Not a punk band in the strictest sense (then again, what qualifies as true punk these days?), ska lifers Big D and the Kids Table have been working the punk-rock DIY M.O. since they emerged from Berklee to lead the then-thriving Boston ska scene during its heyday more than a decade ago. And what’s more punk than sticking to your roots? Big D play a style of music that’s been declared dead dozens of times over (despite the fact that they can still pack big clubs throughout the world — literally — year in and year out), proclaiming their loyalty to ska music with the title of their latest full-length, the Joe Gittleman–produced Strictly Rude (SideOneDummy). In fact, Strictly Rude is more than just a ska album, mashing up dub reggae and NOFX-style hyperspeed melodic punk rock with good old-fashioned mid-tempo horn-driven third-wave ska — a toothsome stew that you kids continue to slurp up like crack-laced Cocoa Krispies. Yum.
— Will Spitz
Runners-up
1. Darkbuster
2. Ketman
3. Medicated Kisses