There really hasn’t been a bad decade of punk. ‘80s music in generally is looked down upon as sleek, corporate nonsense, but even in the decade after this genre’s inception, there was enough for pissed off kids to scream about that resulted in scores of independently produced music. It might not have always been well done – that’s a relative term, though – but it was genuine. For the most part.

Considering that a great deal of that ‘80s punk stuff was made up of anti-government polemics aimed at Reagan and his cohort, the ‘90s and its perceived affluence would then seem a bizarre time for the genre to continue. It did – and with a blustery force not found in newer punkers all that frequently. What follows shouldn’t be understood as the best of the best – it might be – but instead as a clutch of discs that were able to me through that decade.

US Bombs – Garibaldi Guard! (1996)
Duane Peters might be older than either of your parents and a part of at least three (?) bands at this point, but the second full length from the Bombs should be perceived as on of the stronger efforts not just from the ‘90s, but as a watershed release for the genre. It’s not perfect, but the players on here all had more talent than whatever spiky haired band is wearing bondage pants today. Equal parts drunken revelry, plain abandon and story telling, Garibaldi Guard! remains as strong a disc now as back then.

Electric Frankenstein – Conquers the World (1996)
Now that I think of it, the Canzonieri Brothers might have been as eldery as Duane during the mid ‘90s. EF still tours sporadically, but with the line up shifting about every ten minutes, it’s a mixed bag to catch these guys live. Conquers the World, though, was such a strong musical statement that even if punk isn’t your thing, there’s enough rock stuffs thrown in to entice just about everyone. The fact that Stever Miller – not that one, but EF’s singer – possesses one of the most torn up throats in all of music didn’t hurt either.

The Stitches – 8 x 12 (1999)
The fact that the Stitches are all still alive is a testament to the embalming properties of narcotics. As much juiced up power pop as punk and ‘70s verve, the band didn’t sound like it was of its own era. And perhaps for that very reason remains relatively obscure in comparison to the Bombs and others of this ilk. Working up a short spate of classics coming in at less than a half an hour, once you get through the second side of the disc, you gotta throw on side one again.

One Man Army – Dead End Stories (1998)
Insanely underappreciated, but somehow appearing at a Warped Tour or two, One Man Army were the first group to release a disc through Green Day’s Adeline imprint. One Many Army might be a bit poppy – not like Green Day kinda way – but its ability to craft some succinct pop tunes and ratchet up the aggressive tendencies of the music make it’s first long player a lost classic.