Game of Lists: The 3s

It's the last week of November which means that the season of making music lists is upon us! The process has already started for Cool Music Central as well and the listening / brainstorming sessions that will produce our "Albums of the Year" list are well under way.

As usual, though, the "final" version of this list will not be posted until late December / early January to give a chance to the "late" arrivals to be heard properly. One such case is "Purgatory / Paradise", the new art book / CD by Throwing Muses, the band's first new album in a decade, which I've just listened to and immediately made me reconsider my under-construction Top 20. It also reminded me that their last album was among my top choices for 2003 and, as one thing leads to another, it led me to revisiting all my old lists from 20 and 30 years ago.

As the game of the 2013 list is just beginning, here is a reminder of what went on in previous years ending with a 3. What all these Top 10s have in common? Some pretty wild guitar music that is becoming rare in 2013 as electronics take the upper hand, and awesome albums by The Fall who are certain to make an appearance somewhere in this year's list as well:

Top 10 of the 1983 games:

1. Fire dances - KILLING JOKE
2. Perverted by language - THE FALL
3. Before Hollywood - THE GO-BETWEENS
4. Violent Femmes - VIOLENT FEMMES
5. Murmur - R.E.M.
6. Over the edge - WIPERS
7. Mommy’s little monster - SOCIAL DISTORTION
8. Burning from the inside - BAUHAUS
9. Hex breaker - THE FLESHTONES
10. Power, corruption and lies - NEW ORDER

...more from 1983 here.

Top 10 of the much-talked about this year 1993 of the grunge era:

1. Rid of me - P.J. HARVEY
2. Siamese dream - SMASHING PUMPKINS

3. New west motel - THE WALKABOUTS
4. Saturation - URGE OVERKILL
5. Independent worm saloon - BUTTHOLE SURFERS
6. Gentlemen - THE AFGHAN WHIGS
7. In utero - NIRVANA
8. Volume war - TRASH CAN SCHOOL
9. The infotainment scan - THE FALL
10. Giant steps - THE BOO RADLEYS

...more from 1993 here.

Top 10 of 2003 - the early '00s guitar renaissance:

1. Coral fang - THE DISTILLERS   
2. Elephant - THE WHITE STRIPES   
3. Throwing Muses - THROWING MUSES   
4. Take them on, on your own - BLACK REBEL MOTORCYCLE CLUB
5. Fever to tell - YEAH YEAH YEAHS
6. Echoes - THE RAPTURE
7. Room on fire - THE STROKES
8. You are free - CAT POWER
9. The new romance - PRETTY GIRLS MAKE GRAVES
10. The real new Fall LP (formerly ‘Country On The Click’) - THE FALL

...more from 2003 here.

The 2013 games are just starting - here's a sample from a brand new entry:

Throwing Muses - Sunray Venus

2 Different Ways: Factory Floor vs. Wipers

Different ways, different decades, two different but equally awesome songs:

Factory Floor's "Two Different Ways" was one of our Top 10 Singles of 2011 and it is currently on heavy rotation once again as it is one of the standout tracks on the London band's excellent self titled debut:

Wipers' "Different Ways" is one of the many highlights of the tremendous output of Greg Sage's legendary punk rock band from Portland, Oregon. It is taken from "Land of the Lost", their fourth album from 1986, apparently a highly sought after, collectable record. Sorry, but my vinyl copy is not for sale any time soon:

Found Sound Vol.10

Think of it as a mixtape with the best tunes we have received in our inbox. The 10th edition of Found Sound was compiled in record breaking time thanks to the quantity and quality of submissions from all around the world. In Volume 10 you'll hear music from Greece, France, China, America and Australia, and we're starting off with a favorite track from a band very close to home:

Tango With Lions - Slippery Roads

The leading track from Tango With Lions' sophomore LP "A Long Walk", one of the best releases of the Greek indie scene for 2013. The album, initially released digitally this spring, is now getting a worldwide release by Inner Ear and Rough Trade Distribution. Fans of bands like Mazzy Star or Widowspeak should definitely lend an ear to this!

The Black Waves - 1000 Miles Away

And here is something for fans of the psychedelic sounds of bands like The Black Angels or Spacemen 3. The Black Waves from France are another fine addition to the great club of bands with the word "Black" in the their name. The track "1000 Miles Away" is taken from their recently released debut LP "Thousands Of Visions", an album steeped in sweet distortion and ear-melting reverberation that summons the spirit of Syd Barrett to the darklands of The Jesus And Mary Chain.

Major Leagues - Silver Tides

Second appearance of Brisbane, Australia, garage-pop four-piece Major Leagues in our blog (check out also this) thanks to yet another fine single with ultra-catchy, sweet melodies and influences from the best indie-pop of the '90s. "Silver Tides" is perhaps the sound of what would have happened if Juliana Hatfield had left The Blake Babies to jam with The Pastels sometime around 1992! A new 10" EP titled "Weird Season" is expected on December 6 - stay tuned...

The Walking Sticks - Send The Night

Dream-pop is in high demand right now and here is a band you should get acquainted with if you're into soulful vocals and down-tempo synth grooves. The Walking Sticks, from Silver Spring, Maryland, is a trio comprising of Chelsea Lee and twin brothers Max and Spencer Ernst. "Send the Night" is the title track of their new EP which will be released on December 10.

Nova Heart - My Song 9

More dreamy synth sounds, this time all the way from China! Nova Heart's "My Song 9" is a track that would fit perfectly on the "Drive" soundtrack next to Kavinsky and The Chromatics. You can check out the video for the song, filmed in the mountains outside of Beijing, here.

Satchmode - Old Fears

Our dream-pop journey around the world continues. From Beijing, we now go to Los Angeles for a taste of the chilled sounds of Satchmode.

Sound Strider - Menlo Park

Time to up the tempo - here's a sample off Sound Strider's new EP "Intrepid Travels", which you can download from here by naming your price.

The Griswolds - Mississippi

And something for fans of MGMT's first album with a twist of Vampire Weekend as well. "Mississippi" is the new single by Sydney-based alt-pop quintet The Griswolds who have recently wrapped up a successful stint at CMJ Music Marathon in New York. Their debut album is expected next year.

Delco Pacers - Blue Trucks

For the finale of our Found Sound mixtape, a dose of Americana-flavored indie rock from Philly’s Delco Pacers. The trio, comprising of singer-guitarist Jonathan Pitts, bassist Evan Dick and drummer Pavlo Demkiv, will release its debut LP "Stereo Streets" on November 19th.

Keep those emails coming, Volume 11 is coming soon...

New Releases: October 2013

Round up of October's most interesting album and single releases:

Albums

Reflektor

ARCADE FIRE - Reflektor
THROWING MUSES - Purgatory/Paradise
ANNA CALVI - One Breath
GLASSER - Interiors
POLIÇA - Shulamith
SLEIGH BELLS - Bitter Rivals
CULTS - Static
COURTNEY BARNETT - The Double EP: A Sea of Split Peas
LEE RANALDO AND THE DUST - Last Night on Earth
WHITE DENIM - Corsicana Lemonade
PINS - Girls Like Us
BEST COAST - Fade Away
DANNY BROWN - Old
FOUR TET - Beautiful Rewind
LAUREL HALO - Chance Of Rain
DARKSIDE - Psychic
PEARL JAM - Lightning Bolt
BONNIE "PRINCE" BILLY - Bonnie "Prince" Billy
OF MONTREAL - Lousy with Sylvianbriar
LOS CAMPESINOS! - No Blues
NYPC - NYPC
FUTURE OF THE LEFT - How To Stop Your Brain In An Accident
POLVO - Siberia
BARDO POND - Peace On Venus
DEAD MEADOW - Warble Womb
MELT-BANANA - Fetch
CRYSTAL ANTLERS - Nothing Is Real
THE CHILLS - Somewhere Beautiful
MOONFACE - Julia With Blue Jeans On
THOSE DARLINS - Blur The Line
THE HEAD AND THE HEART - Let's Be Still
THE DISMEMBERMENT PLAN - Uncanney Valley
KELLEY STOLTZ - Double Exposure
BRENDAN CANNING - You Gots 2 Chill
LOVE INKS - Generation Club
PUSHA T - My Name Is My Name
VATICAN SHADOW - Remember Your Black Day
CHROME HOOF - Chrome Black Gold
BLACK LIZARD - Black Lizard
THE BLACK WAVES - Thousands of Visions

Singles & EPs

Broken Toy

VERONICA FALLS - Broken Toy
THE PROPER ORNAMENTS - Recalling
WIDOWSPEAK - The Swamps EP
PARQUET COURTS - Tally All the Things That You Broke EP
FUCK BUTTONS - Brainfreeze
FUTURE OF THE LEFT - Human Death EP
GIRLS NAMES - The Next Life EP
TOY - Join the Dots
TEMPLES - Keep in the Dark
CHEATAHS - Cut the Grass
WOLF ALICE - Blush EP
ALBERT HAMMOND JR. - AHJ EP
DUCKTAILS - Wish Hotel EP
THE MEN - Campfire Songs EP
DEAN WAREHAM - Emancipated Hearts EP
SMOKE FAIRIES - Sunshine
BECK - Gimme
BECK - Defriended
BECK - I Won't Be Long
AU REVOIR SIMONE - Crazy / Somebody Who
THE JIM JONES REVUE - Collision Boogie
SURVIVAL KNIFE - Divine Mob / Snakebit
PLASTIC CRIMEWAVE SOUND - Grade Ceased
MILES KANE - Better Than That
SUEDE - For the Strangers / Hit Me
STUBBORN HEART - Penetrate
ACTIVE CHILD - Rapor EP
MØ - Bikini Daze EP
AUTECHRE - L-event EP

Listen to our October 2013 playlist on Spotify:

...and then try your indie-rock karaoke skills with the video for "You Got Me Wonderin' Now", the opening track off Parquet Courts' new EP "Tally All the Things That You Broke":

Parquet Courts - You Got Me Wonderin' Now