Artist: NYSSA Home: Toronto, Canada Who:“Nyssa is the producer and performer of her own sequin-encrusted beats, powerhouse vocals, and picaresque persona. Raised on the glitz and glam of yesteryear, Nyssa flips the
script on masculinity in rock and roll, blitzing the boys’ club to pave the way for all of the bad girls. She uses her lyrical prowess to explore themes of modern-day feminine malaise, sexuality,
and androgyny.” Pick: COWBOY – new single Score: Move over macho cowboys of this sexist world, Nyssa will kick your ass big time while her new electro slam comes out loud out on the speakers. ‘Cowboy‘ is a mighty
synths ripper, a daily Saturday Night Fever vibration, a swirling mid-tempo banger fueled by Nyssa‘s ravishing voice. This lady will activate countless hips, feet and heads on the dance floor. A Dolly Parton queen for disco’s all around the world. Get up and go gaga, right here, to the Ron Hollywood produced clip…
Going back in sonic history looking for memorable albums…
28 February 2018
BAND: U2
ALBUM: WAR – their third LP
RELEASED: 28 February 1983 – 35 years ago today
ROLLING STONE wrote at the time: “Generally, the album’s musical strengths are largely the product of well-honed arrangements and carefully balanced dynamics. Even as the Edge spins increasingly sophisticated guitar lines, he maintains the minimalist bluntness that sparked Boy. And while bassist Adam Clayton and drummer Larry Mullen Jr. have swung to more dance-oriented rhythms, their songs hurtle along with the sort of brusque purposefulness more frequently associated with punk. U2 may not be great intellectuals, and War may sound more profound than it really is. But the songs here stand up against anything on the Clash’s London Calling in terms of sheer impact, and the fact that U2 can sweep the listener up in the same sort of enthusiastic romanticism that fuels the band’s grand gestures is an impressive feat. For once, not having all the answers seems a bonus.”
TURN UP THE VOLUME! says: massive tunes, massive sentiments, massive album…
THREE HIGHLIGHTS:Sunday Bloody Sunday / 40 / New Year’s Day….
EYEMOUTH is a fascinating 3-piece out of Gothenburg (Sweden) that creates mysterious goth pop magic. Atmospheric, cinematic and spiritual soundscapes that have an impact on your ears, your senses and your soul. Their richly layered symphonies are mystical, biblical and transcendental. Last November they released their debut album A NEWLY PLANTED GRAIN. An inspiring work of reflections on the meaning of humankind. An intriguing and entrancing journey. Let’s meet these sonic explorers in order to get a greater picture of their identity and their music. Here’s a highlight from their first LP to start this encounter…
Hello Eyemouth, welcome at Turn Up The Volume!
1/ When, how and why did the band form? “Marcus and Joakim played together in another band, in Gothenburg, called Estrange, which gradually turned to other musical directions and become a very different band. In 2014 this had gone so far as to lead to the formation of the first incarnation of Eyemouth. After a couple changes member wise, and with the addition of Håkan to the band in 2016, you can call us Eyemouth M-II.”
2/ What’s the story behind the band’s name? “Marcus, who is interested in theological texts, read something about a beast with a horn with eyes like eyes from a human and a mouth speaking great things in the book of Daniel. Many seem to interpret this as the antichrist, but you could also see the whole context as a part of yourself. From that perspective, it also follows many of the themes in our songs.”
3/ When did you know “this is how want we to sound, this is what we want to tell the world”? “We’re always working hard to get the sounds and the atmosphere to match the tension in our songs. So I don’t know If we do have a sound. I think it shifts from time to time. We just do what feels right and what makes us get the most out of it. A red thread could be that we always seem to strive towards a more organic sound, on this album by focusing more on the dynamics between the drums and the bass. But then again, some songs are almost drone-like in their structure, so we could probably turn either way in the future.”
4/ What inspired you the most to make new album ‘A Newly Planted Grain’ and is the title a reference to a new world in the making? “As usual many things derives from bad habits and memories, a longing for clarity together with thoughts about the childhood, the past and the fear of what´s coming. In short, the endless searching for meaning probably. It´s hard to describe things like these in detail, and I´m not sure it should be done really. But without going to much into this, much of the inspiration in these songs could be said to come from the circles of thoughts concerning guilt, death as both terror and a salvation, the urge and feeling that something can be done to fix everything, the recent death of a friend and so on. In a way, everything that happens and occurs in life is inserted in a framework of thoughts and perceptions of how I believe things are or should be.”
Striking artwork for the new album…
5/ What movie would you pick to visualize the new album on a big screen when playing a gig? “Maybe Tarkovsky’s Stalker would be nice. I haven’t seen it on a big screen so… would probably be standing with my back to the audience, watching the movie through the whole gig!”
6/ If the band was an animal, which one would it be? “Don´t know really … a badger maybe? Because they´re said to never let go, ha ha ha.”
7/ What’s the signature track so far for EYEMOUTH? “A couple of tracks from our previous EP´s comes to mind, like ‘I Remember’ and ‘The Rise Of You’. But, thinking of this more closely, maybe the song ‘From A whisper To A Scream’ from our new album is a much better choice. It kind of merges our former sounds with our new ones, and it feels like it points out our direction onwards in a way too. ‘The Legacy Of Nature’ also comes to mind for the same reason.”
. 8/ How hard/easy is it to translate the record’s orchestral sound onto the stage? “That´s a tricky one! Guess we can´t really. So when the time comes, we have to re-arrange the songs to make them more … not straightforward maybe, but in some ways more to the point and with more focus on the foundation with the drums and bass guitar in relation to the vocals. Much of the background noises and drones and such may have to give! Then again, maybe that is all that will remain.”
9/ If you could go back in time on which artist’s front door would you knock and ask to have a selfie together? “Always loved Swedish artist Bo Hansson, so maybe that´s the one? But I probably would chicken out anyway, never been able to deal with my idols in anyway whatsoever.”
10/ Plans for 2018? “We´re actually in rehearsing mode right now and are looking for gigs. At the same time, we´re talking about new songs and will be writing material for this in the near future. The mood and feeling within the band have never been better, so we´re really looking forward to see what will emerge from these slightly twisted minds of ours.”
Thank you for this interview… May the road rise with EYEMOUTH!
Longtime alternative rockers YO LA TENGO (they formed in 1984 in Hoboken, New Jersey) will release their 15th album ‘There’s A Riot Going On‘ on 16th March. A record dealing with the chaos and the confusion of our troubled era. I guess you could actually make double and triple albums about the turbulent times we live in these days. Today the band shared the fifth track from the upcoming longlayer. FOR YOU TOO is an ongoing trance like trip droning gently forward while singer Ira Kaplan‘s vox floats all over it. Self-reflective, moony and romantic. We know by now that, underneath, these experienced daydreamers always spread a wave of hope and never give up vibe, even in their darkest moments. Probably the reason why they keep surviving, in style and with significant high-quality-songwriting…
Band: NEVER BETTERS Base: London, Canada Pick: PICTURES – first single from upcoming split EP with kindred havoc spirits Grievances Score: What a furious crackerjack this boiling burst is. The caterwauling hullabaloo starts with scratchy firework guitars flipping out just before frontwoman April Romano‘s howling vox kicks in and takes your breath away. Here’s a remarkable voice reminding me of two
of the most memorable British punk vocalists ever: Poly Styrene, the great, late mastermind of X-Ray Spex and Pauline Murray (remember pop punks Penetration?). A mighty shattering mix of primal screams and melodic intensity. Meanwhile heavy, tempestuous drum throbs invigorate the overall inflammable stamina of this staggering smack and compete fiercely with the far-out guitar solo in the cracking end. Two words: SMASHING PERFORMANCE!
Here’s the nostalgic clip…
“The video portrays common narratives we go through in life. Heartbreak, finding autonomy, shitty relationships, and reckless choices come to mind. Often the nostalgia felt for these memories is influenced by movies, TV and music, rather than our own actual experience. Pictures allow us to have our own story, not someone else’s fiction” says director Just Krar.
4-Track split EP ‘Guns + Roses’ Roses’ with Grievances
will be out 16 March – info here on Bandcamp
TWELVE KNOCKOUTS I played on repeat in FEBRUARY!
An ace cocktail of addictive bangers & smoking grooves
activating all my senses and itchy limbs this past month! TURN UP THE VOLUME! Here are twelve stellar kicks…
2/ ‘Shiny One’ by BELLY (Boston, US)
Boston’s guitar popsmiths return with sultry groove energized with a glorious chorus… Album: ‘Dove’ out 4 May – all info right here
3/ ‘Dig’ by SEAZOO (Wales)
Irresistible earworm with rich harmonies and a sticky chorus going under your skin… Album: Trunks – out now – stream/purchase via Bandcamp
4/ ‘New Values’ by SHOPPING (London/Glasgow)
Electro weirdness and glimmering guitars. Highly feverish beat, snappy as bloody hell… Album: The Official Body – out now – stream/purchase via Bandcamp
5/ ‘And Play A Game’ by JUJU (Italy)
Intoxicating psychedelia with a multi-layered, mind-boggling and trippy flow! Ace!… Album: Our Mother Was A Plant – stream/purchase on Bandcamp
6/ ‘Sleep / Paralysis by PLATTENBAU (base: Berlin,Germany)
Electro paranoia with tribal drums pushing the startling Krautrock beat continuously…
7/ ‘Perfect Routine’ by TUBELIGHT (Belgium)
The Fall is dead! Long live Tubelight! Belgian top band scores big time… Album: Expert By Virtue, Thereof out now – available on iTunes
8/ ‘Temper’ by SUSS CUNTS(Melbourne, Australia)
Amplified jingle jangle riffage from down under. Witty and punky. Strapping score!
9/ ‘Greenman’ by SCHOOL DISCO ((Plymouth, United Kingdom)
Surf injected psychedelia with a rockabilly Cramps edge. A spacey firecracker all the way…
10/ ‘Stop’ by HOUSEHATS (Norway/Australia)
Unstoppable bolide fueled by relentless, repetitive riffs. Infectious & head-spinning stuff…
11/ ‘Suck The Blood From My Wound’ by EZRA FURMAN (Evanston, IL, US) Mixed emotions passion and a heartfelt intensity that gives you goosebumps… Album: Transangelic Exodus – out now – on iTunes
12/ ‘Stargazer’ by THE CROWLEYS (Hamilton, Canada)
Spellbinding psych escapade driven by endless, sparkling riffs that will enchant you… EP: new one called COLOURS CHANGE THEIR TONE – discover/stream/purchase here
You Never Knew My Mind by JOHNNY CASH Put to music by CHRIS CORNELL
In 1996 the late great JOHNNY CASH (happy birthday wherever you are, legend – Cash was born 26 Feb 1932, 86 years ago today) recorded a cover of Soundgarden’s track ‘Rusty Cage’ written by the late great CHRIS CORNELL. Almost 20 years later, Cornell put a discovered Cash poem to music, creating a spine-chilling new song ‘YOU NEVER KNEW MY MIND‘. Unfortunately, one of Cornell’s final recordings.
The song is featured on ‘JOHNNY CASH: FOREVER WORDS’ out April 6 on Legacy Recordings. The album contains Cash’s unknown poetry, lyrics, and letters, now set to music by impressive, contemporary artists. Along with Cornell, the record features new songs by Ruston Kelly & Kacey Musgraves, Rosanne Cash, Alison Krauss & Union Station, Kris Kristofferson & Willie Nelson, Brad Paisley, John Mellencamp, Carlene Carter, Elvis Costello, The Jayhawks and more.
Here’s the gripping interpretation of captivating Johnny Cash poem ‘YOU NEVER KNEW MY MIND’ by Chris Cornell…
If you’re a dedicated Turn Up The Volume! follower you’ll know that we’re hooked on Belgium’s hardcore junkies COCAINE PISS. This 4-headed punk machine is definitely
the coolest, most outspoken and noisiest gang in a very long time. They are not about traditional songwriting. They are about head-smashing havoc. They are not dealing with the birds and the bees. They deal with borderline emotions. Their sonic blasts rarely last more than 2 minutes. Demonic, savage and plain-spoken. A mighty tumultuous and deeply committed unit, fronted by the incomparable Aurélie Poppins who loves to communicate directly with the audience, eye-to-eye and head-to-head. You just become an obsessed fan after the first acquaintance. If you’re living on the planet of Mars and never heard of them here’s a supercalifragilisticexpialidocious idea of their merciless energy with a very special guest…
Last Saturday the band played their first show with new, wonderful bass player FARIDA AMADOU . It was another explosive encounter, another half hour of extreme passion and roaring detonations. Here’s the tornado in pictures…
From buzzing Manchester here are the raging LIINES. A hefty and strident all female trio
“on the British post-punk/new-wave scene, with comparisons ranging from Savages to PINS to Desperate Journalist. Their sound is a blend of Riot Grrrl, post-punk and alt-rock sounds with dark angular undertones and brooding introspection of Joy Division, the high energy of The Pixies and the emotive sound of Sleater-Kinney wrapped in catchy fast-paced riff-laden songs.”
New clamorous single SHALLOW demonstrates sharply what their ardent sonic fever
is all about. Here’s a piercing whack that grabs you by the throat from start to finish.
A robust reflection about obsessive feelings fueled by cracking riffs and spine-chilling vocals. A scary hit aiming at your troubled soul. Check the emotional urgency right here…
TURN UP THE VOLUME 