Every year we “joke” about having the best “Best of the Year List” list. We half-kid, since there some truly smart and well-seasoned music lovers out there, but I think this year we mean it. Every publication has had a best-of list more laughable than the next. Yes, everyone is talking about Geese, but can’t we go with less obvious picks? Tell you what, any Best-of list that doesn’t have Lambrini Girls is not worth the trouble. At least you...
WHO: Sharp Pins WHAT: Radio DDR WHY: It’s hard to describe this one. Radio DDR is sugary sweet and tender at times and bubble gum pop otherwise. It’s lo-fi like a 60s record with some very heavy guitars. I keep trying to convince myself I don’t like it, but I can’t. I’m a sucker for pop songs and these are some of the best I’ve heard this year. It’s undeniable. Where did this band even come from and how DARE...
Riddim and Ting by Teenage Engineering Welcome to a brand-new column here on Ground Control! One where we review cool products in a one-off: stuff that was so cool that we couldn’t wait for our Back to School Guide. We are calling it Lost in the Supermarket, and what better way to kick off the column with, arguably, the greatest band of all time: The Clash. The Clash are an essential band for any music lover. Unlike the Beatles who...
WHO: Die Spitz WHAT: Something to Consume WHY: Die Spitz blew up and are growing the way a good band would, by honing their skills, playing shows non-stop, and letting the buzz happen naturally. It doesn’t hurt that they put out an awesome record Teeth and that their live shows, indeed, rip. So, all eyes are on them with their first studio album on their new label Third Man (See? They’re doing it right!). Something to Consume is bewildering because...
WHO: Civic WHAT: Chrome Dipped WHY: It was a grower, for sure, but Chrome Dipped is superior to Taken by Force in catchiness, pounding melodies, clever lyrics yet still retains so much of that surfer rock that made them popular (?). THIS is what I thought I was signing up for. It’s just high quality rock and roll with garage undertones. Of course it wounds a little like the Saints. A straight forward, great, rock record that you can’t help...
WHO: Alex G WHAT: Headlights WHY: No one does lo-fi moody like Alex G. It would be easy-listening, but Headlights is just weird enough and subversive enough to give it an edge. But then there’s a consistent sweetness in all these songs, and nowhere more evident than on Afterlife. His style becomes more singular with each album and Headlights is the obvious progression for him. We should all be excited about what’s coming next. Listen to it...
WHO: Pulp WHAT: More WHY: I should have known my love for Pulp runs too deep for this album not be one of my highlights of the year. I thought it was just OK at first, but the more I listen to it (and I mean REALLY listen), the more I started appreciating what Jarvis was cooking. More sounds distinctly Brit-Pop, which now is just rock with pop tendencies. This is a more grown-up Pulp: interested in appreciating and loving...
WHO: The Darkness WHAT: Dreams on Toast WHY: It doesn’t have the kind of bangers you get from their first two albums, but Dreams On Toast grows on you the more you listen to it. Full of clever lyrics and outstandingly catchy choruses, this album pivots slightly to country but is still strongest when it sticks to what the Darkness does best: rock ‘n’ roll. Skip the “members” version which adds several skippable tracks and opt for the standard version...
WHO: Viagra Boys WHAT: Viagr aBoys WHY: I never thought I’d give this band a shot, but all the right people were fans: people with good taste on social media, music publications with good taste (like CREEM), and bands with actual integrity. Who was I to argue? Of course, I’m late to the game (they were on the Daily Show!?), but better late than never. Viagra Boys is rocking’, nihilistic, vulgar and honest – with itself and with itself. It’s...
WHO: SEXFACES WHAT: Bad Vibes OST WHY: Sometimes it takes a few listens for an album to hit you. A few spins of Bad Vibes OST, and it’s clear that there’s something special about this band, but keep at it and the energy, grit, hooks, and peculiarities of the songs become more evident. This is garage dirty punk rock and roll borrowing heavily from the Sex Pistols, Dead Kennedys, and Cramps. An underdog is now probably contender for this year’s...