Few more to go, staff-wise atleast. Let’s focus the spotlight on our resident bearded columnist and official Myspace whore, Constantine Koutsoutis aka Costa.

2007 was the year of whiskey. Well, that and some really good new music; the best of which I’m listing right here. So while the year is still viable, read what I tell you and go buy. NOW!

1. The Unlovables - Heartsickle
What can I say? I love sugar-soaked pop punk with girl vocals. This album is fast, fun, and capable of making you dance all crazy-like almost without trying. Before you know it, you’ve got some Chucks on your feet and a Screeching Weasel shirt on, screaming along to boss tuneage like “Everything’s Overrated. ” Plus, Mikey Erg is in the band! (Whoa Oh)

2. Sundowner - Four One Five Two
Everyone knows this is Chris from The Lawrence Arms’ solo acoustic project. And yeah, I’m sure everyone got tired of solo folk-punk this year. God knows I did at one point. Sundowner’s debut record is nothing like that. Instead, it put me into a cycle of listening to Chris sing about love, loss, literature, with more a unique sound. Despite not getting the notice of other Larry Arms side project The Falcon, this album was a million times better. (Red Scare)

Keep reading on for more of Costa’s picks.

3. Cloak/Dagger - We Are
It’s like the ass-kicking I never got as a kid coming back to haunt me a thousand times over. Classic, thrashy hardcore has slowly been making a comeback, and with the new Paint It Black album not out until 2008, the C/D boys kept up the heavy end without falling into stupid clichés. If you need musical motivation for beating up a cop and then ripping the sleeves off your Black Flag t-shirt, this is the band to listen to. (Jade Tree)

4. The New Dress - Where Our Failures Are
What can I say about this album I already haven’t? Putting it on at this point is like meeting up with an old friend. 2007 was the year of The New Dress and I can’t wait to see what next year brings for them. Hopefully, it’ll include me seeing them another four or five times. (Red Leader)

5. J Church - The Horror Of Life
Lance Hahn may have passed on, but the legendary J Church’s last record is a worthwhile legacy alone. Classic pop-punk, smarty and smarmy in all the right places. RIP Lance, we’ll miss you. (No Idea)

6. Lifetime - S/T
Sure, it isn’t Jersey’s Best Dancers (my personal favorite, and Hello Bastards fans be damned!), but Lifetime’s self-titled record definitely blew the naysayers away. The album reminded everyone that the band could still make new fans, while still appeasing the old-school contingent with classic melodic hardcore goodness. (Decaydance)

7. Kissy Kamikaze - Demo
Great googly-mooly! The band’s demo is an awesome sample of what’s to come from an even more awesome band. Kissy Kamikaze blew me away last month at a show in the Bronx with their 3-chord madness. I’m not ashamed to admit that I’ve danced around to “Sugar Rush” more than once. Or twice. Or four times.

8. Attica! Attica! - Dead Skin/Dried Blood
As I tend to fall back on when describing this record, it’s “different.” Not bad different, just different. You don’t necessarily expect former Marathon and De La Hoya frontman Aaron Scott to be busting out the acapella or a smooth reggae beat on his solo record, but it’s there, and it definitely works. Even if he does look sorta goofy performing in a Hawaiian shirt. (Red Leader)

9. World/Inferno Friendship Society - Addicted To Bad Ideas
It’s like the party in my pants, on record! OK, well maybe not that lewd, but the familiar circus that is W/IFS delivered, as usual, with songs like “With A Good Criminal Heart” and the title track itself, perfect for dancing until the floor almost caves in like the last I saw them in Brooklyn. (Chunksaah)

10. Against Me! - New Wave
Unsurprisingly, it didn’t suck, despite what the kids who frequent Punknews.org might have predicted. A strong continuation of the chances they were taking in Searching For A Former Clarity with statements that go beyond folk-influenced punk by toe-dipping into dance, and straight up, anthematic rock. It definitely deserves all the praise it got. (Sire)

Tags: Best of 2007, best of, staff //