Best Rock Album of 2014

Re Karl Wallinger, check out his latest, Dumbing Up. He did suffer a serious
medical conditions (stroke?...don't recall what I read) that kept him out of
circulation for some time.

Jack White's new album is really good.

Wallinger had a brain aneurism about 10 years ago that put him down for 5+ years while he re-learned many basic sills, including guitar and piano. FWIW, I like Dumbing Up quite a lot, tho not as much as I like Egyptology or Goodbye Jumbo.

Also good news re: Jack White. He played a club in LA last night and I really tried to get there, but just couldn't quite pull it off on last minute's notice. Will check out the new music tho.

Jack White... His association with Third Man records.. I appreciate his dedication to vinyl.

The problem is the "end product". The sonics are not good!

I'll not buy another lp on TMR until I hear the sonics have improved!

Conor Oberst- Upside Down Mountain
Eels- The Cautionary Tales of Mark Oliver Everett

In previous incarnations Oberst has been all over the place-- sometime as painfully so for his audience as for himself. But on this one he is in top form with alt country leaning into rock. He's now at the intersection of Rosanne, Lucinda, Son Volt, Wilco, Neil, and occasionally George Harrison.

The new Eels album is better than his last few. I saw them live a couple of weeks ago from the fourth row in a half-empty house. This is as fine a working band as there is, full of shaded truths tempered with gentle irony.

Jack White is good, but more blues fan-boy than aging baby genius.