Mark Black's Top 11 albums of 2011

The Graboids, Aftershocks (Independent)
Songs about skateboarding, smoking, punk rock shows, Myles Deck, goofing off and dealing with jerks and an excellent Hanson Brothers cover. This is the soundtrack to some delinquent’s hard-drinking good time.

Jerk Damaged, Bored of Death (Independent)
A morose sound bite kicks this off. Seemingly upbeat pop-punk with an obvious current of depression. A cover of GI’s youth anthem, “Bored to Death” does nothing to dispel that.

Negative Circles, Six Songs (Independent)
Sound bites, dresses, raw production and minute-long songs—could there be any better combination? You can see the breakdowns coming from a mile away. That’s a good thing.

NOFX, HARDCORE (Fat Wreck Chords)
Nine ’80s hardcore covers by an aging NOFX, ranging from the well known (DOA) to the lesser known (Rebel Truth, Stretch Marks), this is the perfect record for aging punks.

Outtacontroller, Power Out (Independent)
A perfect three-song power-pop offering from these locals that calls to mind a union of the Clorox Girls and the Marked Men without sounding derivative of either band.

Childish Gambino, EP (Independent)

The Creeps, Lakeside Cabin (It’s Alive) Dog Day, Deformer (Fun Dog) LOCAL

Pusrad, Smarttrams EP (Just 4 Fun)

OFF!, First Four EPs (Vice)

Tongan Death Grip, Chula Vista (P. Trash) LOCAL

Mark’s proudest moment was receiving a free subscription to Reader’s Digest closely followed by making a television debut on Mass for Shut-Ins at the age of eight. Best record store find of 2011: Never Mind the Molluscs comp for one dollar in Osaka, Japan.