2013: A Great Year For Folk Punk
Loads of great folk punk albums came out this year! Here are my 13 rfavorite: |
| 13 |  | Ramshackle Glory/Ghost Mice
Shelter
I usually like Pat The Bunny's material WAY more than ghost mice but on this
particular split I like the Ghost Mice side. Go Figure. These first three bands here
(Ramshackle Glory, Ghost Mice and Defiance Ohio) all kind of lost me when they
pulled a Bob Dylan at the Newport Folk Festival on us. Despite that, it was bands
like Defiance Ohio, Ghost Mice and Johnny Hobo & The Freight Trains that first got
me into folk punk so they still hold a special place in my heart |
| 12 |  | Defiance, Ohio
The Calling EP
I liked this EP so much better than Midwestern Minutes |
| 11 |  | Paddy and The Rats
Tales From The Docks
This is a fun band. They're Hungarian so you get the Irish punk rock with a goofy
accent. The blend of Irish folk and punk has been done to death but these next
two are damn fine releases by some newer bands. |
| 10 |  | Skinny Lister
Forge and Flagon
Really good UK band doing taditional Irish music with a punk rock spirit. It should
be noted that Celtic punk veterans The Dropkick Murphys, The Tossers and Fiddlars
Green all put out solid albums this year too. I chose to highlight these newer bands
instead. |
| 9 |  | Gogol Bordello
Pura Vida Conspiracy
I set my expectations pretty low for this one after Trans-Continental Hustle and
was happily surprised to hear the good ol' Gogol Bordello I knew and loved. |
| 8 |  | Old Man Markley
Down Side Up
This acoustic bluegrass punk band gets better with every release |
| 7 |  | Billy Bragg
Tooth & Nail
You seriously can't go wrong with this folk punk pioneer. He's still going strong |
| 6 |  | Larry and His Flask
By The Lamplight
Pure americana punk rock. They touch on it all - bluegrass, blues, folk but it
sounds like their favorite genre of American music is early jazz. They've got a hard
sound to describe 'cause it's so damn original. it is, however, without a doubt,
damn good party music |
| 5 |  | PIñATA PROTEST
El Valiente
It's a wonder that no one ever thought of combining Mexican folk with punk before.
They fit together so naturally. |
| 4 |  | Absinthe Rose
The More That We Learn, The More We Learn We Are W
I don't know why this Boston anarco-folk-punk band isn't more popular. They
remind me a lot of Blackbird Raum. |
| 3 |  | The Taxpayers
Cold Hearted Town
The Taxpayers have a unique and awesome blend of punk rock and folk - all with a
New Orleans-style horn section! |
| 2 | | The Devil Makes Three
I'm A Stranger Here
Yet another great album by this ragtime punk trio |
| 1 |  | Blackbird Raum
False Weavers
A masterpiece. This might be my favorite album of the year. In this album they've
matured from simply an acoustic hardcore crust punk band (which is still amazing)
to something much more powerful. They've channeled their beast-like despiration,
rage and despair into something beautiful and energizing and deeply frightening.
These are the folk song of the apocalypse |
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