Since forming as a hardcore punk band in 2001, Toronto’s Fucked Up has erupted into one of the most forward-thinking and obsessively fascinating bands in modern independent music. The Chemistry of Common Life, their second full-length (and near 50th release), sees them expand their Germs-inspired mayhem even more, now including flutes, operatic vocals, and shoegazey walls of guitar (at times, the album features 70 guitar tracks). And while there are a lot of gimmicks, there’s also a ton of heart. From the air-raid guitars and addictive chorus of opener “Son the Father” through the melodic anthem “Black Albino Bones,” Fucked Up has burnt the notions of genre altogether, and made one of the best albums of 2008.