H -°, L 6° | Tomorrow: 
H 18°, L 6°We Don’t Need To Whisper, Angels & Airwaves
It may seem criminal that there isn’t one Blink-182 album on this list, but Tom DeLonge’s “side project” during the group’s four-year hiatus produced a record of epic proportions filled with long instrumental introductions and ’80s-era harmonics. Although We Don’t Need To Whisper couldn’t possibly live up to DeLonge’s self-generated hype, the remarkably mature-sounding 10-track record looks that much better when compared to AVA’s sequel, I-Empire.
Your Favorite Weapon, Brand New
Brand New broke into the underground music scene in a major way in 2001 with their debut release — a 12-track masterpiece that has everything a good punk album should have. Filled with soaring three-part harmonies and the kind of hooks high school bands only dream about writing, Your Favorite Weapon is an album I’m still listening to eight years after its release. This is as close as you get to a perfect record.
In Keeping Secrets Of Silent Earth: 3, Coheed and Cambria
Coheed and Cambria effectively invented a new genre of progressive rock with the release of their concept-themed debut album The Second Stage Turbine Blade in 2002 and continued on that path with 2003’s In Keeping Secrets. Filled with Rush-like vocals, cryptic lyrics and frequent clapping, the hour-plus album provides a true musical delicacy for anyone who appreciates innovative rock ‘n’ roll.
Take This To Your Grave, Fall Out Boy
Before Pete Wentz and Co. became household names with “Dance, Dance” and “Sugar, We’re Going Down,” the Chicago-area group produced a pop-punk gem, achieving a degree of musicianship and overall songwriting unsurpassed since their 2003 release. And if that weren’t enough, the record was recorded (where else?) in Madison.
Life In Dreaming, Hidden In Plain View
The post-hardcore outfit’s first full-length venture in 2005 achieved excellence, featuring spectacular vocals from lead singer Joe Reo and guitarist Rob Freeman, as well as a splendid blend of hard and softer, more melodic songs. Written with the kind of intense emotional sincerity that is hard to come by, Life In Dreaming remains a standout in the punk realm.
Let It Enfold You, Senses Fail
It’s not very often you come across a screamo band with pop tendencies, but the New Jersey group’s 2004 debut album is chock-full of heavy guitar riffs, well-placed screams and some of the most imaginative song titles and dark lyrics you’ve heard in a while. And really, who doesn’t love a song about being a pirate?
Discovering The Waterfront, Silverstein
A delicate blend of punk, metal and screamo, Silverstein’s 2005 follow-up to When Broken Is Easily Fixed far exceeded expectations set by the raw, furious sound of their scream-laden debut. In their carefully composed, quieter moments, the Canadian five-piece achieves something close to true beauty with powerful, moving lyrics and lead singer Shane Told’s cracking voice on full display.
Say It Like You Mean It, The Starting Line
After hearing TSL’s “Up & Go” on a Drive-Thru Records sampler back in 2002, my brother and I took a gamble and bought the group’s debut LP when we saw it. The purchase, it turned out, was worth every cent. A rare treasure trove of ambitious, superbly-executed pop-punk songs, Say It Like You Mean It established the young Philly natives as an up-and-coming band with plenty of songwriting muscle.
Where You Want To Be, Taking Back Sunday
I would expect most critics’ essentials list would include TBS’s debut Tell All Your Friends, but there is a reason why the band’s 2004 sophomore effort is here instead: Where You Want To Be has 11 superb tracks that, unlike Tell All Your Friends, doesn’t begin to lag toward the middle. The brooding second half of Where You Want To Be is just as strong as the first half — if not stronger — resulting in an exceptionally dynamic album that you will want to put on repeat.
In Love And Death, The Used
Written following the death of lead vocalist Bert McCracken’s girlfriend, The Used’s sophomore record packs the kind of jarring, emotional punch that will knock you off your feet. The record hits the ground running full-speed and doesn’t stop to catch its breath. To date, In Love And Death remains The Used’s best release — and that’s saying something.
Other Notables: What To Do When You Are Dead, Armor For Sleep; Dude Ranch, Blink-182; This Is A Stick Up…Don’t Make It A Murder, Hit The Lights; A Collection of Short Stories, Houston Calls; Sticks and Stones, New Found Glory; Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge, My Chemical Romance; Page Avenue; Story Of The Year; Full Collapse, Thursday.
Joe Pfister is a senior majoring in English and political science. E-mail him at [email protected]
IP hash: 5a976783
take this to your grave was my all time favorite album as a sophomore in high school. when i’m feeling nastolgic i play it-i’m glad someone else shows my appreciation! (p.s. the rest of the list was quite excellent as well, nice job!)
IP hash: a7ab4961
This is the list of the best punk albums OF ALL TIME? Seriously? There isn’t a single album on this list that came out before this decade/century/millennium! Not to mention the fact that bands such as Angels and Airwaves, Fall Out Boy, The Starting Line and Taking Back Sunday don’t even register on the “Bands That Exhibit the Qualities of Punk Bands Regardless of Whether Their Music is or is Not Punk, Which it Most Likely is Not” chart. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not going to preach about how true punk rock is from the 70’s and 80’s made by bands like Black Flag, Bad Brains or the Misfits. In fact I don’t even like most of the music from that era. But I still recognize the HUGE influence and importance those bands and albums such as Bad Religion’s “No Control” had on the (now all but extinct) punk scene. Where is 1999’s “F.T.T.W.” by H20, the balls-to-the-wall hardcore punk album about having fun with your friends and loving life through music? Where are iconic albums such as “Let’s Go!” by Rancid or (as much as I hate to say it) “Punk in Drublic” by NOFX? At least toss something on there as enormously groundbreaking as an album that breathed life back into the then-almost dead scene like Against Me!’s “Reinventing Axl Rose” did! Mr. Pfister, if you are going to claim your column as the “essential punk/alternative albums of all time” at least take some time to recognize those before you who laid the groundwork for the so called “punk” bands of today to have a platform on which to capitalize.
…Fall Out Boy? Really?
IP hash: 7c6e465a
Wtf!? An article about punk albums and nowhere at all do I see Bad Religion, NOFX, Pennywise, the Clash or the Ramones, to name only a few. Seriously guy, step out of Hot Topic and expose yourself to real punk music.
IP hash: 108c912e
“filled with three part harmonies” as part of something every good punk album should have? go listen to the sex pistols. the clash. the bronx. and hell if your going to go down the pop route, how can you possibly leave ‘dookie’ out? perhaps you should think before you type next time.
IP hash: cf15b0b4
hey, people-this is subjective. this is his opinion. if you want to voice yours, go write for a paper instead of bitching about it in a comment section
IP hash: 33a78874
I cannot tell you how refreshing it is to find someone else with AMAZING musical taste!! Thank you for your wonderful insights and thoughtful information gathering! We should compare iTunes sometime! Have you listened to You, Me, and Everyone We Know?? They are my FAV!!
P.S. If I may be so bold as to make this statement: If you disagree so strongly with his OPINION, write your own damn article! Thanks! :)
IP hash: fa2258b8
lol, 99% of these bands I know for sure aren’t punk.
IP hash: c0d03ddc
“hey, people-this is subjective. this is his opinion. if you want to voice yours, go write for a paper instead of bitching about it in a comment section”
No, it’s not an opinion. They’re saying these are the ‘best punk albums’, when I don’t think I saw more than two that ARE punk. Ben covered just about everything I would have said (except I would have said Against the Grain instead of No Control). This article is embarrassing
IP hash: ce3f5304
boy you sure like your “punk” extra sugary. houston calls? are you serious. like people have said you cant make a list like this without the ramones, the clash, the sex pistols, the germs, operation ivy, nofx, rancid, lagwagon…even green day
IP hash: 7211ed59
I wouldn’t cite a “terrible taste of music”, so much as a “complete ignorance of punk”. It’s obvious that Joe doesn’t know what punk is. There is no debate of that; if he’s going to make a list of the best punk albums of all time, and not even go outside of this decade, he doesn’t know what punk is. Also, what is Coheed and Cambria doing on this list? They’re not punk. Seriously, for an article claiming to have “explored” the best of punk, you sure didn’t explore through too many years.
IP hash: 29e1ff62
I like how I was able to predict what the comments looked like after scanning the article for 3 seconds. It seems pretty obvious that the author doesn’t really know what he’s talking about. I’m not even all that into punk music, and I can tell you that leaving off London Calling is a travesty. If you’re making a list of “The Best X of All Time,” you damn well better actually look at the entire lifespan of X. If I made a list of the best baseball players of all time and then had the majority of them be active players, no one would respect my list at all. To ignore history, is to give up credibility.
IP hash: 585ef2bc
No Clash = EPIC FAIL
You are listing radio punk and pop-punk sounds that have existed as a slap in the face to real punk music since the day you were born.
Try NOFX.
IP hash: b85b88b6
More of a modern emo, pop-punk radio list, not really what punk is. If you changed the title from punk to some other genre more fitting for your taste is music this would be a decent article.
IP hash: 9434e5bf
if this is a punk list where are the misfits, social distortion, black flag, anti-flag, screeching weasel, green day, blink 182, bad religion, minor threat, jfa, the circle jerks, millions of dead cops..etc the word shouldnt be punk/alternative it should just be alternative. dons associate punk with freakin fall out boy, brand new and all the other bands on the list. thats just stupid