Live: Howe Gelb @ Faust (May 5th, 2019) / No More Shall We Part: The Concert @ Benaki Museum (May 9th, 2019)

Howe Gelb, live @ Faust (Athens, May 5th, 2019)

In a very busy week for live events in Athens, we had the opportunity to attend last Sunday night a solo performance by Howe Gelb at Faust Club, where the leader of Giant Sand with the help of an old guitar and a piano presented us songs and shared stories from all of his amazing career so far, and on Thursday evening we were at the moving tribute to Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds' album "No More Shall We Part" by a select group of musicians including Jim Sclavunos, Eleanor Friedberger, Stef Kamil Carlens (Zita Swoon, dEUS), Illegal Operation with Etten and The Callas at the patio of The Benaki Museum, an event which was the audio part of Stefanos Rokos' exhibition of paintings inspired by Nick Cave's 2001 album. Check out below photos and videos from the two events:

Howe Gelb @ Faust (Athens, May 5th, 2019)

Howe Gelb - Shiver (live @ Faust, May 5th, 2019)

No More Shall We Part: The Concert @ Benaki Museum (Athens, May 9th, 2019)

Eleanor Friedberger with Jim Sclavunos

Eleanor Friedberger

Jim Sclavunos with Illegal Operation

Etten with Illegal Operation

Stef Kamil Carlens

Eleanor Friedberger with Jim Sclavunos - God is in the House (No More Shall We Part: The Concert, live @ Benaki Museum, May 9th, 2019)

Live: Eleanor Friedberger @ S.N.F.C.C. (Athens, November 26th, 2018)

The initial spark of inspiration for Eleanor Friedberger's latest solo album titled "Rebound" came from a visit to an Athens nightclub of the same name. Upon her return to our city, she had the opportunity to present us this album in a special event at the National Opera which was organized with the collaboration of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center.

In the first part of this event (a far cry from the last time we saw her performing in Athens at the humble Death Disco), Eleanor presented "Rebound" in its entirety accompanied by a string quartet which added a more luscious sound to her songs, opening up more possibilities in comparison to the simple, synth-based orchestrations of their recorded versions.

In the second part, it was time for Eleanor to pick up her guitar and revisit songs from the past, both from her solo career and from her time with The Fiery Furnaces. She reminded us with an acoustic version of "My Egyptian Grammar" of her first performance in Athens with the band she co-founded with her brother, while a jazzy version of "Tropical Iceland" and a rocking "Single Again" were also present in the set and among the highlights of the evening, which also included "My Mistakes", "Stare at the Sun" and "Sweetest Girl".

Eleanor's visit to the Opera was undoubtedly a unique experience and although a large portion of the audience was not familiar with her music, the event succeeded in highlighting her songwriting talent and presenting her latest record in a different, brighter light.

Eleanor Friedberger, live @ S.N.F.C.C. (Athens, November 26th, 2018)

Live: Eleanor Friedberger @ Death Disco (Athens, June 4, 2016)

It's been 6 years since we've last seen Eleanor Friedberger on a stage in Athens with The Fiery Furnaces (check out our review of that show here). The band has been inactive ever since and Eleanor has embarked on a solo career, giving us so far three excellent records, with the most recent "New View" being among the best releases of the year so far.

On Saturday we had the pleasure to see Eleanor Friedberger and her band at the Dead Disco club where she presented us her latest work along with a few choice cuts from her previous records. Some of our favorite songs in her hour-long set included "My Mistakes", "Stare at the Sun", "He Didn't Mention His Mother", "Because I Asked You", "Sweetest Girl", a cover of Cate Le Bon's "I Think I Knew" and an acoustic version of "Cathy With the Curly Hair" which closed the show.

Check out below Eleanor Friedberger and her band performing "Sweetest Girl" from her intimate Athens gig:

Eleanor Friedberger - Sweetest Girl, live @ Death Disco (Athens, June 4, 2016)

The show opened with a set by Cypriot singer songwriter Lefteris Moumtzis who presented, with the help of Vassilis Vlahakos from The Cave Children, his new album "Now Happiness", a collection of down-tempo pop songs with a melodic heart.

Lefteris Moumtzis, live @ Death Disco

#BestNewMusic 2016: January

The first batch of exciting new music releases for 2016 is already here. Have a listen below to Daughter, Savages, Animal Collective, Mass Gothic, The Manhattan Love Suicides and Eleanor Friedberger who are kicking off 2016 in style with their latest albums and singles:

"Numbers" by Daughter, taken from their excellent second album "Not To Disappear", released on January 15th, 2016.

"Adore" is taken from "Adore Life", the highly anticipated sophomore album by Savages, coming out on January 22nd, 2016.

Impressive video for Animal Collective's latest single "FloriDada", taken from "Painting With", out on February 19th, 2016.

"Every Night You've Got To Save Me" by Mass Gothic whose self-titled debut album will be released on February 5th, 2016.

"Bikini Party / Birthday Kill", the new 7" single by The Manhattan Love Suicides.


"Sweetest Girl" taken from Eleanor Friedberger's third solo album "New View", out on January 22nd, 2016.

Listening Habits 06-08.13: The Summer Collection

We’re expecting quite a few highly anticipated new releases between now and September (from Factory Floor, Julia Holter, Julie Ruin, Sebadoh, to name a few names), but before we start dealing with the exciting proposals of early fall, let’s have a look and another listen to the best albums and songs that made the summer months just a bit cooler. 

"More Light", Primal Scream’s tenth studio album, comes five years after their last effort (2008’s "Beautiful Future") and it is undoubtedly their most accomplished work since the early '00s period, when the band hit a creative peak with "XTRMNTR" and "Evil Heat". The long gestation period gave Primal Scream the chance to regroup and replenish their creative energy, giving "More Light" an urgency and passion that is truly remarkable. Three decades down the road, this Primal Scream sounds louder and more necessary than ever - a voice of dissent for all of us, the 21st century slaves!

"Trouble Will Find Me", The National’s follow up to "High Violet", their top work in my opinion, might lack the highs of their previous effort (no new song has the immediate punch of "Bloodbuzz Ohio", for example), but, given time, it proves to be just as addictive, creating a melancholic atmosphere that slowly but surely draws you in and keeps you under its spell. I’m expecting it to be an even better listen for the autumn months ahead.

Our summer Top 5 also includes "Cerulean Salt", Katie Crutchfield’s sophomore work as Waxahatchee, a lo-fi gem that follows in the footsteps of '90s songwriters like Liz Phair or Cat Power,  "Personal Record", the excellent second solo effort by Eleanor Friedberger of The Fiery Furnaces, who goes even further back, to her '70s pop idols, to find inspiration, and "Wakin' On A Pretty Daze", the melodic guitar epic by Kurt Vile. Here are the lists with all of our favorites for this summer:

Top 16 Albums

1.   More Light - PRIMAL SCREAM
2.   Trouble Will Find Me - THE NATIONAL
3.   Cerulean Salt - WAXAHATCHEE
4.   Personal Record - ELEANOR FRIEDBERGER
5.   Wakin On A Pretty Daze - KURT VILE
6.   Ghost On Ghost - IRON AND WINE
7.   Strange Pleasures - STILL CORNERS
8.   Desire Lines - CAMERA OBSCURA
9.   …Like Clockwork - QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE
10. Modern Vampires Of The City - VAMPIRE WEEKEND
11. Vanishing Point - MUDHONEY
12. Run The Jewels - RUN THE JEWELS
13. Yeezus - KANYE WEST
14. Olympia - AUSTRA
15. Monomania - DEERHUNTER
16. Hard Coming Down - GUN OUTFIT

Top 20 Tracks

1.   Culturecide - PRIMAL SCREAM
2.   Stare at the Sun - ELEANOR FRIEDBERGER
3.   Coast to Coast - WAXAHATCHEE
4.   Tiger Tank - SPEEDY ORTIZ
5.   Don’t Swallow the Cap - THE NATIONAL
6.   The Trip - STILL CORNERS
7.   Do It Again - CAMERA OBSCURA
8.   Diane Young - VAMPIRE WEEKEND
9.   My God Is the Sun - QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE
10. Black Skinhead - KANYE WEST
11. Home - AUSTRA
12. Low Light Buddy of Mine - IRON AND WINE
13. Wakin On a Pretty Day - KURT VILE
14. The Missing - DEERHUNTER
15. Family - HANNI EL KHATIB
16. I Like It Small - MUDHONEY
17. Flyin Low, Maria - GUN OUTFIT
18. Dreambuilding - GOAT
19. DDFH - RUN THE JEWELS
20. Astral Projection - LAWRENCE LINDELL

Primal Scream - Culturecide (studio session)

mp3 links via KEXP blog, Stereogum and Sub Pop (right click to download). You can get a free download of the Run The Jewels album, a collaboration between EL-P and Killer Mike, via the Fool's Gold site.

Summer Jams

After a necessary summer break, it's time to restart our engines and get back into the groove of new music. Although it's been a month since our last post here, we've been transmitting our latest findings via our Facebook page and twitter feed, but I think it's useful to collect the best of them in our first post for August. So, scroll down, hit play and enjoy eleven of Cool Music Central's favorite new jams and videos for Summer 2013:

Eleanor Friedberger - Stare at the Sun

Eleanor Friedberger of The Fiery Furnaces is back with her excellent second "Personal Record" and "Stare at the Sun" is a perfect pop tune for the summer, or any season really.

The Julie Ruin - Oh Come On

Great news to hear that Kathleen Hanna is in fine health and back in action with The Julie Ruin. The new album "Run Fast" is out at the beginning of September.

Sebadoh - I Will

'90s indie rock continues to strike back and finally, after 14 years, Sebadoh have a brand new record out on September 16; "Defend Yourself" is its title and "I Will" the first single.

Frankie Rose - Sorrow

A beautiful new tune from Frankie Rose and her forthcoming LP "Herein Wild", out September 24. September is looking good to me already!

Julia Holter - In The Green Wild

This one will be out much sooner, though... "Loud City Song", the new album by Julia Holter, is out next week and "In The Green Wild" is one of her best songs yet; Kate Bush meets Laurie Anderson in the Garden of Pop Delights!

Factory Floor - Turn It Up

Highly anticipated is an understatement in this case. The self-titled Factory Floor LP is finally coming out September 9 and suffice to say everything we've heard so far sounds amazing. So "Turn It Up" and just wait a few more weeks...

AlunaGeorge - You Know You Like It

"Body Music", the debut album by AlunaGeorge, delivers some of the best pop tunes of the year and "You Know You Like It" is most certainly one of them.

Yo La Tengo - Is That Enough

And here is something for music and math equation fans... 

Psychic Ills - See You There

They live among us, indeed. Here's the Psychic Ills' testimony...

Pop. 1280 - Human Probe

Frightening new stuff by Pop. 1280, available to listen and download as a free mp3. Their sophomore record "Imps of Perversion" (out now) is produced by Martin Bisi whose credits include Sonic Youth and Swans.

Major Leagues - Endless Drain



I don't know if the Brisbane, Australia, garage pop four-piece Major Leagues took its name from the excellent Pavement tune (I'd like to think so), but their very summery new single "Endless Drain" is so fine that I could certainly imagine a new band, a few years from now, naming themselves after this track. Let's just wait and see...

And finally, as a "bonus track", stream below one of the albums of the month (and, undoubtedly, the year), No Age's "An Object":