RADIOHEAD have shared a brief statement addressed to the US’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement who killed two American civilians,
after the Department of Homeland Security used a choral rendition of their
song LET DOWN (an absolute standout track from their standout 1997 LP
OK Computer):
“We demand that the amateurs in control of the ICE social media account take
it down. It ain’t funny, this song means a lot to us and other people, and you
don’t get to appropriate it without a fight.”
Band: KULA SHAKER
Who: British psych rock vets, fronted by charismatic
vocalist/songwriter Crispian Mills. Their 1996 debut LP,
titled K made them instant indie stars.
Press info: “Named after a 9th-century Indian poet king, the band have always existed
in an alternate reality, mixing mysticism, psychedelia, and raucous rock ‘n’ roll energy. With Wormslayer, they continue that quest, creating a kaleidoscopic journey that feels both
timeless and urgently fresh.”
Press photo
TUTV: KS show again their passion for 60s psychedelic rock/pop flavered with Indian sitar vibes and Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds symphonies. Think early Pink
Floyd, The Kinks, The Pepper Beatles,Traffic and Arthur Lee’s Love.
And they are very good at it. Wormslayer is stuffed with top-flight pop-edelia tunes, elevating this 8th LP to a must-hear on repeat level. Voice/face/songwriter and vibrant guitarist Crispian Mills lifts his troops to ecstasizing heights of nostalgia. Retro delirium
at its todays best. Formidable record.
Press info: “Look Who’s Back took shape in a homegrown, late-night party atmosphere, playfully debaucherous sessions ran late into the night, the cozy room as crowded with mics, cables, and recording equipment as it was with friends, pizza boxes, and beer cans.”
TUTV: This party squad keeps it simple, but oh irresistibly efficient with laid-back
melodiousness, sparkling guitar play, euphonious harmonies, and top-drawer sing along/tap along/clap along tunes with at times, a cosy country feel. It’s called pop-ular music. Instantly entertaining, chipper and ear-pleasing fun.
Trust me, the cliché, no fillers, all killers, is 100% accurate here.
Artists: DEAD ANYWAY Who: British duo who set the dark lyricism of Kate Arnold against the music
and soundscapes of Marc Symonds. They offer a mix of poetry, electronica
and guitars. A heady brew of dark, glitchy head-messing wonder.
TUTV: Again, DA takes you on a relaxing wander, entertaining your ears, mind,
and psyche en route. They trip and hop their way through eight new pieces. Sonically,
as we experienced so many times before, Tricky,Arab Strap, and Portishead come
to mind.
Sydmonds designs a fitting, easy-listening atmosphere, flavored with scintillating guitar
sparks, shiny synth,s and bass-dipped Massive Attack-like percussion, for Arnold‘s spoken
word reflections.
Her laid-back vocals suit the whole sonic picture organically, and her hush-hush
tonality creates an inviting, intimate ambiance. Thematically, the songs are Arnold reflections on her mental issues. The overall outcome of this new LP is engrossing
once again.
Ronker about the record: “The initial plan was to write half of the record completely sober. We mostly succeeded in that effort. Not quite. We noticed that the songs we wrote in those sober sessions had a very distinct nature compared to the more fierce banger-like
songs we hammer out when we have some sort of intoxicants in our veins.”
📸 Nathan Dobbelaere
TUTV’s impressions.
Ronker rage and race once again.
These volcanic punk hyenas develop
an earsplitting havoc that crushes
your mind, your psyche and your
shaking stereo.
Manic demon Jasper De Petter – Trix, Antwerp – Photo by Turn Up The Volume
Vociferous vocalist Kasper has 4 lungs
and iron pipes. He growls, barks, howls
and spits and sneers at a sizzling speed.
His backing crew hits hard, really hard.
Schizo riot gun riffs and a Herculean
bass/drum tandem. What you hear
is what your terrified ears get.
On the short & soft, classical piano-driven
instrumental in the middle, you can take
a breather, and the closing ballad, an
intensity-growing ballad Using Eyes is
one of my favorite pieces on the record.
This 2nd LP could easily be the soundtrack
to Quentin Tarantino‘s first horror movie.
Band:GORILLAZ Who: The brainchild of Blur’s Damon Albarn and comic book artist Jamie Hewlett, who celebrated the 25th anniversary of their top-ranking
project this year.
Press info: “The album is a collection of 15 new tracks featuring artists and
collaborators, living and dead, including: Ajay Prasanna, Anoushka Shankar, Asha
Bhosle, Asha Puthli, Bizarrap, Black Thought, Gruff Rhys, Idles, Jalen Ngonda, Johnny
Marr, Kara Jackson, Omar Souleyman, Paul Simonon, Sparks, Trueno and Yasiin Bey;
as well as the voices of the late Bobby Womack, Dave Jolicoeur, Dennis Hopper and
Mark E. Smith
TUTV:Gorillaz offer us the first summer record of the year. And if you’re a longtime
G fan you know what that means. Yes, a soft stream of easygoing, feel-good, and bubbly reggae-tinted tunes. But it’s not all sunlight and carefreeness.
Albarn and Hewlett both lost their fathers, in between two trips they did together to India. Those sad happenings resonate in several melancholic musings, embedded in Indian instrumentation (lots of sitars) and Eastern vibes, yet they obviously want to
keep up the good spirits and look to the future.
It results in one of their most entertaining longplayers in their 25-year career.
UNCUT goes 60 years back in time, to 1966, the year
that BOB DYLAN released his double magnum opus BLONDE ON BLONDE (20 June 1966).
Also the year Mister Zimmerman blazed new ground with his
controversial electric tour with The Hawks, soon The Band.
UNCUT pays attention to an upcoming exhibition of this tumultuous year, and goes
behind the scenes of Blonde On Blonde, reconstruct the infamous 1966 UK tour and investigate a major new biography of Dylan and The Beatles.
.
Also in this new issue: Multiple new album reviews, articles on Genesis, Manic
Street Preachers, Snail Mail, The Sensational Alex Harvey Band, Sex Pistols, Bruce Hornsby, Artcic
Monkeys, Sly Dunbar and way more.
The Free CD features new music by Courtney Barnett, Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy,
Flea feat. Thom Yorke, The Black Crowes, Spencer Cullum, The Long Ryders and
others.
You can purchase a copy and have it sent to your home address. Info HERE.
TUTV: Wham Boom Wham Boom Bam! From the first chord on, you can stamp your feet, spin your head around, and punch your hands in the air. Lip Critic bop to the beastly beat, so does your itching body.
But as the track progresses, the funky ambiance gets ominous, aggressive, and brutal. Vocalist Bret Kaser goes nuts, the band goes bonkers, your stereo goes berserk, and
your ears go bananas. Hallelujah.
Band: TEMPLES Who: The glitzy British glam
rockers from London.
Track: JET STREAM HEART
Lead single from their forthcoming 5th full-length, the first
in 3 years, named Bliss. They will share it with the world
on June 26th.
TUTV: Frontman says James Bagshaw, the track sounds like Kylie Minogue
meets Daft Punk, meets Temples! My ears hear something a bit different,
more like good old T.Rex hanging out with Hot Chip at the disco. Most
important thing: T is back.
TUTV: Jumpy. Bouncy. Zippy. Cacophonic overtones, frolic organ blitz, sinewy vocals,
and psychobilly guitars drenched in an Eastern frenzy, blast out of your stereo. If this is what the Apocalypse will sound like, I wanna be there. Trust me, so will you.
“An energetic, confrontational track about power and the everyday things we tend
to take for granted. No preaching, but something we could all be a bit more aware of. Wouldn’t that be nice?”
TUTV: These Belgian motherrockers trigger your maddest pogo-stick moves and
your insatiable appetite for sweaty moshpits with this fervent flamethrower, fueled
by a bulldozing drum/bass artillery, schizophrenic guitars, and crackbrained vocals.
Consider it a privilege to be able to go out-of-your-mind to this punk dunk.
All together now, loud and proud, La-La-La-La-La-La-La-La-La.
TUTV: Fast forward from the kick-off with squeaky guitars, a cranky rhythm section,
and hurry-scurry vocals. Speedy punk Gonzales for all you sonic sprinters out there.
Band: VILLANELLE Who: Fresh Brit-rock trio led
by Liam Gallagher‘s son Gene.
New track: PLACEBO
Their 3rd one. It’ll feature on their
debut EP, which will land on May 6th.
TUTV: Placebo is a haywire riff wallop. Gene Gallagher doesn’t follow in
his father’s band footsteps. His motto is more like ‘tonight I’m a grunge star‘.
Yep, his band don’t look back in anger at the Nirvana days. They’re
definitely, maybe fans of Kurt Cobain‘s unpolished and unbridled
exuberance.
Band: JENNIFER TEFFT & THE STRANGE Who: A fired-up, energizing outfit who create earthy music
from its roots and breathes fresh, rock and roll life into them.
Tefft: “This song was written during a point in my relationship where I felt like it was
too one-way. Where I really wanted ‘A Little More’ from my significant other, communication, time, emotion, etc. – but I was afraid to say it out loud. I think it is a pretty common theme in relationships.”
Art by Stephen ‘Sharky’ Beccia; design by Jennifer Tefft
TUTV: If I tell you that riff-riveting blues rock duo The Kills are one of my all-time fav
bands, you’ll absolutely understand why I love this amazeballs crackerjack. Jennifer
Tefft voice matches Alison Mosshart‘s warm-blooded one. Both passional and sensual.
A Little More is a magnetic mid-tempo turn-on, energized by
a striking drum/bass artillery and sparked by anxious guitars.
Artist: PEACHES Who: The fabulous/controversial/notorious performer/producer and
feminist/gay activist born Merrill Nisker, 58 years ago in Toronto, Canada.
Artist: LEG PUPPY 2.0 Who: Seasoned techno freak from London who has released a ton
of longplayers (so far). Take a day off and move over to Spotify to
check out as many as possible.
TUTV: As my therapist once said: rich company owners are psychos. No morals,
no respect, no tolerance. Workers are tools abused to help them make even richer. Leg Puppy 2.0 translates this ongoing criminality into a brain-breaking midtempo techno club-hammer. It easily could be the theme song for George Orwell‘s yet-to-be-made
‘1984‘ movie.
Jacob Peck (frontman/lyricist): “ The song expresses our frustrations with
middle-class comforts, over-analysis without action, nimbyism, intellectual
cowardice as a stand-in for material change and all too easy deference to
business and power.
TUTV: These Manchester punk dropouts hit hard. All greedy sharks in
our collapsing society better run and hide. Hungry go on a roasting rampage,
powered by a propulsive bass/drum tandem, neurotic guitars, and cranked-up
vocals.
Band: MONT LOSER Who: A deformed creature born from the depths of a late-night Parisian haze, half kamikaze, half blood-drunk bat. ML invite you to dive headfirst into the void of a rock scene that always seems to rise from its ashes, when we sometimes wish it would stay dead.
Track: CONFESSIONAL
The title track from their upcoming
album, out on April 17th.
“It’s only reality tv confessionals — people alone in a booth, crying to
the camera, saying things they probably never meant to say out loud.”
TUTV: Ballistic guitars, chaotic screams, mindbending verve and head-twisting changes of speed combine for a roasting 5-minute rollercoaster. Be ready for a dizzying experience.
Band: GERECKI Who: Art rock ensemble from Serbia, known for blending 60s- and 70s-inspired
rock’n’roll with chamber-pop intimacy, subtle psychedelic hues, and jazz-inflected
textures.
Track: IT GETS DARK
New piece from their upcoming debut album, named Athanasios (Greek word for immortal), out May 7th.
The song draws from a quiet, deeply personal memory: a family visit to the zoo.
Seen through the eyes of a three-year-old daughter — curious, overwhelmed, moved to tears by the crocodile house, then distracted by ducks flying over seemingly empty cages.
TUTV: Gerecki produce a hook-hungry groove, reminiscent of The Beatles‘s classic Get Back jam. No kidding. That’s what my experienced ears (big Beatles fans) told me immediately. A-OK, right? Far and away. It Gets Dark thrives on it and repeats its infectious throb after slowing down here and there.
After the brutal killings, in cold blood, of two American citizens – Rennée Good
and Alex Pretti last month in Minnesota, several musicians called out Trump and
his ruthless Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
So did The Boss.
“I wrote this song on Saturday, recorded it yesterday and released it
to you today in response to the state terror being visited on the city of
Minneapolis. It’s dedicated to the people of Minneapolis, our innocent
immigrant neighbors and in memory of Alex Pretti and Renee Good.”
Band: KULA SHAKER
Who: British psych rock vets, fronted by charismatic
vocalist/songwriter Crispian Mills. Their 1996 debut LP,
titled K made them instant indie stars.
KAH: “I drew a man on his family farm wading across a river toward the final living pig, knowing he had to slaughter it. You can tell he doesn’t want to do this, but sometimes the
hard thing is exactly what must be done.”
TUTV: Arresting from the start. KAH’s puissant Americana voice and the song’s rock-solid Mellencamp flow merge seamlessly together, resulting in a stem-winding gem. Both electric and absorbing.
Verstegen: “As a songwriter, I have a love-hate relationship with the “blank page.”
As long as I don’t put anything on it, anything is still possible. It’s a promise of everything
song could ever be. But I also find that emptiness intimidating. What if I mess it up?
What if I have nothing meaningful to say?
That uncertainty and doubt reminded me of how I feel after a broken relationship.
You suddenly have to turn the page and write a new chapter. A head full of doubts
and a heart full of hope. And before I knew it, I had a page full of sentences about…
a blank page.”
TUTV: Dim the lights, sit down, relax, and let your thoughts run free. Verstegen will soundtrack it all with this new restful reverie. His near-whispering vocals and acoustic, sepia-colored sonority echo Matt Berninger‘s soft, romantic touch. Candelight music for relaxing moments.
Artist: RYAN THOMAS SMELLE Who: Canadian singer/songwriter with an acoustic approach to storytelling, using
hook-laden songs in the areas of folk, alternative, North Americana and pop.
RTS: “Some songs are stories of moments from our life. As a songwriter, this short
and sweet lyrical tale is a snapshot of a love’s farewell and how we can stew in the
feelings.”
TUTV: Vocally Ryan Thomas Smelle reminds me of The National’s Matt Berninger‘s tranquillising hush-hush timbre, which benefits the heartrending emotions and
the saddening nature of NothingLeft Of My Heart downright.
Acoustic and electric guitar sparks, think Mark Knopfler, paint cloudy images.
This is a melancholic reverie for silent pondering and soul-searching reflection.
A touching and moving ballad.
One of the 23 tracks performed by big-name bands/artists on a new album,
named Help, with all benefits going to War Child. An organisation that shapes
systems that protect and support the well-being of children affected by conflict.
British rock kingpins THE WHO released their single YOU BETTER YOU BET this day 40 years ago, on 27 February 1981. It was the first one without their manic drummer and party animal Keith Moon (1946-1978) who passed away nearly 3 years before. Kenny Jones took his seat.
It was written by Pete Townshend as a love song for his girlfriend at the time: “I developed ‘You Better You Bet’ over several weeks of clubbing and partying. I had gone through a lean period in my marriage and was seeing the daughter of a friend of mine. I wanted it to be a good song because the girl I wrote it for is one of the best people on the planet.”
It went to #9 in the UK, #18 in the US and #4 in Canada.
Press info: “On ‘Neptune Girl’, morality is examined through the lens of childhood; what it means to be good or bad before you understand those words. “This was built off an image of growing up in England, playing in the roads and fields with a friend who later went up to heaven. Heaven is, I imagine, somewhere near Neptune.”
Musically it’s nostalgic yet restless, echoing the coming-of-age unease of early 2000s films like Anitaand Me or My Summer of Love, where the glow of adolescence hides an undertone of anxiety.
TUTV: Sophie Harris, as she already did with Modern Woman‘s previous stunner Dashboard Mary creeps under your skin, without asking. Her nightmarish vocality
and overall haunting presence messes with your confused mind.
Neptune Girl‘s capricious mood-swing groove has a baffling, forth and back
going, magnetism. It’s a dazzling and dumbfounding brainfucker. It’s brill.
