Prologue
When I was 12 years old, I swindled my dad into buying me Guitar Hero. I pointed at the guitar shaped controller and explained to him how this would teach me to play the guitar and turn me into a rock and roll star. These tactics usually never worked on him, but he must've seen the gleam in my eye or just wanted to make me happy. What Guitar Hero really did for me, other than cause carpal tunnel, was introduce me to hundreds of amazing bands, the top hits in music for the last 40 years. Queen, Green day, Nirvana, Weezer, Pat Benatar. Up until then I had only listened to my parents' music and begrudgingly endured my older brother's music blaring from his room. It would take a decade before my taste in music truly became my own and there's a point to be made that it's not even really my music taste. The algorithm has shaped and directed what music I've listened to for the last 5 years. I have at least 5 playlists where I couldn't tell you the names of 10% of the artists. I like a song enough to put it on a playlist and then listen to it for years without ever knowing who made the damn song! I have a deep fear that I have given my agency to the shuffle button, and in turn, the algorithm obscures the recognition these artists deserve. I had become a passenger in this experience. Now, I'm trying to retake the driver's seat.
Right now, I am listening to the Dead Kennedys compilation album Give Me Convenience or Give Me Death. If you don't know it, they sang the iconic line: Nazi Punks, Fuck Off, a line that never fails to bring me joy. Unfortunately it stays relevant today, and that's really the heart of why I love punk. The other day I saw a headline that Eminem was sending a cease and desist to Vivek Ramaswamy. Years ago, Paul Ryan said Rage against the machine was his favorite band. Right wing grifters have always co-opted the music of people who hate them. They could never see themselves as the villains in the music they love even when they are the definition of it. I think the reason I'm currently obsessed with punk is it reflects this deep seeded angst over the shape of the world. A world that has only gotten worse since the punk scene thrived.
Shout out to Marcus Parks and Carolina Hidalgo. Their podcast No Dogs in Space has been my guide through this little musical journey. I was texting my friend Michael and discussing outlets for creativity when I had the idea to do a little write up about my feelings and the bands I'm listening to. This is the kind of silly project that helps me focus and articulate my thoughts. I've listed out all the albums of these bands that i've listened to as finishing their discographies would take all of my listening hours and I gotta finish this damn post eventually.
1970s
New York Dolls
I had a lot of fun listening to this album. I had to look up the release date of Rocky Horror Picture Show to see if this album was inspired by the film but it was released a year before. It felt like it could've been the soundtrack. I do have a bit of hesitation to draw a comparison between the band that crossdresses and the most famous queer movie of all time but I think there's a real similarity. Maybe I'm just an idiot ha.
Albums
The Stooges
The Stooges were one of the first bands I listened to on this musical journey but I didn't like them at first. That's going to be a repeating pattern throughout this. So much of this music didn't quite tickle my fancy until I realized how much of it was still influencing the artists that I love.
I put it on in the background and didn't give them the time or attention it really deserved. I wanna be your dog is an absolute hit and I'm shocked it took me so long to realize that.
Albums
MC5
Much more country than I expected. There's almost a lilt in these songs that I don't like. Sing-songy. I like my punk raw, hard, and aggressive. I know that the MC5 is foundational like The Stooges, and songs like Teenage Lust and Looking at you are close. The guitar reminds me more of Bruce Springsteen than a punk band.
Albums
The Damned
The more I listen to the Damned the better they get. This was the first full punk album I took the time to sit down and listen to and I can't say I was impressed. It was only after I listened to most of the other bands on this list that I realized just how impressive this band is. I keep coming back to Damned Damned Damned over and over. The production is top notch and catchy, the songs are unique yet feel cohesive with each other.
Albums
Ramones
The Ramones singer has the most goofy voice which took a couple of albums to really stop annoying me. No Dogs pointed out that their first 3 albums were all written before they released the first one and that checks out. I feel like a lot of people want their favorite bands to stay within their lane, making similar music to the music their fans already like. This was the test case for that and I wasn't into it. Each album has a few good songs but it's all too similar for me.
Albums
Misfits
This band fucking rocks. I just wish I knew which ep I was listening to at any given moment! They're fast, they're aggressive and Glen Danzig can write the hell out of a punk song. How a song like We are 138 works is beyond me, but so much of the misfits feels like this. All the elements are so strong, the drums, guitar, and vocals go so well together. I can listen to them on repeat. Last Caress is the perfect example of this to me.
Albums?
Suicide
These guys sound so much deeper and full than some of the faster hardcore style bands on this list. It's eerie and distorted instead of fast and angry. There is this anxiety that you can hear underneath it. The story that No Dogs told about this band was also one of the more unique from this list. I'd never heard of them before I listened to these episodes unlike a lot of the bands here. I don't think I like them, it's not my style but it's been interesting to intentionally listen to all these bands even if I don't love them at first.
Albums
The Slits
After listening to the series on them from No Dogs, I was really excited to listen to the Slits but it was disappointing. I love strong female vocals in most of my music and you can very easily describe half the music I've listened to for the last 10 years as indie pop girls. But the slits felt over produced in a way their demos didn't at all. Disappointing but what can you do.
Albums
Blondie
Blondie's first album goes really hard. While they take a disco turn later, their rock roots are undeniable. Songs like Hanging on the Telephone are anthems. Maybe they don't belong on this list but I think they give
Albums
Sex Pistols
A lot of the bands on this list are full of angst and anger. Sex Pistols whine. Maybe it's the high pitched nasal accents but I simply can't take them seriously.
Albums
The Clash
In complete contrast to the Sex Pistols, The Clash feels authentic in their anger. Cathartic in their chords. Maybe more melodic than some of their contemporaries on this list but insanely talented. Not my favorite band but one I find it hard to
Albums
Joy Division
Wow, this band feels like the missing link between grunge and punk. Their first album is full of melancholy. No Dogs really went through their history as well, the members being in Warsaw first (weird nazi vibe guys), and you can so clearly hear the contemporary punk influences. Their second album was a lot less interesting to me in the context of this list. It drifted out of the punk genre in a way that was slower compared to their earlier work.
Albums
The Buzzcocks
Their first album was fairly tight. I prefer New York punk rather than British. It's definitely because I live here ha. The second one is immediately much better which is kinda shocking considering they both came out the same year.
Albums
1980s
The Cramps
Their rockabilly vibe just does not do it for me. I feel like they sound more like rock bands like Kiss and other hair metal bands than a lot of the bands on this list. Human Fly is really the only stand out song for me from their early discography.
Albums
Dead Kennedys
These guys have played faster and more violently than any other band on this list and they've secured their spot as my favorite band on this list. I know they are precursors to the hardcore scene which I also really like. Many of their songs and lyrics date themselves horribly but songs like Holiday in Cambodia can also transcend their era. I can say that the rage they felt at society doesn't fade. It's easy to empathize and I would love to find a band that does something similar in this day and age.
Albums
Minor Threat
I got kind of bored halfway through the album. It's good but repetitive. I always feel this way about bands that lean more towards hardcore. I'm conflicted on their creation of "straight edge". DC hardcore has a distinct style, but not one I'm always in the mood for.
Albums
Black Flag
Another west coast punk band, I liked most of their first album Damaged from 1981. The vocals are a bit whiny but mostly angry and visceral. I loved that this band was funnier than a lot of the punk bands I've talked about so far. Songs about drinking beer and hanging out with your buddies. Watching TV with the boys and having nothing better to do. It's a bit repetitive though, with not much differentiation between songs. TV Party, Self Destruct, and Rise Above are my favorite songs on the album.
Albums
Fugazi
13 Songs starts so strongly with Waiting Room. What is up with the DC Hardcore scene that keeps giving such amazing music. This album is intense, but it feels well produced. The songs are distinct and aggressive but it still feels cohesive. A hard line to walk. It's earned its place on the playlist. Unfortunately, while at a record shop I stumbled on Repeater, and bought without listening to any of the songs. It does not live up to the highs of 13 Songs.
Albums
Hüsker Dü
This band is good but didn't enter into my rotation in any serious way. Don't Want to Know If You're Lonely was added to the playlist which is a good sign but nothing else really spoke to me. I'm keeping my eyes out for any vinyl but I'm not actively searching for it.
Albums
The Replacements
Wow, what a band. Out of everyone I researched for this little project, The Replacements are probably the most varied and interesting. After some changes in the lineup, they are barely the same band, and barely punk. But I love that about them, they own it and are always themselves. Let It Be includes a soft rock ballad in Androgynous which I am in love with.
Albums
1990s
Let's be honest with ourselves, this is just a grunge list.
Nirvana
Honestly I was really surprised at how Bleach sounded so much like the other punk albums I've been listening to. Being their first album, I'd never heard most of the songs except what was included in Unplugged. Nevermind is clearly one of the best albums of all time. Nirvana's my favorite band from the 90's without hesitation.
Albums
Pearl Jam
The fact that Pearl Jam sold better than Nirvana is aggravating. But also sales figures aren't indicative of quality. Not my band, they're a bit too radio rock for me with hindsight. I also was never able to escape them on my local alt rock station growing up so there's a bias in there somewhere.
Albums
Soundgarden
I don't get the hype here if I'm being honest. I don't even have anything bad to say, maybe it was more influential in its time but it's just generic to my 2025 ears.
Albums