A. SMYTH is an emerging Dublin, Ireland artist who makes driven, lush and
melodic folk-pop, channeling the dreaminess of Sufjan Stevens and the hooky
choruses and vigorous verses of Elliott Smith’s more robust songs, with a touch
of Nick Drake’s bucolic finger-plucking loveliness.
His new, romantic single RIVER is about “that sense of loss you feel when you’re
struggling to find your place in the world. Or even in your own life” explains Smyth.
It’ll be on his upcoming album ‘Last Animals’, out on 19th February 2021.
It’s a sepia-colored reverie with that moony and enamoured attractiveness that
makes you stop doing what you’re doing as your thoughts float away and reality
is frozen for a while. Nostalgia with a soothing effect. Looking-back meditation
with more questions than answers Wondering about life, about yesterday, today
and tomorrow.
A. SMITH is an up and coming singer/songwriter from Dublin. He mixes the bucolic dreaminess of Nick Drake with the folk-rock of Elliott Smith, with driven verses and
hooky choruses. He releases his debut LP Last Animals on 19th February.
But first new single WHEN IT CALLS. A melancholic pearl about “trying to
use life experience to help the ones you love through difficult periods .”
This is 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.
Made to love magic.
I feel the river in your heart
I know the thunder cos I feel it too
Artist:A. SMITH Who: Singer/songwriter from Dublin, Ireland
Album: LAST ANIMALS – debut LP Released: 19th February 2021
Key references: Iron and Wine, Nick Drake, Bill Callahan,
Van ‘Astral Weeks‘ Morrison, Wilco, Damien Rice
Turn Up The Volume: This remarkable debut evokes images on the screen in
my head, of a wandering troubadour with a guitar on his back, some blade of
grass in his mouth, traveling around like a rolling stone with no direction home.
An emotions-exploring folk singer writing songs about daily observations and
nightly thoughts. Heartfelt music for brooding moments, affecting music for a
lazy rainy day in bed. Gripping voice, gripping songs with a de-stress timbre,
soul-and-heart searching romanticism for all of us who still can dream.
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!
. ‘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.
. ‘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!
‘Man Alone (Can’t Stop The Fadin’)’ byTINDERSTICKS (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’ byFONTAINES D.C. remixed bySOULWAX (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!
. ‘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.
. ‘Look Away’ by DEAP VALLYfeat. Jennylee (Warpaint) – (US)
A yearning love groove. A melancholic lullaby. A bittersweet symphony. Quite special and sonically quite different from their powerful trademark sound.
. ‘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.
TURN UP THE VOLUME 