Fucked Up The Chemistry of Common Life

This is my favorite release of 2009, hands down. This band, a thinking-person’s blend of melodic ’70s punk and modern metal, just won Canada’s prestigious Polaris Prize awarded for creating the best Canadian album based entirely on artistic merit. Another reason to like them? The lead singer goes by Pink Eyes and he’s a scary-looking bald guy who smashes glass into his head on stage, even though he majored in women’s studies and has a wife and baby. I listen to it on the way to the mountains and away from the office after a very bad day.   —Jake Bogoch, editor of Skiing, Boulder, CO