My picks for the best and worst albums of 2014 so far:
Best:
Weird Al Yankovic - Mandatory Fun
The King Of Parody is back and better than ever. With what may be his last traditional album, he's going out in style tackling everything from Pharell Williams' "Happy" (a song about being tacky) to Lorde's "Royals" (a song about tin foil hat conspiracy theories) to CSNY's classic "Sweet Judy Blue Eyes" (a song about corporate jargon) and his back up band does so flawlessly with expert timing and precision. Grade: A
Wolfmother - New Crown
Everyone thought Wolfmother was done when frontman Andrew Stockdale decided to go solo for his 2011 effort "Keep Moving", but the band regrouped and rock harder than ever. Short but sweet and includes tracks like "How Many Times" and the Rolling Stones inspired "I Ain't Got No". Grade: A-
The Roots - ...and then you shoot your cousin
The Roots continue to prove to be one of the most consistent and innovative acts in all of music, and they proved that last year teaming up with Elvis Costello for the excellent "Wise Up Ghost" album. Now they're back in their natural habitat - churning out some of the best hip hop on the planet. Grade: A-
The Black Keys - Turn Blue
The duo from Akron keep churning out one great album after another - Attack & Release, then Brothers, then El Camino, and now Turn Blue. This time around they reteamed with Danger Mouse and the album is every bit as good if not better than Brothers. Grade: A
Against Me! - Transgender Dysphoria Blues
This record had to be made, or it probably would have killed newly outed frontwoman Laura Jane Grace (as she has stated in multiple interviews), but the effort paid off and resulted in a ten track concept album that has to be heard to be believed. Grade: A
Iced Earth - The Plagues Of Babylon
It took a couple of near misses (especially 2011's poorly received Dystopia) for John Schaffer to regroup and reform the band, but this is Iced Earth at its' best - releasing a sprawling concept album that's every bit as metal from the opening notes to the outtro. Grade: B
Jack White - Lazaretto
Jack White continues to be one of the most interesting musicians on the planet and continues to release new music that defies genres and crosses new boundaries. As Rolling Stone called him, music's Willie Wonka. Grade: A
KONGOS - Lunatic
You may not have heard of this band. They're four brothers who happen to be the sons of legendary South African composer John Kongos, and have recorded an album that's one of the best debut albums of any band that's come out in a really long time. Grade: A
Agalloch - The Serpent & The Sphere
One of prog rock's unsung heroes is Portland's Agalloch, and they haven't been heard from in four years, but now they are back and better than ever - their best since 2006's "Ashes Against The Grain". Grade: A+
Rise Against - The Black Market
Rise Against are back and have come up with a more polished tone to 2011's "Endgame" which found them enjoying commercial success at the top. Grade: B+
Worst:
John Frusciante - Enclosure
What happened? Prior to and even post Red Hot Chili Peppers, Frusciante put out some incredibly innovative music, which started with 2003's "Shadows Collide With People" and ended with 2010's "The Empryean". Ever since he's delved into bizarrely xperimental music with extremely mixed results. Grade: D
Pennywise - Yesterdays
Pennywise is still at the top of their game when it comes to their live shows, and Fletcher has rejoined the group, but this album falls a few notes short when every song sounds like the one that preceded it. Grade: D-