Guest Lists: The Best of 2016

Adam Kreutzer

Our best of the year posts continue today with another guest list. This one comes from Adam Kreutzer, vocalist of local hardcore punk band The Kreutzer Sonata. Their latest release is a 7-inch split with Boston's The Union Boys. Stream it here. I selected The Kreutzer Sonata's Fight Songs 7-inch as one of my favorite EPs/other releases of 2016. Read about that and stream it here. Here is Adam's best of 2016 list:

1. Shitizen- S/T Cassette
https://shitizen.bandcamp.com/album/shitizen
-Feral sounding Chicago hardcore punk with an attitude and a message. Best played at loud volumes while wasted. Pick up the cassette and catch one of their notorious live sets.

2. The DUI'S- Nightcap (SBS Records)
https://theduis.bandcamp.com/album/nightcap
-Milwaukee's drunkest street punks are also some of the tightest musicians out there. Anthemic songs to start a bar fight to. Melodic and powerful, and great dudes too!

3. On the Cinder- The Fight Against Ourselves (Between the Days Records)
https://onthecinder.bandcamp.com/album/the-fight-against-ourselves
-New full length from Buffalo, NY road dogs. Socially/politically conscious without any pretension and FAST AS FUCK! Pick up this LP. Guaranteed they will be in Chicago again soon, so catch them live!

4. TurboVamps- Death by Misadventure
https://turbovamps1.bandcamp.com/album/death-by-misadventure
-Long running Chicago street punk coming atcha' with their first release in a while. They still got it. Catchy songs that will remind you what got you into punk in the first place.

5. The Damn Garrison- S/T 7" (Arrest Records)
-New Hampshire Oi! powerhouse with their second 7" EP release. Something to sing along to and melodic enough to be stuck in your head for days. Some of their tracks channel hardcore and melodic punk influences while still keeping the Oi! roots.

6.UGLYBoNES- Growing Concerns
https://uglybones.bandcamp.com/album/growing-concerns
-Chicago hardcore punk straight out of the DIY spaces. Raw, fast and angry. Don't sleep on this band! This album goes by in the blink of an eye while encompassing a whole full length's worth of musical attitude.

7. The Cheap Dates- A Thousand Year Flood Cassette
https://thecheapdates.bandcamp.com/album/a-thousand-year-flood
-My favorite thing about this Chicago punk rock album is the recording quality and the effects on the guitar/vocals. Super fun to listen to walking around the city at night. Surfy guitar riffs at times reminding me of Dead Kennedys/Agent Orange but with a totally unique take with shrill shrieks and screams that sound amazing on cassette.

8. Mickey Rickshaw- Behind the Eight Ball CD
https://mickeyrickshaw.bandcamp.com/album/behind-the-eight-ball-2
-Boston celtic punk boys back at it with their second CD, khed! But seriously, this band features members of The Union Boys, and the lead singer Mike is no stranger to bands all over New England. Anthemic celtic folk punk that properly separates itself from the saturation of Dropkick Murphy-esque bands in the area.

9. Butchered- Whatever, I Guess CD
https://butchered.bandcamp.com/album/whatever-i-guess
-This Chicago pop punk band has gone through a major transformation with their lineup changes and with Whatever, I Guess has generated a sound that is distinctly for Butchered, blending influences from more straight forward rock n roll, to ska, punk and pop punk. Can't wait to hear what they do next.

10. Antithought- The Letdown LP (Collision Course Records)
https://antithought.bandcamp.com/album/the-letdown
This St. Louis hardcore punk band will take you for a ride. This LP is strangely melodic at times for how gritty the songs are, with catchy choruses harnessing the speed and attitude of 80's hardcore. Very angry music and very well worth picking it up on vinyl!