Tuesday, June 25, 2019

Live: J Mascis @ An Club (Athens, June 21st, 2019)


For fans of noise rock J Mascis is undeniably one of our greatest guitar heroes and last Friday we had the rare opportunity to enjoy a solo performance by him in the intimate surroundings of the historic An Club.


Armed with just an acoustic guitar and the necessary pedals that helped him occasionally to double up his sound, J Mascis played a great set which included selections from both his solo career and the formidable  Dinosaur Jr songbook.


Although this acoustic setup is more suitable for his folk inspired solo material, like last year's album "Elastic Days", it is still exciting to hear acoustic interpretations of his more noisy side as even early Dinosaur Jr songs like "Repulsion" or "Little Fury Things" have a melancholic melodic heart beating strongly underneath all the electric mayhem.


J Mascis let his fingers do all the talking throughout his 80-minute performance and although I won't deny that sometimes I did miss his electric guitar, I certainly enjoyed this other, more calm, side of his guitar-playing genius.


Check out below the set list of J Mascis first ever solo performance in Athens (with support from singer-songwriter Jef Maarawi) and have a listen to his fine cover of Mazzy Star's "Fade Into You" (one of his two cover versions along with The Cure's "Just Like Heaven"), as well as "Out There", the final encore of the show:


J Mascis - Fade Into You (live @ An Club, Athens, June 21st, 2019)


J Mascis - Out There (live @ An Club, Athens, June 21st, 2019)

Sunday, June 09, 2019

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


Monday, June 03, 2019

Live: Phosphorescent @ Fuzz Club (Athens, May 28th, 2019)


Seven albums into the remarkable career of Phosphorescent, the nickname under which Alabama singer-songwriter  Matthew Houck is performing his music since the turn of the century, we finally had the chance to see him and his band playing live in Athens.


Although not too many people made the trip to Fuzz Club last Tuesday, it was obvious from their enthusiastic reception that they knew Houck's work very well and the requests for particular songs kept on coming throughout the set.


Houck looked genuinely pleased to be playing in Athens for the first time and he led his band to a crowd-pleasing set that in its 1 hour and 45 minutes duration revisited songs from most of Phosphorescent's albums, going as far back as "Aw Come Aw Wry", his second album from 2005, for a rendition of  a "Joe Tex, These Taming Blues" and 2007's "Pride" for "Wolves" and "My Dove, My Lamb".


Of course we got to listen to several songs from his most recent work "C'est La Vie", with the breezy, upbeat pop of "New Birth in New England" being the track that in a just world should have been a massive radio hit. And there was, of course, the song that actually did become a minor hit a few years ago, the majestic "Song for Zula", which received the biggest applause of the evening.


Overall an excellent, heart-warming performance by Phosphorescent which was greatly appreciated by the lucky few faithful who came to the show and also got to see an acoustic performance by Pelion Rivers who opened the proceedings.


Phosphorescent, live @ Fuzz Club (Athens, May 28th, 2019)
Pelion Rivers, live @ Fuzz Club (Athens, May 28th, 2019)
Check out below "My Beautiful Boy" and "Song For Zula" as performed by Phosphorescent in Athens:

Phosphorescent - My Beautiful Boy (live in Athens)

Phosphorescent - Song For Zula (live in Athens)

Sunday, June 02, 2019

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