Listening Habits 01.2016

January's new releases schedule was pretty strong (as you can see here), but for our first Listening Habits post of 2016 we are going to focus on albums and tracks from 2015 that we have come by between December and January: the late discoveries of 2015, some of which made it in our Albums of the Year list at the very last minute, while some were left out only because they came in our possession slightly late. But, of course, it's never too late to discover and enjoy good music, regardless of release date or inclusion in any year-end list.

The album we've enjoyed the most over the last couple of months was "Half Free", the 4AD debut by U.S. Girls, the recording project of Illinois-born, Toronto-based artist Meghan Remy. She has been releasing experimental, lo-fi electronic music for several years, for various smaller indie labels, but it is 2015's "Half Free" the record that finally gives her the wider acclaim she deserves. 60's soul and girl-group influences mix with dub-pop and hip-hop inspired beats, while Remy sings about the everyday struggles of characters whose stories were inspired by the work of director John Cassavetes and Bruce Springsteen. It's a captivating listen from start to finish, shifting musical shapes and styles and creating some of the most fascinating pop we've listened to in 2015, with highlights including "Damn That Valley", "Window Shades" and "Woman's Work".

Here's what else we've been listening to lately from the tail end of 2015:

Top 12 Albums

1.  Half Free - U.S. GIRLS
2.  Fading Frontier - DEERHUNTER
3.  Silver Bullets - THE CHILLS
4.  Return To The Moon - EL VY
5.  Divers - JOANNA NEWSOM
6.  Holding Hands With Jamie - GIRL BAND
7.  Why Choose - SHOPPING
8.  Abyss - CHELSEA WOLFE
9.  Cranekiss - TAMARYN
10. Feels Like - BULLY
11. Rough Trade Shops Counter Culture 15 - VARIOUS ARTISTS
12. Why Pay More? - THE SOFT PINK TRUTH (download here)

Top 12 Tracks

1.  Snakeskin - DEERHUNTER
2.  Damn That Valley - U.S. GIRLS
3.  America Says Hello - THE CHILLS
4.  Return to the Moon (Political Song for Didi Bloome to Sing, with Crescendo) - EL VY
5.  Pears For Lunch - GIRL BAND
6.  Straight Lines - SHOPPING
7.  Leaving the City - JOANNA NEWSOM
8.  Carrion Flowers - CHELSEA WOLFE
9.  Cranekiss - TAMARYN
10. Trying - BULLY
11. Patchwork - DEMDIKE STARE
12. What's A Computer? - THE SOFT PINK TRUTH

U.S. Girls - Damn That Valley

2015 Review: Top 50 Albums of the Year

Happy 2016 to all! We will start the New Year (our 9th on Blogger, if you can believe it) in our usual way, which means it's time for our Albums of the Year list!

Especially this year, it was a good thing that we have waited until the very last day on the calendar before finalizing this list, as 10 of the 50 albums that you see below, are records we've listened to for the first time during December. This means it would have been a very different (and much weaker) list, had we rushed to publish it earlier.

However we did not have to wait this long to decide on our Album of the Year. Already at the half-way point of 2015 it was obvious that Courtney Barnett's official debut "Sometimes I Sit And Think, And Sometimes I Just Sit" (2013's introductory "The Double EP: A Sea Of Split Peas" was, as the title revealed, a compilation) was a strong candidate for this title and it would have taken something very special to surpass it. Actually Julia Holter's baroque pop masterpiece "Have You In My Wilderness" came close, but I'm a sucker for a great guitar hook and Barnett's record is brimming with those. So, despite the fact that she sings in "Pedestrian At Best" (our Single of the Year) "tell me I'm exceptional and I promise to exploit you", we are going to ignore her warnings and put her record on a pedestal with no fear of disappointment. Go ahead Courtney, make that origami, you really do deserve it!

Here are the Top 50 Albums of 2015 (and some of those that came close), based on what we were able to listen to so far (check out Cool Music Database later in the year for the final edition, as it is certain we are going to discover a few more great 2015 releases as we are going through all the other year-end lists out there):

Top 50 Albums of 2015

1.  Sometimes I sit and think, and sometimes I just sit - COURTNEY BARNETT

2.  Have you in my wilderness - JULIA HOLTER

3.  No cities to love - SLEATER-KINNEY

4.  Untethered moon - BUILT TO SPILL

5.  The agent intellect - PROTOMARTYR

6.  Currents - TAME IMPALA

7.  Platform - HOLLY HERNDON

8.  Ivy tripp - WAXAHATCHEE

9.  Viet Cong - VIET CONG

10. Sun coming down - OUGHT

11. Half free - U.S. GIRLS
12. Fading frontier - DEERHUNTER
13. The expanding flower planet - DERADOORIAN
14. Depression cherry / Thank your lucky stars - BEACH HOUSE
15. Escape from evil - LOWER DENS
16. The magic whip - BLUR
17. Short movie - LAURA MARLING
18. Ones and sixes - LOW
19. Algiers - ALGIERS
20. Foil deer - SPEEDY ORTIZ
21. Silver bullets - THE CHILLS
22. Poison season - DESTROYER
23. B'lieve I'm goin down… - KURT VILE
24. Return to the moon - EL VY
25. Key markets - SLEAFORD MODS
26. "Freedom tower" - No Wave dance party 2015 - THE JON SPENCER BLUES EXPLOSION
27. Sub-lingual tablet - THE FALL
28. Hinterland - LONELADY
29. Death magic - HEALTH
30. Another eternity - PURITY RING
31. Ghost notes - VERUCA SALT
32. Fast food - NADINE SHAH
33. Divers - JOANNA NEWSOM
34. Universal themes - SUN KIL MOON
35. Strangers to ourselves - MODEST MOUSE
36. Works for tomorrow - ELEVENTH DREAM DAY
37. Heartbreak pass - GIANT SAND
38. What went down - FOALS
39. My love is cool - WOLF ALICE
40. The race for space - PUBLIC SERVICE BROADCASTING
41. To pimp a butterfly - KENDRICK LAMAR
42. I want to grow up - COLLEEN GREEN
43. Why choose - SHOPPING
44. Wire - WIRE
45. Music complete - NEW ORDER   
46. Born under Saturn - DJANGO DJANGO
47. What a terrible world, what a beautiful world - THE DECEMBERISTS
48. Dodge and burn - THE DEAD WEATHER
49. High - ROYAL HEADACHE
50. Pylon - KILLING JOKE

Bubbling under: II - METZ, Anthems for doomed youth - THE LIBERTINES, Kintsugi - DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE, California nights - BEST COAST, MCIII - MIKAL CRONIN, Shadow of the sun - MOON DUO, Panda Bear meets the Grim Reaper - PANDA BEAR, Me - EMPRESS OF, Pagans in Vegas - METRIC, Edge of the sun - CALEXICO, Carrie & Lowell - SUFJAN STEVENS, Stuff like that there - YO LA TENGO, Transfixiation - A PLACE TO BURY STRANGERS, Deeper - THE SOFT MOON, How big, how blue, how beautiful - FLORENCE + THE MACHINE

Have a listen on Spotify:



Click here for our Top 50 Singles of 2015.

2015's Album Wall of Fame

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

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

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

Listening Habits 2015 05-07

Just before our summer break, we have prepared the list of our favorite albums for the period of May - July 2015, led by Holly Herndon and the wondrous, experimental electronica to be found on her sophomore full-length "Platform". 

The Fall are back with their 31st studio LP "Sub-Lingual Tablet" which, of course, could not be missing from our Top 5, while Giant Sand and Mark Kozelek's Sun Kil Moon are also in there with their latest efforts. 

If you're in the mood to try something new, we would suggest lending an ear to the catchy guitar pop of young Londoners Wolf Alice who make good on the promise of their early singles with debut album "My Love Is Cool". Time to take shelter from the summer heat and hit play:

Top 15 Albums

1.  Platform - HOLLY HERNDON
2.  Sub-Lingual Tablet - THE FALL
3.  Universal Themes - SUN KIL MOON

4.  Heartbreak Pass - GIANT SAND
5.  My Love Is Cool - WOLF ALICE
6.  Wire - WIRE
7.  II - METZ
8.  MCIII - MIKAL CRONIN
9.  California Nights - BEST COAST
10. Born Under Saturn - DJANGO DJANGO
11. Deeper - THE SOFT MOON
12. Carrie & Lowell - SUFJAN STEVENS
13. How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful - FLORENCE AND THE MACHINE
14. Rough Trade Shops Recorded At The Automat: The Best Of Rough Trade Records - VARIOUS ARTISTS
15. About the Young Idea The Very Best of The Jam - THE JAM

Top 12 Tracks

1.  Interference - HOLLY HERNDON
2.  Auto Chip 2014-2016 - THE FALL
3.  First Light - DJANGO DJANGO
4.  Giant Peach - WOLF ALICE
5.  With A Sort Of Grace I Walked To The Bathroom To Cry - SUN KIL MOON

6. Texting Feist - GIANT SAND

7.  Blogging - WIRE
8.  Acetate - METZ
9.  Wrong - THE SOFT MOON
10. Say - MIKAL CRONIN
11. Fine Without You - BEST COAST
12. What Kind Of Man - FLORENCE AND THE MACHINE

Wolf Alice - Giant Peach

Django Django - First Light

The Best Albums of 2015 so far

July is well underway, the temperature's rising and amid capital controls, financial and various other types of crisis and closely averted (?) catastrophes, we remain dedicated to the cause of new music discovery.

In this spirit, as we always do at the halfway point in the year, we have prepared a list of 40 albums, that may or may not be the "best" of the year so far, but they are certainly those that we have listened to the most in the past six months.

As usual, this list is without an "official" ranking, however the order of presentation is definitely not random and there is no doubt in my mind that the four albums at the top by newcomer  Courtney Barnett, '90s-school rockers Sleater-Kinney and Built To Spill, and (surprise - surprise) Holly Herndon with her left-field electronica, will be among the contenders for "Album of the Year" in less than six months from now.

Top 40 Albums of January - June 2015

• Sometimes I sit and think, and sometimes I just sit - COURTNEY BARNETT
• No cities to love - SLEATER-KINNEY
• Untethered moon - BUILT TO SPILL
• Platform - HOLLY HERNDON
• Ivy tripp - WAXAHATCHEE
• Escape from evil - LOWER DENS
• Viet Cong - VIET CONG
• "Freedom tower" - No Wave dance party 2015 - THE JON SPENCER BLUES EXPLOSION
• The magic whip - BLUR
• Foil deer - SPEEDY ORTIZ
• Hinterland - LONELADY
• Sub-lingual tablet - THE FALL
• Strangers to ourselves - MODEST MOUSE
• Short movie - LAURA MARLING
• Another eternity - PURITY RING
• The race for space - PUBLIC SERVICE BROADCASTING
• What a terrible world, what a beautiful world - THE DECEMBERISTS
• Heartbreak pass - GIANT SAND
• Fast food - NADINE SHAH
• I want to grow up - COLLEEN GREEN
• California nights - BEST COAST
• MCIII - MIKAL CRONIN
• Kintsugi - DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE
• Born under Saturn - DJANGO DJANGO
• To pimp a butterfly - KENDRICK LAMAR
• Shadow of the sun - MOON DUO
• Universal themes - SUN KIL MOON
• My love is cool - WOLF ALICE
• Wire - WIRE
• II - METZ
• Deeper - THE SOFT MOON
• Transfixiation - A PLACE TO BURY STRANGERS
• Panda Bear meets the Grim Reaper - PANDA BEAR
• Carrie & Lowell - SUFJAN STEVENS
• Edge of the sun - CALEXICO
• Distractions - SAUNA YOUTH
• Peanut butter - JOANNA GRUESOME
• Mutilator Defeated At Last - THEE OH SEES
• Whatever, My Love - THE JULIANA HATFIELD THREE
• Blade of the Ronin - CANNIBAL OX

Listen below to a playlist with some of our favorite tracks from our Top Albums of 2015 so far:

And since "Sub-lingual Tablet" is not on Spotify yet, here's "Auto Chip 2014-2016" from the still mighty Fall:

The Fall - Auto Chip 2014-2016

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:

Listening Habits 2015 01-02

It’s still early days of course, but based on what we’ve listened to so far in the first couple of months of 2015, Sleater-Kinney are without opponent not only in the category of "Best Comeback" of the year, but also "Best Album" and "Best" everything else I can think of.

It’s no surprise, really; Carrie Brownstein and Janet Weiss had already joined forces recently in Wild Flag giving us one of the best records of 2011, while Corin Tucker’s return to action with The Corin Tucker Band in 2010 resulted in two fine records and the easy conclusion that putting these three women in a room together again could not fail to recreate the punk rock magic of their past (see here the conclusion of our November 2010 post about the punk rock genius of Sleater-Kinney).

"No Cities To Love" picks up exactly where "The Woods" left off in 2005, adding another great chapter to Sleater-Kinney's fascinating story. Ten fierce tracks (12 if you find the limited edition), no filler, no gaps to the intensity of the delivery, 30-something minutes of punk rock greatness that very few bands can deliver. Make no mistake; Sleater-Kinney’s eighth record is not only one of their best efforts so far, it is the next link in an unbreakable chain that if you follow it back, it will lead you to the finest works of rock’s greats, from PJ Harvey and Nirvana, to The Jam, the Ramones, Patti Smith and even further back to the windmills of Pete Townshend.

Check out below our favorite albums and tracks of the first couple of months of 2015, which also include several 2014 releases plus a few must-listen re-releases and compilations, and click here to see what we were listening to exactly seven years ago in the very first post of this blog (yes, CMC just turned 7!):

Top 20 Albums

1.  No Cities To Love - SLEATER-KINNEY
2.  What A Terrible World, What A Beautiful World - THE DECEMBERISTS
3.  Viet Cong - VIET CONG
4.  Phantom Radio - MARK LANEGAN BAND
5.  Seeds - TV ON THE RADIO
6.  Run The Jewels 2 - RUN THE JEWELS
7.  Pom Pom - ARIEL PINK
8.  We Come From The Same Place - ALLO DARLIN'
9.  The Other I - 2:54
10. Alvvays - ALVVAYS
11. Lateness Of Dancers - HISS GOLDEN MESSENGER
12. V For Vaselines - THE VASELINES
13. Underneath The Rainbow - BLACK LIPS
14. Shriek - WYE OAK
15. Our Love - CARIBOU
16. Royal Blood - ROYAL BLOOD
17. Setting Sons (Deluxe Edition) - THE JAM
18. Extra Painful - YO LA TENGO
19. Rough Trade Shops Counter Culture 14 - VARIOUS ARTISTS
20. Punk 45: Extermination Nights in the Sixth City - Cleveland, Ohio: Punk and The Decline of the Mid-West 1975-82 - VARIOUS ARTISTS

Top 20 Tracks

1.  Pedestrian At Best - COURTNEY BARNETT
2.  A New Wave - SLEATER-KINNEY
3.  Begin Again - PURITY RING
4.  Continental Shelf - VIET CONG
5.  Cavalry Captain - THE DECEMBERISTS
6.  Harvest Home - MARK LANEGAN BAND
7.  Southern Grammar - HISS GOLDEN MESSENGER
8.  Pay Attention - COLLEEN GREEN (mp3)
9.  Romance And Adventure - ALLO DARLIN'
10. Next of Kin - ALVVAYS
11. High Tide Low Tide - THE VASELINES
12. Blindfold - 2:54
13. Glory - WYE OAK
14. Close Your Eyes (And Count To Fuck) - RUN THE JEWELS
15. Happy Idiot - TV ON THE RADIO
16. Mars - CARIBOU
17. Spectral Source - MILLIE & ANDREA
18. Plastic Raincoats In The Pig Parade - ARIEL PINK
19. Do The Vibrate - BLACK LIPS
20. Out Of The Black - ROYAL BLOOD

Sleater-Kinney - A New Wave

You can listen to our Top 20 Tracks on the Spotify playlist below (it's missing one but it includes a few bonus "blasts from the past") or you can check out our latest mixtape on tapely here.