Listening Habits: 09-10.2019

It is the end of days for 2019 and for the second decade of the 21st century as well, which means that the time of reckoning is near! What were the albums that stood out in the last twelve months and, perhaps more importantly, what were the new music creations that meant the most to us in the last ten years of our lives? All these questions will be answered soon, but for now Cool Music Central asks and answers the more simple question of what have we been listening to the most in the last couple of months.

"No Home Record" is the first ever album that Kim Gordon releases under her own name and it marks her first venture into experimental electronic music. Her unmistakable vocal delivery and bursts of guitar noise here and there remind us of Kim's past work, but the only other record in her resume that came to my mind while listening to the the new songs, which often feel closer to Aphex Twin than Sonic Youth, was "The Whitey Album" where Sonic Youth, under the guise of Ciccone Youth, experimented with pop music deconstruction. The end result is nothing less than exhilarating, subverting what you might expect from a Kim Gordon solo record and finding new ways to bring together noise rock and electronic music.

Angel Olsen's "All Mirrors" is also a reinvention of sorts. She moved from folk to electrifying rock in her previous album, 2016's excellent "My Woman", and now lush string arrangements come into the picture, redefining her sound and creating a rich, textured orchestral background for her powerful, emotional delivery. Another masterful work by one of this decade's best songwriters!

In our Top 15 below, you'll find several more strong new releases that solidify my assessment that 2019 has been one of the best years in recent memory for music, including Diiv's "Deceiver", a deep dive into '90s dream pop with the spirit of My Bloody Valentine guiding their efforts, Thom Yorke's "Anima", perhaps his best solo effort so far, plus the amazing debut by Dublin's The Murder Capital, titled "When I Have Fears", which we recently had the pleasure of attending its live presentation.

Here are our Top 15 albums and tracks for September - October 2019:

Top 15 Albums

1.   All Mirrors - ANGEL OLSEN
2.   No Home Record - KIM GORDON
3.   Anima - THOM YORKE
4.   Deceiver - DIIV
5.   When I Have Fears - THE MURDER CAPITAL
6.   Any Human Friend - MARIKA HACKMAN
7.   The Center Won't Hold - SLEATER-KINNEY
8.   This Is Not A Safe Place - RIDE
9.   Close It Quietly - FRANKIE COSMOS
10. Venus In Leo - HTRK
11. In The Morse Code Of Break Lights - THE NEW PORNOGRAPHERS
12. Stars Are The Light - MOON DUO
13. Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost Part 1 / Part 2 - FOALS
14. Eton Alive - SLEAFORD MODS
15. Years To Burn - CALEXICO / IRON AND WINE

Top 15 Tracks

1.   Blankenship - DIIV
2.   Green & Blue - THE MURDER CAPITAL
3.   Summer - ANGEL OLSEN
4.   Sketch Artist - KIM GORDON
5.   Not The News - THOM YORKE
6.   The One - MARIKA HACKMAN
7.   Hurry On Home - SLEATER-KINNEY
8.   Future Love - RIDE
9.   Falling Down The Stairs Of Your Smile - THE NEW PORNOGRAPHERS
10. Lost Heads - MOON DUO
11. You Know How To Make Me Happy - HTRK
12. 41st - FRANKIE COSMOS
13. In Degrees - FOALS
14. Kebab Spider - SLEAFORD MODS
15. Midnight Sun - CALEXICO / IRON AND WINE

New Releases: October 2019

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

Albums

All Mirrors

ANGEL OLSEN - All Mirrors

KIM GORDON - No Home Record

DIIV - Deceiver

BIG THIEF - Two Hands

MARK LANEGAN BAND - Somebody's Knocking

SWANS - Leaving Meaning

BODEGA - Shiny New Model

FOALS - Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost Part 2

CHROMATICS - Closer To Grey

WIVES - So Removed

WILCO - Ode To Joy

GUIDED BY VOICES - Sweating The Plague

DESERT SESSIONS - Vols. 11 and 12

RICHARD DAWSON - 2020

ALLAH LAS - LAHS

BLACKWATER HOLYLIGHT - Veils of Winter

LIGHTNING DUST - Spectre

LIGHTNING BOLT - Sonic Citadel

REFUSED - War Music

BATTLES - Juice B Crypts

DANNY BROWN - uknowhatimsayin¿

808 STATE - Transmission Suite

FLOATING POINTS - Crush

LARRY GUS - Subservient

CARLA DAL FORNO - Look Up Sharp

CAROLINE POLACHEK - Pang

CORRIDOR - Junior

COLD IN BERLIN - Rituals Of Surrender

STARCRAWLER - Devour You

WHITE REAPER - You Deserve Love

MIKAL CRONIN - Seeker

KELLEY STOLTZ - My Regime

MARK KOZELEK AND PETRA HADEN - Joey Always Smiled

MAGNAPOP - The Circle Is Round

THAT DOG. - Old LP

MEDICINE - Scarred for Life

THE MUFFS - No Holiday

JIMMY EAT WORLD - Surviving

ELBOW - Giants Of All Sizes

THE SHERLOCKS - Under Your Sky

COMET GAIN - Fireraisers Forever

JOHN - Out Here On The Fringes

HXXS - Year Of The Witch

THE HECKS - My Star

HOVVDY - Heavy Lifter

SORRY GIRLS - Deborah

BRIX AND THE EXTRICATED - Super Moon Wolf Moon

CIGARETTES AFTER SEX - Cry

DAVID J - Missive To An Angel From The Halls Of Infamy And Allure

13 MILLION YEAR OLD GHOST - 13 Million Year Old Ghost 

Singles & EPs

SLEATER-KINNEY - Animal

POLICA - Driving / Trash In Bed
GHOST WOLVES - Crooked Cop
TEAM DRESCH - Your Hands My Pocket
JIM JONES AND THE RIGHTEOUS MIND - Get Down Get With It
THE EMPTY PAGE - You're Tame / He's Very Good at Swimming
SINEAD O’BRIEN - A Thing You Call Joy
LOU HAYTER - Cherry on Top
GIRLS IN SYNTHESIS - Arterial Movements EP
LARRY GUS - Kerkis (Judas-Tree)
BDRMM - If Not, When? EP
HEAVY LUNGS - Measure EP 

CHEVAL SOMBRE - Been a Lover / The Calfless Cow
WILL BURNS AND HANNAH PEEL - Pale Tussock
BORUSIADE - Misfits of Broken Dreams 

GERRY CINNAMON - Sun Queen / Canter
LIAM GALLAGHER - Now That I’ve Found You

ZAC - I Got Something In My Mind

Angel Olsen - Lark

Top 50 Albums of 2016

Hello to 2017, let's hope it's going to be much better than 2016 in every aspect!

As far as music is concerned, last year we lost too many great artists, while our beloved rock music, the reason for the existence of this blog, seemed to go out of fashion if we believe the various year-end lists of the established media organizations, where R'n'B, Rap and Dance music dominated.

However, we believe all is not lost for guitar music. Although I cannot say that we came across new groundbreaking rock music last year, there were plenty of worthwhile efforts and several excellent albums showing remarkable development for relatively new artists and bands like Car Seat Headrest, Angel Olsen, Savages, Diiv or Parquet Courts who are establishing themselves among this decade's important music makers.

Next to the great contributions from new(ish) artists, which also included albums by Warpaint, Goat, Factory Floor, Daughter and Quilt to name a few more, we also enjoyed the return of some familiar names from the past who added new and important chapters to their amazing history. Both Swans and PJ Harvey gave us amazing albums which could easily claim the top spot of our list, if it wasn't for our decision to dedicate the Top 5 to the work of up-and-coming artists that we feel they are the new blood of rock music of the '10s, while Black Mountain, Dinosaur Jr., The Julie Ruin, Woods, Kristin Hersh, Radiohead and, of course, David Bowie's last music statement, were also among the reasons that the heart of rock music was still beating strong in 2016 despite everything. Let's hope for more great music from all genres in 2017 because something tells me we are going to need it bad!

So, here are the 50 albums we enjoyed the most in the past 12 months, chosen of course among the new releases that we were able to listened to and buy in physical format. As always, the ranking of the list was valid as of the last day of the year, but it is not written in stone and can easily change as we are still looking to discover more great music released in 2016 that may have escaped our attention so far. A more thorough list will be published in Cool Music Database as soon as we feel that the search is over.

To 50 Albums of 2016

1. Teens of denial - CAR SEAT HEADREST

2. My woman - ANGEL OLSEN

3. Adore life - SAVAGES

4. Is the is are - DIIV

5. Human performance - PARQUET COURTS

6. The glowing man - SWANS

7. The hope six demolition project - PJ HARVEY

8. Heads up - WARPAINT

9. Requiem - GOAT

10. IV - BLACK MOUNTAIN

11. Give a glimpse of what yer not - DINOSAUR JR.
12. Hit reset - THE JULIE RUIN
13. Blackstar - DAVID BOWIE
14. A moon shaped pool - RADIOHEAD
15. 25 25 - FACTORY FLOOR
16. We got it from here... Thank you 4 your service - A TRIBE CALLED QUEST
17. Not to disappear - DAUGHTER
18. Plaza - QUILT
19. City sun eater in the river of light - WOODS
20. Wyatt at the Coyote Palace - KRISTIN HERSH
21. Next thing - FRANKIE COSMOS
22. A man alive - THAO & THE GET DOWN STAY
23. Distance inbetween - THE CORAL
24. A weird exits - THEE OH SEES
25. Emotional mugger - TY SEGALL
26. Paradise - WHITE LUNG
27. Patch the sky - BOB MOULD
28. Skeleton tree - NICK CAVE AND THE BAD SEEDS
29. The waiting room - TINDERSTICKS
30. Heart like a levee - HISS GOLDEN MESSENGER
31. Jet plane and oxbow - SHEARWATER
32. United crushers - POLIÇA
33. Pussy's dead - AUTOLUX
34. Ash & ice - THE KILLS
35. New view - ELEANOR FRIEDBERGER
36. Strangers - MARISSA NADLER
37. Case/Lang/Veirs - CASE/LANG/VEIRS
38. Funs cool - THE PRETTIOTS
39. Human ceremony - SUNFLOWER BEAN
40. Inner journey out - PSYCHIC ILLS
41. Until the hunter - HOPE SANDOVAL AND THE WARM INVENTIONS
42. Here - TEENAGE FANCLUB
43. Chaosmosis - PRIMAL SCREAM
44. Barbara Barbara, we face a shining future - UNDERWORLD
45. Painting with - ANIMAL COLLECTIVE
46. Everything you've come to expect - THE LAST SHADOW PUPPETS
47. Eyes on the lines - STEVE GUNN
48. Mass Gothic - MASS GOTHIC
49. Sun Kil Moon / Jesu - SUN KIL MOON / JESU
50. Slugger - SAD13

Click here for our Top 50 Tracks of 2016 and enjoy below a playlist with some of the highlights from our 2016 Albums of the Year:

The Top of our 2016 CD pile

Top 50 Tracks of 2016

It's that time of the year again! The festive season is upon us, and despite what we might think or feel about 2016, we are seeing it off with a selection of some of the best music released in the last 12 months. For starters, we present today our own version of the Festive 50, 50 great tracks representing stand out moments from some of the albums we've enjoyed the most during 2016, plus a few selections taken from stand-alone single or EP releases. As usual, we are including only one track from each artist or band, so that we can fit in a wider variety of releases.

The top position of our favorite tracks list belongs to Angel Olsen with her impossible to say no command "Shut Up Kiss Me",  the astonishing, grungy power-pop single off her excellent fourth album "My Woman", one of the best examples of the reinvention of her sound which keeps the delicate melodies of folk music, but adds plentiful rock energy that lets the sparks fly on tracks like this one.

Here is the complete list of our Top 50 Tracks of 2016, which you can also stream on Spotify:

1. Shut Up Kiss Me - ANGEL OLSEN

2. The Wheel - PJ HARVEY

3. Fill in the Blank - CAR SEAT HEADREST

4. Human Performance - PARQUET COURTS

5. Florian Saucer Attack - BLACK MOUNTAIN

6. Under the Sun - DIIV

7. New Song - WARPAINT

8. I Sing in Silence - GOAT

9. Lazarus - DAVID BOWIE

10. Jesus Alone - NICK CAVE AND THE BAD SEEDS

11. When Will I Return? - SWANS
12. Bath White - 50 FOOT WAVE
13. Sad Person - SAVAGES
14. Wedding - POLIÇA
15. Burn the Witch - RADIOHEAD
16. No Care - DAUGHTER
17. Chasing The Tail Of A Dream - THE CORAL
18. Tiny - DINOSAUR JR.
19. I’m Done - THE JULIE RUIN
20. Wise Ol’ Man - THE FALL
21. Sun City Creeps - WOODS
22. Were We Once Lovers? - TINDERSTICKS
23. Soma Gone Slapstick - KRISTIN HERSH
24. Sunday Love - BAT FOR LASHES
25. Dial Me In - FACTORY FLOOR
26. I Exhale - UNDERWORLD
27. We the People... - A TRIBE CALLED QUEST
28. Where the Lights Gets In - PRIMAL SCREAM
29. Aviation - THE LAST SHADOW PUPPETS
30. I'm In Love - TEENAGE FANCLUB
31. On the Lips - FRANKIE COSMOS
32. Be Apart - PORCHES
33. Brainwasher - AUTOLUX
34. La Distinción - LORELLE MEETS THE OBSOLETE
35. Janie In Love - MARISSA NADLER
36. Sweetest Girl - ELEANOR FRIEDBERGER
37. Let Me Get There - HOPE SANDOVAL AND THE WARM INVENTIONS
38. The Spoils - MASSIVE ATTACK
39. Doing It to Death - THE KILLS
40. The Bridge - SAUNA YOUTH
41. Kiss Me When I Bleed - WHITE LUNG
42. Candy Sam - TY SEGALL
43. Oblivious - THE STROKES
44. Death Note - SPEEDY ORTIZ (mp3)
45. Golden Gal - ANIMAL COLLECTIVE
46. On My Heart - SCHOOL OF SEVEN BELLS
47. X-Communicate - KRISTIN KONTROL
48. Reichpop - WILD NOTHING
49. Your Best American Girl - MITSKI 

50. Late 20s - BEST COAST

Listening Habits 07-09.2016

After releasing about a dozen albums in five years on Bandcamp under the name Car Seat Headrest, the amazingly prolific and exceptionally talented Will Toledo is now taking his music to the next level.

His thirteenth album (and second for Matador), "Teens Of Denial", is his first one recorded with a full band, in a proper recording studio, with the help of an experienced producer (Steve Fisk, whose credits include Nirvana, Screaming Trees, Beat Happening to name but a few!) and the results are nothing short of spectacular! The sprawling, 70-minute record, is an indie-rock epic, the kind of which we have not heard since the heyday of Pavement or Modest Mouse. Toledo may wear his influences on his sleeve (and that got him into trouble in the case of The Cars), but he proves to be an excellent songwriter who puts his personal stamp on every Car Seat Headrest song. Have a listen and discover some of the most original guitar tunes you'll hear this year - "Teens Of Denial" is classic indie-rock in the making!

Another exceptional work that stands out among our 16 favorite albums of the last few months is the latest installment in Swans' series of new millennium epics that started with 2010's "My Father Will Guide Me up a Rope to the Sky" and reaches to new heights with "The Glowing Man", another monumental record that stands alone in a universe of sound of its own creation, far removed from anything else you'll hear in 2016. Don't take into account the ranking order in our list; Swans work can only be compared with previous Michael Gira creations and "The Glowing Man" is without a doubt counted among the greatest achievements in the history of his unique band!

Although September is not over yet and at the moment of compiling our favorite new albums list I only had time to give it just a couple of listens, Angel Olsen's third album "My Woman" had such an immediate impact that I simply had to include it here and in one of the top spots, no less! Fans of her previous work already know and admire the power of her amazing voice, but what makes "My Woman" special is that her songwriting has kept evolving, going beyond folk and country, adding all kinds of rock flavors in it and producing her strongest collections of songs to date. I think we have already found our September Album of the Month!

Add to the above the latest albums by Dinosaur Jr., The Julie Ruin and Factory Floor, another trio of records that will definitely be in the running for our Top 20 of the Year, and I think we have a pretty strong album list in our hands! Here are C.M.C.'s favorite albums and tracks for the period July - mid-September 2016:

Top 16 Albums

1.  Teens Of Denial - CAR SEAT HEADREST
2.  The Glowing Man - SWANS
3.  My Woman - ANGEL OLSEN
4.  Give A Glimpse Of What Yer Not - DINOSAUR JR.
5.  Hit Reset - THE JULIE RUIN
6.  25 25 - FACTORY FLOOR
7.  Pussy's Dead - AUTOLUX
8.  Ash & Ice - THE KILLS
9.  Barbara Barbara, We Face A Shining Future - UNDERWORLD
10. X-Communicate - KRISTIN KONTROL
11. The Bride - BAT FOR LASHES
12. Eyes On The Lines - STEVE GUNN
13. Jesu / Sun Kil Moon - JESU / SUN KIL MOON
14. Nocturnal Koreans - WIRE
15. Tell Me If You Like To - SPRING KING
16. Acoustic Recordings 1998 - 2016 - JACK WHITE

Top 20 Tracks

1.  Shut Up Kiss Me - ANGEL OLSEN
2.  Vincent - CAR SEAT HEADREST
3.  Finally, Peace - SWANS
4.  Tiny - DINOSAUR JR.
5.  I’m Done - THE JULIE RUIN
6.  Dial Me In - FACTORY FLOOR
7.  I Exhale - UNDERWORLD
8.  Soft Scene - AUTOLUX
9.  Sunday Love - BAT FOR LASHES
10. Impossible Tracks - THE KILLS
11. Nocturnal Koreans - WIRE
12. Ancient Jules - STEVE GUNN
13. America’s Most Wanted Mark Kozelek And John Dillinger - JESU / SUN KIL MOON
14.  Gertrudis, Get Through This! - MOURN
15. X-Communicate - KRISTIN KONTROL
16. Rectifier - SPRING KING
17. Carolina Drama (Acoustic Mix) - JACK WHITE
18. 100% Or Nothing - PRIMAL SCREAM
19. Consequences of Love (Chris and Cosey Remix) - DEATH IN VEGAS
20. The Soft Bounce - BEYOND THE WIZARDS SLEEVE

 Angel Olsen - Shut Up Kiss Me

 

Live: Angel Olsen vs. Parquet Courts

Angel Olsen, live @ An Club (September 15, 2015)

This was certainly one of the best weeks for live music in Athens in 2015 for discerning indie rock fans, although the combination of pre-election fever and continuing summer temperatures meant that An Club, which hosted both Angel Olsen's and Parquet Courts' shows on Tuesday and Saturday respectively, was only half-full on both nights (or half-empty depending on how you want to see things). It is also possible that, in these difficult times, a 17 euro admission price (or 20 on the doors) means that most indie rock fans cannot afford two gigs in the same week (or even the same month). Whatever the reasons, two of the best new music gigs of this year did not find the audience that they deserved.

For starters, on Tuesday (September 15) Angel Olsen and her band filled An Club with her unique, country and folk influenced, melodic rock songs. Olsen's voice alone is enough to captivate the listener, weaving her intimate tales in a rich tapestry of emotion, but you cannot underestimate the contribution of her band in the final outcome, injecting discreet, slow-burning electricity in most of the songs.

Olsen, who seemed in high spirits, keen to strike conversation with the audience throughout her 80-minute set, presented highlights from last year's excellent "Burn Your Fire For No Witness" LP, including mini-hit "Hi-Five", "Forgiven/Forgotten", "Stars" and "White Fire", but also included material from her lesser known previous work, that certainly deserves a wider audience. 

A great set from an exceptionally talented singer-songwriter who has undoubtedly much more to give in the coming years. The opening of the set came from Mani Deum, a local, folk-influenced, five-piece rock act, who left a good impression and also gained the approval of Olsen who made sure to thank them during her set.

Angel Olsen, live @ An Club (September 15, 2015)

Mani Deum, live @ An Club (September 15, 2015)

Then, on Saturday (September 19), it was the turn of Parquet Courts to play at An Club, the same place where they made their Athens live debut two years ago.

Parquet Courts, live @ An Club (September 19, 2015)

I had finished my review of that show by writing "give them time and I'm certain that this band has the chops to build a set list that will slay from start to finish". Exactly two years down the line and with two more fine albums and several singles under their collective belt, Parquet Courts proved me right. Their nearly 90-minute set was killer from start to finish, with wine-fuelled punk-rock intensity, interspersed with a few, yet crucial, well-placed melodic moments ("Bodies Made Of", "Instant Disassembly", "Dear Ramona", set closer "Uncast Shadow Of A Southern Myth") that demonstrate their song-writing strength and diversity.

For the most part of their set, though, the pedal was definitely put to the metal, and among the high-octane highlights we enjoyed on this night were "Black and White", "You've Got Me Wonderin' Now", "Sunbathing Animal", "Master of My Craft" and "Borrowed Time".

Despite the relatively low attendance, Parquet Courts didn't hold back and gave us top quality rock 'n' roll, of the "tonight, we dine in hell" variety!  I'm sure that all of us who were there, will remember this night for quite some time! Well done, also, to Nerrves who opened the show with their own brand of noisy, energetic garage-punk.

Parquet Courts, live @ An Club (September 19, 2015)

Nerrves, live @ An Club (September 19, 2015)

Check out below Angel Olsen performing "Stars" and Parquet Courts in "Black and White" from the two equally awesome shows we attended this week at An Club:

Angel Olsen - Stars (live @ An Club, Athens)

Parquet Courts - Black and White (live @ An Club, Athens)

The Best Albums of 2014 so far - Part 1

It ain't over 'till the ref whistles for full time, as you know very well if you're gripped by World Cup fever, but having reached the half-time of 2014, this is a good time to catch our breath and have another listen to these 40 albums that, in our opinion, have stood out in the music game so far.

Who's going to be the most valuable player of the year? Could it be one of our current Top 40 picks, or is it possible that the best is yet to come? We'll find out in December, meanwhile, here are the first ten albums in our 2014 half-time list, presented in alphabetical order:

The A-Z of the first half of 2014:

• ANGEL OLSEN - Burn Your Fire For No Witness

• ARCHIE BRONSON OUTFIT - Wild Crush

• BLANK REALM - Grassed Inn

• BRODY DALLE - Diploid Love

• BROKEN BELLS - After The Disco

• CHEATAHS - Cheatahs

• CLOUD NOTHINGS - Here And Nowhere Else

• DUM DUM GIRLS - Too True

• EMA - The Future's Void

• GUIDED BY VOICES - Motivational Jumpsuit