I managed to dredge up my memories of news, shows, and records that happened this past year. It wasn’t easy. I’ve fried a lot of brain cells with black coffee and fumes from the subway, so remembering what I had for dinner the night before is sometimes a chore.  Not to mention that a lot of albums have come across my desk, I spent a lot of time listening to music, almost to an obsessive level sometimes.

So to highlight my favorite stuff of the year, never mind remembering what exactly came out this year, is sorta fucking hard.  I mean the last CD I really loved that I got is a CD version of two Scream records, and that band broke up in 1990.  Most of the bands I really like are off the beaten path even in punk rock, and a bunch of them aren’t even active any more.

Yes, I really am that hip.

But I figured that if I instead thought of what I remembered about the year in more general terms, then that’ll work.  So here we are. And while the names that you see here might not be ones you recognized this past year, what’s here was still pretty significant to me and in the end, in some way to everyone.

Read more after the jump.

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Brooklyn-based pop punks Young Hearts have put their The Fight EP online for free.  The band is one of the best up-and-coming bands from the NYC scene. Simply put, they tear shit up! I could probably listen to “Backs To It” on repeat for hours, if not days. They’re on tour starting May 17th, so if the circus of awesomeness that is YH hits your town, definitely check them out. You won’t regret it. You can download the EP right here, and check their Myspace page for tour dates.

Also, since the band includes members of Dear Tonight, don’t forget the last DT show ever, which will go down on June 14th at Lost & Found in Brooklyn.