Best [music] of 2014 - Part 2

Here we are with the second part of the Best Of list, counting down my favorite tracks of 2014. As I continue the songs will get better. I mean, I THINK the songs get better. Who knows what you think.

*Again, the download link is at the bottom.
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• 91. Beatsteaks - A Real Paradise: The rest of this album is slightly forgettable, but these German guys really come through on this opening track. I used to really like this band. Now I just kinda like this band. Such is life.
• 92. Screaming Females - Wishing Well: This band is amazing and the sooner you realize that the better. They gave a little sample this year with this song, but expect their album next year to be one of the best.
• 93. Hail Mary Mallon - 4AM: These guys are back with their 2nd album, made up of Aesop Rock and Rob Sonic. There is some quality tracks on this album and this is the best.
• 94. The Fratellis - They Go Down:I almost forgot about this band, they broke up for awhile, but have recently seen daylight again. This song highlights a lot of why I liked them in the first place.
• 95. The Methadones - Trip Wire: This band is no longer and this song is (decidedly) the last they have recorded. It's a good one. You can check out other stuff through Dan Vapid and The Cheats.
• 96. Radiator Hospital - Cut Your Bangs: Something about this band just works for me. The lyrics are so original and honest. If you don't like it there's probably something wrong with you... because there certainly isn't something wrong with me.
• 97. Morning Glory - Standard Issue: One guy basically writes all this. I don't really care for a lot of the output, but this is a good one.
• 98. O'Death - Wrong Time: This band always reminds of good times. Surprisingly one of the funniest bands I've seen. I still think the music fits perfectly in a horror movie.
• 99. Mischief Brew - Dirty Overhauls: Recently got into this group after being recommended them on multiple times. I think this is great.
• 100. Emily's Army - Alien's Landing: This band is super young, but the music wouldn't let you think that... the lyrics will though. They recently changed their name to Swimmers for whatever reason.
• 101. The Planet Smashers - Waiting for the Sunset: A ska band from Canada that writes fun and cerebral-unchallenging lyrics. Hard to not want to dance a bit though right?
• 102. The Muffs - Take A Take A Me: Easily one of my favorite female singers in punk. Her scream-sing is pure gold to my ears.
• 103. Modest Mouse - White Lies, Yellow Teeth: This is an old song, but it was just recently released. Apparently they're recording a new album next year though. 
• 104. Blueprint - Oh Word?: A good solid hiphop track. The rest of the album probably won't blow you away, but there's great lyrics on the song "I was always told that bigger fences made better neighbors."
• 105. Goober Patrol - That's The Point: Didn't this band breakup? Nope. Not quite up to par with their older stuff, but they're still chugging along releasing music.
• 106. First Aid Kit - My Silver Lining: These Swedish girls are pretty good. I think they've gotten pretty big so they don't need me to pump up their fame any more.
• 107. Spraynard - Are You Ladies Familiar with the Work of Zach and Cody?: If the song title isn't good enough, the song is also great. It comes from a release of old songs finally released.
• 108. The World/Inferno Friendship Society - Don't Get Me Started, Don't Get Me Wrong: Weird band. Weird song. Check out the rest of the album for more of whatever this genre is called. I dig it though. That's all that matters.
• 109. NOFX - The Greatest Country in the World: This song is super offensive, but also slightly funny. They recorded for their documentary series they released a couple years ago.
• 110. Sallie Ford - Coulda Been: Portland native Sallie Ford is back! The song makes me want to be in the 70's... whatever that means.
• 111. Brendan Kelly and The Wandering Birds - Gluesday Evening Blues: Mr. Kelly was busier this year than before. This is the only Wandering Birds release, but it fits together perfectly with the rest of their output.
• 112. Chris Farren - Eagle Eyes: Chris Farren has also been incredibly busy this year, seemingly releasing something new every week. The Xmas is great, but I'm all about this song.
• 113. Hurray For The Riff Raff - The Body Electric: This group has been around for awhile, but I just recently got into them. This is probably the best song on the album and I'm sure the release will end up on a lot of year-end lists.
• 114. Astronautalis - The City Ain't Just a Skyline: I love the lyrics on this song. Here's hoping he releases something next year.
• 115. Left Alone - Harbor Area: A fairly proto-typical punk song, but these guys do a good job on it.
• 116. Wye Oak - Glory: This song (and album) are great for study music. So if you're looking for study music... look no further.
• 117. Great Collapse - Blood, Bread & Roses: I guess Strike Anywhere is done? If it is and you need your Thomas fix then listen to this. Sounds quite similar.
• 118. Devon Williams - All I Have to Do: I wish Osker was still together, but they aren't. Luckily Devon is still releasing music, even though it doesn't sound anything like his older stuff.
• 119. St. Paul & The Broken Bones - Call Me: This song doesn't sound like it came this year, but it did. 
• 120. Anti-Flag - Close My Eyes: Used to be one of my favorite bands. They still release quality songs now and then.

                                                           Download

Best [music] of 2014 - Part 1

As the year comes to a close more and more sites and people will starting posting their 'best of the year' lists and I certainly don't want to deprive you lovely people of the internet my own 'best of' list.

Now, I will disclaimer this with the obvious - there's plenty of music that came out this year that I didn't listen to that would have undoubtedly made it on to this list. Alas, I am merely a mortal (a handsome mortal, but a mortal nonetheless) and I'm unable to hear all the great records that I'm sure came out. That said, this is the best songs/artists that I personally heard this year, but feel free to add in your own in the comments. I'm always excited to hear new bands. Well, sometimes I'm excited. I'm also overly opinionated. Oi vey.

Anyway, I compiled a list of 150 songs which is (I know) incredibly generous of me. Will I also be providing a download link so that you can listen to each song at your leisure? But of course. That's just the nice kind of guy I am.

Since 150 songs is quite a few, I've decided to break this post into a 5-parter with 30 songs in each,starting at #121 and slowly counting down to numero uno. So, uhm, yeah. Without any further ado, here's the list.

*the download link is at the bottom.
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121. Candy Hearts - I Miss You: I'm kind of embarrassed that I like this song. It's super bubble gum pop, but it's also relatable enough that I'm a bit of a sucker for it.
122. Body Count - Talk Shit, Get Shot: This may actually be the best song that came this year. One of my favorite things to do is walk around listening to this song and feeling like a badass. For sure.
123. Mariachi El Bronx - New Beat: More mariachi music from the band that randomly decided to start making mariachi music. They get somewhat experimental and add some electronic elements this time around.
124. Foo Fighters - Something From Nothing: The mini-series that went along with the album is probably better than the actual album itself, but this song is pretty good even if people say it's a 'Holy Diver' rip-off.
125. Wild Smiles - Never Wanted This: This song sounds a lot like Nirvana and I'm okay with that. The whole album is pretty solid though and I'd suggest checking it out.
126. Tim Barry - Older and Poorer: Huge fan of the lyrics on this song. The album just came out so I haven't listened to it much.
127. Angels and Airwaves - Bullets in the Wind: I've got to say, I'm digging the new AVA album, it seems like they finally have come into their own.
128. The Asteroids Galaxy Tour - My Club: Good, fun song. Not much else.
129. Cobra Skulls - No Puede Mas: Sadly, this is to be the last Cobra Skulls song ever. Hopelly Devon continues making music in something else. Oh, this song is all in Spanish if you were wondering.
130. She & Him - Time After Time: This just came out and it's nice relaxing song. Nothing groundbreaking though.
131. Restorations - Wales: First song of the album, it's a good song, but I couldn't really get into the rest of the album.
132. Ingrid Michaelson - Warpath: I didn't listen to Ingrid for a long time and then I started. I like this song and some others.
133. Iron Chic - L'esprit de L'escalier: The only song they released this year. A solid contribution, but nothing overly special.
134. Radical Face - Baptisms: I think the Culvers got me into this artist. Very relaxing track.
135. The Offspring - No Reason Why: These guys put out a little 3 song EP covering other punk bands. This one is a cover of Pennywise.
136. Bracket - She's My Eraser: A good song, but the album is a bit of a mess.
137. Fishbone - Interdependent: These guys have been around for forever and this track isn't really anything surprising. Still good though.
138. Fucked Up - Paper the House: For whatever reason (maybe the live show), these guys are really loved by the critic community. I didn't really like the album except for this song. Up to you to judge.
139. Ani DiFranco - Dithering: Singer-songwriter stuff that is pretty much what you would expect - in a good way.
140. Chumped - Hot 97 Summer Jam: I just started listening to this band and I think they'll grow on me more as time goes.
141. Busdriver - Upsweep: Busdriver has more misses than hits most of the time, but he's a great performer and this song is a nice one.
142. Tom Brosseau - Today is a Bright New Day: This guy is from Grand Forks, North Dakota and I use to live near there. Words.
143. Titus Andronicus - Stranded (On My Own): The only song this band released this year. I love pretty much anything they do, even if this track is far from their best.
144. Jojo Effect - Mungo Swing: Electro-swing? Why not right?
145. Bombshell Rocks - One Shot: This just came out and probably only really like it for nostalgic sake.
146. Pigeon John - Champagne On My Shoes: Weird song, but I like it.
147. Autopilot Off - Alcologic: These guys broke up awhile and then got back together and released a couple songs. It's not a 'great' song, but for nostalgic reasons I also like this song.
148. Stick Figure Biography - #satandotcombackslashbobvila: This is from my buddy. Who knows what the chorus is supposed to mean, but it's a grooving song.
149. Street Dogs - We're Still Here: Just sprinkling in some Oi punk.
150. Greenland Is Melting - Crossed Wires: The only song these guys released this year.

                                                
                                                Download

Review: Sundials - Kick EP

Sundials has provided a nice six song EP that seems to correlate perfectly with overcast weather... or maybe that's just because the weather has been cloudy whenever I listen to it. Perhaps it's coincidence, but I believe the pairing comes out perfect. The songs provided don't really invoke any amount of energetic sunshiny endeavors, instead the focus is on the general ennui of existing in a smaller town, trying to overcome the sinking feeling that things won't get better.

Sundials has always been a band that sounds like it lacks ambition, but I say that in the best way possible. The general mid-tempo vibe they express seems to perfectly cater to their abilities rather than force a sound that would otherwise feel unnatural. One can draw comparisons to band like The Lemonheads or a softer version of Joyce Manor. The music isn't particularly technical and instead focuses more on making the instruments fit the lyrics and vocal hooks in the songs. Tracks such as 'Stun Pore' and 'Kick' illustrate this simplicity by relying heavily on a basic bass line in order to punctuate the lines delivered by singer Harris Mendell.

Although the record starts with a quickened pace with 'Dealin', it then follows this with a slower, but more determined tempo. The songs focus on trying to find motivation and identity in a mid-sized town (Richmond, VA) that too many of us in our 20's can find relatable. There isn't a lot of positivity to be found on the record, instead leaving questions of how to find purpose in life among the mundane. If you find yourself currently at crossroads in your life this little EP might just be the perfect thing to make you feel a little comfort in at least it's solidarity.

SONGS TO CHECK OUT: DEALIN' / KICK / STUN SPORE

RATING: 6/10

Review: Lagwagon - Hang

After talks about possibly not releasing full albums again, Lagwagon are back with their first full length album in 9 years, the longest break between albums they've ever done. According to singer Joey Cape, the desire to make another album came from touring around and playing their older albums, essentially causing the creative juices of the first albums to start flowing again.

So after 25 years of being a band and only retaining two of the original members (Joey Cape and guitarist Chris Flippin) what sort of material can this aging band produce? Maybe the acoustic material the Caper has mostly been focused on for the past few years has caused the band to go in a slower paced direction? Maybe the relentless touring Joey does each year has worn him down to wanting to slow jam? Maybe not.

The album begins with a minute long track featuring Mr. Cape and a single acoustic guitar, but as soon as the last note of the song hits the rest of the band joins in at full speed to bring back the all-to-familiar sound that Lagwagon has perfected all these years. Besides a 30 second intro to One More Song the album keeps a steady pace of hard riff-age and impressive drum fills. You wouldn't think that after all these years, they would surprise their audience by releasing their hardest album to date, but they have.

The production seems perfect for the style of songs contained on Hang, more polished than previous album Resolve, but less slick than Blaze. There's a heavy bass flow throughout the entire album and new bassist (but long-time friend of the band) Joe Raposo gets to shine, particular on Obsolete Absolute which features bass guitar intro with an ominous typewriter quietly typing in the background.

The subject matter of the songs on the album follows mostly a dark path, questioning the contemporary world through wizened eyes. This general perspective moves Joey Cape from focusing on the personal issues he has covered on previous records and instead center on the shape of globalized society. He occasionally drifts from the general to the personal on a couple tracks though. The song One More Day describes Cape's desire to hear more music from his friend, the recently deceased songwriter Tony Sly and the track Drag explains Cape's ongoing struggle with quiting smoking.

There's not much to not love on this new album, maybe a track like You Know Me doesn't stand out that much, but it's still a solid track on a solid album. Even the bonus songs (that come with pre-orders) Don't Laugh at Me and (No Use For a Name cover) Exit are strong enough contenders that they could've been included on the album. If there was anything I could really complain about it would be the artwork. I don't what it is about it, but I just think it could have been a lot better. It looks to be the only thing that no real time was spent on, almost a quick photoshop job to get a cover out. But hey, you can see it, what do you think?

Regardless, if you're excited to hear the Lag crew back in action than you won't be disappointed by this album as long you want fast and solid guitar/drum work accompanied by Joey's signature vocal style. Just hearing the anger in Cape's voice during the closing 30 seconds of the record is enough of a reason to pick this album up.

SONG TO CHECK OUT: MADE OF BROKEN PARTS / THE COG IN THE MACHINE / IN                                               YOUR WAKE

RATING: 9/10

Review: Rancid - Honor Is All We Know

The perennial punks in Rancid are back with their 8th album. They've been taunting the album for a couple years now, to the point that many fans were starting to wonder if it would ever see the light of day, but low and behold here it is. The band took an interesting approach to how they released the album by out-of-the-blue releasing cover art, track list and a video of three songs around a month before the actual release date. Who does that? Rancid does that.

Even though it's been 5 years since the last Rancid album, the members have been far from quiet. Tim Armstrong himself was on a constant release streak with his side project Tim Timebomb and Friends, releasing what seemed like a song a day for a year. On top of that there's his work with Hellcat Records, making a web-based musical theatre, The Transplants and everything else in-between. I don't think anyone can blame Armstrong of laziness, since the early 90's he's been active in every facet of the music industry that one can be.

Mr. Armstrong is, to me, one of the biggest conundrums in music. He's honestly a terrible singer. Really, just plain terrible. It sounds less like he's trying to sing and more like he stumbled upon a microphone and is drunkenly slurring out some words. I realize that that is pretty critical of one of the most famous people in the punk scene, but guess what? Even if I insult it I still find myself enjoyably listening to it. Maybe he made some pact with the devil? I doubt I'll ever figure out what exactly his appeal is, but does that really matter? Not really. and I'm going to continue to listen to what he's involved in, but I'll never understand it. But I digress, let's get to the review of the new album.

Every previous Rancid record has had it's own vibe. Let me break them all down for you:

• Rancid(2003) - the debut album that established what Armstrong and Freeman wanted to sound like.
• Let's Go - The sound of the first album is polished up, but more importantly Lars Frederickson is added on guitar/vocals, adding another dimension to the sound.
• ...And Out Come the Wolves - This is where they master their songs. Everything hits home on this album. Still their most famous album and it shows off their musicality. 
• Life Won't Wait - Coming off the heels of the successful last album, Rancid gets the most experimental it has ever been. Recorded between Los Angeles and Jamaica this album incorporates multiple singers and musicians and varies between multiple genres.
• Rancid(2000) - After the experimentation of L.W.W. Rancid returns with it's most straight-up hardcore punk album. 
• Indestructable - Rancid starts to flex it's commercial success and incorporates new friends like Skinhead Rob to make a loud (production-wise) album that re-adds the reggae and ska from previous albums.
• Let the Dominoes Fall - Decidedly their worst album. A few good tracks, but overall it lacked any real passion and felt stale to most fans.

So where does Honor Is All We Know stack up to the rest? In the best way possible it sounds like b-sides from A.O.C.T.W. In production and overall vibe it comes closest to their 1995 album than any previous one has. The songs aren't as personal as earlier releases, but the gangster 'we'll-kick-your-ass-if-you-get-in-our-way' mood is present the whole way though. Dispersed through the Oi tracks is a couple ska songs and a couple others that make use of the organ. Armstrong takes the lead on most songs, but Frederickson is still present and even Freeman gets some solo vocal duties.

It's not their best album, but it certainly it isn't a disappointment. Like Armstrong says in the opening track "I've been gone way too long and I'm back where I belong." They might not have the youthful spark that stoked the songs of earlier albums, but they certainly sound like they're back in the territory that they not only know, but that they helped establish.

SONGS TO CHECK OUT: FACE UP / EVIL'S MY FRIEND / BACK WHERE I BELONG
RATING: 8/10