ALL TOGETHER on Spotify…
1. ‘Crossing Guard’ by MODEL/ACTRIZ (Brooklyn, NY)
Wham bloody electro drone bam.
LCD Soundsystem-like rhythmics that
make your head spin uncontrollably.
A super-duper sucker-punch.
A kicks-ass knockout.
New album Dogsbody
is out on February 24.
Hit it!.
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2. ‘An Individual Soul’ by PRINCESS UGLY (Portland, Oregon)
This is a psychedelic, non-stop mindtwister. After a short shock intro, psychobilly
guitars take over and riff and roll all the way through, surrounded by darkwave synths.
Add Christopher-Rome’s creepy whispering and you’ll feel transported somewhere into a twilight zone where Goths party. Princess Ugly s ominous mind mystifies and the enigmatic she-devil in the video is a misleading character.
Save your soul, surrender.
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3. ‘Set Yourself On Fire’ by ULTRA SUNN (Brussels)
The rapturous chorus hits you from the first spin.
Its adrenalized vocals and entranced synths make
your head spin uncontrollably. Wham bloody bam.
Another booster, another upper, another triumph.
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4. ‘Leo With The Gun’ by CLARENCE & THE MODERN LIFE (London, UK)
Clarence: “On a trip in LA I saw a man walking down Hollywood boulevard passionately screaming at nothing. It felt like a metaphor for life. Being young and not feeling heard, being older and not necessarily wiser but still more confident for some reason. I guess it’s a bit ‘us against them’ lyrically, but also questioning how we decide who and what we listen to and
who we ignore”
Clarence (born Louis Matlock) says he finds inspiration with
Brit giants like Gorillaz, Jamie T, David Bowie, The Clash and Blur.
With this dynamic debut single he nails it big time. Once that bass strikes
your limbs feel that a groovy buzz and funky fuzz is coming. The ongoing,
repetitive cadence works like a mesmeric magnet. It wouldn’t be out of
place one of Beck‘s early records.
Check!
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5. ‘True Love Knows No Death’ by KELE (London, UK)
The frontman of British indie greats Bloc Party has his
new, 6th, solo LP titled The Flames Pt. 2 out on 24 March.
First single True Love Knows No Death is a nightclub
booster for Saturday Night Fever every day of the week.
Tune in.
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6. ‘Everybody’s Baby’ by MONTA (Kansas City)
The new cut by this post-punk electronic collective is a sickly
sticky dancefloor killer. It’s funky, it’s vibey and it’s sexy, spiced
with Mikal Shapiro‘s alluring vocality and some sparkling
guitar lines, and it goes on like forever. Glorious.
Touchdown.
.
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7. ‘UK Grim’ by SLEAFORD MODS (Notthingham, UK)
Jason Williamson: “Maybe we are proud of the country. Maybe we are proud to be English. Maybe I’m proud of the horrible grey streets and the shit weather and the stupid fashions I find myself investing in. It’s just that the English we’re proud of being is absolutely nothing like the English the authorities want to try and promote.”
First rap-punk bite and title track of their
new, 11th longplayer, out on 10 March.
Love the UK.
Fuck Putin.
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8.‘I Play My Bass Loud’ by GINA BIRCH (UK)
Birch is best known as the founder of feminist
post-punks The Raincoats (1977–1984, 1993–present).
She’ll release her debut full length
I Play My Bass Loud on 24 February.
The title track is one hell of a frisky reggae bass tune. Topnotch.
Birch: “It’s a celebration of the bass guitar as a voice, simple or layered, pounding or dancing or everything at once. The bass is sometimes assigned as a lesser instrument, and yet because of reggae and the creativity of a lot of women players, it has always been a creative and phenomenal instrument.”
Turn up the bass.
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9. ‘Ride On’ by THE NUDE PARTY (North-Carolina, US)
These smart-dressing cowboys unleash their
new, 3rd, LP baptized RIDE ON on 10 March.
The first taster Ride On rolls, rattles and rumbles, grooves and moves
as if The Velvet Underground went country rock. It’s a jangly earworm with
an easygoing flow.
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10. ‘Found’ by FUCKED UP (Toronto, Canada)
The hardcore veterans are quite busy lately. Last year
they released no less than 4 LPs centered around the
same theme Year Of The Horse and a couple of EPs.
And another new one, called One Day,
recorded in just, 24 hours landed last week.
My favorite whack is Found.
A rare, yes, catchy sledgehammer.
Scream along.
.
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11. ‘These Thrilling Lies’ by THESE THRILLING LIES… (Swansea, Wales)
Imagine John Bonham‘s ghost on drums, assisted by a wayward bassist,
a sultry 60s Hammond organ, psycho guitars, schizo synths and a demonic
vocalist, mixing prog-rock and garage punk into a messed-up rumpus to
scare corrupt politicians with. Sounds wicked, right? You bloody betcha.
And do I hear an Australian aboriginal playing didgeridoo in there?
Get puzzled.
.
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12. ‘Trippin’ by AUGUST GONZALEZ (Iowa, US)
Gonzalez mixes trap metal/pop punk/blended hip-hop
in an eyeblink. like here with this new barnstormer.
‘This was a song I wrote about 10-11 years ago about the first and
last time I tried acid. So I found out later on that the acid strip I took
was actually 10 hits of acid and I tripped for 14 hours so you can
imagine how scary it really was.’
If you dig new hip-metal-hop sensation Nova Twins
you’ will dig Gonzalez definitely too.
Trip here.
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13. ‘Truth Is The New Gold’ by FERAL FIVE (London, UK)
The electronic-pop duo release their long-awaited debut album
Truth Is The New Gold on 10 February via ethical independent
label Reckless Yes.
The title track is a kickback, de-stressing, mid-tempo ambient tune with a heartening effect. Smooth synth sparks, trance-inducing electro beats, combative guitars, and crystal vocals come all together in an easy-going and groovy way that creates a laidback feel for mind and soul. Golden thrill.
Enjoy.
.
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14. ‘Sometimes’ by WOLF MANHATTAN (New York City)
Wolf Manhattan is the alter-ego of musician, composer, producer and post-punk
electronic wizard João Vieira. A bedroom producer who lives alone above a local
shop in New York City, with his uncle’s record collection, a 4-track and a guitar from
the 50s that belonged to a well-known artist,
Last year he released his noteworthy,
infectious tunes-filled debut album.
Highlight Sometimes is representative of the longplayer.
A feel-good retro pop ditty, a lazy hum/whistle/sing-along
earworm to dream away to.
The song is now visualized in this new video clip.
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It’s a fuzzy alt-rock band from Wales.
The Pixies, Weezer, and Pavement think
they’ve died and gone to Jazzmaster
heaven.
Unlucky has a slow-mo Dinsosaur Jr slacker vibe fueled
with glowing guitars. It has a slowly but surely addictive
impact after a couple of spins.
Feel lucky.
.
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16. ‘Johnny Was An Ocean Child’ by GOOD GOOD BLOOD (UK)
This is the project of British musician James Smith.
He’s also the founder of Fox Food Records.
He dropped a new track called Johnny Was An Ocean Child
On first hearing, my ears told me that Swedish pop collective I’m From Barcelona
are back in town with a new psych-pop choir chant. My ears were wrong regarding the performer/artist, but totally right about the instant aural impact of this far-out tune.
Roll it.
.
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17. ‘Barfight’ by CARBELLION (Winsconsin, US)
Barfighter is a monumental motherrocker of a roaring ripper. Like Deep Purple
on speed with Slash hooks and licks, John Bonham hammering his drums to pieces
and Ronnie James Dio screaming his lungs out. It’s only rock ‘n’ roll but I bloody like it,
so does my banging head and my trembling ears. Hell yeah!
It’s the 2nd shared piece of their upcoming 2rd LP,
baptized Weapons Of Choice landing on March 17.
Damn it feels so good to be alive.
Holy smoke!
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18. ‘Thin Ice’ by LEATHERETTE (Italy)
“Musically, it’s a nervous mid-tempo post-punk-ska orchestral tune, sort of Talking Heads-esque. Lyrically, it is quite representative of our approach, both as people and as a band. An approach that can be summed up by the famous Winston Churchill’s quote: “If you’re going through hell, keep going”. We learnt, as musicians and young adults, that things tend not to work properly way more often than they do. But it’s not a big deal, It’s actually what makes life, love and art
so special”.
TUTV: Mid-tempo razzle-dazzle groove you can show your best ska moves to.
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19. Panikuluk by QATTTU ((pronounced “KAT-suu”)
She’s a singer, throat singer, songwriter, performing artist, and
experimental Indigenous expressionist, originally from Pangnirtung,
Nunavut, currently living in Ottawa, Ontario.
Panikuluk a mid-tempo moving love song from a mother written for her little daughter. Inuit drums beat like a vivid heart with a mesmerizing and dreamy slo-mo pace while Qattuu throat vocals create a both, otherworldly and spiritual ambiance. A truly special performance and a wonderful way to express motherly love for your child.
Enjoy here.
.
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20. ‘Nadia’ by IAN ARDEN (Toronto, Canada)
Arden wrote Nadia it one emotional and traumatic night. It’s a compassionate and concerned plea to someone close to him who had been suffering for way too long.
Nadia resonates like a yearning mantra, especially on the captivating chorus,
sending shivers down your spine. This heart-rending contemplation balances between
fear and hope, between pain and content, but in the end there’s faith in the future. Arden‘s sensitive and tender voice stands out and feels so natural for romantic reveries like these.
The video features footage of a historic speech by former US president,
Franklin D. Roosevelt, which was meant to console America and the world
during the Great Depression. Spine-chilling.
Enchanting.
TURN UP THE VOLUME 