C.M.C.'s Guide to Primavera Sound 2015

Parc del Fòrum map

The summer festival season is finally upon us and here in Cool Music Central we're getting ready for an epic 10-day music marathon! The start will be in Barcelona on May 28th with Primavera Sound 2015 and the finish in Athens on June 5th and 6th with the most ambitious edition of Plisskën Festival to date.

We'll have more on Plisskën in a couple of weeks time, but now it's time to focus on Primavera Sound and make plans and tough decisions about what to see and do in Barcelona's Parc del Fòrum between May 28th and 30th:

Day 1

The Black Keys

The Black Keys are the headliners on the Primavera stage around midnight, but our day will start much earlier with the afternoon performances of Hiss Golden Messenger (Ray Ban stage), Twerps (Pitchfork) and Cheatahs (Adidas Originals). Later on Giant Sand are playing against Viet Cong, which brings us to the first tough decision of this festival. Thankfully the latter are expected in Athens for their own show early in September, so Howe Gelb's band will be the most obvious choice for me.

The next tough call of the first day will come around 9 o'clock with The Thurston Moore Band versus The Replacements face-off, but having seen the former in Athens very recently is going to give me an easy way out for this dilemma.

Mikal Cronin (who is also playing Plisskën), Spiritualized (long time no see) and Tyler, The Creator are some of the available choices until it's time for The Black Keys, while for the small hours of the morning there is James Blake and JUNGLE on hand to make things funky.

Day 2

Ride

For the start of the second day of the festival we have Disappears on the Ray Ban stage while The Pastels will be playing on the small Heineken Hidden Stage, a performance that requires acquisition of reservation tickets. 

The ATP stage is having a very solid line-up on Friday, starting with the early afternoon performance of The KVB which is followed by The New Pornographers, Belle & Sebastian and Run The Jewels, while on the Primavera stage we have Julian Casablancas+The Voidz, Damien Rice and Ride as the headliners.

We'll make sure, of course, not to miss the sets by The Julie Ruin and Sleater-Kinney on Ray Ban and Heineken stages respectively, who I'm willing to bet will be amongst the highlights of Primavera Sound 2015, while amongst all this madness Patti Smith & Band will be performing the classic "Horses" in its entirety. A lot of tough choices here and I'm not quite sure who will prevail.

Sleater-Kinney

For the after hours part of Day 2 we have to choose among Death From Above 1979, alt-J, The Juan MacLean, Earth and Jon Hopkins.

Day 3

The Strokes

The last day of Primavera Sound 2015 starts with Kevin Morby on Pitchfork stage with opposition from the promising Younghusband (ATP). DIIV, American Football, Torres, MOURN, tUnE-yArDs and HEALTH form a strong line-up on Pitchfork stage which will certainly lead us to pay it several visits throughout the day. Elsewhere, we have performances by The Vaselines, Fucked Up and Mac DeMarco, while the Sleaford Mods versus Foxygen derby will be decided for me by the fact that the punk-hop Mods will also be part of Plisskën's line-up.

Just before The Strokes headlining performance at Primavera stage, there is fellow New York scene comrades Interpol playing at Heineken stage, while psychedelic Kiwis Unknown Mortal Orchestra will be appearing at the same time on Adidas Originals stage. However the most unfortunate clash for me comes from the fact that Babes In Toyland will be starting their set on ATP stage at exactly the same time as The Strokes, so I think I'll have to make do with my memories from the Babes live set at London's Forum twenty-something years ago.

For the finale of the festival, one can either dance the night away with Underworld and Caribou or catch the guitar blasts of Shellac, Thee Oh Sees and Hookworms. I think you know where we'll be.

The Strokes - Reading 2011 (Full Set)

See you on the other side with, hopefully, plenty of photos, videos and live reviews from all the action in Barcelona!

Hits, Cult Classics & Obscurities: 1990

In the three previous editions of our latest series of posts, we've traveled back to 1980, 1985 and 1995 to remind you of some key tracks from these years that can be classified as hits, cult classics or obscurities based on their level of commercial success. Regardless of their popularity though, there is no doubt in my mind that the most appropriate label for all the song trios we've presented so far is Killer Tracks. Here's another killer trio, this time from 1990:

The early '90s was certainly a great era for the UK alternative music scene. Among the numerous new bands taking their first steps in that period were The Charlatans from the West Midlands, a band whose sound was quickly associated with the Madchester scene, and Ride from Oxford who soon became one of the pivotal bands of the shoegazing sound. 

"The Only One I Know" was just the second single of The Charlatans, released on May 14th, 1990, and it instantly became a big hit, landing at number 9 on the UK Singles Chart and also breaking into the Top 10 of the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks in the US. Here's our choice for hit single of 1990:

It would take Ride a little longer to have a similar hit in the UK (that would be 1992's "Leave Them All Behind", which also peaked at number 9), but there is no doubt in the mind of shoegaze fans everywhere that the string of EPs that launched the band's career in 1990 include some of their best and most influential songs. One of them is our choice for this year's cult classic: here's "Chelsea Girl", track 1, side A of their debut, self-titled EP released on January 15th, 1990 on Creation Records, the song that was my introduction to Ride:

Danielle Dax has created throughout the '80s some truly unique, inspiring experimental pop records, all released on small, independent labels. In 1990 she made her major label debut with the fine "Blast The Human Flower", produced by Stephen Street. Despite a more accessible sound and a very good cover of The Beatles' "Tomorrow Never Knows" which she released as a single, the record didn't find the success it deserved and after one more independent release in 1995, Dax retired from music to focus on other artistic endeavors including interior design. 

Have a listen to her cover of "Tomorrow Never Knows" below and make sure to check out her original compositions as well, not only on "Blast The Human Flower" but also on records like "Inky Bloaters", "Jesus Egg That Wept" or "Pop-Eyes".

Listening Habits 2015 03-04

Every month we present the latest new releases that have piqued our interest, but what were those albums and songs that we've listened to the most and have rightly earned a place in C.M.C.'s record collection? This is the question we answer every other month in our Listening Habits posts and the time has come for the second one of the year, which is actually the first consisting entirely of 2015 releases.

The top of our March - April album list belongs to the excellent debut by Melbourne singer-songwriter Courtney Barnett, whose killer single "Pedestrian At Best" was also number one in our previous Top 20 Tracks list. The compilation "The Double EP: A Sea of Split Peas" introduced us to her unique songwriting talents a couple of years ago and now her proper full-length debut "Sometimes I Sit And Think, And Sometimes I Just Sit" provides further proof that Barnett is able to transform her influences in witty, infectious songs that describe in a captivating manner intriguing characters and personal thoughts and insecurities.

"Untethered Moon", the eighth album by Built To Spill and their first since 2009, finds the Boise, Idaho, rockers in fine form, rocking out with the same passion as in their best records from the '90s and early '00s. They say that change is essential to survival, but sometimes it makes a lot of sense to stick to your winning ways and play to your strengths, and this is exactly what's going on here from the very first guitar riff to the last.

Other excellent records we've enjoyed in the last couple of months include "Escape From Evil", the third and best album so far by Lower Dens, "Ivy Tripp", also the third full-length by Waxahatchee who I'm looking forward to seeing live in the upcoming Plisskën Festival in Athens, "Foil Deer" by the increasingly wonderful Speedy Ortiz and the notable return to action by longtime favorites The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Modest Mouse and Blur with their first work in twelve years.

Here's the complete Top 20 list of highly recommended albums:

Top 20 Albums

1.  Sometimes I Sit And Think, And Sometimes I Just Sit - COURTNEY BARNETT
2.  Untethered Moon - BUILT TO SPILL
3.  Escape From Evil - LOWER DENS
4.  Ivy Tripp - WAXAHATCHEE
5.  Foil Deer - SPEEDY ORTIZ
6.  "Freedom Tower" No Wave Dance Party 2015 - THE JON SPENCER BLUES EXPLOSION
7.  The Magic Whip - BLUR
8.  Strangers To Ourselves - MODEST MOUSE
9.  Hinterland - LONELADY
10. Another Eternity - PURITY RING
11. Short Movie - LAURA MARLING
12. Fast Food - NADINE SHAH
13. The Race For Space - PUBLIC SERVICE BROADCASTING
14. I Want To Grow Up - COLLEEN GREEN
15. Kintsugi - DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE
16. Shadow Of The Sun - MOON DUO
17. To Pimp A Butterfly - KENDRICK LAMAR
18. Panda Bear Meets The Grim Reaper - PANDA BEAR
19. Transfixiation - A PLACE TO BURY STRANGERS
20. Edge Of The Sun - CALEXICO

Top 20 Tracks

1.  Lampshades On Fire - MODEST MOUSE
2.  Nobody Really Cares If You Don't Go To The Party - COURTNEY BARNETT
3.  Raising The Skate - SPEEDY ORTIZ
4.  Fool - NADINE SHAH
5.  False Hope - LAURA MARLING
6.  Under A Rock - WAXAHATCHEE
7.  To Die in L.A. - LOWER DENS
8.  Straight - A PLACE TO BURY STRANGERS
9.  Living Zoo - BUILT TO SPILL
10. Do The Get Down - THE JON SPENCER BLUES EXPLOSION
11. Groove It Out - LONELADY
12. Go! - PUBLIC SERVICE BROADCASTING
13. Push Pull - PURITY RING
14. Lonesome Street - BLUR
15. Black Sun - DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE
16. Deeper Than Love - COLLEEN GREEN
17. Slow Down Low - MOON DUO
18. Boys Latin - PANDA BEAR
19. Cumbia de Donde - CALEXICO
20. Winter (Warpaint Remix) - DAUGHTER

Modest Mouse - Lampshades On Fire

You can listen to our Top 20 Tracks on Spotify here:

New Releases: April 2015

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

Albums

WAXAHATCHEE - Ivy Tripp
SPEEDY ORTIZ - Foil Deer
BUILT TO SPILL - Untethered Moon
WIRE - Wire
BLUR - The Magic Whip
NADINE SHAH - Fast Food
THE LOVELY EGGS - This Is Our Nowhere
CALEXICO - Edge of the Sun
STEALING SHEEP - Not Real
DRENGE - Undertow
JLIN - Dark Energy
RAEKWON - Fly International Luxurious Art
EARL SWEATSHIRT - I Don't Like Shit, I Don't Go Outside
TYLER, THE CREATOR - Cherry Bomb
SQUAREPUSHER - Damogen Furies
EAST INDIA YOUTH - Culture Of Volume
DOLDRUMS - The Air Conditioned Nightmare
SUUNS AND JERUSALEM IN MY HEART - Suuns and Jerusalem in my Heart
WHITE HILLS - Walks For Motorists
ALABAMA SHAKES - Sound & Color
THE MOUNTAIN GOATS - Beat The Champ
BIG BUSINESS - Battlefields Forever
SONIC JESUS - Neither Virtue Nor Anger
BRAIDS - Deep In The Iris
FRED THOMAS - All Are Saved
THE NAMES - Stranger Than You
MOMUS - Turpsycore
TORO Y MOI - What For?
PASSION PIT - Kindred
SAY LOU LOU - Lucid Dreaming
VILLAGERS - Darling Arithmetic
WARMDÜSCHER - Khaki Tears
MEW - +-
THE CAVE CHILDREN - Quasiland
BRIAN JONESTOWN MASSACRE - Musique De Film Imagine
LOOPER - These Things

Singles & EPs

LAURA MARLING - False Hope
COURTNEY BARNETT - Kim's Caravan / Close Watch
DAUGHTER / WARPAINT - Winter / Feeling Alright
WARPAINT - No Way Out / I'll Start Believing
PINS - Too Little Too Late
THE LOVELY EGGS - Magic Onion
DJANGO DJANGO - Beginning to Fade
THE GO! TEAM - Ye Ye Yamaha / 'Till We Do It Together
!!! - All U Writers / Gonna Guetta Stomp
RUN THE JEWELS - Bust No Moves EP
INTERPOL - Everything is Wrong / What Is What
TV ON THE RADIO - Trouble / Dubble
DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE / FREEDY JOHNSTON - Bad Reputation
JACCO GARDNER - Find Yourself
THE LIMINANAS - Time Will Tell / Alicante
TESS PARKS AND ANTON NEWCOMBE - Cocaine Cat
THE MEMBRANES - Do the Supernova
THE BLACK TAMBOURINES - No Action / A Lot Of Friends
HONEYBLOOD - No Big Deal / The Black Cloud
FLORENCE AND THE MACHINE - What Kind of Man
CHVRCHES - Get Away / Dead Air
A PLACE TO BURY STRANGERS / THE TELESCOPES - Fuzz Club Split Single No. 6 (Down The Stairs / I Wanna Be Your Dog)
MARK LANEGAN / DUKE GARWOOD - Needle of Death / Fresh as a Sweet Sunday Morning
TOY AND JANE WEAVER / H HAWKLINE - Fell From the Sun / It's a Drag
TEMPLES / FEVER THE GHOST - Calico / Keep in the Dark
STEALING SHEEP / THE VOYEURS - Murmur Earth / Rhubarb Rhubarb (Third Webb Rhubarb and Custard Mix)
BONNIE PRINCE BILLY AND BROEDER DIELEMAN - Gloria / Drie Vragen
CAITLIN ROSE / KID WAVE FEATURING BEN ROMANS HOPCRAFT - Been Thinking About You All the Time / Listen to Her Heart
HANNI EL KHATIB - Devil's Pie
FATHER JOHN MISTY - I Loved You, Honeybee
VAMPIRE WEEKEND - Step
JOHNNY MARR - I Feel You
JAMIE T - Magnolia Melancholia EP
GIRL BAND - The Early Years EP
WEED - Thousand Pounds / Turret
WESTKUST - Summer 3D / Weekends
WEIRDS - Off the Hook
MAKTHAVERSKAN - Witness
REVEREND HORTON HEAT - It's a Rave Up! / Beer, Write This Song
SIGMATROPIC - Every Soul Is A Boat

Laura Marling - False Hope (Short Movie Sessions)

Live: Toy @ An Club (Athens, April 29, 2015)

Admittedly Wednesday is not the best day of the week for a night out at a rock club, but the few of us who decided to brave the midweek blues and head downtown at An Club for the Athens live debut of Toy enjoyed a fine night of psychedelic rock.

 

The Cave Children, live @ An Club (April 29th, 2015)

The night's entertainment started with a 40-minute performance by Athens-based psychedelic pop quartet The Cave Children. The band gave us a taste of their brand new debut album "Quasiland" which combines successfully '60s psychedelia with '90s Brit-pop influences. They obviously need to work on their stage performance, but their material is quite good, with memorable melodies and strong beats, so with a bit more work and experience they can make their presence felt at the local scene.

A little after eleven o'clock the small stage of An Club was filled by the five members of Brighton's Toy who kicked off their 70-minute set with the instrumental "Conductor", the lead track off their sophomore album "Join The Dots". The band started building up its momentum with loud guitar sound (actually a bit too loud, not allowing too much room for the vocals), distinct synth melodies and a motorik rhythm section which was adding krautrock touches to the psychedelic mix.

Actually the strongest and most memorable songs of the band are those which successfully blend psychpop guitar fuzz with krautrocking rhythms, so, at the end of the night when we were leaving the venue with our ears buzzing, it was tracks like "Motoring", "Kopter", "Join The Dots" and "It's Been So Long" that were still stuck in our brain, while some of the more meandering, down-tempo trips didn't leave a lasting impression. The intense finale, though, with an electrified version of "Join The Dots" was exactly what was needed to end this psychedelic night out on a high note.

Check out below Toy performing "It's Been So Long" from their Athens gig at An Club:

Toy, live @ An Club (Athens, April 29th, 2015)