Speaking as a big fan of 80's anarcho-punk, the Subhuman's Live In A Dive release off Fat Wreck Records was a loud and vitriolic sign of these UK legends' staying power, making it MY choice for live record of 2004. Their abilities have been nothing but honed over their 20+ year existence, and the new track on this record, This Year's War, shows they haven't lost an ounce of inspiration or anger since their debut in 1983.

I'll put in a plug for a very recently released live record...Nobody's Watching/Nobody's Listening by the Pernice Brothers. It's a CD/DVD combo of a good live show from the Brothers (including Ric Menck on drums!!!) which features a selection of their best songs, a great version of my fave Scud Mountain Boys song "Grudgef**k" and a cover of the Pretenders' "Talk of The Town."

I haven't watched the DVD yet, but the CD is excellent. And, for the time being, the label (Pernice's own Ashmont Records) is donating proceeds to the tsunami relief effort.

Another great live record from '04 (actually released in 2003 in the UK but in '04 on Anti- in the US) is The Frames' Set List. These guys are HUGE in Ireland and feature one of the stars of the film The Commitments as their guitarist/singer. It's not Celtic rock, but it's driving folky rock with powerful arrangements. And the audience sings EVERY WORD along with the band. They've got a new studio record due in 2005 on Anti...

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