Dead Levee

Turn Up The Volume’s 20 BEST TRACKS – SEPTEMBER 2023

Posted on by JL

Best of the best of September 2023.

ALL TOGETHER


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TRACK-BY-TRACK

1. ‘Crystal Closet Queen’ by PIXIES (Boston, US)


(Photo by Turn Up The Volume)

To celebrate the late genial, eccentric-looking, allround musician Leon Russell,
a 10-track tribute album came out last week, titled A Song For Leon.

Boston’s noise icons Pixies also feature on the LP with their blustering version
of Russell‘s 1971 classic boogie woogie cracker Crystal Closet Queen, which
Black Francis and Co turned into a classic boogie woogie punk cracker.

Dynamite.


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2. ‘Dick In Thanks’ by MORLOCKS (Sweden)


2023 photo by Krichan Wihlbor

Dick in Tanks will feature on the band’s forthcoming
album Praise The Iconoclast, out 6 October via
Metropolis Records

It all starts with warning war sirens, marching soldiers chants.
90 seconds later, it’s all hens on deck when this industrial rock
missile erupts with a blitzkrieg fierceness.

Think Rammstein and NIN having a fight with riot guns. Menacing growls and howls suggest imminent danger and when the clamorous chorus crashes in, it’s time to
go to the battlefield. Midway, all need a breather in order to put fuel in the tank and continue the supersonic attacks will all burners on. War can be fun, in case Morlocks
lead the troops.

Jump in your own tank
and kick dicks’ asses.

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3. ‘Eureka!’ by THE VANITY PROJECT (London)

This queer art-pop duo launch their debut longplayer named
Never Should Have Come Here, next week, on September 29.

Eureka! is the third shared piece from the album.

It combines the madcap vibrancy of Sparks‘ early days and some flipped-out
Queen bombast. The Vanity Project produce eccentric pop pleasure, sonically
and lyrically, without mainstream restrictions.

They sound kooky and look kooky, but make no mistake, this tantalizing tandem
know perfectly well how to fabricate and construct high-freak-quality entertainment.

Bring on the album.

Eureka!

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4. ‘I Want More’ by XTR HUMAN (Germany)

XTR HUMAN is the solo project of German artist Johannes Stabel.
So far he recorded/released 3 albums. Check them out here.

Now he has a new single out, titled I Want More. An EBM brainbreaker that makes
your head spin uncontrollably. An electronic gloom and doom hammer blow to smash
capitalist pigs with.

The accompanying video, directed by German filmmaker
Matthias Landenberger, is an eye-catching spectacle.

Listen/watch.

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5. ‘Better Than Life’ by GRRL GANG (Indonesia)

Last week this young, most exciting Indonesian trio unleashed their ablaze debut album, baptized Spunky! More about it in an upcoming interview with Turn Up The Volume.

One of the standout tracks is Better Than Life.

Angeeta Sentana (vocalist/songwriter): “Being diagnosed with any mental disorder is
not a nice thing to have. I’m still in the process of accepting it as a ‘normal’ part of my life,
but there are times when I would feel super down about it.”

Better Than Life races and rushes for 90 seconds with all engines on. Its razzle-dazzle tempo makes you dizzy, while angry guitars and scary screams in the back have the
force to kick evil demons into oblivion.

Stroke!

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6. ‘Making Me Mad’ by JEEN (Canada)

Canadian rockin’ songstress Jeen‘s sassy single will feature on her new,
5th full length, titled Gold Control, coming our way in February 2024.

Making Me Mad is a mid-tempo burst going up and down, swinging your mood from left to right and back, while you ask yourself if the mind-crushing demons will still haunt you in the end. Human nature stuff, as we know it. I swear I can hear the young out-of-her-head Courtney Love in the back.

Press play.

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7. ‘Danse Macabre’ by DURAN DURAN (UK)

Glam and glitter legends DURAN DURAN have no intention whatsoever to retire.
They canned album number 16, baptized DANCE MACABRE and they will share it
with the world on 27 October.

Danse Macabre is a funky/groovy earworm that combines Goth, psych-o-tic darkwave,
and some hip-rap-hop fragments. Ace. This year’s Halloween will be different, Duran Duran are different, it will be a horror-tastic party.

Here’s why.

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8. ‘103’ by THE KILLS (US/UK)


(Photo by Turn Up The Volume)

It’s been 7 years since iconic blues-rock duo THE KILLS – Alison Mosshart
and Jamie Hince – had their last longplayer out with the first-rate Ash & Ice.

Until a couple of weeks ago when the charismatic tandem announced
the launch of their 6th LP. It’s titled GOD GAMES and comes our
way on 27 October.

The tantalizing tandem already shared three cuts from the longplayer.

I’ll go with 103.

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9. ‘Love And Misery’ by DEAD LEVEE (Canada)

These manic motherrockers are all about raw and rough, rip-roaring racket as they let your stereo experience once again with this mend-bending riff monster. Think Metallica covering Guns N’ Roses. Thundering drums, crazed wah-wah guitars, hell-raising vocals, and a slam-bang, scream-along chorus. All ingredients you need to get up, stand up and fight for your right to be a hedonist.

Let’s rock.


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10. ‘Down’ by pMAD

The moniker of Irish musician Paul Dillon
featured here on TUTV several times before.

He just revealed his new turbulent 4-track EP Sword.
Stream/buy it here.

My favorite piece is Down.

The lyrics paint a vivid picture of the emotional turmoil that arises when personal safety and self-worth are threatened, reminding us that until we confront these issues, the cycle of suffering will persist. However, with the power of self-reflection and a realisation of life’s value, one can choose to break free from the cycle and reclaim their self-esteem and identity.

Down is an ardent bona fide punk-rock ripper going
full steam forward with all sonic cylinders on.

Listen up.


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11. ‘Heartbreak Kid’ by THE VACCINES (UK)


(Press photo)

The celebrated British indie rockers prepare for the launch
of their 6th LP, titled ‘Pick-Up Full Of Pink Carnations’.

And here’s the lead single.

A vaccination that boosts your mood immediately.

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12. ‘Fade Out The Fear’ by EWAN MaCFARLANE (Scotland)

As I read firstly that the song’s theme was about fighting mental illness
I could relate before I heard it, as I struggled with bipolar problems myself for
years. It’s a drag that messes up your life in a hard-to-explain way. Always good
to hear emboldening music that arouses hope for everybody out there who experienced/experience those burdensome feelings.

Ewan Macfarlane‘s mighty voice is the star on this wholehearted Springsteen-esque
rocker. Americana ardency the Scottish way delivered with dedication, fervor and arousing electricity and when the loud and clear chorus hits your speakers it feels as if he wants to eliminate the fear with sonic assertiveness and confidence. Superb stuff.

Here we go.

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13. ‘Somewhere’ by JOHNNY MARR (Manchester, UK)

SPIRIT POWER – THE BEST OF JOHNNY MARR will
be launched on 3 November. Pre-order info here.

The compilation will also feature this new guitar pop gem,
titled Somewhere. A sickly sticky tune that made my day
on the spot.

It’s a sickly sticky tune that made my day on the spot, which
happened/happens so many times with Marr‘s killer instinct
for thrilling tunes.

Here comes the messenger.

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14. ‘Don’t Do That’ by SHAW’S TRAILER PARK (Brighton, UK)

This Britsh alt.country/Paisley Underground-inspired collective
released their self-titled debut album last month. Stream it here.

The band’s roots are in the same North London rockabilly/country-noir
scene that gave us the likes of Gretschen Hofner, Gallon Drunk and
The Flaming Stars.

The standout album opener Don’t Do That is a riff-rotating roller
dominated by high-voltage guitar electricity with feverish vocals.

Let’s go.

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15. ‘A Feather Of A Pigeon In The Cave Of The Wisdom Of God’ by LIGHT BY THE SEA (The Netherlands)

Back in 2019, the Dutch duo released their notable debut
full-length ‘Only Death Makes Iocns’. Discover it here.

With this new piece, they deliver another intriguing pop symphony.

Scintillating electronic bliss, beautifully orchestrated.

The accompanying video is a classy and subtly sexy visualization.

Listen/watch.

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16. ‘Date Night’ by LOSSLINE (Manchester, UK)

Lossline is a Manchester-based singer/songwriter tandem who, as they state themselves, love to write sad songs. So far they filled two affecting albums with sad beauties. Check them out here.

To be honest I’m a sucker for heartfelt lullabies/ballads. And that’s a musical mood territory Lossline excell in, which they prove once more with Date Night. Although, sonically here they combine tranquil lullaby intimacy – mesmerising piano play and near-whispering vocals – with fully orchestrated passion, winning your heart over second by second.

Probably the best-ever Lossline piece. It should have been – no, I’m not joking – a bonus track on The National‘s new bewitching album First Two Pages Of Frankenstein. I’m sure you get the vibe at work here by now.

Pure pearl.

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17. ‘Route 36’ by MORPHINE RIDGES (Berlin)

Morphine Ridges is a new liaison, based in Berlin, led by Andreas Miranda (Lucy Kruger
and the Lost Boys, Third Sound, Ex Camera) blends dark country riffs with lap steel
guitar sliding through the cracks of shadowy vocals.

Route 36 is a gloomy ballad for the twilight hours, when reality and fantasy
get together and your dusky thoughts float somewhere in the middle. It’s a murky
mind-wanderer, with vulnerable vocals and melancholic guitar lines, triggering
darksome images on your head’s inner screen.

But unexpectedly, near the end, you’re awakened from your hallucinatory
state of mind with a wall-of-flabbergasting-electrical disturbance leaving you
behind, totally puzzled. What a bone-chilling debut this is.

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18. ‘Saccharine’ by TEEN IDLE (New Jersey, US)


Photo by Samantha Abdelbarry

Teen Idle is the musical project of New Jersey singer-songwriter,
producer, and multi-instrumentalist Sara Abdelbarry.

She shared her bittersweet debut album with the world today.

It’s named Nonfiction. Play it here.

For all lovers out there who realize that their relationship is over the LP’s opener Saccharine could serve as a comforting, mid-tempo synth-pop vibration that breathes hope for another future. After a smooth, Eastern-like-guitar-resonating intro a trippy bass riff and rhythmic drum touches take care of the song’s steady (heart)beat while Abdelbarry‘s crystal voice sounds sorrowful and reflective.

Somewhere in the middle, a heart-warming saxophone comes on (think of soul
diva Sade’s hits) and gives the song a matching melancholic feel that endears.

Lovely.


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19. ‘One More Time’ by BLINK-182 (California)


Press photo

Californian veteran rockers BLINK-182 got
together with their classic line-up last year.

There’s no stopping them now. A new album is canned. It’s named
ONE MORE TIME… and will make the massive army of B-182 fans
go nuts on 20 October.

A candlelight ballad.

Melancholic, romantic and heartfelt. Millions of fans
around the globe will sing along with tears in their eyes.

Enjoy.

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20. ‘Excommunicated’ by NOBODY (Finland)


Photo by Mikke Strandberg

Nobody is a one-man dark acoustic prog folk
rock act fronted by Tuomas Kauppinen.

Two weeks ago his new album, called Hyperborean Ecstasy
came out. Listen here.

Opening musing Excommunicated an introspective ‘I don’t belong here‘ reverie.
Think Nick Drake and Elliott Smith. Intimate and heavy-hearted accentuated
by his moody acoustic guitar play.

It’s a shadowy contemplation for quiet
moments when melancholia hits you.

Stream/buy.


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See/hear you next month, music junkies

TUTV: Facebook – Instagram – Twitter

TURN UP THE VOLUME’s 30 BEST TRACKS OF 2022

Posted on by JL

ALL TOGETHER on Spotify…

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TRACK BY TRACK

1. ‘Twitchin’ in The Kitchen’ by WARMDUSCHER (London)

This punky-funky disco corker is the perfect pick-me-up tune for all the wacky
weirdos who are always in the kitchen at parties waiting for free drinks and waiting
for Warmduscher to come in and kick their lazy asses. Big stroke, big chorus, big fun!

From the gang’s rad 4th LP At The Hotspot.

Twitch as much as you want.

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2. ‘I Saw’ by YOUNG FATHERS (Scotland)

The Scottish dance-funk-punk trio YOUNG FATHERS launch
their 5th LP called HEAVY HEAVY on 3 February.

Ahead of hit came this ridiculously sticky stunner I SAW.
A master blaster that makes your blood stream faster
through your veins. The addition of a choir in the back
works on the spot.

Touchdown!

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3. ‘Slowly Separate by CROWS (London)

This London post-punk team unleashed their 2nd scorching album
Beware Believers, last April. One of TUTV’s best full-lengths of 2022.

Slowly Separate is a schizo sonic serpent generating a mind-blowing backwash
while chainsaw guitars turn up the decibels to an illegal peak, and vox-in-the-middle
James Fox rages and blazes through his teeth.

Fucktastic!

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4. I’ll Make You See God’ by THE AFGHAN WHIGS

The by now legendary passion rockers from Cincinnati, Ohio with mastermind Greg Dulli leading the troops. Their new 10th LP How Do You Burn? was voted Best Album Of 2022 on Turn Up The Volume.

I’ll Make You See God was the lead single. A sturdy steamroller, a red-hot-heated juggernaut, an unstoppable cannonball going everywhere fast. Manic blitzkrieg
guitars, ruthless drum/bass attacks, Greg Dulli‘s rush of blood vocality, and a brutal
finish. Flabbergasting.

Dulli: “That’s one of the hardest rock songs we’ve ever done.
It was written and performed on sheer adrenalin.”

Hear God here.

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5. ‘I Am Kate Moss’ by DITZ (Brighton, UK)

This frenetic Brit force hit big time with their dazzling
debut album The Great Regression last March.

Single I Am Kate Moss is a cast-iron brainbreaker. It’s a poignant, biting, and
anxious uppercut. I’m pretty sure Moss would love this hit-and-run drone when
it would hit her ears. She is, after all, the Femme Punk Fatale of fashion.

I cut a striking figure
And it cuts me back

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6. ‘The Prophet by THE CHRONICLES OF MANIMAL AND SAMARA (London)

The Prophet progresses like a vicious viper sliding to its prey until a horrific explosion strikes you in the face. Next is a titanic bass riff that keeps the roller coaster turning with scary speed. This flabbergasting monster is part of their 2nd notable longplayer Trust No Leaders.

Helter Skelter!

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7. ‘Frankenstein’ by TRAMP (Northern Ireland)

About: “As a story or metaphor, we are all ‘Frankenstein’s monster’ – made up of
other people’s opinions and parts that don’t belong to us. That we were born
perfect but people, in their own conditioning, come along and can make us feel
undesirable/inadequate/the monster. But we can choose to be real instead.”

This is without a shadow the best debut single of 2022.

A towering tune going low, high and back. A sickly sticky pop gem wrapped in
a big-boisterous wall-of-sound. And up front, Sianna Lafferty‘s phenomenal voice
causes goosebumps when she reaches for the sky on the chorus. The ardency of
Porridge Radio comes to mind.

“I am not what you want me to be
Uncle Sam won’t even point at me
Even the eyes of the Virgin Mary wall
hanging won’t even stare at me.”

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8. ‘Kill Me Again’ by THE WAEVE (UK)

British duo THE WAEVE – Graham Coxon (Blur) and songstress
Rose Elinor Dougall – uncage their first collaborative, self-titled
album on 3 February. Pre-order info here.

Kill Me Again, one of three pieces shared so far, is an infectious groove
propelled by a pounding synth/bass riff, spiced with Coxon on saxophone
and mesmerizing (duet) vocals. Splendid stuff. Bring on the LP.

Play the killer here.

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9. ‘Chaise Lounge’ by WET LEG

This power pop sensation impressed big time with their self-titled debut album. The outstanding dingle Chaise Longue – catchy, funny and witty caused choirs of thousands of sing-along people at festivals this past summer as I experienced myself, not at Glastonbury (below), but in Belgium at Hear!Hear! fest.

Fabulous!

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10. ‘Live To Love’ by ILA

After releasing her sterling debut LP last year, songstress Ilayda Cicek and her band
came back this year for a series of riveting concerts (I saw 5 of them) and this sublime single. Her passion, her vivaciousness and vocal fervency push this electrifying pearl
way up to the stars.

Top emo-stroke.

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10. ‘Power’ by WHERE WE SLEEP (London, UK)

Where We Sleep is the alter ego of Beth Rettig,
former front force of electro-rock band Blindness

On this boiling groover Rethig rants non-stop with anger and frustration.
A nasty bass riff is the backbone here, while layers of menacing guitar
electricity augment this ripper’s rowdy roll.

A crystal clear statement, a menacing projectile.

“They Don’t Want The Truth / They Just Want The Power”

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11.’Backwash’ by GILLA BAND (Gilla band)

The raw Irish post-punk bulldozer bombarded our ears
last October with their third LP, titled Most Normal.

One of the singles was this straightforward stonker.

YEAH!.

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12. ‘Nothing Good Comes Easy’ by DEAD LEVEE (Canada)

What a wowzer! This uplifting motherrocker boosts 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 triggers hope and assurance.

Let’s roll.

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13. ‘Frenzy’ by IGGY POP (Detroit)

Stoogefather IGGY POP still wants to be your dog.
He has his new – 19th – LP, named Every Loser
lands out next week, on 6 January.

Lead-single was the perfect harbinger. A motherfucker of a punk bomb
featuring an all-star band including Watt, Guns N’ Roses‘ Duff McKagan
and Red Hot Chili Peppers‘ Chad Smith.

I’m in a frenzy
Fucking prick
I’m in a frenzy
Goddamn dick

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14. ‘Something Good’ by CASUAL DRAG (Scotland)

It’s been two years since these Scottish hound dogs made
my speakers tremble with their furious Johnny single.

But on their steamy comeback stomper they still have the same barnstorming
groove and move drive. Something Good is a nasty rip-roaring-riff jackhammer,
annex agitated vocals, rotating in your head in an ear-blink. Think NYC’s darlings
Interpol playing The Fall. Something good? Way better, something ace!

Play it loud.


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15. ‘Welcome To Hell’ by BLACK MIDI (London)

Geordie Greep (vocalist, guitar): “Almost everything I write is from a true thing, something
I experienced and exaggerated and wrote down. I don’t believe in Hell, but all that old world folly is great for songs, I’ve always loved movies and anything else with a depiction of Hell.”

A screwy zig-zagging haymaker it is.
From their head-spinning 3rd LP
Hellfire.

Burn here…

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16. ‘Dumb’ by BURN THE LOUVRE (Canada)

The musical project of singer/songwriter Jordan Speare
assisted by guitarist/bassist and friend Andrew Billone

They just have their debut album, titled Silhouettes out after
releasing its 11 songs the past 12 months, one per month. Dumb
is my absolute favorite.

An instant earworm. Pop perfection. I lost track of the number
of times I had this gem on my headphones. Say no more.

Press play.

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17. ‘Mañana’ by JAMES DOMESTIC (Essex/Suffolk, UK)

“A paean to taking your foot off the gas and letting things slide, or a warning of the perils of procrastination, perhaps? It’s hard to tell whether ‘Mañana’ is meant to serve as a confessional regarding Domestic’s own perceived lack of willpower, or a celebration of idleness. It could be either of these things; and that’s one of its many joys.”.

A sirens intro, David Bowie‘s saxophone, and steel drums straight from Trinidad. Sounds like an exotic swing and shake ditty is coming up. No folks, it’s a lazy rap-sody you can play the morning after a booze marathon to get up and sober up, slowly.

Soul voice Clare Gillet takes care of the chirpy chorus.

Subscribe!

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18. ‘The Hurt Within’ by HOLY COVES (Wales)

These Welshmen released their new excellent album Druids and Bards
displaying mastermind Scott Marsden high-quality songwriting.

This impassioned hard-luck story is my fav cut. It 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.

Enjoy.

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19. The Speed’ by ULTRA SUNN (Brussels)

This wholly charismatic and fast up-and-coming darkwave duo mixes Gothic Depeche Mode beats, with sonic Human League echoes, bass-synth-riffs à la German legends D.A.F. and spice it all up with spooky vocals. And it looks like 2023 will even be bigger than 2022.

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20. ‘Leader’ by MEMES (Scotland)

After their eponymous bonkers debut EP (2020) followed by some staggering singles,
the high-decibels tandem nail it with another sucker punch. Leader is a funk-punk riff ripsnorter that kicks forth and back before a freakish guitar outbreak slashes and
trashes its way to the end.

Watch out for the pigman,
he looks like a meme in disguise.

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21. ‘Demolition Row’ by METZ (Toronto, CA)

“It’s a warning, an unflinching assessment of the vastness and insignificance of this
life, is precisely counterbalanced by their lesson, which models the resilience that this understanding demands. ‘Demolition Row’ is persistent, concise, and alarmingly physical.”

This blustery belter is vintage Metz. Full blast ahead. The track
featured on a split 7” with London-based group Adult Life.

From Dylan’s Desolation Row
to Metz’s Demolition Row…


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22. ‘Digging’ by NOTHINGHEADS (London)

Once I learned that this startling belter 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 slam.

Expect rabid guitars, doom-and-gloom vocals, and frantic
twists and turns until the chaotic finale. Post-punk at
its razorblade best.

Dynamite.


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23. ‘Chemical Emotion’ by JEEN (Canada)

Jeen: “It’s about letting yourself drift in the flow of everything and hanging on as hard as you can to what makes the shitty parts more tolerable…I was thinking of that Hunter S. Thompson quote, “buy the ticket, take the ride.” It was written in April 2021, which was a rough part of last year for me. I needed to write something that reminded me to tread lightly, to forget about the heaviness of everything.

After only one spin, my ears told me that Chemical Emotion is an bewitching pop doozy. Jeen‘s emotive voice bewitches right away, the mid-tempo cadence emphasizes the meditative reflection perfectly, the compelling chorus brings Alanis Morissette to mind, and overall the orchestral sonority and the layered harmonies lead to a thrilling triumph.

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24. ‘Edie’ by STEPH SWEET (UK)

This is the spellbinding title track of this enigmatic songstress’ newest album

The dark garage guitar swagger of this nightmarish cracker is irresistibly
magnetic. Think trash-and-slash duo Royal Trux. Both eerie and haunted.

Top!

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25. ‘We Are Ukraian’ by OSCAR MIC (London)

Oscar Mic wrote this song after witnessing the horrific violence of
psycho Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine on the news. All proceeds of
the song weent to Save The Children’s Ukraine Appeal.

We Are Ukrainian is a vivid hp-rap-pop anthem featuring steel drums
and timpani balancing somewhere between Roots Manuva and Mr. Scruff.

“Fleeing people running scared, so tell me Where’s the justice? Our leaders say they care,
tell me can you trust this? Urban warfare, your home’s done and dusted, Aiming at the
public, they wouldn’t? They just did,”

Fuck Putin.


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26. ‘Zick Zack’ by RAMMSTEIN
27. ‘Forever In Sunset’ by EZRA FURMAN (Chicago)
28. ‘Troglodyte’ by Viagra Boys (Sweden)
‘29. ’15 Again’ by SUEDE (UK)
30. 30. ‘The Dripping Tap’ by KING GIZZARD AND THE LIZARD WIZARD

Turn Up The Volume’s 20 BEST TRACKS Of The Month – SEPTEMBER 2022

Posted on by JL

A stream of rattling rippers, jagged jams, and magnific musings

All 20 on Spotify.

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TRACK BY TRACK

Band: AUS!Funkt
Who: Post-punk misfits from Toronto, embracing in the process
the elements of electronica, dub, disco, garage rock and blues
while maintaining grittiness, simplicity, and repetitiveness.

Track: PROLOGUE (SHALLOW).
My favorite cut of their new dance-crazy
EP Hey! I See You.

If your limbs don’t get activated by this stomping synth stunner
it’s time to get on the phone and fire your shrink. Right now.

For everybody else, shake your booty.


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AUS!FUNKT: Instagram – Facebook
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GORILLAZ share new – their 8th – album, titled Cracker Island with the world next year, on 24 February 2023. As usual Damon Albarn invited a big-name cast of guests, like here for this song, called New Gold with Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker and Bootie Brown behind the mic.

Feel the vibe.

GORILLAZ: Instagram – All Albums
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Band: BURN THE LOUVRE
Who: The musical project of singer/songwriter Jordan Speare
assisted by guitarist/bassist and friend Andrew Billone

Their debut album Silhouettes lands after all this
year’s singles (one per month) are released. .

The September one, DUMB is my favorite (so far).

Frisky, tingling, and totally catching.

Earworm!


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BURN THE LOUVRE: Facebook – Instagram
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LUKE HAINES (mastermind of former Britpop-rock outfit The Auteurs
and R.E.M. guitarist PETER BUCK have their second collaborative album,
named All Kids Are Super Bummed Out on 26th October.

First single, titled Psychedelic Sitar Casual is a jangly R.E.M. like
rocker that gets under your skin sooner than you can say fuck Putin.

Tune in and pogo like you used to.

HAINES & BUCK; Website
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(Photo by Turn Up The Volume – Brussels, 2019)

Toronto‘s noise generator METZ celebrate the 10th anniversary
of their smashing self-titled debut LP with a new tour.

Along the tour announcement, the trio shared two tracks, of which one is
pretty special. COME ON DOWN features their longtime friend Joe Talbot
of Bristol punks Idles.

A perfect match in noise hell.

METZ: Bio – Discography – Instagram – Spotify
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Band: ON
Who: An punk-rock-experienced Toronto trio

New album: ON
Released: 20 September 2022 via Indiestructable Records

Closing cracker AMENDS is my kind of electrical eruption.
It’s an imposing Led-Zeppelin-like heavy blues-rock knockout
including unhinged wah-wah electricity. Nasty stuff!

No, it’s not Jimmy Page on guitar, or is it?


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ON: Facebook – Bandcamp
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American/Celtic punks DROPKICK MURPHYS have their 11th album, named
This Guitar Still Kills Fascists out on 30 September. The LP accentuates
the sharp-cutting lyrics of the late great and heavily influential (ask Bob Dylan)
American folk hero Woody Guthrie (1912-1967).

If you’re a Murphys fan you know what to do when
this massive chant ALL YOU FONIES comes on.
Yes, screaming your lungs out.

Hallelujah!

DROPKICK MURPHIES: Facebook – Instagram
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Band: DEAD LEVEE
Who: Old-school no-nonsense five-piece rock
band from Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada.

New single SHOUT is a wallbreaker, a let-it-all-out loud haymaker.
Think The Black Crows and Guns ‘n Roses have a nasty rollicking riff fight.
I wonder if it’s Axl Rose who’s screaming his head off in the end.

Holy riff smoke.
Play it to the max.


.
DEAD LEVEE: Facebook
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(Pic by Turn Up The Volume!)

Boston‘s noise rock icons PIXIES have no intention whatsoever to retire.
They have a new – their 9th – album out on 30th September. It’s baptized
Doggerel.

This taster, titled DREGS OF WINE
off the new LP is a burning belter.

Check it out.

PIXIES: Website – Instagram
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Band: ALEX JAMES
Who: A wheelchair-fronted, high-energy
alternative rock band from the North East.

New single: TELL ME

Expect a rollicking ripper bucking up all the way. A sterling crackerjack that
scurries full tilt with steamy swagger pushed by a flat-out rhythm section,
storming guitars – think Black Sabbath‘s Paranoid riff – and James‘ lively
vocals. When the sizzling chorus kicks in, it’s go mental time.

Tell all your friends about this exuberant score!

.
ALEX JAMES: Facebook – Instagram
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Band: DETROIT REBELLION
Who: Singer/songwriter/guitarist Jeff Tostee uniquely exploring
a world of gritty blues and garage rock with drummer Micaiah
Castro, taking their name from the 1967 Detroit Riot

New single: CLAP OF THUNDER
From the forthcoming – 3rd – album
Fake News, due this fall.

This red-hot-roaring corker thunders all the way with
turned-up decibels for the psychotic guitar-charged chorus.
Think Queens oF The Stone Age fronted by Jack White.

Hurry yourself to a green field and freak out.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________


(Photo credit Paul Elledge – press via website)

Chicago‘s bombastic veteran rockers THE SMASHING PUMPKINS
orchestrated by main man Billy Corgan are back in town.

Next year, on 23 April, they’ll share their new longplayer
ATUM: A Rock Opera In Three Acts with the world,
with no less than 33 songs.

The first single is an uppercut called BEGUILED.
A mid-tempo upper with a rotating heavy metal riff.

Nice one, Billy.

.
THE SMASHING PUMPKINS: Facebook – Instagram
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Artist: JEEN
Who: All-round Canadian singer/songwriter who has written for many recording
artists such as ‘Great Big Sea’, ‘Serena Ryder’, ‘Res’, ‘Hawksley Workman’, ‘Brendan Canning’, ‘FUWA FUWA’, Martin ‘Doc’ McKinney and more. She was a member of ‘Cookie Duster‘ with ‘Brendan Canning‘ of ‘Broken Social Scene‘.

New single: CHEMICAL EMOTION
It’s the lead-off track of new – her 6th – album Tracer, out October 21st.

Jeen: “It’s about letting yourself drift in the flow of everything and hanging
on as hard as you can to what makes the shitty parts more tolerable.”

After only one spin, you’ll know that Chemical Emotion is a mesmerizing humdinger.
Jeen‘s emotive voice bewitches right away, the mid-tempo cadence emphasizes
the meditative reflection perfectly, the compelling chorus brings Alanis Morissette
to mind, and overall the orchestral sonority and the layered harmonies lead to
a thrilling triumph.

And I know it sounds trite, but you made impossible possible sometimes

JEEN: Facebook – Instagram
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(Press photo via YYYs)

Band: YEAH YEAH YEAHS
Who: Pop/rock trio from New York fronted
by the gorgeous Karen O

Today their new – 5th – longplayer Cool it down is out,
their first in 8 years. A few weeks ago my ears started
trembling when single BURNING came through my
speakers.

Still love you Karen.

YYYs: Facebook – Website
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(photo via AYU – press)

Artist: AYU
Who: Singer/songwriter/producer born in Bern (Switzerland), and living in Hamburg (Germany) delivering a mixture of contemporary pop, future-thinking electronics,
catchy RnB tunes and sweet indie.

AYU seduced me before with her infectious tunes and this one
is another one to embrace. Tremendously sticky with an irresistible
I love-you chorus.

Delightful!

AYU: Facebook – Instagram – Twitter 
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Artist: AUGUST GONZALEZ
Who: Drawing from an array of influences ranging from hip-hop, indie-pop,
to pop-punk, Gonzalez is an artist that refuses to be put into a box.

Track LXXKN 4 THE L!TE
From her upcoming debut solo EP

Gonzalez serves an effervescent cocktail of hip-hop-pop-rock sparks
inviting you to jump out of your lazy couch for a hip-swaying two-step.

Make your move here…

August Gonzalez: Instagram
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Band: WIDOWS GOLD
Who: Riveting rock outfit from Costa Messa, California that
made an auspicious entrance onto the music scene last year.

New single: I CAN’T HELP YOU
From their upcoming debut LP, out January 2013.

Expect a melancholic smooth guitar pop uplifter. The brisk combination of a jaunty rhythm section, flickering guitars, a toe-tapping melody, a contagious chorus, and last but not least Madeline Star‘s soulful and romantic voice, turn I Can’t Help You into a glam gem.

Help yourself right here.

.
WIDOWS GOLD: Instagram
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PPhoto by Arne Frøkedal

Band: MISTY COAST
Who: Chamber psych-pop duo – Linn Frøkedal
and Richard Myklebust – from Norway.

New single: THE END OF THE BEGINNING

For this new composition, the duo’s minds went down memory lane
to get inspired by the musical preferences of their
adolescent years.

They came back and cemented the experiences of those bygone
times for the future, in a song. The End Of The Beginning is a shoegaze rainbow,
but one that’s sepia colored. The mood is blue-sky, idyllic, and halcyon. So is
the musing’s slo-mo progression, Frøkedal‘s foggy vocals, and the glowing
synth waves.

Start dreaming here.

.
MISTY COAST: Facebook – Spotify
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Artist: COLESNO JONES
Who: Folk-pop singer-songwriter from West-Wales

Debut single: BISCUIT TIN

This is a firm energizer with a resistless pick-me-up groove
and a highly stimulating sonority from start to finish. Its lively
melodiousness, vigorous vivacity and zealous vocality make
you reach for the repeat button again and again.

Bingo!

.
COLENSO JONES: Facebook
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(photo by Turn Up The Volume)

Artist: EZRA FURMAN
Who: Chicago born singer songstress

Furman released her new album
All Of Us Flames last month.

A very notable one with this sepia-colored beauty, named
TRAIN COMES THROUGH as one of the many highs on
the record.

Enjoy.

.
EZRA FURMAN: Instagram – Facebook
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See/hear you next month, music junkies

Holy Riff Smoke – Here’s Mean Rock Machine DEAD LEVEE With ‘SHOUT’

Posted on by JL

Daily electricity to load your batteries

8 September 2022


Photo Credit: Nicole Malcolm

Band: DEAD LEVEE
Who: Old-school no-nonsense five-piece rock
band from Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada.

New single: SHOUT

“Our new song, “Shout,” came about from a tough situation. It’s funny ’cause we can laugh about it now, but our previous singer canceled on us hours before the band had to be on
stage for an entire night of live music.

Naturally, to fulfill our contract there was some improv on stage that night. To fill dead air,
our guitarist “Sweet Baby” Ray Klapatiuk, started playing a random riff and the rest of the band jumped in. Our bassist (and now lead vocalist!) Tayler “Izzy” Morgan even started singing lyrics on the spot that fit the vibe. This impromptu jam was brought to the studio, and “Shout” was born.”

Turn Up The Volume: This mean Canadian rock machine nails it again. Imagine
The Black Crows and Guns ‘n Roses have a nasty rollicking riff fight. Blustering, right? Turbulent, right? Ear-splitting, right? You betcha, you betcha and you betcha. The vociferous vitality and electric-powered eagerness at play here goes straight through
the roof.

SHOUT tests your lungs’ potency. SHOUT is a wallbreaker. SHOUT is a let-it-all-out loud haymaker. Get the picture? Dead Levee are the alive and kicking proof of the timelessness of classic guitar rawk ‘n’ roll. And yes, I wonder too if it’s Axl Rose who’s screaming his head off in the end.

Holy riff smoke.
Play it to the max.


.
DEAD LEVEE: Facebook

Turn Up The Volume’s 20 KNOCKOUT TRACKS Of The Month – MARCH 2022

Posted on by JL

A stream of rattling rippers, jagged jams, and romantic reveries

All 20 together on Spotify…

.
Knockout by Knockout…

1. ‘Twitchen’ In The Kitchen’ by WARMDUSCHER (UK)

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.

Shake your booty…

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2. ‘I Am Not Maternal’ by OTOBOKE BEAVER (Japan)

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.

New album SUPER CHAMPON out on 6 May 2022

These frenetic champ(i)ons rule…

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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.

What about you?…


.
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4. ‘Post Punk’ by THE CRYSTAL METHOD feat. IGGY POP

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”

________________________________________________________________________________________________

5. ‘Hi-De-Ho’ by JACK WHITE feat. Q-TIP (UK)

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.

A smoking rock-rap ripper.

Yessssss…

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6. ‘I’ll Make You See God’ by THE AFGHAN WHIGS (USA)

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.

See/hear God here…

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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.

1-2-3….

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

8. ‘Digging’ by NOTHINGHEADS (UK)

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.

Dynamite!


.

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9. ‘Breaking Grounds‘ by SALEM WOLVES (Salem, MA)

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.

Turn it up, guys…


.
________________________________________________________________________________________________

10. ‘The Girls Of LA’ by WEIMAR (Manchester, UK)

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.

Drool here…


.
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11. ‘The Slump’ by SKINNER (Dublin, Ireland)

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?

Make your move here…

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12. ‘Sight Unseen’ by EX-HYENA (Boston, US)

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.


.
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13. ‘The Hurt Within’ by HOLY COVES (Wales)

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.

________________________________________________________________________________________________

14. ‘White Skin’ by THE BANKROBBER (Italy)

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.

Another solid gold hit for the Italian siblings.

Press play and move your feet…

.
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15. ‘Nice Guy’ by BURN THE LOUVRE (Canada)

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.

Now that’s nice…


.
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16. ‘Life And Lies’ by LEE ROGERS (Northern Ireland)

The Americana voice of Northern Ireland releases
his new album Gameblood on 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.

This one is for all barflies out there…

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17. ‘Set It Aside’ by SUPERCHUNK (US)

The veteran rockers from North Carolina released
their 11th LP Wild Loneliness
a couple of weeks ago.

One of the highlights is this sweet little ditty.

Start dreaming here…


.
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18. ‘Blood’ by AGATH CRIST (Canada)

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.

Top stroke…

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19. ‘Do It Over’ by THE DISTRICTS (Philly, US)

The Philly rockers are favorites of mine. Early this month they launched
their 5th LP Great American Painting with this little touching jewel on…


.
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20. ‘All The Good Times’ by ANGEL OLSEN (USA)

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.

Classic tearjerker…

See/hear you next month, music junkies

Canadian Straightforward Rockers DEAD LEVEE Trigger Hope With Riff Cracker ‘NOTHING GOOD COMES EASY’

Posted on by JL

Daily electricity to load your batteries

16 March 2022


(Credit: Michael Scraper)

Band: DEAD LEVEE
Who: Old-school no-nonsense five-piece rock
band from Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada.

New EP: RISE UP, out in April 2022 and produced by
multi-JUNO Award winning producer, Garth Richardson
(Rage Against The Machine, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Big Wreck).

New single: NOTHING GOOD COMES EASY

“Redemption song about overcoming any and all obstacles that may come
between you and your dream. The song came to us while we were driving by
the ocean on the Sunshine Coast in our 1989 Ford Econoline.”

Turn Up The Volume: Wowzer! This sickly uplifting cracker boosts 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 triggers hope and assurance.

Let go of any fear inside of you / Let go, just breathe and you’ll make it through

Turn up the heat…

DEAD LEVEE: Facebook