Top 50 Tracks of 2019

Happy New Year everybody and welcome to the '20s! We are closing our 2019 account with the selection of our Top 50 Tracks of the Year, a collection of outstanding songs from albums, singles and EPs released in the past 12 months that sum up our listening habits and set the benchmark of excellence for the music we care about.

To help us in the difficult task of narrowing down a year's worth of great new music to just 50 tracks, we are sticking to the rule of choosing just one song from each artist or band (usually one of their singles), although in many cases even that choice proved difficult.

However, there was no doubt about what song should be honored with C.M.C.'s Track of the Year title, as "Not" by Big Thief is that rare piece of music that hits you immediately with its intense emotional power and haunts you long after the end of the six wonderful minutes of tearful joy it offers. The greatest moment yet in Adrianne Lenker's magnificent songbook and one for the list of The Best Songs of the '10s! More on this subject soon, but first here are our Top 50 Tracks of 2019:

Top 50 Tracks of 2019

1. Not - BIG THIEF

2. Blankenship - DIIV

3. Seventeen - SHARON VAN ETTEN

4. The barrel - ALDOUS HARDING

5. All my happiness is gone - PURPLE MOUNTAINS

6. Rylan - THE NATIONAL



7. Big - FONTAINES D.C.



8. Green & Blue - THE MURDER CAPITAL



9. In the capital - ROLLING BLACKOUTS COASTAL FEVER



10. All mirrors - ANGEL OLSEN



11. This life - VAMPIRE WEEKEND
12. I want your dreams - PETER PERRETT
13. Woman - KAREN O & DANGER MOUSE
14. High Alice - JENNY HVAL
15. Deadzone - LADYTRON
16. Future love - RIDE
17. Element - DEERHUNTER
18. White stuff - ROYAL TRUX
19. Rechargeable - SNAPPED ANKLES
20. Ducter - BLACK MIDI
21. Feet - FAT WHITE FAMILY
22. Summon the fire - THE COMET IS COMING  
23. Stitch it up - MARK LANEGAN BAND
24. Sketch artist - KIM GORDON
25. Not the news - THOM YORKE
26. Hurry on home - SLEATER-KINNEY
27. The 20 teens - WIVES
28. Shiny new model - BODEGA
29. Wasted nun - CHERRY GLAZERR
30. Tough enough - EX HEX
31. Jesus’ son - PRIESTS
32. The one - MARIKA HACKMAN
33. Red Bull & Hennessy - JENNY LEWIS
34. Walking away from love - STEVE MASON
35. The hunger - BAT FOR LASHES
36. On the Luna - FOALS
37. Daddy issues - PIP BLOM
38. Got you - AMYL AND THE SNIFFERS
39. On graveyard hill - PIXIES
40. Warranty - MEAT PUPPETS
41. Addicted to the day - BLUE ORCHIDS
42. Lineas en hojas - LORELLE MEETS THE OBSOLETE
43. Lost heads - MOON DUO
44. Future shade - BLACK MOUNTAIN
45. Help me stranger - THE RACONTEURS
46. Taste - TY SEGALL
47. Lost faith - BOB MOULD
48. Falling down the stairs of your smile - THE NEW PORNOGRAPHERS
49. LPs - JEFFREY LEWIS & THE VOLTAGE
50. Sunglasses - BLACK COUNTRY, NEW ROAD

Listening Habits: 11-12.2019

In the last "Listening Habits" of the year, we present the 10 albums that we've listened to the most in the last two months of 2019 and select our favorite tracks from them. As we have always done in the 12 years of this blog, we'll close the year with the lists of our favorite albums and songs of the past 12 months, while in the new year we'll present the music and artists that stood out for us in the last decade. The new year will also bring changes for this blog. I haven't worked out all the details just yet, but the new decade will also usher in a new Cool Music Central. More on this subject, very soon...

The last batch of new arrivals for 2019 consists of some truly fine albums, some from dear old friends who we go a long way back with and who continue to brighten our days with their music creations, despite (or maybe because of?) the darkness that lies within (Swans, Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds, Mark Lanegan, Pixies), some from artists who have established themselves in the course of the last decade and returned with excellent new chapters to their story (Bat For Lashes, Chelsea Wolfe, Jenny Hval) and some from relatively new names who we believe we are going to listen to a lot more in the 2020s (Big Thief, Bodega, Wives).

A special mention goes out to Big Thief who doubled their discography in 2019 with two wonderful albums of poetic, emotionally charged, folk rock music and who are also responsible for our Track of the Year for 2019 with the stunning "Not", an electrifying live version of which you can watch in the video below.

Top 10 Albums

1.   Leaving Meaning - SWANS
2.   Two Hands - BIG THIEF
3.   Somebody's Knocking - MARK LANEGAN BAND
4.   The Practice Of Love - JENNY HVAL
5.   So Removed - WIVES
6.   Ghosteen - NICK CAVE AND THE BAD SEEDS
7.   Lost Girls - BAT FOR LASHES
8.   Birth Of Violence - CHELSEA WOLFE
9.   Beneath The Eyrie - PIXIES
10. Shiny New Model EP - BODEGA

Top 10 Tracks

1.   Not - BIG THIEF
2.   The Hanging Man - SWANS
3.   Hollywood - NICK CAVE AND THE BAD SEEDS
4.   Night Flight To Kabul - MARK LANEGAN BAND
5.   High Alice - JENNY HVAL
6.   The 20 Teens - WIVES
7.   The Hunger - BAT FOR LASHES
8.   The Mother Road - CHELSEA WOLFE
9.   On Graveyard Hill - PIXIES
10. Shiny New Model - BODEGA

Big Thief - Not (Live from The Bunker Studios)

Listening Habits: Summer 2019

With vacations, festivals and other summer activities behind us, it is time for the summer edition of our "Listening Habits" lists, in which, every few months, we present the albums and tracks that stood out for us among the latest new releases and earned a place in our record collection.

At the top of the albums list for Summer 2019 you'll find one of the best debuts of the year, Black Midi's weird but certainly wonderful "Schlagenheim". The "weird" part, at least for me, is the unusual singing of main vocalist Geordie Greep which took a while to get used to, but the music skills displayed by the dynamic London quartet are undeniable and the end result is one of the most thrilling noise rock rides in recent history. Repeated listening at high volume is highly recommended!

From Black Midi's sublime noise experimentation, a sharp turn towards melody with Big Thief's "UFOF", the folk band's third full length effort and first for the historic 4AD label (which, by the way, is having a stellar 2019). We already knew that Adrianne Lenker is an amazingly talented songwriter but with "UFOF" her band is progressing to the next level, presenting us a confident set of emotionally powerful folk rock songs that flow into each other to create a wonderful whole. With "UFOF" already in the running for one of the albums of the year, the band has already recorded its next record, titled "Two Hands", which is expected in October and if new track "Not" is any indication, it looks very likely that the best is yet to come for Big Thief!

Among the best albums we've listened to this summer is also the self-titled record by Purple Mountains, a new project which was supposed to be David Berman's return to music, but unfortunately turned out to be his final farewell. The Silver Jews frontman was fighting his demons out of the public eye in the decade since he announced the end of his band which gave us excellent albums including "American Water", "Bright Flight" and "Lookout Mountain, Lookout Sea". With "Purple Mountains", a record he made with the collaboration of Jarvis Taveniere and Jeremy Earl from the band Woods, Berman made his comeback to songwriting with another great set of songs bearing his unique style and wit. Sadly the darkness that lies at their core could not be exorcised and only weeks after the album's release came the bad news. Although in this case music could not overcome adversity for its creator, you should not miss the opportunity to listen to "Purple Mountains", the last great work of a truly unique poet and songwriter.

Among the rest of the fine albums you will find in our Top 20 below, a special mention is merited for Ty Segall's latest work, "First Taste", his 12th solo studio album. Being overly prolific has the danger of losing the ability to filter properly your work, but it seems that Ty has no such problems as we are now used to having every year at least one of his LPs among the year's best. A year and a half after the amazing "Freedom's Goblin" (and two or three pretty good releases in between), he is back with another rocking record, in which he is not using his guitar at all, but still finds ways to blow our minds and ears. Another year, another album of the year by Ty Segall - business as usual then!

Top 20 Albums

1.   Schlagenheim - BLACK MIDI
2.   U.F.O.F. - BIG THIEF
3.   Purple Mountains - PURPLE MOUNTAINS
4.   First Taste - TY SEGALL
5.   Father Of The Bride - VAMPIRE WEEKEND
6.   Humanworld - PETER PERRETT
7.   Amyl And The Sniffers - AMYL AND THE SNIFFERS
8.   Boat - PIP BLOM
9.   Destroyer - BLACK MOUNTAIN
10. Help Us Stranger - THE RACONTEURS
11. Patience - MANNEQUIN PUSSY
12. Act Surprised - SEBADOH
13. These Times - THE DREAM SYNDICATE
14. Let's Rock - THE BLACK KEYS
15. Shepherd In A Sheepskin Vest - BILL CALLAHAN
16. Inside The Rose - THESE NEW PURITANS
17. About The Light - STEVE MASON
18. Proto - HOLLY HERNDON
19. Trust In The Lifeforce Of The Deep Mystery - THE COMET IS COMING  
20. The Magical Record Of Blue Orchids - BLUE ORCHIDS
 

Top 20 Tracks

1.   U.F.O.F. - BIG THIEF
2.   Margaritas At The Mall - PURPLE MOUNTAINS
3.   Ducter - BLACK MIDI
4.   Taste - TY SEGALL
5.   In The Capital - ROLLING BLACKOUTS COASTAL FEVER
6.   Summon The Fire - THE COMET IS COMING   
7.   This Life - VAMPIRE WEEKEND
8.   Master Of Destruction - PETER PERRETT
9.   Daddy Issues - PIP BLOM
10. Got You - AMYL AND THE SNIFFERS
11. Drunk II - MANNEQUIN PUSSY
12. Future Shade - BLACK MOUNTAIN
13. Help Me Stranger - THE RACONTEURS
14. Lo/Hi - THE BLACK KEYS
15. Black Light - THE DREAM SYNDICATE
16. Celebrate The Void - SEBADOH
17. Addicted To The Day - BLUE ORCHIDS
18. Walking Away From Love - STEVE MASON
19. Into The Fire - THESE NEW PURITANS
20. Eternal - HOLLY HERNDON