Italian guitar and synth pop outfit THE BANKROBBER formed in 2008 and named after
that standout dub reggae cracker by The Clash. This sparkling outfit produces effervescent sonic rainbows and varied, lively symphonies. Their debut longplayer MISSING, released in 2018, is crystal clear proof of singer/songwriter and guitarist Giacomo Oberti‘s high-quality songwriting skills. The longplayer is a jaunty work of twinkling vibes, brisk electrodynamics, sprightly melodies, and scintillating vocals. Universal pop music without frontiers.
Album in full here…
. Singles/clips…
– A GOOD GUY WITH A GUN –
– CLOSER –
Live in Belgium last year (pics by Turn Up the Volume!)
1. Any light, simple song, especially one of sentimental
or romantic character, having two or more stanzas all
sung to the same melody. 2. A simple narrative poem of folk origin, composed
in short stanzas and adapted for singing. 3. Any poem written in a similar style. 4. A sentimental or romantic popular song.
Okay, I just wanted to check if I picked the right songs here.
Below you find TUTV’s Ballads Of 2021 Spotify playlist with
a total of 30 beauties that I picked from the past 12 months.
The late Suicide legend had a lost album out this year
called Mutator. One of those rare lost albums that are
actually really good. Samurai is one of the dark
highlights.
The passion-driven Danish outfit finally hit the bull’s eye
with their fifth longplayer Seek Shelter. A near-perfect
opus with this slow-burning torch…
Stand out track from these young Texans’ debut album Survivors.
The lyrics are crystal clear. America is not what Hollywood tells you. It has become
a dangerously divided country where racism and far-right rebirth stimulated by
charlatan Trump and his ruthless entourage are frighteningly realistic (again).
Alarming feelings expressed with heavy-heartedness…
A brave and affecting pop pearl. An inspiring encouragement for
the countless girls/women and boys/men worldwide, struggling with
the looks of their body when it doesn’t correspond with society’s
everlasting sexist perception of how a body should look like, as
we all know.
Singer/songwriter Chrisy Hurn sounds as if she’s
related to The Sundays‘ grand voice Harriet Wheeler.
8. ‘Weeping Willow’ by MODERN MOXIE (South-Carolina)
This nostalgic gem has that melancholic and magical feel we, adults,
are familiar with. Looking back at good times gone. This wistful lullaby
brings tears to your eyes.
A stream of rattling rippers, jagged jams, and magnific musings
All 20 on Spotify.
. TRACK BY TRACK
Band: GILLA BAND Who: Raw Irish post-punk projectile New album: Most Normal,
their third, out on out 7th October.
Dara Kiely (frontman man): “The lyrics are from a stream of consciousness rant, weird imagery and all that. The track is about attraction – fancying someone and not knowing what to say exactly. It’s an indirect love song, knowing you like someone but can’t quite articulate it.”
It follows the character of Billy as he loses his job, his house, his wife and kids, and ultimately maybe his life. After pursuing everything at all costs, we follow Lehman brother’s banker Billy as he chronologically loses everything throughout the worst day of his life, after the bank collapses and everything just keeps going wrong.
Be ready to jump up and down, left and right. This not-so-happy song sounds terrifically happy. A riveting pop tune that could come straight from a Yungblud album. If this devil-may-care earworm doesn’t make you go gaga I don’t know what will.
Turned-on guitars and Oberti‘s quick-fire vocals – on the cracking
chorus he goes as fast as a rapper – inflame this straightforward
standout. From bankrobber to bankrocker.
Fantastico!
THE BANKROBBER: Twitter – Instagram
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
(photo by Sandra Ebert)
Band: MODERN WOMAN Who: London-based act that began as the songwriting project of Sophie Harris.
The band’s music, still based around Harris’ songwriting, explores a diverse range
of sounds drawing from their melting pot of influences.
Following their splendid 2021 debut EP Dogs Fight In My Dream these up-and-coming gunslingers score again with their new sassy bass/drums motorized and guitar-spiced stunner, extra energized with Sophie Harris‘s clear-cut vocals and a schizo finish. They should get the same attention as Liverpool‘s sensation The Mysterines. NOW!
MODERN WOMAN: Facebook
________________________________________________________________________________________________
Band: THE KILLERS (Los Angeles) Active: Since 2001 / 7 studio albums
Brando Flowers (frontman): With ‘boy’, I want to reach out and tell
myself, and my sons, to not overthink it. And to look for the ‘white arrows’
in their lives. For me now, white arrows are my wife, children, my songs
and the stage.”
The tunesmiths experts do what do best, writing
lyrical anthems for huge stadiums.
Boy, oh boy.
THE KILLERS: Facebook – Instagram
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
This slow-mo reflection on personal turmoil is driven by an ongoing bass-riff that got under my skin and kept on rotating in my head after just one spin. And when Rettig adds psychedelic guitar pizazz and flashy fingertip touches, the bone-chilling progression gets even more poignant. Her shadowy vocality seduces once again. To hypnotise, magnetise and mesmesize are familiar Where We Sleep characteristics I never get tired of.
With The Speed this Belgian darkwave duo invites you once more to get off your
lazy couch, to dress black and head to the nightclub where they are waiting
to make your booty shake to their ghostly bass synth riffs. Nirvana guaranteed.
Jodie: “How It Is, the recurring tale of getting messy with your mates to escape from the standard 9 to 5 working life. This track celebrates the poor life choices made after deciding to go for a drink with your friends/colleagues and the chaos and amusement experienced along the way. “
It’s only Langford‘s third single.
This new one is a brisk clap-along groover with an instantaneous swaying
impact on your hips. Could be the ideal remedy when trying to get out of bed after
a 48-hour weekend revelry and shake your hangover off. Sheeny synths, hip-hopper Marx‘s jaunty contribution, and the zestful chorus, it all comes together seamlessly.
Band: TUHAF (Copenhagen, Denmark) Who: The fusion of different types of musicians and all kinds of genres
– Anatolian folk, indie rock, free jazz, Danish traditional songs and US
roots rock – wondrously merges into the sound of TUHAF. The band is
fronted by Turkish-born singer Berrin Bas.
New single: HAFLA
From their debut album ‘Mere Guld’,
out this Friday.
Berrin: “‘Hafla’ is about celebrating oneself. It is dedicated to Bicop (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) and everybody
can join the party.”
Hafla is a sensual groove with an exotic Eastern vibe. Its ongoing vibe
gets you, slowly but surely, into an elevating trance, while Berrin Bas‘s
vocals add a mesmerizing touch that works as a magnet.
Everybody is invited to Tuhaf‘s politically progressive party to celebrate
diversity with them. Music has the power to unite people. We all should
use that power to get together and respect each other as humans without
any kind of discrimination. Tolerance of diversity is the one and only key
to live together, side by side.
The marvelous black & white video will help
you to get in the right mood to dance…
Jordan Speare: I wrote “Hey Stacey” for a friend of mine named Stacey, who also just
so happens to be one of the best people I’ve ever met. I remember when we first met, she
had mentioned how she hated whenever she’d meet new people, they would always make
a reference to that Fountains Of Wayne song “Stacy’s Mom” – she would joke: “it’s not funny
and my name isn’t even spelled that way!” I thought that was hilarious, so I wrote this song especially for her, with her name spelled correctly, of course.
Jingle jangle pop at its exciting best. Hey Stacey is a steamy swinger with all
cylinders rollin’ all the way. It’s sticky as first-class glue and you can sing
the chorus to your lover.
Check the vibe.
. BURN THE LOUVRE: Facebook
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
Band: THE ZINVANDELS Who: 4 uproarious rockers from Wales
New single: BLACKHOLES
Their sixth one. A statement of intent
ahead of their debut LP release.
Oh my, oh my. Expect riff schizophrenia bucking up this flipped-out
corker for its whole 4 minutes. Blackholes is a rollicking post-punk
juggernaut that scurries full tilt without looking back.
Add a steamed-up drums/bass tandem and poignant vocals and you
know this head-over-heels thunderstorm will attack your speakers
mercilessly.
These Welshmen are a burning engine.
THE ZINVANDELS: Facebook – Instagram
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
Band: STICK TO YOUR GUNS Who: The famous Californian hardcore tormentors Active: Since 2003 / 7 studio LPs (new one incl.)
The slowest and moodiest piece on the LP. But as intense
and fanatical as their hard-screeching-core missiles.
STICK TO YOUR GUNS: Facebook – Instagram
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
Photo Credit: August Wolfe
Band: REIGN MAKER Who: Australian prog rock band formed in Melbourne, Victoria in 2020.
Reign Maker is the collaborative project of passionate, activists who weave
politically charged, social commentary throughout their songs to raise
awareness and give voice to a wide range of current issues faced
in the world today.
The band take a stance here against racial discrimination and
police brutality needlessly taking the lives of innocent people.
This mighty-powered and impassioned ballad blows your mind in sound and vision.
Its metallic sonority and its titanic fervency send shivers down your spine. Astonishing.
And the monumental heart-and-soul cutting vocals are just flabbergasting, making me think of the haunting voice of Tarja Turunen from Finnish metalheads Nightwish. Midway, when the decibels go sky-high, the delirium increases to a jaw-dropping level.
Get the picture? Yes, this is a towering stonker
with an aroused impact. Touchdown.
Don’t be a stranger, press play
and get overwhelmed.
Right here, right now.
. GATHERING OF STRANGERS: Facebook – Instagram
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
Band: ERASE ME Who: Sludge pop band from Phoenix, Arizona. Their songs cover the gamut of topics but are often driven deep into what it’s like to be piece a of desert trash blowing through gentrified downtown phoenix landscapes, just tryin’ to survive.
Expect a hugely catchy guitar booster with a head-spinning cadence, an electrical rush, and elated vocals As short as a Ramones song. For some reason, my ears tell me that this could be Pavement if they would write a pop tune as silver-toned as this one. Sounds like kick-ass fun, right? You betcha
Listen/watch.
JOAN OF ARKANSAS: Facebook
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
(credit: Bianca Petris)
Band: THE CASE Who: Firm 4-piece from Romania who started their journey in 2012, always
refining their rock & grunge sound. On their creative process, the band reckons
they “tried to create a space where originality prevails, to detach themselves from
the current musical cliches while glorifying their lord and savior David Bowie.”
“‘Fever’ is about the passage of time, about the failed attempts to correlate the quality of
a relationship with its duration and intensity. The song is about happiness, sadness, breakup, and forgiveness. It would be love if we were to associate our new single with just one word.”
This is a mind-magnetic and slow-burning sonic torch. Sounds both riveting and piercing as American alt-rockers The Afghan Whigs did/do so impressively for years. The Case develop a similar sensation of vivacity.
A cast-iron winner.
THE CASE: Facebook – Instagram
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
Band: THE TRUSTED (Southend-on-Sea, UK) Who: Formed in 2016, making music with strong melodies and catchy hooks. Being inspired by the new age Brit-rock bands like The 1975 and Catfish and the Bottlemen, The Trusted have made their own unique sound by the fusion of post-punk and punk energy with a little hint of modern rock.
“A song about being abandoned by the good guys.”
It was composed during lockdown. The band couldn’t write together
face to face. The creative collaboration went through computers.
Smooth synths, and gently weeping guitar lines take you immediately
on a dreamy head-in-the-clouds trip that moves slowly, heading to an
epic climax. Stylishly composed, greatly arranged.
A bittersweet symphony.
A romantic beauty.
.
THE TRUSTED: Facebook
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
Who: Three musically seasoned Amazons from NYC using drum machines,
synthesizers, guitars, voice and a variety of sound filters and pedals to make
their point.
It’s an incredible shame that women still have to fight for so many fundamental rights.
It’s bloody 2023 and so much female injustice is still a reality. So, it’s great that female artists get up, stand up and fight for their right to tackle this human disease.
Chic Choc do it right away on their fantastic debut single. They travel around the world looking for freedom with an electronic-booming EBM knockout to fill dance floors with. Boosting beats, catching chorus, sensuous vocals, and a protesting choir, combine for a sassy stunner. Bang-on. Le freak, c’est chique choc.
Who: A synth-fueled post-punk
trio from Seattle, WA.
“Lipstick follows the obscure path of desire. Stretched between the lingering
impression of a touch lost to time, and the unshakable sense of its inevitable
return.”
Lipstick is both a sensuous and affectional tune with gripping vocals
up front and melancholic ones in the back. At times it feels like the track will
erupt into an avid disco stomper. Maybe this debut is a foreplay teaser and
the follow-up will be an orgastic energizer. Anyway Ghost Fetish have my aural
and hip-shaking attention and will have yours too.
3. ‘Right Wing Beast’ by SLEAFORD MODS (Nottingham, UK)
(Cover of new album ‘UK Grim’)
It’s Sleaford Mods by very good numbers. They slam the remorseless Tories and Brexit once again with knife-sharp ranting. Sonically, their characteristic catchy simplicity still activates your limbs. The mods never disappoint. Best track on their best album so far, named UK GRIM.
Who: 2-piece members who have been playing music around Seattle and the west coast of the United States in various incarations for years, and recently stumbled upon the formula that became Docé Operator.
These are the lets-go-bonkers bangers we need in these fucked-up times. Mousehouse
is a kooky disco floor knockout you can jump up and down to like a kanagaroo on E. Middle-finger to reality, bottoms up, ladies and gents. I don’t know who’s the mouse or who’s the rat, but I do know that this tune will bounce in my head for a while.
First single Hello is a euphoric booster expressing a desire for human connection
and a feeling of being lost in the world. This upper will put a smile on your face,
from left to right.
The by-now pretty famous Irishmen are part of a notable cast that cover a song
of the late troubled troubadour Nick Drake (1948-1974) for a new tribute album.
They launch their 3rd full length named God Intentions on 28 April. More infohere.
Ahead of it comes this astounding psych-jam that goes on like forever with motorik,
Kraut-rock-like dynamics. Jangly riffs, 60s resonating organs, floating vocals, and an extensive wall-of-guitar-extravaganza sound to end this intoxicating symphony.
Yes, all ingredients for a mind-bending trip are here at work.
Magician is about having a crush on someone and doing all that’s needed to score. Sonically, it’s a garage rock riff sledgehammer. A mean psych-groove monster doing your head in the way you like it. It goes wham bam bloody wham bam with its manic drum/bass force, its helter-skelter hooks and its hungry vocals. Bring on the album, motherrockers!
Don’t miss the debut LP, entitled 57 Heaven. It arrives on Record Store Day, April 15, both on vinyl and digitally.
“It’s a reflection of how we’re all feeling, trapped in ongoing patterns of depression and anxiety. It’s also the lead single and aural appetizer to our debut album ‘Black Light Poster’, out on April 21.”
No whistles and bells for these four sharp-edged hombres out of Boston. After a short, jangly intro it’s all riff-rotating cylinders and all garage rock burners on. Psychobilly hooks and surf licks swirl side by side with manic magnetism. Black Heart is a roaring steamroller with a buzzing bluster, an electric-energetic flow, and snappy vocals. As the cliché goes, it’s only rock ‘n’ roll but they and I like it any day of the week. So should you.
“The road gets so lonely, got nothing to say
Will the sun shine? Well I hope and I pray
Oh yeah!”
They have a new 6-track EP out, named Echo Reverie.
More info here.
The EP is a characteristically post-darkwave-punk affair with
infectious twilight melodies embedded in a whirlpool of booming
beats, scintillating synths, gloomy stories, cinematic orchestrations
and tenebrous vocals. Footstomper Polarized is my favorite piece,
and probably yours too.
Townshend didn’t release solo work for 30 years, and now, out of the blue
comes this brand new song. It’s composed and produced by his partner Rachel Fuller.
It’s an irresistible, bluesy tune with a country feel.
A little pearl with heart-wrenching Townshend vocals
and melancholic harmonica play.
Who:Harry Sullivan, a seasoned
London-based singer-songwriter.
A majestic melody. A stellar orchestration. A sterling vox. Three matching ingredients
that guarantee an epic composition. And it’s all here. Getting Old progresses with tension and passion, forth and back, and magnetizes all the way through. Epic!
The song wrestles with the idea of us freezing in the moment, gripped by anxiety as fear takes over our ability to do the things we really want to. Familiar thoughts for many of us. But affecting music, as always, uplifts a moody state of mind.
Who: Canadian pop/rock team that
released their debut full length in 2018.
This new punchy piece jumps up and down in your head and elevates your mood from
the kick-off. It’s a contagious foot-stomper with a poppy chorus vibe inviting you to play
air guitar and sing along with all the force your lungs can come up with. Wowzers!
The Italian synth-guitar pop siblings released their 6-track EP, named Lighters
last year. An exemplary accomplishment of skillful songwriting. Sparkling, breezy,
and varied. Turn Up The Volume named it the best EP of 2022.
And the family isn’t done yet. This year another EP, titled Lovers comes our
way. Afterward, Lighters and Lovers will marry and become one full album.
First single, titled Always Wrong. It’s another skilfully crafted
mid-tempo pop tune with glowing guitar sequences echoing
throughout.
Who: Singer-songwriter, 1950s-inspired guitarist, and loop-maker from Oxford, UK. Assisted by trip-hop-inspired percussionist Tom Bruce, she creates complexly evocative soundscapes, filled with dramatic Lynchian atmosphere.
OMG! Emma Hunter‘s vocals reach for the sky on this flamenco-influenced, breathtaking tour de force. She has truly an overwhelming vox that sends shivers down your spine. Mourning trumpets and Chris Isaak-like guitar sparks add a haunting timbre. Morire (the Italian word for ‘to die and fade‘) is what goosebump songwriting quality is all about. It wouldn’t be out of place on the melodramatic soundtrack of western classic Once Upon A Time In The West . Capisce?
Who: An eclectic group of international recording musicians
assembled by Canadian artist Jill McKenna. They joined forces
to make an album of music surpassing geography and genres.
Until The Vague Takes A Form is part of that recently released
album, titled None Of This Mine. More info here.
The song is an intimate, tender and vocally superb collection of romantic balladry, piano/cello/violin/banjo musings, and some intriguing pop experimentalism. Think Regina Spektor and Big Thief. Discover it all, it’s a great companion for relaxing
moments.
Who: London-born singer-songwriter known for his vocal prowess and emotionally raw style. His music reflects his personal struggles with mental health, with an eclectic but immediately recognisable sound, influenced by artists such as Jeff Buckley, The Maccabees, and Fiona Apple.
This is an emotive post-break-up pearl. Heartfelt reflections embedded
in a goosebump musing that resonates like a bittersweet symphony. BLVCK’s
highly passionate vox reminds me of Antony Hegarty‘s sensitive ardency. The
whole-souled tristesse and mixed emotions at play here make you silent.
Who: Fresh NYC dream pop duo featuring voice Ashley Selett and musician David Terranova.
Imagine driving your car in the middle of the night, on the Talking Heads‘ road to nowhere while listening to Massive Attack with Portishead‘s singer Beth Gibbons on vocals and Interpol‘s Daniel Kessler playing trippy guitar lines all along. Sounds pretty intriguing, right? You betcha. Darkcar hypnotizes and magnetizes. Useless to try to resist. Trust me, you’ll join them on their ride the moment they call you.
Score: After debut single Happy House (a Siouxsie & The Banshees cover) Common Flaws just dropped this new rad piece, proving once more that the
irresistible power of repetition has an instant impact on your body language.
Moshi Moshi – mostly instrumental, except for a hazy voice in the distance –
gets under your skin from the clap along intro and goes on like forever. Imagine Aphex Twin going synth-pop for a change. Addictive earworm all the way.
Disco-freak stomper of the month, hands down. This new punky-funky corker follows
the previous 2 shared crackers Wild Flowers and Fatso. They will all be on their upcoming album At the Hot Spot, out tomorrow, 1 April (no joke).
It’s a bangin’ beast with a screamin’ chorus. A perfect pick-me-up tune for all the weirdos
who are always in the kitchen at parties waiting for Warmduscher to kick their lazy asses.
Compared to this Japanese red-hot-bloody fury the Ramones sound like choirboys. Otobeke Beaver‘s race and rush in an overwhelming overdrive. No brakes, no breaks.
Their rabidity rolls like a tsunami through your ears. These perky punkettes produce
moshpit madness on the spot. The average song length is 2 minutes, 120 seconds
of clamorous pandemonium.
3. ‘Territorial Call Of The Female’ by BODEGA (Brooklyn, NY)
The New Yorkers still operate on Parquet Courts’ playground with their new,
2nd full-length Broken Equipment. But they supersized their jangly beats
and they turned up the temperature.
Territorial Call Of The Female is my favorite cut. It activates
every muscle and every nerve in my itching body.
Scott Kirkland (the remaining member of Las Vegas dance act The Crystal Method)
invited icon Iggy Pop (you can hear him almost any day on a new collaboration, the
past few years) and his British buddy, composer/DJ Hyper in his studio.
The raving result is a techno boom boost, bursting all the way, with Pop‘s voice
strangled by a blender. Sounds spooky, sounds wicked, sounds like lust for life.
Breaking news: Iggy says he’s not a punk anymore!
“I don’t want to be a punk
I don’t want to belong to any of it
I just want to be”
Busy blues-rock bee Jack White canned two new longplayers for this year, titled Fear Of The Dawn (out 8 April 2022) and Entering Heaven Alive (out 22 July 2022)
The hottest cut I heard so far is Hi-De-Ho (from ‘Fear Of The Dawn’ LP) featuring Q.Tip.
The by now legendary passion rockers from Cincinnati, Ohio with mastermind
Greg Dulli in control are back from being away for 5 years. Their last album In Spades came out in 2017.
I’ll Make You See God a striking steamroller, a red-hot-heated stunner, an unstoppable
cannonball going everywhere fast. It will feature in the upcoming PlayStation game Gran Turismo 7.
7. ‘Nothing Comes Good Easy’ by DEAD LEVEE (Canada)
Wowzer! This sickly uplifting belter (from upcoming EP Rise-Up) elevates your state of mind with fired-up dynamism from the get-go. Rapid-fire rawk and roll riffs switch on a fervent feel of euphoria. It did it in the past, it does it in the present and it will do it in
the future.
Despite all the BS we have to endure (pandemic, Ukraine, natural disasters,
and other threats) it’s never too late to get back on track and why not start
with 4 and a half minutes of heart-warming guitar-fueled boogie-woogie
that breathes hope and assurance.
Once I learned that this startling uppercut is about the horrible
exploitation of human beings by ferocious money sharks this
jagged jackhammer blew my mind even harder than I heard it
the first time before knowing about the band’s inspiration
for this standout.
Expect rabid guitars, doom and gloom vocals, and frantic twists and turns
until the chaotic finale. Post-punk at its razorblade best. Think fierce Canadian
turbine Metz and London‘s up-and-coming gunslingers Crows.
This fiery crackerjack goes forth and back with
turbulent velocity. Imagine the full of vim and vigor
intenseness and puissant vocality of The Afghan Whigs.
Anxious, unyielding, and ablaze.
Breaking Grounds races like a rush of blood to the head with
screaming guitars and propelling drum muscularity.
The first taster from the upcoming debut full-length Dancing On A Volcano.
Imagine the fervid fuzz of punchy guitar pop legends Buzzcocks, with The Stranglers’ Jean-Jacques Burnel on bass, combined with the cutting
verbality of today’s post-Brexit-punk rebirth and you know a frisky doozy
is coming your way.
Add some American-dream girls of the City of Angles on your imaginary
mind-screen and you’re about to start a champagne party in your head.
The combination of a nasty Gang Of Four bass riff,
frenzied Keith Levene guitars here and there and Skinner
hip-hop-rapping like Beck used to do, works like an ecstatic
upper.
This funk-punk stonker has an immediate intensifying impact on all of your
limbs and your bloodstream’s flow. Add some sexy sax thrills to the mix and
you’ll have all you need to jump out of your slump. Capice?
Cut from their sophomore album
‘Moon Reflections’, out on June 24
A rotating synth riff echoes British electro legends New Order and
is the beating heart of this new piece, yet the mood is meditative
and musing, strengthened by the near-whispering and eager vocals.
This darksome and soul-searching reverie gets under your skin after
a couple of spins.
This impassioned hard-luck story grows slowly but surely into a soul-stirring and mesmerising heartbreaker with an epic finale. Glowing guitars, a steady drumbeat,
and mixed emotions vocals all come together for a poignant performance.
‘Love Is Cruel / The Hurt Within’. You can feel it.
You’ll hear titillating electro-echoes of early Depeche Mode before
they became the darkwave Goth-esque rockers we all know. But
in an eye-blink White Skin becomes an infectious nightclub earworm
with an ecstatic chorus.
In a normal world (does that actually exists?) this adrenaline-infused
and hip-swinging spark should top the dance charts around the globe.
The musical project of singer/songwriter Jordan Speare
assisted by guitarist/bassist and friend Andrew Billone.
After a couple of EPs the pair’s canned their first longplayer
called Silhouettes. Release at the end of the year.
I don’t know if it’s the world-famous and historic museum in Paris
they want to burn, that wouldn’t be so nice. What I do know is that their
brisk and spirited sound is infectious and captivating with an immediate
impact on your body’s movements. Expect guitar pop electricity, extra
pushed by lively vocals.
16. ‘Life And Lies’ by LEE ROGERS (Northern Ireland)
The Americana voice of Northern Ireland releases
his new album Gamebloodon 13 May.
Ahead of it came this mixed emotions single with Rogers‘ sky-reaching voice as the star, once again.
It’s a bluesy goosebumps reflection. Wurlitzer jukeboxes should be reinvented
for these heartbreakers so moody minds can cry their eyes out (or cry in their beer)
at night in a downtown bar where lonely ones gather and chat about life and lies.
A poppy synth trip with a floating flow and near-whispering vocals. Both eerie and affecting, both dizzy and hypnotic with a frenetic guitar attack coming out of nowhere around the 3-minute mark.
It’s an epic ballad with a country feel. If this melancholic gem was written
in the 60s it would have been sung by Linda Rondstadt, Tammy Waynette
or Dolly Parton, anyway, by an angelic voice like Olsen‘s magnific one.
No fillers, the 160 killers of the
past 2 months all together.
Shake and swing, twist and twirl, move and groove…
.
With… Underworld/Iggy Pop, The Liminanas/Anton Newcombe, A Certain Ratio, Millionaire, Death Valley Girls, Partefacts, Bugeye/Feral Five, The Human League, Warmduscher, Crystal Castles, Rich Girls, Porridge Radio, deux furieuses, Black Needle Noise, Chemtrails, Night Haze, The Chronicles of Manimal and Samara, Joe Cocker, John Cooper Clarke
The Kills, Patti Smith, Placebo, Golden Earring, Broke Bldgs, Pins, The Moods, Sleigh Bells, Leftfield, The Chemical Brothers, Sinead O’Connor, The Honeyrunners, Stay Lunar, Girlboy J, Wilder., Devan, Black Grape, International Teachers Of Pop, Peaches, Sleater-Kinney, dEUS,
Death Valley Girls, Parquet Courts, The Charlatans, Vampire Weekend, Autogramm, Jenny, Headshrinkers, Timothy and the Apocalypse, Peaches, Pink Diamond Revue, T.C. Matic, U2, Caroline Rose, Girl K, Mechanimal, Thrillhouse, The Waterboys, Dropkick Murphys, Kill Chicago, Robert Plant, Kings Of Leon, Internet Friends, The Peach Fuzz, Keith Richards, Wolf Alice, Temples, Lucy Dacus, The Dandy Warhols, Partefacts, Where We Sleep, Gareth Sager, Pesh, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Elefant, Saving Jackie, The Bankrobber, Trickshooter Social Club, The Parrots, Tricky, M. Exen, LCD Soundsystem, Suicide, Alan Vega,
Hey Colossus, Ramkot, Public Enemy, Yard Act, The Irrational Library, Tom Morello & Pussy Riot, Hideaways & Tiny Dyno, Texas & Wu-Tang Clan, La Jungle, The Horrors, Sleaford Mods & Amy Taylor, Bilie Eilish, Teenage Fanclub & De La Soul, Attawalpa, I The Mountain, Bleachers feat. Springsteen, The Fun Lovin’ Criminals Leftfield feat. Roots Manuva, The Chemical Brothers, Tiny Magic Pets, Tone-Loc, Paul Weller, The Prodigy, The B-52’s, Gruppo Sportivo, Todd Rundgren and Sparks, The FlaviansCurses, Massive Attack, Cypress Hill, Misled Convoy/Kat Five, Unruly Girls, Twist Helix, 9 O’Clock Nasty, Plastic Sun, Ghostlawans
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!
Giacomo Oberti, the fontman and songwriter of sparkling Italian guitar/synth
pop combo The Bankrobber goes disco. With his fresh project Common Flaws
he aims at the dance floor.
The first effort is a cover of Happy House, a darkish single by goth queen Siouxsie and her Banshees. The song was released 40 years ago, on 8 March 1980 and featured on their Kaleidoscope album.
With an ongoing deep bass beat Common Flaws gives the already vibrant rhythm of Happy House a 90s techno resonance. The sampled, female vocals come from the 1999 romantic comedy Notting Hill with Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant.
This is the happy house
We’re happy here in the happy house
To forget ourselves and pretend all’s well
There is no hell, ooh-ooh
Yes, we have already reached the middle of 2021. The world, finally, looks brighter
than last year. Mad summer parties are just around the corner. And here’s the perfect soundtrack… Turn Up The Volume’s 20 best knockout tracks of 2021, so far!
All together on Spotify…
. Track by Track…
1.‘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…
2.‘Nike Soldier’ by ALAN VEGA (US)
Alan Vega is dead! Long live Alan Vega! This spine-chilling
slo-mo groove comes from his lost album Mutator.
Check in…
3.‘Night Is Mine’ – ULTRA SUNN (Brussels, Belgium)
Combine D.A.F.‘s industrial vibes, Sisters Of Mercy‘s gloom and doom hallucinations, and Depeche Mode‘s pop-noir thrills and you know it’s time for a dazzling night. It’s the title track from their standout debut EP.
Put on your leather jacket and dance…
4.‘One + One’ by DEATH FROM ABOVE 1979 (Canada)
With Is 4 Lovers the Canadian champions of drone noise rock made one of their best
full-lengths (so far). And the lead-single ‘One + One’ is a bulldozing, yet catching power blast that comes right at you.
Get slammed…
5.‘Ten Points On The Damage Meter’ by HOW TO LOOT BRAZIL (Germany)
No rest for all who are addicted to dance their asses off. This is a hip-shaking belter, 145 seconds of steamed-up pop-punk euphoria. Imagine German dark disco legends D.A.F. on speed, fronted by Brit-girls Shampoo who are in trouble again.
Here comes the shot of adrenalin…
6.‘Coma-Inducing Gibberish‘ by PIZZA CRUNCH (Scotland)
Scottish hit the bullseye with this sturdy stunner. A fab-tastic masterstroke to shut up all narcissists. Beware of getting too excited. It can lead to a rock ‘n’ roll coma. Whatever! Go for it!
Right here, right now…
. 7.‘Stay’ by ONISM E (New York)
A soul-stirring and highly affecting vocal highlight – from one of the best albums of 2021 – by this rad emo-striking NY-based outfit. Stream/buy ‘Survivors’ LP here.
And stay for this pearl…
. 8.‘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. Scary!
Turn up the heat here…
9.‘Wake Up’ by LOBSTERBOMB (Berlin, Germany)
A screaming triumph. This up-and-coming Berlin trio combines Bikini Kill‘s rough
outcries, L7‘s detonating gusto, and B-52‘s peppery liveliness. Touchdown!
Wake up here…
10.‘Heroin’ by PERMO (Scotland)
A sizzling slice of trash and slash punk. Expect 135 striking seconds of heavy thunder
and creepy lighting. Totally insane drums and bass, deranged guitar frenzy, and cranked-up, psych-o-tic howling. Fucktastic intensity!
Hell yeeeaaahhhh…
. 11.‘We… Are Doomed’ by THE IRRATIONAL LIBRARY (Dutch-American)
A challenging rap and roll rant by an open-minded-plainspoken-ass-kicking-anti-establishement-and-other-scumbags force of doom and gloom. The title track from
this caring collective’s excellent new album.
Apocalypse now…
12.‘Boilermaker’ byROYAL BLOOD (UK)
The blues-rock tandem is back with this motherfucker of
a slam dunk from their brand new album Typhoons.
Wham bloody wham bam…
13.‘The Men Who Rule The World’ by GARBAGE (US/Scotland)
A surprisingly funky disco banger that triggers your head’s up-and-down movement the very moment the money drops into the corrupt politicians’ pockets. I still love you, Shirley!
Let’s roll…
14.‘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 magnetized here…
15.‘Vendetta’ – ICEAGE (Denmark)
An intoxicating jam with a threatening pace. A glam
power punch from their best-ever album Seek Shelter.
Press play and get moved…
16.‘Not To’ by WOLFVANWYMEERSCH (Belgium)
Melancholia at its starry-eyed, synth-pop best. Here’s a romantic at heart, going
solo, who’s sanely obsessed with creating music, playing music, and enjoying music,
if possible, all at the same time. Damon Albarn‘s moody side comes to mind.
Dim the lights and enjoy…
17.‘Unspoken’ by ANNIE TAYLOR (Switzerland)
A troubled love reverie with a sorrowful touch. Heartbreaking romanticism at its balladesque best, notable for its vocal splendour and silver-toned resonance.
Enjoy the sweet little pearl…
. 18.‘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 several past and present crooners come
to mind when hearing this gloomy song.
Dream away…
19. ‘Man Alone (Can’t Stop The Fadin’)’ byTINDERSTICKS (Nottingham, UK)
Surprising stonker! An 11-minute psychedelic and epic journey. Trippy and spacey.
From their new, 13th album, Distractions.
Follow the flow…
20. ‘Amsterdam’ by MOONLIGHT PARADE (UK)
Magical and red-colored ballad, combining the melodic melancholia of Teenage Fanclub and The Coral. A sweet little gem about a wonderful city I’m in love with for a long time now. Press play and let your thoughts drift away on a cloud.
