In no particular order, a top 10 albumsof 091: bomb the music industry! - scrambles  okay, okay. by now everybody knows i'm a fucking huge jeff rosenstock fanboy. this being on here should come as no surprise to anybody that pays attention to my music taste. this is a great example of a more modern punk. roaring back comes the diy ethic of the hardcore scene of the 80s. but this ain't your patched up, studded leather jacket, doc martin brand of punk, no no. this is your every man's punk. though political elements of punk still remain vaguely in a song or two, this is punk simply about life. here's jeff, as usual, just putting it out there on the line saying "hey. here's what i think. don't like it, cool. i'm just playing some music, man,". from the fast-paced danceable stuff that i like or (shut) up the punx to the almost punk ballad stylings of wednesday night drinkball and $2,400,000, this is is one of the most solid releases of the year. 2: andrew jackson jihad - can't maintain  this arizona home band has been a mainstay in the folk punk scene for a few years now. their previous lp "people that can eat people are the luckiest people in the world" is in almost any list of entry-level folk punk albums you'll find, not to mention how solid their eps and splits are as well. this, like most folk punk, is just a very human album. you won't find big flowing metaphors in the lyrics, but what you will find is honesty. sean bonnet and ben gallaty know exactly how to write a song that will lyrically strike home with as many people as possible. they work in the most direct way they can, and damnit if it doesn't impress me. bonnet's usual cracking vocals serve quite well to fit the emotions of the songs and the new, fuller band sound in this album is definitely not a detriment. if there's one arizona folk punk album you download or purchase this year, can't maintain should be the one. 3: big d and the kids table - fluent in stroll  over the years, 3rd wave ska punk band big d and the kids table have changed their style considerably. from the raw punk-ska stylings of "good luck" and "how it goes" to the strongly reggae, dub, and ska "strictly rude", they had no problems with a bit of stylistic change. now with "fluent in stroll", we seem to see their biggest change yet. they call the genre of this new album "stroll". a combination of ska, reggae, hopscotch, and a few other genres they decided to toss in that description for the hell of it. and you know what, despite what many fans have said in regards to this album, i think it may be my favorite big d release yet. now, maybe i got lost somewhere along the way, but aren't bands supposed to have with the music they play? aren't they SUPPOSED to explore new territory and try to enjoy themselves while doing so? because that is EXACTLY what david mcwane and the rest of the big d gang seem to be doing. to me, this was the PERFECT summer chill album, and stands up to listen after listen, even after the free, warmer months are behind you. 4: animal collective - merriweather post pavilion  ALL ABOARD THE HIPSTER CLICHE TRAAAAAIN! look, say what you will about animal collective and certain members of their vastly annoying fanbase, you cannot deny that mpp is a fantastic pop album. a definite change from strawberry jam, with a far more electronic route, mpp makes me grin like an idiot. from the fun, upbeat jam that is summertime clothes to the ballad-like bluish, animal collective let's it be known that they know what the fuck they're doing as far as spacey pop music goes. are they the most CREATIVE BAND IN THE WORLD as many would lead you to believe? probably not. but they do know how to put together a fantastic pop album. and shit, it really seems like that's all they're trying to do. 5: kudrow - lando  here's my first ep of the list. this 4 song ep side project fronted by btmi!'s jeff rosenstock is a little punk rock-alt rock power house. in just 13 minutes and 5 seconds you'll want to be dancing, partying, rocking, and taking some sort of effort to make your life AWESOME. this ep has such a refreshing, sort of old-school, raw punk sound, with some definite pop sensibilities in there. in addition to all of that, this project definitely sounds quite a bit different than rosenstock's arrogant sons of bitches or bomb the music industry!. are you a fan of that good old bit of punk-alt rock combination done right? then hit this shit UP! 6: the wild - self titled ep  hey look, another ep! damn, 09 was a good year for these short bursts of musical awesome. coming out of atlanta, this band puts forth one of the best eps i've heard in a damn long time. walking an amazing line between folk punk and simply modern indie folk/country, you cannot listen to this ep and NOT have fun. this is the kind of release that will make you wish you were down south with the band having a few beers and just jamming to good tunes out in the woods or something. this is the sort of music that makes you think "damn, i wish i were in a band". and you know what, that is exactly what a good band should do. 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