Greetings to all! I hope you've had an amazing holiday. You'll find that this year's entry is going to be very much abridged compared to previous years. In addition to a lack of feedback/readership, I've also spent the year coping with health issues. And just as great football players like Demaryius Thomas or Calvin Johnson are not at the top of their game when dealing with injuries, so to shall my production suffer.
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When American Football, seminal fathers of the emo scene and purveyors of fine math rock, announced that they were reuniting for a tour and that their one (and only) full length record would be re-released with bonus tracks, I was through the roof. The show, which my wife and I drove down to LA to see, was incredible. My wife was happy because we were able to secure her a couch at the venue and I was happy because it was one of those shows that is just so good.
The album itself is obviously among the best of all time to me. This re-issue sees the inclusion of ten bonus tracks. Three of them are taken from a live show back in 1997, three are from the prep session for recording the album and the remaining tracks are plucked from a Boombox Practice Session. It's an amazing look into the creation of a classic album. For the recommended tracks below, please listen to the album versions first (where applicable) if you've never experienced the band.
Recommended Tracks: "The 7's (Live)" and "But the Regrets Are Killing Me (4-Track Album Prep)"
Recommended If You Like: Their/They're/There, Minus The Bear, or Owen
If you aren't already subscribing to the Church of Turner, then you clearly have not read enough of my past entries. It's nearly impossible to mention the man without prefacing it with some adjective like magnanimous. In his endless generosity, Frank is nice enough to package nearly all of his b-sides and rarities every three years and send them out into the word as a compilation.
This is, obviously, the third iteration of these releases. This compilation includes more unreleased material than either of the previous two, as a whopping one third of this compilation was not previously released. There are tracks that I wasn't even aware of plucked from things like The Bloodshot Records 20th Anniversary Compliation, which I'd never heard of. It's nice to be able to consume all of a favorite artist's material without having to spend out the wazoo gathering singles and tribute albums.
Recommended Tracks: "Live and Let Die" (Paul McCartney and Wings)" and "Something Of Freedom"
Recommended If You Like: Billy Bragg, Biffy Clyro, or Frightened Rabbit
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Jawbreaker ranks up there near the top of my "I really wish I could see them live" list. And though I've given up any hope of that, I'm glad that drummer Adam Pfahler has carried on their legacy via his record label Blackball Records. 2014 was the 20th anniversary of the release of 24 Hour Revenge Therapy. It may not be regarded as influential to the scene that followed as Dear You is but it perfectly captures the zeitgeist of the band's evolution. Coming off of the expansive Bivouac, and having just toured with the massive Nirvana, Jawbreaker went back to their roots and crafted a punk rock album that was as introspective as it was tough.
This reissue includes six "new" tracks, though two of them saw release on the Etc. compilation. The other four tracks are grittier, alternate recordings of some of the most classic songs on the album.
Recommended Tracks: "Boxcar (Alternate)" and "Do You Still Hate Me (Alternate)"
Recommended If You Like: Jets To Brazil, Foo Fighters or Samiam
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Way back in 2008, NOFX did a show on FUSE called Backstage Passport. The premise was that they would tour the world in its entirety and do lots of drugs. It was actually quite an entertaining show, though you could not help but feel bad for Fat Mike's (now ex) wife as you watched him doing some drug called the Green Dragon in the insanely strict country of Singapore, with blatant disregard for his health and well-being.
The show had two different theme songs - originally it was called "Punk Rock Passport" before being changed to "Backstage Passport." This compilation features both versions as well as a handful of remixed songs, a live version of "Leaving Jesusland" and an unreleased track called "The Greatest Country in the World". I have no idea why they waited six years to release these songs but I'm glad I can finally replace the shitty rips of the theme songs that I've been rocking since the show's premiere.
Recommended Tracks: "Backstage Passport" and "The Greatest Country in the World"
Recommended If You Like: Rancid, Pennywise, or Me First and the Gimme Gimmes
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In the wake of Maniac going their separate ways, Shawn Harris and the rest of the (infinitely more respectable) guys from The Matches decided to get the band back together for some 10th anniversary shows for their first album, E. Von Dahl Killed the Locals. This live album is a compilation of several different recordings made at various venues on the reunion tour.
It's nice to hear the crowd's energy throughout these songs. It brings back some fond memories of the many Matches shows I've been to. It's nice that this tour finally forced them to play "Eryn Smith" live instead of just teasing us about it like a bunch of assholes (I'm again looking at you, Shawn). I have no idea if this tour will lead to a new album but I'll stay on the cautiously optimistic side.
Recommended Tracks: "Eryn Smith (Live)" and "Scratched Out (Live)"
Recommended If You Like: Ludo, Say Anything, or Motion City Soundtrack
2014 was a year that saw a large amount of releases. Even though it was tough to keep up, it was even tougher to limit an End of the Year list to only ten albums. Accordingly, these are five albums that landed on the cusp. They enjoyable on their own, but not good enough to crack the Top Ten. In no particular order:
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Andrew McMahon continues the progression towards pop music that began with last year's The Pop Underground EP. This album feels a little more retro than that EP, with plenty of 80's sounding synth. It's obvious at this point that we will never get more Something Corporate (or even Jack's Mannequin) but this music is plenty satisfying for those open to a more poppy sound.
Recommended Tracks: "Cecilia and the Satellite" and "High Dive"
Recommended If You Like: Something Corporate, Jack's Mannequin, or fun.
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Aside from the absolutely terrible (and way too phallic) album cover, Brian Fallon and gang produced another slab of solid folk rock. It, at times, feels a little too safe and it lacks the immediate wallop of their previous efforts, such as the stellar Handwritten. With that said, it's overall very much worth a listen.
Recommended Tracks: "Rollin' And Tumblin'" and "1,000 Years"
Recommended If You Like: Bruce Springsteen, Frank Turner, or Social Distortion
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The way, WAY too prolific Mike Kinsella (see American Football and their reunion tour, the Owls long-waited sophomore effort, the supergroup Their/They're/There) decided to tackle, you guessed it, other people's songs. Picking songs from artists all over the spectrum from The Promise Ring to Against Me!, Mike puts his acoustic spin on each track. It's an intriguing concept that other bands have played to better success (see New Found Glory's From The Screen To Your Stereo).
Recommended Tracks: "Borne On The FM Waves Of The Heart (Against Me!)" and "Forget Me (The Promise Ring)"
Recommended If You Like: American Football, The City on Film or Into It. Over It.
If there is one thing that you have to give to Yellowcard, it's that they've never seemed satisfied doing the same thing over and over again. After the sub-par Lights and Sounds, the band has sincerely tried to inject something new into each outing. The development of their emotional maturity culminated on 2012's Southern Air, which still stands as one of their best.
This album bears the same mark of maturity though in a different way. Longtime drummer Longineu W. "LP" Parsons III, who had been with the band since its formation, left the band prior to this album (seriously, you lost the ONE black guy in the entire pop punk scene!?). It's impossible to say whether the sonic shift on this album is due to his absence, but this is definitely less of a pop punk record than its predecessors. The violin still plays a major part but the instrumentation feels much more adventurous as a whole.
Recommended Tracks: "Transmission Home" and "Lift A Sail"
Recommended If You Like: The Wonder Years, New Found Glory, or Angels & Airwaves
You Blew It! is kind of a throw back band to me. They create a very vintage sound that calls back to 90's emo. After 2012's Grow Up, Dude, I was excited to see where the band went next. Unfortunately, Keep Doing... feels like the band lost just enough of the polish that made Grow Up, Dude so good and that kept them from making the next step.
Recommended Tracks: "Strong Island" and "Match & Tinder"
Recommended If You Like: Look Mexico, The Promise Ring or Say Anything
And now, the moment you have surely been waiting for! 2014 brought us more bands back from the past, a couple of frontmen striking out on their own, and a familiar band once again taking up residence at Number 1.
I stumbled upon Kawehi's video for the song "ANTHEM" earlier this year and was enraptured. It's some kind of electronic pop music and I like it. Other songs on her YouTube reveal just how talented she is to be able to program, play, sing, and do everything else.
This is only an EP, but it's managed to wriggle its way into my brain from out of nowhere on more than one occasion.
Recommended Tracks: "ANTHEM" and "Like Her"
Recommended If You Like: I honestly have no idea. It's generally not my kind of music.
I expected so much more. Taking Back Sunday is one of my favorite bands of all time. Through all the various incarnation and the drama, the new members and the constants, I've loved the band. In 2010, when the band announced that they were parting ways with Matt Fazzi and Matt Rubano and that they'd be bringing original band members John Nolan and Shaun Cooper back into the fold, I was ecstatic. It was music I had grown up with - the importance of Tell All Your Friends cannot be overstated.
The first album that resulted from their reunion, 2011's Taking Back Sunday, was amazing. Between the album tracks and the bonus tracks, the band had put together a masterpiece. Given another three years, I was optimistic that they'd be able to hone their craft and push out something mind-blowing. Happiness Is... well, not mind-blowing. It's very much a good, enjoyable record (it wouldn't be on this list otherwise) but it's less than I was hoping for.
Lead single "Flicker, Fade" is brilliant and is exactly the direction the band should have been trending towards. What really derails this album, for me, is the couplet of "They Don't Have Any Friends" and "Better Homes And Gardens."
The first of those is a response song to internet trolls. Seriously. With lyrics like "Cause I feel like a bigger man / With the upper hand / In those last few seconds before I hit send" and "Open the flood gates for all those smug little kids / (It's not their fault) / They don't have any friends / (They can't help themselves)", I can't help but feel the band hitting their peak of pettiness. The lead singer is 32 years old - you do not need to write a song criticizing internet trolls who don't like your band.
"Better Homes and Gardens" continues the petty, pity train® with the following chorus: "You'll never be happy / But it was all for nothing / Yeah, it was all a waste." Aside from the fact that the cynical and nihilistic nothingness thoughts are pervasive throughout this record, you then realize that this song is about Adam's ex-fiance, Chauntelle Dupree. Disregarding the fact that Adam got married to a completely different woman in June 2008 (yes, that was over six years ago now) and has two children with her, he's still writing about his ex-fiance.
If they had left those two songs off this album, it would have ranked a lot higher. They are capable of so much greatness.
Recommended Tracks: "Flicker, Fade" and "Beat Up Car"
Recommended If You Like: Jimmy Eat World, Fall Out Boy, or The Starting Line
Absolutely bizarre music videos aside, I did not expect to like this album. I was never a big fan of My Chemical Romance, though I inherited trace amounts of love when I married an uber fan of the band. How I always love to listen to new music remains the same: burn a ton of it to disc, completely forget what's on the disc, and then listen to the music without any preconceived notions or bias.
Gerard is able to successfully step away from the sound that made him famous with My Chemical Romance as Hesitant Alien ventures into varied frontiers. There's plenty of rock (and punk rock) influences to keep old fans, plus a heaping of whatever direction Way is heading in now. Which, at this point, seems pretty promising.
Recommended Tracks: "The Bureau" and "Zero Zero"
Recommended If You Like: My Chemical Romance, 30 Seconds To Mars, or Weezer
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Like Mike Kinsella before him, emo forefather Bob Nanna has been a busy boy. After reuniting Braid for their first full length album in 16 years, he also devoted time to two of his other side projects. Lifted Bells saw the release of a 7" and The City On Film, Bob's solo project, saw its first full length in 9 years.
Bob Nanna will always be a source of minor conflict in my marriage. My beautiful missus thinks his voice is simply too whiny at times. I take full responsibility for this, as one of the songs that I was enjoying the hell out of when I met my wife was the The City On Film's version of Braid's classic track, "A Dozen Roses". Slowed down, and with added orchestration, it can definitely come off more on the sorrowful side of the spectrum. And to be fair, The City On Film is absolutely the more "whiny" side of Bob Nanna. Being a project that tends to reside on the stripped down side of things, there is a lot more emphasis on Nanna's voice and guitarwork.
With all that said, Bob recruited fellow Lifted Bells' bandmates Kyle Geib and Seth Engel to play on this record, meaning that only the still excellent "Stay" and the symphonic closer "Andorra La Vella" remain all acoustic. Much like Say Anything's Max Bemis, Bob Nanna participates in a Song Shop wherein you can purchase your very own track, which is where this album was sourced from. Damn prolific artists.
For those more intrigued by the mellow, check out this style of indie music. Otherwise, Braid is likely a better place to start.
Recommended Tracks: "Noise Machines" and "Kill It!"
Recommended If You Like: Braid, The Promise Ring, or Death Cab For Cutie
Speaking of Mike Kinsella... Owls is a notoriously hard band to classify. Their first full length, released in 2001, was an album that I tried to force into the sub-genre of Jazz Punk, just for the sake of cleanliness in my iTunes Library. The angular guitars do not come together in a melodious way, as they do with math rock bands like Kinsella's other band American Football or Look Mexico. It's more disjointed and free flowing than that. It makes sense that the band cannot really stand each other. Aside from the two brothers, Tim and Mike Kinsella, the rest of them are known for doing things on their own. Even the album cover was designed apart, with each band member designing their corner and then bringing them all together at the end. The creation of the album itself was marred by small conflicts flaring up from interpersonal histories and drama. It's that knowledge that informs the listener as to what kind of music you are in store for.
In a better word, this is a really fucking weird album. Not nearly as relatable (if you can call it that) as their debut album, Owls' sophomore effort, thirteen years later, takes prideful strides down the path forged by Joan of Arc towards pure abstraction. JoA was fronted by Tim Kinsella, who also fronts Owls. So, no surprise there.
With lyrics like "The stop sign’s white / Looks green next to fresh snow / And I need to eat your goo / My horoscope always trumps world news", you are not going to be listening to this for the introspection of it all. But the instrumentation and weirdness of it all has a rustic charm. Honestly, it's probably partially nostalgia for me. If you're going to check out the album, stay away from penultimate track "Oh No, Don't..." - what a horrid piece of work that one is.
Recommended Tracks: "Four Works Of Art..." and "A Drop Of Blood..."
Recommended If You Like: This Town Needs Guns, American Football, or Cap'n Jazz
Laura Jane Grace's struggles with being transgender have been well documented at this point. It's a mountain of adversity that cost her her relationship with her father, her relationship with her spouse and her relationship with most of her former bandmates. With Against Me! whittled down to two, Grace set out to tell her story through this album.
The result is musically entertaining though, expectedly, esoteric. The album also feels very inconsistent at times. They are all great songs on their own, but when played together, songs like "Obama Bin Laden As The Crucified Christ" sound like they came off of a much noisier, punk rock record. The lyrical content binds them all together, but there is little else in the way of glue.
Much like Cursive's "I Am Gemini" before, I have a hard time relating to the lyrics on an album like this. Whereas that isn't always a requirement, I really enjoy singing along to music and I can't pull off lines like "You've got no cunt in your strut / You've got no hips to shake."
When asked by fans "It’s not going to be all trans this and trans that for every record from here on out?" Grace responded with, "Fuck you, to begin with." As much as I empathize with the insanely difficult path she has ahead of her, that's a pretty shitty response. I did not become a fan of Against Me! to listen to only one subject matter over and over again. It's legitimate to wonder if you've now become a one note artist writing about life experiences and gender dysphoria that an overwhelming majority of your fans cannot relate to.
Recommended Tracks: "Black Me Out" and "True Trans Soul Rebel"
Recommended If You Like: Alkaline Trio, Hot Water Music, or The Lawrence Arms
It is no state secret that in the wake of last year's Wonder Years' album, The Greatest Generation, I developed a man-crush on lead singer Dan 'Soupy' Campbell. I drowned myself in their past releases and happily awaited the release of this album, a concept album written from the perspective of a fictional man named Aaron West.
We Don't Have Each Other finds Soupy exploring his singer/songwriter side and becoming something of a folk troubadour. His ability to narrate has been well evidenced through his past work, and he really hones his craft here, spinning an intimate and depressing tale of love and loss. Some have complained that there isn't enough of a departure musically from the Wonder Years. I'd politely disagree - Wonder Years songs are much more high octane, mile a minute blasts. That's not to say these Aaron West songs don't move along, as they do with plenty of contribution from Wonder Years drummer Mike Kennedy and wunderkind/producer Ace Enders, but there is an undeniable softness to these tunes.
Come for Soupy's infinite talent, stay for Aaron West's engrossing story of heartache.
Recommended Tracks: "Grapefruit" and "Runnin' Scared"
Recommended If You Like: Frank Turner, The Wonder Years, or Kevin Devine
As I mentioned earlier in The City On Film's blurb, Braid reunited for their first full length since 1998's seminal Frame & Canvas. Several years back, when they first came back together to record new music, they released the Closer to Closed EP, which was received negatively by critics. I have to assume that the issue that critics had was that Closer to Closed didn't sound identical to the band that they had grown up with. People wanted more of the stop and start, noisy guitar licks. They wanted the same fist pumping anthems that a bunch of teenagers had written back in the day. Instead, Closer to Closed felt like the logical continuation of Frame & Canvas, though with the obvious maturity that spending what was, at that point, 13 years apart and introducing elements from the various side projects and bands that came about in that span.
Accordingly, I loved that EP and I love this album, which includes 3 of the 4 tracks from the EP. No Coast still has the jagged riffs that the band is known for, just without as much rambunctiousness. It is very similar to when Hot Water Music reunited and brought with them a more honeyed sound. I appreciate it when a band grows up alongside me. Or as one reviewer on Amazon put it: "Hey I am old now and it's still cool, and the kids like it to." Do I sometimes want to listen to music where the vocals are gritty and snarled? Sure. And there's plenty of options for that, including a band's past discography in this case, or many other new and upcoming bands.
People will always hate on the fact that it doesn't sound just like the old Braid. But it still has the trademark vocal interplay between Bob Nanna and Chris Broach. It still has the textured, well-written songs.
When I want to listen to aggressive math rock from my yesteryear, I'll pull out Frame & Canvas. But when I want to listen to a band that has had time to truly come into their own and deliver 40 minutes of comforting, somewhat nostalgic "emo," No Coast will be there for me.
Recommended Tracks: "East End Hollows" and "No Coast"
Recommended If You Like: Hey Mercedes, Minus The Bear, or 90's emo in general
Way back in the day, 2007 to be precise, I remember reading my Alternative Press, before it had devolved into a mess of teeny bopper posters and Black Veil Brides, and there was a review in the back for an album called American Art by a band called Weatherbox. The review was written by Scott Heisel, who I had found shared many of the same musical affinities. In the review, he implored readers to give the album a shot and that it would change your world, the same way that The Get Up Kids' Something To Write Home About (also released on Doghouse Records) had. And you know what? That guy was right.
American Art was a phenomenal record. Lead singer Brian Warren's nasally whine and wholly insane lyrics were layered over muscular indie rock that recalled the early days of Cursive. To this day, it remains one of my favorite albums. Unfortunately, time was not kind to Weatherbox. The reason that Warren's lyrics are insane is because, well, he's got some pretty serious mental problems. This instability led to the dissolution of the original Weatherbox, leaving Warren as the only remaining member.
He followed up American Art with 2009's The Cosmic Drama. It was at this point that his mental state and artistic pretentiousness got the better of him. Insisting that the album only be released on cassette, it featured songs where it was just noise and had Warren speaking slowly into a microphone "I am the cosmic.... I am the drama."
After releasing the sub-par sophomore effort and taking a break, he assembled a new cast of characters and began to create new music that was more in the vein of what you'd expect to follow their debut album. He still ran into issues of trying to medicate himself with marijuana instead of taking his prescription medications, which delayed new music time and time again. Slowly, we got new material. 2010 brought us two new songs on the Christpuncher EP. 2011 brought us four additional songs on Follow The Rattle Of The Afghan Guitar EP. 2012 brought us two more on their split with Person L. And lastly, 2013 brought us our final new song before this album, on their split with Sainthood Reps. Like I said, it was a slow build up, though still quicker than The Ataris and Brand New, so I can't gripe all that much.
Each new song we received showed more and more promise - a glimmer of the band that they used to be. And you know what? I'm happy with Flies In All Directions. They are never going to be able to replicate American Art, but this album builds on what the band has established. From the rollicking opener "Pagan Baby", with its self-effacing lyrics ("Reading eulogies, I’m comfy, baked into the crust / You heard we were a good band; well, you didn’t hear it from us.") to the steady strum of acoustic closer "Love Me A Good Microcosm", Flies In All Directions is full of Warren's bizarre (and somehow meaningful) lyrics, off-kilter guitars and memorable choruses. It even features a surprise guest performance from Manchester Orchestra's Andy Hull, who is rapidly finding himself on as many band's songs as humanly possible.
Unfortunately, Brian Warren had a relapse in 2014 and had to drop off of a large tour where they were opening for Finch. He is now spending time trying to get into a better place mentally and I wish him the best.
Recommended Tracks: "The Devil and I (feat. Andy Hull)" and "Pagan Baby"
Recommended If You Like: Say Anything, Cursive, or The Snake The Cross The Crown
Coming off of 2011's Simple Math, which was an easy choice for Album of the Year, I was expecting great things from Manchester Orchestra. Trading in the orchestra that accompanied the moody and emotionally intense Simple Math, the band decided to get back to their roots with driving guitars and pounding drums. Cope is a rock and roll record, plain and simple. It is anthemic and forceful - a testament to the power of distortion.
In the wake of releasing lead single "Top Notch", which stands tall on an album full of giants, the band also released an acoustic version that played on Sirius Radio's AltNation. It was more brooding, featuring a piano and a slowed down tempo. The response was apparently overwhelming, which led to the band releasing the sister album Hope out of nowhere in the middle of the year.
Whereas the blazing electric guitars on Cope have been traded out for acoustic guitars on Hope, it'd be disingenuous to call this an acoustic companion album in the vein of Dashboard Confessional's Alter The Ending deluxe edition. Instead, the band supplies a massive re-imagining of the original album. The songs are the same in that they share lyrics, melodies, etc, but in tone and texture, they are entirely different. It's beyond impressive that Manchester Orchestra was not only able to release a memorable and poignant release in Cope but they then took it and flipped it on its head, creating an album less suited for rock and roll and more suited towards introspection.
Recommended Tracks: "Top Notch" and "Cope"
Recommended If You Like: Brand New, Circa Survive, or The Dear Hunter
