ALEX TURNER - Top Ten of 2013

    I thought that my list from yesterday would be the last one, Alex surprised me with this in my inbox. Alex is a good friend and, like me, is going through something we like to call "punk life crisis". I'll leave it up to you to figure out what that is. Meanwhile, you can find Alex in airport terminals, on Greyhound, hiding in his room or at one of the 25 punk fests he likes to go to. Here's Alex to tell you about the things he liked in 2013.

•The Body - Christ, Redeemers + w/neurosis (portland) and @ this is not a step (berkeley)  
     I saw the body play a fest, a big rock show, and I think one regular punk show this year. They have blown me away everytime i've seen them, and each album is better than the last. I hear rumor of a kids album? I'm sure it'll be the best kids album of the decade.

 •Do Ya Hear We?/Shark Pact Tour (oakland, l.a., flagstaff, kansas city, carbondale, chattanooga)
     I went to chaos in tejas, it was fun, but not the kind of punk I feel at home in. So while hung over in a park in austin I texted jeff to see if I could jump in the van for a week with shark pact and go to do ya hear we. I had a great time, stayed up for 40 hours at one point. saw great bands, ate good food, shot gunned a beer outside a small town police station, tried to sleep in the middle of a porch party, tried to sleep while really stoned people listened to paranoid at least 5 times, it was super fun and good to be back with the punk I know and love.

 •Foxboro Hot Tubs @ Eli's Mile High Club (oakland, ca) 
   I finally saw green day! or their alter ego, whatever. I blacked out and don't think they played a single song I knew or cared about. I had so much fun.

   •No Statik - On a pedestrian bridge @ 3am (ausitn, tx) + Unity and Fragmentation + Everywhere You Aren't Looking  Remix tape 
   I'm kinda obsessed with this band, I saw them play in at least 5 different cities this year (olympia, seattle, portland, berkeley, and austin). they played the best punk show of the year (on a bridge in austin in the middle of the night), they put out a great 12" and a remix tape that is an actually interesting re-inventing of the songs. I feel like I could go on an on, but i'll just say that they are really good at what they do.

 •Modern Times Cafe, coffee (minneapolis, mn) 
   Coffee is important to me. the fact that it is impossible to get your coffee cup even half empty at this busy cafe is a testament to the fact that they understand how important coffee is. plus the coffee is really good, and cheap. if i lived in minneapolis I'd be here all the time.

 •Neo Boys - Sooner Or Later 
   often some old band gets a big retrospective and most of the songs you never heard are terrible, or forgettable at best. the neo boys just went from having a 7" and a 12" to having a double lp, and it's all great. i'm glad somebody did all this digging around and put it out.

 •Rat$ @ mohawk (austin, tx)
    I love fred and toody. After this show I said that they could get on stage and make fart noises, and I'd prolly be pretty happy. This was way better than fart noises.

 •Stillsuit - lp
    The best active band in oakland? They quietly do everything right, except when they play, it's loud, noisy, and makes the fucked up world outside tolerable for 20 minutes.

 •Tacoma County Fair (tacoma, wa) 
   The best party of the year, full of games and old friends. thanks 5d.

 •This Is Not A Step / Neon Piss last show (berkeley, ca) 
   So I went to a lot of fest this summer, by the time this one came around I was kinda exhausted. I pretty much skipped the first day, but the two days I went to where full of great bands (the body, no statik, los crudos, talk is poison, hysterics, and replica). Neon piss played for the last time at this fest, which was sad, but it was a nice send off at a show filled with friends and love.

 honorable mention... 
Criminal Damage - Call of Death lp 
Dark Rides - Walk The Floors lp 
Future Virgins - Late Republic lp 
Giant Henry - Big Baby lp
Unwound - Kid Is Gone box set 
No, Sir I Won't - The Door 12" 
Radioactivity - lp
Rat's Rest - demo