Murder City Devils
Empty Bottles Broken Hearts
Sub Pop, 1998
This was one of the greatest bands. Ever. They sang about everything I would ever want to hear in a song: press gangs, Johnny Thunders, Iggy Pop, women, wine, sailors, Santa Claus and of course the Mutter Museum. Just straight up rock and roll with the perfect mix of punk ethic. The stale beer and sweat are almost palpable when listening to their records.
During their career they never got the recognition they deserved and various members have gone on to play or have played with other bands such as Dead Low Tide, Modest Mouse, Pretty Girls Make Graves and Big Business. Their shows were always a lesson in how to rock a f**king club to the ground.
I highly recommend every one of their releases; you really can't go wrong.
This is one of my favorites just because of "I Want a Lot Now", "Hey Sailor", and "Johnny Thunders".
I would also highly recommend the DVD "The End: The Final Show Halloween 2001". It's a band giving it everything they got and more and any aspiring punk/rock band should take notes and study hard.
Unfortunately MCD called it quits just as they were really gaining momentum, but what they left us with is some of the best punk and rock music to date.