Phosphorescent - "Ya Hey" (Vampire Weekend cover)

Another Phosphorescent cover, this time a stunning version of VW's Modern Vampires of the City standout. This dude could sing a take-out menu and have it break yr heart.

Phosphorescent - "Tomorrow Is A Long Time" (Dylan cover)

Matthew Houck turns in a gorgeously true-to-the-original version of one of Dylan's greatest love songs. To appear on a freakin' Starbucks CD for cryin out loud. --------------------------------------------

The Men - "Pearly Gates"

The Men’s Tomorrow’s Hits will be released February 4th through Sacred Bones Records. It will be the band's 4th record in 4 years, and that doesn't even include their self-released 2010 debut (that I have never heard). Sounds like the boys have discovered saxophones here on "Pearly Gates", but the inclusion of horns does little to keep this one from sounding as if it's about to derail at any moment. --------------------------------

Protomartyr - "Scum, Rise"

Hey so I’ve been spinnin’ the holy hell out of No Passion All Technique, the 2013 record by Detroit garage/punk warriors Protomartyr, since hearing about it a few weeks back.  Hardly Art announced today that the band will soon follow it up with Under Cover of Official Right.  “Scum, Rise” is the typically heavy-hitting first glimpse.

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Day Ravies

Day Ravies is a Sydney based band that mix equal parts otherworldly shoegaze with stirring indie-pop. Their debut Tussle is filled with great songs and the long lost art of loud guitars. Here’s the song “Double Act”, go to the band’s bandcamp to hear the rest. One of (the/last) year’s best records. Check it out:

Eat Skull III

Missed out on the super-damaged psyche of Eat Skull and completely regret it now. This is killer. ------------------------------------------------------------------------

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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