Round up of the most interesting releases of the month featuring the debut album by Thurston Moore's new band Chelsea Light Moving plus the highly anticipated new LPs by The Men, Wire, The Strokes and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club:
Albums
CHELSEA LIGHT MOVING - Chelsea Light Moving THE MEN - New Moon WIRE - Change Becomes Us THE STROKES - Comedown Machine BLACK REBEL MOTORCYCLE CLUB - Specter At The Feast SUUNS - Images Du Futur PHOSPHORESCENT - Muchacho LOW - The Invisible Way DEVENDRA BANHART - Mala JOHN GRANT - Pale Green Ghosts YOUTH LAGOON - Wondrous Bughouse WAXAHATCHEE - Cerulean Salt MERCHANDISE - Totale Nite WAVVES - Afraid of Heights MAZES - Ores & Minerals PEACE - In Love DAUGHTER - If You Leave MARNIE STERN - The Chronicles Of Marnia GOLDEN GRRRLS - Golden Grrrls THALIA ZEDEK BAND - Via CRIME AND THE CITY SOLUTION - American Twilight ROBYN HITCHCOCK - Love From London EDWYN COLLINS - Understated DAVID BOWIE - The Next Day SUEDE - Bloodsports HOUSE OF LOVE - She Paints Words In Red STEVE MASON - Monkey's Mind In The Devil's Time FEAR OF MEN - Early Fragments DEAD LEAF ECHO - Thought & Language LADY LAMB THE BEEKEEPER - Ripely Pine COLLEEN GREEN - Sock It To Me KATE NASH - Girl Talk VONDELPARK - Seabed LAw - Oddyssey
Psychic Ills' first ever visit to Athens attracted a sizable crowd at the small but historic An Club at the heart of the city for a night of hazy psychedelic rock grooves. The New York quintet is currently touring in support of its latest release, the album "One Track Mind", its fourth overall and second for the up and coming Brooklyn, NY indie label Sacred Bones.
The majority of Psychic Ills' highly enjoyable 80-minute set came from their two recent Sacred Bones LPs, starting with some of the highlights off "One Track Mind", including "See You There", "Might Take A While", "One More Time" and "Western Metaphor", and continuing to a second half based on previous album "Hazed Dream".
The bands' first period was represented by three tracks, "The Way Of" from "Mirror Eye" as well as "Electric Life" and "January Rain" from their debut LP "Dins", with the last one offering us one of the best moments of the gig.
Among the concerts collectors' items was their cover of The Godz'"Radar Eyes" (off a 7-inch single that came with a limited edition vinyl release of their new LP) and "Take Me With You" (from a split single with label mates Moon Duo).
Psychic Ills Athens set:
Depot, See You There, Might Take A While, One More Time, Tried To Find It, The Way Of, Radar Eyes (The Godz cover), Midnight Moon, Mind Daze, Incense Head, Western Metaphor, Take Me With You, Sungaze, I’ll Follow You Through The Floor, Electric Life.
Encore: Ring Finger, January Rain
Check out below our videos of two of the night's highlights, "Might Take A While" (the studio version of which features vocals from Neil Hagerty from Royal Trux) and "January Rain":
Psychic Ills - Might Take a While, live @ An Club (Athens, March 24, 2013)
Psychic Ills - January Rain, live @ An Club (Athens, March 24, 2013)
Two of our all-time favorite bands have started 2013 by releasing excellent and long-overdue new records (one considerably more so than the other), so there will be no prize for guessing who’s at the top of our "Best Albums" list for the January-February period.
There is no denying that "mbv"’s impact would have been considerably greater had this record come out when it was supposed to, sometime in the mid-90s. The fact, though, that "mbv" still possesses such a great power two decades down the line since the heyday of shoegaze that My Bloody Valentine have practically invented, is truly a testament to this band’s timeless quality. My Bloody Valentine’s sound is beyond genre and era constraints. "mbv" opens up again the door to another dimension of guitar music that we thought it was closed forever. Welcome back Mr. Shields!
For The Bad Seeds it’s been 5 since their previous work (our 2008 Album of the Year "Dig!!! Lazarus, Dig!!!") but Nick Cave has hardly been away, dividing his time between wreaking havoc with the blues punk stomp of Grinderman, writing screenplays and composing soundtracks with Warren Ellis. Having released so much primal energy with his previous albums (let alone the shootouts he wrote about in his script for "Lawless"), with "Push The Sky Away" it’s time for Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds to return to a more quiet, contemplative and restrained sound. As usual, Cave’s lyrical dark streak and unique sense of humor can lead the most beautiful melodies to sinister turns and unexpected surprises while The Bad Seeds successfully create the right atmosphere for this new batch of songs by giving an admirably minimal, less-is-more performance.
The sophomore efforts by Foxygen and Veronica Falls as well as Foals third LP complete our Top 5 for January-February. You can read about our stunned reaction upon listening to Foxygen’s excellent "We Are The 21st Century Ambassadors Of Peace & Magic" for the first time here.
Veronica Falls gained our attention immediately with their first singles and debut album. With "Waiting For Something To Happen" the band stays on course, still mining their favorite sounds from the '60s and '80s, while refining their technique and melodic skills. Veronica Falls achieve guitar pop perfection not through innovation, but by staying true to the spirit of the music that has inspired them and by adding their own memorable contributions to the cause.
As for Foals, "Holy Fire" should be the album that will help them move up in the line ups of the summer festivals. Funk influenced dance rock tracks like "My Number" will sound perfect both in clubs and in open fields while the album’s lush production by Flood and Alan Moulder is another asset for the band in their effort to reach the wider audience that they deserve.
Here's the list of our favorite albums and tracks for the start of 2013:
Top 12 Albums
1. m b v - MY BLOODY VALENTINE 2. Push The Sky Away - NICK CAVE AND THE BAD SEEDS 3. We Are The 21st Century Ambassadors Of Peace & Magic - FOXYGEN 4. Waiting For Something To Happen - VERONICA FALLS 5. Holy Fire - FOALS 6. Fade - YO LA TENGO 7. World Music - GOAT 8. Out Of View - THE HISTORY OF APPLE PIE 9. Wash The Sins Not Only The Face - ESBEN AND THE WITCH 10. Almanac - WIDOWSPEAK 11. Coming Out Of The Fog - ARBOURETUM 12. For Those Who Wish To See The Glass Half Full - SLOWNESS
Our previous post was about the artists that have featured the most on this blog in the 5 years we're on Blogger. A band that wasn't in that Top 12, although it is one of our favorites, is Modest Mouse. This is because the band is laying dormant in the last 5 years, having only released the b-sides and rarities compilation "No One's First and You're Next" in 2009. Recently it was announced that Modest Mouse will be playing at Coachella festival this April, so perhaps we can keep our hopes up for something new from them in the near future.
Until that happens, we always have the five great albums they have released between 1996 and 2007 as well as their countless singles and EPs which give us plenty of material to consider for inclusion in our Vintage Tracks series. And below is the video that reminded me that a Modest Mouse post was long overdue: check out pitchfork tv's documentary about the making of their 1997 classic second LP "The Lonesome Crowded West", as well as a clip for our favorite cut from that album, the single "Heart Cooks Brain":
Exactly five years ago Cool Music Central made its debut on Blogger.com with this post. Although C.M.C.’s online presence in one form or another goes all the way back to 1999 (click here for a glimpse of the past - our February 2003 homepage!), I think a little celebration is in order for the occasion.
And what better way to celebrate our blog’s birthday than with the music of the artists that have been featured the most in the 372 posts that we’ve managed since March 6, 2008. At the bottom of the page you can see a cloud of all the labels we have used for our posts. Based on these indisputable facts that reveal our musical infatuations of the past five years, we present you a special playlist with killer tracks from the 12 most blogged about artists and bands in our five year presence on Blogger:
CMC's Cloud Playlist: The first 5 years
1. The Fall (17 posts)
My all-time favorite band, still going strong after 37 years. Album number 30, titled "Re-Mit", will be out in April - expect the post-count to rise even further. By the way, happy birthday to renegade genius Mark E Smith who turned 56 yesterday. Here's "Bury" (the parts 2+4 version) off "Your Future Our Clutter", our 2010 Album of the Year:
The Fall - Bury pts 2+4
2. Dum Dum Girls (16 posts)
If Dum Dum Girls didn't exist, I'd have to invent them myself! The sound, the style, the melodies, the vocals - all the elements of my ideal noise pop group present and correct. "Jail La La" off their debut album "I Will Be" was our 2010 Single of the Year:
Dum Dum Girls - Jail La La
3. PJ Harvey (14 posts)
"Let England Shake" was the only PJ Harvey album to be released in the past 5 years (not counting the '09 collaboration with John Parish), but not only did it become our Album of the Year for 2011, it also gave us the top single of that year, "The Words That Maketh Murder". Of course, PJ Harvey was also on the top of several other lists we have published here, including Best Album of the '00s for "Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea". As you can understand, this is not a passing fling, this is love...
PJ Harvey - The Words That Maketh Murder
4. Nick Cave (Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds & Grinderman - 6 & 5 posts)
Another long-term relationship of ours going all the way back to the pre-internet era. In the past 5 years we have covered gigs from both Nick Cave outfits and declared the previous Bad Seeds record "Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!" as our 2008 Album of the Year. With the recent release of the fine "Push the Sky Away" LP, the number of Nick Cave-related posts has already started to go up.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!
5. The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart (10 posts)
OK, this is more of a fling than the band that I would take home and introduce to the parents. 2011’s "Belong" was a fine record but the main reason for being included in this esteemed company was our infatuation with their near-perfect self-titled debut album from 2009 that took the C-86 indie pop sound and updated it for a new generation.
The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart - Young Adult Friction
6. Sonic Youth (9 posts)
I cannot tell if Sonic Youth’s hiatus is permanent or not, but without a doubt this band’s influence on the guitar rock sound will remain eternal. Here’s "Sacred Trickster" off their last studio album, 2009’s "The Eternal":
Sonic Youth - Sacred Trickster
7. A Place To Bury Strangers (8 posts)
One of Sonic Youth’s most talented disciples, true believers of the "plug in and destroy" noise tactics. "To Fix The Gash in Your Head" off their self-titled debut album was the single with which they made their C.M.C. debut.
A Place To Bury Strangers - To Fix The Gash in Your Head
8. Telepathe (8 posts)
Our favorite new band of 2009 that earned Album of the Year with their excellent (and, may I say, criminally underrated in other esteemed publications) debut "Dance Mother". A new, long overdue album is expected this year.
Telepathe - So Fine
9. Anna Calvi (7 posts)
She is one of the most promising new artists to emerge from the UK in recent years and her eponymous debut album was at the top of our 2011 Best Debuts lists.
Anna Calvi - Blackout
10. Mark Lanegan (7 posts)
The magnificent voice of grunge-days favorites Screaming Trees, has been ever-present in recent years thanks to his numerous collaborations. "The Gravedigger's Song", one of our top-rated singles of 2012, is off "Blues Funeral", the record with which Lanegan made his triumphant solo return.
Mark Lanegan Band - The Gravedigger's Song
11. Cat Power (7 posts)
2012 was the year of the Cat with both Album and Single of the Year going to Chan Marshall. Here's the latter:
Cat Power - Ruin
12. Metric (7 posts)
And finally, with another seven posts dedicated to them, we have Metric who scored Single of the Year in 2009 with "Help I'm Alive" off their awesome fourth album "Fantasies":
Round up of February's most interesting releases featuring new albums by Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, Veronica Falls, Foals, Iceage and, of course, the 22 years in the making, third My Bloody Valentine LP "m b v":
Albums
MY BLOODY VALENTINE - m b v NICK CAVE & THE BAD SEEDS - Push The Sky Away VERONICA FALLS - Waiting For Something To Happen FOALS - Holy Fire ICEAGE - You’re Nothing PISSED JEANS - Honeys GIRLS NAMES - The New Life BEACH FOSSILS - Clash The Truth DOLDRUMS - Lesser Evil UNKNOWN MORTAL ORCHESTRA - II PSYCHIC ILLS - One Track Mind SPECK MOUNTAIN - Badwater PALMA VIOLETS - 180 COMANECHI - You Owe Me Nothing But Love GOLDEN GRRRLS - Golden Grrrls K-X-P - II AUTRE NE VEUT - Anxiety ATOMS FOR PEACE - Amok JOHNNY MARR - The Messenger JIM JAMES - Regions of Light and Sound of God EELS - Wonderful, Glorious CAMPER VAN BEETHOVEN - La Costa Perdida THE BRONX - The Bronx IV SCREAMING FEMALES - Chalk Tape SHOUT OUT LOUDS - Optica THE SPINTO BAND - Cool Cocoon FRIGHTENED RABBIT - Pedestrian Verse THAO & THE GET DOWN STAY DOWN - We The Common BONNIE "PRINCE" BILLY / DAWN MCCARTHY - What the Brothers Sang CAITLIN ROSE - The Stand-In LADY LAZARUS - All My Love in Half Light GROUPER - The Man Who Died in His Boat SLOWNESS - For Those Who Wish to See the Glass Half Full STRFKR - Miracle Mile DARKSTAR - News From Nowhere THE ASPHODELLS - Ruled By Passion, Destroyed By Lust KAVINSKY - Outrun INC. - No World MOGWAI - Les Revenants THE CRIBS - Payola
Here's a double dose from "You're Nothing", the sophomore album by Iceage, Copenhagen's finest, bone-crushing punk rock act - the official video for "Ecstasy", as well as an mp3 of "Coalition" from Matador's blog, the first two tracks of a truly ferocious record:
