new album

ON REPEAT – Solo Debut ‘SERPENTINE PRISON’ By MATT BERNINGER

Posted on by JL

18 October 2020

Artist: MATT BERNINGER (Cincinnati) – frontman of The National
Album: SERPENTINE PRISON – his first solo LP
Released: 16 October 2020

NME: “The singer takes in rich influences for a deep, intimate listen to be filed next to Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds’ ‘Boatman’s Call’ and Leonard Cohen’s ‘You Want It Darker’… The result is an open and timeless collection that finds the singer kneeling at the altar of classic songwriting… Sure, it rests in a lot of the sonic territory of The National, and this isn’t the departure that his peppy indie-pop side-project EL VY represents, but what we do have is an intimate and generous offering from one of 21st Century rock’s most prominent voices.” Score: 4/5.

Berninger: “Between the pandemic and the fires and raging facism and everything, it’s grim.
It’s sometimes tough to process.”

TUTV: “A shiny diamond!”

On repeat…

.
MATT BERNIGER: Facebook

IDLES Unleashed Their New Boiling Third Album ‘ULTRA MONO’ And A Video Clip For Opener ‘WAR’

Posted on by JL

26 September 2020

Bristol fierce punks IDLES released their third LP called ULTRA MONO confirming
their status of boiling-and-sharp-mouthed in-your-face misfits.

NME‘s verdict: “The Bristol punks’ third album is a juggernaut that roars through sarcasm, defiance, compassion and controversy… Talbot and the gang have built a wall around themselves and their followers, but also spend about half the record peering over at the
hostile world outside, before lobbing a few flares in its general direction… It’s a bumpy ride,
but one worth taking… This record fuses the first album’s goofy sense of humour with ‘Joy’s’ brazen manifesto for a healthier society. Despite their imperfections and the often justified criticism, IDLES are ultimately a good thing. The band want to take you on a trip and for you
to enjoy the ride, and for the destination to be serene. Hold on tight.”
Full review here. Score 4/5.

Frontman JOE TALBOT is 100% convinced that…

Check for yourself…

.
Simultaneously the band shared a video clip for the opening track WAR…

IDLES: Facebook


(photo by Turn Up The Volume!)

 

Speed Kings Stick To Same Old Sound – Hard Rock Icons DEEP PURPLE Released 21st Album ‘WOOSH!

Posted on by JL

9 August 2020

Band: Deep Purple
Active: 1968–19761984–present
Album: Woosh!

NME wrote: “This is music for the car stereo next time you’re stuck in traffic. And we mean that as a heartfelt compliment… A full 48 years since the release of their stone-cold classic hit ‘Smoke On The Water’ and with enough line-up changes to put The Fall to everlasting shame, Deep Purple have managed to wade through the rocky waters of the entire history of heavy metal and always come up smiling… Packed full of decadent riffs, haunted house keyboards and frontman Ian Gillan’s gloriously hammy vocals, ‘Whoosh!’ isn’t just a testament to their staying power, but perhaps one of the most stupidly fun and outrageously silly albums of the year – and goodness, we’re all in need of a bit of fun right now, aren’t we?… ‘Whoosh!’ might not sound like it was created in 2020, but considering the last few months we’ve had, maybe that’s a good thing.” Score: 3/5

Key tracks: Oops

Clips: Throw My Bones / Man Alive

– THROW MY BONES –

– MAN ALIVE –

Full album…

DEEP PURPLE: Facebook

Back then

Read My Lips: This Is Great Pop Music – ‘GASLIGHTER’ By THE CHICKS

Posted on by JL

20 July 2020

Band: THE CHICKS
Who:  Country trio formed in 1989 as Dixie Chicks featuring singer Natalie Maines
and multi-instrumentalist sisters Martie Erwin Maguire and Emily Strayer
Album: GASLIGHTER– eight LP (first as The Chicks)
Released: 17 July 2020 – the first LP in 14 years

Key phrase: “Either you love country music or you’re wrong.” – Earl Dribbles

Rolling Stone wrote: “The Chicks are ready to speak the thorny truth once more. This time,
the conflict is coming from inside the house: Much of Gaslighter is centered on Natalie Maines’ acrimonious divorce from her longtime husband… The resulting album is uneven and heartfelt, polished in its production and yet at times so brutally honest that Pasdar tried to block its release based on a confidentiality clause in his and Maines’ prenup. Emotions feel immediate
on the LP, as though the ink were still drying on the page… It makes sense, then, that while the Chicks have always stood for liberation and speaking truth to power… It suggests that the band is ready to escape the madness and settle down, or at least settle in, to more languid careers at their own pace. Maybe this time, they’ll finally outpace the flames.” Score: 3/5.

Singles: Gaslighter / Julianna Calm Down / March March

– GASLIGTHER –

– JULIANNA CALM DOWN –

– MARCH MARCH –


Full album…

.
THE CHICKS: Facebook

Classy Chrissie Coolness – Listen To ‘HATE FOR SALE’ By PRETENDERS

Posted on by JL

18 July 2020

Band: PRETENDERS
Album: HATE FOR SALE
The band’s eleventh LP
Released: 17 July 2020
Info: “Hate For Sale, produced by the revered Stephen Street (The Smiths, Blur), is
the latest studio album by The Pretenders via BMG. The album features 10 new songs written collaboratively by Chrissie Hynde and the electrifyingly dynamic guitarist James Walbourne, in what is the first Hynde/Walbourne songwriting collaboration to date.”

THE INDEPENDENT: “Thigh boots hoiked rakishly over denim, the swashbuckling queen of British new wave Chrissie Hynde has always trodden a singular rock’n’roll path. A feminist
icon renowned for snarling and snorting her way through a man’s world without compromise…Reunited with drummer Martin Chambers, the only other surviving original member, they attack the record with a reunion band zeal. Sultry and uncompromising variety from a music icon.” Full review here. Score: 3/5

Key phrase: “Rebel with a cause.”

Singles: The Buzz / Hate For Sale

– THE BUZZ –

– HATE FOR SALE –

Full album…

.
THE PRETENDERS: Facebook

Scary Reality Grimness – PROTOMARTYR Launched Their Fifth Abum ‘ULTIMATE SUCCESS TODAY’

Posted on by JL

17 July 2020

Band: Protomartyr (Detroit, US)
Album: Ultimate Success Today – fifth LP
Released: 10 July 2020
Info: ‘Ultimate Success Today’ is the band’s fifth album. Following the release of Relatives In Descent, the band’s critically acclaimed headlong dive into the morass of American life in 2017, Ultimate Success Today continues to further expand the possibilities of what a Protomartyr album can sound like.

The Guardian says: “With stadium rock riffs and saxophone over lyrics about riots and respirators, the Detroit post-punks are the soundtrack of an uncertain future… They’re capable of unleashing pulverising guitar noise, but they’re not reliant on it. The music sounds affectingly ragged and drained – emotions that again feel perfect for the current moment – while the lyrics flip-flop between something approaching faint optimism (“hope you walk through life with a smile”) and something darker and dejected: “Remember me, how I lived / I was frightened, always frightened.” It’s music for uncertain times, something Protomartyr seem to be almost eerily skilled at producing.” Full review here. Score: 4/5.

Key phrase: “In a time of deceit telling the truth is a revolutionary act.” – George Orwell

Singles: Processed by The Boys / Worm In Heaven / Michigan Hammers

– PROCESSED BY THE BOYS –

– WORM IN HEAVEN –

– MICHIGAN HAMMERS –

Full album…


.
PROTOMARTYR: Facebook


(photo by Turn Up The Volume!)

Trip Pop Duets – ‘None Of Us Are Getting Out Of This Life Alive’ By THE STREETS…

Posted on by JL

12 July 2020

Who: Mike Skinner and THE STREETS (London, UK)
Album: None of Us Are Getting Out of This Life Alive – sixth longplayer
Released: 10 July 2020

NME says: “Now a settled family man, who still parties hard, but parties hardly Skinner’s now doing things on his own terms, rather than bowing to the beck and call of record labels, lawyers and PR companies. As a result, things seem a little less exhausting. Instead of spunking huge budgets on lavish videos, he’s now filming his own on an iPhone, which he also used to mix this on rather than in a flash studio… A duets record by any other name, Skinner’s effortlessly taken the temperature of the best left of centre sounds of 2020, bringing in everyone from Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker to heart-on-sleeve punks IDLES, British rap hero Ms Banks and G-folk originator Hak Baker… This is the sound of The Streets having a whole lot of fun and worrying very little about the consequences… ‘None of Us Are Getting Out Of This Life Alive’ isn’t just a testament to Mike Skinner’s intriguing evolution but also proof of his keen eye for curation. It’s good to have him back – and all of his mates, too.” Score: 4/5.

Singles: Call My Phone Thinking I’m Doing Nothing Better / I Wish You Loved You As Much As You Love Him / Falling Down

– CALL MY PHONE THINKING I’M DOING NOTHING BETTER –
(Feat. Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker)

– I WISH YOU LOVE YOU AS MUCH AS YOU LOVE HIM –
(Feat. Donae’O and Greentea Peng)

– FALLING DOWN –

Full album…

.
THE STREETS: Facebook

LAURA MARLING Shines On New Seventh Album ‘SONG FOR OUR DAUGHTER…

Posted on by JL

11 April 2020

British folk artist LAURA MARLING just released her seventh longplayer titled ‘SONG FOR OUR DAUGHTER’. Another affecting folk pearl from this compelling singer/songwriter and angelic voice that makes you silent at times. All 10 tracks excel because of its enticing and intimate tenderness and its tranquilizing melodiousness. Music for dreamy moments.

NME wrote: “The folk singer’s seventh album, a tribute to a figurative character, largely eschews percussion in favour of piercing words. It’s a graceful ode to resilience… Album seven is a piece of a person we are familiar with. It might be less folky than her previous work, more guided by vital words than percussive rhythm, but it still feels cohesive and like a safe haven. The album is a balm, Marling a lifeline – and a source of stability. We’re lucky to have her. “
Full review here – Score: 5/5

Album in full…

LAURA MARLING: Facebook