My Top 5 Albums of 2011 – Number 2

No Composure by Be My Doppelganger

Spotify: Be My Doppelganger – No Composure

Twitter: @bmdoppelganger

Band Website: www.myspace.com/bemydoppelganger

First off, I have to qualify the following statements by saying that while this is NOT a 2011 album (it was released and I purchased it in 2010) I really didn’t give it a good listen until 2011 … and then I continued to listen to it many, many times. Every year, when the weather gets warmer, I find my musical taste begins to shift very quickly towards all things punk and hardcore. There seems to be a direct correlation between the air temperature, the amount which my car windows are opened, and the likelihood of something loud and fast coming out of my speakers. This year, more often than not, it was No Composure by Be My Doppelganger.

There are few bands that, when people say “punk is dead”, I will hold up as evidence to the contrary. Certainly Ted Leo is on that list, along with Dead to Me, Hollowpoints and now Be My Doppelganger has joined the ranks. With a sound reminiscent of both the fast and fun shredding of late 80’s/early 90’s mall/skate punk as well as the heavier melodic kick of mid/late 90’s hardcore, No Composure is high-energy music for punks that just want to have a good time. The album leads off with Ignition On, a loud and fast warning shot across the bow of the listener to let them know it’s OK to get pumped for this record. Cha Cha Chump follows soon after in what can best be described as a major label pop-punk hit that someone has gone and done right by virtue of NOT adding 4 extra verses, more reverb than the Grand Canyon, and a string section in the background. Turning Seventeen is either the quickest ballad ever played, the most “punk” love song ever written, or both, while Peggy, Sue Me gives us the obligatory “solo vocals and guitar” track for this album, but still manages to maintain some bravado and balls. What you end up with on No Composure is a perfect punk soundtrack for summer; it’s clean and uncomplicated, lo-fi and deliberate, but without sounding low quality or under-produced. This is basement punk rock for a new generation.

I don’t know what the future holds for Be My Doppelganger, but with any luck they’ll record something new for 2012 and maybe even do some touring. I think it would be great to see these guys at one of the punk showcases at SXSW this year, both because I’d love to hear this stuff played live, but also because I know that with a little more visibility they could catch on with others the way they have with me.

Key Tracks: Ignition On, Cha Cha Chump, Maybe It Was Your Fault

My Top 5 Albums of 2011 - Number 1
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My Top 5 Albums of 2011 - Number 4
My Top 5 Albums of 2011 - Number 5