Dox's Tune Picks of 2013

I know, it's late to be posting my picks of 2 best songs of 2013 but I hope it's ok to anyway.  I was just so busy over the holidays that I just kept forgetting about this or postponing it until it was already the new year. But these are just too worth sharing, late or not. As with everyone, there were a very many favorite songs of the past year for me, these are just 2 strong examples.

Hard to pick just one track off this killer debut album from 2013 but this is the one I keep coming back to in my sets. Real, confrontational postpunk revival rock from an all-kickass-girl group.. An earth-shaking, shit-stirring album that'll chill, move and rock you to your core! It perfectly captures the badass gothrock essence of Siouxsie and the Banshees, Bauhaus and other postpunk greats but they do it with their own energy and vision.

Mesmerizing hypnotic psychedelia and trippy rock was in no short supply in 2013 but this was one album of that genre that rose above the others ( although Suuns and Clinic are definitely worth mentioning as well) with catchy songs that didn't just drone on endlessly and can be enjoyed by people who aren't dropping acid while listening. "Holland" is an excellently constructed work of auditory art that is hauntingly beautiful. The chord progression is just amazing. The Black Angels remain one of my very favorite bands.

About Soundproof, seeking DJs

At Soundproof we endeavor to keep it eclectic, weird, wild, and mix lots of old school, classic alternative along with current, contemporary bands. The focus at Soundproof isn't on the indie hits, the popular bands and songs topping Pitchfork lists and charts or other popular blogs and publications. There's a shift here away from dancey indiepop.

Our motto is dare to be different and make it truly alternative or indie in the sense of indie label bands going back as far as indie started, right up to current day. A history of indie and alternative (including punk, postpunk, new wave, garage rock, alt-folk, goth, psychedelic and much more) of all kinds is what I hope people can find in the sets here. Creativity with sets is strongly encouraged. The only real requirement for playing at Soundproof though is having a real passion and love for alternative music. It's about DJing for the music, not the crowds and tips.

No cliques, no elitism. Uniting the freaks, the outsiders, the music nerds under one roof, to be silly as shit and party on. Wanna DJ here? Contact Paradox Messmer.  All friendly people are welcome. As of now, there are DJs on Tuesdays and Fridays. We are also featured in the Destination Guide! SLURL: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Bloom%20County/100/140/23

Fields of the Nephilim

Imagine Snake Pliskin (from Escape from LA/Ney York) having read (and underlined) the stuff about angels in all the books left out the Bible, strange stuff from Sumeria co-mingled with H.P. Lovecraft's Old Gods.

Now picture all that taking the form of a rock band - with smoke, lights, trenchcoats, black hats - and you'll get moments something like those in the videos below, which are from Fields of the Nephilim's 2008 live shows in London - released in 2012.

Best band ever.

Fields of the Nephilim - Wail Of Sumer / And There Will Your Heart Be Also

Fields of the Nephilim - Psychonaut

Chapman Family

Here's the playlist for the Chapman Family, as well as the individual videos:

Youtube Playlist

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=toe4sItABaA

Blue Angel Lounge

These guys have been collecting cash and gathering momentum, and have recently toured the US. This track is off their new EP, 'Ewig':

Their website: http://blueangellounge.com

Another track :)

Lucy (Lucretia1995)

Miserylab - Children of the Poor

Catchy, dancy, political - what more does anyone need? The last two years of 'austerity' in an incendiary mix of drums, bass and the the sublime voice of Mr King. The best, end of ;)

Mallory Cerise

Thinking of all the possible ways to describe my selections, "veiled fatality"--the strange phrase used by Martin Heidegger in his writings on art--seems most fitting: this music makes me think of the powerful, pitch-black current running underneath reality as we know it. The songs are, respectively, from Porl King's (ex Rosetta Stone, now miserylab) side project In Death It Ends and American duo AIMON, both working with the parameters of witch house but transcending them assuredly.

Exitmusic

Band of the moment, a husband and wife combo, Exitmusic's 'The Sea' shimmers, swells, recedes and... entertains.

[soundcloud url="http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/43342834" params="auto_play=false&show_artwork=true&color=ff7700" width="100%" height="166" iframe="true" /]

Their new LP will be out on 22 May, and I'm really looking forward to it. I have also added the Secretly Canadian record label to our list of resources.