American soul-heavy duo GNARLS BARKLEY got their name cemented
for eternity with their gigantic 2006 hit Crazy (more than 1,45 billion
streams on Spotify).
But they are/were quite lazy. They just launched only
their 3rd and, yes, already final LP in 20 years, baptized Atlanta.
A soul-gospel colored record featuring several highlights. One of my favs is I AMNESIA. A sing-along/foottapping/clap-along chant flavored with spiritual
vocals.
British musician GAZ COOMBES was born on 8 March 1976 in Oxford, England. Happy 50 to the former frontman/songwriter of rock trio SUPERGRASS with whom
he made/released six albums between 1995 and 2008. Recently, they did some
reunion shows.
With 2023’s longplayer Turn The Car Around
he released his 4th successful solo LP.
He has released his 4th solo album, titled SMOKE RING FOR MY HALO on 8 March 2011,
today 15 years ago.
Pitchfork said: “Kurt Vile’s fourth full-length may also be his best, as it distills classic
American guitar music into one singular and sublime vision. He’s still cycling between strummers and fingerpicked mazework, but the battery of pedal effects is mostly gone.
Vile has acknowledged limits in length for the sake of depth. It makes for a full-blown
journey.”
The LP got to #8 on the US Independent Albums Charts.
Balladeer Will Oldham, operating under his moniker of BONNIE “PRINCE” BILLY started his busy journey back in 1993. He released a lot of solo work so far, collaborated with other songsmiths (and still does), and was also a member of a couple of bands.
Press info: “However dimly we perceive it, we are living through a change of worlds.
The one we were born into is slipping away, reshaped and denuded by human action. What remains is the question of what we will carry forward, and how we will refuse to surrender ourselves. Will Oldham’s new album feels like an answer.
In Oldham’s songs friendship, community, and the stubborn joy of making art with others become a means of persistence. This isn’t a denial of collapse, which would be delusion, but a kind of defiance: remaining fully human, fully joyful, in a world with a diminishing horizon.”
Oldham: “This record was made closer to the Ohio River than any I’ve been involved
with since 1993’s Palace Brothers’ ‘There Is No-One What Will Take Care of You. Louisville’s’ current-and-past vital musical community is highlighted on every song.
Catherine Irwin, who sang on the BPB release ‘Ease Down the Road’, is back here on ‘Hey Little’ and ‘Vietnam Sunshine.’ Lacey Guthrie, Tory Fisher and Katie Peabody, the three front women of the band Duchess, sing together on the opening and closing songs, parallel odes to the beast that is fear.”
TUTV: BPB is one of those balladeers who keep on enchanting, despite their musical palette hardly ever changing. Fans know what he has to offer, as he does once again
with this new work. Acoustic guitar accompanied heart-to-heart ponderings, and
lullabies follow each other in an organic way.
Overall thematically, he reflects on our disturbingly changing world: “Life is scary,
we are scared, we’ve arrived here unprepared,” on the melancholic contemplation Life Is Scary Horses’ says a lot of what is on his mind.
His quiet voice always has a de-stressing resonance. His several duets with the equally beautiful voice of Catherine Irwin are so fitting here, as are the subtle orchestrations with strings, cello, and horns now and then. Although this record is mainly about our current rat race, there’s room for more personal moments. BPB does again what he does best. And I like it.
TUTV: PIG hammers fiercely again. Herculean bass-synth smacks control this
mid-tempo, industrial-spiced tomahawk. A brain-breaking blaster for nasty
nightmares.
TUTV: Brian and The Onions don’t waste time. They produce a ton of decibels from the get-go. They move and groove with sturdy doggedness, mulled with in-your-face vocals. And you can scream-along to the chanty chorus. Rock ‘n’ rap-punk roll rules. Think Sleaford Mods with their amps way up.
Track: TAKE MORE
Their first release since their
2021 debut album Flourish.
“Take More is a song about growing up in the suburbs. It captures nights spent twisting your mind over the future, caught between staying with the people you love and the need to escape, struggling to find anything that breaks the loop.”
TUTV: Imagine Hole fronted by Joan Jett. Bitchy, right? You betcha. This is a knife-edged stormer, vitalized by buzzing guitars and non-stop pushing drum beats, while the male action of the duo jumps in for some vocal assistance. Wanna have fun partying downtown? Take more and hit the floor.
“It’s a song about the ecstasy of being in love, the feeling that floating on air, of being so close that you can feel the pulse of your heart when looking into the eyes of your special person. The sensation of spinning and spiralling higher with a rush of feelings which won’t ever stop, you won’t come down.”
Music is less about perfection and more about atmosphere: letting the imperfections,
haze, and repetitions create a space where you drift with your emotions.”
TUTV: Pop techno for crowded dancefloors in sweaty nightclubs. If your body doesn’t vibrate when We Can’t Fall enters your eager ears, you need to consult your shrink or change your medication. Anyway, invite your lover for a wild night out in the city and
let the adrenaline take over.
“Too Mean To Die’ leans into the great country/blues tradition of storytelling,
as we are let into a conversation reflecting on poor choices and our protagonist’s frustration with their station in life and despite this their choice to keep showing
up and working on.”
TUTV: Wowzers. Musing Americana blues rock the Irish way, delivered with hearty
passion. Weeping guitars back the star in the middle, the vocalist’s voice. He energises
this mid-tempo torch cracker with his stupendous pipes.
Too Mean To Die shows that the burning genre is far from being passé. When
performed like here, your heart and soul get touched and moved. Excellent effort.
A new compilation benefit album, titled HELP (2), to raise funds for WAR CHILD UK,
a long-term operational organisation that shapes systems that protect and support
the well-being of children affected by conflict, is out now.
It features 23 tracks by a star squad. Some contribute
a new song, some an old one, some a cover.
Tracklist
1. Arctic Monkeys – Opening Night 2. Damon Albarn, Grian Chatten & Kae Tempest – Flags 3. Black Country, New Road – Strangers 4. The Last Dinner Party – Let’s do It Again! 5. Beth Gibbons – Sunday Morning 6. Arooj Aftab & Beck – Lilac Wine 7. King Krule – The 343 Loop 8. Depeche Mode – Universal Soldier 9. Ezra Collective & Greentea Peng – Helicopters 10. Arlo Parks – Nothing I Could Hide 11. English Teacher & Graham Coxon – Parasite 12. Beabadoobee – Say Yes 13. Big Thief – Relive, Redie 14. Fontaines D.C. – Black Boys On Mopeds 15. Cameron Winter – Warning 16. Young Fathers – Don’t Fight The Young 17. Pulp – Begging For Change 18. Sampha – Naboo 19. Wet Leg – Obvious 20. Foals – When The War Is Finally Done 21. Bat For Lashes – Carried My Girl 22. Anna Calvi, Dove Ellis, Ellie Rowsell & Nilüfer Yanya – Sunday Light 23. Olivia Rodrigo – The Book of Love
Bonus Track: Oasis – Acquiesce (Live from Wembley Stadium, 28 September 2025)
The record is released physically and digitally. Order info right HERE.
Even though Brighton‘s psychedelic pop collective TOY (2012-2021)
were once on the brink of hitting the indie top; unfortunately, it did
happen. Maybe because it was a pretty dark act, maybe too dark for
many.
They released 5 LPs and were overwhelming on stage,
which I experienced 3 times, taking my breath away.
I frequently go back to their masterpiece track/single DEATH & GONE from their 2012 debut longplayer. It’s
a jaw-dropping psych stunner. Really mindblowing.
This live version is triple ACE!
They blow your mind with a
bone-chilling finale.
