Shared Arms

Extremely fast technical skate punk is a rarity in 2010, especially if you're looking for a band that could trade blows with genre mainstays Belvedere and the Fullblast. Windsor, ON's Shared Arms are one of the best active punk bands in Canada, and they don't hide their skate punk influences. Virtuoso musicianship, combined with a dark sense of humour, makes Shared Arms' III Sessions an incredibly satisfying listen for both seasoned skate punk fans and younger music fans hearing the genre for the first time. III Sessions was recorded over a span of about a year-and-a-half by three different incarnations of the band. The long process has finally paid off, as this is a collection of extremely impressive, diverse, interesting and inventive punk songs. Numbers like "101 Uses for a Dead Rat" showcase the band's ability to write songs that require precise technicality, but have an overarching pop sensibility, making these tracks some of the catchiest of 2010. Their unique take on ridiculously fast pop punk is breathing life into a genre that hasn't been embraced by a Canadian band for years. Shared Arms are skate punk revival that will show even the most jaded '90s punk fans that this music still has a place in the Canadian punk scene.