The best music doesn’t always come in the form of a long player, so in addition to rounding up Cool-Tite’s Best Albums of 2017, we also took some time to pay some respect to some other Cool-Tite highlights from over the past year. Here’s Cool-Tite’s Best of the Rest for 2017.
Cool-Tite’s Best of the Rest 2017
Best Zine – Can You Deal?!? by Bleached and others. March 3, 2017.
2017 was pretty fucked up. We watched some of the most progressive legislation of the last 8 years of the Obama administration get flushed down the toilet by a man child who is currently the president (not mine). We saw the undoing of policies that protect women, LGBTQ rights, and the environment for ones that promote hate, fear, and benefit the rich, powerful, white men in our country.
But out of that, we also saw the power of the people come through in monumental ways. The Women’s March and #MeToo Movement, just to name a few, sent strong messages to those in power who oppress. “Can You Deal?” is a zine for the times. Jennifer Clavin, of the bands Mika Miko and Bleached, compiles writings and drawings from women in music, including Ali Koehler, Jane Wiedlin, Kate Nash, Alice Glass, Allison Wolfe, and Patty Schemel. They share their stories, struggles and the experiences they’ve faced within a heavily dominated male industry. It’s unfortunate that in 2017 we still have to say these things and have these conversations. That women are still not treated as equals in much of society. A society that prides itself on its accomplishments and progress. But we do, and here were are. CAN YOU DEAL YET? – Crystal
“Can You Deal? is for every girl out there who is sick of every male sound engineer telling them what they think is right for their guitar set up. Can You Deal? is for every girl who has been told that “girl bands are in right now” by an A&R guy. Can You Deal? is for any girl mulling over press photos, knowing their band will be picked apart for looks and not the actual music. Can You Deal? is for everyone who can please stop referring to my band as “female fronted” or “all girl band”. It is for everyone who can stop feigning surprise every time a woman plugs in and plays well, gets behind the drums, or has the sickest bass style. It is 2017.” – Jennifer Clavin
Best 7″ – Ty Segall. Sentimental Goblin. Suicide Squeeze. March 17, 2017.
The two sides of the “Sentimental Goblin” 7″ from Ty Segall couldn’t be more different, but they’re both equally great. On the A-Side we have “Pan”, a sludgy, guitar driven jam with harmonizing vocals that features deep, dark lyrics. On the B-Side we have “Black Magick”, a bright, glam-style pop song, that sounds like it could have easily been a bonus to his Ty-Rex covers album. Stylistically, both sides are very different and do a great job showing off Ty’s incredible range in music. Ty rules, and this 7″ rules. You should buy it. – Sergio
Best Live Album – Dead Moon. What A Way To See The Old Girl Go. Voodoo Doughnut Recordings. April 21, 2017.
What A Way To See The Old Girl Go is a live to 8-track recording of the very important, highly influential Portland band Dead Moon from August 16, 1994. Dead Moon’s set that night was to say goodbye to an apparently beloved Portland venue called X-Ray Cafe as it shuttered its doors after that final performance. The essential recordings capture the heart and soul, the grit and tenderness, and the primal explosive passion of the band during their prime recording years. This would be the last recordings released by Dead Moon before the passing of Fred Cole on November 9, 2017. rip Fred, Dead Moon and your contributions to rock and roll will live on forever. – Mat
Best ‘Best of’ – Chain and The Gang. Best of Crime Rock. In The Red Recordings. June 6, 2017.
The only band that dares to say, “Down with liberty, up with chains,” re-recorded some of the best jams from the past eight years and five or so albums, and the results are delightfully provocative! Most of the original, lo-fi recordings of these tracks were rough and primal like early Cramps records, but the new versions sound potent and robust. The record – dare I say – capitalizes on the best of the strikingly clever, invariably fierce, and cheeky but all-too-real sarcasm of punk provocateur, Ian Svenonius. This is a fantastic entry point for a band that makes some of the most satisfyingly unique beat-punk, blues-funk, good time-having music. – Mat
Best Collection – CAN. The Singles. Spoon Records. June 16, 2017.
Can is one of those bands that I’ve been a fan of for a very long time, but I don’t own any of their albums on vinyl because I can’t decide which one to buy. Should I get “Tago Mago” so I can jam to Paper House? Or should I get “Ege Bamyasi” so I can jam to Vitamin C? Luckily I didn’t have to decide, because Can released “the Singles” Compilation. It features all of their singles releases in one set and has all of the jams! From essentials like Spoon, Vitamin C and I Want More to deeper cuts like Silent Night and Turtles Have Short Legs. It’s a must have for anyone that likes Krautrock or any psychedelic music. I’ll still probably end up buying both of the albums I listed earlier, but this will hold me off for a little while. – Sergio
Best Split – Hinds / Los Nastys. El Sueño De Benilandia. Suicide Squeeze. September 12, 2017.
This is a fun little split. Spanish garage rockers/Madrid homies, Hinds and Los Nastys show each other some love with this 7”, put out on Suicide Squeeze Records. The A side features Hinds cover of Los Nastys’ “Holograma”, and the B side is Los Nastys’ version of Hinds “Castigadas En El Granero”. Told you it was fun. – Crystal
Best Re-Release – Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats. Vol. 1. Rise Above Records. October 13, 2017.
Originally released on February 13, 2010 and distributed on only 30 CD-Rs, Vol. 1 is the first album by UK psych horror band Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats. Remixed by vocalist and lead guitarist Kevin Starrs, remastered, and re-released on October 13th of this year to open arms and ears. This rough and raw album is amazing to listen to in all its messy and D.I.Y. glory. We got to see Uncle Acid in the flesh back in 2015 at the Fonda on their Night Creeper Tour and they were epic. – Crystal
“Recorded on a tight budget of stashed dole money and with little knowledge or regard for conventional recording techniques, the chaotic results speak for themselves:
Distorted vocals, out of tune harmonies, ragged musicianship and everything pushed to the red. The clatter of mic stands falling over mid performance, the rustling of lyric papers, the missed key changes and flubbed lines. Everything you would want to avoid is here. Self-funded, self-recorded and self released to a fanfare of silence, “Vol 1” was a true D.I.Y. effort from start to finish. No great ambition, no target audience, no press support. Just a collection of songs for anyone who would listen. With it’s mix of budget horror lyrics, Everly Brothers obsessed harmonies, downer rock riffs, overly long guitar solos and bizarre high pitched vocals, “Vol 1” had very limited appeal outside a small group of underground fanatics.” – H.A.L
Best 5 Albums in a Year – King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard.
Flying Microtonal Banana. ATO Records/Flightless/Heavenly Recordings. February 24, 2017.
Murder Of The Universe. ATO Records/Flightless/Heavenly Recordings. June 23, 2017.
Sketches Of Brunswick East recorded with Mild High Club. ATO Records/Flightless/Heavenly Recordings. October 13, 2017.
Polygondwanaland. Self-Released. November 17, 2017.
Gumboot Soup. Flightless Records. December 30, 2017.
Back in November 2016, King G announced that they were planning the crazy feat of releasing five (5) albums in 2017. Even for a band known to move at the speed of lightening, this sounded (and still sounds) like a crazy impossible task even if you were to put out straight crap just for the purpose of fulfilling the goal. Thankfully, King G would never allow themselves to release anything less than excellent, and sure enough, every record released so far this year has been killer good on its own. Flying Microtonal Banana playfully dabbled in microtones not commonly seen in Western music, while Murder Of The Universe entered the dank prog-realms last visited on 2016’s incredible Nonagon Infinity. Sketches Of Brunswick East was a mellow collab effort with Mild High Club, and recognizing that fans were likely to burn out after so many albums, King G released maybe the most satisfying of them all, Polygondwanaland, for free and encouraged fans to use the opportunity to consider starting labels of their own. But now, with just hours left in 2017, we feel confident the Gizz will be unleashing that one last record before the ball drops on the year. In fact, in a recent interview, the band was quoted as saying, “I think we’re gonna need every day we’ve got to get it finished! It’s cool, though. We’re figuring out how to execute it, I guess. It’s going to be it’s own thing. I think it’s maybe the most fun of the five records, or at least it has been to make it.” Needless to say, 2017 was a great year for King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard! – Mat
[UPDATE: They did it!!! Gumboot Soup is now streaming via Bandcamp. Looks to feature the 4 recently released singles, and gots some album art. All hail King G!!]
Best Live Performance – ADULT. @ Echoplex. June 8, 2017.
Okay, okay… this category could be handed to a few different bands this year: the one-two punch of GØGGS with Flat Worms at The Echo was mad fire, Iggy Pop at Desert Daze was straight momentous, Quintron & Miss Pussycat was a fantastic moment of glee,and Sleep blasting off the year at The Fonda were all very memorable shows.
But it was the sexy glitch-punk disco of ADULT. at the Echoplex that had my jaw dropped to the floor for some time. The performance was one-of-a-kind from the duo as it was a celebration of their impressive new record, Detroit House Guests, in which they invited artists of assorted mediums to live with them in Detroit while collaborating on tracks for the album. So not only did they perform their classic bangers that I hadn’t heard them play previously, but they also brought out special guests/collaborators Shannon Funchess (Light Asylum), Douglas J. McCarthy (Nitzer Ebb), and Lun*na Menoh (Les Sewing Sisters). Hearing “We Chase The Sound” with Shannon Funchess was insane!! And seeing Lun*na Menoh play a sewing machine as an instrument was pretty unreal. It was a sweaty dance party from the beginning, and people were def thirsty for more even after the encore. – Mat
Best Fest – Desert Daze. Joshua Tree, CA. October 12th to 15th, 2017.
There’s festivals that are fun because of the vibe and there’s other festivals that are great because of the music. Desert Daze is the dopest because it’s both of those. You’re in one of the most beautiful places on Earth in Joshua Tree and you’re listening to incredible music. This year saw bands like La Femme, Ty Segall, SLEEP, Iggy Pop, and many more hit the stage. You can watch a band play and then walk 100 feet away and feel like you’re isolated in the desert. The scenery is beautiful and you can’t beat watching a band in that desert sunset. It’s magical! Desert Daze has consistently been our favorite festival for the past few years and 2017 was no exception. Already counting dow the days until next year. – Sergio