Ranking Jeff Rosenstock’s 12 Albums (including Arrogant Sons of Bitches & Bomb The Music Industry!)

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Nobody Asked My Opinion.

13 min readJun 22, 2020

Where does one even begin when talking about Jeff Rosenstock and the many many projects he’s been involved in? Do you talk about his early success in The Arrogant Sons of Bitches (ASOB)? His successful “solo” projects? His DIY ethics which began involving releasing records for free, spray-painting band designs on shirts that people brought to shows, or making sure his shows were low price and all ages?

Rosenstock is one of the most unique people in the entire music industry — that’s not an opinion, it’s just a simple fact. There’s pages and pages I could write about the man. He’s incredibly prolific when it comes to music. There’s the aforementioned ASOB, and then you have Bomb The Music Industry! (BTMI!), Antarctigo Vespucci, Kudrow, Pegasus-XL. On top of that he works with other bands like The Chinkees and provides the music for the animated series ‘Craig and The Creek’. His music has appeared on The Office and BTMI! did one of the covers for the “Little Boxes” intro song in Weeds.

On top of all that, he also runs a couple record companies (Really Records and Quote Unquote Records) and does the design work for his band(s), plus a bunch of other stuff that I’m probably forgetting.

Of course, he doesn’t make all of the music by himself (although he is a multi-instrumentalist and has put out a few completely solo records). He has collaborated with countless individuals — too many to name. Although I would like to name all the different people he’s worked with through these years, it’s important to note that Rosenstock does in fact write the majority (or all) of most of the songs. Gotta give a shout out to John DeDomenici though.

For putting together this list, I decided to be strict in the albums included and only add those that are considered full length studio albums. This means great releases such as Adults!!!: Smart!!! Shithammered!!! And Excited by Nothing!!!!!!!, I Look Like Shit, and To Leave or Die in Long Island were not included because they’re considered long EPs or mixtapes. I also excluded bands that Jeff doesn’t exclusively sing lead vocals on— Antarctigo Vespucci and Pegasus-XL.

As always, the ranking is not definitive and if you would rank it differently, you’re just as correct as anyone else.

To properly rank the albums, I listened to them all (again) several times over a multi-week period.

12. Built To Fail (1998)

This album is not… good. That is, until you take into consideration the fact that they were only around 15–16 years old when they made it. With that in mind, it’s not such a bad album, certainly a lot better than would be expected from most bands at the same age. The quality is extremely rough and the lyrics are often cringingly bad, but the ability to write songs with stable structures and interesting melodies is there, albeit just in a very raw form. Built To Fail is a record I’ve only listened to a handful of times and one I would really only recommend to someone who wants to listen to everything Rosenstock has done.

Recommended Tracks: Abnormality, The Song That The Girls Sings, & The Pez Song

11. Pornocracy (2000)

There’s a noticeable step up from ASOB’s debut album to their sophomore record. A lot of the styles and tricks established here would continue on through the BTMI! records. That said, much like the debut, the sound quality leaves a lot to be desired and the lyrics are still bottom tier for Rosenstock — subject matter continues to focus on adolescent problems through fairly juvenile ideas. I think if this album was given a full studio recording process, it wouldn’t be a bad listen, but as is, this is also a record that can be skipped unless you just want to listen to everything Rosenstock.

Recommended Tracks: Royal Fuck Deluxe, November Rain, & This Song Has No Effect on You

10. Goodbye Cool World (2006)

At number 10 the albums get difficult to choose as Goodbye Cool World is a really good album. This was the last BTMI! release to be pretty much a one-man show and, at times, it shows. It’s also a very complex record and showcases Rosenstock’s ability to be completely schizophrenic throughout a song/album. The songs are crazy, but fun and the lyrics are mostly signature Rosenstock — depressing, but jammed with enough little touches of personality that there’s always enough humanism to connect most of the audience.

Hey, would you like me if I stayed forever young?
Well, it sucks, but no one does.
Get used to staying out of touch with everyone you’ll ever meet.

The production quality isn’t the best, but it’s not particularly noticeable albeit the drum machine and some guitar tracks. The A-side is noticeably better than the second half and the album ends on a cover that, I’ll be honest, I hate… maybe the only BTMI! song that I don’t like. It’s a great album, but it’s going up against a lot of competition so here it lies at #10. Overall, the album is a bit more pessimistic than others.

9. POST- (2018)

As New Years surprises go, this one was one of the best. With no prior announcement, Jeff released this album in the beginning of 2018, giving myself and others plenty of time to soak the album in throughout the year. There’s a lot of cool things to take away from this album — the dreamy, somewhat live feel throughout. For some reason, it awakens the notion of sitting down in old VFW filled with smoke, drinking a beer and eavesdroping on some of the older regulars — for me at least.

Reading backlit directives of what I should do
Dodging eye contact with anyone who looks my way.
9 times out of 10 I’ll be thinking of you.

What goes well for this album is also what brings it down a bit. It’s a sonically very cohesive album, but also one that it’s a bit sluggish and lacks the kind of musical diversity found on other albums. It’s a cool record, with some very high points, but ultimately it’s not a record I feel as much desire to go back to — at least compared to the others. At under 30 minutes (if you don’t count the bonus track and noise at the end of track 10) it’s also a relative short release.

Recommended Tracks: 9/10, USA, & Powerlessness

8. Album Minus Band (2005)

Rosenstock’s first solo album under the BTMI! moniker is both an excellent release and one that brings nostalgic joy on every listen. Sure, it doesn’t have the best production, but that’s also part of the charm. I love how chaotic the record is, upon first listen you really have no idea how each track could go as it seems like at times there’s several streams of musical consciousness colliding at once. At this stage, there was almost no expectations from fans, and the album benefits from this — sounding very much like a “getting things off of my chest” album. Emotionally, I think this album affects me more than any other, because so many of the songs feel like they’re written for the artist and not the fan, and that honesty hits hard.

Say the word and I’ll put my guitar down
I’ll be sad but at least we’ll both get laid
We’ll start to fight when I start to resent you
And we’ll both agree the thought was nice but I should not have stayed

“Future 86” is particularly impactful as it unceremoniously became the theme to a tumultuous relationship I was in, but I think it can apply to a lot of different people’s situations, and that’s what great songwriting does, connects to people both widely and individually.

Recommended Tracks: Sweet Home Cananada, Ready…Set…No!!!, & Future 86

7. WORRY. (2016)

Worry at number 7? That’s too low, right? I get that this is a lot of people’s favourite album from Jeff and if I was trying to introduce his music to people, I might actually start with this record as it’s probably the easiest to digest for new listeners. There’s a bunch of things about this album that are amazing — it’s one of the most cohesive albums for Jeff, it has this great 6 song medley on the 2nd half, it introduces a lot of different styles without ever going overboard, and the lyrics are overall beautifully written.

Next time I see you I’ll find better words than I’m sorry.
Perfect always takes so long because it don’t exist. It doesn’t exist.

Something that I’ve always loved about Jeff’s songs is they always feel so personal and uncensored — showing a singer at his worst moments. This record has that, but on a more surface level while also covering socio-political topics. While I enjoy these lyrics, I also feel like they don’t hit as hard. Oddly enough, my other small criticism is that the album sounds too “good”. What I always liked about Jeff’s music is that it seemed slightly flawed which in turn made me appreciate it more.

Recommended Tracks: Wave Goodnight to Me, I Did Something Weird Last Night, & Rainbow

6. We Cool? (2015)

We Cool? is a tricky album to rank, but I’m happy with its position here. As the first official album Jeff Rosenstock album after BTMI!, I wasn’t sure what to expect and I think I was at first disappointed by the lack of chaotic weirdness that could previously be found on BTMI! records, but I’ve since come to love the matured sound Jeff has transitioned to. While Worry. is arguably a more put-together record, We Cool? features the depressed and self-loathing lyrics that I love from Jeff. In fact, the 1–2 punch of “Nausea” followed by “Beers Again Alone” is one of my favourite parts of any Jeff releases.

I got so tired of discussing my future
That I walk through my life like I’m the only one
With evenings of silence and mornings of nausea
Shake and sweat and I can’t throw up.

Topics like the previously mentioned depression, along with anxiety, loneliness, and just general fear are brought to light so clearly and mournfully on this record. If I have to nitpick, the only negative is the last couple songs are kinda filler (compared to the rest) and “All Blissed Out” should be half as long as it is.

Recommended Tracks: Nausea, Beers Again Alone, & Polar Bear or Africa

5. Get Warmer (2007)

I think this was the album that first introduced me to Jeff’s style of music. Honestly, I don’t think I really liked it that much on the first listen, but it has certainly grown on me a lot since then. This is the first BTMI! record to not use a drum machine and the first to be a more collaborative effort than a solo project. The music is incredibly diverse and it’s one of the best examples of what made the band’s music great — it’s chaotic and messy, but somehow still works.

Got a lot of shit on my head.
You know we got to pull it together
’cause it’s not gonna stop until we’re dead.

Lyrically, the album covers a number of non-pretentious topics. Several that cover depression in different themes: alcoholism, loneliness, being broke; and also topics about appreciating the little things and spending time with friends.

Recommended Tracks: I Don’t Love You Anymore, Depression Is No Fun, & 493 Ruth

4. Scrambles (2009)

This album really represents the epitome of the BMTI! sound to me. A clustered mess of ideas that somehow turns out to be perfect. It’s got the signature lo-fi acoustic intro and the similar acoustic outro that explodes at the end. The lyrics cover depression, fear of getting older, politics, and some general zaniness. There’s a big collection of guest appearances throughout to really round out the sound.

You’re alone and you’re wet in a hospital bed and your family and friends will inherit your debt as you breathe from machines. Yeah, I know it sounds mean but you’re probably gonna die alone.

The first half of the record is where it particularly shines, blending songs with breakneck speed to slow-burning jams. Melodies that flow in-and-out and are glued together by some of Jeff’s best synth and piano work.

Recommended Tracks: 25!, Fresh Attitude, Young Body, & It Shits!!!

3. Three Cheers For Disappointment (2006)

The last ASOB album is, in a lot of ways, some of the finest music that Jeff has ever released. By itself, this is one of the best ska-punk albums ever released… period. As much as I like a lot of the other recorded material, Three Cheers For Disappointment has better production than the rest. Given that more production time was spent on this album than any of Jeff’s other albums means that it makes sense that the guitars, percussion, horns, etc sound so particularly clear and defined. Speaking of percussion, the drum beats on this record are so intricate and impressive, that they alone makes this album shine.

I’m takin’ the last train home tonight. I’m drinking but I can’t get drunker than this. I’m going home alone again with a checklist of my ex-best friends

I also have to commend this album for how perfectly the sequencing is done on it, the songs seamlessly blend into each other while still distinguishing themselves from each other. There’s so much energy on this record that you almost feel the band breaking apart as the record progresses, and when it does slow down, it feels incredibly earned. Lyrically, this album features Jeff at his most spiteful, angsty, and hateful. Lyrics dripping with anger towards ex-friends, ex-girlfriends, and anyone else who has wronged him. While I’m glad his writing has matured, I still love the lyrics here as they perfectly sum up the feelings of a particular time and place.

Recommended Tracks: Piss Off, Have Fun Rotting By Yourself, & Kill the President

2. Vacation (2011)

There’s something about this album that’s just… epic. Many of the songs on it aren’t instantly appreciable, they take time to soak in, but once they do they perfectly meld into the overarching tone of the record. It’s an album that’s introspective, breezy, occasionally neurotic, and often appreciative. The energy is significantly toned down from previous records (while still showcasing plenty of rambunctious moments) there seems more focus here — less random melody changes throughout songs.

if she needed a breather but just ended up lonely ’cause everyone who loves you isn’t always gonna be around to have your back but being kind of lonely for a second here or there is really really so much better than someone always poking you.

The relaxed piano intro that morphs into a rapid blast beat sets the stage for the rest of the album. Sometimes the lyrics, even if they’re not direct, pave the way for relaxation. More than anything, I think Jeff comes off very direct on this album — few songs have a pretense of higher meaning and that’s somehow refreshing. This record is, I think, the beginning of a new era for Jeff’s writing. Despite being Jeff’s longest album, it never drags, every note and song feels like it’s right where it should be. PS, don’t forget to check out the bonus track, it’s great.

Recommended Tracks: Everyone That Loves You, The Shit That You Hate, & Can’t Complain

1. NO DREAM (2020)

There’s few things as great as when one of your favourite artists, that’s already released a lot of music, puts out a new album and it becomes your favourite. It almost never happens, but when it does… bliss.
When this was surprised released, I was ecstatic, but also holding back expectations since I was lukewarm on the previous record (compared to the rest of Jeff’s output). Luckily, all my concerns were dropped upon the first listen. My favourite tracks change on nearly every listen because it’s such a completely solid record and the amazing thing is that it seems to do it with as little “tricks” as possible — it’s pretty much a straightforward rock album in a lot of ways.

If you knew that I think about you every single day, would it make you feel like I’m too much for you? Or would you kinda wanna say, “You don’t have to feel that way. I’ve been trying not to think about you too.”

Lyrically, it’s a hopeful, yet also nostalgic record. It’s a record that represents change, perhaps not overly evident, but subtle enough to pick up on. Sure, maybe it misses some elements of BTMI! and ASOB that I love, but under the “Jeff Rosenstock” moniker, it’s undeniably his best work. I honestly don’t know what he can do after this album, but I’m excited to see/hear what it might be. Are there any negatives? I really love the artwork on Jeff’s records, they have a specific fun/warm aesthetic to them that this one seems to lack it. It’s an okay album cover, but nothing I would want on a shirt.

Recommended Tracks: ***BNB, Scram!, & Ohio Tpke