Listening Habits 01-02.13

Two of our all-time favorite bands have started 2013 by releasing excellent and long-overdue new records (one considerably more so than the other), so there will be no prize for guessing who’s at the top of our "Best Albums" list for the January-February period.

There is no denying that "mbv"’s impact would have been considerably greater had this record come out when it was supposed to, sometime in the mid-90s. The fact, though, that "mbv" still possesses such a great power two decades down the line since the heyday of shoegaze that My Bloody Valentine have practically invented, is truly a testament to this band’s timeless quality. My Bloody Valentine’s sound is beyond genre and era constraints. "mbv" opens up again the door to another dimension of guitar music that we thought it was closed forever. Welcome back Mr. Shields!

For The Bad Seeds it’s been 5 since their previous work (our 2008 Album of the Year "Dig!!! Lazarus, Dig!!!") but Nick Cave has hardly been away, dividing his time between wreaking havoc with the blues punk stomp of Grinderman, writing screenplays and composing soundtracks with Warren Ellis. Having released so much primal energy with his previous albums (let alone the shootouts he wrote about in his script for "Lawless"), with "Push The Sky Away" it’s time for Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds to return to a more quiet, contemplative and restrained sound. As usual, Cave’s lyrical dark streak and unique sense of humor can lead the most beautiful melodies to sinister turns and unexpected surprises while The Bad Seeds successfully create the right atmosphere for this new batch of songs by giving an admirably minimal, less-is-more performance.

The sophomore efforts by Foxygen and Veronica Falls as well as Foals third LP complete our Top 5 for January-February. You can read about our stunned reaction upon listening to Foxygen’s excellent "We Are The 21st Century Ambassadors Of Peace & Magic" for the first time here.

Veronica Falls gained our attention immediately with their first singles and debut album. With "Waiting For Something To Happen" the band stays on course, still mining their favorite sounds from the '60s and '80s, while refining their technique and melodic skills. Veronica Falls achieve guitar pop perfection not through innovation, but by staying true to the spirit of the music that has inspired them and by adding their own memorable contributions to the cause.

As for Foals, "Holy Fire" should be the album that will help them move up in the line ups of the summer festivals. Funk influenced dance rock tracks like "My Number" will sound perfect both in clubs and in open fields while the album’s lush production by Flood and Alan Moulder is another asset for the band in their effort to reach the wider audience that they deserve.

Here's the list of our favorite albums and tracks for the start of 2013:

Top 12 Albums

1.   m b v - MY BLOODY VALENTINE
2.   Push The Sky Away - NICK CAVE AND THE BAD SEEDS
3.   We Are The 21st Century Ambassadors Of Peace & Magic - FOXYGEN
4.   Waiting For Something To Happen - VERONICA FALLS
5.   Holy Fire - FOALS
6.   Fade - YO LA TENGO
7.   World Music - GOAT
8.   Out Of View - THE HISTORY OF APPLE PIE
9.   Wash The Sins Not Only The Face - ESBEN AND THE WITCH
10. Almanac - WIDOWSPEAK
11. Coming Out Of The Fog - ARBOURETUM
12. For Those Who Wish To See The Glass Half Full - SLOWNESS

Top 15 Tracks

1.   San Francisco - FOXYGEN
2.   Full of Fire - THE KNIFE
3.   New You - MY BLOODY VALENTINE
4.   Jubilee Street - NICK CAVE & THE BAD SEEDS
5.   Ohm - YO LA TENGO
6.   Teenage - VERONICA FALLS
7.   My Number - FOALS
8.   Stoned and Starving - PARQUET COURTS
9.   World Split Open - ARBOURETUM
10. Spider X - CALIFORNIA X
11. 2013 - PRIMAL SCREAM
12. Locusts - WIDOWSPEAK
13. When That Head Splits - ESBEN AND THE WITCH
14. See You - THE HISTORY OF APPLE PIE
15. Calm & Dispel - SLOWNESS

February's hit list, part 1

As I was saying last week, I think 2013 has had a pretty great start with some awesome new singles and albums. We've already highlighted killer tracks by My Bloody Valentine, The Knife, Factory Floor and Foxygen in previous posts. Here are five more tracks to support the theory that the number 13 might turn out to be lucky for new music:

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Jubilee Street

"Push The Sky Away", the 15th studio album by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds is currently streaming here and there and sounds very good indeed. The official release date is February 18th and here is the excellent, John Hillcoat directed video for "Jubilee Street" featuring Ray Winstone, one of Nick Cave's favorite actors:

Yo La Tengo - Ohm

"Fade", Yo La Tengo's 13th album, was one of the most played records in C.M.C.'s headquarters during January. Listen here to "Ohm", the track that opens impressively the new album and is yet another addition to a really long list of excellent songs we've got from Hoboken, New Jersey's finest in the last 28 years:

Veronica Falls - Teenage

The second Veronica Falls' album, "Waiting For Something To Happen", was just released this week and all I can say right now is that it sounds even greater than their awesome debut (one of our Top 20 LPs of 2011). More about them soon - meanwhile here's the video for their new single "Teenage":

The History Of Apple Pie - See You

On the same mid-80's, early '90s jangly guitar trip as Veronica Falls but not as accomplished just yet. After releasing a handful of very promising singles, it's time for The History Of Apple Pie to give us their debut album; "Out Of View" came out at the end of January and it certainly delivers on that early promise. "See You" is the London five-piece's latest single, included in the album along with their previous three, now sold-out, 7inch releases ("You’re So Cool", "Do It Wrong" and personal favorite "Mallory"):

Parquet Courts - Stoned and Starving

Parquet Courts’ debut LP "Light Up Gold" got a limited release of 500 vinyl copies last year on their own label, Dull Tools. The album just got re-released and it’s bound to find a wider audience in 2013 thanks to its intoxicating garage punk ditties, somewhere between "Slanted" era Pavement and early Strokes.



More early '13 hits soon...

Killer Tracks: My Heart Beats

Another winner by Veronica Falls! "My Heart Beats", the band's first new recording since last year's excellent debut (one of our Top 20 Albums of the Year), is released as a single next week by Bella Union. Check out the retro looking video below and go here for a free download of the super catchy track - can't think of a better way to welcome Spring!

Veronica Falls - My Heart Beats

Listening Habits 11-12.11

Just before we start unveiling our year-end lists for 2011 (debuts, singles and albums), let’s take a closer look at some of the best records we’ve listened to in the last couple of months.

Regular Cool Music Central visitors will not be surprised to find The Fall’s latest LP (their 29th to be exact) at the top of our album pile. Consistency and the uncompromising rock'n'roll vision of Mark E. Smith is what sets this band in its many incarnations over the years, apart and above all competition.

"Ersatz GB" is, in a way, The Fall's heavy metal album, proving that there is still room for surprises in the unique Fall sound blueprint. "Greenway" (adopted by a recording of Greek joke-metal band Anorimoi) starts with a behemoth of a guitar riff and introduces Mark’s death metal voice, while the slow and heavy "Monocard" steals a page or two from Black Sabbath’s book of doom. The unusual folk of "Happi Song", written and sang by Elena Poulou, throws another curveball by not sounding like a Fall song at all. Elsewhere, it is business as usual for Mark and his troops (David Spurr, Pete Greenway and Keiron Melling complete the rest of the lineup which amazingly remains stable for a third LP), with propulsive tracks like "Cosmos 7", "Nate Will Not Return" or "Age Of Chang" delivering the rough edged, raw and aggressive sound that the Fall faithful have come to expect from the band and the reason we’re keep coming back for more for as long as Smith sees fit to stubbornly keep going at it.

Veronica Falls and Soft Metals offer two new additions to our "Best Debuts of the Year" list (more on this subject in the coming week) with their eponymous albums. Veronica Falls put their own, particularly enjoyable spin to the whole girl group-garage rock-'80s indiepop combo we've enjoyed lately with a record filled with catchy, energetic, straight-to-the-point songs, while Soft Metals (as we've already pointed out here) draw inspiration from all sorts of  electronic sounds from the '70s and '80s with a twist of new wave's resplendent darkness added for good measure.

"Original Colors", High Places' excellent third long-player, is the L.A.-based duo's most dance-floor friendly release so far, with fluid rhythms and chilled out synth melodies accompanying Mary Pearson’s majestic vocals. The highly addictive nature of their enchanting sound looks certain to bring High Places for a second consecutive year among the highest places of our year-end album list.

More enchanting sounds and harmonies, in this case guitar-based, are to be found in Real Estate's sophomore work "Days". The New Jersey band follows the example of its recently reenergized neighbors The Feelies, creating the sort of majestic guitar soundscapes which could become the perfect companion for a road trip. And in case your road trip needs something a bit more psychedelic, try following "Days" with Wooden Shjips’ latest effort, "West", for your maximum trippy enjoyment. As for The Black Keys' just-released seventh effort, all I can say right now is that with every new spin of their "El Camino" this week, the album keeps climbing up in our year-end list, reaching higher and higher. Tune in around Christmas to see where exactly it will end up.

Top 18 Albums

1.   Ersatz GB - THE FALL
2.   Veronica Falls - VERONICA FALLS
3.   Original Colors - HIGH PLACES
4.   Soft Metals - SOFT METALS
5.   Days - REAL ESTATE
6.   El Camino - THE BLACK KEYS
7.   West - WOODEN SHJIPS
8.   Creatures Of An Hour - STILL CORNERS
9.   D - WHITE DENIM
10. David Comes To Life - FUCKED UP
11. The Whole Love - WILCO
12. The Rip Tide - BEIRUT
13. Portamento - THE DRUMS
14. Endless Now - MALE BONDING
15. Lenses Alien - CYMBALS EAT GUITARS
16. Circuital - MY MORNING JACKET
17. Bon Iver - BON IVER
18. Our Own Dream EP - KEEP SHELLY IN ATHENS

Top 20 Tracks

1.   I’m His Girl - FRIENDS
2.   Two Different Ways - FACTORY FLOOR
3.   Nate Will Not Return - THE FALL
4.   Lonely Boy - THE BLACK KEYS
5.   Bad Feeling - VERONICA FALLS
6.   It's Real - REAL ESTATE
7.   Banksia - HIGH PLACES
8.   Psychic Driving - SOFT METALS
9.   Lazy Noon - KEEP SHELLY IN ATHENS
10. Into the Trees - STILL CORNERS
11. Black Smoke Rise - WOODEN SHJIPS
12. I Might - WILCO
13. Santa Fe - BEIRUT
14. Holdin’ On To Black Metal - MY MORNING JACKET
15.  Bess St. - WHITE DENIM
16. How It Ended - THE DRUMS
17. Bones - MALE BONDING
18. Definite Darkness - CYMBALS EAT GUITARS
19. Total Decay - THE SOFT MOON
20. Dark Eyes - CRYSTAL STILTS

Veronica Falls - Bad Feeling

(mp3s via pitchfork and sub pop)