THE GASLIGHT ANTHEM / Get Hurt [2014]

2014 saw the release of New Jersey rockers The Gaslight Anthem's fifth (and probably final) studio album, Get Hurt.
Written after considerable commercial success and a nasty divorce for frontman Brian Fallon, The Gaslights push towards a quieter, darker mid-tempo sound that is a bit of a departure from their previous records.  There's still traces of Springsteen but they bring in more influences into the mix that will reminds listeners of '70's stoner rock and other vinyl era rock acts.  The problem here is the music is so moody all the fun of their previous works has been sucked dry.  One can't deny the passion is still firmly intact but it's easy to hear a lack of interest within the member's chemistry would lead into a indefinite hiatus in 2015.

3 favorite songs in the dark out of 5

Songs of Note:  Break Your Heart; Have Mercy

THE GASLIGHT ANTHEM / The B-Sides [2014]

After The Gaslight Anthem parted ways with SideOneDummy records the label took it upon themselves to release one final album from the band, 2014's slapdash compilation The B-Sides.
It's exactly what the title suggests.  Mostly a collection of one "new" studio track, rough acoustic versions of past songs, live recordings and cover songs of Pearl Jam, The Rolling Stones and more.  Most of the material is between roughly okay to mildly decent but certainly not essential, so it makes it harder to excuse the shoddily arranged track listing that makes next to no sense.  The Gaslights wouldn't start producing great b-sides until they're move to Mercury records, which seeing as the band split ways in 2015 I wouldn't be surprised to see another collection in the near future which I know will be ultimately better than this.  

2½ Blackwater Surprises out of 5

Songs of Note: She Loves You; Boxer (acoustic)

ANDREW JACKSON JIHAD / Christmas Island [2014]

For their fifth studio album, 2014's Christmas Island, anti-folk punksters Andrew Jackson Jihad beefed it up some more with producer John Congleton, known for his work with Swans, Marilyn Manson and not-surprisingly The Mountain Goats.
Pushing forward with a more fuller sound, that includes more fuzzy guitars, somber violins and humming 80's-esque synthesizers, AJJ are prepared for wider recognition.  They're still writing upbeat head-boppers but seemed to have found a love for some softer songs where frontman Sean Bonnette seems most emotionally comfortable.  His lyrics are still sarcastically vulnerable reality checks but as a whole the band sounds really tired which on many tracks it's used to their best bitter advantage.

3½ museum melt-downs out of 5

Songs of Note: Coffin Dance; Temple Grandin Too

SAY ANYTHING / Hebrews (2014)

Max has a few things on his mind. Mostly, his new daughter and gaining weight. He also chastises those who want him to suffer in the service of writing better songs. Max, I’m not upset because you’re happy. I’m upset because for a decent chunk of this album I have NO. FUCKING. IDEA. what you’re even talking about.

Song of Note: …I thought there was a good one, but upon second thought, nah.

0 Tom DeLonge Appearances Next Time, Please out of 5

MÖNGÖL HÖRDE / Möngöl Hörde [2014]

Known best for his folky-punk songs, nice guy Frank Turner takes some time off from his busy schedule to have a laugh while returning to his harsher punk-rock roots with the 2014 self-titled album, Möngöl Hörde.
The three-piece act are as loud and aggressive as The Refused but never once do they sound like they're taking themselves too seriously.  Yes, it sounds pissed off (and probably is) but it's more of shit-eating grin "fuck you" than an overly mundane "you're all mindless sheep" fuck you.  The lyrical subject matter for the most part is pretty light on substance but when it does make a clever point, it sneaks up on you and smacks you square in the face.  It might just be a one-off album but the song-writing is solid and the playing it tight enough to make one hopeful for more material in the future.

3½ tapeworms in Natalie Portman out of 5

Songs of Note: Make Way; Staff to the Refund Counter

PRIMUS / ...& The Chocolate Factory with the Fungi Ensemble [2014]

I suppose if someone were to successfully re-imagine Anthony Newley & Leslie Bricusse's bizarre soundtrack from the 1971 film Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory, it'd be psycho-funky weirdo's Primus.
 With Tim Alexander back on drums, in his first full-lenth since 1995, Primus are in fine form and prove their creepy quirkiness and spaced-out playfulness is perfect for the light-hearted darkness of the world of Willy Wonka and all his sinful delights.  Aided by a cellist & mallet percussion, the band manages to re-arrange the songs into their own style without losing a lot of the orchestrations of it's source material.  It's certainly an ambitious project that doesn't always hit the mark but when it does it leaves the most demented grin on one's face.  Clearly Primus are doing whatever the hell they want and that's why, for a fan anyway, this album works.

4 freaky-ass boat rides out of 5

Songs of Note: Golden Ticket; Oompa TV

PINK FLOYD / The Endless River [2014]

By sifting through over 20 hours of unused material from their Division Bell sessions, David Gilmour & Nick Mason set out to create Pink Floyd's swan song with 2014's The Endless River.

Made up of mostly instrumentals, with only a handful of them clocking in at over 3 minutes, the album is broken up into 4 distinct parts all of which thrive on that classic Floyd sound, which is a bit dated in this day and age.  Gilmour's bluesy guitars still ring out like stark teardrops, Wrights new-age keyboards swirl with warmth and heart while Mason's drumming is still heavy but subtle enough to never overpower the relaxed ambience.  It's got all the ingredients of a great Floyd album but instead it mostly feels like the echoes of noodling around, like sleepwalking backwards into time.  It's literally the best of Floyd and the worst of Floyd rolled into a comforting nostalgic yawn.

3 high hopes out of 5

Songs Of Note: It's What We Do; Calling

KATATONIA / Kocytean (2014)

A Record Store Day exclusive E.P. released on 12" vinyl and limited to just 2000 copies. The six tracks on offer were previously available elsewhere, on hard to find E.P.s or as single B-Sides, but they'd never been collected together in such an easily accessible manner before. It's perfect for when you just want a short burst of the bitter-sweet emotion that is the band's forte.
Collectors will enjoy it for its rarity. Fans will enjoy it for its music. Both will benefit because vinyl is, was, and always will be sexier than CD. True story.

Songs of Note:  Why not have it all?

5 gravitations out of 5

COUNTING CROWS / Somewhere Under Wonderland (2014)

Much akin to Saturday Nights & Sunday Mornings, Wonderland is a cornucopia of re-used (yet evolved) lyrics and allusions. The price of admission to this theme park is admittedly high, but it’s always worth it. Do your homework, kids. It’s as if we’re allowed intimate access to The Duritz’s head to watch as his experiences and emotions mush and meld together over time. This time he appears to have let Dan Vickrey and Dave Immergluck run entirely amok to mostly great effect. Their plucky shenanigans make this a pleasantly rollicking jaunt that’s alternately wistful and infectiously toe-tapping.

Songs of Note: Palisades Park; Earthquake Driver

4 Barrows Full of Sex Toys in the Marketplace out of 5

GODFLESH / Decline and Fall EP (2014)

If you imagine the Godflesh discography as a curved line, sound-wise the first E.P. from the reformed duo is a branch that splits off after Streetcleaner (1989) and intersects the curve again somewhere between Selfless (1994) and Songs of Love and Hate (1996). But you don't just have to deal in abstractions, check out the link below to get an understanding of what I mean. It's not a reinvention, thankfully, it's a re-invigoration and a tight return to the days of crunching, lo-fi heaviness.

Songs of Note: Decline and Fall (Full EP)

4 symbols of servitude out of 5

GREEN DAY / Demolicious [2014]

After the commercial failure of their ¡Uno!, ¡Dos!, ¡Tré! trilogy, rockers Green Day curiously release an album of demos from those sessions to suck it dry of everything it was worth with 2014's Demolicious.
Bassist Mike Dirnt stated that the album is what Green Day would sound like if they were still with Lookout! Records today.  It's not entirely true, seeing as the demos sound sonically better than most indie-act records.  Apart from that, the fun that the band is having is made very apparent giving the songs a life that seemed all too absent from the finished products.  The songs are rough around the edges, occasionally sloppy and unrefined but that's what makes them come alive.  Instead of striving for commercial studio perfection, you can hear the boys are just in it for the pure rock & roll.

3½ Tom Neely album covers out of 5

Songs Of Note: Stay The Night; Stray Heart