anything the band has done after thier first break up.  In fact they blow away anything Fugazi ever did IMO.

[Guest PlatypusFool]

"If you haven't checked out their first two albums, you should.  They blow away anything the band has done after thier first break up.  In fact they blow anything Fugazi ever did IMO."

 

A high recommendation indeed! I intend to buy their early albums from the internet after my exams when I have money to blow.