Dum Dum Girls, live @ An Club (Athens, December 15, 2013)

It was about time… After three years of chasing the Dum Dum Girls around the Mediterranean (check out here our impressions from our first encounter at Barcelona’s Primavera Festival in 2010 and here our 2012 review from their appearance at Lisbon’s Optimus Alive) the band finally paid a visit to our part of the world for the live presentation of their forthcoming third album "Too True", out at the end of January 2014.

2013 was an unusually quiet year for Dee Dee and her band but judging from the new songs that we had the opportunity to listen live on Sunday, it’s obvious that it was time well spent. The sound of the Dum Dum Girls is evolving, taking inspiration from dark '80s pop while slower, sensual psychedelic rhythms fight for domination with the garage rock drive of the early days.

The mix of new and old material worked very well on stage and despite some technical issues with the sound (there were three guitar players on stage, but at times the guitar sound was too low in the mix) and a couple of false starts, the band easily won over the audience with its energy and pop hooks.

From the old favorites that remain in Dum Dum Girls’s set list I particularly enjoyed "I Will Be", "It Only Takes One Night" and "He Gets Me High" while I certainly missed "Jail La La", our 2010 Single of the Year. From the "Too True" songs, "Rimbaud Eyes" is the obvious new killer hit, while "In The Wake Of You" and new single "Lost Boys & Girls Club" also stood out.

For the finale, they played once again their excellent cover of the Pale Saints’ "Sight of You" (check it out here from their Lisbon set), a song we’re certainly hoping they’re going to put down on record soon, and "Lord Knows" as the encore. In conclusion, a great gig to see out 2013 from a band that we cannot get enough of… already looking forward to our next encounter, somewhere in the world!

Dum Dum Girls played: Bedroom Eyes, I Got Nothing, In The Wake Of You, He Gets Me High, Are You Okay?, Under These Hands, I Will Be, It Only Takes One Night, Rest Of Our Lives, Rimbaud Eyes, Season In Hell, Lost Boys & Girls Club, Sight of You (Pale Saints cover). Encore: Lord Knows

Here's their new single "Lost Boys & Girls Club" from their Athens live debut at An Club:

Dum Dum Girls - Lost Boys And Girls Club (live @ An Club, Dec. 15, 2013)

Listening Habits 11-12.13

The top of our last "Listening Habits" album list for 2013 is shared by Arcade Fire and Throwing Muses, the world renowned alternative rock superstars hand in hand with the revered indie rock survivors who never got the commercial success they deserved.

Nevertheless, Throwing Muses have managed to make their comeback a full decade since their last record, with the impressive book/cd "Purgatory / Paradise", an album recorded with the help of Strange Angels, the band’s dedicated fans who financed the recordings. In a year with several great comebacks (we’ll get back on this subject very soon), "Purgatory / Paradise" certainly stands out with its 32 "fractured" songs, "imperfect in its imperfection" as was the band’s catchphrase during its making. The brief songs are often divided in parts, but each of these song "fragments" never sound unfinished, instead they complement each other and become the building blocks of a whole that is greater than its parts. Some of these parts, though, certainly shine brighter than others and tracks like "Sunray Venus" or "Slippershell" are testaments to Kristin Hersh’s unique songwriting craft. Some 30 years down the line, her muse never fails to inspire and amaze!

In the ten years between the last two Throwing Muses albums, Arcade Fire have risen to fame thanks to their infectiously anthemic songs. With "Reflektor", the Canadians' fourth effort, the band has teamed up with James Murphy to try a more rhythmic, dance floor-friendly sound, without straying too much from their rock roots. The experiment is a successful one, producing a solid double album that balances the band’s new dance-rock influences, showcased by the recent singles "Reflektor" and "Afterlife" (indebted not only to the LCD Soundsystem man, but to the '80s sound of Talking Heads and New Order as well), with their tried and tested sound which is improved upon by tracks like "Normal Person" and "It's Never Over (Hey Orpheus)".

The music of 2013 is not marked only by the many notable comebacks, but by the strength of certain sophomore records as well. Anna Calvi, Cults and Polica started the current decade with impressive debuts and with their recent, equally strong second albums are providing us with proof that they can live up to their high promise. Pay no mind to certain reviewers who seem to think that it’s mandatory to make a radically different second record in order to give praise to an artist. More often than not, in order to grow you’ve got to fully explore the possibilities of your current sound first and this is exactly what these three are doing with their sophomore works.

Among the rest of our recommendations for November - December '13, a special mention is necessary for Courtney Barnett’s amazing debut "The Double EP: A Sea of Split Peas", a record that collects the first two EPs of the Australian singer-songwriter. A listen to "Avant Gardener", "History Eraser" or "Lance Jr." will be enough to convince you of Barnett’s musical talent and story-telling prowess. Looking forward for her proper debut LP sometime in 2014.

Check out below our 15 favorite albums and tracks of the last couple of months of 2013 and take them for a spin in our spotify playlist:

Top 15 Albums

1.   Reflektor - ARCADE FIRE
2.   Purgatory / Paradise - THROWING MUSES
3.   One Breath - ANNA CALVI
4.   Static - CULTS
5.   Shulamith - POLICA
6.   The Double EP: A Sea Of Split Peas - COURTNEY BARNETT 
7.   Dream River - BILL CALLAHAN
8.   Defend Yourself - SEBADOH
9.   Last Night On Earth - LEE RANALDO AND THE DUST
10. Back To Land - WOODEN SHJIPS
11. Nature Noir - CRYSTAL STILTS
12. Herein Wild - FRANKIE ROSE
13. Fade Away - BEST COAST
14. Girls Like Us - PINS
15. The Bones Of What You Believe - CHVRCHES

Top 15 Tracks

1.   Sunray Venus - THROWING MUSES
2.   Avant Gardener - COURTNEY BARNETT
3.   Eliza - ANNA CALVI
4.   High Road - CULTS
5.   Chain My Name - POLICA
6.   Reflektor - ARCADE FIRE
7.   Javelin Unlanding - BILL CALLAHAN
8.   I Will - SEBADOH
9.   Sticks & Stones - CRYSTAL STILTS
10. Sorrow - FRANKIE ROSE
11. Back To Land - WOODEN SHJIPS
12. Blackt Out - LEE RANALDO AND THE DUST
13. Get With Me - PINS
14. Who Have I Become - BEST COAST
15. Lies - CHVRCHES

Courtney Barnett - Avant Gardener