Pixies have release another new tune this week. Let us know what you think of ‘Blue Eyed Hexe’.
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Category: Music
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Crossfire Albums of 2013
There are so many bands and artists battling for the recognition but we all have our own personal opinions and that’s all that matters. This end of 2013 ‘albums’ list is from the people who love music here and these slices of vinyl and digital releases represent what our writers here listened to the most. They may not be anything like your top 10, they may not be your tastes whatsoever, but they may even open your eyes and ears to new tunes, who knows.
Let us know what was your most listened to albums over 2013 and raise a glass to the people who get off their own arses to deliver us music in the first place. Essentially, all of those wonderful people come in at number one every year for their efforts in making it, touring it and busting their guts for it. Do your bit and actually pay for their music rather than ripping them off on dodgy downloads and shares. This way, the world of music happiness becomes a fair and equal place for everyone.
ZAC LEEKS
1. Pissed Jeans – “Honeys” – Sub Pop (review)
2. Polvo – “Siberia” – Merge Records
3. Run The Jewels – “S/T” – Fools Gold
4. King Khan & The Shrines – “Idle No More” – Merge Records (review)
5. Parquet Courts – “Light Up Gold” – Dull Tools (review)
6. Babysitter – “Eye” – Psychic Handshake Records (feature)
7. True Widow – “Circumambulation” – Relapse Records (review)
8. The Men – “New Moon” – Sacred Bones
9. Forest – “Sweetcure/Caramel Arms” – Tip Top/Indelabel (EPs yeh fuck it)
10. Fist City – “It’s 1983 Grow Up” – Black Tent Press (review)
Honourable mentions: The Love Triangle, Deathfix, Destruction Unit, Baby Godzilla (EP)
JAMES SHERRY:
1. Polvo – “Siberia” -Merge Records (review)
2. The Men – “New Moon” – Sacred Bones (review)
3. Destruction Unit – “Death Trip” – Sacred Bones (review)
4. The Love Triangle – “Clever Clever” – Static Shock
5. Deathfix – “S/T” – Dischord (review)
6. Lee Ranaldo & The Dust – “Last Night On Earth” Matador
7. Pissed Jeans – “Honeys” Sub Pop
8. The Night Marchers – “Allez Allez” Swami
9. Cheap Time – “Exit Smiles” In The Red
10. King Khan & The Shrines – “Idle No More” Merge
SARAH MAYNARD
1. letlive. – “The Blackest Beautiful” – Epitaph Records (review)
2. Arctic Monkeys – “AM” – Domino
3. Danny Brown – “Old” – Fools Gold Records
4. Chvrches – “The Bones of What You Believe” – Virgin Records
5. Paramore – “Paramore” – Fueled By Ramen
6. Daughter – “If You Leave” – 4AD
7. The Wonder Years – “The Greatest Generation” – Hopeless Records
8. Night Verses – “Lift Your Existence” – Southworld
9. Run The Jewels – “Run The Jewels” – Fools Gold (review)
10. A$AP Rocky – “Long. Live. A$AP” – ASAP Worldwide
Bonus (I can’t not) R. Kelly – “Black Panties” – RCA
Honorable mentions:Chance The Rapper, Kelela, Drug Church, Funeral For A Friend, The Weeknd, Bring Me The Horizon.
JOE PARRY
1. Deafheaven – “Sunbather” – Deathwish Inc.
2. Kanye West – “Yeezus” – Def Jam
3. Chelsea Wolfe – “Pain Is Beauty” – Sargent House
4. Joanna Gruesome – “Weird Sister” – Fortuna Pop! / Slumberland
5. Hookworms – “Pearl Mystic” – Gringo Records
6. Pissed Jeans – “Honeys” – Sub Pop
7. Balance and Composure – The Things We Think We’re Missing – Hassle
8. Weekend – “Jinx” – Slumberland
9. Speedy Ortiz – “Major Arcana” – Carpark Records
10. Torres – “Torres” – Self release
Honorable mentions
Run The Jewels, California X, Pity Sex, The Men, Daughter, Future of the Left, Touche Amore, Lemuria.
PETER CRAVEN:
1. Night Birds – “Born To Die In Suburbia” – Grave Mistake (review)
2. Hard Skin – “On The Balls” – JT Classics
3. Sickoids – “No Home” – Sorry State/Grave Mistake
4. Criminal Damage – “Call Of Death” – Feral Ward
5. The Night Marchers – “Allez Allez” – Swami
6. Infernöh – “7 Spår EP” – D-takt & Råpunk
7. Jello Biafra and The GSM – “White People and the Damage Done” – Alternative Tentacles
8. ViolentArrest – “Distorted View” – Boss Tuneage
9. The Love Triangle – “Clever,Clever” – Static Shock
10. Hoax – “S/T” – La Vida Es Un Mus
MILES HACKETT:
1. Trigger Effect – ‘What’s Left To Eliminate?’ – Dry Heave
2. Old Firm Casuals – ‘For The Love Of It All’ – Oi! The Boat
3. Sectarian Violence – ‘Upward Hostility’ – Carry The Weight
4. Vista Chino – ‘Peace’ – Napalm
5. Suicidal Tendencies – ‘13’ – Suicidal
6. Hard Skin – ‘On The Balls’ – JT Classics
7. The Bronx – ‘IV’ – PIAS
8. Pasadena Napalm Division – ‘Pasadena Napalm Division’ – Minus Head
9. Nails – ‘Abandon All Life’ – Southern Lord
10. The Rival Mob – ‘Mob Justice’ – Revelation
Honorable mentions:Septic Tank, HOAX
DAVE PALMER
1. Weekend – “Jinx” – Slumberland
2. Yuck – “Glow and Behold” – Fat Possum (review)
3. Parquet Courts – “Light Up Gold” – Dull Tools / What’s Your Rupture?
4. Kurt Vile – “Wakin’ on a Pretty Daze” – Matador
5. The Men – “New Moon” – Sacred Bones
6. Destruction Unit – “Deep Trip” – Sacred Bones
7. Drug Church – “Paul Walker” – No Sleep
8. Weed – “Deserve” – Couple Skate (review)
9. Milk Music – “Cruise Your Illusion” – Fat Possum
10. Joanna Gruesome – “Weird Sister” – Slumberland (feature)
Honourable mentions: True Widow, Mac Demarco, Boards Of Canada, MBV.
JONO COOTE:
1. Dropkick Murphys – “Signed and Sealed in Blood” – Born & Bred Records
2. Jaded Eyes – “Gods and Monsters” – Boss Tuneage Records
3. Serious Sam Barrett and David Broad – “Live at Café Lento” – Yadig? Records
4. Night Birds – “Born to Die in Suburbia” – Grave Mistake Records
5. Ghostface Killah and Apollo Brown – “Twelve Reasons to Die: the Brown Tape” – Soul Temple Records
6. The Melvins – “Tres Cabrones” – Ipecac Records
7. Hard Skin – “On the Balls/ Why Do Birds Suddenly Appear?” – JT Classics Records
8. Serious Sam Barrett and James the Fang – “North Country Steed” – Yadig? Records (review)
9. The Filaments – “Land of Lions” – Burnout Records
10. Johnny Rioux – “Cowboi” – Randale Records
Honourable mentions: Pissed Jeans, Snuff.
Until next year…please send us your fave albums of the year.
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Busta Rhymes and Q-Tip
Nothing like the voices of Busta Rhymes and Q-Tip together. Get downloading this brand new mixtape ‘The Abstract & The Dragon’ featuring a cast of stars such as Kanye West, Lil Wayne, A Tribe Called Quest, Raekwon, Missy Elliott, Talib Kweli and many more.
This long player has various collaborations the pair have worked on over the years including a version of a Tribe Called Quest’s “Oh My God” with a verse from Busta too. Nice vibes. Unlock this free hip hop and savour it today.
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Burial
Burial
Rival Dealer
Hyperdub
The ever-elusive Burial made a typical return to the forefront of electronic music this week by sticking his new EP Rival Dealer online to buy and stream with minimal fanfare. Three tracks, clocking in at about half an hour, Rival Dealer is perhaps the most significant release from the producer since the seminal Untrue.
Many of Burial’s calling cards are ever present – there’s the vinyls scratches, the throbbing basslines and distressed vocal loops, but the first five minutes of the EP signify that Burial is not willing to rest on his trademarks, opting for his own version of an instantly accessible track – a percussive, relenting and intense few minutes and perhaps the most ‘dancey’ Burial has ever sounded. Of course, that doesn’t last long and the song mutates into a longing, swirling soundscape before ushering in the second track ‘Hiders’ – a hopeful, optimistic track which gives a refreshingly large amount of much space for each nuance to breathe and reveal itself.
There’s a narrative throughout the three tracks which is perhaps more blatant than his previous output. Moving away from tales of the streets, Rival Dealer looks inside itself with messages of sexuality and identity – none more blatant than sampling a moving speech from transgender filmmaker Lana Wachowski after receiving last year’s Human Rights Visibility Award on ‘Come Down To Us’.
This is perhaps the most emotional that Burial has ever sounded. Final track ‘Come Down To Us’ instantly pulls at the heart-strings with its floating melody and slow motion groove. In three tracks, Burial proves why he is held in the same lofty regard as the likes Boards of Canada or Aphex Twin. Despite knowing little about Burial himself, it’s easy to assume that we’ll be able to predict his output but here on just three-track, he has continued to surprise and excited whilst making a serious statement of progression.
Augustus Groove
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METZ live at Village Underground
METZ / Cheatahs / The Wytches
Village Underground
28th November 2013
Stepping into the cavernous realm of Village Underground there’s a real buzz in the air, and no wonder – the three bands playing tonight make for a top notch bill. What better way for two freshly squeezed bands to cut their teeth on the tour circuit than to hit the road with METZ? Playing shows together across Europe for the entirety of November, tonight brings this epic musical relay to a close.
The Wytches kick things off with their dark garage tones. Straight into a psych scare, building shimmering riffs up to fully fuzzed out noise with all the crashing drums and shrieking howls you like. ‘Robe For Juda’ confirms how on point this three piece are. It sounds massive.
Baton passed, contemporary shoegazers Cheatahs jump on stage, rattling off numbers recognisable from the Coared and SANS EP’s. Harnessing momentous, driving rhythms fused with a guitar sound only describable as the duelling banjos of grunge, they are rocking. Cheatahs most recent singles are showcased tonight too, with October double-A-side ‘Cut The Grass’ / ‘Kenworth’ proving instant crowd pleasing material. Despite their complexly distorted sound not being perfect in this air craft hanger-like venue, set closer and arguably strongest song to date, ‘The Swan’, still soars.
Steaming straight into ‘Dirty Shirt’, frontman Alex Edkins emits a vivacious energy that self-multiplies with every song tonight. It’s very hard to pick a favourite of the set METZ play, each song is delivered with even more balls than the last. ‘Negative space’, ‘Wasted’ and ‘Sad Pricks’ all kick the shit out of each other.
If there’s one thing to be said about METZ it’s that they’re fucking loud. This Toronto trio know no boundaries when it comes to making a racket. The aural uproar they generate tonight is so deafeningly good it makes you want to hurl yourself into the PA and shatter into a thousand pieces.
METZ are essentially a one trick pony, but fast paced, thunderous hardcore is exactly what you want from a show isn’t it? Of course it is! And no one does it better than these three. Touring their eponymous debut relentlessly ever since its release in 2012 their live show is utterly destroying.
Closing with ‘Wet Blanket’ and a wall of coma inducing feedback, its clear METZ do nothing by half. It’s either full throttle or go back to sleep. I’m deafened, and I can’t wait until they return to London.
Words: Dave Palmer
Photo: Village Underground
Let’s face it, your Christmas light efforts are probably minimal. I guess they consist of wrapping them round a tree and maybe if you are that arsed, some on the porch right? Well this bloke Slayer Bob in the US risked his marriage for this one but I reckon he gained a few mates. Stick with it until it kicks in.
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Civil Civic live at Corsica Studios
Civil Civic / Jiboia
Corsica Studios
27th November 2013
A strict rule applies this evening: No bands allowed containing more than two human beings, with a minimum of one robot per band. Jiboia makes no exception to this. Flying solo, piloting a table crammed with more gadgets and gizmos than you can shake a stick at. He climbs to a high sonic altitude, looping and layering his way through the set. After fifteen minutes of electronic play he busts out the guitar and spills some Zappa style riffs all over his percussive drones. At times I’m a bit lost in these layers, but just watching Jiboia rocking out in front of his Marshall stack, you can see how much he digs what he’s doing.
Civil Civic ascend the stage, teasing everyone with an extended intro to ‘It’s Krill’ before erupting into full throttle CC groove. There are no buts about it, this duo rock. Their live show is engaging and exciting, full of mean guitar and bass riffs that’ll shred your face clean off, balanced with true pop sensibilities.
When you listen to Rules –Civil Civic’s cracking 2011 debut album- you have a picture in your head of which instruments play particular melodies and hooks. Yet when you see their live show, witnessing the finest guitar, bass and synth ensemble tear it up before your very eyes, this picture is totally flip reversed. There are a lot of hooks and effects on Rules that sound as though they’re indefinitely made with a synthesiser, but in fact most of this wizardry is played on guitar. And some of the more intricate riffs you assume are played on guitar actually lead from the bass.
Listening to this debut post-gig you hear things in a totally different way, and that’s not a bad thing. Tonight, guitarist Aaron manipulates his strings with a finesse one can only attain through a teenage love of Moore and Ranaldo I’m sure. He makes his guitar squeal like a banshee whilst delivering sludgy riffs that sound even meaner than Ben’s boundless bass work.
Watching Civil Civic play you feel a grin unfolding across your face. Rocking around their electronic, cuboid band-mate turned light show, they’re a lot of fun to watch. Bassist Ben’s dance floor antics establish that above all, they’re here to have fun, and they want to have fun with you. Civil Civic aren’t a pair of clowns though, not by any means. The tunes they play tonight all hold the same sincerity and downright edgy cool that they do on record. Highlights come in the form of ‘Lights On A Leash’, a mean slow builder rising to an off the cuff breakdown of epic electronic proportions. ‘Street Trap’ and ‘Less Unless’ both prove instant winners too.
Despite a serious amount of string breakage suddenly occurring mid-way through crowd pleaser ‘Run Overdrive’, this lot aren’t phased. The re-stringing operation flys by as Aaron jumps on the keys for an impromptu synth interlude, then they’re back in the game for a triumphant encore.
With hints dropped of some new music to come from Civil Civic in the New Year, I am more than excited to see what this duo do next.
Dave Palmer
So, it looks like Sonisphere Festival is making a return to Knebworth after all in 2014 following months of rumours. They have just announced that the festival will be co-headlined by Iron Maiden who will be performing their Maiden England World Tour set and also Metallica who have announced they will play a ‘by request’ set.
Lars Ulrich of Metallica has said: “Iron Maiden are a big reason that Metallica exists in the first place. Although we haven’t played together on the same day since 1988, this is the closest we’ve come for 25 years, and for all our fans who share the same love for Iron Maiden as we, the band members do, this will hopefully amount to what many rock fans would consider a dream bill.”
Expect more to follow to add to this solid line up and tickets announcement but this is great news if you love classic metal.
2013 has been a rotten year for this lot. Their frontman Ian Watkins has single handedly wrecked everything they had from his selfish and mindless, outrageous behaviour. The band members have released a statement overnight on the entire situation for the first time since the sick revelations that came from Watkins’ court case:
“Earlier this week, we learned that the allegations of child sexual abuse against Ian were true, and that he would not be contesting them in court. Until then, we found them extremely difficult to believe and had hoped it was all a mistake. Sadly, the true extent of his appalling behaviour is now impossible to deny.
Many of you understandably want to know if we knew what Ian was doing. To be clear: We did not. We knew that Ian was a difficult character. Our personal relationships with him had deteriorated in recent years to a point that working together was a constant, miserable challenge. But despite his battles with drugs, his egotistic behaviour, and the resulting fractures and frustrations within our band, we never imagined him capable of behaviour of the type he has now admitted.
We are heartbroken, angry, and disgusted at what has been revealed. This is something that will haunt us for the rest of our lives. Being in a band has always been a labour of love and a platform to inspire people, not to take advantage of them. It’s still hard to believe this is happening and that someone we were once so close to has destroyed so many lives, lying every step of the way.
Our hearts go out to Ian’s family, the fans and friends he betrayed, and most importantly, the victims of his crimes and others like them. We hope for justice, but also that Ian will truly take responsibility for what he’s done. We would urge any other victims to contact the authorities.”
Jamie, Lee, Luke, Mike and Stu
Shellac
Netil House, London
November 27th
Within my group of friends and bands that I played in around the mid-nineties, Shellac were incredibly influential. When I listen back to music we made then, you can clearly hear the shift in sound and style that they brought with them with that first batch of incredible singles and the ‘At Action Park’ album. A lot of it was down to the hugely original drumming style of Todd Trainer. He introduced a whole new minimalist, yet immensely powerful, choppy drum style that I am still trying to rip off to this day! That combined with Bob Weston’s grinding bass and Albini’s sheet metal guitar created one of the most distinctive, original sounds to emerge from the 90s US underground.
It’s hard to believe that twenty years have passed since Shellac first made their presence felt. Insane as it may seem, but for followers of Big Black and Rapeman, Shellac still feels like Steve Albini’s new band! However, the fact of the matter is they’ve been doing this a long time now but what is immediately striking, as the band take to the stage bathed in suitably minimalist white light, is how fresh they still sound. The fact is Shellac are far from prolific. In twenty years they have produced just four proper albums (a fifth is due in 2014) and their tours and live shows are few and far between so when they do get to play, in their own sardonic way, they look like they really enjoy it. When they open tonight’s set with ‘A Minute’ from their classic debut album ‘At Action Park’ it sounds just as brittle, spiky and dynamic as it did when it first burst out of our speakers all of those years ago. Taunt and tight, the Weston and Trainer rhythm section is hard to beat. Todd is a genius behind the skins. His rolls, his fills, the way he strikes the skins, his weird face, his posture. It’s hard to take your eyes off him. Well, at least it would be if Albini wasn’t to his left, slashing out razor guitar noise, his guitar strapped around his waist (how does he keep it strapped on like that?), howling into the microphone. He is equally mesmerising.
I’ve seen many Shellac gigs over the years and this is certainly up there with one of the best. The sound is clear and sharp (but could be louder) and they play every song you could ever want to hear, even ‘Copper Song’ – one of my personal favourites. ‘Wingwalker’ is particularly ferocious tonight, with a spectacular spoken ramble from Albini (“I haven’t got a house, but I have got a plane…motherfucker,”) and for an hour and half, they play everything any Shellac fan could want to hear, and more. Let’s hope that next year finally brings the new Shellac album we’ve all been waiting for and they grace our shores once more.
James Sherry