Written by Megan Langley
2010 started this past decade off strong, supplying a multitude of albums in pop-punk and alternative that would practically become pillars of the genre. Bands that we consider veterans today had just debuted, serving as inspirations for some of our current favorites. We took a look at some of the most influential alternative albums that turned ten years old this past year in 2020, in no particular order. Keep reading to see if we included any of your old favorites!
Editor's note: this article was written in late 2019, before allegations about a few of these bands came to light. Legends of Tomorrow will always support and believe victims.
10. "Hold Me Down" by You Me At Six
At the beginning of 2010, the UK-based rock band You Me At Six dropped their sophomore album, “Hold Me Down.” Classic alternative rock influences are shown throughout a lot of this record, from the fantastic opener “The Consequence”, to the captivating “Contagious Chemistry”, to the extremely catchy “Hard To Swallow” and energetic “Trophy Eyes.”
The energetic “Safer To Hate Her” and “Take Your Breath Away” lean a bit more towards the pop-punk side, and “Liquid Confidence (Nothing To Lose)” does the same, while also mixing in a little bit of pop-rock. The incredible single “Underdog” and ballads “Stay With Me” and “Fireworks” mix all of those elements together, helping to create a cohesive sound for the band early in their career.
9. "The Upsides" by The Wonder Years
The Wonder Years, one of the biggest and most universally-liked bands in pop-punk today, put out their second album, "The Upsides", in 2010. The record certainly has plenty of energy, brought to life in favorites like “My Last Semester” and “Logan Circle” as well as the punk-tinged “Dynamite Shovel” and the memorable “Melrose Diner,” “Washington Square Park,” “Hostels and Brothels,” and “New Years With Carl Weathers.”
The rest of this record still contains many stand-out moments; "Everything I Own Fits In This Backpack" will have you marveling at vocalist Dan Campbell, "Hey, Thanks" will melt your heart, and "All My Friends Are in Bar Bands" will break it all over again. “The Upsides” has been able to stand the test of time, remaining one of the most interesting and impactful records in The Wonder Years' discography.
8. "Enemy of the World" by Four Year Strong
The third month of 2010 also brought the third album from Boston-based pop-punk/easycore band Four Year Strong, titled “Enemy Of The World.” The band’s easycore influences really shine through, most prominently on, “Nineteen With Neck Tatz,” the energetic opener “It Must Really Suck To Be Four Year Strong Right Now” and the catchy “Tonight We Feel Alive (On A Saturday).”
Other highlights include the riff-driven “What The Hell Is A Gigawatt”, to the hard-hitting and memorable “Find My Way Back”, the energetic “Wasting Time (Eternal Summer)”, the powerful and meaningful “One Step At A Time”, the slower “Flannel Is The Color Of My Energy,” and the closer/title track, “Enemy Of The World.” The continuously catchy melodies and energetic instrumentation mixed with a little bit of aggression make “Enemy Of The World” an instant classic for fans of Four Year Strong.
7. "With Hears to See and Eyes to Hear" by Sleeping With Sirens
Sleeping With Sirens has been apart of the modern post-hardcore scene for quite some time, and they entered said scene in 2010 with their debut album “With Ears To See And Eyes To Hear.” Some of the band’s biggest hits reside on this album, title track “With Ears To See And Eyes To Hear” as well as the opener “If I’m James Dean, Then You’re Audrey Hepburn”, and both of those tracks got stripped-down renditions later on in the band’s career on acoustic EP "If You Were a Movie, This Would Be Your Soundtrack."
This is a truly versatile album, with heavier tracks like “Captain Tyin Knots VS Mr. Walkway (No Way)”, “The Bomb Dot Com V2.0”, and “In Case Of Emergency, Dial 411”, in addition to more instrumentally explorative songs like “Don’t Fall Asleep At The Helm” and “Dance Party.” “With Ears To See And Eyes To Hear” was a great start for Sleeping With Sirens’ career and showed the promise they had early on.
6. "Skeletons" by Hawthorne Heights
Hawthorne Heights had become a staple in the emo/post-hardcore scene before this decade had even begun, and 2010 brought the release of their fourth album, “Skeletons.” The band’s slight pop-punk influences are incorporated on tracks like the powerful and poignant opener “Bring You Back”, the very catchy and slightly darker “Drive”, and the perfect emo/pop-punk crossovers “Nervous Breakdown” and “Here I Am.”
Things don't slow down on the rest of this record, from the darker “End Of The Underground”, to the hard-hitting “Abandoned Driveways” and energetic “Broken Man”, before the more chilled-out acoustically driven ballads “Gravestones, “Picket Fences”, “Last Few Words” and “Boy” start to take over. “Skeletons” is super catchy and well-written, further solidifying the spot Hawthorne Heights had previously formed in the emo community.
5. "Black & White" by The Maine
Something that Arizona emo veterans The Maine do really well is write extremely catchy melodies, and their sophomore effort “Black & White” contains ten songs filled with those.
Tracks like the guitar-driven “Right Girl” and “Inside Of You” still remain fan favorites to this day, and even some of the more underrated moments, such as the upbeat “Listen To Your Heart,” “Fuel To The Fire,” and closing track “Color” are just as catchy. “Black And White” is a pretty memorable record from front to back and a great second effort for The Maine.
4. "Real Talk" by Man Overboard
After releasing a few EPs and a signing to Run For Cover Records, pop-punk band Man Overboard released their debut full-length “Real Talk” in 2010. The band really embraced the pop-punk aspects of their sound on this record, floating to the top on extremely catchy songs like “World Favorite” and “She’s Got Her Own Man Now,” as well as some more energetic ones like “At Sharpton” and “I Like You.”
Songs like the hard-hitting opener “Real Talk” as well as “Fm Dial Style” add some emo, punk, and alternative influences into the mix, tied together with memorable moments like “Montrose”, “Darkness, Everybody”, “Fantasy Girl.” “Real Talk” fuses other genres into Man Overboard’s pop-punk sound, making it a very strong debut album for them as a whole.
3. "The Fire" by Senses Fail
In late October of 2010, Senses Fail released their fourth LP, “The Fire.” The band’s emo and post-hardcore influences take center stage on the memorable and meaningful title track, “The Fire”, as well as the very energetic “Irish Eyes,” and the much darker “Headed West” and “Ghost Town.”
A lot of the tracks lean a bit more towards the pop-punk and emo side, like the melodic “Landslide” and “Safe House,” two of the catchiest tracks on the whole album. “Nero” adds in some synths and electronic influences to mix things up.
As the record comes to a close, “New Year’s Eve” and “Coward” show the much heavier tendencies in this band’s music. “The Fire” is one of many releases in Senses Fail’s discography that shows the different influences and overall variety within their sound, which has made them stand out so much over the years.
2. "What Separates Me From You" by A Day To Remember
“What Separates Me From You” is the “middle child” of A Day To Remember’s discography and is one of the most memorable records from their career. The band incorporated some more pop-punk and alternative rock elements into their post-hardcore sound with tracks like “If I Leave” and the smash hits “All I Want” and “All Signs Point To Lauderdale,” as well as some darker tracks like “Out Of Time.”
However, they didn’t stray from their heavier roots, shown in songs like “Sticks & Bricks,” fan favorite “2nd Sucks,” and “You’ll Be Tails, I’ll Be Sonic.” This album shows so many aspects of A Day To Remember’s sound over the years and is one of the most crucial ones in their catalog.
1. "Danger Days" by My Chemical Romance
The end of 2010 brought My Chemical Romance’s fourth album (and technically the final one full of new music before their six-and-a-half-year hiatus), titled “Danger Days: The True Lives Of The Fabulous Killjoys.” “Look Alive, Sunshine,” “Jet-Star and the Kobra Kid/Traffic Report,” and “Goodnite, Dr. Death” make the concept of the album come to life and do a good job of setting the scene and telling that story to the listeners.
The album has a ton of energetic, upbeat and overall fun moments to listen to, from the unforgettable choruses in “Party Poison” and “Na Na Na (Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na)” to the energy and catchy instrumentals found in “DESTROYA” and “Vampire Money.” “Planetary (GO!)” and “The Only Hope For Me Is You” bring a bit of experimentation to the record by adding in some synths and electronics. The band slows things down for quite a few of these tracks, such as the very memorable “Bulletproof Heart” and “The Kids From Yesterday” and “SING,” which has one of the biggest choruses on the record.
There’s so much variety and experimentation offered throughout “Danger Days,” and that makes the record stand out in My Chemical Romance’s discography. It shows how they continued to experiment with their sound, try some new things, and did so very well.
Comments