23. At The Drive-In "In/Casino/Out" (1998)
http://fearless.merchnow.com/images/429?w=300&h=297
What it is: post-hardcore/indie rock
Favorite track: Napoleon Solo

It seems At The Drive-In improved with every release they put out. However, In/Casino/Out is the point in their career where they really got good at what they did. In/Casino/Out is their second full-length album, but fifth release in total (if my memory serves me well).

It took a while for me to get into In/Casino/Out. I was kind of dissapointed the first time I heard it. I was put off by the somewhat slower, more laid back sound. I could enjoy Alpha Centauri and Chanbara because they sounded more like the At The Drive-In I was used to, but I didn't really enjoy the rest of the album. Then I began to enjoy Napoleon Solo, and this led to me being more comfortable with the sound. After that, the next growers were Lopsided and Hourglass. Now, I can appreciate the album as a whole.

In/Casino/Out is a softer, slower album on average than Relationship Of Command, but surpasses it terms of emotion (on average yet again). Napoleon Solo definitely ranks up there with Invalid Litter Dept from ROC as some of the most intense stuff they've ever done. Cedric Bixler-Zavala absolutely pours his soul into this, and other songs on this album.

As usual, you will find the unorthodox guitar and cryptic lyrics ATDI is known for here.

In/Casino/Out is an awesome album, and for those who think that At The Drive-In's only good album is Relationship Of Command, you're very wrong. In/Casino/Out is very much worth the listen, and you may be scratching your head on whether it's better than Relationship Of Command. I still like ROC better, but In/Casino/Out puts up quite a fight.

22. Matisyahu "Youth" (2006)
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...hu_-_Youth.jpg
What it is: Reggae performed by a hisidic jew
Favorite track: Time Of Your Song

Matisyahu sounded pretty interesting when I first heard about him. I mean, 21st century reggae with hints of hip hop and rock, and performed by a jew. Of course, I'm not gonna bore you with the whole "OMG A JEW DOING REGGAE" thing.

Many fans prefer "Shake Off The Dust... ARISE!", but that album didn't do it for me. Maybe it was because I heard this one first and that's the one I stick with etc, but this album just has more memorable songs. The choruses are catchy, and it's really more of a feel good album.

I really like Matisyahu's lyrics. His usage of Jewish and Biblical themes makes his music a lot more interesting to me. Some of my favorite lyrics on the album are:

from Fire Of Heaven/Altar Of Earth

from What I'm Fighting For

Matisyahu is like a rabbi singing reggae, but you don't have to be Jewish to find his music, or even his message enjoyable. Though his music is very focused on the Jewish religion, he doesn't come off as preachy.

Excellent album, all I can say.

21. Millencolin "Pennybridge Pioneers" (2000)
http://images.buch.de/images-adb/85/...7774e4690e.jpg
What it is: Fun, poppy skate punk
Favorite track: No Cigar

The musical elitist deep inside me tells me that it should be embarassing that I like this album. But you know what? Screw you inner musical elitist. I'd be a liar if I said I didn't love this album. It's fun skate punk with big pop hooks.

Let's travel back in time to when I was about ten or eleven. Many a day I would spend rocking out to the wonderful music on Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2. No Cigar was one of my favorite tracks on that game, and it was made for skateboarding. I bought this album in the summer of 2008. By then I'd heard a lot of Millencolin songs, and I liked them a lot.

As with others on this list, this is a fun album. There's high-octane guitar riffs, such as the main riff on Penguins & Polarbears, big pop choruses, such as the one on The Mayfly. While I described it as a skate punk album, some songs are more pop-rockish, such as A-Ten and Fox. It's all good.

I don't recommend this album to the average MBer, because you'd probably find it juvenile and "shitty", but that's your business. As for me, I'll keep spinning Pennybridge Pioneers until the CD dies.

20. Teenage Bottlerocket "Total" (2005)
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/...500_AA240_.jpg
What it is: catchiest pop punk ever
Favorite track: Fall For Me

This list is looking bleak, innit? This is the second pop punk album in a row! Not to fear, the future is bright...

...but the present is gloomy. This may be the second pop punk album in a row, but this one is quite a bit different than that other one. Whereas Millencolin had more conventional rock stuff on their album, this one is raw and punky, and pretty much sounds like what The Ramones would be recording if they were still going.

There's real art and skill in this album, you must know. I mean, how hard it must be, making catchy-as-hell songs and worrying about whether you've stolen a chord pattern from Screeching Weasel or The Lillingtons or The Ramones.

Whether they did or not, nothing can take away from the fact that this is the catchiest pop punk album you'll hear. Most of the songs here are about girls and the lyrics are cheesy as hell, but isn't that part of the appeal of the genre? One thing's for sure, this band isn't to be taken seriously, they're goofballs.

Bloodbath At Burger King expresses an employees desire to murder his fellow his employees. Go Away, the most repetetive track on the album tells about how he "loves it when you go away". I mean, what the hell is this?

But, Alexisonfire put it best: "Sometimes it's just about feeling good/John Cusack, pop punk".

Originally Posted by Alfred (Post 575766) 23. At The Drive-In "In/Casino/Out" (1998)

19. The Clash "Give Em Enough Rope" (1978)
http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/n...EnoughRope.jpg
What it is: better than their debut dammit
Favorite track: Safe European Home

See, I told you the future was bright!

I could be wrong, but "Give Em Enough Rope" always seems like the overlooked Clash album. Everyone loves their debut, because it's their first album and shows their early sound. "London Calling" goes without saying, "Sandinista!" is so huge and weird, but loved by many fans. Combat Rock has "Should I Stay Or Should I Go" and "Rock The Casbah", and everyone seems to avoid Cut The Crap like a swarm of bees (I myself am guilty of this).

As a punk rock band, this is the greatest thing The Clash could have possibly achieved. There's lots of energy here, and they're tight as hell. The melodies are great, and the lyrics are pure Clash. Safe European Home is superb, the finest punk track that they made. English Civil War was also a treat for me, because of its usage of an old melody that I've always loved. Stay Free has lyrics of youthful rebellion, but it sounds like it should be on London Calling. The production here is very slick.

I could be wrong, but as I said before, this album doesn't seem to get the recognition it deserves. There are many memorable songs here, and as an album it works extremely well. It's a more energetic sound, but at the same time, more laid back than their debut. Their feel-good record if you like.