2018 The Albums: Honorable Mentions

via GIPHY

Last week we broke the news that the site was going on hiatus but we did promise that each year we will continue to roll out year end lists. 

So it begins.....the rollout of various music lists from us as we look back at the year that was and present our picks for the most recognizable albums of the year.

It has become a Thanksgiving weekend tradition for us to issue our first year end list -- Honorable Mentions. This is the first of three lists we will bring out over the next three weeks, next week we will present our coveted League of Their Own and then finally, the Top 10 albums of the year. Here we go -- our Honorable Mentions, albums that were very good, but not good enough to crack the Top 10 but still worth of note. 

As we always do, we breakdown the list in short form and then with explanations.

 

2018 Honorable Mentions in Short Form (In No Particular Order):

 

- Nas "Nasir"

- Internal Bleeding "Corrupting Influence"

- Editors "Violence"

- Albert Hammond Jr. "Francis Trouble"

- Blu & Nottz "Gods in Spirit, Titans in the Flesh"

- The Good, The Bad, and The Queen "Merrie Land"

 

 Now, in Long Form (In No Particular Order):

 

 Nas - "Nasir"

 

Nas fell into the Kanye West production hole that many artists did this year and while some of the releases were hit or miss, the Queens emcee came out with his follow-up to 2012's instant classic, "Life is Good," and handed a solid album to fans. While critics were mixed on some of the messages Nas was saying about vaccinations and failing to address allegations set forth by his ex-wife, the rapper lyrically may have played it safe on some songs but on others like "Not for Radio," "Cop Shot the Kid," and "Bonjour," the legendary rapper flexed over vicious West beats. It was a grand combination that yes, could have been grander, however, with another album allegedly in the can by Nas, "Nasir" was a taste of what seems to be coming. 

 

 Internal Bleeding - "Corrupting Influence" 

 

The Long Island slam-core icons returned with not only the most brutal and intense release of 2018 but their greatest album to date. Following the death of long time drummer Billy Tolley, the band could have called it quits or could have rested on their laurels but instead they channeled the spirit of their fallen brother and crafted a record that is not only shaking up heaven but one that also frightens the devil himself. "Corrupting Influence" not only pays homage to Tolley is also hits on the society we live in today thanks to themes of selfishness, loneliness, and always looking for something more. 

 

 

 

 Editors - "Violence"

Editors have been on a rocky path for 8 years thanks to various line-up changes, alterations in sound and style, but also trying to figure out their place in music after the hype around them settled. After 8 years, they not only threw their own rule book out the window the finally sound like a band who are comfortable with who they are and what they have become. "Violence" is the British band's best album since "In This Light and On This Evening" and the gap between the two records were clearly growing pains to get to where they wanted to be and for fans, it was well worth the wait. 

 

Albert Hammond Jr. - "Francis Trouble" 

Albert Hammond Jr. has been releasing quality solo records since 2006. While he has always lived in the shadow of being the guitarist of The Strokes, after 12 years he finally sounds comfortable with not just that title but being a solo artist as the band continues to be on hiatus. "Francis Trouble" is a deeply personal and tragic record about his family in which he tells the story about finding out later on in life that he was supposed to be a twin but his brother died in the womb. The child was to be named Francis, whom Albert paid tribute to in title and song. The album, which dealing with heavy themes, does in fact have a summer time light feel to it and as you bopping around to dense lyrics but all equipped with perfect pop hooks. 

Blu & Nottz - "Gods in Spirit, Titans in the Flesh" 

While this album is sorta cheating in effort to get on this list, it is so good they managed to break the rules. The very underrated West Coast rapper Blu and equally underappreciated Virginia producer Nottz released two EPs in 2013 and 2016 respectively,
"Gods in Spirit, Titans in the Flesh" is the combination of both of them in one package bringing fans the 90s throwback hip-hop vibe of boom bap and soul. The songs were reorganized in a much more logical song order telling the story of their underground musical dominance while bringing in couple new songs to the mix that were not featured on either EP. 

 

 

The Good, The Bad, and The Queen - "Merrie Land" 

The supergroup of Blur / Gorillaz member Damon Albarn, The Clash's Paul Simonon, The Verve's Simon Tong, and Fela drummer Tony Allen return with their second album in 11 years. Unlike its 2007 predecessor, "Merrie Land" does not feature production by Danger Mouse instead behind the decks was long-time David Bowie producer Tony Visconti. The album is a love letter to England but unlike their self-titled debut, it isn't about the doom and gloom aspect of growing up in the kingdom but honoring the fallen soldiers who fought for the monarchy during World War I. Perfectly timed to be released during the 100th anniversary of the end of the first Great War, the supergroup show their appreciation in song.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Great Soundtrack: 'Permanent Records'

In 1988, a rising Keanu Reeves starred in the serious drama, Permanent Records, which was about suicide in young adults. The film, set in Portland, Oregon, became a cult classic and shed light on a topic then seldom discussed. To score the film, director Marisa Silver had the one and only Joe Strummer, who had recently split up the final version of The Clash to do the music.

Strummer, never one to stray away from social issues and hot topics, used the film's strong subject matter to give off the tone he was searching for. Strummer was backed by The Latino Rockabilly War and gave a sound that his longtime fans had not experienced from him before. Reeves, who plays guitar and bass in real life, also played with the former Clash frontman on one of the tracks. The soundtrack also featured music from Lou Reed, The Stranglers, BoDeans, The Godfathers, and J. D. Souther.

Listen to St. Vincent on BBC1, Cover The Clash

St. Vincent appeared on BBC Radio 1 where she did acoustic renditions of her songs "New York," "Los Ageless," and "Pills." The singer-songwriter also covered The Clash's "London Calling" for the program. Take a listen.

Listen to Our Essential St. Vincent Playlist on Spotify!

Great Soundtracks: 'Grosse Pointe Blank'

The charming action-comedy Grosse Pointe Blank became a surprise box office success story in 1997 when it arrived in theaters. The film, which stars John Cusack, Minnie Driver, Alan Arkin, and Dan Akroyd, about a hit man who attends his high school reunion is not only fresh and original but also ridiculous -- yet, it still worked.

The film, which takes place in the 90s, showcases the music of the era in which the protagonist were in high school -- the 1980s. The soundtrack captured the era perfectly with songs from David Bowie and Queen, The Specials, The Jam, The Clash, Violent Femmes,  Guns N Roses, and more. The soundtrack was such a hit with fans, it spawned a "More Music" compilation of the film which had Echo and The Bunnymen, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Pixies, Pogues, Grandmaster Flash and Melle Mel. While we live in playlist ready-era, this soundtrack not only takes you back to the late 80s but to the film's storylines as well.

Quick News

In the new Q magazine, Damon Albarn opened up about how Morrissey, Sade, Dione Warwick turned down the opportunity to be apart of the new Gorillaz album, Humanz, which arrives later this month. He said: "I don’t take rejection personally." He also said that a 10-episode TV series based on the animated band, which debuted in 2002, is finally arriving. No word as to when it will air or who has picked it up. 

Albarn also revealed to Q that he is working on the sophomore follow-up to his other, other, other, band The Good, The Bad, and The Queen, who released their self-titled debut a decade ago. The band, which features The Clash’s Paul Simonon, The Verve’s Simon Tong, and former Fela Kuti drummer Tony Allen, said he was inspired be Brexit to rev things up. "Brexit has obviously given us a wonderful starting point," he said.

Former Oasis guitarist, Alan "Bonehead" McGee told The Sun that he does not want to see Oasis reunite. “I just hope they don’t spoil the legend, try and recreate and get back together,” McGee told The Sun. “They’d fuck it up. As long as you don’t do that, then they are legends forever. So let’s leave it legendary.” The band split in 2009 before a concert in France.

Queens of the Stone Age's Josh Homme has cryptically given some details about the forthcoming album from his band. He told Australia's News.com.au that the record will be out before the band begin touring Australia in July. Sources close to the band told NME that the record will not feature any special guests. 

T2: Trainspotting Soundtrack Revealed

The much anticipated sequel to Trainspotting, T2: Trainspotting, arrives in theaters in the UK this month. It comes to America in March.

Since the whole cast from the original is back, director Danny Boyle has assembled a soundtrack that he clearly hopes is as iconic as his original.

Take a look at the cover, above, and the tracklisting, below:

01 Iggy Pop: “Lust for Life (The Prodigy Remix)”
02 High Contrast: “Shotgun Mouthwash”
03 Wolf Alice: “Silk”
04 Young Fathers: “Get Up”
05 Frankie Goes to Hollywood: “Relax”
06 Underworld /Ewen Bremner: “Eventually But”
07 Young Fathers: “Only God Knows”
08 The Rubberbandits: “Dad’s Best Friend”
09 Blondie: “Dreaming”
10 Queen: “Radio Ga Ga”
11 Run D.M.C. vs. Jason Nevis: “It’s Like That”
12 The Clash: “(White Man) In Hammersmith Palais”
13 Young Fathers: “Rain or Shine”
14 Fat White Family: “Whitest Boy on the Beach”
15 Underworld: “Slow Slippy”

Recommended Reading: Elvis Costello 'Unfaithful Music & Disappearing Ink'

Elvis Costello has made a career being a witty, sly and cunning lyricist, so, it should come as no surprise that his book writing is the same. Last year, the rock and roll icon and king of the nerds released his autobiography Unfaithful Music and Disappearing Ink. The book, chronicles his life as he grew up between London and Liverpool and had the sounds of his grandfather's trumpet blairing at all times. Yet, the man who was born Declan Patrick McManus did not think he would be a rockstar.

The theme of this book and his life was dumb luck. This is not a tale of sex and drugs and rock and roll, though that is in there, it is more about how things just sort of happened unexpectedly for the man. He chronicles his work with Paul McCartney, The Roots, David Bowie, T Bone Burnett, among others, as well as his experiences / encounters with The Clash, Tony Bennett, The Specials, Van Morrison, and Aretha Franklin. 

He gives us vivid insight as to what it is like being a fly on the wall and buzzing around in your own way. 

Live Review: Miss Velvet @ The Rose Bar of Gramercy Park Hotel

In an ultra chic environment where original Damien Hirst paintings and installations hang from the walls and everyone that walks around could be stepping out of the latest Victoria's Secret catalog or GQ issue, it is hard to find something that will take away from the ambiance. Inside the Rose Bar at the Gramercy Park Hotel, New York City's very own Miss Velvet and her band reduced everyone to simple shock and awe as the power of her voice compelled the packed room.

Miss Velvet, who was wrapping up her month long residency at the hotel, went out in grand fashion. The singer, whose debut, Dreams Are Not For Us, arrives in May, has been able to make a room full of New Yorkers not pay attention to their phones, their friends, clients and whatever us New Yorkers do when we go out and just focus on her.

The focus and appreciation comes from her powerful pipes which pack a serious punch. Think the soul of Janis Joplin meets the strength of Patti Smith. Miss Velvet, who was a trained like an opera singer to control her voice, takes her talents to the places of her parents -- the heart of the 60s and 70s rock and roll. With her spastic movements, dances and swinging a mic stand around like she was Steven Tyler while her fantastic band just simply displays their raw talent, this singer is one to look out for. In a set filled with originals, she managed to sneak in a cover of The Clash's "Train In Vein" and snippets of Bon Jovi's "Dead or Alive" as the audience danced, clapped and supported what she was putting out.

"Miss Velvet will you marry me?," one fan screamed toward the end of the night. It could have been a joke or it could have been serious, either way, it was able to drive someone to ask for it.

Quick News

On Sunday, Seattle will celebrate The Clash and declare February 7 "International The Clash Day" according to a proclamation from the city.

Seattle proclama il 7 febbraio "International Clash Day". #theclashday #Seattle #TheClash pic.twitter.com/GatewzYFGd

— Nerds Attack! (@nerdsattack) February 5, 2016

Deftones released the tracklisting for their forthcoming album, Gore. Take a look, below:
01 Prayers/Triangles
02 Acid Hologram
03 Doomed User
04 Geometric Headdress
05 Hearts and Wires
06 Pittura Infamante
07 Xenon
08 (L)MIRL
09 Gore
10 Phantom Bride
11 Rubicon

The Monkees will release their first album in 19 years, Good Times! later this year. The record features writing contributions from Rivers Cuomo, Noel Gallagher, Ben Gibbard and Zach Rogue, take a look at the cover, below:

Pete Yorn will release his new album, Arrangingtime, next month. Take a look at the cover, below:

 

Quick News

Damon Albarn's other, other, other, other band The Good, The Band and The Queen will come back alive next year. In an interview with The Sun, Albarn said he is at work with the sophomore album to the supergroup. The band, which features Albarn, The Verve's Simon Tong, Tony Allen, and The Clash's Paul Simonon released their debut in 2007. The band has been dormant since 2011.

EPMD will be celebrating the 25th anniversary of their classic, Business As Usual next year with a massive tour but in a recent interview with Billboard, the hip-hop icons said they are working on new music as well.

Lupe Fiasco took to Twitter to say that he is releasing three albums next year.

Attention Lupe Fans: 3 full album releases in 2016. 🙏🏾 #Drogas is up first. Not taking any questions at this time. Thank you.

— Lupe Fiasco (@LupeFiasco) December 20, 2015

Quick News

Brian Fallon of Gaslight Anthem did an interview in Germany recently and thanks to the people at AbsolutePunk for translating it, it seems as if Gaslight will go on a bit of hiatus. Fallon said: "A year or two, I think. We take our time until we have an idea for a new album and everyone is convinced that it is really good."

Paul Simonon of The Clash, Phil Manzanera of Roxy Music and drumming legend Tony Allen may have all worked with Damon Albarn at one point or another but now they are joining forces to back Italian music legends Ligabue and Columbian singer Andrea Echeverri and violinist Anna Phoebe in a new supergroup. The untitled group will perform at the La Notte Della Taranta festival in Italy next month. Manzanera said: "I'm delighted that La Notte della Taranta has attracted such wonderful artists and it's a tribute to the fine local muscians and dancers that they want to be part of this incredible concert. I'm hoping that this year, all of us performing can ensure that one of Italy's best kept secrets, reaches a wider international audience."

Puscifer will release their new album, Money Shot, in October.

Gary Clark Jr. is currently in his native Austin, Texas, working on his new album, The Story of Sonny Boy Slim. He told Rolling Stone: "The only real theme is, 'Through all the bullshit, there's always hope. That's kinda it." He continued, "I really just wanted to put everything together and be 1,000 percent who I am. This album is exactly what that is, loud."

Irish folk-rock legends The Pogues are getting their own whiskey. While the band have been around for over 30 years, it is about time they get branded on a bottle. It will be released worldwide later this year. 

Great Soundtracks: The Royal Tenenbaums

The Oscars are next week and while everyone tries to hand in their ballots and figure out who will win Best whatever, many people are drawing attention to Wes Anderson's latest creation, The Grand Budapest Hotel, which arrived in theaters last Spring. Anderson, who is a master of quirky and off-beat cinema, seems to finally get the award attention he fully deserves. Yet, for the man who created Rushmore and Bottlerocket, in 2001, he reached universal acclaim with his film, The Royal Tenenbaums. The film, which chronicles a gifted New York family through their trials and tribulations was one of the most talked about films of that year and still continues to be a benchmark picture in Anderson's growing arsenal of movies. Yet, like the memorable characters, costumes, and jokes, the soundtrack of Tenenbaums was another star of the picture.

Using Devo's Mark Mothersbaugh as the film's composer and soundtrack curator, the music chronicles four decades of scenes, styles, and trends as well as a unique score. Featuring Nico, Elliot Smith, Nick Drake, The Clash, The Ramones, Bob Dylan, and others, The Royal Tenenbaums soundtrack is a time capsule of what made the 1960's through 1990's musically great. Just like the film itself, the music speaks to the audience on a different level that 14 years later, it still holds up.

Rare Clash Documentary Surfaces

A rare documentary called The Clash New Year's Day '77 filmed by Julian Temple has surfaced online. The documentary features rare footage of  The Clash at The Roxy Club. The documentary was made about the punk explosion in England and the time that changed music forever.

Great Soundtrack: Millions

A Christmas film that features the music of Muse, Joe Strummer, The Clash, Elbosco, and Feeder? Well, Millions is not a typical Christmas film directed by Danny Boyle, as we know is not a typical filmmaker, and features not-so-typical songs you would associate with the holiday season, but only Boyle could make this work. The 2004 film was a sleeper with audiences, but has gained momentum on DVD and has been praised in the 10 years it has been released, yet, the music of the film and the not-so-Christmas tunes used is one of it's real stars.

Millions tells the tale of two tween brothers who stumble upon millions of British pounds and try and figure out what to do with it. One brother wants to spend it all, while the other wants to give it away. Yet, set in the backdrop of the festive season, the "What would you do with the money?"scenario plays with the audiences head. While that rings through the spirit of the crowd, the music rings through the audience's ears that one would never expect to associate with a film like this.

Underrated Classic: Big Audio Dynamite - 'This is Big Audio Dynamite'

Following his exit from The Clash 30 years ago, Mick Jones wanted to go into a direction that he was comfortable with and began to play with while still in "The Only Band That Mattered." By forming Big Audio Dynamite, Jones, was able to expand his reggae, funk, and ska influences, as well as his punk roots and then mess around with a popular new genre that was growing at the time called, hip-hop, and by doing doing so, he was able to bring it to the commercial masses. In 1985, his band released their debut, This Is Big Audio Dynamite. The album, which was in no means a hit, peaking at 103 on the Billboard charts, it did begin to lay the ground work as to what as to come from Jones' new band and prove that he could do it on his own and without The Clash. Jones, who wrote and produced all of the tracks, took his vision to Columbia Records where they would be the home of the band until they broke up in 1997. This Is Big Audio Dynamite didn't produce a hit, but it had singles, in fact, B.A.D. would not have a mega hit until 1991 with "Rush." However, as the 1980's went on, the sound that B.A.D. were doing was getting very popular. Yet, all of this started with a simple concept and idea that Jones had, which then would become a desired sound as they kept making records. In 2011, the band reunited, while no word of a new record has been mentioned, 29 years ago, this underrated classic arrived to start the explosion.

Quick News

Sad news to report, New York City electronic indie punks The Rapture have broken up.

Morrissey has released the title of his upcoming album which will be out later this year. The record will be called, World Peace Is None Of Your Business.

HBO will air a 30-minute documentary about Bruce Springsteen's latest album, High Hopes, just days before members of The E-Street Band will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

The latest installment of Converse's Three Artist's series, which takes three artists from various genres and has them craft a song together, will continue with the latest installment that will feature Frank Ocean, Diplo, and The Clash's Mick Jones and Paul Simonon. The song will be available for free on March 10 via Converse's Tumblr page. In a press statement, Diplo said, "The Clash were always teachers to me, even before I shared a studio with Paul and Mick. Their musical anarchy and constant attitude to disregard rules and forge their own path was inspirational to me. They meant death to genres, music and message above everything. Frank lives by the same creed in being married to his vision and seeing it through at any cost. We had to challenge each other to make something that we hope no one could expect and Converse valued everyone's artistic freedom to let us shine throughout the past few months to make this thing happen."

It has just been confirmed that Lady Gaga will be delivering SXSW's Keynote Address. SXSW kicked off on Thursday in Austin, Texas.

According to reports, U2 will delay their much anticipated new album to 2015. Even after a Super Bowl ad, an Oscar campaign, and the first musical guest on The Tonight Show, the legendary band are looking to work with producers Ryan Tedder and Paul Epworth on material. This comes after the band spent nearly a year working with Danger Mouse. Reports also confirm that the band are delaying their much anticipated tour by a year as well.

2013 Best Reissues / Compilations

Each year massive box sets, reissues, and compilations emerge from top artists to celebrate an anniversary of a landmark record, highlight an artist's career, and simply see who is a casual fan and who is a die-hard fan on whether customers will buy one of these. In an effort to showcase what to spend some left over holiday money or how to use those pesky gift cards you may have gotten, we have broken down the best reissues and compilations of the year. Take a look!

Nas - Illmatic - Deluxe "Gold Edition" Box Set

While, Nas' 1994 landmark debut, Illmatic, and what some consider (us) the greatest album in the history of hip-hop will turn 20 in 2014, the Queens native celebrated early by releasing a Deluxe "Gold Edition" Box Set of his master album. The set featured a 24k Audiophile Gold Disc” CD with re-mastered audio and actual 24-karat gold embedded in the CD, housed in a “Cherrywood Trophy Box” with gold plaque, 48-page full-color, hard-cover book including liner notes from The Source founder Jon Schecter, extended artwork and full album lyrics, Black 2-piece outer box with 1994 “Nas” red-on-white logo sticker, Reproduction of 1994 Illmatic press release, with two 8 x 10 glossy promo photos from Illmatic PR campaign, and a rare 1994 promotional poster with full album lyrics printed on back.

Fleetwood Mac - Rumors Deluxe Edition Box Set
Rumors was one of the 1970's landmark albums and a record that defined a generation, so in 2013, when the band announced a reunion tour, they cashed in even further and released a Deluxe Edition Box Set of Rumors. The set contains the original album and the b-side "Silver Springs, " a dozen unreleased live recordings from the group's '77 world tour, an entire disc filled with unreleased takes from the album's recording sessions, an additional disc of outtakes, a DVD that features The Rosebud Film, a 1977 documentary about the album, and the album on vinyl.

Ghostface Killah - Ironman Premium Collection
Ghostface Killah released one of the best albums of the year with his epic collaboration with Adrien Younge -- 12 Reasons to Die, he also reissued his landmark debut, Ironman. The Premium Collection bundle contains a 24k Audiophile Gold Disc (the CD itself is embedded with 24-karat gold) housed in a "Cherrywood Trophy Box" with a gold IRONMAN plaque, 48-page full color hard cover book, including extended artwork, album lyrics and text written by Chris Faraone, Black 2-piece outer box with gold foil sticker embossed with the Ghostface Ironman logo, 12"x12" puzzle featuring a reproduction of the Ironman cover art,  Double Vinyl Full Color Gatefold LP - 18” x 24” replica of the original retail poster.

Mad Season - Above box set
After the passing of Kurt Cobain and the heightening careers of Alice in Chains and Pearl Jam, in 1995, members of Alice and PJ got together to form Mad Season. The band, which released one album in 1995 called Above. The album was a hit with grunge fans and critics liked it, but then the band faded away. In March of this year, the surviving members of Mad Season decided to reissue Above as a box set that featured the remastered album, a live DVD, and a bonus disc featuring songs written by R.E.M.'s Peter Buck and musician Mark Lanegan.

The Clash - Soundsystem
The only band that mattered made sure that their box set was the only one that mattered in 2013. The Clash released an epic box set that was shaped like a camo-boom box and featured the band's five studio albums re-mastered, three bonus CDs featuring rarities, non-album singles and B-Sides, a bonus DVD featuring contributions from Julien Temple and Don Letts, plus rare live footage and complete promo videos,  Armagideon Times fanzines, a 36 page Special Edition curated and designed by The Clash,  a poster, dog tags, stickers and badges.

R.E.M. - Green
One of the greatest American bands of all time celebrated the 25th anniversary of one of their landmark album's. R.E.M. reissued and remastered Green for the first time and brought it to life with a bonus disco of outtakes, live cuts, and b-sides and also released it as a massive 180-Gram vinyl collection.

Nitzer Ebb - Basic Pain Procedure
One of industrial musics pioneers and living legends, Nitzer Ebb, celebrated 2013 by releasing their 1983 demo tape, Basic Pain Procedure on cassette and CD. The album also contained eight bonus live cuts.

PiL - First Issue
One of the 1980's new wave darlings and post-Sex Pistols outfit, Public Image Limited (PiL) released their remastered reissue of their first album, First Issue, this past summer. Thanks to the magic of modern music technology and remastering, Johnny Rotten never sounded so good!

Echo & The Bunnymen - Crocodiles
Another of the 1980's darlings, cold wave and post-punk pioneers Echo & The Bunnymen reissued their landmark 1980 LP, Crocodiles as a double vinyl containing the original remastered record and a bonus disc of outtakes and b-sides. The set also featured a massive hardcover book that featured behind-the-scenes stories on the making of the record.

Nirvana - In Utero 
For the 20th anniversary of one of the 1990's most conflicted albums, Nirvana's In Utero, the surviving members of the grunge gods released a massive 3X vinyl set featuring the entire record remastered over a double 180-gram stack and a record of b-sides and outtakes.

Flaming Lips - Demo EP
On Record Store Day one of the most magnificent discoveries was the reissue of The Flaming Lips demo tape on cassette and signed by singer Wayne Coyne. The band only released about 2,000 of the tapes for RSD but hearing a band at the start of their career in the medium in which many did back in the day must be a delight.

A Perfect Circle - 360
A Perfect Circle have been mum with new music for a long while, which makes their "Best Of" compilation one of the years best, simply because it contains a couple new tracks, and takes you through memory lane with some of their classic cuts and tracks that got overlooked over the years from their three studio albums. Fingers crossed for a new record in the new year.

Mastodon - Live at Brixton
Easily one of the best live albums of the year, the metal monsters Mastodon simply slay on this pristine recording of a Brixton, England gig from 2012.

The Beatles - Live at the BBC
Part one of the greatest band of all-times BBC sessions was released in 1994 as a double CD, yet, this year, the band released for the first time, a second part of their iconic BBC recordings that helped create Beatlemania and introduce all of Europe and soon America to a band that forever changed the landscape of music. This four CD and two book set is further proof that there will never be a band like them ever again. 

Quick News

Liars have confirmed that their new yet-to-be-titled album will be out in March.

Lady Gaga has been booked as the final act to play New York City's iconic Roseland Ballroom before it closes it's doors in April. Gaga will play four shows at the legendary venue.

After rumors circulated all day on Tuesday about OutKast reuniting for Coachella, Revolt TV have confirmed that the legendary Georgia duo will be reuniting and touring along with playing festivals in 2014. Book your tickets to Indigo Valley now!

The Clash's Mick Jones and Paul Simonon have opening up to Billboard magazine about why they never reunited before or after singer Joe Strummer's untimely death in 2002. Simonon said, "It's a better story at the end of the day that we didn't get back together. We saved all that time and effort by not reforming. It seems like we would have squandered what we'd achieved by reforming. Why do people get together? Why do bands reform? Oh, they're good mates. Well, that's nice. It's usually because of a financial situation that has to be adhered to. Basically, everyone's broke." Jones continued and said, "Our band is an idea as well. It kind of said, `You can do this.' We can say all this now in retrospect and sort of understand it. When we did it, we just did it instinctively with no thought of future significance." They both did confirm that they did make peace with Stummer long before he passed.

Speaking to Rolling Stone, Noel Gallagher has officially closed the book on any type of Oasis reunion to take place next year or in the distant future as the band's legendary debut, Definitely Maybe will turn 20 in 2014. Gallagher said, "Yeah, so, ergo, band splits up, band is no more. There is no band. So, no, I won’t be getting involved, anyway. If there is a reunion, I won’t be in it...I’m proud of everything that we ever did. I mean, some songs are pretty shit, and there’s a couple of periods you’d rather forget, but I think on the whole… I think we made three great albums and four good ones, which is not bad out of eight. Kind of a 50 percent record. That’s pretty good, I think. But I’m cool with it. I don’t think there’s any unfinished business. I don’t think that we left anything unsaid, do you know what I mean? It’s like, if you’ve seen [Oasis], then good for you. If you didn’t, then that’s fucking tough shit. I’ve never seen the Beatles. So there you go."  

It has been quiet on the Mastodon front these days, but in a few weeks, the band will enter the recording studio to begin work on their sixth album. Drummer Brann Dailor told Rolling Stone that the band's idea for the album will shock fans. He said, "It's gonna be massive and insane, lots of epic greatness. There will be lots of huge riffs and new directions. It's real weird, real math-y, real straightforward. It's up, down and all around. It's a culmination of everything for the band. The snowball keeps rolling and collecting snow."

Quick News

Before the untimely death of Joe Strummer, were The Clash working on new material? According to Clash guitarist and co-singer Mick Jones, yes. Jones told BBC 6 Music, "We did write some more songs together and he was going to do them with The Mescaleros," said Jones. "We wrote a batch - we didn't used to write one, we used to write a batch at a time - like gumbo. The idea was he was going to go into the studio with The Mescaleros during the day and then send them all home. I'd come in all night and we'd all work all night. That didn't come to nothing because that wasn't going to work, we knew that but it was a nice idea. Later on, a few months later we were at some opening or something and I said, 'What happened to those songs?!' If you didn't do them straight away and get them back straight away, it was like, 'What's wrong with them?!' So, I went, 'What happened to the songs?!' He went, 'Oh man, they're the next Clash album'."

West Coast 90's hip-hop outfit, Souls of Mischief will rerelease their seminal album, 93 'Til Infinity next month. The reissue will feature the original album remastered and a bonus disc of remixes, instrumentals, break beats and demos.

Speaking of reissues, Peter Murphy's 1988 classic, Love Hysteria will be rereleased next month as well. The reissue will feature the original album remastered and a bonus disc featuring outtakes, demoes and B-sides.

Talib Kweli will release his second album this year, Gravatis in December. The album will be sold directly from Kweli on his website.

Recommended Reading - The England's Dreaming Tapes

Last month, we featured Jon Savage's 1991 book, England's Dreaming as our Recommended Reading. The book, which told the story and origin of the British punk movement, featured countless interviews, soundbites and an oral history of what led England to shake. Only a fraction of the interviews Savage conducted and featured made it into the final version of England's Dreaming. In 2010, Savage released the books sequel, The England's Dreaming Tapes, which were the full uncut, raw interviews compiled together that brought the story of his first book together and made it an instant classic a decade earlier. In 1976, punk changed England and Savage spoke to all four original Sex Pistols, The Clash's Joe Strummer, The Prentenders' Chrissie Hynde, Jordan, Siouxsie Sioux, Viv Albertine, Adam Ant, Lee Black Childers, Howard Devoto, Pete Shelley, Syl Sylvain, Debbie Wilson, Tony Wilson, Jah Wobble, to get the first hand perspective on what caused the atom in rock and roll to split and create the beautiful chaos we now know as punk.