2015 Review: Top 50 Singles of the Year

I hope you are all enjoying this holiday season and that you have overcome by now the Boxing Day blues! To send off 2015 on an upbeat note, we are presenting today the list of our favorite Tracks of the Year and in a few days we are going to welcome 2016 with the best albums we've listened to over the past 365 days.

The honorable distinction of "Single of the Year" for 2015 goes to Courtney Barnett's "Pedestrian At Best", a truly great rock track that impresses on first listen and never ceases to provide thrills every time you hear those runaway guitar riffs and Courtney's cheeky declaration "Give me all your money and I'll make some origami honey". 

Runner up is the first taster from Savages upcoming, sophomore album "Adore Life". If the explosive "The Answer" is any indication, Savages are going to take 2016 by storm. Tame Impala's epic "Let It Happen", which is accompanied by one of the best videos of the year, completes the Top 3 of 2015.

Check out below all 50 tracks we have selected as our favorite single releases of the year and keep in mind that we're only allowing one song per artist or band so that our list represents as many as possible from the numerous excellent releases we've enjoyed during 2015:

Top 50 Singles of 2015

1.  Pedestrian At Best - COURTNEY BARNETT

2.  The Answer - SAVAGES

3.  Let It Happen - TAME IMPALA 

4.  Lampshades On Fire - MODEST MOUSE 

5.  A New Wave - SLEATER-KINNEY

6.  Why Does It Shake? - PROTOMARTYR

7.  Snakeskin - DEERHUNTER

  

8.  Fool - NADINE SHAH

9.  False Hope - LAURA MARLING

10. Feel You - JULIA HOLTER

11. Interference - HOLLY HERNDON
12. A Beautiful Woman - DERADOORIAN
13. Raising The Skate - SPEEDY ORTIZ
14. Under A Rock - WAXAHATCHEE
15. Damn That Valley - U.S. GIRLS
16. Begin Again - PURITY RING
17. Go Out - BLUR
18. Go! - PUBLIC SERVICE BROADCASTING
19. Straight - A PLACE TO BURY STRANGERS
20. Irony.Utility.Pretext. - ALGIERS
21. The Blacker the Berry - KENDRICK LAMAR
22. Bunkerpop - LONELADY
23. Return to the Moon (Political Song for Didi Bloome to Sing, with Crescendo) - EL VY
24. Living Zoo - BUILT TO SPILL
25. America Says Hello - THE CHILLS
26. Laughing In The Sugar Bowl - VERUCA SALT
27. Pay Attention - COLLEEN GREEN
28. To Die in L.A. - LOWER DENS
29. Forces From Above - DESTROYER
30. First Light - DJANGO DJANGO
31. Straight Lines - SHOPPING
32. Giant Peach - WOLF ALICE
33. Pears for Lunch - GIRL BAND
34. What Went Down - FOALS
35. Restless - NEW ORDER
36. Water Water - EMPRESS OF
37. Stonefist - HEALTH
38. Sparks - BEACH HOUSE
39. Cavalry Captain - THE DECEMBERISTS
40. Pretty Pimpin - KURT VILE
41. Random Name Generator - WILCO
42. What Part of Me - LOW
43. Should Have Known Better - SUFJAN STEVENS
44. I Don't Want To Let You Down - SHARON VAN ETTEN
45. Cumbia De Donde - CALEXICO
46. Black Sun - DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE
47. The Shade - METRIC
48. Flesh without Blood - GRIMES
49. What Kind of Man - FLORENCE AND THE MACHINE
50. Winter / Feeling Alright - DAUGHTER / WARPAINT

2015 Review: The Old School

Last week we presented our favorite Debuts of the Year. However, taking a look at the long list of albums under consideration for our Top 50 of the Year (almost ready, wait for it!), I find that a significant percentage comes from bands with a long history. Some of them have never stopped recording, others reappeared after a long absence, some have all or most of their original members and others have a rotating lineup that serves the vision of the band leader. All of them, though, have a history that goes back at least twenty years and in 2015 have produced great records that even if they don’t surpass their best work, they are certainly important additions in their remarkable discography.

Here are 2015’s Top 15 Albums from the Old School of Rock:

1.  Untethered Moon - BUILT TO SPILL
2.  No  Cities To Love - SLEATER-KINNEY
3.  The Magic Whip - BLUR
4.  Ones and Sixes - LOW
5.  "Freedom Tower" - No Wave Dance Party 2015 - THE JON SPENCER BLUES EXPLOSION
6.  Sub-lingual Tablet - THE FALL
7.  Silver Bullets - THE CHILLS
8.  Ghost Notes - VERUCA SALT
9.  Works for Tomorrow - ELEVENTH DREAM DAY
10. Heartbreak Pass - GIANT SAND
11. Wire - WIRE
12. Music Complete - NEW ORDER
13. Pylon - KILLING JOKE
14. Stuff like that there - YO LA TENGO
15. Whatever, My Love - THE JULIANA HATFIELD THREE

Built To Spill - Living Zoo

Coming up next week in our 2015 review: The Tracks of the Year.

2015 Review: Top 10 Debut Albums of the Year

In the second half of December we are celebrating the best music that 2015 had to offer, which means you're going to see plenty of lists here for the next couple of weeks, as we do enjoy putting things in the "right" order. This order, of course, is changing almost daily, but we do feel that these lists are a fun and efficient way to capture the overall picture of the musical landscape we've been wandering in for the past twelve months.

So, let's get the ball rolling by reinstating the "Best Debuts of the Year" list. Last year we didn't feel like making one, perhaps for the first time since this blog started, as in our opinion 2014 was a rather unimpressive year for the rookies. Things did look up in 2015, although I still wouldn't call it a vintage year for debuts. However the following ten albums include one indisputable classic plus four or five more strong candidates for the year's Top 50. All of them deserve your attention if you're looking for promising new acts who inject fresh blood in guitar rock and pop music. 

Here's our Top 10 Debuts of 2015:

1. Sometimes I Sit And Think, And Sometimes I Just Sit - COURTNEY BARNETT

2. Viet Cong - VIET CONG

3. The Expanding Flower Planet - DERADOORIAN

4. Algiers - ALGIERS

5. My Love Is Cool - WOLF ALICE

6. Holding Hands With Jamie - GIRL BAND 

7. Me - EMPRESS OF

8. Hermits On Holiday - DRINKS

9. Feels Like - BULLY

10. Are You Satisfied? - SLAVES

Also recommended:

Before The World Was Big - GIRLPOOL

Switch Me On - THE FIREWORKS

New Releases: November - December 2015

And with this post we conclude our presentation of the most interesting albums, singles and EPs released in 2015. It is, of course, rather impossible to listen to everything we have included in these series of posts, but we did our best and you can find out what we have enjoyed the most so far by clicking here to revisit our Listening Habits posts of the year.

Time, then, to put on our thinking caps and start putting everything in order for our year-end lists, which are coming up in the second half of December. Watch this space...

Albums

GRIMES - Art Angels
JENNYLEE - Right On!
NOTS - We Are Nots
CAR SEAT HEADREST - Teens of Style
ROCKET FROM THE TOMBS - Black Record
BRIAN JONESTOWN MASSACRE - Mini Album Thingy Wingy
ANNA VON HAUSSWOLFF - The Miraculous
KELLEY STOLTZ - In Triangle Time
KING GIZZARD AND THE LIZARD WIZARD - Paper Mache Dream Balloon
MY DISCO - Severe
TRAAMS - Modern Dancing
CHORUSGIRL - Chorusgirl
RINGO DEATHSTARR - Pure Mood
BEACH SLANG - The Things We Do to Find People Who Feel Like Us
BILL RYDER JONES - West Kirby County Primary
JOE GIDEON - Versa Vice
THE NECKS - Vertigo
WIMPS - Suitcase
VIDEO - The Entertainers
FLOATING POINTS - Elaenia
ARCA - Mutant
VOID VISION - Sub Rosa
ONEOHTRIX POINT NEVER - Garden of Delete
SIX ORGANS OF ADMITTANCE - Hexadic II
THE CHAP - The Show Must Go
DARREN HAYMAN - Florence
TY SEGALL - Ty Rex
SMOKE FAIRIES - Wild Winter
CASSIE RAMONE - Christmas In Reno
KURT COBAIN - Montage of Heck - Home Recordings

Singles & EPs

PARQUET COURTS - Monastic Living EP
THE JON SPENCER BLUES EXPLOSION - Human Obscene / Shake That Bat
PUBLIC SERVICE BROADCASTING - Sputnik / Korolev
THE PAINS OF BEING PURE AT HEART - Hell EP
NEW ORDER - Tutti Frutti
JLIN - Free Fall EP
LINTON AND STEWART / THE AISLERS SET - Split
NOTS - Reactor
SPRING KING - Who Are You?
FOO FIGHTERS - Saint Cecilia EP
MERCURY REV / LOST HORIZONS - Rainy Day Record / Life Inside A Paradox
THE BESNARD LAKES - The Golden Lion
THE LOVELY EGGS - Goofin Around (in Lancashire)
YAK - No EP
BOSS - I'm Down With That
BLACK LIPS / THE COATHANGERS - Freedom Fries / Watch Your Back
MERCHANDISE feat. DUM DUM GIRLS - Red Sun
SOLEDAD BROTHERS - Human Race Blues / Soledarity
THE WHARVES - Naz / My Will
DIET CIG - Sleep Talk / Dinner Date
BRUISING - Emo Friends / Honey
PUMAROSA - Priestess
NATALIE PRASS - Side by Side EP
BASIA BULAT - Infamous
BEAT MARK / PROPER ORNAMENTS - Flowers / Two Weeks
EVERYTHING EVERYTHING - No Reptiles
RICHARD HAWLEY - I Still Want You
PUBLIC IMAGE LIMITED - The One
THE WOLFMANHATTAN PROJECT - Smells Like You / You Are My Glue
KID CONGO AND THE PINK MONKEY BIRDS - Bruce Juice / El Cucuy
RICKED WICKY - Poor Substitute
RICKED WICKY - Number I Can Trust
DRACULA LEGS - Bulldozer / Party at Ed's
LUCIE BARAT AND THE AU REVOIRS - Fallen
VANT - Parking Lot / The Answer
UMMAGMA - Frequency EP
HOT CHIP - Huarache Lights Remixes
NOEL GALLAGHER'S HIGH FLYING BIRDS - The Dying of the Light
PAUL WELLER - Pick It Up
KURT COBAIN - And I Love Her / Sappy (Early Demo)

Grimes - Flesh without Blood/Life in the Vivid Dream

Listening Habits 2015 10-11

With just one month to go until we send off 2015 with our traditional "Best of" Year-End lists, let’s have a look today at the albums that stood out for us in the last couple of months.

The top of our latest Listening Habits list belongs to two albums that will certainly feature among our Top 10 selections for 2015, Julia Holter’s "Have You In My Wilderness" and Protomartyr’s "The Agent Intellect".

Julia Holter introduced herself with two fine, experimental art-pop albums that she recorded in her bedroom. For her next work, 2013’s excellent "Loud City Song", her unique sound became richer and more detailed with the contribution of other musicians and the comforts of a modern studio at her disposal. With "Have You In My Wilderness", her fourth album, Holter continues to grow as an artist, creating bright, idiosyncratic compositions that combine expertly elements of classical composition, orchestral pop, experimental electronic music and jazz. It's a record that proves that Holter is well on her way to achieving the most difficult task for a musician in this day and age: to be able to create original, authentic music without being overburdened by your influences.

Protomartyr, the powerhouse post-punk quartet from Detroit, Michigan, had already gotten our attention with their two previous works, 2012’s "No Passion All Technique" and last year’s excellent "Under Color of Official Right" (one of our Top 30 Albums of 2014). With "The Agent Intellect" passion and technique are in perfect balance, as Joe Casey’s, Mark E Smith-like, spoken-word-meets-rap delivery blends seamlessly with razor-sharp guitars and well-oiled garage-punk grooves to offer us 43 minutes of exhilarating, cathartic rock’n’roll.

Add next to Protomartyr’s record the latest release by Montreal’s Ought, the raging, delightfully neurotic art-punk of "Sun Coming Down", and you start to feel that this year Christmas came early for all post-punk fans! Their fluid, energetic sound brings to mind Talking Heads jamming with Fugazi or perhaps Pavement trying a Black Flag number. Regardless of where you might trace their influences, though, the fact is that Ought have made a delightful record, which also includes one of the most imposing songs I’ve heard this year, the wonderful "Beautiful Blue Sky".

Top 15 Albums

1.  Have You In My Wilderness - JULIA HOLTER
2.  The Agent Intellect - PROTOMARTYR
3.  Sun Coming Down - OUGHT
4.  Depression Cherry / Thank Your Lucky Stars - BEACH HOUSE
5.  Death Magic - HEALTH
6.  Pylon - KILLING JOKE
7.  Ones And Sixes - LOW
8.  B'lieve I'm Goin Down… - KURT VILE
9.  Ghost Notes - VERUCA SALT
10. Dodge And Burn - THE DEAD WEATHER
11. Anthems For Doomed Youth - THE LIBERTINES
12. Stuff Like That There - YO LA TENGO
13. Me - EMPRESS OF
14. Pagans In Vegas - METRIC
15. Music Complete - NEW ORDER

Top 15 Tracks

1.  Why Does It Shake? - PROTOMARTYR
2.  Beautiful Blue Sky - OUGHT
3.  Vasquez - JULIA HOLTER
4.  Space Song - BEACH HOUSE
5.  Laughing In The Sugar Bowl - VERUCA SALT
6.  I Feel Love (Every Million Miles) - THE DEAD WEATHER
7.  Autonomous Zone - KILLING JOKE
8.  Stonefist - HEALTH
9.  Need Myself - EMPRESS OF
10. The Shade - METRIC
11. Restless - NEW ORDER
12. Heart of the Matter - THE LIBERTINES
13. Dust Bunnies - KURT VILE
14. What Part Of Me - LOW
15. Somebody's In Love - YO LA TENGO

Julia Holter - Feel You

Live: Calexico @ Fuzz Club (Athens, November 14, 2015)

Calexico belong to a small, special club of bands that could easily apply for Greek citizenship based on the number of times they have performed here. The latin rhythms that spice up their Tex-Mex-meets-Desert Rock sound goes down well with the Greek audiences, while the addition of Eastern and Greek music influences in some of their recent songs has ensured that once again their gig at Fuzz Club was sold out.

The out of the ordinary element that left its mark on this particular concert on Saturday night, came from the resonance of the horrible news coming from Paris where less than 24 hours ago so many people lost their lives, including fellow concertgoers at the Eagles Of Death Metal gig at Bataclan Theatre. All this senseless violence certainly weighted heavily on the minds of all of us and was addressed by Calexico who started their set with Joey Burns and John Convertino playing as a duo the fittingly sad "Wash" (a track from their debut album) which was dedicated to all those in Paris who are affected by this tragedy.

Music though has a special way of healing the soul and even a sad song can make you feel better. So by the third song of the night, the uplifting beat of "Cumbia de Donde" had most of the people dancing and the spirit of having fun on a Saturday night started being restored.

From then on the concert went as expected, with the seven members of Calexico on fine form, presenting us songs from their latest album "Edge of the Sun" and occasionally going back in time to remind us of older favorites like "Crystal Frontier" or "Güero Canelo".

The highlights of the night included the participation of members of Takim in "Roll Tango" and "Stray", successfully adding local color to the Calexico sound (in an usual East-meets-West-Down South sort of way), the dedication of "Fortune Teller" to the late great Allen Toussaint and Joey Burns inviting the whole club to visit Mexico in his introduction of "Coyoacán". From the new songs, apart from the aforementioned "Cumbia de Donde", it was "Moon Never Rises", "Falling From the Sky", "Bullets & Rocks" as well as "Beneath the City of Dreams" and "Follow the River", both of which were included in the two encores of the show, that stood out.

Calexico with Takim

It’s been more than ten years since Calexico’s first gig in Athens, but as long as they manage to lift the spirits of the people even in difficult nights like this one and earn a well-deserved and genuinely enthusiastic applause, something tells me they will keep coming back frequently for many years to come!

The night opened by Moa Bones, the one-man show of Dimitris Aronis, who presented us his folk and blues tunes. His songs have strong melodies and should he decide to present them live with a full band, I think he could have a much more powerful impact. Still, his half-hour performance was a suitable opening for the main act.

Moa Bones, live @ Fuzz Club, Nov. 14th, 2015

Calexico set list included: Wash, Falling From the Sky, Cumbia de Donde, Two Silver Trees, Splitter, Tapping on the Line, Bullets & Rocks, Coyoacán, Inspiración, Fortune Teller, Roll Tango (with Takim), Stray (with Takim), Sunken Waltz, Deep Down, World Undone, Not Even Stevie Nicks, Moon Never Rises, Crystal Frontier. Encore 1: Beneath the City of Dreams, Güero Canelo. Encore 2: Follow the River

Calexico ft. Takim - Roll Tango (live in Athens, Nov.14th, 2015)

Calexico - Moon Never Rises (live in Athens, Nov.14th, 2015)

Live: Zola Jesus @ Fuzz Club (Athens, Nov. 5, 2015)

In her first ever live performance in Athens, Nika Roza Danilova, a.k.a. Zola Jesus, presented an hour-long set based on her latest album, 2014's "Taiga". It is her most pop-friendly work to date, where the mix of goth darkness and primitive beats of her previous LPs takes a back seat to a more upbeat, dancefloor oriented synth-pop.

On stage, however, Zola Jesus injects even her most straightforward synth-pop songs with burning energy and fury that make sure you won't be confusing them with the repertoire of a pop diva. Her strong vocal presence was the dominant force even in her most noisy compositions, while her body language and frenetic dancing gave a primitive edge to the songs that was missing in their recorded incarnation.

Aside from the majority of "Taiga", Zola Jesus also included "Sea Talk" (check out the video below) and "Night" (the main set closer) from 2010's "Stridulum II", while 2011's "Conatus" was represented by "In Your Nature" and the two songs that she saved for the encore, "Skin" and the impressive "Vessel", perhaps the best song of the night. In conclusion, a fine live performance by Zola Jesus who managed to take her songs beyond the limits of their studio versions.

The evening started with Sofia Sarri performing songs from her soon to be released debut solo album, as well as a reworking of Tim Buckley's "Song to the Siren" which followed in the footsteps of This Mortal Coil's version. A strong vocal performance that fitted nicely before the main event.

Sofia Sarri, live @ Fuzz Club (Nov. 5, 2015)

Zola Jesus - Sea Talk, live @ Fuzz Club (Nov. 5th, 2015)

New Releases: October 2015

Round-up of the most interesting albums, singles and EPs of the month:

Albums

The Agent Intellect

PROTOMARTYR - The Agent Intellect
DEERHUNTER - Fading Frontier
EL VY - Return to the Moon
BEACH HOUSE - Thank Your Lucky Stars
JOANNA NEWSOM - Divers
THE CHILLS - Silver Bullets
MERCURY REV - The Light In You
KILLING JOKE - Pylon
SHOPPING - Why Choose
GIRLS NAMES - Arms Around A Vision
GUN OUTFIT - Dream All Over
FUZZ - II
!!! - As If
NEON INDIAN - Vega Intl - Night School
JOHN GRANT - Grey Tickles, Black Pressure
CHEATAHS - Mythologies
CHILDBIRTH - Women's Rights
DILLY DALLY - Sore
WAVVES - V
WOLF EYES - I Am A Problem: Mind In Pieces
THE ICARUS LINE - All Things Under Heaven
YOUNGHUSBAND - Dissolver
VICTORY COLLAPSE - Atlas
LARRY GUS - I Need New Eyes
KEEP SHELLY IN ATHENS - Now I'm Ready
COCOROSIE - Heartache City
HERE WE GO MAGIC - Be Small
MAJICAL CLOUDZ - Are You Alone?
ROOTS MANUVA - Bleeds
SMALL BLACK - Best Blues
NAYTRONIX - Mister Divine
PURE BATHING CULTURE - Pray For Rain
ALELA DIANE AND RYAN FRANCESCONI - Cold Moon
VANGOFFEY - Take Off Your Jacket & Get Into It
EDITORS - In Dream

Singles & EPs

The Answer

SAVAGES - The Answer
COURTNEY BARNETT - Boxing Day Blues Revisited
DESTROYER - Forces From Above (Remix) / Times Square, Poison Season
WILCO - Random Name Generator
NEW ORDER - Restless
DJANGO DJANGO - Pause Repeat
GIRL BAND - Paul
DRINKS - Laying Down Rock
THE DECEMBERISTS - Florasongs EP
ARCADE FIRE - Get Right
LAETITIA SADIER - Dry Fruit / Scene of the Lie (Cave Remix)
CLINIC / SEX SWING - Tape for Jase / Night Time Worker
WOLF EYES - Enemy Ladder / Dull Murder Two
THE LOVELY EGGS - Goofin Around (in Lancashire)
THE CRIBS - Summer of Chances
KAREN O - I Shall Rise
BLANCK MASS - No Lite
TROPIC OF CANCER - Stop Suffering
DOG IN THE SNOW - Uncanny Valley
LYLA FOY - Umi
DESPERATE JOURNALIST - Good Luck
LE BUTCHERETTES - Shave the Pride
FLUME - Some Minds
JAMIE XX - Loud Places
JANE WEAVER / TENDER PREY - Mission Desire / Pleasure Pain Principle
BILL WELLS AND AIDAN MOFFAT - DILF_77 Would Like To Talk
KELLEY STOLTZ - 4 New Cuts
PAUL WELLER - I'm Where I Should Be
VANGOFFEY - Race of Life
TRICKY PRESENTS SKILLED MECHANICS - Beijing to Berlin

Savages - The Answer

Courtney Barnett - Shivers (The Boys Next Door cover, B-side to "Boxing Day Blues Revisited" 7 inch)

Live: Death And Vanilla @ Six D.O.G.S (Athens, October 23, 2015)

The Swedish invasion continues; a few days after Goat's mind blowing performance in Athens, it was the turn of Malmö's Death And Vanilla to pay us a visit and present their psychedelic, baroque pop melodies. The trio of Marleen Nilsson, Anders Hansson and Magnus Bodin has been recording since 2009, but it is this year's "To Where The Wild Things Are", Death And Vanilla's second LP, that helped them to raise their profile outside of Sweden.

On their debut Athenian gig, the band presented us an hour-long, atmospheric set with songs from both of their albums. The fragile, haunting melodies from their vintage synthesizers created the backbone of their songs which own a debt to 60's French pop, '90s dreampop and soundtrack music, while the ghost of Broadcast cast its shadow on several occasions. 

Their most interesting moments, for my ears at least, came when krautrock rhythms crept into the mix in songs like "Necessary Distortions" or "Cul-De-Sac", adding an underlying tension to their ethereal sound, which on other songs tends to be a little too dreamy for my liking. Overall, the nostalgic, psychedelic mood of their music went down well with the audience and, hopefully, next time they come to town, they will be able to attract a larger crowd, especially if they keep creating songs like the Beach House-y "California Owls" which deserves more attention from radio.

Death And Vanilla's performance was preceded by a set from local, guitar and synth, dark-pop duo Cruel Anagrams whose music brings flashbacks from the early '80s dark wave scene.

Cruel Anagrams

Here's a taste from Death And Vanilla's set on a very rainy Friday night in Athens:

Death and Vanilla - Cul-De-Sac, live in Athens

Live: Goat @ Gagarin 205 (Athens, October 17, 2015)

It's Time for Fun! This was the title of Goat's latest single, but it's also a fitting description for the Swedish band's extravagant live show.

On Saturday night, Goat played their first ever Athens gig at the packed Gagarin 205 club and there is no doubt that everyone present left with a smile on their faces after witnessing the euphoric, shamanic rituals of the experimental collective. Dressed up in their exotic costumes and wearing  masks, the seven members of Goat presented songs from their two excellent albums, 2012's "World Music" and 2014's "Commune", and various singles, including the aforementioned "It's Time for Fun" and "Dreambuilding".

As great as all of these songs sound on record, on stage they gain extra dimensions, sounding bigger and better, each one an ecstatic ritual with the mission to unite performers and audience in a euphoric, altered state. After 80 minutes filled with mystic, eastern-tinged melodies, repetitive dance rhythms and psychedelic guitar grooves, Goat's mission was accomplished and we left the club with the distinct feeling that we had, indeed, talked to God, as their tune goes. Best concert of the year? Most likely!

The gig opened by the noisy, dance-rock grooves of local act Kooba Tercu. Check out their self-titled album here.

Kooba Tercu

And here's a taste from Goat's transcendent live experience: check out below "Dreambuilding", live in Athens:

Goat - Dreambuilding (live @ Gagarin 205, Athens, October 17, 2015)

New Releases: September 2015

Round-up of the most interesting albums, singles and EPs released in September 2015:

Albums

JULIA HOLTER - Have You In My Wilderness
U.S. GIRLS - Half Free
THE DEAD WEATHER - Dodge and Burn
KURT VILE - B'lieve I'm Goin Down
METRIC - Pagans in Vegas
LOW - Ones and Sixes
THE LIBERTINES - Anthems For Doomed Youth
BLANK REALM - Illegals In Heaven
WIDOWSPEAK - All Yours
OUGHT - Sun Coming Down
SEXWITCH - Sexwitch
EMPRESS OF - Me
NEW ORDER - Music Complete
BEIRUT - No No No
LOU BARLOW - Brace the Wave
ROBERT FORSTER - Songs to Play
MICACHU AND THE SHAPES - Good Sad Happy Bad
THE MAGIC CASTLES - Starflower
GIRL BAND - Holding Hands With Jamie
FIDLAR - Too
DESTRUCTION UNIT - Negative Feedback Resistor
RICKED WICKY - Swimmer To A Liquid Armchair
CRAIG FINN - Faith in the Future
HeCTA - The Diet
CHVRCHES - Every Open Eye
PEACHES - Rub
BATTLES - La Di Da Di
CARTER TUTTI VOID - f (x)
PUBLIC IMAGE LIMITED - What the World Needs Now
PRIMITIVE PARTS - Parts Primitive
THE ARCS - Yours, Dreamily
THE SCHOOL - Wasting Away and Wondering
YOUTH LAGOON - Savage Hills Ballroom
PETITE NOIR - La Vie Est Belle / Life is Beautiful

Singles & EPs

COURTNEY BARNETT - Nobody Really Cares If you Don't Go To the Party
DESTROYER - Forces From Above (Remix) / Times Square, Poison Season
PANDA BEAR - Crosswords EP
DIIV - Dopamine
KEVIN MORBY - Moonshiner / Bridge to Gaia
PINS - Dazed By You
SHOPPING - Straight Lines 
MENACE BEACH - Super Transporterreum EP
WOMPS - Live A Little Less
SLAVES - Sockets
CHVRCHES - Leave A Trace
THE CHEMICAL BROTHERS - Go
DEAD FADER - Sun Copter EP
JAGWAR MA X DREEMS - Another Day in the Sun
GAZ COOMBES - Matador (Da Capo)
EVERYTHING EVERYTHING - Spring Summer Winter Dread
RICHARD HAWLEY - Heart of Oak
EYE - Crushin' Leaves
MAMMOTH PENGUINS - Propped Up / Thinking Of You
LIONLIMB - Turnstile
TIMMY'S ORGANISM - Get Up, Get Out / The Thrill Is Gone
TERRY - Talk About Terry
CHELOU - Mothership EP

Courtney Barnett - Nobody Really Cares If You Don't Go To The Party

Julia Holter - Sea Calls Me Home

Listening Habits 2015 08-09

As September comes to an end, we are taking another look at the ten albums we've listened to the most as the summer ends and autumn begins:

"Currents", the third full-length by Kevin Parker's Tame Impala, was the album that you had to hear this summer and continued to be the most played LP in C.M.C. headquarters during September, as its intoxicating mix of psychedelic melodies and dance-influenced rhythms kept working its magic. A sonic sculpture that takes Tame Impala to the next level.

Talking about magic, we think it's a must to do yourself a favor and spend sometime in the company of "The Expanding Flower Planet", the debut solo album by Angel Deradoorian. We already knew that the former Dirty Projectors bassist possessed a wonderful singing voice and now we are finding out that she is also a great songwriter, capable of creating an extraordinary universe of enchanting, mystic melodies. All ten songs on the album offer unique sonic experiences, but I have to single out "A Beautiful Woman" as one of the best tracks I had the pleasure of listening to this year.

In the top-three we also have the much anticipated return of Dan Bejar's Destroyer with album number ten, the excellent "Poison Season". The successor to "Kaputt" continues to mine the same rich vein of '70s and '80s soft rock and pop nuggets, crafting another nostalgic sounding collection of songs that exist in a time and place of their own creation. You walk in thinking you are traveling back to a familiar sound from the past, but unexpected twists and turns in your every step will lead you to somewhere new, familiar yet so different from what you remembered.

Our Top 10 also includes Sleaford Mods' latest punk-hop assault, the gospel - soul - hip hop influenced rock sound of Algiers, Eleventh Dream Day's return to action, Foals' epic-sounding fourth album, the buzzing garage-punk of Australia's Royal Headache, Telepathe's long overdue sophomore work and last, but not least, the triple compilation "Volume" by Leeds post-punk cult heroes The Three Johns, including all their singles and the two excellent LPs ("Atom Drum Bop" and "The World by Storm") they released between 1982 and 1987 - the very definition of a blast from the past!

Top 10 Albums

1.  Currents - TAME IMPALA
2.  The Expanding Flower Planet - DERADOORIAN
3.  Poison Season - DESTROYER
4.  Key Markets - SLEAFORD MODS
5.  Algiers - ALGIERS
6.  Works For Tomorrow - ELEVENTH DREAM DAY
7.  What Went Down - FOALS
8.  High - ROYAL HEADACHE
9.  Destroyer - TELEPATHE
10. Volume - THE THREE JOHNS

Top 10 Tracks

1.  A Beautiful Woman - DERADOORIAN
2.  Let It Happen - TAME IMPALA
3.  Times Square - DESTROYER
4.  It's Time For Fun - GOAT
5.  Irony.Utility.Pretext. - ALGIERS
6.  Throw Away This - TELEPATHE
7.  Arabia - SLEAFORD MODS
8.  What Went Down - FOALS
9.  Works For Tomorrow - ELEVENTH DREAM DAY
10. Another World - ROYAL HEADACHE

Destroyer - Times Square

Live: Angel Olsen vs. Parquet Courts

Angel Olsen, live @ An Club (September 15, 2015)

This was certainly one of the best weeks for live music in Athens in 2015 for discerning indie rock fans, although the combination of pre-election fever and continuing summer temperatures meant that An Club, which hosted both Angel Olsen's and Parquet Courts' shows on Tuesday and Saturday respectively, was only half-full on both nights (or half-empty depending on how you want to see things). It is also possible that, in these difficult times, a 17 euro admission price (or 20 on the doors) means that most indie rock fans cannot afford two gigs in the same week (or even the same month). Whatever the reasons, two of the best new music gigs of this year did not find the audience that they deserved.

For starters, on Tuesday (September 15) Angel Olsen and her band filled An Club with her unique, country and folk influenced, melodic rock songs. Olsen's voice alone is enough to captivate the listener, weaving her intimate tales in a rich tapestry of emotion, but you cannot underestimate the contribution of her band in the final outcome, injecting discreet, slow-burning electricity in most of the songs.

Olsen, who seemed in high spirits, keen to strike conversation with the audience throughout her 80-minute set, presented highlights from last year's excellent "Burn Your Fire For No Witness" LP, including mini-hit "Hi-Five", "Forgiven/Forgotten", "Stars" and "White Fire", but also included material from her lesser known previous work, that certainly deserves a wider audience. 

A great set from an exceptionally talented singer-songwriter who has undoubtedly much more to give in the coming years. The opening of the set came from Mani Deum, a local, folk-influenced, five-piece rock act, who left a good impression and also gained the approval of Olsen who made sure to thank them during her set.

Angel Olsen, live @ An Club (September 15, 2015)

Mani Deum, live @ An Club (September 15, 2015)

Then, on Saturday (September 19), it was the turn of Parquet Courts to play at An Club, the same place where they made their Athens live debut two years ago.

Parquet Courts, live @ An Club (September 19, 2015)

I had finished my review of that show by writing "give them time and I'm certain that this band has the chops to build a set list that will slay from start to finish". Exactly two years down the line and with two more fine albums and several singles under their collective belt, Parquet Courts proved me right. Their nearly 90-minute set was killer from start to finish, with wine-fuelled punk-rock intensity, interspersed with a few, yet crucial, well-placed melodic moments ("Bodies Made Of", "Instant Disassembly", "Dear Ramona", set closer "Uncast Shadow Of A Southern Myth") that demonstrate their song-writing strength and diversity.

For the most part of their set, though, the pedal was definitely put to the metal, and among the high-octane highlights we enjoyed on this night were "Black and White", "You've Got Me Wonderin' Now", "Sunbathing Animal", "Master of My Craft" and "Borrowed Time".

Despite the relatively low attendance, Parquet Courts didn't hold back and gave us top quality rock 'n' roll, of the "tonight, we dine in hell" variety!  I'm sure that all of us who were there, will remember this night for quite some time! Well done, also, to Nerrves who opened the show with their own brand of noisy, energetic garage-punk.

Parquet Courts, live @ An Club (September 19, 2015)

Nerrves, live @ An Club (September 19, 2015)

Check out below Angel Olsen performing "Stars" and Parquet Courts in "Black and White" from the two equally awesome shows we attended this week at An Club:

Angel Olsen - Stars (live @ An Club, Athens)

Parquet Courts - Black and White (live @ An Club, Athens)