In 2007, these Florida punks hooked up with producer Butch Vig for New Wave, infusing their lefty anthems with a new clarity and power. On the follow-up (also produced by Vig), some cynicism crept into Tom Gabel's lyrics: "I Was a Teenage Anarchist" is blazing Springsteen emo, as Gabel decries the misguided revolutionary politics of his youth, and on the pretty acoustic shuffle "Ache With Me," Gabel cops to a "sense of defeat." The arena-huge tunes can get a little overbearing, but cuts like the title track — where Gabel yearns to smash white crosses displayed by anti-abortion activists — are righteous, churning gut-rollers.

“Helen Wheels”

A rollicking good-time hard rocker, "Helen Wheels" was not about a woman but about Paul McCartney's Land Rover, the anthemic chorus voicing the vehicle's reckless joy as "she" took to the road. The song was added to the U.S. version of Band on the Run but was issued only as a single in McCartney's native U.K. "I like that because it's a British road song and there's not many of those around," said McCartney. "It's always Route 66. But Carlisle? How many songs have got Carlisle in them?"