blogovision '15 ~ ένα

 

Sufjan Stevens - Carrie & Lowell | Asthmatic Kitty 

fourth of july / should have known better

"The songs he almost abandoned became Carrie & Lowell, his seventh studio album: not one he planned to make, but an attempt to survive the death of his estranged mother and the ensuing two years of grief.

'For so long I had used my work as an emotional crutch,' he says. 'And this was the first time in my life where I couldn’t sustain myself through my art. I couldn’t solve anything through my music any more. Maybe I had been manipulating my work over all these years – using it as a defense mechanism or a distraction. But I couldn’t do that any more, for some reason.' "

[Sufjan Stevens interviewed: "You have to cast out your demons" - Uncut]

20. Grimes - Art Angels
19. Laura Marling - Short Movie
18. Dawn Richard - Blackheart
17. Destroyer - Poison Season
16. Kurt Vile - b'lieve i'm goin down
15. Chelsea Wolfe - Abyss
14. Courtney Barnett - Sometimes I Sit And Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit
13. U.S. Girls - Half Free
12. Beach House - Thank Your Lucky Stars
11. Jamie xx - In Colour
10. Titus Andronicus - The Most Lamentable Tragedy
09. Julia Holter - Have You In My Wilderness
08. Deerhunter - Fading Frontier
07. Low - Ones and Sixes
06. Kamasi Washington - The Epic
05. D'Angelo and The Vanguard - Black Messiah

04. Tame Impala - Currents

03. Father John Misty - I Love You, Honeybear

02. Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp A Butterfly

blogovision '15 ~ δύο

 

Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp A Butterfly | Interscope

the blacker the berry / king kunta

"[..]Kendrick started plotting the angriest song, The Blacker the Berry, long before his last album and wrote the first draft in a furious burst after 17-year-old Trayvor Martin was shot dead by vigilante George Zimmerman in February 2012.
“These are issues that if you come from that environment it’s inevitable to speak on,” he says in a studio dressing room, twanging a wodge of mint-green gum between his fingers. “It’s already in your blood because I am Trayvon Martin, you know. I’m all of these kids. It’s already implanted in your brain to come out your mouth as soon as you’ve seen it on the TV. I had that track way before that, from the beginning to the end, and the incident just snapped it for me.”
It’s often said that rappers are discouraged from speaking out about politics by a controversy-shy record industry but Kendrick isn’t buying it. “No, there’s no excuse,” he says. “It’s really just about integrity. We all like to have fun. I like to have fun, too. But where do you stop and say, ‘You know what? There’s actually some real shit going on out there that people can relate to more than any singalong I can bring to the table.’”
He pulls back, worried about sounding didactic. “It’s just about balance. I don’t fault other artists. I don’t say this person should be doing that. As conscious as my music sounds, I would never point the finger because every day I make mistakes.” "

[Kendrick Lamar: 'I am Trayvon Martin. I'm all of these kids' - Guardian]

20. Grimes - Art Angels
19. Laura Marling - Short Movie
18. Dawn Richard - Blackheart
17. Destroyer - Poison Season
16. Kurt Vile - b'lieve i'm goin down
15. Chelsea Wolfe - Abyss
14. Courtney Barnett - Sometimes I Sit And Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit
13. U.S. Girls - Half Free
12. Beach House - Thank Your Lucky Stars
11. Jamie xx - In Colour
10. Titus Andronicus - The Most Lamentable Tragedy
09. Julia Holter - Have You In My Wilderness
08. Deerhunter - Fading Frontier
07. Low - Ones and Sixes
06. Kamasi Washington - The Epic
05. D'Angelo and The Vanguard - Black Messiah

04. Tame Impala - Currents

03. Father John Misty - I Love You, Honeybear

blogovision '15 ~ τρία

 

Father John Misty - I Love You, Honeybear | Sub Pop

chateau lobby #4 (in c for two virgins) / holy shit

“I can’t really say that it’s had any kind of meaningful impact on my life but I’m truly shocked that people are responding to the record in the way that they are. I was so sure that I had just made completely the wrong record at completely the wrong time.”

[Father John Misty interview: 'I was so sure I had made a dud record - Independent]

20. Grimes - Art Angels
19. Laura Marling - Short Movie
18. Dawn Richard - Blackheart
17. Destroyer - Poison Season
16. Kurt Vile - b'lieve i'm goin down
15. Chelsea Wolfe - Abyss
14. Courtney Barnett - Sometimes I Sit And Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit
13. U.S. Girls - Half Free
12. Beach House - Thank Your Lucky Stars
11. Jamie xx - In Colour
10. Titus Andronicus - The Most Lamentable Tragedy
09. Julia Holter - Have You In My Wilderness
08. Deerhunter - Fading Frontier
07. Low - Ones and Sixes
06. Kamasi Washington - The Epic
05. D'Angelo and The Vanguard - Black Messiah

04. Tame Impala - Currents

blogovision '15 ~ τέσσερα

 

Tame Impala - Currents | Interscope 

new person same old mistakes / reality in motion

"- Is there any specific thing on Currents that you wish you could go back and change?
 - [Laughs.] Don’t ask me that question. I could list off a bunch of things, but I could have listed off a bunch of things for the other two albums. There’s always immediate regret: I could have pushed the bass guitar up one decibel, I could have made the song more of a successful structure. The list is endless. That’s the nature of making an album. It’s like that saying: “You never finish an album, you just run out of time,” and that’s what it is. But it’s a blessing in disguise because it forces you to make decisions there and then. Which in the end makes for good art. I hate being pushed for time, but at the same time it makes you lock things in."

[The Moment Has Arrived For Tame Impala - Spin] 

20. Grimes - Art Angels
19. Laura Marling - Short Movie
18. Dawn Richard - Blackheart
17. Destroyer - Poison Season
16. Kurt Vile - b'lieve i'm goin down
15. Chelsea Wolfe - Abyss
14. Courtney Barnett - Sometimes I Sit And Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit
13. U.S. Girls - Half Free
12. Beach House - Thank Your Lucky Stars
11. Jamie xx - In Colour
10. Titus Andronicus - The Most Lamentable Tragedy
09. Julia Holter - Have You In My Wilderness
08. Deerhunter - Fading Frontier
07. Low - Ones and Sixes
06. Kamasi Washington - The Epic
05. D'Angelo and The Vanguard - Black Messiah

blogovision '15 ~ πέντε

 

D'Angelo and The Vanguard - Black Messiah | RCA

really love / sugah daddy 

"- Ferguson aside, how did you know the album was done?
 - It was time. Everyone was in the streets, so we sat down with the team and did some soul-searching and decided to put it out. But if it were left entirely up to me, it wouldn't have come out. I had to get out of my head. Because there were so many songs that I wanted people to hear."

[The Second Coming of  D'Angelo - Rolling Stone]

20. Grimes - Art Angels
19. Laura Marling - Short Movie
18. Dawn Richard - Blackheart
17. Destroyer - Poison Season
16. Kurt Vile - b'lieve i'm goin down
15. Chelsea Wolfe - Abyss
14. Courtney Barnett - Sometimes I Sit And Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit
13. U.S. Girls - Half Free
12. Beach House - Thank Your Lucky Stars
11. Jamie xx - In Colour
10. Titus Andronicus - The Most Lamentable Tragedy
09. Julia Holter - Have You In My Wilderness
08. Deerhunter - Fading Frontier
07. Low - Ones and Sixes
06. Kamasi Washington - The Epic

blogovision '15 ~ έξι

 

Kamasi Washington - The Epic | Brainfeeder 

the rhythm changes / re run home

"I’ve had experiences where people say, ‘I hated jazz before I heard you guys!’ Washington notes. I’m like, ‘You didn’t hate jazz before you heard us, you hated the idea of jazz.’"

[A New Standard: Kamasi Washington's Modern Jazz Revolution - Pitchfork]

20. Grimes - Art Angels

19. Laura Marling - Short Movie

18. Dawn Richard - Blackheart

17. Destroyer - Poison Season

16. Kurt Vile - b'lieve i'm goin down

15. Chelsea Wolfe - Abyss

14. Courtney Barnett - Sometimes I Sit And Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit

13. U.S. Girls - Half Free

12. Beach House - Thank Your Lucky Stars

11. Jamie xx - In Colour

10. Titus Andronicus - The Most Lamentable Tragedy

09. Julia Holter - Have You In My Wilderness

08. Deerhunter - Fading Frontier

07. Low - Ones and Sixes

 

blogovision '15 ~ εφτά

 

Low - Ones and Sixes | Sub Pop

no comprende / what part of me

“A few years back I had a pretty weird breakdown, and it took a couple years to get out of it. It was pretty hard. There was a while there when touring was stressful, and between me still recovering and stuff … that was kind of a difficult era. It’s slowly gotten better, though. Some things will always be there, probably, from now on, but I think having Steve with us has been really good. He’s a great musician and he’s got a certain work ethic that I think has really helped us and inspired us to work harder. The older you get, it’s hard to keep perspective, and time goes by quicker. It becomes easier to think that you’re getting stuff done when you’re really not. It’s good to have someone younger around to push you a little bit. It’s good to have people working with you who will let you know when something could be better.”

[A Low Profile: Alan Sparhawk and Mimi Parker On Their New Album Ones And Sixes - Stereogum]

20. Grimes - Art Angels

19. Laura Marling - Short Movie

18. Dawn Richard - Blackheart

17. Destroyer - Poison Season

16. Kurt Vile - b'lieve i'm goin down

15. Chelsea Wolfe - Abyss

14. Courtney Barnett - Sometimes I Sit And Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit

13. U.S. Girls - Half Free

12. Beach House - Thank Your Lucky Stars

11. Jamie xx - In Colour

10. Titus Andronicus - The Most Lamentable Tragedy

09. Julia Holter - Have You In My Wilderness

08. Deerhunter - Fading Frontier

blogovision '15 ~ οχτώ

 

Deerhunter - Fading Frontier | 4AD

breaker / living my life 

"- Where does all of that energy refocus itself?

- I just want safety. I would like to avoid physical pain and illness and mind my own business and have peace and quiet. The dog came along right around the same time and really changed how I felt about loneliness; I've never felt lonely since I've gotten a dog.

[...]

- Monomania felt so claustrophobic and angry, and this record feels so much lighter and more humane.

- This record feels to me like the first day of spring, where you go out and everybody’s happy and sitting on their stoops and walking their dogs and waving to each other. It happens once a year, after a brutal winter. It’s the day when you realize it’s not gonna be freezing forever, you’re not gonna be miserable forever. It’s a very special feeling."

[Beyond Nostalgia: A Conversation with Deerhunter's Bradford Cox - Pitchfork] 

 

20. Grimes - Art Angels

19. Laura Marling - Short Movie

18. Dawn Richard - Blackheart

17. Destroyer - Poison Season

16. Kurt Vile - b'lieve i'm goin down

15. Chelsea Wolfe - Abyss

14. Courtney Barnett - Sometimes I Sit And Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit

13. U.S. Girls - Half Free

12. Beach House - Thank Your Lucky Stars

11. Jamie xx - In Colour

10. Titus Andronicus - The Most Lamentable Tragedy

09. Julia Holter - Have You In My Wilderness

blogovision '15 ~ εννιά

 

Julia Holter - Have You In My Wilderness | Domino

feel you / lucette stranded on the island

"- Because the stories you were pulling on for this record were more personal, did that in any way change your approach to lyric writing? Were you thinking about how direct you should be or how guarded you should be, or how poetic, because you were dealing with personal experiences more?
- No, actually, I don’t really censor myself that much. I just let myself sing what I want to sing. I think that for the most part what goes on with my songs is I just blurt stuff out. I’m playing the piano and I just kind of blurt out these melodies that sometimes have words in them that make no sense—I think a lot of writers do this. Eventually it coalesces into something that makes sense, a coherent phrase in English or whatever. With “Betsy on the Roof” this is what happened. I was like [sings unintelligiable lyrics], and it turned into this thing that makes sense—sort of—or a poetic idea at least. That’s how I write: I don’t really sit down and write a song about my feelings in a very direct way. I would say it is a cathartic thing for me to write music, and if I’m upset about something I will, but it won’t be necessarily super clear. Sometimes I don’t even know what my emotions are and they come out as I’m writing and it won’t be necessarily be about what I’m experiencing, but what’s cathartic about it sometimes is that it isn’t. For me personally it doesn’t help to write about what’s going on, it’s much more helpful to...not escape, but let my subconscious lead the way into some world that I’m creating out of whatever state I’m in. "

[Julia Holter On Why All Love Songs Are Delusional - Fader]

20. Grimes - Art Angels

19. Laura Marling - Short Movie

18. Dawn Richard - Blackheart

17. Destroyer - Poison Season

16. Kurt Vile - b'lieve i'm goin down

15. Chelsea Wolfe - Abyss

14. Courtney Barnett - Sometimes I Sit And Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit

13. U.S. Girls - Half Free

12. Beach House - Thank Your Lucky Stars

11. Jamie xx - In Colour

10. Titus Andronicus - The Most Lamentable Tragedy

blogovision '15 ~ δέκα

 

Titus Andronicus - The Most Lamentable Tragedy | Merge 

no future part v: in endless dreaming / dimed out

"It's kind of an allegorical tale," he says. "It tells the story of a mood cycle over the course of a year, but it's clouded with metaphors... It's trying to demonstrate what it's like to be me, even though it's a fictional story. It's based on my experiences, but it's not an autobiography.

[..]Everything that was important about the experience and everything I wanted to say about it, is in the rock opera," he continues. "If I want to write a tell-all book someday, it would be amazing and full of drama. But right now I've written a rock opera. I'm trying to reach people and engage people who have similar experiences."

[Titus Andronicus' Frontman Opens Up About Personal Demons and His New Rock Opera - Esquire]

 

20. Grimes - Art Angels

19. Laura Marling - Short Movie
18. Dawn Richard - Blackheart
17. Destroyer - Poison Season
16. Kurt Vile - b'lieve i'm goin down
15. Chelsea Wolfe - Abyss
14. Courtney Barnett - Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit
13. U.S. Girls - Half Free
12. Beach House - Thank Your Lucky Stars
11. Jamie xx - In Colour

blogovision '15 ~ έντεκα

 

Jamie xx - In Colour | Young Turks

seesaw / obvs

"The first time I heard dance music and understood it was when I went to Plastic People in London when I was 17. It made me move, you know, the vibration. That was a big moment. The first time I went, it was empty. I can't remember who was playing, but I was there with Oliver [Sim, of The xx] and Tic [Zogson, co-founder of Young Turks]. Oliver was going crazy, bouncing around the whole room, and we hadn't even drunk anything. It was just because it was so loud and amazing. Another time at Plastic People, we went to see Floating Points when he released his first record. I hadn't heard dance music sound that good. Partly because of the place but also because he's such a great producer.

[..] I think, in terms of the sonics, dance music definitely has much more potential to be radical [than other music]. There's more scope to do crazy things, maybe because it's been around for less long. Dance music will continue to be radically different, even if it happens slowly, over the next 20 years.

With In Colour, I'm not trying to ride a wave—I try and stay away from any cycles or anything that's going on at the moment or anything that I feel like might be happening soon. Because if you do any of that, it ends up not sounding timeless. There's some classic tracks that are classic because they are of an era, but I like trying to make things classic because you can listen to them at any time, and they could be from any time."

[Jamie xx: Why Dance Music Is So Important? - Fader] 

20. Grimes - Art Angels
19. Laura Marling - Short Movie
18. Dawn Richard - Blackheart
17. Destroyer - Poison Season
16. Kurt Vile - b'lieve i'm goin down
15. Chelsea Wolfe - Abyss
14. Courtney Barnett - Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit
13. U.S. Girls - Half Free
12. Beach House - Thank Your Lucky Stars

 

blogovision '15 ~ δώδεκα

 

Beach House - Thank Your Lucky Stars | Sub Pop

elegy to the void / she's so lovely

"[..]We always react to what came before,” Alex points out.
“But it’s a given, it’s just the most natural thing,” adds Victoria. “You don’t need to over-intellectualise it. It’s just ‘I hit that rock and I went that direction’. ‘I was in the river and I flowed this way and I tried to get away from that.’ ”

[Perfect Moments: Beach House - DIY Magazine]

20. Grimes - Art Angels

19. Laura Marling - Short Movie

18. Dawn Richard - Blackheart

17. Destroyer - Poison Season
16. Kurt Vile - b'lieve i'm goin down 
15. Chelsea Wolfe - Abyss 
14. Courtney Barnett - Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit
13. U.S. Girls - Half Free

blogovision '15 ~ δεκατρία

 

U.S. Girls - Half Free | 4AD

damn that valley / window shades

"- This record clearly has these driving narratives – how would you explain the stories you’re trying to tell?
- I think it because pretty apparent that I was just going to kind of make a different character for every song. A different female character that was expressing some sort of inner narrative. Whether she’s telling a story, or her inner thoughts, or recounting her life, or something. I wanted each character to be different. I’m just attempting to put a magnifying glass over everyday things. Instead of glorifying these images of women that aren’t everyday things. I just want it to be real. Like real life. The past few years I’ve been thinking a lot about listening to my mom talk on the phone. I did that a lot as a kid. I was always eavesdropping. Not on the other end of the phone, but she’d be in kitchen on the phone with her girlfriends and she’d get off the phone and I’d be like, “Soo, what are you talking about?”
Hearing her gossip and hearing her talk to her friends about their problems showed me just, how life is complex. For men and women, but my perspective is a female one, that’s the one I know well, so that’s what I wanted to explore. Everyday life is worth looking at. And it is glamorous because it’s what we have and it’s what we share with the whole world. We don’t share fame, or wealth, or great beauty. Only very few people get to experience that. I don’t know. I just wanted to make everyday things have their moment."

[Birthed Not Built: U.S. Girls talks Springsteen, Snowden and "Half Free" - Imposed Magazine]

20. Grimes - Art Angels

19. Laura Marling - Short Movie

18. Dawn Richard - Blackheart

17. Destroyer - Poison Season
16. Kurt Vile - b'lieve i'm goin down 
15. Chelsea Wolfe - Abyss 
14. Courtney Barnett - Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit

 

 

blogovision '15 ~ δεκατέσσερα

 

Courtney Barnett - Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit | Milk Records

depreston / pedestrian at best

“My internal monologue is saturated analogue,” she sings on her new single, Pedestrian at Best. It drives her crazy sometimes. “It’s when one thing leads to another and keeps on going and you never really reach a conclusion of any kind. You just keep going round in circles. That’s frustrating. That’s when songs like Pedestrian at Best come out.”

[Courtney Barnett: 'Everyday I have some sort of breakdown', Guardian]

20. Grimes - Art Angels

19. Laura Marling - Short Movie

18. Dawn Richard - Blackheart

17. Destroyer - Poison Season
16. Kurt Vile - b'lieve i'm goin down 
15. Chelsea Wolfe - Abyss

blogovision '15 ~ δεκαπέντε

 

Chelsea Wolfe - Abyss | Sargent House

 iron moon / after the fall

“I don’t really believe in dream interpretation. It just depends on how much stress is in your life, and your mind will work that out in its own way,” says Wolfe, L.A.’s reigning high priestess of permanent midnight music. “But even sometimes when things are going really well and calm, I’ll have crazy nightmares. It doesn’t really make any sense. The mind is a wild place.”

[Carl Jung and sleep paralysis inspired Chelsea Wolfe's dark new album, LA Weekly] 

20. Grimes - Art Angels

19. Laura Marling - Short Movie

18. Dawn Richard - Blackheart

17. Destroyer - Poison Season
16. Kurt Vile - b'lieve i'm goin down

blogovision '15 ~ δεκαέξι

 

Kurt Vile - b'lieve i'm goin down | Matador 

pretty pimpin / that's life tho (almost hate to say)

"Kurt Vile: Do you remember when we went to Connecticut and saw Neil Young? Bill Nace (Gordon’s Body/Head bandmate) tried to introduce us, but started talking shit about ‘viles’ or something, for no apparent reason. I jokingly told him later, ‘You blew it!'

Kim Gordon: Yeah, that was funny. That was a fine Neil moment. What’s your favourite song of his?

Kurt Vile: I can’t pick one, but I love On the Beach, that whole record, the blues vibe.

Kim Gordon: My favourite Neil song is ‘On the Beach’. I just love the lyrics to that song.

Kurt Vile: Oh my God, yeah. 'The world is turning / I hope it don’t turn away'...

Kim Gordon: ‘I need a crowd of people / but I can’t face them day-to-day’.

Kurt Vile: That is so him.

Kim Gordon: I’m sure you’ll meet again."

[Kurt Vile: Boy/Man, Dazed] 

20. Grimes - Art Angels

19. Laura Marling - Short Movie

18. Dawn Richard - Blackheart

17. Destroyer - Poison Season