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The best 20 tracks of 2013 so far

We’ve reached that turning point in the calendar, so with six months of 2013 now behind us we thought it’s time to share some of the best tracks that have graced the Crossfire stereo so far. Here are 20 of our faves compiled by Dave Palmer and Zac. You can add yours in the comments right at the bottom if you wish. Enjoy.

wutangclan

#20 – Wu Tang Clan – ‘Execution in Autumn’

Brand new tunes are buzzing around the interweb and the A Better Tomorrow album is being mixed down ready for launch later this year. Overall the Wu Tang are on the hustle and raring to go in the lead up to their 20th Anniversary. Our inner Killer Bees are buzzing on this, yours should be too.

metz

#19 METZ – ‘Get Off’

The compression levels that this band push their shit too is immense. Add the fact that they can blow a venue up in one song and you are half way to understanding the mesmerizing thump of METZ. This video is so fresh as we press the live button on this feature that the animation ink is still drying.

#18 Fidlar – ‘Wait For The Man’

This track is a poor man’s Black Lips, there’s no doubt about that, but what it does so well is draw you into the chorus and make you sing it in the shower every morning making it legit. The album has been on the stereo a fair bit in here.

#17 King Khan & The Shrines – ‘Born To Die’

If there was a feel good for the summer track for this month it’s definitely coming from King Khan’s camp. ‘Born To Die’ is the first lick from the new album ‘Idle No More’ coming in September and shakes a groove like nothing else.

#16 QOTSA – ‘My God Is The Sun’

These desert stoners are back this month with a new album and have delivered another great dose of cactus pierced rock and roll. This tune has been on repeat.

#16 Savages – ‘City’s Full’

London via France girl gang Savages won critics with their May debut ‘Silence Yourself’, highlights of which come in the form of ‘City’s Full’, a vicious post-punk anthem that howls.

#15 Milk Music – ‘No, Nothing, My Shelter’

From their debut LP, ‘Cruise Your Illusion’, this track is arguably the best on the record. A pounding bass guitar drives frontman Alex Coxen’s from the heart vocal to progress into a touching cry. It feels like homage to Hendrix, the lyrics laced with emotion.

wax_idols

#14 Wax Idols – Sound of a Void

If this track does not make it onto a skateboard video this year we will be surprised. Taking influence from the 80s scene, ‘Sound of a Void’ chugs along doused in a production to die for. Download it for free and look out for their ‘Discipline & Desire’ album out on Slumberland this month.

#13 – Deathfix – ‘Dali’s House’

Any band that has a Fugazi member in their line up needs to be on the stereo. Deathfix here have released a long player that oozes pop sensibility that is doused in Washington DC’s famous punk roots.

#12 Baby Sitter – ‘Holiday’

This three piece from Victoria, Canada may not be on your radar yet, but once you enter their world of fuzzed out shouty garage punk, you will not be turning back. They can rage like a blunderbuss and they can also bring the tempo right down and make you feel all gooey. Dial yourself into their album ‘Eye’, you will not regret it.

Forest_cambridge_band

#11 Forest – ‘The Great Greens’

If there’s one UK band to keep an eye on this year it’s Cambridge based Forest who have a dynamic blend of DIY scuzz that drips shoegaze and slacker steez on every track. If the strength of their debut self produced ‘Sweetcure EP’ is anything to go by, this lot will be the talk of the town in 2014. Download ‘The Great Greens’ here for free.

destructionunit

#10 Destruction Unit – ‘Sonic Pearl’

‘Sonic Pearl’ is colossal from start to finish, a stampede of thrashing drums accelerate in the wake of an infectiously catchy guitar line that screams in your face, making this A side blood-boil exciting. Not to mention a faint, Bowie-like warble hiding in front man Ryan Rousseau’s vocal style.

wolfalice

#9 Wolf Alice – ‘Fluffy’

Tipped at the top of all ‘ones to watch’ lists at the beginning of the year, Wolf Alice come good with ‘Fluffy’, a soft vocal sits on top of jangly guitars that bite at grungey bass lines, creating something politely reminiscent of ‘Last Splash’.

BigDeal

#8 Big Deal – ‘Dream Machines’

Taken from Big Deal’s second and aptly named LP ‘June Gloom’, this track has a typically Big Deal, brooding boy/girl vocal harmony. However this time around it’s matched with a deep dark bass line and compact drums. Now a four piece, they’ve taken the leap into rock band territory, a step that was dying to be made ever since 2011’s ‘Lights Out’ to enhance their already gigantic guitar sound.

parquetcourts

#7 Parquet Courts – ‘Borrowed Time’

Crossfire favourites Parquet Courts stopped everyone in their tracks back in January with the re-issue of their 2012 LP, ‘Light Up Gold’ through What’s Your Rupture? Reaching a deservedly wider audience this second time around, their fifteen tracks of D.I.Y Americana punk sting. ‘Borrowed Time’ will have you tangled in their linear riffs.

Weed_band

#6 Weed – ‘Set Me Back’

‘Set Me Back’ seeps into your system and takes over, a duo of guitars create a powerful wall of sound coupled with a distant vocal chant that switches up to a powerful roar in an instant. They’ve got two key ingredients to a simple recipe; loads of distortion and heavy on the crash. It all blends together into a perfect smokescreen of noise, Canada’s Weed will make you feel great.

springking

#5 Spring King – ‘V-V-V-Vampire’

Manchester based punks Spring King bring a filthy, upbeat garage punk sound to this list. This is brand new, it spits reverb into your face, it’s jagged, out of control, dirty and raw. Just how we like it. Look them up, they ain’t no one-trick punk rock pony.

the men

#4 The Men – ‘I See No One’

Blistering live, The Men deliver hard, fast, melodic punk. This said, their fourth album ‘New Moon’ hosts a more gentle collection of songs that build track by track back towards the noise they make best, from the harmonies and acoustic guitar steez of tracks like ‘The Seeds’ to the electric genius levels of ‘I See No One.’ This is like Dinosaur Jr and Sonic Youth on steroids and is one of the best tracks of 2013 by far.

Fistcity

#3 Fist City – ‘Boring Kids’

Canadian surf punks Fist City bring a superior blend of garage and indie in their second album “It’s 1983, Grow Up”. ‘Boring Kids’ here is just one of the mammoth tracks on display across the 27 minutes of perfection on this collection of tracks. The church once called them out as being “Satan worshipping reptilian hermaphrodites” and that alone should be enough to want to know more. Get on this.

#2 Cheatahs – ‘The Swan’

This gang need no comparisons to bands of yesteryear; (*cough* apart from Swervedriver- Z-Ed) they are standalone awesome. Fast and heavy beats laced with finger blistering riffs and a cool, sedated vocal. We cannot wait for an album.

#1 – Pissed Jeans – Teenage Adult

There’s not another band out there right now that can churn out the riot filled carnage like Pissed Jeans. This rips harder than your fucking trousers as you bend over your car bonnet begging for mercy. New album ‘Honeys’ could well be the album of the year in these parts. Let’s hope you never break down.