Top 50 Tracks of 2019

Happy New Year everybody and welcome to the '20s! We are closing our 2019 account with the selection of our Top 50 Tracks of the Year, a collection of outstanding songs from albums, singles and EPs released in the past 12 months that sum up our listening habits and set the benchmark of excellence for the music we care about.

To help us in the difficult task of narrowing down a year's worth of great new music to just 50 tracks, we are sticking to the rule of choosing just one song from each artist or band (usually one of their singles), although in many cases even that choice proved difficult.

However, there was no doubt about what song should be honored with C.M.C.'s Track of the Year title, as "Not" by Big Thief is that rare piece of music that hits you immediately with its intense emotional power and haunts you long after the end of the six wonderful minutes of tearful joy it offers. The greatest moment yet in Adrianne Lenker's magnificent songbook and one for the list of The Best Songs of the '10s! More on this subject soon, but first here are our Top 50 Tracks of 2019:

Top 50 Tracks of 2019

1. Not - BIG THIEF

2. Blankenship - DIIV

3. Seventeen - SHARON VAN ETTEN

4. The barrel - ALDOUS HARDING

5. All my happiness is gone - PURPLE MOUNTAINS

6. Rylan - THE NATIONAL



7. Big - FONTAINES D.C.



8. Green & Blue - THE MURDER CAPITAL



9. In the capital - ROLLING BLACKOUTS COASTAL FEVER



10. All mirrors - ANGEL OLSEN



11. This life - VAMPIRE WEEKEND
12. I want your dreams - PETER PERRETT
13. Woman - KAREN O & DANGER MOUSE
14. High Alice - JENNY HVAL
15. Deadzone - LADYTRON
16. Future love - RIDE
17. Element - DEERHUNTER
18. White stuff - ROYAL TRUX
19. Rechargeable - SNAPPED ANKLES
20. Ducter - BLACK MIDI
21. Feet - FAT WHITE FAMILY
22. Summon the fire - THE COMET IS COMING  
23. Stitch it up - MARK LANEGAN BAND
24. Sketch artist - KIM GORDON
25. Not the news - THOM YORKE
26. Hurry on home - SLEATER-KINNEY
27. The 20 teens - WIVES
28. Shiny new model - BODEGA
29. Wasted nun - CHERRY GLAZERR
30. Tough enough - EX HEX
31. Jesus’ son - PRIESTS
32. The one - MARIKA HACKMAN
33. Red Bull & Hennessy - JENNY LEWIS
34. Walking away from love - STEVE MASON
35. The hunger - BAT FOR LASHES
36. On the Luna - FOALS
37. Daddy issues - PIP BLOM
38. Got you - AMYL AND THE SNIFFERS
39. On graveyard hill - PIXIES
40. Warranty - MEAT PUPPETS
41. Addicted to the day - BLUE ORCHIDS
42. Lineas en hojas - LORELLE MEETS THE OBSOLETE
43. Lost heads - MOON DUO
44. Future shade - BLACK MOUNTAIN
45. Help me stranger - THE RACONTEURS
46. Taste - TY SEGALL
47. Lost faith - BOB MOULD
48. Falling down the stairs of your smile - THE NEW PORNOGRAPHERS
49. LPs - JEFFREY LEWIS & THE VOLTAGE
50. Sunglasses - BLACK COUNTRY, NEW ROAD

Listening Habits: 11-12.2019

In the last "Listening Habits" of the year, we present the 10 albums that we've listened to the most in the last two months of 2019 and select our favorite tracks from them. As we have always done in the 12 years of this blog, we'll close the year with the lists of our favorite albums and songs of the past 12 months, while in the new year we'll present the music and artists that stood out for us in the last decade. The new year will also bring changes for this blog. I haven't worked out all the details just yet, but the new decade will also usher in a new Cool Music Central. More on this subject, very soon...

The last batch of new arrivals for 2019 consists of some truly fine albums, some from dear old friends who we go a long way back with and who continue to brighten our days with their music creations, despite (or maybe because of?) the darkness that lies within (Swans, Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds, Mark Lanegan, Pixies), some from artists who have established themselves in the course of the last decade and returned with excellent new chapters to their story (Bat For Lashes, Chelsea Wolfe, Jenny Hval) and some from relatively new names who we believe we are going to listen to a lot more in the 2020s (Big Thief, Bodega, Wives).

A special mention goes out to Big Thief who doubled their discography in 2019 with two wonderful albums of poetic, emotionally charged, folk rock music and who are also responsible for our Track of the Year for 2019 with the stunning "Not", an electrifying live version of which you can watch in the video below.

Top 10 Albums

1.   Leaving Meaning - SWANS
2.   Two Hands - BIG THIEF
3.   Somebody's Knocking - MARK LANEGAN BAND
4.   The Practice Of Love - JENNY HVAL
5.   So Removed - WIVES
6.   Ghosteen - NICK CAVE AND THE BAD SEEDS
7.   Lost Girls - BAT FOR LASHES
8.   Birth Of Violence - CHELSEA WOLFE
9.   Beneath The Eyrie - PIXIES
10. Shiny New Model EP - BODEGA

Top 10 Tracks

1.   Not - BIG THIEF
2.   The Hanging Man - SWANS
3.   Hollywood - NICK CAVE AND THE BAD SEEDS
4.   Night Flight To Kabul - MARK LANEGAN BAND
5.   High Alice - JENNY HVAL
6.   The 20 Teens - WIVES
7.   The Hunger - BAT FOR LASHES
8.   The Mother Road - CHELSEA WOLFE
9.   On Graveyard Hill - PIXIES
10. Shiny New Model - BODEGA

Big Thief - Not (Live from The Bunker Studios)

Listening Habits: 09-10.2019

It is the end of days for 2019 and for the second decade of the 21st century as well, which means that the time of reckoning is near! What were the albums that stood out in the last twelve months and, perhaps more importantly, what were the new music creations that meant the most to us in the last ten years of our lives? All these questions will be answered soon, but for now Cool Music Central asks and answers the more simple question of what have we been listening to the most in the last couple of months.

"No Home Record" is the first ever album that Kim Gordon releases under her own name and it marks her first venture into experimental electronic music. Her unmistakable vocal delivery and bursts of guitar noise here and there remind us of Kim's past work, but the only other record in her resume that came to my mind while listening to the the new songs, which often feel closer to Aphex Twin than Sonic Youth, was "The Whitey Album" where Sonic Youth, under the guise of Ciccone Youth, experimented with pop music deconstruction. The end result is nothing less than exhilarating, subverting what you might expect from a Kim Gordon solo record and finding new ways to bring together noise rock and electronic music.

Angel Olsen's "All Mirrors" is also a reinvention of sorts. She moved from folk to electrifying rock in her previous album, 2016's excellent "My Woman", and now lush string arrangements come into the picture, redefining her sound and creating a rich, textured orchestral background for her powerful, emotional delivery. Another masterful work by one of this decade's best songwriters!

In our Top 15 below, you'll find several more strong new releases that solidify my assessment that 2019 has been one of the best years in recent memory for music, including Diiv's "Deceiver", a deep dive into '90s dream pop with the spirit of My Bloody Valentine guiding their efforts, Thom Yorke's "Anima", perhaps his best solo effort so far, plus the amazing debut by Dublin's The Murder Capital, titled "When I Have Fears", which we recently had the pleasure of attending its live presentation.

Here are our Top 15 albums and tracks for September - October 2019:

Top 15 Albums

1.   All Mirrors - ANGEL OLSEN
2.   No Home Record - KIM GORDON
3.   Anima - THOM YORKE
4.   Deceiver - DIIV
5.   When I Have Fears - THE MURDER CAPITAL
6.   Any Human Friend - MARIKA HACKMAN
7.   The Center Won't Hold - SLEATER-KINNEY
8.   This Is Not A Safe Place - RIDE
9.   Close It Quietly - FRANKIE COSMOS
10. Venus In Leo - HTRK
11. In The Morse Code Of Break Lights - THE NEW PORNOGRAPHERS
12. Stars Are The Light - MOON DUO
13. Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost Part 1 / Part 2 - FOALS
14. Eton Alive - SLEAFORD MODS
15. Years To Burn - CALEXICO / IRON AND WINE

Top 15 Tracks

1.   Blankenship - DIIV
2.   Green & Blue - THE MURDER CAPITAL
3.   Summer - ANGEL OLSEN
4.   Sketch Artist - KIM GORDON
5.   Not The News - THOM YORKE
6.   The One - MARIKA HACKMAN
7.   Hurry On Home - SLEATER-KINNEY
8.   Future Love - RIDE
9.   Falling Down The Stairs Of Your Smile - THE NEW PORNOGRAPHERS
10. Lost Heads - MOON DUO
11. You Know How To Make Me Happy - HTRK
12. 41st - FRANKIE COSMOS
13. In Degrees - FOALS
14. Kebab Spider - SLEAFORD MODS
15. Midnight Sun - CALEXICO / IRON AND WINE

Listening Habits: Summer 2019

With vacations, festivals and other summer activities behind us, it is time for the summer edition of our "Listening Habits" lists, in which, every few months, we present the albums and tracks that stood out for us among the latest new releases and earned a place in our record collection.

At the top of the albums list for Summer 2019 you'll find one of the best debuts of the year, Black Midi's weird but certainly wonderful "Schlagenheim". The "weird" part, at least for me, is the unusual singing of main vocalist Geordie Greep which took a while to get used to, but the music skills displayed by the dynamic London quartet are undeniable and the end result is one of the most thrilling noise rock rides in recent history. Repeated listening at high volume is highly recommended!

From Black Midi's sublime noise experimentation, a sharp turn towards melody with Big Thief's "UFOF", the folk band's third full length effort and first for the historic 4AD label (which, by the way, is having a stellar 2019). We already knew that Adrianne Lenker is an amazingly talented songwriter but with "UFOF" her band is progressing to the next level, presenting us a confident set of emotionally powerful folk rock songs that flow into each other to create a wonderful whole. With "UFOF" already in the running for one of the albums of the year, the band has already recorded its next record, titled "Two Hands", which is expected in October and if new track "Not" is any indication, it looks very likely that the best is yet to come for Big Thief!

Among the best albums we've listened to this summer is also the self-titled record by Purple Mountains, a new project which was supposed to be David Berman's return to music, but unfortunately turned out to be his final farewell. The Silver Jews frontman was fighting his demons out of the public eye in the decade since he announced the end of his band which gave us excellent albums including "American Water", "Bright Flight" and "Lookout Mountain, Lookout Sea". With "Purple Mountains", a record he made with the collaboration of Jarvis Taveniere and Jeremy Earl from the band Woods, Berman made his comeback to songwriting with another great set of songs bearing his unique style and wit. Sadly the darkness that lies at their core could not be exorcised and only weeks after the album's release came the bad news. Although in this case music could not overcome adversity for its creator, you should not miss the opportunity to listen to "Purple Mountains", the last great work of a truly unique poet and songwriter.

Among the rest of the fine albums you will find in our Top 20 below, a special mention is merited for Ty Segall's latest work, "First Taste", his 12th solo studio album. Being overly prolific has the danger of losing the ability to filter properly your work, but it seems that Ty has no such problems as we are now used to having every year at least one of his LPs among the year's best. A year and a half after the amazing "Freedom's Goblin" (and two or three pretty good releases in between), he is back with another rocking record, in which he is not using his guitar at all, but still finds ways to blow our minds and ears. Another year, another album of the year by Ty Segall - business as usual then!

Top 20 Albums

1.   Schlagenheim - BLACK MIDI
2.   U.F.O.F. - BIG THIEF
3.   Purple Mountains - PURPLE MOUNTAINS
4.   First Taste - TY SEGALL
5.   Father Of The Bride - VAMPIRE WEEKEND
6.   Humanworld - PETER PERRETT
7.   Amyl And The Sniffers - AMYL AND THE SNIFFERS
8.   Boat - PIP BLOM
9.   Destroyer - BLACK MOUNTAIN
10. Help Us Stranger - THE RACONTEURS
11. Patience - MANNEQUIN PUSSY
12. Act Surprised - SEBADOH
13. These Times - THE DREAM SYNDICATE
14. Let's Rock - THE BLACK KEYS
15. Shepherd In A Sheepskin Vest - BILL CALLAHAN
16. Inside The Rose - THESE NEW PURITANS
17. About The Light - STEVE MASON
18. Proto - HOLLY HERNDON
19. Trust In The Lifeforce Of The Deep Mystery - THE COMET IS COMING  
20. The Magical Record Of Blue Orchids - BLUE ORCHIDS
 

Top 20 Tracks

1.   U.F.O.F. - BIG THIEF
2.   Margaritas At The Mall - PURPLE MOUNTAINS
3.   Ducter - BLACK MIDI
4.   Taste - TY SEGALL
5.   In The Capital - ROLLING BLACKOUTS COASTAL FEVER
6.   Summon The Fire - THE COMET IS COMING   
7.   This Life - VAMPIRE WEEKEND
8.   Master Of Destruction - PETER PERRETT
9.   Daddy Issues - PIP BLOM
10. Got You - AMYL AND THE SNIFFERS
11. Drunk II - MANNEQUIN PUSSY
12. Future Shade - BLACK MOUNTAIN
13. Help Me Stranger - THE RACONTEURS
14. Lo/Hi - THE BLACK KEYS
15. Black Light - THE DREAM SYNDICATE
16. Celebrate The Void - SEBADOH
17. Addicted To The Day - BLUE ORCHIDS
18. Walking Away From Love - STEVE MASON
19. Into The Fire - THESE NEW PURITANS
20. Eternal - HOLLY HERNDON

Listening Habits 03-05.2019

In about a month’s time we’ll be taking a look at all the new releases that stood out in the first half of the year, but in the meantime here’s our long overdue "Listening Habits" post with our favorite albums and tracks for Spring 2019:

The debut album of the year so far came by the Irish post-punk outfit Fontaines D.C., a band we had the opportunity to see up close in action last December and our high expectations were more than satisfied by the refreshingly powerful and at the same time wonderfully tuneful "Dogrel", a record that reminded me of the thrill of hearing for the first time The Strokes or The White Stripes (not to go too far back in time). In different times for rock music Fontaines D.C. would be climbing the pop charts and headlining festivals in no time. As things stand, they are a prime example that punk rock remains a source of motivation and inspiration for young musicians four decades after the big bang of the mid-seventies.

Another great record of the last few months was The National’s "I Am Easy To Find" who eight albums into their magnificent discography managed to produce another career highlight, their best effort since their break-out album "High Violet". Matt Berninger here shares vocal duties with a stunning array of female vocalists including Lisa Hannigan, Sharon Van Etten, Mina Tindle, Gail Ann Dorsey and Kate Stables, adding another viewpoint to the songs and enriching their effect. The accompanying short film by Mike Mills, starring Alicia Vikander, is also excellent and you should definitely check it out.

Our top albums of Spring 2019 also include the sophomore LP by Snapped Ankles, who go from strength to strength with the Kraut-rock influenced, post-punk gem "Stunning Luxury", Priests’ "The Seduction Of Kansas", also a second effort that builds on the strength of a very promising debut, and "Designer", a folk-influenced treat of melodic delights by New Zealander Aldous Harding with John Parish on production duties.

Also, in a year filled with many interesting returns from artists and bands who we’ve been following for decades, we must emphasize that Royal Trux with "White Stuff" have produced one of their most satisfying albums, their eleventh full-length in a singular 30-year career of deranged rock’n’roll but first one since 2000, while Bob Mould, who never went away since our first introduction way back in the Husker Du days, has made one his top solo efforts with the fiery "Sunshine Rock", his 13th album under his own name.

Top 20 Albums

1.   Dogrel - FONTAINES D.C.
2.   I Am Easy To Find - THE NATIONAL
3.   Stunning Luxury - SNAPPED ANKLES
4.   White Stuff - ROYAL TRUX
5.   Sunshine Rock - BOB MOULD
6.   The Seduction Of Kansas - PRIESTS
7.   Designer - ALDOUS HARDING
8.   Serfs Up! - FAT WHITE FAMILY
9.   It's Real - EX HEX
10. Dusty Notes - MEAT PUPPETS
11. Lux Prima - KAREN O & DANGER MOUSE
12. Ladytron - LADYTRON
13. De Facto - LORELLE MEETS THE OBSOLETE
14. Psychedelic Country Soul - THE LONG RYDERS
15. I Used To Be Pretty - THE FLESH EATERS
16. You Won't Get What You Want - DAUGHTERS
17. The Unseen In Between - STEVE GUNN
18. On The Line - JENNY LEWIS
19. Silver Dollar Moment - THE ORIELLES
20. Art Of Doubt - METRIC

Top 20 Tracks

1.   The Barrel - ALDOUS HARDING
2.   You Had Your Soul With You - THE NATIONAL
3.   Big - FONTAINES D.C.
4.   Jesus’ Son - PRIESTS
5.   Tough Enough - EX HEX
6.   White Stuff - ROYAL TRUX
7.   Tailpipe - SNAPPED ANKLES
8.   Feet - FAT WHITE FAMILY
9.   Deadzone - LADYTRON
10. Woman - KAREN O & DANGER MOUSE
11. Lineas En Hojas - LORELLE MEETS THE OBSOLETE
12. Lost Faith - BOB MOULD
13. Warranty - MEAT PUPPETS
14. Psychedelic Country Soul - THE LONG RYDERS
15. Red Bull & Hennessy - JENNY LEWIS
16. Risk - METRIC
17. Let Your Dogtooth Grow - THE ORIELLES
18. Vagabond - STEVE GUNN
19. Black Temptation - THE FLESH EATERS
20. The Reason They Hate Me - DAUGHTERS

April 2019 Highlights: Priests, Fontaines D.C.

In the first half of April two great post-punk records stood out - have a listen:

Priests - The Seduction of Kansas

The second album by Priests, with John Congleton on production duties, has a brighter, more pop-friendly sound than their debut without compromising its fiery and furious spirit. It will make you dance to its rebellious beat while serving you some food for thought.

Priests - Jesus' Son

Fontaines D.C. - Dogrel

After a series of excellent singles, our favorite Dubliners Fontaines D.C. release their much anticipated debut album and it's everything we have been hoping for: a bold, urgent post-punk statement taking its cue from bands like The Fall or Joy Division while talking about today's issues and concerns. Without a doubt, one of the debut albums of the year! Check out here our live review of their Athens gig in December.

Fontaines D.C. - Big

Listening Habits 01-02.2019

In the first post of this blog in March 2008, we presented the list of the Top 20 albums we have been listening to during the start of that year. Fast forward eleven years and what better way to start C.M.C.'s twelfth year on Blogger than with our current list of favorites:

As usual at this time of the year, the mix of albums we are listening to combine new releases with quite a few important "leftovers" from the previous year, records we either started listening close to the end of 2018 and we still can't get enough of (Julia Holter, Kurt Vile, Low, Spiritualized, Mudhoney), a few late releases that took us a while to get a hold of (Jon Spencer, Phosphorescent, Cloud Nothings), but also some new discoveries that came to our attention thanks to the various year-end lists (Tropical Fuck Storm, The Beths, Audiobooks, Gabe Gurnsey), which should definitely find a place in the final version of our own "Best of 2018" as well.

As for the first new releases of 2019 that earned our appreciation and the most spins during January and February, those include "Ex:Re", the debut solo project by Elena Tonra of Daughter, "Stuffed & Ready", the third LP by Cherry Glazerr (see also here), the return of Deerhunter with "Why Hasn't Everything Already Disappeared?" and, of course, "Remind Me Tomorrow", the fifth and best album so far by Sharon Van Etten, who tries and succeeds to open up her sound to new influences, creating a joyous and richly rewarding listening experience from start to finish.

Here are our 20 favorite albums and tracks for January - February 2019:

Top 20 Albums

1.   Remind Me Tomorrow - SHARON VAN ETTEN
2.   Why Hasn't Everything Already Disappeared? - DEERHUNTER
3.   Stuffed & Ready - CHERRY GLAZERR
4.   Ex:Re - EX:RE
5.   Aviary - JULIA HOLTER
6.   Bottle It In - KURT VILE
7.   Spencer Sings The Hits - JON SPENCER
8.   A Laughing Death In Meatspace - TROPICAL FUCK STORM
9.   Digital Garbage - MUDHONEY
10. Double Negative - LOW
11. And Nothing Hurt - SPIRITUALIZED
12. C'est La Vie - PHOSPHORESCENT
13. Physical - GABE GURNSEY
14. Now! (in a minute) - AUDIOBOOKS
15. Future Me Hates Me - THE BETHS
16. Last Building Burning - CLOUD NOTHINGS
17. Merrie Land - THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE QUEEN
18. Big Attraction & Giddy Up - AMYL AND THE SNIFFERS
19. Rough Trade Shops Counter Culture 18 - VARIOUS ARTISTS
20. Life & Death On The New York Dance Floor 1980 - 1983 - VARIOUS ARTISTS

Top 20 Tracks

1.  Seventeen - SHARON VAN ETTEN
2.  Element - DEERHUNTER
3.  Wasted Nun - CHERRY GLAZERR
4.  Romance - EX:RE
5.  I Shall Love 2 - JULIA HOLTER
6.   Loading Zones - KURT VILE
7.   Do The Trash Can - JON SPENCER
8.   The Future Of History - TROPICAL FUCK STORM
9.   Friends In The Bubble Bath - AUDIOBOOKS
10. You Can - GABE GURNSEY
11. Boys in the Better Land - FONTAINES D.C.
12. Future Me Hates Me - THE BETHS
13. Westgate - AMYL AND THE SNIFFERS
14. Kill Yourself Live - MUDHONEY
15. The Morning After - SPIRITUALIZED
16. New Birth In New England - PHOSPHORESCENT
17. Fly - LOW
18. Merrie Land - THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE QUEEN
19. Half Life - SMERZ
20. Leave Him Now - CLOUD NOTHINGS

February 2019 Highlights: Bob Mould, Cherry Glazerr, Ex:Re

Going through the releases of the first half of February we have singled out three albums that we want to add to our record collection as soon as possible. Check them out:

Bob Mould - Sunshine Rock

It's been forty years since Bob Mould started out with Hüsker Dü and here he is again with his 13th solo record, the rocking "Sunshine Rock". As the title suggests, this album is about turning towards the brighter side of life and focusing on the positive despite the troubles we are all facing.

Bob Mould - Lost Faith

Cherry Glazerr - Stuffed & Ready

Cherry Glazerr, the band formed by Clementine Creevy in Los Angeles about 6 years ago, returns after 2017's excellent "Apocalipstick" with another cherry bomb of a record, their third effort, titled "Stuffed & Ready". Think "Cherub Rock"-era Smashing Pumpkins jamming with Lush and let the sound of '90s alternative rock take over 2019!

Cherry Glazerr - Wasted Nun

Ex:Re - Ex:Re

Ex:Re is the solo project of Daughter's Elena Tonra and her debut solo release was inspired by the heartbreak of a bad breakup, the perfect record then to counter Valentine Day's schmaltz. Her beautifully melancholic voice is perfect for the subject matter while the soothing trip hop beats and melodies make for an ideal remedy for love's sorrows.

Ex:Re - The Dazzler

January 2019 Highlights #2: Sharon Van Etten, Deerhunter

We had several cool new releases out this weekend and here are the two that we think stood out:

Sharon Van Etten - Remind Me Tomorrow

The fifth album by Sharon Van Etten comes 5 years after her previous effort and if the three singles we've heard from it so far is any indication, it may well be her best one yet. Here's the most recent one, the excellent "Seventeen":

Sharon Van Etten - Seventeen

Deerhunter - Why Hasn't Everything Already Disappeared?

Another welcome return: Deerhunter are back after 4 years with their eighth full-length and here is the video for its opening track "Death in Midsummer":

Deerhunter - Death in Midsummer

January 2019 Highlights #1: Lorelle Meets The Obsolete, Tallies

As 2019 gets underway, here are a couple of new releases that stood out this week:

Lorelle Meets The Obsolete - De Facto

It's been about two and a half years since we last heard from the Guadalajara, Mexico, psych-rockers Lorelle Meets The Obsolete who released their 4th album "Balance" in 2016 and also played their first ever gig in Athens that October. They are back this week with their latest and greatest new record "De Facto", an album accurately described as being somewhere between the electronic experimentation of Low's "Double Negative" and "Tender Buttons"-era Broadcast. Here's the video for new song "Líneas En Hojas", one of the catchiest songs they have ever made:

Lorelle Meets The Obsolete – Líneas En Hojas

Tallies - Tallies

Another release that caught our attention this week is the debut album by Toronto, Ontario indie pop quartet Tallies. Their guitar sound brings to mind the C86 era that regularly makes a comeback every few years while their pop melodies and Sarah Cogan's singing reminded me of The Sundays (remember them?). Here's the video for "Beat the Heart", one of the album's highlights:

Tallies - Beat the Heart

Top 50 Tracks of 2018

Cool Music Central waves goodbye to 2018 with the traditional year-end selection of our favorite tracks of the year: 50 great songs selected from albums, singles and EPs released in the last 12 months.

As usual, our singles list includes only one track from each artist or band in order to help us with the difficult task of narrowing down the selection to just 50 songs and also to represent as many of our favorite releases of the year as possible.

Check back next week for the list of our favorite albums of the year. In the meantime, hit play in the playlist below to listen to our Top 50 Tracks of 2018 led by U.S. Girls' "Pearly Gates", a soulful slice of retrofuturistic art pop describing a woman's efforts to gain entry to the heavenly realm by seducing a predatory St. Peter, a song which according to Meg Remy was inspired by a story recounted to her about a man attempting to convince a woman to engage in unprotected sex by saying “Don’t worry, I’m really good at pulling out!”.

Top 50 Tracks of 2018

 1. Pearly Gates - U.S. GIRLS

 2. Talking Straight - ROLLING BLACKOUTS COASTAL FEVER

3. How Did This Happen!? - BODEGA

4. Don't Beat the Girl Out of My Boy - ANNA CALVI

5. Woman - CAT POWER

6. Lemon Glow - BEACH HOUSE

7. Comeback Kid - SHARON VAN ETTEN

8. Need a Little Time - COURTNEY BARNETT

9. Make Time 4 Love - THE GOON SAX

10. Nobody - MITSKI

11. I Shall Love 2 - JULIA HOLTER
12. Nervous Mary - THE BREEDERS
13. The Man - GOAT GIRL
14. Danny Nedelko - IDLES
15. Total Football - PARQUET COURTS
16. MX Liberty - THURSTON MOORE
17. Wheel of Fortune - PROTOMARTYR
18. CIA Man (NSA Man Violation) - SNAPPED ANKLES
19. Over And Over And Over - JACK WHITE
20. Complex - THE CHILLS
21. Loading Zones - KURT VILE
22. Four Out of Five - ARCTIC MONKEYS
23. The Rover - INTERPOL
24. Shiny One - BELLY
25. Heat Wave - SNAIL MAIL
26. Your Dog - SOCCER MOMMY
27. Apathy - FRANKIE COSMOS
28. For You Too - YO LA TENGO
29. Refute - STEPHEN MALKMUS & THE JICKS
30. Crisis Fest - SUNFLOWER BEAN
31. Fanny - TY SEGALL
32. Catch It - ICEAGE
33. Static Resistance - HOOKWORMS
34. Brean Down - BEAK>
35. You Can - GABE GURNSEY
36. IDK About You - FEVER RAY
37. Heart Attack - TUNE-YARDS
38. Lotus - GANG GANG DANCE
39. Surface To Air - DJANGO DJANGO
40. Curse of the Contemporary - LUMP
41. Little Dark Age - MGMT
42. Put Your Money on Me - ARCADE FIRE
43. Last Lion of Albion - NEKO CASE
44. Severed - THE DECEMBERISTS
45. Nervous Young Inhumans - CAR SEAT HEADREST
46. What a Time to Be Alive - SUPERCHUNK
47. Never Coming Back - A PLACE TO BURY STRANGERS
48. Lucky 88 - SPEEDY ORTIZ
49. I'm Your Man - SPIRITUALIZED
50. Disarray - LOW

Listening Habits 09-10.2018

It won't be long until the endless scroll of the "Albums of the Year" lists for 2018 begins on your screens and as we consider our own two cents on the matter, here are the latest new albums with the most spins on C.M.C.'s record player for the first couple of months of the fall season:

Anna Calvi's "Hunter", her third and probably best album so far, is at the top of our list and is certainly a strong candidate for 2018's year-end Top 5, while Martin Phillipps continues his songwriting rejuvenation with "Snow Bound", the second album for New Zealand's legendary The Chills after their comeback in 2015.

Six years ago Cat Power claimed the top of our 2012 Albums of the Year list with "Sun". Her return with "Wanderer", the 10th album in her amazing 23-year career, finds her returning to a more acoustic sound with minimal arrangements where her voice is the center of attention and shining as always.

Other notable releases this fall which also deserve prominent positions in the coming year-end lists are "Possible Dust Clouds", Kristin Hersh's latest solo release and first for Fire Records, where her electrifying sound reaches the fever pitch we usually find in her Throwing Muses records, and "Marauder", Interpol's sixth album who have collaborated with producer Dave Fridmann to give us perhaps their best work in this decade.

Add to these five excellent new albums, the strong releases by newcomers Bodega from New York, who have one of the best debuts of 2018 with "Endless Scroll", Australia's The Goon Sax who share some of the same DNA with The Go-Betweens (both literally and metaphorically as Robert Forster's son Louis is one of the founders of the band), Bristol's positive punks Idles, Denmark's Iceage and Japanese-American songwriter Mitski and you have a pretty solid Top 10 for September-October 2018. And, of course, there's more...

Check out our Top 15 below and listen to a playlist with some of the standout tracks from these albums:

Top 15 Albums

1.   Hunter - ANNA CALVI
2.   Snow Bound - THE CHILLS
3.   Wanderer - CAT POWER
4.   Possible Dust Clouds - KRISTIN HERSH
5.   Marauder - INTERPOL
6.   We're Not Talking - THE GOON SAX
7.   Endless Scroll - BODEGA
8.   Joy As An Act Of Resistance - IDLES
9.   Beyondless - ICEAGE
10. Be The Cowboy - MITSKI
11. Sparkle Hard - STEPHEN MALKMUS & THE JICKS
12. The Church of Simultaneous Existence - THE AINTS!
13. Pinned - A PLACE TO BURY STRANGERS
14. Hell-on - NEKO CASE
15. Goners - LAURA GIBSON

Top 15 Tracks

1.   As a Man - ANNA CALVI
2.   You Get  - CAT POWER
3.   Make Time 4 Love - THE GOON SAX
4.   Complex - THE CHILLS
5.   Breathe In - KRISTIN HERSH
6.   The Rover - INTERPOL
7.   How Did This Happen?! - BODEGA
8.   Danny Nedelko - IDLES
9.   Pain Killer - ICEAGE
10. Nobody - MITSKI
11. Refute - STEPHEN MALKMUS & THE JICKS
12. Last Lion of Albion - NEKO CASE
13. Domestication - LAURA GIBSON
14. Never Coming Back - A PLACE TO BURY STRANGERS
15. Red Aces - THE AINTS!

Listening Habits: Summer 2018

We’re closing the summer period with the presentation of the new records and reissues that we’ve been listening to the most during this hot season.

At the two top positions of our album list we have a couple of the best releases of 2018 so far, the seventh Beach House LP simply titled "7" and the debut full-length by Australian indie-rockers Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever, the excellent "Hope Downs". 

Rolling Blackouts C. F. had already shown us what they are capable of with their first two EPs and especially last year’s stunning Sub Pop debut "The French Press". On "Hope Downs", their Go-Betweens-style pop craftsmanship, bolstered by jangling, multilayered guitars, continues to shine for the duration of 10 excellent tracks that solidify the band’s position as one of the brightest hopes for guitar-rock in an era that the genre desperately needs it.

Meanwhile, the dream-pop journey of Beach House continues and amazingly they seem to keep getting better, slowly evolving and perfecting their sound. Their seventh album in twelve years is undoubtedly one of the highlights of their career so far, successfully mixing contemporary dance-pop elements to their sweet psychedelic swirling sound, while the collaboration with Sonic Boom who took on production duties, proved to be fruitful, balancing perfectly all elements and influences that make up the sound of "7".

The Sub Pop hat trick at the top of our Top 16 Albums list is concluded with another indie-pop gem by Frankie Cosmos, the excellent "Vessel", a record full of melodic, perfectly-formed pop vignettes that stick to your mind despite of (or maybe because of) their brevity.

Other notable entries in our Summer list include "Lush", the debut Snail Mail album that showcases the songwriting and guitar playing talents of 19-year old Lindsey Jordan (who is certainly making her guitar teacher Mary Timony proud), the manic indie-rock thrills of "Snares Like A Haircut" by No Age, the always fine dance-pop experiments of Gang Gang Dance in "Kazuashita", the return of '90s favorites Belly with "Dove", the first LP in 23 years for Tanya Donelly’s successful project after her tenure in Throwing Muses and The Breeders, and the new records by Speedy Ortiz and Soccer Mommy who follow in the path that Belly and their contemporaries created back in the '90s.

And talking about influential bands, a recent reissue that should not go unnoticed is the box set "Seeing The Unseeable: The Complete Studio Recordings Of The Flaming Lips 1986-1990", including the first four Flaming Lips albums on Restless Records plus two more CDs of B-sides and rarities from the first period of the Oklahoma rock mavericks. Essential listening!

Top 16 Albums

1.   Hope Downs - ROLLING BLACKOUTS COASTAL FEVER
2.   7 - BEACH HOUSE
3.   Vessel - FRANKIE COSMOS
4.   Lush - SNAIL MAIL
5.   Snares Like A Haircut - NO AGE
6.   Kazuashita - GANG GANG DANCE
7.   Dove - BELLY
8.   Twerp Verse - SPEEDY ORTIZ
9.   Clean - SOCCER MOMMY
10. Rebound - ELEANOR FRIEDBERGER
11. Joy - TY SEGALL & WHITE FENCE
12. V. - WOODEN SHJIPS
13. Marble Skies - DJANGO DJANGO
14. Consolation E.P. - PROTOMARTYR
15. Seeing The Unseeable: The Complete Studio Recordings Of The Flaming Lips 1986-1990 - THE FLAMING LIPS
16. Made To Be Broken (reissue) - SOUL ASYLUM

Top 15 Tracks

1.   An Air Conditioned Man - ROLLING BLACKOUTS COASTAL FEVER
2.   Lemon Glow - BEACH HOUSE
3.   Shiny One - BELLY
4.   Heat Wave - SNAIL MAIL
5.   Your Dog - SOCCER MOMMY
6.   Apathy - FRANKIE COSMOS
7.   Wheel of Fortune (feat. Kelley Deal) - PROTOMARTYR
8.   Popper - NO AGE
9.   Lotus - GANG GANG DANCE
10. Surface to Air (feat. Self Esteem) - DJANGO DJANGO
11. Fast Slow Disco - ST. VINCENT
12. Lucky 88 - SPEEDY ORTIZ
13. In Between Stars - ELEANOR FRIEDBERGER
14. Body Behavior - TY SEGALL & WHITE FENCE
15. Red Line - WOODEN SHJIPS

Listening Habits 04-05.2018

Second albums are always a challenge, especially if your debut happens to be among the best ones of the current decade, but Courtney Barnett has pulled it off in spectacular fashion with "Tell Me How You Really Feel".

Her new offering, which comes only months after "Lotta Sea Lice", her fine collaborative effort with Kurt Vile, lyrically deals with the anxieties and insecurities of the author ("Crippling Self-Doubt and a General Lack of Confidence" is a very revealing song title) but the music in contrast sounds relaxed and self-assured, creating another strong batch of breezy indie pop songs that give further proof of Courtney Barnett's songwriting genius!

Parquet Courts' sixth full-length "Wide Awaaaaake!" continues the band's amazing run of top-notch punk-influenced rock records, but this time the spectrum of influences has widened further to include funk and dance-pop elements.

Without sacrificing the rough edges of their sound, Parquet Courts are broadening their musical horizons and with the help of producer Danger Mouse, they have created their most diverse sounding record to date, where post punk, indie pop and funk coexist peacefully and create a powerful whole.

Among the rest of the albums that stood out for us in the last couple of months you will find the long-awaited, excellent debut by promising London post-punk quartet Goat Girl, Tune-Yard's techno-influenced fourth LP "I Can Feel You Creep Into My Private Life", the ambitious "Microshift", the third full-length effort by Hookworms where psych-pop meets krautrock, the full-on punk rockin' return of Hot Snakes and Superchunk, and some fine pop melodies by britpop heroes Arctic Monkeys and New York hopefuls Sunflower Bean.

Check out below our Top 12 Albums for April - May 2018 and have a listen to our Top 15 Tracks on the Spotify playlist:

Top 12 Albums

1.   Tell Me How You Really Feel - COURTNEY BARNETT 

2.   Wide Awaaaaake! - PARQUET COURTS

3.   Goat Girl - GOAT GIRL

4.   I Can Feel You Creep Into My Private Life - TUNE-YARDS

5.   Microshift - HOOKWORMS

6.   Jericho Sirens - HOT SNAKES

7.   What A Time To Be Alive - SUPERCHUNK

8.   Tranquility Base Hotel + Casino - ARCTIC MONKEYS

9.   Twentytwo In Blue - SUNFLOWER BEAN

10. Felt - SUUNS

11. The Official Body - SHOPPING

12. Robyn Hitchcock - ROBYN HITCHCOCK

Top 15 Tracks

1.   Need a Little Time - COURTNEY BARNETT

2.   Four Out Of Five - ARCTIC MONKEYS

3.   Mardi Gras Beads - PARQUET COURTS

4.   The Man - GOAT GIRL

5.   Mx Liberty - THURSTON MOORE

6.   Violations EP - SNAPPED ANKLES

7.   Look at Your Hands - TUNE-YARDS

8.   Static Resistance - HOOKWORMS

9.   Six Wave Hold-Down - HOT SNAKES

10. What a Time to Be Alive - SUPERCHUNK

11. The Hype - SHOPPING

12. I Was a Fool - SUNFLOWER BEAN

13. Look No Further - SUUNS

14. Virginia Woolf - ROBYN HITCHCOCK

15. The Seeker - BUFFALO TOM

Courtney Barnett - Need A Little Time