The Blind Shake
Breakfast of Failures
Goner (2014)
The Blind Shake have been consistently banging out juicy, syncopatic jams for the better part of a decade now. Breakfast of Failures is their fifth full-length and, with it, continues the evolution. They’ve always been a concise group, focused on big stomping hooks within the confines of a pop structure, and they’ve slowly made their sound less homogenized in the … Read more
The Brokedowns
Life Is a Breeze
Red Scare (2014)
The Brokedowns have come a long way. That’s not to say they were torchbearers of suckitude earlier, but early reviews of the band were festivals of namedropping and comparisons to various Midwestern-tinged punk groups. On Life Is A Breeze, those RIYL days of yore can go straight into the Springfield tire fire: The Brokedowns have their own sound and it’s … Read more
The Capitalist Kids
At A Loss
Toxic Pop (2014)
The sound comparisons are undeniable when it comes to talking about The Capitalist Kids and their affinity for 1980s-era Lookout Records pop-punk. But the Austin, TX band does have a key difference to be noted. For every saccharine love song, there is a counterpunch of social commentary—not mixed within that same sappy song, but in one of the follow-ups. For … Read more
The Chantey Hook
Underground
Razorcake (2014)
The Chantey Hook have been around for a few years now, but have only released a handful of songs to the masses. Their most recent addition to the small catalog are two tracks from their new Underground 7-inch. The A-Side features the title track. The song's a great Jersey punk-rock anthem that holds its own against this year's best punk-rock … Read more
The Copyrights
Report
Red Scare (2014)
I like most of my music to have a pop bent. Yes, I like it rough around the edges and only mildly repetitive, which often rules out some of the biggest names that fall under ye olde “pop-punk” flag. Ramonescore, for the most part, just doesn’t motivate me like the actual Ramones did.But every now and again, a truly poppy … Read more
The Curtis Mayflower
Everything Beautiful Is Under Attack
Independent (2014)
The first studio release from The Curtis Mayflower titled Everything Beautiful Is Under Attack is a combination of talent, great songwriting, and beautiful haunting melodies. This is what happens when you take five of the best musicians from the Central Massachusetts area and send them up to an old farmhouse in Maine to record an album in 24 hours. Done … Read more
The Dead Milkmen
Pretty Music for Pretty People
Quid Ergo (2014)
The Dead Milkmen were always an idea band. A band who sparkled or fizzled depending on that idea, with some songs brilliant and others that made you dream they’d invent a music format where you could skip to the next song with the simple push of a button. Some things change, others don’t.Pretty Music for Pretty People is the Dead … Read more
The Dwarves
Invented Rock & Roll
Recess (2014)
I won’t say anything as hyperbolic as that the Dwarves invented rock ‘n’ roll, but I’ll still give them another borderline statement that fits on a press sheet: the 2014 Dwarves are a supergroup—not a supergroup side project of glossy mag pin-ups, but a supergroup that is honestly comprised of, well, Dwarves. While always performing as a 3-5 piece band … Read more
The Estranged
Self Titled LP
Sabotage (2014)
Despite having been formed in 2006 and having released 3 LPs since, the Portland originated post punk band The Estranged have mostly fallen under the radar and out of public awareness. I myself had never heard of the three man act until the release of their self titled LP this month. Since then, I feel I need to make up … Read more
The Eye Of Time
Acoustic
Denovali (2014)
Marc Euvrie is certainly a unique specimen when it comes to musicianship. When the previous, self-titled, album of The Eye of Time came out, it was just an unbelievable record to handle. The sheer weight of the album, its experimental scope and its extreme outbreaks, definitely left their mark. But today, Euvrie returns with quite different concept in mind, and … Read more
The Faint
Doom Abuse
SQE Music (2014)
It came as a surprise to everyone. The Faint sprung up from the ground out of nowhere after being gone for a few years. They came out of the dark to celebrate Danse Macabre's 10-year anniversary. What people didn't expect was for them to accompany the tour with new music. At their merch booth, fans had the chance to purchase … Read more
The Great Old Ones
Tekeli-Li
Les Acteurs de l'Ombre Productions (2014)
The incredible nature of The Great Old Ones majestic, sweeping and downright epic black metal was devastatingly apparent on their debut Al Azif - a record that saw them take flight into the musical world and in turn become one of the most talked about bands of 2012. The French quintet are an unassuming group though, and while they were … Read more
The Hold Steady
Teeth Dreams
Washington Square (2014)
The Hold Steady has been on quite a ride. They went from “New York bar band” to critical and indie darlings to, now, wavering somewhere on the edge of the public consciousness without really breaking into new circles. In other words, they seem to have found their fan base and stuck with it. Separation Sunday was a favorite record of … Read more
The Instigation
No Way Out EP
Independent (2014)
I feel like there are a million punk records named No Way Out, but I don’t really care because it’s one of those commonalities that makes punk music, well, punk. And staying within the vein of reiteration, there’s only so many ways to say that a band isn’t trying to reinvent the wheel; so I’ll just stick with that old … Read more
The Lawrence Arms
Metropole
Epitaph (2014)
When The Lawrence Arms released Oh Calcutta! back in 2006, it was billed by the band as a collection of songs utilizing the back-and-forth, high octane punk they enjoy listening to—a conscious decision to switch-up their sound for a record. Then, life happened and the group took eight years for a new album. 2014 brings Metropole, and even with the … Read more
The Meatmen
Savage Sagas
Self-Destructo (2014)
Hailing from Lansing, Michigan, the Meatmen have been a punk rock band existing in some capacity for roughly 35 years. They took a break in 1996, but returned in 2008 and, break or no break, the band still boasts a staggering number of singles, EPs, live bootlegs and compilations under their belt. While there has been a few different iterations … Read more
The Murder City Devils
The White Ghost Has Blood on Its Hands Again
Independent (2014)
Reunited bands have a tendency to disappoint. Maybe their hearts aren’t in it the second time around, maybe they’ve changed as artists and individuals, or maybe the expectations of a rabid fanbase are impossible to meet.Whatever the case, let’s put aside our memories of In Name and Blood, their last studio full-length which came out 14 years ago, and focus … Read more
The Pack A.D.
Do Not Engage
Nettwerk (2014)
When a band consists of only two members tasked with carrying the weight of riff-heavy and sneakily blues-influenced garage rock sounds on two pairs of shoulders, a certain degree of equilibrium needs to be reached. When Maya Miller and Becky Black decided to leave their former band and write and perform as a two-piece it was probably the best decision … Read more
