Saturday, June 25, 2011

1983: Top 50 Singles

Our '80s trip continues in Cool Music Database - click here to check out the list with our 50 favorite singles from 1983, a year with plenty of annoying pop that dominated the charts but also rich in alternative music classics.

The choice of the number one single was particularly tricky this time, as 1983 was the year that The Smiths made their debut with their first two instant classic singles, "Hand In Glove" and "This Charming Man", while Bauhaus ended their run with one of their best ever singles, the epic goth masterpiece "She's In Parties".

In the end though my choice had to be the anthem that defined the newly formed indie-dance hybrid, New Order's "Blue Monday", a single instantly recognizable by its triumphant drum machine attack that is designed to conquer any dance floor within seconds. Another interesting trivia about "Blue Monday", typical of the eccentric Factory Records' history, is that due to the original 12" single's elaborate die-cut sleeve that resembles a giant floppy disc (remember them?) designed by Peter Saville, the record company would lose money on each copy sold. The sleeve became progressively more simple with each repressing so that the huge demand would be met and the company would actually be able to make a decent profit from it (see also here).

Click play below to listen to our Top Singles of 1983:




New Order - Blue Monday

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

On The Radio: Moon Duo, tUnE-yArDs, Anna Calvi in Session

Fresh off the radio waves for our audio-visual pleasure: check out below Moon Duo and tUnE-yArDs performing live on KEXP highlights from their recent fine albums ("In The Sun" off "Mazes" and "Bizness" off "Whokill" respectively), plus Anna Calvi performing "Desire" on KCRW's Morning Becomes Eclectic (the full session can be found here):

Moon Duo - In The Sun (live on KEXP)

tUnE-yArDs - Bizness (live on KEXP)


Anna Calvi - Desire (live on KCRW)

Saturday, June 11, 2011

Interpol, live @ Entertainment Stage (Athens, June 7, 2011)

It was the type of event that was missing from the Athens live agenda; a concert from a popular band still at the top of its powers. Interpol’s latest album may not have had the greatest hit-to-miss ratio of the band’s career so far, but it was still a good effort adding a few more awesome tracks to their remarkable repertoire, like "Barricade", "Lights" or "Success". And with a stone cold classic ("Turn On The Bright Lights") plus two more high caliber albums ("Antics" and "Our Love To Admire") already under their belts, Interpol have by now accumulated a great wealth of top class tunes to choose their set list from, making them one of the hottest live tickets around despite losing the considerable talents of bass player Carlos D last year.


The set list that the band has chosen to present at its current tour that finally brought them to Athens for the first time ever, is rich in material from their first two albums, perhaps acknowledging the fact that they’re widely regarded as their best efforts to date, while the third LP is pretty much sidestepped (only "The Heinrich Maneuver" was included, which is rather "unfair" if you ask me as this leaves out some pretty great tunes) and only a handful of tracks are included from their most recent full-length, possibly a recognition that although this was their eponymous effort it was certainly far from being their definitive work.


Despite the fact that the four songs that were omitted from the first album happen to be among my all-time Interpol favorites (how it’s possible to favor "Hands Away" over "PDA" is beyond me) and the not so great sound that we had at the left side of the front of the stage where the C.M.C. team was situated (in stark contrast with the situation at the venue’s balcony where we’ve learned that the quality of the sound was actually crystal clear), the hour and a half show that we got from Interpol on Tuesday night was quite a pleasure, with Paul Banks being in fine voice, the suited-up Daniel Kessler offering killer guitar riffs, Sam Fogarino providing relentless fire-power behind his drum kit and Brad Truax, the new touring bassist, doing his best to fill some pretty big shoes.

The band’s strong performance was met with a wildly enthusiastic reception by the audience and the bra that was soon decorating Bank’s mic stand was proof that everyone was having a great time. Let’s hope that the success of this gig will bring more top names to our city in the future, so we don’t have to try combining our holidays abroad with festivals in order to see our favorite bands in action (check out here what we had to say about the Madrid festival where we first had the opportunity to enjoy Interpol live three years ago).


Here’s the set list: Success, Say Hello To The Angels, Narc, Hands Away, Barricade, Leif Ericsson, The New, C’Mere, Lights, Evil, NYC, Length Of Love, Heinrich Maneuver, Memory Serves, Slow Hands. Encore: Untitled, Take You on A Cruise, Not Even Jail, Obstacle 1


Interpol, live in Athens (June 7, 2011)

Electic Litany, supporting Interpol @ Entertainment Stage


Interpol - Memory Serves, live @ Entertainment Stage (Athens, June 7, 2011)


Monday, June 06, 2011

Kerosene!

Just stumbled upon this incredible, incendiary performance by St. Vincent at New York's Bowery Ballroom covering Big Black's "Kerosene" and I have to admit that I never expected such evil guitar mistreatment by the angelic-looking Annie Clark! What a great start for the week - I think I'm in love...

St. Vincent - Kerosene (Big Black cover from the show "Our Concert Could Be Your Life", a celebration of the 10th anniversary of Michael Azerrad's book, "Our Band Could Be Your Life")

Saturday, June 04, 2011

New Releases: May 2011

Round up of the month's most interesting album and single releases:

Albums

EMA - Past Life Martyred Saints
CULTS - Cults
GANG GANG DANCE - Eye Contact
BEASTIE BOYS - Hot Sauce Committee Part Two
DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE - Codes and Keys
OKKERVIL RIVER - I Am Very Far
WHITE DENIM - D
THURSTON MOORE - Demolished Thoughts
DANGER MOUSE & DANIELE LUPPI - Rome
FLEET FOXES - Helplessness Blues
MY MORNING JACKET - Circuital
URGE OVERKILL - Rock & Roll Submarine 
THE ANTLERS - Burst Apart
FRIENDLY FIRES - Pala
TYLER THE CREATOR - Goblin
SHABAZZ PALACES - Black Up
ART BRUT - Brilliant! Tragic!
WILD BEASTS - Smother
AUSTRA - Feel It Break
LOVE INKS - ESP
PLANNINGTOROCK - W
31KNOTS - Trump-Harm
JOAN OF ARC - Life Like
PETE AND THE PIRATES - One Thousand Pictures
THE FELICE BROTHERS - Celebration, Florida
THE SEA AND THE CAKE - The Moonlight Butterfly
FORD & LOPATIN - Channel Pressure
HYETAL - Broadcast
13 & GOD - Own Your Ghost
MILES KANE - The Colour of the Trap
CHAD VANGAALEN - Diaper Island
EDDIE VEDDER - Ukulele Songs
MICK HARVEY - Sketches From the Book of the Dead

Singles & EPs

HUSBAND - Love Song / Slow Motion EP
DANGER MOUSE & DANIELE LUPPI - Two Against One
THE DECEMBERISTS - This Is Why We Fight
R.E.M. - All the Best
SMITH WESTERNS - Weekend
TOM VEK - A Chore
CAT'S EYES - Face In the Crowd
LYKKE LI - Sadness Is a Blessing
EMA - Soul on Fire
WEEKEND - End Times
WHITE DENIM - Bess St.
OKKERVIL RIVER - Rider
MY MORNING JACKET - Holding On To Black Metal
FLEET FOXES - Battery Kinzie
MOGWAI - San Pedro
BLACK LIPS - Family Tree
ART BRUT - Lost Weekend
PETE AND THE PIRATES - United
TY SEGALL - I Can't Feel It
THE NAKED & FAMOUS - Girls Like You
JJ - No One Can Touch Us Tonight
FORD & LOPATIN - Emergency Room
OH LAND - Sun of a Gun
DEERHOOF - Behold A Marvel in the Darkness
FRANKIE & THE HEARTSTRINGS - That Postcard
CHRISTIAN AIDS - Stay Positive
CASHIER NO 9 - Goldstar
GRUFF RHYS - Honey All Over
MILES KANE - Rearrange
JOSH T PEARSON - Woman, When I’ve Raised Hell
EDDIE VEDDER - Longing To Belong
CAGE THE ELEPHANT - Around My Head

One of May's best releases came from ex-Gowns frontwoman Erika M. Anderson, aka EMA. Above you'll find a link to download "Milkman", one of the highlights of her debut "Past Life Martyred Saints", while below you can check out its dizzying video:

EMA - Milkman