Live: British Summer Time Hyde Park (London, July 13th, 2019)

The National, live @ B.S.T. Hyde Park 2019 (July 13th, 2019)

The second event of our London visit was the penultimate date of the British Summer Time festival at Hyde Park, headlined by Florence + The Machine and The National.

Florence + The Machine, live @ B.S.T. Hyde Park 2019 (July 13th, 2019)

Finding a festival with the kind of line up that I would enjoy from start to finish hasn't been easy this summer, but the July 13th event in Hyde Park looked like it was tailor-made for me. First of all it was The National's presence that got the festival date on my radar as I had not seen the band live for many years (here's when was the last time), while this year's "I Am Easy to Find" is certainly one of their best albums yet as well as one of the highlights of 2019 so far.

The National, live @ B.S.T. Hyde Park 2019 (July 13th, 2019)

It's also been a long time for Florence Welch and her band (since her Athens live debut at Synch 2009 festival), so this was a good opportunity to see her in her hometown, but what closed the deal for me was the fine line up of support acts that ensured this was a festival date we would enjoy from start to finish. And as Florence pointed out during her set, the event's line up was 70% women ("Welcome to the matriarchy!" as she jokingly said), a rarity for festivals these days, although it's clear that women are responsible for a large percent of the best new music around.

Welcome to the matriarchy: Florence + The Machine, headlining B.S.T. Hyde Park 2019

Add to the great line up, the fine weather of that weekend (no rain and no heatwave either) and what you get is a great festival day filled with fine music in one of London's finest parks. Here's what else we enjoyed until The National and Florence + The Machine performances closed the day:

Cherry Glazerr

Cherry Glazerr, live @ B.S.T. Hyde Park 2019 (July 13th, 2019)

Clementine Creevy and her band came on the main stage around 13:30 for a strong 30-minute set, a fine blast of 90's indie-rock influenced guitar music, culled mainly from their recent album "Stuffed & Ready".

Goat Girl

Goat Girl, live @ B.S.T. Hyde Park 2019 (July 13th, 2019)

Goat Girl's debut was one of the highlights of 2018 and we had the opportunity to enjoy several tracks from it early in the afternoon at BST's second stage.

Nadine Shah

Nadine Shah, live @ B.S.T. Hyde Park 2019 (July 13th, 2019)

Back on the main stage it was time for Nadine Shah and her excellent five-piece band who presented us one of the strongest sets of the day, based mainly on her 2017 album "Holiday Destination". If I am not mistaken, we also got to hear a couple of new songs as well. In any case, after this great performance we are certainly looking forward to her next releases.

Let's Eat Grandma

Let's Eat Grandma, live @ B.S.T. Hyde Park 2019 (July 13th, 2019)

Childhood friends Rosa Walton and Jenny Hollingworth have great chemistry together and the fun of their modern electropop sound is certainly infectious. Their dance routines during some of their songs is something else!

Blood Orange / Lykke Li

Blood Orange, live @ B.S.T. Hyde Park 2019 (July 13th, 2019)

Lykke Li, live @ B.S.T. Hyde Park 2019 (July 13th, 2019)

Dev Hynes' Blood Orange presented their latest work "Negro Swan" adding some R&B flavors on the main stage's proceedings, while Sweden's Lykke Li brought to Hyde Park the melancholic pop of her last year's album "So Sad So Sexy". Having seen her set last summer at Gothenburg's Way Out West we took the opportunity to have a lie down in the park and gather our strength for what was to come.

Aldous Harding

Aldous Harding, live @ B.S.T. Hyde Park 2019 (July 13th, 2019)

New Zealander Aldous Harding is responsible for one of our favorite folk albums of 2019, the excellent "Designer", and along with her four-piece band she presented us one of the finest sets of the festival on the second stage, featuring one of our top songs of the year, the wonderful "The Barrel".

The National

The National, live @ B.S.T. Hyde Park 2019 (July 13th, 2019)

Back on the main stage it was time for The National. The band has book-ended this decade with perhaps their two greatest albums, 2010's "High Violet" and 2019's "I Am Easy to Find", they are undoubtedly one of the finest live acts around and as this awesome 90-minute set proved, this year is a great time to catch them live. They played highlights from most of their albums and of course presented us their latest work accompanied by four excellent singers, Gail Anne Dorsey, Mina Tindle, Lisa Hannigan and Eve Owen.

Khruangbin

Khruangbin, live @ B.S.T. Hyde Park 2019 (July 13th, 2019)

Khruangbin's mostly instrumental set closed proceedings on the second stage and were also joined by Dev Hynes for one song. More about the Texan trio's blend of psychedelia, surf, soul and dub on our next post about Ejekt Festival as a few days later we watched them again in Athens.

Florence + The Machine

Florence + The Machine, live @ B.S.T. Hyde Park 2019 (July 13th, 2019)

I may not be the biggest fan of "High As Hope", Florence + The Machine's fourth album, but undoubtedly Florence is an excellent performer and a great vocalist, so her headlining performance at Hyde Park (her second time on this stage) was certainly an entertaining experience. Full of energy and emotion, she presented a set covering all her albums so far and celebrated the ten years of hard work that brought her to the enviable position of topping this great bill here, in her hometown. A triumphant show to close the promotion of her latest album in the UK, before some rest and more headlining sets, this time in Athens, under the Acropolis.

BST 2019 highlights including The National, Aldous Harding, Nadine Shah, Goat Girl and Cherry Glazerr

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

New Releases: May 2019

Roundup of the most interesting new albums, singles and EPs released in May 2019:

Albums

THE NATIONAL - I Am Easy to Find
SEBADOH - Act Surprised
BLACK MOUNTAIN - Destroyer
BIG THIEF - U.F.O.F.
VAMPIRE WEEKEND - Father of The Bride
THE DREAM SYNDICATE - These Times
AMYL AND THE SNIFFERS - Amyl and The Sniffers
FILTHY FRIENDS - Emerald Valley 
L7 - Scatter the Rats
NOTS - 3
CATE LE BON - Reward
CLINIC - Wheeltappers and Shunters
PIP BLOM - Boat
HOLLY HERNDON - Proto
FLYING LOTUS - Flamagra
FUJIYA AND MIYAGI - Flashback
PATIENCE - Dizzy Spells
RICHARD HAWLEY - Further
SHE KEEPS BEES - Kinship
POW! - Shift
DRAHLA - Useless Coordinates
THE GET UP KIDS - Problems
MADONNATRON - Musica Alla Puttanesca
HONEYBLOOD - In Plain Sight
DEATH AND VANILLA - Are You a Dreamer?
ALEX LAHEY - The Best Of Luck Club
HAYDEN THORPE - Diviner
MAC DEMARCO - Here Comes the Cowboy
MORRISSEY - California Son
THE WATERBOYS - Where The Action Is
BARRIE - Happy To Be Here
MAPS - Colours. Reflect. Time. Loss.
TACOCAT - This Mess Is a Place
BAD RELIGION - Age Of Unreason
WOLFMANHATTAN PROJECT - Blue Gene Stew
OLIVIA NEUTRON-JOHN - Olivia Neutron-John
JOSEPHINE WIGGS - We Fall
THE FELICE BROTHERS - Undress
THE MYSTERY LIGHTS - Too Much Tension!
VERSING - 10000
YOUR 33 BLACK ANGELS - Eternities I

Singles & EPs

INTERPOL - A Fine Mess EP
PURPLE MOUNTAINS - All My Happiness is Gone
MIKAL CRONIN - Undertow / Breathe
SLEAFORD MODS - Discourse
WIVES - Waving Past Nirvana
THE CLAQUE - Hush
THE SIDE EYES - Get Me Out / Stop!
MIDDLE KIDS - New Songs for Old Problems EP
L’EPEE - Dreams
OOZELLES - Every Night They Hack Off A Limb
THE FLESHTONES - Layin' Pipe / Lady Nightshade
MORRISSEY - Wedding Bells Blues
WAVVES / BEACH FOSSILS - Enter Still / Silver Tongue
TREADLES - Cold / Iron
OUTER SPACES - Teapot #1 / Children Love to Run
ELLA HABER - Clay EP
PING PONG WARRIOR - What We Say / What We Do EP
ZOMBY - Vanta EP
THE GALILEO 7 - Too Late / The World Looks Different Today
STONE FOUNDATION - Ordinary Joe / I’m Gonna Tear Your Playhouse Down

The National - Hairpin Turns

Purple Mountains - All My Happiness is Gone

Killer Tracks: The 2017 Playlist Vol.3

It's been some time since our previous 2017 Playlist, time to add a few more killer tracks to the mix:

Japanese Breakfast - Road Head

 LCD Soundsystem - Tonite

Fujiya & Miyagi - Impossible Objects of Desire

Liars - Cred Woes

 The National - Day I Die

Grizzly Bear - Mourning Sound

Alvvays - Dreams Tonite

Nadine Shah - Holiday Destination

EMA - Down and Out

Broken Social Scene - Skyline

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.

The Best of 2010 so far (part 1): Top 50 Singles

Yes, it's that time of the year again! Amidst World Cup matches and summer holiday plans, we have managed to find the time to compile our traditional middle-of-the-year “Best of” lists with our favorite singles and albums so far. We are starting today with the unveiling of our Top 50 Singles released in the first half of 2010 and in the second part of the presentation we’ll deal with the best albums.

The majority of the tracks in our Top 50 were released as proper singles, but we have also included a few outstanding album tracks which were also available as free mp3s, a fact that qualifies them as singles for our purposes. Also, as it’s usually the case with our "Best Singles" lists, we only allow one track per band in order to maximize the variety of our selection. With these rules in mind, here’s the list of Cool Music Central's Top 50 Singles of 2010 so far:

Top 50 Singles (Jan.-June 2010)

1. Jail La La - DUM DUM GIRLS
2. Bloodbuzz Ohio - THE NATIONAL
3. Written In Reverse - SPOON
4. Bury Pts 2+4 - THE FALL
5. Tell’em - SLEIGH BELLS
6. The Overachievers - LIARS
7. Forced To Love/All To All - BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE
8. Norway - BEACH HOUSE
9. Giving Up The Gun - VAMPIRE WEEKEND
10. Attack Music - THESE NEW PURITANS
11. Intuition - LONELADY
12. Water - PIT ER PAT
13. Celestica - CRYSTAL CASTLES
14. Art Czars - JAPANDROIDS
15. Ego Death EP - A PLACE TO BURY STRANGERS
16. The Ghosts That Wake You - FOLLOW THAT BIRD!
17. Can’t Feel Born EP - HIGH PLACES
18. Don't Ask - BLOOD RED SHOES
19. Skinny Little Bitch - HOLE
20. C'mon - THE SOFT PACK
21. The Crash Years - THE NEW PORNOGRAPHERS
22. Hide It Away - RETRIBUTION GOSPEL CHOIR
23. Dreamland EP: Marimba and Shit-Drums - MOONFACE
24. Latin America - HOLY FUCK
25. Odessa - CARIBOU
26. Chaos - NEW YOUNG PONY CLUB
27. This Orient - FOALS
28. Lights - INTERPOL
29. The Suburbs/Month Of May - ARCADE FIRE
30. Die By The Drop - THE DEAD WEATHER
31. Compliments - BAND OF HORSES
32. Shark's Tooth - ARCHIE BRONSON OUTFIT
33. Ayisha Abyss - SERENA MANEESH
34. Sing - FOUR TET
35. Born Free - M.I.A.
36. This Desert EP - THE HUNDRED IN THE HANDS
37. Fool's Day - BLUR
38. Forever & Ever Amen - THE DRUMS
39. Fixed - STARS
40. Romance Is Boring - LOS CAMPESINOS!
41. Swim - SURFER BLOOD
42. Found Love In A Graveyard - VERONICA FALLS
43. Lemonade - COCOROSIE
44. High Road - BROKEN BELLS
45. Siberian Breaks - MGMT
46. Natural Selection - UNKLE
47. O.N.E. - YEASAYER
48. Stylo - GORILLAZ
49. I Feel Better - HOT CHIP
50. Drunk Girls - LCD SOUNDSYSTEM

Go on, make your day - press play and listen to the Top 25 below:

Listening Habits 05-06.2010

We had plenty of excellent releases in the last couple of months and before we proceed to our customary assessment of the best music that the first half of the year had to offer, let’s take a look at the albums and tracks that got the most spins at Cool Music Central’s busy cd/mp3 players.

Out of the 15 most played albums of May - June 2010, there are at least 6 that fight it out for our "Album of the Month" title and up to this point I cannot declare an undisputed winner. Jack White’s super-prolific super-group, The Dead Weather, have returned with another blazing rock record, their second in less than a year, that makes it look completely effortless for them to spit out cool music. It certainly took considerably more effort for Foals to come up with their sophomore LP “Total Life Forever”, a record that sees Yannis Philippakis’ ambitious group breaking new ground and expanding its musical horizons towards funkier and more melodic pop forms. Flying Lotus (i.e. laptop wizard Steven Ellison) gave us “Cosmogramma”, a record that certainly makes an early bid for "Electronic Album of the Year" with its heady, mesmerizing mix of hip-hop influenced dance beats, tropical melodies and jazzy forms.

Sleigh Bells were one of the sensations of the recent Primavera Sound festival and the more I listen to the thrilling 30-minute ride of their amazing debut “Treats”, the more I am convinced that it is one of the revelations of the year. Imagine a record where Kathleen Hanna plays Bikini Kill and Le Tigre tracks simultaneously, M.I.A. drops by to drop a few rhymes while Public Enemy provide the beats and you’ll start to get an idea of the volatile electro-punk concoction cooked up by Derek Miller and Alexis Krauss. The ingredients of their “Treats” may be old and frequently recycled in recent years, but the end result is a fresh and totally invigorating aural delight.

As for the latest albums by The National and Broken Social Scene, there are not too many surprises to be found here. Just two of the best bands of the last decade delivering their latest collections of excellent new songs, many of which will have no trouble standing next to their old classics. Business as usual then…Some examples of brand new career highlights for The National to be found in “High Violet” are “Bloodbuzz Ohio” (one of the singles of the year so far - check out this post as well), “Anyone's Ghost” and “Conversation 16”, while “Forgiveness Rock Record” adds to Broken Social Scene’s arsenal of hits “Forced To Love”, “All To All” and “Chase Scene” among others.

Top 15 Albums

1.  Forgiveness Rock Record - BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE
2.  High Violet - THE NATIONAL
3.  Treats - SLEIGH BELLS
4.  Cosmogramma - FLYING LOTUS
5.  Total Life Forever - FOALS
6.  Sea Of Cowards - THE DEAD WEATHER
7.  Coconut - ARCHIE BRONSON OUTFIT
8.  No 2: Abyss In B Minor - SERENA MANEESH
9.  Amsterdam Throwdown King Street Showdown! - SOLEX VS. CRISTINA MARTINEZ + JON SPENCER
10. Together - THE NEW PORNOGRAPHERS
11. Heaven Is Whenever - THE HOLD STEADY
12. Grey Oceans - COCOROSIE
13. Have One On Me - JOANNA NEWSOM
14. Infinite Arms - BAND OF HORSES
15. Nobody's Daughter - HOLE

Top 20 Tracks

1.  Tell’em - SLEIGH BELLS
2.  All To All - BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE
3.  Mexico Wax Solvent - THE FALL
4.  Magnetic Warrior - ARCHIE BRONSON OUTFIT
5.  Miami - FOALS
6.  Anyone's Ghost - THE NATIONAL
7.  Blue Blood Blues - THE DEAD WEATHER
8.  Samantha - HOLE
9.  Month Of May - ARCADE FIRE
10. Bhang, Bhang, I’m A Burnout - DUM DUM GIRLS
11. Babelonia - SCHOOL OF SEVEN BELLS
12. Nose Art - FLYING LOTUS
13. The Uppercut - SOLEX VS. CRISTINA MARTINEZ + JON SPENCER
14. I Just Want To See Your Face - SERENA MANEESH
15. Crash Years - THE NEW PORNOGRAPHERS
16. Barely Breathing - THE HOLD STEADY
17. Compliments - BAND OF HORSES
18. Natural Selection - UNKLE
19. It's A Fast Driving Raveup With A Place To Bury Strangers - A PLACE TO BURY STRANGERS
20. The Moon Asked The Crow - COCOROSIE

Sleigh Bells - Tell'em (live @ SXSW)

Killer Tracks: Bloodbuzz Ohio by The National

"Bloodbuzz Ohio", the recently released first single off The National's fifth LP "High Violet", has quickly become one of our favorite tracks of the year so far. I don't know what's the inspiration behind the lyric "I still owe money to the money I owe" but with the current state of our economy it certainly takes a whole new meaning! So, let's share a glass of wine with Matt Berninger to forget our troubles and enjoy the great looking black-and-white video (mp3 here):