Missed out on the super-damaged psyche of Eat Skull and completely regret it now. This is killer.
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ALBUMS of the YEAR - 2013
In a year that was filled with a multitude of great releases from well-established veterans, my favorite record of the year, by a country mile, is a “best of” collection by Ginnels – the work of a previously unsigned Dublin-based songwriter named Mark Chester. Ginnels have released a string of worthy albums over the past few years, and Spanish label Tenorio Cotobade collected 14 killer tracks from those and released them as Plumes. The breezy jangle and unforgettable melodies make it the year’s catchiest record, but the fuzzed-out frayed edges make it relentlessly replayable. Obviously, I can’t recommend it highly enough.
Elsewhere: Justin Vernon has tricks up his sleeve, this time with his terrific Volcano Choir side project. Reflektor might have been a tad over-praised when it dropped but it’s tremendous nonetheless. Trouble Will Find Me found The National turning off autopilot (High Violet was kind of a drag, IMO) and churning out some of their best songs since Boxer. New Moon might not be as loud as previous records from The Men, but it’s every bit as raw and exciting. And holy crap you guys, Burial just continues to fucking dazzle.
Also, lots of old faves returned to form this year: Phosphorescent came back with their best since 2007’s Pride, Califone since 2006’s Roots & Crowns, Yo La Tengo since 2000’s And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out, and My Bloody Valentine with their best since 1980-whatever’s Isn’t Anything. That last one was a joke. Best ever records from Vampire Weekend, Jason Isbell, and Iceage. And lots of strong records from bands just getting onto my radar too like Deafheaven, Hiss Golden Messenger, Wooden Shjips, and Majical Cloudz. 2013, you were solid.
1. Ginnels - Plumes
2. Volcano Choir - Repave
3. Phosphorescent - Muchacho
4. Vampire Weekend - Modern Vampires of the City
5. Deafheaven - Sunbather
6. Day Ravies - Tussle
7. Frog Eyes - Carey’s Cold Spring
8. Iceage - You’re Nothing
9. Majical Cloudz - Impersonator
10. Califone - Stitches
11. Yo La Tengo - Fade
12. The Men - New Moon
13. Jason Isbell - Southeastern
14. Eat Skull - III
15. Hiss Golden Messenger - Haw
16. Hookworms – Pearl Mystic
17. Protomartyr - All Talent No Passion
18. The Stevens – A History of Hygeine
19. Burial - Rival Dealer EP
20. My Bloody Valentine - mbv
21. Arcade Fire - Reflektor
22. Connections - Private Airplane
23. The National - Trouble Will Find Me
24. Wooden Shjips - Back to Land
25. Kurt Vile - Wakin’ On A Pretty Daze
SONGS of the YEAR - 2013
1. Volcano Choir – “Byegone”
2. Ginnels – “Bateau”
3. Phosphorescent – “Song for Zula”
4. The National – “Graceless”
5. Vampire Weekend – “Step”
6. Deafheaven – “Dream House”
7. Autre Ne Veut – “Play by Play”
8. Youth Lagoon – “Mute”
9. Beyonce – “XO”
10. Iceage – “Morals”
11. Califone – “Movie Music Kills A Kiss”
12. Yo La Tengo – “Ohm”
13. Jason Isbell – “Relatively Easy”
14. Arcade Fire – “Awful Sound (Oh Eurydice)”
15. Hiss Golden Messenger - “What Shall Be (Shall Be Enough)”
16. Courtney Barnett – “Avant Gardner”
17. Earl Sweatshirt – “Chum”
18. Burial – “Come Down To Us”
19. Blood Orange – “Time Will Tell”
20. The Men – “Electric”
21. Night Beds – “Ramona”
22. Haim – “The Wire”
23. California X – “Lemmy’s World”
24. Deerhunter – “Pensacola”
25. Kanye West – “New Slaves”
26. Caitlin Rose – “Only A Clown”
27. Connections – “On Your Mind”
28. Mariah Carey/Miguel – “#Beautiful”
29. Mikal Cronin – “Weight”
30. Kurt Vile – “Girl Called Alex”
31. Frog Eyes – “Seven Daughters”
32. Camera Obscura – “Do It Again”
33. Chvrches – “Recover”
34. Rhye – “Open”
35. My Bloody Valentine – “Who Sees You”
36. Okkervil River – “White”
37. Feather Beds – “Airbrushed”
38. Wooden Shjips – “Back to Land”
39. Mutual Benefit – “Advanced Falconry”
40. Gregory Alan Isakov – “St. Valentine”
41. Neko Case – “City Swans”
42. No Age – “I Won’t Be Your Generator”
43. Frightened Rabbit – “Acts of Man”
44. The Strokes – “Tap Out”
45. Free Time – “Nothin’ But Nice”
46. Tim Hecker – “Amps, Drugs, Harmonium”
47. Theo Verney – “Dead N’ Bones”
48. The Mantles – Don’t Cross Town”
49. Scot Drakula – “Ain’t Scared”
50. Camperdown & Out – “Down and Out”
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Pop Headwound Has Moved!
So go ahead and update your links. Go to: http://www.popheadwound.com/.
Check it out and let me know what you think. See you over there...
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[mp3] Dirty Beaches - "Lord Knows Best"
“Lord Knows Best” is distant, decaying soul music by way of Montreal’s Dirty Beaches, the recording project of Alex Zhang Hungtai. The song made its way around the blogs earlier this week, but tonight I’m finally falling under its haunting spell as it just repeats in my headphones over and over (and over and over). It comes from Badlands, a mini-LP to be released by Zoo Music in March that is suddenly something I desperately want to hear more of.
MP3 :: Lord Knows Best
(from Badlands. Info here)
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[video] Pandit - "Pack Your Bags"
Pandit - Pack Your Bags from Tyler T Williams on Vimeo.
Here’s a new video, which made its debut today over at Stereogum, for Pandit’s heartbroken “Pack Your Bags”. The track leads off their upcoming full length debut, Eternity Spin, and this appropriately somber string of visuals was directed by Tyler T. Williams. Just in case you missed it a few weeks ago, check out the shimmering dream-pop of “Artichoke” below, also from Eternity Spin.
MP3 :: Artichoke
(from Eternity Spin. Info here)
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[mp3] Kurt Vile - "Jesus Fever"
After we got the breezy, West Coast indie-folk flavored “In My Time” last year, Matador has released another teaser mp3 from Kurt Vile’s upcoming Smoke Ring For My Halo. After the sharp sonic contrasts that marked Vile’s last full length, 2009’s excellent Childish Prodigy, I thought the next new Vile track to surface would either find him rocking out behind a wall of guitar noise or stripping things down to a back to basics lo-fi folk song – try to show another side to the man’s talent. Instead “Jesus Fever” surprises because of its similar melodic and sonic structure to “In My Time” – it’s practically a dead ringer actually. And that’s fine – Vile proves quite adept at this kind of laid back, chiming sound that would have fit right in on AM radio in the early 70’s. And by the way, that’s the updated album art up there. Neil Young anyone?
MP3 :: Jesus Fever
(from Smoke Ring For My Halo. Info here)
Previously:
MP3 :: Kurt Vile – “In My Time”
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[mp3] Tape Deck Mountain - "It Goes Down"
Lefse Records has had a handful of interesting releases over the past few months - from Love Remains, the spellbinding debut from How to Dress Well, to RIP JDS, the addictive dance/pop EP from Bikini. Add a new EP from San Diego’s Tape Deck Mountain to the list. Secret Serf will contain four new songs and drops next week. Take a listen to the surging lo-fi psyche of “It Goes Down” below, and keep an ear out for more from these guys this year.
MP3 :: It Goes Down
(from Secret Serf. Buy here)
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[mp3] Beach Fossils - "Calyer"
Happy New Year everyone. Beach Fossils will release a new EP on January 11 through Captured Tracks with the full length follow up to last year’s excellent self-titled debut coming this spring. Hear “Calyer”, the jangly, reverb-laden lead single from the EP, below.
MP3 :: Calyer
(from the What A Pleasure EP. Info here)
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PHW - The December 2010 Playlist
MP3 :: On the Inside / Britches
MP3 :: Girlfriend / Ty Segall
MP3 :: Decisions (ft. Yuksel Arslan)
MP3 :: Bow Echo / Great Elk
MP3 :: Never Follow Suit / The Radio Dept.
MP3 :: Still Sound / Toro Y Moi
MP3 :: Artichoke / Pandit
MP3 :: Stamp / The Rural Alberta Advantage
MP3 :: Swim Club / The Cave Singers
MP3 :: Eating An Ocean / Wynn Walent
MP3 :: Little Brown Haired Girls / Frankie Rose & the Outs
MP3 :: Artificial Snow (Bedroom Version) / Atlas Sound
MP3 :: I Do Not Care For The Winter Sun / Beach House
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[video] Kanye West - "Monster" (ft. Jay-Z, Rick Ross, Nicki Minaj, & Bon Iver)
Here’s the official video for the supernatural, star-studded My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy jam.
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[Catching Up w/ 2010] Frog Eyes - Paul's Tomb: A Triumph
As 2010 draws to a close, I’m still playing catch up with some of the records that I missed or slept on over the past 12 months. The fact that I’m only now getting into Frog Eyes’ Paul’s Tomb: A Triumph is one that I have no excuse for. I posted both of the songs Dead Oceans made available as free downloads back in February and March, and one of which, “Flower In A Glove”, made such an impression and stuck around enough to earn a place in my Top 20 of the Year. Their last album, 2007’s Tears of the Valedictorian, was a personal favorite that year. How I never picked up the rest of Paul’s Tomb until last week is beyond me. But am I ever glad I did.
Anyone who’s listened to Carey Mercer, either in Frog Eyes, as part of his Swan Lake side project with Dan Bejar and Spencer Krug, or in his quieter solo project Blackout Beach, is probably well aware of the intensity with which Mercer attacks each syllable he sings. He’s known to roar, howl, and yelp like a lunatic, and on Paul’s Tomb: A Triumph he holds nothing back. It’s a 45 minute vocal death charge – raw, manic, reckless, and utterly unnerving. The fact that his band plays every note with such a distinct and disarming volatility only elevates the whole thing.
I love what Coke Machine Glow had to say recently on the supposed difficulty of this record (which, in all honesty, most likely kept me away for so long), in their “Albums of the Year” list (#5, btw) - But once you’ve an ear in the door, listening—just try and turn it off. Every song. Every goddamn song. It’s a fucking miracle, the way Mercer, in the hands of Frog Eyes, takes something so raw and unattractive and executes it with such blissful, unapologetic beauty. So here it is, easily one of the year’s best rock albums, finally getting the props I should have given it months ago.
MP3 :: Flower In A Glove
MP3 :: Lear In Love
(from Paul’s Tomb: A Triumph. Buy here)
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