Ryan Taylor (Liberty & Justice, TRASH MAGZ, The Burden) Shares His Top 20 Favorite Releases of 2021
Ryan Taylor is the frontman of both Liberty & Justice and Trash Magz. Taylor owns and operates his very own Houston, Texas-based business, East End Barber. He has previously made music with the likes of Black Coffee, The Burden, Clean Break, Grave Robbers, I Am Wolf, Ten Crowns, Thug Boots, Titan Blood, and Your Mistake. Since Liberty & Justice without a doubt hand-crafted one of our favorite releases of 2021 (we're not making a year-end list!) with PRESSURE, we figured we would ask Taylor about his top releases from this year. Scroll down to learn all about Ryan's Top 20 of 2021.
Liberty & Justice's PRESSURE is now available on Contra Records/Death Exclamations! TRASH MAGZ's debut full-length, Give Me The Beat, is now available on streaming services with a physical release coming soon on Death Exclamations! "What can I say about 2021? Less hunkering down and more anxiety in crowds, I suppose. Did you know some of these Punk/Hardcore bands are comin' out from the jump with a publicist? Wild times. Anyways, music's still cool. Here's my 20 favorite releases for 2021, in no [particular] order," Ryan Taylor (@ryanisabarber) told The Witzard.
20. 42 Dugg - Free Dem Boyz
"Nothin' better than some nasty sh*t. Dude looks 12 and talks like he’s 40. I grew up loving beef tracks and I swear he beefs with EVERYBODY, sometimes. Dude was playing clubs non-stop when fools were afraid to leave their house at the start of The Pandemic and, now, he can't play sh*t because of legal issues. Thanks, Jake, for putting me on. The whistle's contagious. 4 da gang absurd. Plus, it has Roddy Ricch on it and he was the first to keep it real on with the Astroworld situation."
19. Algara - Absortos En El Tedio Eterno
"Clangy Anarcho madness from Barcelona. Hints of The Spits, Joy Division, The Observers, She Past Away, and Crisis. Real weirdo sh*t. Everything hitting on this, from the visual aesthetic to the mid-album electronic drum heater. People say refreshing, sometimes."
18. Semper Eadem – Demo 12" (re-released by Lionheart Records)
"Remember when '86 Mentality came out, kinda gained some traction after they broke up, and, then, all of a sudden, Hardcore kids started shaving their heads and tucking in their shirts and acting f***ing awkward around actual [skinheads] at shows? I do. Homeboy started Semper Eadem after the break-up and it's slightly more on the mid-tempo Oi! tip, but still hits; wish they would have done more. I thought about throwing one of the 100+ bands that exist now because of '86 Mentality on my best-of list (Repeat Offender, Ogre, etc.) but, then, Lionheart [Records] did the Semper re-release and that solved that. YouTube it."
17. The Chisel - Come See Me/Not The Only One EP
"I know, I know. Judging by everyone else's best-of list, I'm supposed to put Retaliation. But "Not The Only One" was the defining moment for me for The Chisel. It's a song that, both sonically and lyrically, was inspiring, something I could relate to, and gave me hope for the current state of the collective ethos of our sub-culture; put forth to buzzsaw guitars with a marching fuzzy drumbeat, the lyrics speak about the myth of the worker and their collective rights, or lack thereof, world-wide. Finish school, or drop out rather, learn a trade, and work hard and hope for the best and shut up and be grateful.
Catch a lay-off, ride it out, and hop on the next job. Rinse, repeat. The bottom stay at the bottom and the top remain [the] voice for all while being the most disconnected. Throw in a little history lesson with mentioning The Merthyr [Rising] of 1831 and it gives a new group of Oi! listeners something to chew on. This is the meat. It pops off with "Come See Me," the tough guy joint, and ends with the banger with the boys, "Criminal Crew," which (hot take) I think is better than the original. I love Retaliation and I know "Not The Only One" is on there, but I love this version better and I find this EP far more important and relevant."
16. Empire Down - Gallows of Winter
"Can you see the fire in our eyes? Heavy beats, big boots with no cheese. Complete social relevance, sitting on the correct side, not afraid to do so. Full of vinegar, complete with "very Euro style" leads and chanty back-ups. F**k with it."
15. Poison Ruïn - S/T
"This is that weird sh*t that people that talk sh*t online hype up, but are reptiles in person. Synthy, organy, fuzzy Dark Punk with heavy early British and early French Oi! vibes. Thinking Tolbiacs Toads meets Blitz meets Screamers meets Crisis meets Joy Division. Visual aesthetic on-point, as well. They love knights and Medieval stuff and black and grey and silver sh*t. No bright colors over here EVER. But, seriously, love this band; they'll probably break up tomorrow."
14. Arrested Development - For The FKN Love
"[Arrested Development] (A.D.) have, honestly, never really stopped. People just started paying attention again in 2020, I think. It's the songs and stories I get lost in when listening to [them]. It's albums like this I'm grateful for music."
13. Killer Hearts - Skintight Electric
"I could be biased since this is our brother band from Houston, but everything about this album hits for me. An extremely slept-on band, The Barger Bros. and company have been at it for a while now with their brand of infectious Glam-infused [New York] Dolls stompy swaggy Street Rock and have now brought it all together on their debut LP. This could have been put out on TKO or Hellcat [Records] in their respective heydays, for sure. A little Milk 'N' Cookies, a little Dictators, a lotta New York Dolls; throw some Mötley Crüe and Judas Priest on with some Cocksparrer hooks. Stand-out track: "Get Some."'
12. Mereba - AZEB EP
"Avid follower of Spillage Village and everything their camp puts out. So, when Mereba dropped this EP, I was all-in. Some thick Neo Soul that hits Hip-Hop cadences effortlessly in spots. Floetry vibes. Warrior blood."
11. Komintern Sect - Des Jours Plus Durs Que D'autres
"Homeboys smoking a cigarette on the cover. How much more French can you get? I've always had a love for French Oi! and Street Punk and these are the kings of it right here. Back with 10 anthems with big belty choruses and haunting leads that get stuck in your head. Infectious."
10. SECTION H8 - Welcome to The Nightmare
"I first got turned onto SECTION H8 off the Phase One EP after someone mentioning this was ole boy from Furious Styles' new project. It was grimy and the cover art was f***ing weird, so it immediately stuck out to me. I think this brand of Hardcore that SECTION gets thrown into is one I don't typically listen to. Ones that I do from this breed are the real earnest, gritty Cold As Life/Sheer Terrors of the world.
SECTION H8 definitely falls into that pocket, but are a beast all their own. Fronted/curated by man of the world, Mexi Mike, Welcome to The Nightmare brings everything together in a real cinematic way. It's a gross-sounding early 90's [Hardcore] record that attracts Street Punks, Skinheads, Art Punks, Backpack rappers, Trap stars, and general ne'er-do-wells in the most unifying way. Plus, a bulldozer of a Jimmy Cliff cover as a hidden track."
9. Turnstile - GLOWON
"Everyone in my barbershop, except Russ, likes it. That's crazy. They broke the seal. You can't hate on that. I mean, I did all the way up until this one. It's bright and puts me in a good mood. F**k with it."
8. CROWN COURT - Sect Fifty Nine B/W The Scum
"Real Brickwall British Oi! with every effort. The garage bang guitars to Trev's storytelling style that paints a picture. Not your average sloppy beer-drinking tunes. It's visceral."
7. CHAIN CULT - We're Not Alone
"Haunting, desolate, politically-charged, Post-punk(?) from Greece. Love everything this outfit releases and this two-song 7-inch did not disappoint. The beautiful thing about CHAIN CULT is they could fit on a lot of bills, in my opinion. It's a wide umbrella with them without sacrifice or pomp. It's honest."
6. SpiritWorld - Pagan Rhythms
"I'm just waiting for the movie to come out. Everything involved in this camp is telling me a story, if I pay attention. A far cry from [their] demo, sonically, but not aesthetically, Pagan Rhythms is a Metallic Hardcore, well-calculated Western voice for the voiceless. Hammer Lane Crew."
5. Mainländer – Vol. I-II: Songs of Exile & Longing
"The man himself is back on the D-beat à la Tragedy and Wolfbrigade with a covers EP ranging from Leonard Cohen to my favorite Danzig/Cash [collaboration]. Glass-gargling, fast, venomous, and catchy, this man can do no wrong. WAR DANIEL TRUTH."
4. CASTILLO - S/T EP
"Homeboy's in a bunch of bands. They're all packaged well and all blow up before their first show. Can't hate on that, but this one was my favorite of his recently. It sounds like if you threw the Werewolfen comp., The Templars' Clockwork EP, and that one 90 Proof 7-inch in a blender and drained out any sh*tty politics, you'd be left with CASTILLO. Something I feel like both young and old fans of Oi! can come together for this one."
3. Violent Way/Beton Arme - Release The Skins
"Two of my favorite [bands] going right now on one 7-inch. Released by two top-tier labels laid out by a top-tier artist. It's a well-curated, well-put together 7-inch with two tough a$$ covers."
2. Necrofier - Prophecies of Eternal Darkness
"I don't even know what that title means, but it's been a long time since I've listened to an album start-to-finish that, actually, sounded like an album; like a complete thought. Necrofier accomplishes that on their debut full-length. It's catchy atmospheric Black Metal(?) There’s hooky haunting riffs that just go on and on that sort of carry the listener throughout. On top of an insane production and creepy weirdo artwork. Love it."
1. Canal Irreal - S/T
"I love Chicago, I love Los Crudos, and pretty much f**k with anything Martin [Sorrondeguy] does. But, honestly, this record is such a walk from [his] other projects. It's bass-heavy 80's mid-tempo Hardcore Punk with a slight nod to Revolution Summer-era Dischord [Records]. It's honest and vulnerable, while still remaining punchy and in-your-face."