tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-206394152024-10-05T05:02:54.222+03:00Cool Music CentralA musical Odyssey...Opinions on new music, favorite albums and songs, gig reviews & photos...odyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09146391462338427935noreply@blogger.comBlogger687125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20639415.post-64468942088097066392020-04-02T12:36:00.001+03:002020-04-02T12:36:26.816+03:00The Saga Continues...
Cool Music Central continues its musical journey here:
https://coolmusiccentral.tumblr.com/
Come and join us!
odyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09146391462338427935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20639415.post-14688758474710756632020-03-07T16:19:00.000+02:002020-03-07T16:19:34.643+02:00The Best Albums of the '10s
It's been a pleasure sharing with you our musical discoveries for the past 12 years on this blog, as well as some of our all-time favorite albums and songs. By going through the 686 posts we've managed here since our very first one on March 6th, 2008, I'm sure you can discover plenty of great music from the last four decades and then some.
For our last post here we revisit the 2010s and odyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09146391462338427935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20639415.post-20789079876348585232020-02-09T16:36:00.000+02:002020-02-09T16:38:23.173+02:00It's the new thing! New decade, new blog!
It is now official! After 12 years on blogger, Cool Music Central will continue its online journey at a new home on tumblr! Update your bookmarks and visit us here:
https://coolmusiccentral.tumblr.com/
For the official launch, we have photos and video from the recent Membranes gig at Temple Club, the return of the band to Athens after 33 years (their previous visit was in April 1987 - I odyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09146391462338427935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20639415.post-7518984847280790432020-01-06T15:21:00.000+02:002020-01-06T15:21:44.772+02:00Top 50 Tracks of 2019
Happy New Year everybody and welcome to the '20s! We are closing our 2019 account with the selection of our Top 50 Tracks of the Year, a collection of outstanding songs from albums, singles and EPs released in the past 12 months that sum up our listening habits and set the benchmark of excellence for the music we care about.
To help us in the difficult task of narrowing down a year's worthodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09146391462338427935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20639415.post-9380447390623383212019-12-29T16:51:00.000+02:002019-12-29T16:51:04.425+02:00Top 50 Albums of 2019
With only a couple of days left on the calendar for the end of the year and the decade, Cool Music Central closes 2019 with the list of our Albums of the Year, while lists of our favorite tracks of 2019 and our Albums of the Decade are under preparation and will follow in the New Year. As I have already hinted in our previous post, 2020 will bring changes for this blog as I feel that a fresh odyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09146391462338427935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20639415.post-33850574758942232822019-12-22T19:28:00.000+02:002019-12-22T19:28:20.495+02:00Listening Habits: 11-12.2019
In the last "Listening Habits" of the year, we present the 10 albums that we've listened to the most in the last two months of 2019 and select our favorite tracks from them. As we have always done in the 12 years of this blog, we'll close the year with the lists of our favorite albums and songs of the past 12 months, while in the new year we'll present the music and artists that stood out forodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09146391462338427935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20639415.post-91126559709704619302019-12-15T21:16:00.000+02:002019-12-15T21:59:19.461+02:00Live: Plisskën Festival - Winter 2019 (Athens, December 7, 2019)
Snapped Ankles, live @ Plisskën Festival 2019
The Winter 2019 edition of Plisskën Festival was slimmed down in comparison to previous years, taking place in two different venues on a single night. As was also the case in recent editions of the festival, the focus has shifted almost entirely to dance and electronic music, with little on offer for rock fans, which explains why we've skipped odyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09146391462338427935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20639415.post-18772925758297796022019-12-06T22:41:00.001+02:002019-12-06T22:41:16.131+02:00Live: Mark Lanegan Band @ Gagarin 205 Club (Athens, November 30, 2019)
This time it took a little longer than usual, but finally Mark Lanegan and his band returned to Athens for another great night of menacing rock 'n' roll, odes to sad disco and muddy water blues.
Dark Mark somehow managed to avoid the lights for almost the entirety of the 75-minute set (hence the poor quality of our photos), but his distinctive voice shone brightly throughout, while odyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09146391462338427935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20639415.post-41234797988588432932019-12-03T23:17:00.002+02:002019-12-04T15:17:28.520+02:00New Releases: November 2019
Roundup of November's most interesting new releases, featuring albums by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Tindersticks, Bonnie Prince Billy, Jeffrey Lewis and the Voltage, Beck plus the latest singles and EPs by Lucy Dacus, Soccer Mommy, Hot Snakes and Deerhunter:
Albums
NICK CAVE AND THE BAD SEEDS - Ghosteen
TINDERSTICKS - No Treasure But Hope
BONNIE PRINCE BILLY - I Made a Place
JEFFREY odyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09146391462338427935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20639415.post-46624956138211372712019-11-24T19:10:00.000+02:002019-11-24T19:10:13.962+02:00Live: Deerhunter @ Fuzz Club (Athens, November 21st, 2019)
It's a long distance from Athens, Georgia, to Athens, Greece, and even longer the time we had to wait until we finally got to see Deerhunter live in our city. The excellent 90-minute set they played at Fuzz Club last Thursday could not possibly include all the great songs they have given us over the years, but despite missing several of our favorites, we would certainly include this odyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09146391462338427935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20639415.post-42465379244601947452019-11-10T17:24:00.001+02:002019-11-10T17:33:36.163+02:00Listening Habits: 09-10.2019
It is the end of days for 2019 and for the second decade of the 21st century as well, which means that the time of reckoning is near! What were the albums that stood out in the last twelve months and, perhaps more importantly, what were the new music creations that meant the most to us in the last ten years of our lives? All these questions will be answered soon, but for now Cool Music odyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09146391462338427935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20639415.post-75911426482551075522019-11-03T21:59:00.000+02:002019-11-03T22:11:40.012+02:00New Releases: October 2019
Roundup of the most interesting albums, singles and EPs released in October 2019:
Albums
<!--[if gte mso 9]>
<![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]>
Normal
0
false
false
false
EL
X-NONE
X-NONE
<![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]>
odyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09146391462338427935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20639415.post-50012217640180253622019-10-27T19:26:00.002+02:002019-10-27T19:26:56.204+02:00Live: The Dream Syndicate @ Fuzz Club (Athens, October 26th, 2019)
Whenever The Dream Syndicate hit the road, it's a certain bet that sooner or later they will find themselves playing on a stage in Athens, a city where Steve Wynn's music has always found a supportive and enthusiastic audience ever since his band first played here in the mid-80s.
A lot of water has gone under the bridge since then, but what remains constant after all these years is odyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09146391462338427935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20639415.post-8865079190616987612019-10-06T16:34:00.000+03:002019-10-06T16:34:55.153+03:00New Releases: September 2019
Roundup of the most interesting albums, singles and EPs released in September 2019:
Albums
BAT FOR LASHES - Lost Girls
FRANKIE COSMOS - Close It Quietly
THE NEW PORNOGRAPHERS - In the Morse Code Of Brake Lights
PIXIES - Beneath The Eyrie
GIRL BAND - The Talkies
VIVIAN GIRLS - Memory
MOON DUO - Stars Are The Light
LOWER DENS - The Competition
CHELSEA WOLFE - Birth of odyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09146391462338427935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20639415.post-1615070262119058622019-09-29T17:17:00.001+03:002019-09-29T17:21:48.494+03:00Live: The Murder Capital @ Death Disco (Athens, September 26th, 2019
It's only been a month since Dublin indie rockers The Murder Capital released their excellent debut album "When I Have Fears" and, as their sold out gig at Death Disco last Thursday showed, they already have an enthusiastic fan base in Athens. And rightly so, as the young quintet may only have nine songs in its set list at the moment, but the passion and urgency of the delivery makes the odyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09146391462338427935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20639415.post-76441842454009929112019-09-08T15:35:00.000+03:002019-09-08T15:35:53.077+03:00Listening Habits: Summer 2019
With vacations, festivals and other summer activities behind us, it is time for the summer edition of our "Listening Habits" lists, in which, every few months, we present the albums and tracks that stood out for us among the latest new releases and earned a place in our record collection.
At the top of the albums list for Summer 2019 you'll find one of the best debuts of the year, Black odyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09146391462338427935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20639415.post-55727078717584258892019-09-02T02:44:00.001+03:002019-09-02T02:44:58.583+03:00New Releases: July - August 2019
Time to catch up with the latest new releases: here's our list of the most interesting albums, singles and EPs released in the second half of the summer:
Albums
PURPLE MOUNTAINS - Purple Mountains
TY SEGALL - First Taste
SLEATER-KINNEY - The Center Won’t Hold
THE MURDER CAPITAL - When I Have Fears
TROPICAL FUCK STORM - Braindrops
JAY SOM - Anak Ko
HTRK - Venus In Leo
RIDE - This Is Not A odyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09146391462338427935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20639415.post-55609292557384773972019-08-05T22:30:00.000+03:002019-08-05T22:30:08.499+03:00Live: Ejekt Festival 2019 with The Cure, M. Kiwanuka, Ride, Khruangbin (Athens, July 17th, 2019)
The Cure, live @ Ejekt 2019 (Athens, July 17th, 2019)
In the third and last post of our three-part series presenting the live music we got to enjoy during our July vacation, we have photos and videos from Ejekt Festival 2019 headlined by The Cure and also featuring Michael Kiwanuka, Ride, Khruangbin and The Steams.
Khruangbin, live @ Ejekt 2019 (Athens, July 17th, 2019)
We arrived odyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09146391462338427935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20639415.post-47947046124761222712019-07-29T00:59:00.000+03:002019-07-29T00:59:04.404+03:00Live: British Summer Time Hyde Park (London, July 13th, 2019)
The National, live @ B.S.T. Hyde Park 2019 (July 13th, 2019)
The second event of our London visit was the penultimate date of the British Summer Time festival at Hyde Park, headlined by Florence + The Machine and The National.
Florence + The Machine, live @ B.S.T. Hyde Park 2019 (July 13th, 2019)
Finding a festival with the kind of line up that I would enjoy from start to finish odyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09146391462338427935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20639415.post-2166831112732085412019-07-25T01:52:00.000+03:002019-07-25T02:09:38.843+03:00Live: Blue Orchids @ The Water Rats (London, July 12th, 2019)
The first week of our mini summer vacation was filled with live music and over the next few days we'll try to sum it all up in a series of posts that begin today with our first stop, on July 12th, at London's historic venue The Water Rats, a small pub in Kings Cross with notable history as it was here that Bob Dylan played his first ever UK gig in 1962. Actually on the very same evening odyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09146391462338427935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20639415.post-7950479457387647562019-07-09T22:21:00.000+03:002019-07-09T22:21:47.433+03:00Top 25 Albums of the first half of 2019
2019 has certainly offered us quite a few exciting new albums so far and it's shaping up to be one of the strongest years in recent memory. Just before we take a short summertime break to enjoy the sun and visit a couple of festivals here and there, we are taking a look back to the last six months and select our favorite LPs of the year so far. Here are the results in no particular order (yet odyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09146391462338427935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20639415.post-20434027952118151332019-07-07T00:29:00.001+03:002019-07-07T00:57:38.187+03:00Live: Low @ Summer Nostos Festival (S.N.F.C.C., Athens, June 27th, 2019)
Just before their appearance at Glastonbury, Low played at Summer Nostos Festival in Athens, a free event organized by Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center. This was their second and biggest show in Athens so far (check out here our coverage of their first time), in which the Minnesota trio presented highlights from their many excellent albums and of course from 2018's highly praisedodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09146391462338427935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20639415.post-4304699067357178372019-07-02T22:40:00.002+03:002019-07-03T11:07:40.233+03:00New Releases: June 2019
Just before we take stock of what happened in the first half of the year, here's the roundup of the most interesting new releases of June 2019:
Albums
THOM YORKE - Anima
BLACK MIDI - Schlagenheim
MANNEQUIN PUSSY - Patience
THE RACONTEURS - Help Us Stranger
THE BLACK KEYS - Let’s Rock
BILL CALLAHAN - Shepherd in a Sheepskin Vest
PETER PERRETT - Humanworld
CALEXICO / IRON AND WINE - Yearsodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09146391462338427935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20639415.post-39255167225544266302019-06-25T23:07:00.000+03:002019-06-25T23:07:29.307+03:00Live: J Mascis @ An Club (Athens, June 21st, 2019)
For fans of noise rock J Mascis is undeniably one of our greatest guitar heroes and last Friday we had the rare opportunity to enjoy a solo performance by him in the intimate surroundings of the historic An Club.
Armed with just an acoustic guitar and the necessary pedals that helped him occasionally to double up his sound, J Mascis played a great set which included selections from odyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09146391462338427935noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20639415.post-2804345503052333982019-06-09T16:17:00.001+03:002019-06-09T16:30:31.411+03:00Listening Habits 03-05.2019
In about a month’s time we’ll be taking a look at all the new releases that stood out in the first half of the year, but in the meantime here’s our long overdue "Listening Habits" post with our favorite albums and tracks for Spring 2019:
The debut album of the year so far came by the Irish post-punk outfit Fontaines D.C., a band we had the opportunity to see up close in action last odyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09146391462338427935noreply@blogger.com0