From Cardiff, Wales here’s HIMALAYAS with a dazzling clip for fresh single ‘SIGH ON A HURRICANE‘ (officially out via iTunes – 27th October). A steamy, unstoppable rocker
from start to finish with bashing drums/bass, fiery guitars and a sweltering chorus to
test your voice’s sound volume. Rowdier than the fast and the fury. Another blustery
belter after previous biting cut THANK GOD I’M NOT YOU. Fasten your seat belt, put
on your coolest sunglasses, press the button and lose yourself in this swirling whirlpool…
‘See No Evil’ by TRISTEN
Original: TELEVISION(1977)
Succesful singer/songwriter TRISTEN out of Nashville, Tennessee released her third long-player ‘Sneaker Waves‘ early this summer. But to be honest I wasn’t aware of this exciting artist until I discovered – on my daily surf race on Soundcloud – her cover of an electrifying track from New York new wave legends TELEVISION, led by the great Tom Verlaine. The seducing way Tristen is singing all over the band’s opening track SEE NO EVIL from their classic debut LP MARQUEE MOON is quite cool, sparkling and sexy. Get the fever here…
Next Monday – 23 October, Antwerp, Belgium – I will see the awesome THE BREEDERS finally again. But I’m at least equally excited to see, support act, the stellar Manchester
gang PINS too… again. They soundtrack their rage against injustice, intolerance and all sorts of inequality in our society with gloriously amplified knockout pop punk rock gems. Check their two flaming albumsGIRLS LIKE US (2013) and WILD NIGHTS (2015) and this year’s excellent 5-track Bad Thing EP, including a collaboration with the one and only punkfather IGGY POP. A few weeks ago, ahead of a series of headline dates & the support slots with The Breeders across Europe the band launched stand out single SERVE THE RICH. Produced by JAMIE HINCE of ‘The Kills‘ it’s a ‘loud and clear’ cracker “about how sometimes we feel like we only exist to make money for other people, it’s a swizz. We are promised things by saviours, these people who have come to rescue us, but it’s not true. ‘Serve The Rich’ was my opportunity to assert myself. I’m saying that we as PINS, musicians, women, Labour voters, and feminists, are here to save the kids, we’re here to save each other, we’re here to save ourselves. ”
A brand new SEVEN IN THE MIX for a brand new week!
Seven splendid strokes I played on repeat these past days
Seven towering tracks to feed body and soul all week long
Turn up the volume! Music is the dope! Here’s the stuff!
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1/ ‘Scarlet Fever’ by SKYE WALLACE (Toronto, Canada)
The passionate Canadian singer/songwriter, blessed with a dazzling voice, explodes on
her new red-hot single. An irresistible inflammable rocker with a punky edge. A top stroke from her new album, planned for a 2018 release. Hear more of her work here on Spotify SKYE WALLACE: Website –Facebook –Instagram
2/ ‘Tourist’ by DREAM NAILS (London, UK)
These self-proclaimed ‘DIY punk witches’ energize your body, make your blood stream much faster and mess up sexist, male pigs’ heads. I’m damn sure the wonderful, late Poly Sterene would be proud! Oh Bondage! Up Yours! Debut EP out 27th October. DREAM NAILS: Facebook –Bandcamp –Twitter
3/ ‘Hospitality’ by TWO CARTOONS (Auckland, New Zealand)
This thumping stormer will make you smile, scream, jump and roll over all day long.
It’s just impossible to resist this glam rock charged bang. A king-sized, electrical
cut from the duo’s upcoming EP ‘The Great British Hangover’ out 18th November… TWO CARTOONS: Facebook –More on Bandcamp
4/ ‘Vitamins’ by DANCEHALL (London, UK)
The combination of vicious guitar havoc derailing at times, a merciless rhythm section and the angry vox fueled chorus turns this schizophrenic blast into a manic knockout. Score! DANCEHALL: Facebook –Tumblr –Twitter
5/ ‘Run’ by KOY (Bergen/Berlin)
Singer/composer Victoria Trunova aka KOY describes her work as ‘electronic mermaid witchcraft’. I agree totally. Her absorptive electro panache has a voodoo like feel. It will make many run to the dance floor. Saturday night fever with a gloomy edge! Love it! KOY: Website –Facebook –Bandcamp
6/ ‘Bulldogs’ by GARDENBACK (Manchester, UK)
This boiling trio really likes to soundtrack their ‘ambition, frustration and ultimately disappointment‘ with pumped up and barbed wire electricity. ‘Bulldogs‘ is an angry
and furious uppercut on speed. Trust me, it will trigger all of your hungry senses. GARDENBACK: Facebook –Instagram –Twitter
7/ ‘Blood Song’ by MANALISHIES (Finland)
Founder Paltsa-Kai Salama started this band originally as a solo project but it evolved into a group effort. Their first impressive achievement ‘Blood Song‘ is a mind-boggling 10-minute journey build around a repetitive, hypnotic bass riff injected now and then with some far-out saxophone, distorted guitars and adventurous improvisation. Highly compelling stuff! MANALISHIES: Facebook –Label: Soliti
I have said it here before and I will repeat it again, over and over again… Phoenix female squad THE DARTS is just one of the most exciting bands around, on and off stage. As they claim themselves: “We will make your head slam and your feet shake.” Their debut album ME.OW. is a volcanic garage punk rock steamroller and will definitely end up way up high in my end-of-the-year-list. The cracking grrls just launched a crazy wet party clip for one of the maddest cuts on the longplayer. I’m pretty sure you’ll try a similar surprise jamboree in your own back garden with your unsuspecting friends. C’mon, time to learn how to mess it up the right heated way…
Band: Californian gripping blues rockers THE GUN CLUB led by the great,
late (only 37) JEFFREY LEE PIERCE (27 June 1958 – Salt Lake City, 31 March 1996) Album: MOTHER JUNO – first album after the band split three years before, in 1984… Released: 17 October 1987 – 30 years ago.. All Music wrote: ” ‘The Gun Club’ collapsed within a year of the release of 1984’s ‘The Las Vegas Story’, so more than a few fans were surprised in 1987 when Jeffrey Lee Pierce and Kid Congo Powers returned with a new version of the band. Even more startling was that the group’s comeback album, ‘Mother Juno’, was produced by Cocteau Twins’ Robin Guthrie, who would hardly have seemed a likely choice to channel the Gun Club’s fiery blues-punk assault onto vinyl. But against the odds, ‘Mother Juno’ turned out to be one of the band’s best albums; the hard rock overtones of ‘The Las Vegas Story’ were replaced by a more direct, streamlined sound that suggested ‘Miami’ without the twangy undertow. entering into new musical territory, as evidenced by the slow, slinky R&B of “Yellow Eyes,” the atmospheric carnival-pop of “The Breaking Hands,” and the contemplative “Port of Souls.” And as a vocalist, Pierce’s trademark just-off-pitch style had gained no small amount of nuance in the six years since ‘Fire of Love’, and whether he’s shouting the blues or crooning sadly, Pierce shows he’d moved into a whole new class as a singer. Sadly, ‘Mother Juno’ didn’t earn a United States release until the 1990s, which is a shame, it not only made clear that ‘The Gun Club’ were still alive and kicking, it showed they had lost none of their old power as they cleared out some new territory…” My impression: an impressive, wholehearted album remarkable for its varied, emotional impact – from fired up blues electricity to gloomy heart & soul ballads – and Jeffrey Lee Pierce‘s committed intensity and tortured songwriting qualities that proved clearly that
his musical journey was far from over…
From London here’s riveting duo BLACK FUN SURGERY formed by electronic producer Slight V and vocal artist Didi Delaroux. Their newest effort PLASTIC is “about a fake world where we feel the urge to celebrate our uniqueness through music.” Sonically it’s a blazing banger with two faces. A Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde experience as this crackerjack stroke changes constantly from electronic poppiness to crushing The Prodigy dynamite. From thoughtful reflection to bashing chorus action and back. Striking firework all the way.
You have no excuse whatsoever not to go nuts when you press the button. Hear, watch and absorb this wake-up synths punch spiced with Delaroux‘ emotionally alternating vox…
Here’s my last month’s interview with LA JUNGLE – it was first published on American website 50THIRDAN3RD(my fellow music junkies over the ocean)
LA JUNGLE is a mind-twisting noise punk engine from Mons,Belgium. The pair create blazing psycho havoc that makes your head spin uncontrollably. Their volcanic electro-kraut-dance-punk outbursts activate all of your senses, on record and live. Drummer REGGIE has four arms with ten fingers on each hand. He’s a merciless lumberjack. Next to him, guitarist and keyboardist JIM acts like a mad man who just escaped out of his straitjacket. Together they’re an electrifying powerhouse having tons of fun pushing the decibels to insane heights. In their own words: “We produce distorted math/kraut/trans-rock. Utter frenzy accompanied by metallic riffs, huge waves of noise and storms of toms and cymbals all lead by a stroboscope.“.
It’s about time to meet this rowdy two-piece machine. Let’s start the acquaintance with some tremendous noise. Here’s scorching hammer (Technically Your Dead‘ from their newest LP…
I guess we’re all ready now to hear what they have to say. Bonjour JIM, hello Reggie…
What’s the story behind the band’s name? REGGIE: “We started to play together in June 2013 in my parent’s garage. It was kinda hard to find a name. Orang-Outangs? No. I wanted ‘La Plage’. No again… another band already had that name. And finally, on the way to one of our very first gigs… to make a long story short, the thing is a rap band from Lyon (France) had the same name ‘La Jungle’. One year later they changed it to JNGL.” JIM: “Something wild maybe…”
When did you know: ‘This is it, this is how we want to sound?’ REGGIE: “We had a great experience in Studios Davout in Paris six months ago. Maybe there? Not sure. Can’t remember the exact moment. Maybe it did not happened?” JIM: “I always wanted my guitar to sound like a keyboard or a bass. And make something repetitive, trance and tribal. It was all in my mind…. then we practiced a lot to harmonize
our visions.”
Two melons, one vision…
Share an unforgettable anecdote with us about the first rehearsals… REGGIE: ” I just remember the first riffs. REALLY BAAAAAAAAAD STUFFF!!” JIM: ” The first name of the song ‘L’Enfer‘ (‘The Hell’ in English) was about the bloody
tears of the cathedral nuns’ or something like that…”
Opening track ‘Hahehiho’ from your second album is – to my ears – what LA JUNGLE is all about: electro-krautrock-punk with a mad dance twist. Do you agree or do you have another cracker in mind to introduce yourselves to America? REGGIE: “Haters like to say ‘stupid repetitive music for Duracell rabbits‘.
That’s okay with me…” JIM: “Sweat baby sweat! Then take a red wine shower.”
. There’s some weird plant on the cover of the first album.
Looks like an arty weed plant to me. Is it? REGGIE: “Those are palms. Because palms means… sun. And we are ginger.
Gingers love the sun… no, wait!”
Tell us about your relationship with watermelons… REGGIE: “I prefer bananas, personally. But cheating on your favorite fruit can happen, sometimes…” JIM: “We have watermelons on the cover of our second album. It’s just the fruits. And
a big blade. And blood, juice in fact. Vitamins. And seeds… for the next album… ”
What’s on the van’s stereo while driving to gigs? REGGIE:“Sleaford Mods, Idles, France Culture broadcasts about health and planets, Leonard Cohen, At The Drive-In, Blood Brothers, Joe Dassin, Annabel Lee, Animal Youth…” JIM: “Poor stereo sound system, very quiet and melodic stuff please…”
Any rituals before going on stage? REGGIE: “Let me talk about my new ritual after the gig: wash my spits. A sound engineer
told me to do that at an after party in Switzerland. You’re completely right, man. Thanks
for the advice!” JIM: “A repetitive joke with Julien from Kuistax Booking.”
The energy you generate live is spectacular. Where does all the adrenalin come from? REGGIE: “Physical effort I think. And the fact that the drum patters are really repetitive.
A mix of suffering and fun, haha!” JIM: “I don’t do sports, maybe that’s why…”
“Hellllll Yeahhhhhh…”
The last few years the Belgian alternative scene is exploding. Any reason you experienced yourselves for this sonic eruption in our country? REGGIE: “1st reason: something called buzz, like alwayyyyyys! 2nd reason: little, little,
little country, everybody know each other, especially in Wallonia and Flanders separately.” JIM: “I thought it was the Belgian rap scene?!?”
Which ‘big name’ producer would you chose to remix one of your songs? REGGIE: “Gesaffelstein.” JIM: “Jackson and his computer band.”
What genre of movie would you choose to visualize your music on
a big screen when playing a show? REGGIE: “Western, definitely.” JIM: “Anything with monkeys beating humans.”
The Prodigy or Nine Inch Nails? REGGIE: “The Prodigy cause I can’t listen to Reznor‘s voice.” JIM: “And why those two? Nine Inch Nails because one of the guitarists did ‘Short Bus’, Filter‘s debut album. The Prodigy did a song with the Sleaford Mods singer. I don’t listen
to both of them anymore. Time…”
“Why don’t you like me, Reggie? I’m HURT.”
Can or Aphex Twin? REGGIE: “Can for sure.” JIM: ” Can we mix them?”
Vinyl, cassette or compact disc? REGGIE: “Tapes because in three years, cassette will be the new vinyl.” JIM: “Vinyl. I like big artworks.”
Your number one artist/band to tour around the world with? REGGIE: “Zach Hill tchktchaktchik poudoum takaka tik…” JIM: “HYPERCULTE. We ‘ve played once with them this summer. They are dance.”
MeetHyperculte. I can see immediately why JIM wants to tour with them…
Social media: a blessing or a pain in the ass? REGGIE: “A blessing if you learn to use it correctly and cleverly. But I have huge respect
for bands which don’t give a single fuck about social media, sincerely.” JIM: “A good gig poster is a good gig poster. Glue it on the right wall.”
Best album you heard this year? REGGIE: “Our friends from Mountain Bike released a really nice album last May,
called Too Sorry For Any Sorrow.” JIM: “I really, really don’t know. Not my year I presume.
Hope for something new from Colin Langenus.”
Reggie doesn’t like Reznor, but he likes Mountainbike… and sheep I guess…
Any new material in the pipeline? REGGIE: “Working on new stuff, planning new rehearsals sessions.
Hope to release something in 2018! JIM: “A split with three other bands, and a new album as soon as possible.”
The band’s ultimate ambition? REGGIE: “Smash new fruits!” JIM: “Come to see you!”
Thank you for this cuckoo Q & A, LA JUNGLE! May the road rise with you…
I don’t know about you, brave readers, but I need some heavy beats (and a long drink)
right now, right here. Here’s LA JUNGLE‘s second album ‘II’…
