29 January 2021
Band: FLEETWOOD MAC
Original blues rock line-up with
the late great Peter Green
Single: ALBATROSS (instrumental)
Released: 22 November 1968
B-side: Jigsaw Puzzle Blues (also an instrumental)
Score: Albatross topped the UK Singles Chart
on 29 January 1969 – 52 years ago today
Fly here…
FLEETWOOD MAC: Biography
The best of the past month…
A swirling fusion of rhapsodic rippers and cool crackerjacks,
that activated my bloodstream and my limbs this past month!
Turn Up The Volume‘s 15 Knockout Tracks for January!
‘Fall Of The Big Screen’ by DEADLETTER (South London)
Imagine George Orwell fronting The Fall back in Nineteen Eighty-Four scaring the world with a grim, futuristic vision of humankind about to collapse in 2021 due to a deadly virus. Ace!
‘Heroin’ by PERMO (Scotland)
A sizzling slice of trash and slash punk. Expect 135 striking seconds of heavy thunder and scary lighting. Totally insane drums and bass, deranged guitar frenzy and cranked-up, psych-o-tic howling Fucktastic intensity!
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‘Nothingness’ by DEAFDEAFDEAF (Manchester)
The unbridled energy, the chaotic state of mind, and the listen-to-me clamor of DeafDeafDeaf echo the early days of angry young men such as Joy Division, The Fall, and Wire. It must be terrible to be young today with all the political unrest in the world and most of all the drastically freedom-limiting consequences of the horrible pandemic.
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‘Caddy Daddy’ by MELVINS (USA)
Veteran punks coming up with some paranoid Black Sabbath drones. From their
new upcoming, 24th (!) album, entitled Working With God (brilliant title). Holy smoke!
‘We… Are Doomed’ by THE IRRATIONAL LIBRARY (Dutch-American)
The challenging rap and roll spirit of an open-minded-plainspoken-asskicking-anti-establishement-and-other-scumbags force of doom and gloom. The title track from
this caring collective’s excellent new album. Apocalypse Now!
‘The Way I Like It’ by BROOZER (Wolverhampton, UK)
After a badass intro Broozer storms immediately in a grungy Nirvanesqe mode. No brakes, no looking back, not giving in and inviting you to scream at the top of your lungs when the massive chorus comes on-stream. Turn up the heat!
‘Nudge It’ by SLEAFORD MODS feat. Amyl Taylor (UK/US)
The rap punk poets teaming up with powerhouse vox Amyl Taylor from Aussie rock tornado Amyl And The Sniffers. On the duo’s brand new album Spare Ribs.
‘Man Alone (Can’t Stop The Fadin’)’ by TINDERSTICKS (Nottingham, UK)
Surprising stunner! An 11-minute psychedelic and epic journey. Trippy and spacey.
From new, 13th, upcoming album Distractions. WOW factor!
‘Beside Myself’ by SISTER PSYCHOSIS (UK/Canada)
A sticky pounding psych groove that rolls with flair and panache, with a shadowy color. Amanda May looks like a femme fatale and sounds like a femme fatale. Sensuous, sexy and sensitive. I want more! ASAP!
‘A Hero’s Death’ by FONTAINES D.C. remixed by SOULWAX (Ireland/Belgium)
Irish rockers Fontaines D.C. sounding vibey and funky? Absolutely. Well, after the Belgian dance brothers Dewaele aka Soulwax put their hands on the title track of the Irish band.
‘Fear’ by BOAF (Belgium)
Fear is a quietLOUDquiet giant as impressive as the cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris (before the fire). Majestic metallic grandeur and feverish glow. Huge wall-of-thunder-and-lighting sound! Hell yeah!
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‘Bad Vibrations’ by THE ROGUES GALLERY (St. Albans, UK)
A no-nonsense-bluesy-guitar-driven steamroller for all the boys, the girls, and everyone in between. A bare-bones ripper spreading let-the-good-times rattle vibes. Stomping way to hit the scene, guys! Go for it! Going bonkers time!
‘Mistakes’ by RUBBER VELVET (Wales)
It’s a gripping and moony lullaby-like melody with ardent duo harmonies, glimmering Kurt Vile guitars, frolic piano touches, and a close your eyes and float away chorus. Stirring score.
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‘Look Away’ by DEAP VALLY feat. Jennylee (Warpaint) – (US)
A yearning love groove. A melancholic lullaby. A bittersweet symphony. Quite special and sonically quite different from their powerful trademark sound.
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‘When It Calls’ by A. SMYTH (Dublin, Ireland)
Starry-eyed music for the twilight hours. Meditative, brooding, and making
you hum along from start to finish. Midway, a weeping Neil Young guitar fragment electrifies the mood briefly before Smyth‘s voice takes over again with its calming timbre. All you need to let your thoughts float around your head.
All together on Spotify…
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Daily electricity to load your batteries…
29 January 2021
(photo by Tobias Humble)
Band: PONTE PILAS
Who: Berlin-based rock ’n’ roll band since February 2017. Their international
line-up was brought together by a shared love of loud guitars, driving rhythms
and catchy, anthemic choruses.
Pick: LAST OF A DYING BREED – first single from upcoming EP.
“This song is a rallying cry, a primal scream, that no matter how dark these times may
seem, rock and roll endures. Nuclear apocalypse could eradicate all of life as we know it,
but Iggy Pop and Keith Richards would still be hanging out and trying to work out how to
snort cockroaches. This one is for them.”
Score: This rip-roaring cannonball resonates like if The Stooges coming from the left
and Green Day coming from the right, crash into each other right in the middle causing
a whirlwind wave of blistering impulses. Pretty crazy, right? You betcha. This is blitzkrieg punk with a razzle-dazzle buzz and a hurry-scurry fuzz. You have no excuse whatsoever not to go totally gaga when these untamed upstarts attack your poor speakers.
Hell yeah! Bonkers time!…
PONTE PILAS: Facebook
(promo photo via Alibi Agency)
Kink Ray Davies about making concept albums in the early days
like Arthur (Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire)…
Daily electricity to load your batteries…
28th January 2021
Band: THE FLAVIANS
Who: Band formed in Berlin in 2017. Drawing inspiration from the warm, nostalgic
sounds of the Sixties and the frantic, hedonistic energy of Berlin, the band blends
three distinct voices with psychedelic guitar textures, barroom piano and pounding
drums to create surreal yet grounded, accessible, melodic and experimental songs.
They released their debut album Ordinary People In An Ordinary World last year.
Pick: ACE OF BASE – brand new single
“A classic story of dreaming big in a small town.”
Score: Need an instantly uplifting tune to erase your lockdown blues? Trust me,
this is the one. Ace Of Base changes your grumpy morning mood on the spot with
its sparkling pop glow and stimulates you to do a little dance under the shower. Oh
yeah, your feet and head’s movements get activated from the kick-off. Irresistible
piano touches, glorious rhythm, pushed by a funky beat and colored with frisky
vocals and cool 60s backing vocals.
It’s winter and The Flavians make the sun shine brightly. Synth-pop
legends Eurythmics would say Sweet Dreams Are Made Of This.
Tune in here…
Also on Spotify…
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THE FLAVIANS: Facebook
(promo pics via Alibi Agency)
1. OUT OF TIME – 7th album – 1991
Pitchfork: “Along with Nevermind, released a half year later, R.E.M.’s Out of Time was the early-’90s major-label ideal: A blockbuster that multiplied the band’s following without losing existing fans.” Score: 8.5/10
Key single: Losing My Religion
Stream full LP here…
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2. AUTOMATIC FOR THE PEOPLE – 8th LP – 1992
AllMusic: “Turning away from the sweet pop of Out of Time, R.E.M. created
a haunting, melancholy masterpiece with Automatic for the People.”
Score: 10/10
Key single: Drive
Stream album here..
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3. GREEN – 6th longplayer – 1988
Pitchfork: “Their first major label effort, their first LP to go
double platinum, the first to achieve popularity in the UK.”
Score: 8.5/10
Key single: Stand
Stream full album..
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4. MURMUR – Debut LP – 1983
Rolling Stone: “This band’s darkness is shot through with flashes of bright light. A
restless, nervous record full of false starts and images of movement, pilgrimage, transit.”
Score: 8/10
Key single: Radio Free Europe
Stream LP here…
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5. MONSTER – 9th album – 1994
UNCUT: “These new songs were grounded in the stomp and crackle of ’70s glam rock, with Buck pulling out every effects pedal he owned and Stipe addressing his own celebrity and sexuality.” Score: 8/10
Key single: What’s The Frequency, Kenneth?
Full album…
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28 January 2021
Irish singer/songwriter IMELDA MAY will make her
fans happy with new album 11 Past The Hour in April.
For groovy single JUST ONE KISS she invited Noel Gallagher
to sing along and Ronnie Wood to rock out on guitar.
Here’s the video clip…
IMELDA MAY: Facebook
Biographical musical drama film about Johnny Cash – 2005
Featuring Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon.
R.I.P. Johnny Cash
28 January 2021
When iconic Goth diva Chelsea Wolfe and arresting singer/songwriter Emma Ruth Rundle (Red Sparowes / Marriages) join forces you’ll expect a moonstruck wall-of-dark-sound but none of that here.
Their first collaborative duet, a track called ANHEDONIA is a gripping goosebumps ballad. A soul-stirring exploit with two startling heart and soul voices – although at times it feels like PJ Harvey and Angel Olsen are somewhere in there too – exploring dark dimensions.
Put your headphones on, dim the lights, close your eyes and dream away…
Also on Spotify…
