Top 50 Tracks of 2018

Cool Music Central waves goodbye to 2018 with the traditional year-end selection of our favorite tracks of the year: 50 great songs selected from albums, singles and EPs released in the last 12 months.

As usual, our singles list includes only one track from each artist or band in order to help us with the difficult task of narrowing down the selection to just 50 songs and also to represent as many of our favorite releases of the year as possible.

Check back next week for the list of our favorite albums of the year. In the meantime, hit play in the playlist below to listen to our Top 50 Tracks of 2018 led by U.S. Girls' "Pearly Gates", a soulful slice of retrofuturistic art pop describing a woman's efforts to gain entry to the heavenly realm by seducing a predatory St. Peter, a song which according to Meg Remy was inspired by a story recounted to her about a man attempting to convince a woman to engage in unprotected sex by saying “Don’t worry, I’m really good at pulling out!”.

Top 50 Tracks of 2018

 1. Pearly Gates - U.S. GIRLS

 2. Talking Straight - ROLLING BLACKOUTS COASTAL FEVER

3. How Did This Happen!? - BODEGA

4. Don't Beat the Girl Out of My Boy - ANNA CALVI

5. Woman - CAT POWER

6. Lemon Glow - BEACH HOUSE

7. Comeback Kid - SHARON VAN ETTEN

8. Need a Little Time - COURTNEY BARNETT

9. Make Time 4 Love - THE GOON SAX

10. Nobody - MITSKI

11. I Shall Love 2 - JULIA HOLTER
12. Nervous Mary - THE BREEDERS
13. The Man - GOAT GIRL
14. Danny Nedelko - IDLES
15. Total Football - PARQUET COURTS
16. MX Liberty - THURSTON MOORE
17. Wheel of Fortune - PROTOMARTYR
18. CIA Man (NSA Man Violation) - SNAPPED ANKLES
19. Over And Over And Over - JACK WHITE
20. Complex - THE CHILLS
21. Loading Zones - KURT VILE
22. Four Out of Five - ARCTIC MONKEYS
23. The Rover - INTERPOL
24. Shiny One - BELLY
25. Heat Wave - SNAIL MAIL
26. Your Dog - SOCCER MOMMY
27. Apathy - FRANKIE COSMOS
28. For You Too - YO LA TENGO
29. Refute - STEPHEN MALKMUS & THE JICKS
30. Crisis Fest - SUNFLOWER BEAN
31. Fanny - TY SEGALL
32. Catch It - ICEAGE
33. Static Resistance - HOOKWORMS
34. Brean Down - BEAK>
35. You Can - GABE GURNSEY
36. IDK About You - FEVER RAY
37. Heart Attack - TUNE-YARDS
38. Lotus - GANG GANG DANCE
39. Surface To Air - DJANGO DJANGO
40. Curse of the Contemporary - LUMP
41. Little Dark Age - MGMT
42. Put Your Money on Me - ARCADE FIRE
43. Last Lion of Albion - NEKO CASE
44. Severed - THE DECEMBERISTS
45. Nervous Young Inhumans - CAR SEAT HEADREST
46. What a Time to Be Alive - SUPERCHUNK
47. Never Coming Back - A PLACE TO BURY STRANGERS
48. Lucky 88 - SPEEDY ORTIZ
49. I'm Your Man - SPIRITUALIZED
50. Disarray - LOW

Top 50 Tracks of 2017

We're in the last week of the year which means it's time for the two lists that matter the most; our selection of the best new music released in the past 12 months, chosen among the hundreds of cds and digital files plus the few vinyl records (old habits die hard) we have added in our collection in 2017!

Let's start today with our 50 favorite tracks of the year and we'll keep, as tradition dictates, the album list for our first post of the new year. The "singles" list, as we used to call it when 7-inch and 12-inch vinyl releases still mattered as a means of getting your best songs out to the fans, is made up of stand out tracks from albums released during the year plus a few selections from stand-alone singles and EPs. As we usually do, only one track is included from each artist or band in order to be able to narrow down the selection to just 50 songs and to represent as many of our favorite releases of the year as possible.

So, let's leave the music speak for itself and without any reverse countdown nonsense (don't you always start by checking out the number one of a list before deciding if you are interested to see the rest?), here are the 50 tracks that mattered the most for Cool Music Central in 2017, starting with St. Vincent dripping poison about L.A.'s celebrity culture while mourning the loss of a lover and LCD Soundsystem waxing philosophical about mortality and living in the moment over one of the most catchy dance tunes that James Murphy and co. have ever created:

Top 50 Tracks of 2017

1. Los Ageless - ST. VINCENT

2. Tonite - LCD SOUNDSYSTEM

3. The Architect - JANE WEAVER

4. Evil - NADINE SHAH

5. Hot Thoughts - SPOON

6. The Underside Of Power - ALGIERS

7. DNA. - KENDRICK LAMAR

8. To the Moon and Back - FEVER RAY

9. Day I Die - THE NATIONAL

10. In Undertow - ALVVAYS

11. Silver - WAXAHATCHEE
12. French Press - ROLLING BLACKOUTS COASTAL FEVER
13. Amputation - THE JESUS AND MARY CHAIN
14. Don't Get Captured - RUN THE JEWELS
15. Holding On - THE WAR ON DRUGS
16. Demon in Profile - THE AFGHAN WHIGS
17. Beehive - MARK LANEGAN
18. The Last Ten Years - MARK EITZEL
19. My Children - PROTOMARTYR
20. Cease Fire - THURSTON MOORE
21. Over Everything - COURTNEY BARNETT AND KURT VILE
22. High Ticket Attractions - THE NEW PORNOGRAPHERS
23. Tinseltown Swimming in Blood - DESTROYER
24. Mourning Sound - GRIZZLY BEAR
25. Road Head - JAPANESE BREAKFAST
26. Soothing - LAURA MARLING
27. Sister Green Eyes - JOSEFIN ÖHRN + THE LIBERATION
28. Mad As Hell - U.S. GIRLS
29. Aryan Nation - EMA
30. Cred Woes - LIARS
31. Cali - RIDE
32. Sugar for the Pill - SLOWDIVE
33. 3 O'Clock - BLONDE REDHEAD
34. Formula X - BOSS HOG
35. Somos Chulas (No Somos Pendejas) - DOWNTOWN BOYS
36. Nothing Feels Natural - PRIESTS
37. I Took Your Picture - CULTS
38. Everything Now - ARCADE FIRE
39. Skyline - BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE
40. Currency - THE BLACK ANGELS
41. Glide - THE DREAM SYNDICATE
42. Near to the Wild Heart of Life - JAPANDROIDS
43. Short Elevated Period - WIRE
44. Evermore - GRANDADDY
45. It Gets More Blue - GIRLPOOL
46. Special - ANGEL OLSEN
47. Darling - REAL ESTATE
48. Follow The Leader - FOXYGEN
49. Sucker - THE BIG MOON
50. Don't Delete the Kisses - WOLF ALICE

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 01.2016

January's new releases schedule was pretty strong (as you can see here), but for our first Listening Habits post of 2016 we are going to focus on albums and tracks from 2015 that we have come by between December and January: the late discoveries of 2015, some of which made it in our Albums of the Year list at the very last minute, while some were left out only because they came in our possession slightly late. But, of course, it's never too late to discover and enjoy good music, regardless of release date or inclusion in any year-end list.

The album we've enjoyed the most over the last couple of months was "Half Free", the 4AD debut by U.S. Girls, the recording project of Illinois-born, Toronto-based artist Meghan Remy. She has been releasing experimental, lo-fi electronic music for several years, for various smaller indie labels, but it is 2015's "Half Free" the record that finally gives her the wider acclaim she deserves. 60's soul and girl-group influences mix with dub-pop and hip-hop inspired beats, while Remy sings about the everyday struggles of characters whose stories were inspired by the work of director John Cassavetes and Bruce Springsteen. It's a captivating listen from start to finish, shifting musical shapes and styles and creating some of the most fascinating pop we've listened to in 2015, with highlights including "Damn That Valley", "Window Shades" and "Woman's Work".

Here's what else we've been listening to lately from the tail end of 2015:

Top 12 Albums

1.  Half Free - U.S. GIRLS
2.  Fading Frontier - DEERHUNTER
3.  Silver Bullets - THE CHILLS
4.  Return To The Moon - EL VY
5.  Divers - JOANNA NEWSOM
6.  Holding Hands With Jamie - GIRL BAND
7.  Why Choose - SHOPPING
8.  Abyss - CHELSEA WOLFE
9.  Cranekiss - TAMARYN
10. Feels Like - BULLY
11. Rough Trade Shops Counter Culture 15 - VARIOUS ARTISTS
12. Why Pay More? - THE SOFT PINK TRUTH (download here)

Top 12 Tracks

1.  Snakeskin - DEERHUNTER
2.  Damn That Valley - U.S. GIRLS
3.  America Says Hello - THE CHILLS
4.  Return to the Moon (Political Song for Didi Bloome to Sing, with Crescendo) - EL VY
5.  Pears For Lunch - GIRL BAND
6.  Straight Lines - SHOPPING
7.  Leaving the City - JOANNA NEWSOM
8.  Carrion Flowers - CHELSEA WOLFE
9.  Cranekiss - TAMARYN
10. Trying - BULLY
11. Patchwork - DEMDIKE STARE
12. What's A Computer? - THE SOFT PINK TRUTH

U.S. Girls - Damn That Valley

2015 Review: Top 10 Debut Albums of the Year

In the second half of December we are celebrating the best music that 2015 had to offer, which means you're going to see plenty of lists here for the next couple of weeks, as we do enjoy putting things in the "right" order. This order, of course, is changing almost daily, but we do feel that these lists are a fun and efficient way to capture the overall picture of the musical landscape we've been wandering in for the past twelve months.

So, let's get the ball rolling by reinstating the "Best Debuts of the Year" list. Last year we didn't feel like making one, perhaps for the first time since this blog started, as in our opinion 2014 was a rather unimpressive year for the rookies. Things did look up in 2015, although I still wouldn't call it a vintage year for debuts. However the following ten albums include one indisputable classic plus four or five more strong candidates for the year's Top 50. All of them deserve your attention if you're looking for promising new acts who inject fresh blood in guitar rock and pop music. 

Here's our Top 10 Debuts of 2015:

1. Sometimes I Sit And Think, And Sometimes I Just Sit - COURTNEY BARNETT

2. Viet Cong - VIET CONG

3. The Expanding Flower Planet - DERADOORIAN

4. Algiers - ALGIERS

5. My Love Is Cool - WOLF ALICE

6. Holding Hands With Jamie - GIRL BAND 

7. Me - EMPRESS OF

8. Hermits On Holiday - DRINKS

9. Feels Like - BULLY

10. Are You Satisfied? - SLAVES

Also recommended:

Before The World Was Big - GIRLPOOL

Switch Me On - THE FIREWORKS

Found Sound Vol.15

Bringing you the best new sounds we discover in our mailbox...

 

It's been a while since the previous edition of Found Sound but, thanks to an impressive number of quality submissions we have received in the last couple of months, Volume 15 is finally here presenting no less than 10 fine new tracks from a wide array of musical styles, coming from independent artists around the globe. Have a listen below to Passenger Peru, Mylets, Blisses B and Jourdan Myers from the US as well as Babaganouj from Australia, Charlotte&Magon from France, Nanaki from the Isle of Man, Signal/// from Norway, Sillyboy from Greece and Drachenhaus from Germany:

Passenger Peru - The Best Way To Drown

Brooklyn duo Passenger Peru is about to release its sophomore album "Light Places" on Fleeting Youth Records (out February 24th). After listening to its first single "The Best Way To Drown" above, click here to listen and download their cover of Hüsker Dü's "Pink Turns to Blue".

Babaganouj - Can't Stop

Strange band name but very catchy indie pop tune; Australia's Babaganouj take inspiration from bands like The Hummingbirds and The Hoodoo Gurus as well as the classic sound of Creation and Flying Nun Records. "Can't Stop", their latest single, combines boy-girl harmonies, lush melodies and '90s-style indie rock guitars to produce a fine, radio-friendly, pop tune.

Charlotte&Magon - Egg Dance

"Egg Dance" is the title track from the new four-song EP that Parisian duo Charlotte&Magon will release on March 3rd. Expect to hear psychedelic funky sounds that bring to mind the '80s new wave and electro hybrids concocted by bands like Tom Tom Club or Shriekback.

Drachenhaus - The Sunshine

"The Sunshine" is the latest track from Berlin-based post-industrial duo Drachenhaus. Radiohead's forays into electronic music have been an influence here as well as Yoko Ono ( the bridge of the song features a recitation of an event score from her conceptual artist’s book, "Grapefruit").

Nanaki - The Land Surveyor

One of the standout tracks from the album "The Dying Light", the first full-length Nanaki album since 2003. Instrumental, post-rock sounds from the solo project of Postcode guitarist Mikie Daugherty from the Isle of Man. Check out the video here and buy the album on a name-your-price basis here.

Signal/// - An Eternal Recurrence

A taste from the "Echo" EP, coming in March on Handmade Records, by Oslo noisemakers Signal///. The track is produced by Ådne Meisfjord whose credits include Serena-Maneesh and 120 Days. You can check out the video here.

Sillyboy - Stalker

Melodic electropop from Greece; "Stalker" is the title track off Sillyboy's third album, released on Klik Records at the end of 2014.

Mylets - Trembling Hands

"Trembling Hands", a track mixing Nine Inch Nails-influenced industrial rock with punk guitars is the most recent single taken from Mylets forthcoming album "Arizona", expected this April. Mylets is Henry Kohen who recently signed to Sargent House, home to the likes of Russian Circles, And So I Watch You From Afar, Chelsea Wolfe and more.

Blisses B - Well Lit Plan

Blisses B is a psychedelic folk quartet from San Francisco & Oakland. "Well Lit Plan" is one of the best tracks to be found on their third record "Sea Level Astronomy", released last fall with support from their loyal fan base through a Kickstarter Campaign. You can find the album here.

Jourdan Myers - Wanderlust

Finale with the lovely voice of singer-songwriter Jourdan Myers from Minneapolis. "Wanderlust" is taken from her second album "Ruin Me With Love" (also finished with the help of a Kickstarter Campaign) and is accompanied by a video which you can check out here.

New Releases: October 2014

Round-up of the most interesting albums and singles released in October 2014:

Albums

THURSTON MOORE - The Best Day
MARK LANEGAN BAND - Phantom Radio
EX HEX - Rips
ICEAGE - Plowing Into The Field Of Love
FOXYGEN - ...And Star Power
ALLO DARLIN' - We Come From The Same Place
PEAKING LIGHTS - Cosmic Logic
CARIBOU - Our Love
FLYING LOTUS - You're Dead!
RUN THE JEWELS - Run the Jewels 2
ZOLA JESUS - Taiga
JULIAN CASABLANCAS AND THE VOIDZ - Tyranny
…AND YOU WILL KNOW US BY THE TRAIL OF DEAD - IX
ULTIMATE PAINTING - Ultimate Painting
KEVIN MORBY - Still Life
JOHNNY MARR - Playland
THE CHILLS - Stand By
LOLA COLT - Away From The Water
PHARMAKON - Bestial Burden
MEATBODIES - Meatbodies
THE TWILIGHT SAD - Nobody Wants to be Here and Nobody Wants to Leave
THE RURAL ALBERTA ADVANTAGE - Mended With Gold
BASS DRUM OF DEATH - Rip This
MELVINS - Hold it in
WEEZER - Everything Will Be Alright in the End
CHICKS ON SPEED - Artstravaganza
MECHANIMAL - Secret Science
LEE RANALDO AND THE DUST - Acoustic Dust
THE CORAL - The Curse of Love
THE FALL - Live - Uurop Viii-Xii Places in Sun and Winter, Son

Singles & EPs

SPEEDY ORTIZ / CHRIS WEISMAN - LAMC #14 

ALLO DARLIN - Bright Eyes
THE PAINS OF BEING PURE AT HEART - Abandonment Issue EP
INSTITUTE - Salt EP
SLEAFORD MODS - Fizzy
DANNY BROWN - Smokin and Drinkin
VINCE STAPLES - Hell Can Wait EP
EAST INDIA YOUTH - Hinterland
KING CHAMPION SOUND - Songs for the Golden Hour EP
THEPARADE - Connector
THE POPGUNS - Lovejunky
JOHNNY MARR - Easy Money
THE CHARLATANS - Talking in Tones
PETER BUCK - Opium Drivel
CHUCK PROPHET - Tell Me Anything (Turn to Gold)
THE WYTCHES - Burn Out the Bruise
DRESSMAKER - Glass EP
ADVENTURES / PITY SEX - Split
KODE9 & THE SPACEAPE - Killing Season EP
RED SNAPPER - Card Trick EP

Thurston Moore - Speak To The Wild

Found Sound Vol.14

Found Sound brings you the best new music we discover by going through our mail. The series makes its long overdue comeback with fresh sounds from Mechanimal, Children Of Leir, Bongley Dead, Mumblr, Gosh Pith and tohska. There's something for everybody, have a listen:

Mechanimal - We Come Alive

Mechanimal describe their sound as "drone 'n' roll", an inspired mixture of electronic, industrial, post-punk and krautrock music. The Athens, Greece, based group has just released its second album "Secret Science" and "We Come Alive" is the first single.

Children Of Leir - Black Annis

Black Annis, as legend has it, was a hideous blue skinned, hag-like creature that haunted The Dane Hills area of Leicester. This fearsome, human flesh-eating, monster is also the inspiration behind a fine psych rock track which will be released as a double A-side single by Children Of Leir on October 27th on 7'' vinyl. Look for it on their Bandcamp site here.

Bongley Dead - A Better Daybreak

I don't know much to tell you about Bongley Dead except that they are a quartet from Ponte Buggianese, Italy who left us a link to their third demo on the comments of our review of Ty Segall's recent gig. "A Better Daybreak" is the first track on this very promising demo that brings to mind the guitar-heavy sound of the American underground rock of the '80s.

Mumblr - Got It

"Got It" is the catchy opening track of the album "Full of Snakes", the debut of Philadelphia foursome Mumblr. The record tackles the struggles, fears, and confused emotions of transitioning from youth to adulthood, a subject matter that has given us some fine angst rock over the years. You can stream the whole album here.

Gosh Pith - Waves

A wide and varied spectrum of influences, from Detroit hip-hop and techno to The Smiths, Bauhaus, and the Strokes, have inspired the sound of Gosh Pith. The unsigned group recently released its first single "Waves" which is available as a free download on their Soundcloud page.

tohska - Lacuna Bloom 

Some relaxing, ambient drum & bass sounds for the ending of the 14th edition of Found Sound. "Lacuna Bloom" is the most recent single by New York-based artist tohska, a track about exploring the human mind, and a fine soundtrack as we roll the end credits.

Listening Habits 08-09.14

It's certainly no small feat: 8 albums into an 18-year recording career, Spoon remain at the top of their game and deliver once again one of the best rock records of the year.

The ten tracks (9 originals and one cover) on "They Want My Soul" create a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts, complementing each other and making for a pleasurable listening experience from start to finish that will have you hitting the repeat button again and again.

Our August - September top albums list also includes Interpol's "Elpintor", their first album as a trio, which several reviews have hailed as a return to form. Personally, I don't think they have ever lost it, but if you have a record as awesome as "Turn On The Bright Lights" for your debut, you should prepare for the fact that people's expectations for your band will tend to be rather unrealistic. Thankfully Interpol don't seem to mind and get on with the business of making fine records, with "Elpintor" certainly not far from that early career high mark.

Our Top 5 is rounded up by the melodic California garage-pop of "Worship The Sun", Allah-Lahs' sophomore effort, the grunge-punk aggression of Canada's White Lung who have justly seen their profile rise with the explosive "Deep Fantasy", their third LP, and the experimental, laid-back hip hop sounds of Shabazz Palaces's "Lesse Majesty". 

Here's the complete Top 15 Albums list for August - September 2014:

Top 15 Albums

1.   They Want My Soul - SPOON
2.   Elpintor - INTERPOL
3.   Worship The Sun - ALLAH-LAS
4.   Deep Fantasy - WHITE LUNG
5.   Lese Majesty - SHABAZZ PALACES
6.   Pe'ahi - THE RAVEONETTES
7.   Initiation - HAUNTED HEARTS
8.   Hour Of The Dawn - LA SERA
9.   Beauty & Ruin - BOB MOULD
10. Revelation - THE BRIAN JONESTOWN MASSACRE
11. Luminous - THE HORRORS
12. World Peace Is None Of Your Business - MORRISSEY
13.  The Voyager - JENNY LEWIS
14. Upside Down Mountain - CONOR OBERST
15. Clear Lake Forest - THE BLACK ANGELS

Top 15 Tracks

1.   Food For Clouds - THE BRIAN JONESTOWN MASSACRE
2.   Do You - SPOON
3.   All The Rage Back Home - INTERPOL
4.   Drown With The Monster - WHITE LUNG
5.   501-415 - ALLAH-LAS
6.   Killer In The Streets - THE RAVEONETTES
7.   Johnny Jupiter - HAUNTED HEARTS
8.   Losing To The Dark (mp3 via Stereogum) - LA SERA
9.   I Don't Know You Anymore - BOB MOULD
10. Kiss Me A Lot - MORRISSEY
11. Head Underwater - JENNY LEWIS
12. Hundreds Of Ways - CONOR OBERST
13. Hot And Cold - EX HEX
14. I See You - THE HORRORS
15. They Come In Gold - SHABAZZ PALACES

Spoon - Do You

Listen to our latest favorites on Spotify:

The Best Albums of 2014 so far - Part 4

Last but not least... The final ten albums in the list of our 40 favorite records of 2014 so far, featuring Temples, The Afghan Whigs, The Black Keys, The Hold Steady, The Men, The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart, The War On Drugs, Tune-Yards and Warpaint. Have a listen below and also check out our Top 20 Tracks of the last six months - just a small sample of a quite long list:

The A-Z of the first half of 2014 (pt.4):

• TEMPLES - Sun Structure 

• THE AFGHAN WHIGS - Do To The Beast

• THE BLACK KEYS - Turn Blue

• THE HOLD STEADY - Teeth Dreams

• THE MEN - Tomorrow's Hits

• THE PAINS OF BEING PURE AT HEART - Days Of Abandon

• THE WAR ON DRUGS - Lost In The Dream

• TUNE-YARDS - Nikki Nack

• WARPAINT - Warpaint

• WOODS - With Light And With Love

Here's the rest of our Top 40:

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

Top 20 Tracks (January - June 2014) 

 

• Disco//Very - WARPAINT
• Satellites - EMA
• Digital Witness - ST. VINCENT
• Rimbaud Eyes - DUM DUM GIRLS
• Mesmerise - TEMPLES
• Ben's My Friend - SUN KIL MOON
• Talking Backwards - REAL ESTATE
• Water Fountain - TUNE-YARDS
• Taking Chances - SHARON VAN ETTEN
• Hi-Five - ANGEL OLSEN
• Lariat - STEPHEN MALKMUS & THE JICKS
• We Are Floating - ARCHIE BRONSON OUTFIT
• Sunbathing Animal - PARQUET COURTS
• Tied Up In Nottz - SLEAFORD MODS
• Pro Anti Anti- LIARS
• Scum, Rise! - PROTOMARTYR
• Falling Down The Stairs - BLANK REALM
• I'm Not Part Of Me - CLOUD NOTHINGS
• Don't Mess With Me - BRODY DALLE
• Algiers - THE AFGHAN WHIGS

The Best Albums of 2014 so far - Part 3

The third installment of our presentation of the 40 records that impressed us the most in the first half of the year continues with the following ten fine albums by Protomartyr, Quilt, Real Estate, September Girls, Sharon Van Etten, Sleaford Mods, St. Vincent, Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks, Sun Kil Moon and Swans. Have a listen below:

The A-Z of the first half of 2014 (pt.3):

• PROTOMARTYR - Under Color Of Official Right

• QUILT - Held In Splendor

• REAL ESTATE - Atlas

• SEPTEMBER GIRLS - Cursing The Sea

• SHARON VAN ETTEN - Are We There

• SLEAFORD MODS - Divide And Exit

• ST. VINCENT - St. Vincent

• STEPHEN MALKMUS & THE JICKS - Wig Out At Jagbags

• SUN KIL MOON - Benji

• SWANS - To Be Kind

Previously on The A-Z of the first half of 2014:
Part 1
Part 2

The Best Albums of 2014 so far - Part 2

Our A to Z of the 40 best album we've listened to in the first half of the year continues: sample tracks from Hospitality, HTRK, Jack White, Kevin Drew, La Sera, Liars, Marissa Nadler, Metronomy, Parquet Courts and Pixies below and make sure to check out their albums in full.

The A-Z of the first half of 2014 (pt.2):

• HOSPITALITY - Trouble

• HTRK - Psychic 9-5 Club

• JACK WHITE - Lazaretto

• KEVIN DREW - Darlings

• LA SERA - Hour of the Dawn

• LIARS - Mess

• MARISSA NADLER - July

• METRONOMY - Love Letters

• PARQUET COURTS - Sunbathing Animal

• PIXIES - Indie Cindy

Go to Part 1 of our A-Z of the first half of 2014.

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