2013: Top 60 So Far (Part #3): Places 31-40

So we've passed 20 albums so far: Places 51-60 and Places 41-50 so it's time to move on to the next 10 albums, which were worth listening in the past half year.

Number 40: Depeche Mode - Delta Machine

Who Are They? A Veteran New Wave/ Dark Wave Trio from Basildon (13th album)
Why? Because they're still one of the most influencing bands in my life....

Listen: My Little Universe

Number 39: Low - The Invisible Way

Who Are They? A veteran American Indie Rock Trio from Minnestoa (10th album)
Why? Because of the great melodies and beautiful lyrics

Listen: Just Make It Stop

Number 38: Eleanor Friedberger - Personal Record

Who Is She? An Indie Folk singer from Illinois (2nd album)
Why? Because of her Folky attitude and personal songs

Listen: Singing Time

Number 37: Beacon -  The Way We Separate

Who Are They? An Electronic Brooklyn-based duo (2nd album)
Why? Because if there is still trip hop, it must sound like this

Listen: Bring You Back

Number 36: She & Him - Volume 3

Who Are They? A collaboration of M. Ward and Zooey Daschanel (4th album)
Why? Because they are getting better from one recording to the other

Listen: Somebody Sweet To Talk To

Number 35: Olafur Arnalds - For Now I Am Winter

Who Is He? An Icelandic composer and multi-instrumentalist (4th album)
Why? Because it's make me feel like I'm sitting next to a bonfire in the middle of Icelandic winter

Listen: Old Skin

Number 34: Mount Kimbie - Cold Spring Fault Less Youth

Who Are They? An English London-based Dubstep duo (2nd album)
Why? Because they where the second best Dubstep album so far this year

Listen: Meter, Pale, Tone

Number 33: Austra - Olympia

Who Are They? A Canadian Toronto-based Electronic band (2nd album)
Why? Because of the special voice of Katie Stelmanis and the 80's-like sound

Listen: Painful like

Number 32: Widowspeak - Almanc

Who Are They? An Indie Rock band from Brooklyn (2nd album)
Why? One of the new surprises of this year

Listen: Dyed In The Wool

Number 31: Iron & Wine

Who Is He? Talented Samuel Beam from South Carolina (5th album)
Why? Because everything he touches turn to gold (Even though he made better records before)

Listen: Joy

Delta Machine (Depeche Mode #2)

After celebrating 20 years anniversary to fabulous Songs Of Faith And Devotion, it's time to move on to Delta Machine, the 13th album by Depeche Mode, which will be released on 26th of March, 2013. In contrast to the Rock and Grunge influences in Songs Of Faith And Devotion, Delta Machine is more Electronic and Dance oriented album. As such, it could be a very pleasing album if we were speaking about a new artist or band, but not for Depeche Mode. I must admit that I liked some of the tracks in the album, especially Alone and My Little Universe, which sounds great but as a whole it's quite disappointing to have such album from the veteran Trio consists of Dave Gahan, Martin Gore And Andy Fletcher. I'll let you judge it by yourselves, meanwhile here are five songs of Depeche Mode, Three of them from the last release.

Heaven (Taken From Delta Machine, 2013)

It's No Good (Taken From Ultra, 1997)

My Little Universe (Taken From Delta Machine, 2013)

Shake The Disease (Taken From Singles 81-85, 1985)

 

Alone (Taken From Delta Machine, 2013)

Keep The Faith: 20 Years To Depeche Mode's "Songs Of Faith And Devotion"

On 22 of March, 1993, Depeche Mode released their eighth album called Songs Of Faith And Devotion. As a teenager, it became one of the most inspiring album those days though I can still hear it today and get excited. Songs Of Faith And Devotion was the darkest album recorded yet by Depeche Mode, inspired by American Grunge such as Soundgarden, Nirvana and Jane's Addiction. The harmonious vocals of Dave Gahan and Martin Gore with Andy Fletcher and Alan Wilder (On his last album with the band) made an album who's looking for an answer to one of the modern age hardest question: "Who can we trust in the age of accelerated technology and decline of religion?" They try to figure out whether it's better to go back to Biblical stories (Such as Judas) or the person who tries to judge you (Walking In My Shoes). The legendary producer, Flood, helped them with that album and together they released a unique piece of art . For the 20th anniversary of that great album, it's a good time to remember five songs from back then.

Condemnation

 

Walking In My Shoes

 

In Your Room

Rush

 

Judas

Sister (Pick Word #11)

This is the first part of The Family Tree series which collects songs about family members. I chose to start with the sister, the female sibling in a family. A lot of stories were written about the relationships between brothers and sisters, such as The Sisters by James Joyce. You can find here below five songs that deals with sisters by Ed Harcourt, Tindersticks, Depeche Mode, Lou Rhodes and This Mortal Coil.

Ed Harcourt - Sister Renee (Taken From From Every Sphere, 2003)

This Mortal Coil - You And Your Sister (Taken From Blood, 1991)

Tindersticks - My Sister (Taken From Tindersticks Second Album, 1995)

Depeche Mode - Sister Of Night (Taken From Ultra, 1997)

Lou Rhodes - Sister Moon (Taken From Bloom, 2007)

Cashback: 10 Years To Johnny Cash's "American IV: The Man Comes Around"

There's something sad in Johnny Cash's album called American IV: The Man Comes Around, which is the fourth part of his project American Recordings, which he started at the mid 90's of the previous millennium. Cash was very ill when he recorded the songs on that album but I was impressed most by the songs he and Rick Rubin picked for this release. Covering a wide range of styles from new wave (Depeche Mode) through Classic songs (Beatles, Simone and Garfunkel) until Alternative Rock (Nine Inch Nails), Cash gave a minimalist new meaning for those songs with coulages like Fiona Apple, Nick Cave and Don Henley. My favourites from that album are listed below and it wasn't very easy, but above all of them is his cover to Hurt which gets a new interpretation from an old man point of view.

1) Hurt (Nine Inch Nails Cover)

In 5 words: Trent Reznor was surprised by this cover version
Favourite Line: And you could have it all, my empire of dirt. I will let you down, I will make you hurt

 

2) Bridge Over Troubling Water (Paul Simone Cover)


In 5 words: Bridge over Cash's shivering voice
Favourite Line: I'm on your side. When times get rough and friends just can't be found

 

3) Personal Jesus (Depeche Mode Cover)


In 5 words: Cash could be a great priest
Favourite Line: Your Own, Personal, Jesus. Someone to hear your prayers, someone who cares

 

4) In My Life (Beatles Cover)


In 5 words: When Englishmen meets American folk
Favourite Line: There are places I'll remember in my life though some have changed

5) Give My Love To Rose (Revised Version)


In 5 words: A Prisoner tale of homecoming
Favourite Line: Tell my boy his daddy's so proud of him and don't forget to give my love to Rose