The best of the best of the past month

ALL TOGETHER

.
TRACK BY TRACK

1. Hide & Seek by THE JESUS LIZARD (Austin / Chicago)

Press picture

The highly influential The Jesus Lizard (1987–1999, 2008–2010, 2017–present,
still with their classic line-up) have their first album, named Rack. in 26 years
out on September 13.

First single Hide & Seek is an explosive, nervous, race & rushing
missile and sounds like they recorded it 26 years ago.

Hells bells!

________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. ‘O%’ by HELLO MARY (Brooklyn, NY)

Hello Mary are a fierce Brooklyn post-punk trio.

0% is a vicious cryout with schizoid guitars producing a chainsaw cacophony,
bone-chilling howling and primal screams sending shivers down your spine, and
vehement drum/bass ebullition doing your head in. 100% helter-skelter turbulence.

Sonic Youth is dead! Long live Hello Mary!

________________________________________________________________________________________________

3. ‘Doug Yuletide’ by DALE CROVER (US)

Drummer Dale Crover of chaotic veteran rockers Melvins
comes out of the shadow of the band again, for his 3rd solo LP.
It’s titled Glossolalia and shows up on September 13.

The lead single is a killer track. It moves and grooves with power-driven
energy and voltaic dash. Crover says it’s “vampire-story ‘Venus In Furs.’”.
Come again.

________________________________________________________________________________________________

4. ‘Jacked’ by HEARTWORMS

Photo by Turn Up The Volume

Heartworms is the psych-pop band of fast up-and-coming British songstress Jojo Orme.
They drew a lot of aural attention with last year’s 4-track A Comforting Notion. And they confirm their upcoming indie star status with Jacked. A flabbergasting guitar-propelling jam rotating in your head before you are aware of it.

Top!

________________________________________________________________________________________________

5. ‘I Know The Future’ by THE LOOKOUT (Montreal, CA)

The Lookout are a melodic punk rock band from
Montreal, fronted by dynamite voice Martha Rockhard.

On I Know The Future all burners and all cylinders are ignited.
The band go fast-forward with unbridled panache and vivacious
vigor.

They fuzz and buzz with revved-up energy, fueled by what sounds like an army of hungry guitars, by a merciless and relentless bass/drum collaboration pushing this barnstormer’s bustling beat to a dizzying level, and avid Amazon Martha Rockhard augments the red-hot-blooded intensity with her commanding powerhouse vocals.

.
________________________________________________________________________________________________

6. ‘Backbone Slip’ by SEASICK STEVE (Oakland, California)

Late musical 73-year-old blues bloomer just launched his 14th longplayer,
titled A Trip A Stumble A Fall Down On Your Knees with Backbone Slip
as my ears’ favorite cut.

.
________________________________________________________________________________________________

7. ‘Moodswings’ by IDLES (Bristol, UK)

Promo

This is their cover of Mood SWINGS, a cool hip-rap-hop hit
by British artist Little Simz from her new album Drop 7.

Idles threw some samples of Peaches and Chemical Brothers in
their hepped-up version and come up with a dance booster.

Boom Boom Boom.

.
________________________________________________________________________________________________

8. ‘Houdini’ by EMINEM (US)

Eminem canned his 10th LP and named it The Death Of Slim Shady (Coup De Grâce). Release date TBA. I really feel for Shady, how many times has that poor guy died?

Lead single Houdini echoes his 2002 cracker Without Me and thrives on a
sample of the utterly catchy chorus of Steve Miller‘s 1982 hit Abracadabra.

Now you see him, now you don’t.
Now you hear him, now you don’t.

________________________________________________________________________________________________

9. ‘Feed The Beast’ by THE CHRONICLES OF MANIMAL AND SAMARA (London-based)

London-based poetallica duo of Daphne Ang (Singapore) and Andrea Papi (Italy) return,
after 2 notable albums with this new head-twister. A piece about addiction and recovery.

Feed The Beast dives into the tumultuous inner journey of learning how to live all over again. The emotional and barbed quest starts cinematically with Ang‘s near-whispering voice echoing intriguingly, at the 1-minute mark Papi joins in vocally and metallically causing mental turmoil.

From there on, the mercurial and emotional trip gets fragmented, swinging forth
and back, and drawing all of your auditory attention until the volcanic finale hits
you in the face.

Epic odysssey.

.
________________________________________________________________________________________________

10. ‘Waiting’ by VERRA CRUZ (UK)

This British trio infuse their guitar-driven sound with emotion, bravado and purely
authentic melancholy. as they prove here, again, with striking stroke Waiting.

With Waiting they hit bullseye with invigorating dash, resonating
somehow like Dinosaur Jr and/or The Lemonheads on a roasting roll .

.
________________________________________________________________________________________________

11. ‘Worthless’ by GUSH (Belfast, Ireland)

These fresh Belfast grunge rockers just launched
their new 5-track boiling EP Exposure Therapy

My greedy ears picked Worthless for this monthly list.
It’s a guitar-maddening shocker cutting like a brand-new
razorblade.

No, it’s not Courtney Love on vocals but the furious spit and sneer outpouring
at work here makes you think of Hole‘s former punked-up celebrity skin.

.
________________________________________________________________________________________________

12. ‘Lovely Day To Die’ by FRENCH MOTHERS (UK)

Band: FRENCH MOTHERS
Who: 4 indie rockers out
of Leighton Buzzard, UK

This caring quartet gives depression the middle finger with this urgent riff-ripper
that has a jangly Strokes-esque flow and rattles in your head without asking
from the first spin on.

This is a lovely day to be alive with French Mothers.
There’s always a ‘you only live once’ light at the end
of the tunnel.

“Pleased to meet you, I’ve been lonely too”

.
Instagram
_______________________________________________________________________________________________

13. ‘Boom!’ by KAT KOAN (Germany)

KK: “This is essentially a happy breakup song. It’s about that moment when you realize
you can actually get up and stand tall, after the tough period of stumbling through the pain that breaking up from a person you care about brings with it – regardless of whether that is a romantic partner, a friend or a project collaborator. Once you come out of it at the other end of the tunnel you know that the transformative process was a character building experience, and that most things happen for a reason.”

Well, why not have a happy break-up song for a change. And Boom! is more than just a happy tune. It’s Koan‘s most inventive piece (so far). A brassy mid-tempo uplifter inviting you to do some of your best dance moves. I hear sultry horns, Eastern and samba vibes, ska trumpets, and lots of fun on this fiesta-like chant.

Bingo!

.
________________________________________________________________________________________________

14. ‘Starburster’ by FONTAINES D.C. (Dublin, Ireland)

Irish indie stars FONTAINES D.C. already have 3 top-drawer albums
on their résumé. And #4 is bagged now. They named it Romance
and will share it with the world on August 23rd.

On Starburster frontman Grian Chatten
goes on a parlando roll again.

Magnetizing and hypnotizing.

________________________________________________________________________________________________

15. ‘Hero In The Season Of The Gun’ by LIFE COACH (Glasgow, Scotland)

Hero In The Season Of The Gun is an aflame synth-layered flare-up that triggers jump-from- left-to-right moves on the spot. It’s a hopped-up and vivified disco-punk knockout.

Life Coach balances here between the perky moments of fellow countrymen Arab Strap and The Streets with Mike Skinner charged by Duracell batteries. And his rapid-fire verbal ranting adds some more oil to the sonic British Army fire.

Party, party, party.

.
________________________________________________________________________________________________

16. ‘Death Is Cheap’ by GREAT HARE (Sweden)

The Swedish do what they do best, once again.
Making your day with an instantly sticking guitar/synth
tune that has a both relaxing and brisk impact on your
ears at the same time.

Great harmonies, great pop gem, great hare.

________________________________________________________________________________________________

17. ‘The Right Stuff’ by THE TRAMPOLINE DELAY (Milton, Ontario, CA)

“At its core, the song delves into the aftermath of a regrettable decision and the need
for redemption. However, beyond the surface, it’s an introspective exploration of life’s pressures, the weight of regret, and the awakening to what truly matters. It captures the essence of emotional turmoil and the consequences of acting on fleeting impulses,
ultimately leaving scars on all involved.”

You can whistle along, hum along, and sing along to this chirpy and feel-good
earworm, reminding me of harmonious Scottish nightingales Teenage Fanclub.

Splendid.

.
________________________________________________________________________________________________

18. ‘They’ by ADIOS MF (Northern England)

Adios MF is a musical project spearheaded by Nathan Keeble carving
fresh dark waves and electronica sounds from the underground of
Sheffield, UK.

AMF about the new track: “They” is a Kitsch by product of existence amid the constant
churn of urban development and the persistent buzz of drilling. It was written as a tonic
to the realisation that resistance is futile; you must simply acquiesce to the world of
urbanism and let it carry you along on its unpredictable journey, set to a naughty
80s beat.”

Expect a swirling, darkwavish electro reviver that bounces somewhere between
the dark side of Depeche Mode and Cold Cave‘s addictive sonority. Infectious beats
and shadow-dancing rhythms.

.
________________________________________________________________________________________________

19. ‘Coolcats’ by GREEN CROW COLLECTIVE (Belgium)

Green Crow Collective is a new unit from Belgium led
by seasoned singer-songwriter Roeland Vandemoortele.

Coolcats is one piece from their fresh double A-side debut single that
will show up on their debut album Hard Drive Error later in the year.

No brakes, no breaks, no mistakes. Always full steam ahead driven by schizo guitars, steadfast drumming, and cool rock cats meowing all together. A mean machine debut.

.
Facebook
________________________________________________________________________________________________

20. ‘Frogs’ by NICK CAVE & THE BAD SEEDS

Promo press

Star crooner Nick Cave and his Bad Seeds launch
their 18th full-length, called Wild God on August 30.

Frogs is a vintage Cave ballad.
Orchestral, lyrical, nightmarish
and goosebumps-gripping.

Cave: “The sheer exuberance of a song like ‘Frogs’,
it just puts a big fucking smile on my face.”

Take that gun out of your hand, Nick.

.
TUTV: Facebook – Instagram – Twitter

All photos are promo/press ones