What do I remember from 1997? Well, one of the things that come to mind is that exactly 15 years ago today I bought the cd that became my Album of the Year for 1997, Helium's "The Magic City".
1997 was also the year that you couldn't escape from Blur's "Song 2". Normally, a song that gets such ridiculous amount of airplay is bound to get on your nerves eventually. The fact that this never happened with "Song 2" is all the proof that I need to declare it Single of the Year for 1997. Here's the rest of the year's Top 10 Singles - click here for the complete Top 50:
Click play below to listen to our selections for 1997 (and here's a link for the one that's missing):
And here's the video for Helium's awesome "Leon's Space Song" from "The Magic City" which is not included in our 1997 Singles list since it was actually never released as a single:
The 6th edition of Found Sound features some of the highlights from more than 20 noteworthy music submissions we've received in the three months since our previous post. We should really start doing this more often! So, if you have a tune or album you'd like to share with us, you can reach C.M.C. through the email address here or contact us through facebook, twitter, soundcloud, or last.fm. We have our ears open and Volume 7 cannot happen without your input!
Sillyboy - Name your God
To start with, here’s the opening track from Sillyboy’s new album, "Nature Of Things", released on September 24th via Just Gazing Records and through the distribution of EPM Music. It’s the second solo LP from the Athens, Greece art-rocker who started his music career producing music for TV commercials and playing bass for The Expert Medicine. The full album, certainly one of the finest releases of the Greek indie scene this year, is available for streaming here.
The Foreign Resort - Delayed
The Foreign Resort from Copenhagen, Denmark, combine the expansive sound of post rock with the guitar textures of shoegaze and the melodic lines of '80s new wave. "Delayed" is the opening track and first single from their collection "Scattered & Buried" which features new material, remakes and remixes. The record, out on September 25th through Monolathe Records in the US and Phonofile Distribution in Europe, is the follow up to last year’s promising self-titled EP which opened the way for them to share the stage with bands like A Place to Bury Strangers, Swervedriver and The Raveonettes who hand-picked them for support on their Denmark tour.
Metal Feathers - Jail Sound
"Contrast Eats The Slimey Green", the second album by Metal Feathers from Portland, Maine, has been out for more than a year now and we think that you should definitely take the time to have a listen to it here if you’re into the punk-psychedelic garage sound that used to thrive back in the '80s. Tunes like "Jail Sound" or "City Hall" bring to mind the early recordings of bands like Screaming Trees or Plasticland. This is definitely not the guitar sound of 2012 and this is exactly the reason why it stands out. A new album, titled "Handful of Fog", is expected soon on Teenarena Records.
EndAnd - Commando
And here's our recommended daily dose of heavy, noise-rock courtesy of EndAnd from Brooklyn, New York. "Commando" is taken from the EP "Adventures of Hi-Fi in Space", which was released simultaneously with its companion EP "Adventures of Lo-Fi in Space" back in June. Whether you prefer polished studio quality or DIY style recordings, EndAnd got it all covered in these two releases that burst with '90s-style, big guitar sounds.
Sad Disco - Hurt
Back to Athens for the first double A-side single by Sad Disco. "Hurt / Honestly" is the first taste from the promising synth-pop act's upcoming debut album and is available as a free download here.
Bonus: Bruxa - Victimeyez
Bruxa, the post-witch house stars of Found Sound 5 with the hellishly catchy "V∆!", just released their new album "Victimeyez" through Мишка Records as a free download. Get your digital copy here and wait 'till next month for the stylishly old-fashion cassette release from Sweating Tapes.
On the first rainy day of autumn we’re looking back on the second half of the summer and choosing our favorite albums and tracks:
As we’ve said before, Purity Ring have made the Album of the Summer for us. The young Montreal duo, consisting of Megan James on vocals and Corin Roddick on instruments, succeeds in crafting a rich electronic tapestry on debut album "Shrines", masterfully combining the best elements from the last three decades of electronic music. Tampered hip hop and R&B beats provide the idiosyncratic rhythms that propel the ethereal synth-pop melodies, while Megan’s dreamy vocals become the most important instrument at the heart of Purity Ring’s luscious sound. "Shrines" is one of the albums that are defining the electronic sound of 2012 and given that "Visions" by label-mate Grimes was equally important in that respect, I imagine that they must be feeling pretty proud at 4AD right now.
Further evidence that currently the guitar sound has taken a back seat and electronic music is doing all the innovation driving is provided by "WIXIW", Liars’ sixth album. The former post-punkers and noise-makers, in another twist of their adventurous career path, have ditched the guitars and with the help of Mute label boss and synth-music pioneer Daniel Miller have crafted their most electronic record to date. Liars’ instruments of choice may have changed here, but the end result is as exciting as ever and no less unpredictable, ranging from the fine synthpop of first single "No.1 Against the Rush" to the aggressive dance punk of new single "Brats".
For those of us who are still in need of a regular guitar-noise fix, thankfully there were the summer new releases by Japandroids and A Place To Bury Strangers to keep our spirits high, with a little help from the new tunes by Dinosaur Jr. (their new album "I Bet On Sky" is expected soon) and Chelsea Light Moving, Thurston Moore’s new band, whose "Burroughs" sounds like a long lost Sonic Youth b-side.
Top 12 Albums
1. Shrines - PURITY RING
2. WIXIW - LIARS
3. Celebration Rock - JAPANDROIDS
4. Worship - A PLACE TO BURY STRANGERS
5. Synthetica - METRIC
6. The Money Store - DEATH GRIPS
7. R.A.P. Music - KILLER MIKE
8. Confess - TWIN SHADOW
9. Tuscon - GIANT GIANT SAND
10. Heaven - THE WALKMEN
11. With Siinai: Heartbreaking Bravery - MOONFACE
12. In The Belly Of The Brazen Bull - THE CRIBS
Top 20 Tracks
1. Watch The Corners - DINOSAUR JR.
2. Cherokee - CAT POWER
3. Belispeak - PURITY RING
4. Synthetica - METRIC
5. Heaven - THE WALKMEN
6. The House That Heaven Built - JAPANDROIDS
7. Burroughs - CHELSEA LIGHT MOVING
8. Alone - A PLACE TO BURY STRANGERS
9. Plague - CRYSTAL CASTLES
10. Brats - LIARS
11. I’ve Seen Footage - DEATH GRIPS (interactive video link)
12. Big Beast - KILLER MIKE
13. Five Seconds - TWIN SHADOW
14. The Base - PAUL BANKS
15. Lord Knows - DUM DUM GIRLS
16. I'm Not The Phoenix Yet - MOONFACE
17. Die Life - THE SOFT MOON
18. Glitters Like Gold - THE CRIBS
19. Undiscovered Country - GIANT GIANT SAND
20. OK - MICACHU AND THE SHAPES
Round up of the most interesting releases of the month:
Albums
The Seer
SWANS - The Seer REDD KROSS - Researching The Blues DIVINE FITS - A Thing Called Divine Fits WILD NOTHING - Nocturne ARIEL PINK'S HAUNTED GRAFFITI - Mature Themes DAN DEACON - America BLOC PARTY - Four YEASAYER - Fragrant World FOUR TET - Pink NIKI & THE DOVE - Instinct STEALING SHEEP - Into The Diamond Sun DEAD CAN DANCE - Anastasis JAMES YORKSTON - I Was A Cat From A Book BLONDS - The Bad Ones APACHE DROPOUT - Bubblegum Graveyard OPOSSOM - Electric Hawaii STAGNANT POOLS - Temporary Room SPECTOR - Enjoy it While it Lasts HOLY OTHER - Held JESSIE WARE - Devotion
