Album: HEAVEN UP HERE – 2nd LP Released: 30 May 1981 – 40 years ago (40? Sounds unreal)
AllMusic/Aaron Warshaw wrote: “Following their more psychedelia-based debut, Crocodiles, and subsequent “Puppet” single, Echo & the Bunnymen returned in 1981 with the darkest and perhaps most experimental album of their career.
Sitting comfortably next to the pioneering work of contemporaries like Joy Division, New Order, and early Public Image Ltd. and Cure, this is a rather fine — and in the end, influential — example of atmospheric post-punk. Having reached the British Top Ten, Heaven Up Here is highly regarded among Echo & the Bunnymen’s fans precisely for the reasons which, on the surface, make it one of the least accessible albums in the band’s catalog.” Full review:here. Score: 4.5/5.
Turn Up The Volume: One of the (many) flabbergasting albums from one
of my all-time favorite bands (on record and on stage). One word: masterpiece.
British music magazine UNCUT just issued a complete BOB DYLAN
guide to celebrate the living legend’s 80th birthday (last week, 24 May)
“A meticulous, left-field guide to Bob Dylan’s outstanding output since 1962.
Inside: studio albums, singles, EPs, films, live albums, the Bootleg Series, deep
cuts, hairstyles, books, and much more from the world of Dylan – all reviewed
and ranked for your enjoyment.”
You can buy your copy – and let it send to your home – right here.
Turn Up The Volume‘s 15 Knockout Tracks for May 2021!
A sassy stream of rambling rippers and jagged jackhammers.
‘Racist, Sexist Boy’ by THE LINDA LINDAS (Half Asian / Half Latinx)
Young kids standing up and making a sharp-cutting, alarming statement
about racism and sexism with a spot-on, in-your-face, loudmouthed punk
anthem à la Bikini Kill. I love it, so should you.
Plug in here…
‘Weather Strike’ by TOM MORELLO and PUSSY RIOT (US/RUSSIA)
Riot, bloody riot, yeah! Morello and Pussy Riot rage against the machine
together with a quiet/Loud/quiet/Loud crossover outburst. I repeat:
riot, bloody riot, yeah.
Press pussy play…
. ‘Finger Pies’ by ANIKA (Berlin)
Electro earworm that moves and grooves from the get-go driven by a rolling
bass riff. Strangely catchy, mysteriously designed with a hypnotic effect. Top!
Catch the vibe…
‘Heat’ by WHISPERING SONS (Belgium)
This is the best Whispering Sons song my ears ever heard. Heat takes you by the throat from the kick-ass kickoff. A haunting and sickly sticky stomper. A 24-carat rocker!
Press play here…
‘Le Jour Du Cobra’ by LA JUNGLE (Belgium)
A bulldozer-feedback intro, repetitive synth-thrills, glowing guitars, freakish voices and a thunderous pace all rolled into one mad-as-a-hatter Kraut-noise escapade making your mind go dizzy, your heart beating faster and your potency going sky-high. Fuck Viagra,
long live La Jungle!
‘Vendetta’ by ICEAGE (Denmark)
An intoxicating jam with a threatening flow. A first-rate power blow.
From their new, brilliant longplayer Seek, Shelter.
Tune in…
‘Slice Of Pain’ by BLACK INK STAIN (France)
All hell breaks loose from the very start. An obstreperous post-punk sledgehammer with a deafening dose of illegal decibels. Opening missile from their excellent Incidents album.
Here comes the blast…
. ‘Shallow’ by BIG TIME KILL (Boston, MA)
In a normal world, Big Time Kill should be know wide and far. Their massive
wall-of-electro-rock-shock is titanic, overwhelming at times, and served with a
gigantic gusto to blow roofs off dance floors. Shallow is my favorite piece of their staggering new 4-tarck EP Recovery.
Dance around and around…
. ‘Cosmic Fingers’ byPAUL WELLER (UK)
No rest for the Modfather. The last few years his production is impressive and
a couple of weeks ago another LP,Fat Pop hit the streets. Lead-single Cosmic Fingers proves once again that Weller still can rock out like the best. That’s entertainment!
Fire it up, Weller…
‘This Is Not’ by CROWS ON WIRES (Germany)
Sultry synths, punchy percussion, glimmering guitar lines, and vibratory vocals.
Sounds like Sisters of Mercy are back, produced by Bauhaus who listened to Soft
Cell on repeat. A stunner, indeed!
Get magnetised here…
‘Party’ by LOVE ITOYA (Greek Nigerian)
This feels so good. Upbeat, happy and totally summer. Only Love Itoya‘s second
single but definitely one to start and stop all coming sunlit beach jamborees with.
Yes, the sun shines again. Finally! Post-pandemic hope for the future, right here!
Party time indeed…
‘Joker’ by THE HACIENDAS (Manchester, UK)
The Haciendas rattle their butts off on this new fervent firecracker. They turn up the temperature with electric-powered riffs-hooks-and-licks and a clear-cut chorus. One message for all doubters out there: guitar rock is not dead.
Here‘s why…
‘I Said That You Looked Fine’ by ALEX JAMES (North East England)
This banging belter has an instant effect on your body movements. Expect a steamy stonker that rattles and rolls with swagger and energy. Big guitars, big chorus, big tune. What do you want more? Okay, we agree.
Tune in and start the beat…
‘Carry Me On’ by THE BANKROBBER (Italy)
This new musing feels like a nightly gloaming. Acoustic soul-searching and intimate tenderness. The darksome sorrowfulness of the late great Buckley legends floats
all over this gloomy ballad.
Dim the lights and dream away…
. ‘Odes’ by DEAFDEAFDEAF (Manchester, UK)
A slow-paced meditation driven by Hill‘s poignant vox and puzzling guitar waves.
London’s sharp-knifed engineshame should take DEAFDEAFDEAF on tour with
them. They share the same outspoken edginess and sonic resonance. Bingo!
Band: STEELY DAN
Walter Becker and Donald Fagen
(Annandale-on-Hudson, New York) Album: THE ROYAL SCAM Released: 31 May 1976
Artwork: The cover was created from a painting by American
painter Larry Zox and a photograph by Charlie Ganse, and was
originally made for Van Morrison‘s unreleased 1975 LP, Mechanical
Bliss, the concept being a satire of the American Dream.
AllMusic: The Royal Scam is the first Steely Dan record that
doesn’t exhibit significant musical progress from its predecessor?
not only are the lyrics bitter and snide, but the music is terse, broken,
and weary… The best songs on The Royal Scam, like the sneering “Kid
Charlemagne” and “Sign in Stranger,” rank as genuine Steely Dan
classics. Score: 4.5/5.
Turn Up The Volume: Sounds like the Eagles produced
this electrical and orchestral Motown soul LP. Music for
a cozy night at home.
“The song touches upon the tyrants that we encounter
in our day to day life, but it’s really about recognising
‘the real tyrant’ that is inside each of us” says vocalist
and guitarist Jess Allanic.
As with most Calva Louise songs frontwoman Allanic sings,
except for the chorus, in Spanish. Totalmente especial.
Tirantino resonates like a pumped-up and synth-up R & B tune with
the frantic force of a wall-breaker and the vigorous vehemence of a
jagged jackhammer while Allanic rants without mercy.
Who: The former Pavement ringleader. A successful
indie band from Stockton, CA. Active from 1989-1999.
They recorded 5 studio albums. Malkmus went solo
backed by different bands: Silver Jews (1992-1993), The Crust Brothers (1998) and The Jicks (2001-2018).
Born: 30 May 1966 in Santa Monica, CA, US Happy 55!
