Three years ago Los AngelesDEAP VALLY, guitarist/vocalist Lindsay Troy and drummer/vocalist Julie Edwards, one of the most thrilling and dynamite garage
rock acts, and utterly cool and drop-dead gorgeous feminists, of the past 15 years
– on record, on stage and off stage – released their 4th LP (the collaborative one
with The Flaming Lips included), titled MARRIAGE.
L/J“Being in a band is like being in a marriage: sometimes it’s magical,
sometimes it’s unbearably challenging. To reinvigorate that marriage we’ve
made album three a genre-bending experiment with new collaborators and
instrumentation that push the limits of what has previously defined us.”
But (there’s always a but) last September, they announced their divorce (mind
you, best friends for life). Fuck. Sniff. Shit. Bloody. Damn. I thought it was actually
time for a new record and a tour, Europe included. Unfortunately, their journey
comes to an end.
Well, their records are 4ever, and both the memories of interviewing Lindsay and Julie
back in 2013 in Brussels while they were knitting (they met in knit class) and seeing them play live four times are great moments stored 4ever in my mind.
Hello/Goodbye Lindsay, Brussels 2013 – pic by TUTV
Hello/Goodbye Julie, Brussels 2013 – pic by TUTV
To say goodbye the two Amazons went on a farewell tour and released a special edition
of their seminal debut record, featuring the fully re-recorded album, plus a whole other record’s worth of b-sides, early demos, and other unreleased goodies from deap in the vally vault. OrderHERE.
They started their Farewell Tour last year and have some more shows to go.
They also played Belgium (woo-hoo). It was fantastic to see them one last time.
time before the curtain falls.
I wasn’t the only one who got excited/emotional. I met an avid British-Belgium-based
DV fan with a pretty cool name, Bárbara Mendes Jorge. After some mutual introduction,
I knew I was talking to a fellow music junkie, so I invited her to do the gig’s review. She’s the first person other than me to write for this blog. Let me know what you think about it.
Time to shut up now. Barbara has the floor.
“When Deap Vally chose De Casino in Sint-Niklaas for the Belgian leg of their tour, I knew I had to pay a visit to see one of my fave rock duos – especially when I found out this was their farewell tour.
I knew we were in for a good one when they launched into the barn-stomping End Of The World – it turns out Lindsey Troy and Julie Edwards were playing all of their debut album Sistrionix, in order. It felt surreal, as the only other time I’d seen them was in 2013, just
after that album’s release – and here I was saying goodbye.
Deap Vally kept the energy up throughout the gig – it’s easy to be enthralled when they’re playing eleven songs from a basically perfect album – and explained they had re-recorded Sistrionix as their record label had the rights to the old one – I wondered how many more bands will need to do this to rightfully gain back what should be theirs.
After playing Sistrionix there was a short break Deap Vally came on withSolon Brixler, who previously played with 30 Seconds to Mars and is now the singer and guitarist for American indie band Great Northern, alongside his wife RachelStolte.
I was extremely glad he took over guitar duties from Lindsey for the next two songs because it allowed her to roam around the stage and interact with the audience while enthralling us with her blues-soaked voice. At this stage, it was great to see mostly women at the front, including the ladies from support act HotWax. Many women – like myself – were enthusiastically dancing and singing along, unlike many of the men at the front who were still standing there quite passively.
It felt very emotional when the last note ofRoyal Jelly was played, not only because we were waving goodbye to one of the best rock acts of the last couple of decades, but because of the night’s symbolism.
As a female rock fan for over 20 years, it is so rare to see so many women in one place, leading their bands, playing their instruments so skilfully – a sad fact I discussed with JL from TUTV when we met in the crowd. Although the audience skewed mostly male, it felt like this gig was for the women who love (to) rock (out) – and I was glad to be there to witness it.”
Thank you very much, Bárbara for sharing your impressions, which
came obviously from your heart and soul, your ears and your eyes.
The way I like it the most.
Attention! Bárbara and her friend Fran host an Over/Underrated Podcast
about, of course, music. Check their chats out righthere.
Sad news came in a couple of weeks ago. L.A.’s blues rock tandem Deap Vally – Lindsay Troy and Julie Edwards – one of the most exciting
and dynamite acts, of the past 10 years call it a day.
But not without a big bang. They say farewell with an extensive North America tour.
They’ll release a new vinyl edition of their superb debut LP Sistrionix, out Spring 2024.
And their recent roasting cover of The Stones‘ VENTILATOR BLUES
track from their 1972 LP Exile On Main Street is spot-on awesome.
Sounds like this classic was written for them.
Musical Nashville legend Leon Russell, born
Claude Russell Bridge in 1942, passed away in
2016, at the age of 74.
To celebrate the genial, all-around, eccentric-looking icon, a 10-track
tribute album came out last September, titled A Song For Leon.
The imperishable noise rockers Pixies are part of the LP’s celebrity cast,
with a red-hot-blooded version of Russell‘s 1971 classic boogie woogie cracker Crystal Closet Queen.
British famous singer-songwriter-producerTREVOR HORN (now 74),
who scored a No 1 UK hit in 1979 with his one-time project Buggles
and their pop earworm Video Killed The Radio Star (more than 323 million
streams on Spotify) released an album of 11 covers early this month. It’s
titled Echoes: Ancient & Modern.
One of the covered songs is Personal Jesus, the 24-carat Depeche Mode classic
from 1990. Horn invited eternal punk Iggy Pop to do the singing. An inch-perfect
decision. At the age of 76, he still sounds like he wants to be your dog.
Since their reunion in 2010 glam pop legends Suede got
tremendously active with 4 albums and constant touring.
Last February they did something really amazing. They performed
at the BBC’s Maida Vale Studios for their Piano Room Month‘s series
with artists’ playing the piano room with the BBC Concert Orchestra.
Suede choose to cover the 1978 classic cracker Beacuse The Night,
co-written by Bruce Springsteen and recorded for eternity by Patti Smith.
The band’s take is astonishing. The orchestral magnificence is grand and
frontman Brett Anderson‘s vocal effort is phenomenal. Pure tour de force.
A tribute album for the legendary, singular, and utterly charismatic Marianne Faithfull came out a couple of weeks ago.
One of the most notable interpretations of Faithfull songs is by Garbage‘s Shirley Manson and queer queen Peaches who turn the explicit 1979 song WHY’D YA DO IT into a disco stomper.
Folk songsmith Drake (1948-1974) was/is an inspiration for many singer-songwriters.
His 3 LPs Five Leaves Left (1969), Bryter Layter (1970) and Pink Moon (1972) were and
are still widely lauded. The trouble artist died following an overdose of amitriptyline,
an antidepressant, aged only 26.
New Irish post-punk heroes Fontaines D.C. were invited too. They picked‘Cello Song
from Drake‘s 1969 debut LP Five Leaves Left. The Irishmen’s version is just splendid in
their own haunting way.
At the age of 77, the fabulous country superstar
still is working longer than 9 to 5 per day.
And to prove her never-ending productivity, she released her
49th (!) LP last month, named Rockstar. Yep, Parton‘s first rock LP.
It features several big-name collaborations.
I don’t own a Dolly album, I didn’t follow her career but as so many million people
I know her hits, and I do love her formidable voice – the heroine again on this record –
and her I do what I want attitude.
The supreme standout track is her version of Purple Rain,
the 1984 blockbuster hit by late musical genius Prince.
Last June the late Jeffrey Lee Pierce, the wayward mastermind of underrated
indie mavericks Gun Club from L.A. would have celebrated his 65th birthday.
Last March, a country rock tribute album for the immortal Stones was
put together by renowned producer Robert Deaton. It features 14 covers
of 14 classics of one of the greatest bands in history.
Sad news came in a couple of weeks ago. L.A.’s blues rock tandem Deap Vally – Lindsay Troy andJulie Edwards – one of the most exciting
and dynamite acts, of the past 10 years call it a day.
But not without a big bang. They say farewell with an extensive North America tour.
They’ll release a new vinyl edition of their superb debut LP Sistrionix, out Spring 2024.
The song fits Deap Vally like a glove. The sultry beat, the mid-tempo
blues swagger, the steamy drive, the awesome vocals. Feels like it was
written for them.
British famous singer-songwriter-producer Trevor Horn (now 74), who scored a No 1 UK hit in 1979 with his one-time project Buggles and their pop tune Video Killed The Radio Star (more than 323 million streams on Spotify) released an album of 11 covers yesterday. It’s called Echoes: Ancient & Modern. The record features several celebrities on vocals.
One of the covered songs is PERSONAL JESUS, the 24-Carat Depeche Mode classic
from 1990. Horn invited eternal punk IGGY POP to do the singing. An inch-perfect
decision. At the age of 76 he still sounds like he wants to be your dog. His performance here is bone-chilling.
British rap-punk duo SLEAFORD MODS released their
12th LP UK Grim last March, followed by an extensive
tour that will continue into 2024.
The mods will have a new limited-edition 7″ single out next month – pre-order infohere – with all profits going to Shelter, an organization that helps people with housing issues and homelessness.
Last week mega country star her 49th (!) LP. It’s called Rockstar.
Yep, Parton‘s first rock longplayer. It features mostly covers with big
name collaborations.
The supreme standout track is her cover of Purple Rain,
the 1984 blockbuster hit from late musical genius Prince.
After launching her super-duper 6-track EP Chaos Of Time last March, Langford
closes the year with this rock-and-rap-punk banger. Whang, whang, whang.
Foefetti has somehow a fuller resonance than her previous pieces. And it works spot on. Glittery, glammy and trash-y (like the video). Be ready to sing happy birthday to 6-year-old princess Jodie midway. Don’t worry afterward you can continue to pogo around the table. Treat yourself, buy this present here.
Helter skelter. What a riff-deranged head-over-heels speedball.
AWESOME. Think Australian barbed wire rock generator Amyl And The
Sniffers getting even louder and nastier than they already are. Irked
produce no-nonsense punk pandemonium with a dashing fanaticism
and crazed ruckus.
The vocalist screams her lungs out with intimidating force. MENTAL.
Don’t mess with her, don’t look for trouble with her. She’s a ragging
rapping reactor. Sharp-teethed stuff, shattering debut.
These 4 motherrockers learned their craft by making noisy waves in different
bands before. They just released their cooking 4-track EP named ROBOT.
Robot artwork
The title track is a bass/guitar-riff steamroller going everywhere fast.
A fanatical flare-up that speeds towards a monstrous climax. Who needs
humans when robots kick ass this knife-edged way.
London’s inflammable grime-rap-punk turbine Bob Vylan have canned their third
album. It’s named Humble As The Sun and will see the day of light on 5 April 2024.
These British mavericks rattle and rumble from the get-go on this crackerjack
blast. They don’t like a boring normal life. Who can blame them? The frustration
is accentuated by freakish guitar/bass frenzy, merciless drumming and flustered vocals.
Solid sucker-punch. Never lose faith in this band.
Crows On Wires is the dark-dream-wave project of German artist Antje Davids-Weis.
This new single echoes previous pieces. Rotating synth beats, shadowy dynamics, darksome vocals work together and turn Stop The Clock into a terrifically catching
stomper.
9. ‘Say It Like You Mean It’ by SLEATER-KINNEY (Seattle, WA)
Washington‘s longtime rollin’ indie-pop-punk stars SLEATER-KINNEY
who started their journey (with 3 members) back in 1994, went on a
break in 2006, reloaded their engines in 2014, became a duo – Carrie
Brownstein and Corin Tucker – have their new, 10th LP, baptized Little
Rope out on 19 January 2024.
2nd single Say It Like You Mean It is
edged guitar pop at its racy best.
10. ‘The Sadness In You, The Sadness In Me‘ by SUEDE (UK)
Last year the glam veterans Suede released their 9th,
back to top form, albumAutofiction.
An expanded edition shows up on December 8. It
includes a live LP. More info and order detailshere.
Along with the LP’s release came a 4-track EP that was available for
only one week. The songs will appear now on the expanded box.
The Sadness In You, The Sadness In Me will be one of them.
A vintage Suede sparkler with Anderson‘s emotional vocals going sky-high
on the chorus. Can’t understand why this stellar song wasn’t on the original
album. Anyway, it’s here now.
It’s been 5 years since this Belgian garage guitar indies released
their debut album Common Specimen/Indoor Mold.
But they’re back now, and they didn’t lose their electrical mojo nor their sassy swagger. Crazed drums, afire guitars and tense vocals are what you get. Don’t miss their return.
This weird Canadian trio nails it with their new single Wish It Back, a heartfelt tribute to times gone by.
It’s a spry rocker that swings forth and back. From harmonious tenderness to zippy discharge, from shiny guitar sparks to electrifying commotion, while poignant vocals add extra emotive energy to this splendid nugget. It’s about looking back nostalgia we all are familiar with, wrapped here in a forceful piece of music.
I Feel Nothing is the first new piece of music in over 2 years from this British indie trio.
One spin and I knew we had a winner here. I Feel Nothing is a funky pop
groove, richly orchestrated with footstompin’ drums, glistening synths, wah-wah
guitar here and there, pumping bass and spacey vocals. It swings back and forth,
with a hip-shaking impact when the delirious chorus comes up. Think Tears For
Fears, Depeche Mode and Tame Impala all rolled into one.
Wolf:“This song delves into the complex theme of loyalty conflicts, the inner divide
between descendants and parents (us and them) and the broader social division into
‘us’ and ‘them’, (fueled by social media and war).”
Capricorn is a spellbinding slow-mo musing with an ominous sonority produced
by electric bass, sober drums and eerie acoustic guitar play. It creates a trance-like atmosphere with its subtle and low-key orchestration and Van Wymeersch gloomy
vocals. Fascinating score.
So much is happening on this crazy cut. First in, hungry guitars and footstompin’ drumming immediately joined by frolicsome synth touches that easily could be experienced as the theme of a creepy movie, depending on your (in)stable
state of mind.
Next, eerie vocals, backed by some spooky howling, check in adding a what’s going on
vibe, and zigzagging through all the sonic razzmatazz. Head-spinning stuff, folks.
16. ‘Can You See Me?’ by CATHOLIC GUILT (Melbourne, Australia)
The song is a tale of lost identity and feeling at odds with yourself.
It’s feverishly rushing ripper propelled by an army of guitars, hefty drumming and
psyched vocals. This manic missile reflects frontman/songwriter’s Brenton Harris
identity issues spot-on.
Sonically as well as lyrically, Can You See Me resonates like a much-needed escape from
a troubled and confused state of mind. I guess this sounds familiar to so many of us out there. If you’re a Fall Out Boy fan you’ll definitely add this fiery emo piece to your favourite playlist.
The band’s name is a testament to their stature and nature – alter kaker is a Yiddish term for an old person, or as the band likes to call it, “an old fart.” That level of self-awareness helps when creating a song like “When You’re Gone.”
The band’s Steve Bronstein wrote this track one year ago near the close of a relationship. But unlike the more common musical theme in breakup songs, the singer isn’t sad about the conclusion – he relishes it.
Looking for an infectious jump-for-joy post-breakup tune? Here it is.
After playing with some bands, Belgian musician Mirabelle van de Put decided
in 2021 to go solo under the moniker of HAZE. Her excellent self-titled debut LP appeared the same year.
She’ll have her sophomore one, titled Out of Sight, out in January.
Hiding is the first single. A glinstering dream pop musing featuring sparkling guitar
and smooth bass play, and van dePut‘s enticing voice takes you on a relaxing trip that flares up now and then.
The eye-catching video is created by Naomi Kerkhove.
Lauren Anderson is a Chicago born and Nashville-based singer-songwriter.
She has, so far, 3 albums on her résumé. And has now new single Love Again
out.
Expect a towering voice. Zestful, vivacious and highly gripping. Classic country-blues splendor. The kind of song that send shivers down your spine with its full-hearted
passion and its overwhelming sonority.
Wurlitzer jukeboxes were invented back then to play affecting tunes like this one
in smoky bars to comfort lonely souls and melancholic hearts. This sort of music
will never lose its healing impact.
A couple of weeks ago DEAP VALLY – guitarist/vocalist Lindsay Troy and drummer/vocalist Julie Edwards – one of the most exciting and dynamite garage rock acts, and utterly cool and drop-dead gorgeous feminists, of the past 10 years – on record, on stage and offstage, announced details of their farewell after 12 fuzzing and buzzing years.
They’ll say farewell with an extensive tour starting tomorrow in San Diego
and a new vinyl edition of their debut LP Sistrionix, out in Spring 2024.
Following their version of Baby Call Hell from their 2013 debut LP they just
shared their cooking cover of The Rolling Stones‘ Ventilator Blues track from
their 1972 masterpiece LP Exile On Main Street.
The song fits Deap Vally like a glove. The sultry vibe, the mid-tempo
blues swagger, the steamy drive. Feels like it was written for them.
Lindsay Troy‘s vocal performance is off the charts. She gives it her all. Julie Edwards
takes care, as usual, of the robust backbone beat, while sweltering guitars and a bluesy gospel choir complete their astonishing heart-and-soul exploit. I’ll give you two words: fucking awesome. Deap Vally has ignited their final fireworks. I’ll enjoy every minute of it.
Julie came up with the video, edited from 12 years of footage.
In order to not miss a beat Turn Up The Volume scans the musical
horizon daily (doing it for years now, actually) to stay in touch with
all new things sonically great and shares the results on a weekly
basis.
Check the 10 new rad cuts just
added to this rad 2023 playlist.
A couple of weeks ago Deap Vally, one of the best bands of the past 10 years
according to my ears and eyes, announced the end of their amazing journey.
They’ll say farewell with an extensive tour starting next month (all dates here),
a new vinyl edition of their debut LP Sistrionic (pre-order here), and this new
smashing version of their smashing single from that smashing debut album.
Superstar LENNY KRAVITZ (born Leonard Albert Kravitz in New York City
59 years ago) returns next year – 15 March 2024 – with his 12th album,
a double one, baptized Blue Electric Light.
Lead single ‘TK421’ is a 24-Carat funky rocker.
On the accompanying video Kravitz shakes a lot of bare body parts.
3. ‘Flutter On Your Signal’ by DEAD ANYWAY (Gloucester, UK)
I discovered this two outspoken and life-observing duo – Kate Arnold (lyrics/vocals)
and Marc Symonds (beats/instruments) only last week after on the occasion of an interview with politics driven, American punk poet Joshua Baumgarten of Dutch rock unit The Irrational Library.
Dead Anyway produces the very post-punk turmoil and
society-critical stories that I have loved since I was born.
Flutter On Your Signal comes from their new 4-track EP B-Sides And Oddities.
It’s a synth-shoving and drum-beating groover with turbulent spoken-word
vocals rolling over it. Think The Stone Roses‘ 1989 pysch jam Fools Gold. Yes,
that good.
“The song is a poignant reminder of the black hole the mainstream media and commercial
TV landscape can create in today’s society. Sometimes you have to change the channel to truly escape what is going on in our reality, but still somehow end up feeling remote. The song pulls together speaker, ripping guitar tones, driving bass lines, thumping drums and waving synthesisers for a very floaty vocal to sail on top of to hopefully fine you a channel that’s for you.”
This addictive LSD snorter invites you to channel your restless thoughts. It’s spiraling tempo, layered orchestration, poppy harmonies, afire guitars and zippy chorus combine for an amplified, psychedelic triumph.
“I am talking directly to God in this song. Whatever the concept of God is.
Real, fake, whatever. I am not flat-out saying what I believe. Though, I am
sure people are smart enough to know what and how I feel.”
Smith has so far two albums on his résumé, Rubedo (2022)
and last summer’s Obscura and no signs of a pause yet.
Black Angel is a sky-scraping standout of a song, with Smith‘s astonishing voice
as the hero in the middle. This impassioned doozy bursts with expressive emotion
and stirring sensibility. Bluesy, soulful, guitar-crazy Americana. I’m sure God added
it to his divine Spotify playlist.
Fulvetta are a Dublin-based 4-piece. They imbibe influences from a variety of
genres and bands without being in hock to them – dreamy, reverb-laden shoegaze pioneers My Bloody Valentine, classic 90s era Smashing Pumpkins and fuzzed up
noise from the likes of Dinosaur Jr. and Sonic Youth.
Disregard is a bittersweet shoegaze symphony going sky-high, propelled by layers
of guitar commotion after a dreamy intro. This sonic process repeats it itself with
dense intensity and grows towards a rhapsodic finale. Magnificent.
9. ‘Thorazine Bender’ by INSTANT SMILE (Philadelphia)
Philly‘s DIY rockers, husband-wife (guitarist Greg Phoenix and drummer Erin Berry)
draw influences from 60s and 70s era pop, classic rock, psych, and prog, and reformulate them into a thoughtful, satisfying, modern – and unique – take on rock and roll.
Opener Thorazine Bender is a blues-rock ripper spiced with rockabilly
guitar electricity, rattling drums, and edged vocals. I hear white stripes vibes
in my ears.
“The songs is about the beginning stages of a relationship, how you try to make yourself more intriguing or impressive than you are in order to keep that person interested. It also describes the feeling of hopefulness, bliss and loss of control that the start of any new relationship brings.”
No it’s not a new single from British shoegaze heroes Slowdive‘s brand new LP, but my ears tell me that All I Die For has the quality to be part of it. The breezy combination of shiny synths, radiant guitars, floating melodiousness and the whispering vocals will reveal why I made that comparison.
It’s PART 5 of Turn Up The Volume‘s yearly hot summer playlists.
A mix of new and old tunes. A mix of adrenalin-infused punk/rock
anthems, dance fireworks, and some moony musings to end the
party when the sun comes up.
Utterly cool female rock duo DEAP VALLY out of Los Angeles
released their 3rd album, named MARRIAGE in November 2021.
It was a top-10 LP of that year on Turn Up The Volume‘s list.
Deap Vally said: “Being in a band is like being in a marriage: sometimes it’s magical,
sometimes it’s unbearably challenging. To reinvigorate that marriage we’ve made
album three a genre-bending experiment with new collaborators and instrumentation
that push the limits of what has previously defined us. Marriage’ is our musical Rumspringa,
if you will. We’re breaking free of the rigid creative constraints within which we previously existed (two members, two instruments, two voices). Writing with the calibre of musicians
that we did on this record was an unforgettable experience, and we’re so happy to have
the result of our creative rebirth eternalised in ‘Marriage’.”
The album featured a number of collaborations including
songs with Peaches, KT Tunstall, and Warpaint‘s Jenny Lee.
Paradiso Club, Amsterdam – photo by Turn Up The Volume
Turn Up The Volume wrote: The message of Marriage is loud and clear: Lindsey
Troy and Julie Edwards are here to stay. Their musical bond is tighter than ever. Looking
to the future they broadened their musical horizons impressively. Mind you, don’t expect
a free jazz record. Deap Vally are still about rocking and rolling while tackling their demons with an intimidating vocal bravado, but in a far more varied way than before.
I hear eruptive echoes of Death From Above (Perfuction / Billions / I’m The Master), The Black Keys (Where Do We Go / Better Run), and early Deap Vally with a full-sound injection (Tsunami / Magic Medicine). And with Give Me A Sign (bringing Sparklehorse to mind) and the soul-stirring beauty of Look Away the couple shows their softer sonic side.
After 10 years and 3 LPS (and one together
with The Flaming Lips) their matrimony is alive and kicking.
Singles/clips: Tsunami / Magic Medicine / Perfuction
The Los Angeles rock Amazons DEAP VALLY – Lindsey Troy (guitar, vocals) and Julie Edwards (drums and vocals) – released their third LP called MARRIAGE (one of Turn Up The Volume’ top 10 albums of 2021) last month, with fervid firecracker MAGIC MEDICINE as the lead-single.
Deap Vally: “Magic Medicine is a song five years in the making, born in Allen Salmon’s Nashville studio, and raised in Josiah Mazzaschi’s Cave Studio back in LA. Initially, a song about being high on what-have-you (body chemistry, lab chemistry, nature’s chemistry) the lyrics have taken on a new meaning in the era of coronavirus, a moment when more than ever we need a miracle cure to make it safe to have fun and feel free again.”
Warning: the accompanying video clip will make you high.
A great reason for Turn Up The Volume to name this video
‘the best of 2021’.
Ounsworth (mastermind): “The songs are politically motivated,
which is unusual for me. It’s about what I think we’re all experiencing
at the moment, certainly here in the United States, anyway, trying
to move forward amidst an almost cruel uncertainty.”
Turn Up The Volume: Riveting tunes, sharp-cutting reflections,
magical sparks, Ounsworth‘s feverish voice, and his glittery guitar
play make this LP the best one since the self-titled 2005 debut.
Bewitching all the way. My 2021 number one
Turn Up The Volume: Finally, Iceage do what they were expected to do for a long
time. Creating a standout album that makes the hair in the back of your neck stand
up. Melodramatic with ardency, impassioned with vigour, emotional with grimness. Charismatic frontman Elias Bender Rønnenfelt leads the troops as never before.
Turn Up The Volume: From outlandish sonority – think Scott Walker – to
Zappa-esque adventurousness, from a ‘normal’ song (Marlene Dietrich) to
free jazz weirdness. The sonic search of this impressively inventive band is
both inscrutable and intriguing.
Cavalcade confirms the experimental brilliance of their debut LP. Miles Davis going post-punk in the 21st Century.
Turn Up The Volume: The drop-dead gorgeous sisters in rock arms Lindsey Troy
and Julie Edwards celebrate their 10th year of producing high-powered turbulence.
Their bond is tighter than ever and their boogie-woogie more varied than ever.
Mind you, don’t expect a jazz record. Deap Vally are still about rocking ‘n rolling
while tackling their demons with vocal bravado and forthright ruminations.
Old skool punk ‘n’ roll? Absolutely. Any good? You betcha!
Amyl and her buddies made another blistering riff-manic-monster of
a hell fucking hell yeah record. Pogo madness is back. Sturm und drang
from start to finish. Holy Moly!
Turn Up The Volume: This black and white pearl is the work of
the romantic Cave crooner meeting the haunting Cave crooner. Idyllic
orchestrations, classical arrangements, and bad seed Warren Ellis
showing, once more, his refined grandeur.
Turn Up The Volume: Manimal and Samara are a poetallica sensation.
A new laser light at the end of a mythical and tenebrous tunnel.
Imagine Sylvia Plath fronting a mind-challenging, noise-exploring band.
Their debut album is a multi-faceted opus in sound and vision. Puzzling poetry
exploring life, death, birth, past, present, and future embedded in titanic thunder
and lighting symphonies going from perplexing metal to chill-out ambient.
Turn Up The Volume: The amplified haziness of Slowdive, the mystifying
soulfulness of Spacemen 3, the multi-layer-constructing skills of My Bloody
Valentine.
Hallucinating soundscapes, synth shadowplays, and guitars dueling with
each other while tireless drums dauntlessly beat, and wailing voices wander
in an enigmatic fog of reverberation.
This is what the (sur)real world of Ghost Patterns sounds like.
Turn Up The Volume: This time the bombastic rockers take another direction
to express their emotiveness. Moody, nostalgic, melancholically romantic with
frontman Brandon Flowers looking back at his teenage years in his hometown
Utah. Think Bruce Springsteen‘s sentimentality on his masterpiece Nebraska.
Overall an emotive and melodramatic
record without going over the top.
For some critics, it’s too mellow.
For me, its gripping mellowness
that works just fine.
Liz Lamere (Vega’s widow) remembers: “Our primary purpose for going into the studio
was to experiment with sound, not to ‘make records. I was playing the machines with Alan manipulating sounds. I played riffs while Alan morphed the sounds being channeled through the machines.’
Turn Up The Volume: Most of the lost albums that eventually came/come to the
surface one day should have stayed lost forever. If they were good enough to be
released the moment they were recorded they would have never ended up in a
smelly cellar or, worst case, in a trash can.
So what about Alan Vega’s lost one? One: it feels special to have the legend back.
Two: the album seems to come from a very dark mind, from the obscure places
of Vega‘s soul, creating a nightmarish and Kafkaesque chill-out atmosphere for
a 30-minute David Lynch film-noir.
Turn Up The Volume: The rap and roll venom of Rage Against The Machine, the
fuck-you-hypocrites grimness of Black Flag, the punky saxophone of X-Ray-Spex,
the sharp poetic spit and sneer anarchy of Mark. E. Smith, the challenging spirit
of open-minded-and-ass-kicking-anti-establishment doom and gloom crusaders.
Sounds like 2021, like the end of the world as we know it.
Turn Up The Volume says: Like Pavement going prog rock with the sound- exploring
state of mind of Mogwai. Jazzy and classical music textures make sure your curious mind
is focused all the time. And singer Isaac Wood‘s voice resonates freakishly identical to the chilling voice of American songwriter Conor Oberst from indie band Bright Eyes.
It’s not a happy record, but who needs a tsunami of cheesy pop tunes in these science-fiction-like times, anyway. I know it’s their first time, but these hungry noise crusaders
will stun us again in the future.
Turn Up The Volume wrote: Gusto, high-spiritedness, and anxiety are the
keywords here. This warm-blooded record is a heart-rending reflection of the
group’s state of 2021 mind. A galvanizing collection of cohesive poignant emo
songs influenced by the disturbing way our troubled world is handling human
issues, once-in-a-lifetime dramas, and the personal turmoil of frontwoman Eline Chavez.
Her soul-stirring and powerful (Aretha Franklin / young Tina Turner) vox, the weeping
guitars, and the electrical intensity are at times overwhelming and heartbreaking. Impressive!
Turn Up The Volume: The essential message of this new powerhouse album is loud and clear: noise-challenging turbo Pink Room is here to stay! Their tsunami energy is beyond any decibel regulation. Again, loudmouth Bart Cocquyt leads the rip-roaring trio.
As I said before his vocal range is out-of-this-world. He easily could front a death metal band (Stay Black/Stay White) or a Nirvana reunion (Losing/Skin) or kick Ozzy Osbourne‘s ass (Hail Satan). Expect ear-shattering jackhammers, over-the-top frenzy, and clamorous lockdown paranoia.
Putain, putain, c’est vachement bien, nous sommes quand même tous des bohemiens.
