The hardcore scene that emerged out of DC in the ‘80s was not exactly what you would call fun. Fugazi, Minor Threat, Rites of Spring et al. all have that we-take-ourselves-too-seriously vibe. Out of that un-fun scene though came Dag Nasty formed by Minor Threat guitarist Brian Baker who arguably invented a new more lighthearted genre of hardcore. The band burned through a revolving door of singers with very distinct and possibly controversial takes on vocals (we’ll get to that later). Also to make things confusing there are currently two active versions of the band that play different eras of their catalog.
Well, what can we say? We wigged out on some Coke and Doritos and had a field day listening to all their albums and came up with the definitive ranking of them all.
6. Minority of One (2002)
You’d think one of the most beloved DC hardcore bands reuniting with fan-favorite frontman and putting out the first album in ten years would’ve been a huge deal but this mostly went under everyone’s radar. Why? It could be because musically it is a slightly bland retread of their earlier stuff but most likely it’s because Dave Smalley came out with his “Gonzo Conservative Punk” ideology during the height of the Bush-is-a-literal-war-criminal era and alienated their audience. Dag Nasty fans don’t really want to hear about politics and they definitely don’t want to hear how supply-side economics is “actually really punk when you think about it.”
Play it again: “Ghosts”
Skip it: “Your Words”
5. Dag With Shawn (2010)
This is basically “Can I Say” originally recorded in 1985 with their first singer Shawn Brown and shelved for decades. I’m probably going to lose punk points for ranking it so low but I have a perfectly valid response: Come onnnn. This is a fine album and if you like “Can I Say” you’ll like this but it’s just not the same with Shawn’s vocals. He would go on to front Swiz which was a much better fit for him.
Play it again: “Circles” Still a solid song even if it is not the version most prefer
Skip it: Honestly, just go listen to Swiz instead
4. Field Day (1988)
Remember on “The Simpsons” when Milhouse’s dad got divorced and recorded a demo song “Can I Borrow A Feeling”? There are moments on “Field Day” that sound a lot like that. This might honestly be the weirdest fucking album you will ever listen to. It’s like every genre being played all at once. That said, there are some really outstanding moments, and the instrumentation at times is super catchy even if the vocals sound like they were recorded by someone who didn’t want to wake their parents in the next room.
Play it again: “All Ages Show”
Skip it: “La Penita” Kirk Van Houten, is that you?
3. Four On The Floor (1992)
Their first reunion album after the initial break up with Dave Smalley returning on vocals and Brian Baker taking a break from his questionable decision to form his cringey bar rock band Junkyard. Seems like the band as a whole got out of their system whatever the fuck it was they were attempting to do on “Field Day” and returned with a mostly great album. Arguably their most fun album with a number of songs that seem like they were custom-made for early ‘90s snowboard videos.
Play it again: “Million Days”, “Still Waiting”
Skip it: “Roger”
2. Wig Out at Denko’s (1987)
The title track is the anthem for the straight edge kids who have to deal with drunk friends at parties and “The Godfather” sounds like the soundtrack to an ‘80s movie training montage for those same kids except instead of training for the big race where they beat the blonde rich kid bully or whatever they are just trying to get past the stage in “Mario Brothers” with all the cannons. Yes, drugs are bad but a steady diet of Coke and Doritos isn’t the clean-living flex you think it is.
Play it again: Pretty much the whole thing
Skip it: Coke (both kinds)
1. Can I Say (1986)
You could have a healthy debate about what the greatest melodic hardcore album of all time is. There are a lot you could mention but it would probably come down to Gorilla Biscuits “Start Today” and “Can I Say.” Travis Barker has “Can I Say” tattooed on his chest and not “Start Today” so I’m not sure if that helps the cause or not for this album but Dave Smalley’s earnestness and the sing-alongability not to mention Smalley’s “I walked by you on the street the other day” monologue put this in the hardcore hall of fame for sure.
Play it again: Yes
Skip it: No
Rankings are a tough racket, one album had to be listed in the brown stinker spot in this piece, and The Vines’ fourth album “Melodia.” Maybe we’d dig this full-length studio release more, and we must mention on record that we still do enjoy every album from The Vines, if it went with its original title, “Braindead,” but that also possibly is as false as the night. An interesting thing to mention is that the record often sounds ADD in that only one song, “True as the Night” is longer than three minutes, and that twelve out of the album’s fourteen songs are under two minutes and thirty seconds, and four are even under two minutes.
After two perfect by any stretch of your lack of imagination back to back LPs, The Vines found themselves in a difficult position for album number three, and released “Vision Valley,” which, again, like all The Vines records, is good, but unlike its predecessors, just isn’t great. A parable that we ascribe to is that good is the enemy of great, and even if you don’t agree. Also, a band in 2024 could NEVER have a song called “Futuretarded,” or they would be canceled and there would be online discussions about who can and can’t use that word. Today vocalist and chief songwriter Craig Nicholls is the only consistent member of The Vines, and “Vision Valley” started the leaving member trend with bassist Patrick Matthews exiting shortly before this one.
The band’s newest and seventh full-length studio album, “In Miracle Land” is not only NOT The Vines’ lowest ranked LP here, but it is also not in the second lowest slot, proving that what is new isn’t necessarily that bad. Surprise surprise with a newly mended heart? Yessir and yesmadam! Basically, we just LOVE the sound, and hate is a strong word but we really, really, really don’t like you. Also, “In Miracle Land” is the first to be mentioned that is somewhere between good and great, proving that this band not only is capable of creating works with a lot of killer and little filler. Why the title track is the only single here plagues our brain, as the record should have had at least two others, but that’s just showbiz! In closing, this album cover would be delightful as framed wall art for your overpriced studio apartment.
Missing the medal position by just a smidge, “Future Primitive” is still a more than solid release front to back, and was expertly and pristinely recorded by The Bumblebeez’ Chris Calonna, whose band you may not have heard of, but is quite successful down unda. If you have, we apologize for said blunder and promise to do it again soon. Anyway, especially considering that this is the band’s fifth LP, “Future Primitive” showcased that the band’s past dictated their future, and said future is the antithesis of primitive, and quite, wait for it, wait for it, (highly) evolved. In a badass move, the band was unsigned prior to 2011, self funded this badass release, and ultimately signed with Sony Music Australia, who ultimately released “Future Primitive”. So read on for something wicked, winning, and evolved.
You may not be able to recall any song from this record off the top of your metallic ladybug noggin, and anything you say proves it, but, like many songs in the modern age, you likely may have listened to some tracks passively on various hard/alt-rock DSP curated playlists. Well, still many Australians in fact do recall many tunes from this 2014 effort, and the Thunder Down Under Aussie fans likely account for the majority of the publicly viewed successful streams from “Wicked Nature,” and not Chris Isaak’s “Wicked Game.” It is worth mentioning that shockingly to domestic diehards and casual fans, out of the top ten listed popular tracks from The Vines, FIVE, yes five, are from “Wicked Nature”. The band certainly had faith in this record as well, certainly their best since 2004, as it was released under their own label, the appropriately named Wicked Nature Music.
One of the more underrated Capitol Records LPs, at least from this century, “Winning Days,” is a proper sequel in that it truly sounds more expensive and certainly huger than its incredible predecessor, whilst not reinventing the wheels in too many ways that it successfully rode towards success the first time. Sadly, another way that it is a sophomore record is that its sales waned in comparison to and respect to the band’s debut full-length album. Fun fact: This record’s catchy opening track and second single “Ride” was featured in an Apple commercial in the mid-aughts. Fun opinion: Maybe this tune should have been the first single, as the label opted for the album’s closer “F.T.W.” instead, which stands for what you think it does and couldn’t be a hit because of its moniker. In closing, this album and the next mention have no “skip it” tracks.
The word “the” was used in 2002 before a plural noun in a band name almost as many times as George W. Bush avoided doing anything presidential whilst he golfed eighteen holes or more with Dick Cheney. “Highly Evolved” is a perfect record and certainly one of the more underrated aughts rock efforts, that’s for sure! Despite going platinum in their native Australia and gold in the U S and A, we rarely hear this band or album name checked in the concrete jungle one-millionth as much as we should, and that doesn’t make us come in, come in, come in. Producer Rob Schnapf, whose last name likely gets mispronounced often, killed it here, much like he did for Saves the Day’s “In Reverie” and several Elliott Smith LPs.
