Top Five Montreal Punk Albums 2015
emergency broadcast album
5. Fightface – The Emergency Broadcast
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Mixing in elements of surf and horror punk, complete with a synthesizer and growling vocals, Fightface has created their own sound, known as Murderpop. The songs are catchy and fun, with song titles like “Cheerleader Zombies,” “Outerspace Ninjas” and “Demon Sluts.” Makes you feel like you’re listening to the soundtrack of a punk rock horror b-movie.
Top Track: “Bossfight”
4. L’Etat C’est Moi – Born Without Consent
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It doesn’t get any more political than L’Etat C’est Moi. Inspired by bands like Leftover Crack and A Global Threat, LCM isn’t afraid to raise the battle cry against homophobia, drug addiction and Quebec nationalism. It’s got everything you could hope for in an anarcho-punk band; speedy bass riffs, screeched political slogans and black-and-white album art similar to Crass.
Top Track: “Stop Killing My Friends”
3. Angles – Lysergic Eucharist
angels
With members from the Great Sabatini, IRN and Animal Ethics, you know you’re dealing with some heavy material. Each song is approximately a minute-long, safe for the last track, clocking in at two and a half minutes. If you crave gnashing vocals and crunching guitars, and have the attention span of a three-year-old, then this six-minute opus is for you. Click here to listen
Top Track: “Tampons in September”
Kennedy – The Guilty Poor
A ferocious telling of the dystopic times in which we live. Starting with the famous Orwell quote: “If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face – forever,” the first few seconds in the first track sets the mood for the rest of the album. Kennedy has reinvented the tired hardcore formula with squealing guitars and energetic vocals, half sung, half screamed. Also, If you listen closely to the beginning of the track “American Gods,” you can vaguely hear the three familiar tones of a departing STM metro car.
Top Track: “1984”
Dopethrone – Hochelaga
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This album is so heavy and sludgey, the dark grooves will shake your bones and will force your brain to slowly rock back and forth in your skull. Each track starts with a clip cut from the 1967 documentary Narcotics: Pit of Despair, featuring outdated lingo like “hip” or “square.” Then comes a blast of distorted stoner metal, presented as a contradiction to the obsolete warnings of the dangers of drugs. Dopethrone rejoices in the grime and filth of the Pit of Despair. From start to finish, the album is like a scary drug trip you can’t control; you can only enjoy it and hope you can survive to the end. An appropriate anthem for Hochelaga.
Top Track: “Scum Fuck Blues”
