18. "Bigger Than Your Boyfriend" (Self-released/Dischord Direct)
Washington Social Club
Released: June 26This sophomore album from these D.C.-natives is the opposite to many of the band's left-leaning peers. While Ted Leo and Al Gore paint doomsday scenarios, this five piece spends its time reminding us that its still OK to smile. Martin Royle's lyrics are politically charged and socially aware, but feathered throughout tales of sex and the everyday accomplishments that keep us all chugging along. Over rocking guitar anthems, Royle spends these dozen songs balanced on a razor's edge between a social responsibility to inform and a personal desire to look on the bright side.
Hear: "Monuments" and "Kids In The Back"