12 Days of Christmas, Day 9: Biggest "Themes" of the Year in 2010

Now that I think about it, this is kind of a "preview" for my best albums of 2010 post. Here's my logic behind it: with so many good, great, and amazing albums, some of them had to have something in common, right? Right! So that got me to thinking about the "themes" of the year; I know it sounds weird, but the only way I can do to explain it fully is to show you. So here it goes, the best "themes" of the year: 

Theme: Pop-punk's not dead.

Proof: The Wonder Years- The Upsides, Man Overboard-Real Talk

Why it matters: For years, I watched as the pop-punk scene once ruled by New Found Glory and The Starting Line change possession of the crown to the unworthy neon-clad successors like Mayday Parade, All Time Low, and countless (and forgettable) others. Now, with MOb and TWY putting out two stellar debuts, it seems they are ready to lead the charge to bring pop-punk back to its glory days: nothing too fancy, and nothing too complicated, just honest, from-the-heart pop-punk that people can relate to and rally behind.

Theme: Christian metalcore isn't dead, either.

Proof: Norma Jean- Meridional, Underoath- Disambiguation, As I Lay Dying- The Powerless Rise

Why it matters: With so many trashy knock-offs taking their brief shot at the spotlight, we were due for the juggernauts of the Christian metal game to take back the genre, and that happened in a big way this year, with arguably the top three acts in the game releasing three creative, unrelenting releases that are the best of each band's already illustrious careers. The genre has been dying for a long time, but all of these albums prove it isn't dead, at least not yet.

Theme: It's about damn time!

Proof: Circa Survive-Blue Sky Noise, My Chemical Romance- Danger Days

Why it matters: Both Circa and MyChem waited an obscene amount of time between albums (three and four years, respectively), thier efforts this year proved it was well worth the wait. Both albums saw the already well-established artists pushing their creative boundaries to new heights, proving their worth in their respective scenes. You can't rush a great thing, and with each of these albums, we see why that statement rings so true. 

Theme: Sophomore slump my ass.

Proof: The Gaslight Anthem- American Slang, Four Year Strong-Enemy of the World

Why it matters: These sophomore full-lengths from two bands who lit up the scene with their debuts cemented their spot in today's scene, and while each album has left the debate open for which album is most loved, there is no doubt that the debate is welcomed, and the bands' efforts in their future endeavors will make that debate even harder.

Theme: The super-groups formations continue.

Proof: The Damned Things- Ironiclast, Isles and Glaciers- The Hearts of Lonely People (EP)

Why it matters: While these two side projects may not be around very long, there is still something that can be taken from their works, as both the full-length and EP are vast removals from the work of the bands that made them up. From the Fall Out Boy meets Anthrax meets Every Time I Die dynamic developed in the The Damned Things to the Craig Owens/Johnny Craig/Vic Fuentes vocal combination of I&G, the scene was given something a little different than they were used to, and leaving the door open for the possibility of even more of these projects to surface in years to come.