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.
Talking about being productive. The two charismatic rock queens Lindsey Troy and Julie Edwards from the city of angels, Los Angeles
released two EPs and their 3rd LP titled Marriage (with some of
the EP songs on it) this year.
Extended Play American Cockroach is the one I listened to the most
with its two steamrollers (I Like Crime / American Cockroach) and two
slower beauties (Give Me A Sign / Better Off With Nothing).
This cool black leather duo turns darkness into a stroboscopic
disco place where you can shadow dance yourself dizzy.
Their electro electricity, doomed drones, Goth echoes, eerie
baritone vocals, and synth riffs that stick as first-class glue
have both a mind-intoxicating impact and a sensual feel.
Thunder and lighting beats for the twilight hours.
Their brisk 6-track EP is a fitting soundtrack
to kick another virus year into oblivion.
I discovered these London misfits last October in Amsterdam playing there
as part of an indoor festival at the legendary Paradiso club. What I felt was
what felt so many times when seeing their mates Fat White Family slash and
trash stages.
You know, that feeling of pumped-up confidence to go out in
the street and kick some fascists’ asses. Hell bloody hell yeah!
Bad Time will tell you all about it…
. 4. ‘This Sceptic Isle’ by SHATTERCONES (London, UK)
Who: Politically outspoken rock outfit from London.
Opener Ghoul Driver sets the tremendously torrid tone of this jaw-dropping
extended play. An ominous outburst that threatens to explode any second. Say Goodbye both surprises and impresses with its longing Mexican tango
melodiousness.
Fulminating stroke Butterly Room is an acrimonious reflection on the state
of chaotic Brexit England and closer The Man Who Ate Capitalism progresses
at a funeral pace, lamenting and dolesome. Throughout, ill-omened vocals
cause goosebumps.
TMCF is a British pop/rock duo unafraid to blend ambience
with indie hooks to create a psychedelic experience. Formed
in a time of hopelessness.
Expect an instrumental synth/guitar opener (The Space In Between), a shadowy
prog-roller-coaster with twists and turns, and a magnetic bass riff (Thaumaturgy),
darkwavish pop-scapes (From Green To Grey / Collapse), a sparkling dreamtune (The Lions Den ) and a euphonic, vocal symphony with mellow piano touches
(Soon The World Goes Black). Top!
I discovered this brilliant post-punk turbo last month at an indoor festival in Amsterdam. The whole crowd went bananas. These motherrockers slash and trash with a burning vehemence and a flabbergasting fervency. Miami Lounge is the crackerjack opener of this year’s released 5-track EP Bad Time.
Now it’s your turn to discover this awesome London squad.
Earlier this month this dynamite hit team blew all punters away with their jaw-dropping gig in my hometown Ghent (Belgium). They razzled and dazzled with ebullient exertion, blistering British bluster, and a fuck Brexit fierceness. The roof went off.
Ded Würst, their newest single, is nothing less
than a nasty and filthy sledgehammer. Das super!
6. ‘His Ilk’ by BRONSON ARM (Kalamazoo, Michigan, US)
From Michigan here come 2 Pc Noisey Slacker Psychedelic Sludge Punks.
They joined Canada-based indie label Off White House Records
this year with a big bang.
Their newest outburst is a riffin’ rollercoaster that makes the hair in
your neck stand up with its metallic resonance and relentless bass
frenzy. Add nightmarish vocals and I’m sure Santa Claus will run
away in fear.
The alias of British singer-songwriter of Bobby Anderson.
Never Ready is a vicious droning blast. Wïlderman rankles,
rages, and has a bad taste in his mouth. Never ready for
her look and her voice. 133 seconds of sonic sex.
Hot groove, hot intensity, hot slam dunk. Fucktastic!
8. I Don’t’ Love You Anymore’ by CHATEAU CHATEAU (Tucson, Arizona, US)
Glam and glitter riot tattoo grrl Blue attracts all attention,
sonically as well as visually. She swirls and scintillates on this
new kick while cursing idiots who hate the LGBTQ+ community,
who hate tattoos, and who hate anybody who doesn’t live by
their ultra-conservative rules.
To hell with all these idiots.
Meanwhile, enjoy this jangly earworm that sticks as
first-class glue and reaches an aural orgasm every
time the chorus pops up.
With Absent Transient they show their masterly skills of writing ear-and-mind
pleasing pop tunes charged-up with rotating riffs and dreamy vocal harmonies.
When an old skool DJ teams up with Pulp’s Jarvis Cocker you
get a sizzling acid house corker to start and end all upcoming New Year’s Eve parties with.
13. ‘What You Keep Telling Yourself’ by DOWN WITH SPACE (Montreal, Canada)
The motorik and magnetic rhythm of this electronic exploit makes your head
turn 360°. The catching combination of near whispering vocals, scintillating David
Gilmour guitar vibrance and cybernated elegance create an overall ear-ecstatic
vibe culminating in a dynamic finale.
Expect flashy echoes of the 80s British New Romantics movement with
this instant catching pop spark, fueled with glimmering guitar/play,
impassioned vocals, and a non-stop drum beat.
This sugary pop bliss feels good at first, better the second time,
and the best with all other spins. Great pop-ular music is about
lifting up the listener’s mood to a euphoric level for about
3/4 minutes. Easier said than done, but not here.
Still is a glorious harmonious touchy-feely gem that appeals from
the kick-off with Gardiner‘s tantalising voice and Kuras‘ vitalizing
guitar ravishment. Add a delirious chorus and you have yourself
a 24-Carat top thrill.
This Italian singer-songwriter, born Patrizio Ottavianiiter,
produces a blend of psychedelic rock and Arabic harmonies.
Knight Of Cups is the latest single in a series of monthly releases this year.
Electric dream-pop at its tempting best. Sparkling, spirited, and seductive.
Nell Smith is a 13-year old fan of Oklahoma’s eccentric stargazers Flaming Lips
(one of my all-time fav bands). Frontman Wayne Coyne spotted her at one point
as she attended several gigs with her father. They got in touch and after Coyne
found out that she’s a singer he proposed her to work with the band on a Nick
Cave tribute album he already had in mind for some time.
They got all in the studio and the result is a 9-song Nick Cave
covers album baptized Where The Viaduct Looms with
the nightingale voice of Nell as the heroine in the middle.
You can stream the brand new record on Spotify
One of the standouts is her version of
the heart and soul ballad The Ship Song.
19. ‘Always Together With You’ by SPIRITUALIZED (Rugby, UK)
Jason Pierce and his orchestra have a new LP,
called Everything Was Beautiful coming on
25 February 2022
With this spellbinding symphony, he does what he does so splendidly for so long. This
first new piece is another soulful spiritual growing slowly into a gospel-like trance. Epic!
Last June mega-star-crooner Cave and his bad seed friend Warren Ellis
signed for one of the best LPs of 2021 with their astonishing Carnage opus.
And they’re not done yet. The duo releases the soundtrack they wrote for the French nature documentary Panthère Des Neiges (The Snow Leopard)on 17 December.
Here’s the magnificent taster We Are Not Alone.
A characteristic Cave humdinger. Tender and gripping.
Watch the magic, hear the magic…
See/hear you next month with the best 20 knockouts of 2021…
Band: DEAP VALLY Who: Utterly cool female rock duo out of Los Angeles Active: Since 2011 / 4 studio albums (the ace collaborative
one with The Flaming Lips last year, and the upcoming new
one included).
Recent work: Two EPs Digital Dreamand American Cockroach,
featuring several guests, released this year. Put together it’s an
extra Deap Vally album to my ears.
New album: MARRIAGE Released: 12th November 2021 – order info here
Deap Vally: “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 new LP also features a number of collaborations from the aforementioned
EPs, including songs with Peaches, KT Tunstall, and Warpaint‘s Jenny Lee.
(Halfway their marriage, 5 years ago in Amsterdam – photo by Turn Up The Volume)
DIY magazine/website says: “Deap Vally have never lacked swagger. Their riff-heavy combo has always seen them packing unending amounts of attitude, but on ‘Marriage’, it’s immediately evident that they’re striking out to a magnitude unreached so far… ‘Marriage’ is the sound of Deap Vally tapping back into what makes them tick, and lays the groundwork for their most exciting era yet. Score: 4/5.
Turn Up The Volume: 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.
Trust me, after 10 years their matrimony is alive and kicking.
Singles/clips: Tsunami / Magic Medicine / Perfuction
After 10 years the sisters in arms want to inject their bond with new musical challenges
to keep their marriage alive and kicking (they’ll be always alive and kicking anyway).
Their new LP called, yes, Marriage and lands on 12 November.
The first taster is a slo-mo synth-vaccinated groove with Lindsey Troy‘s fully charged
guitars all over it and Julie Edwards, as usual taking care of the solid backbone drum
beat. Troy‘s vocals and Edwards echoing voice in the back give the song an extra thrill.
Expect a slash and trash jackhammer, an angry
spit and sneer storm, a Sturm und Drang uppercut.
143 seconds of furious frustration is what you get. Retro organs
clatter like if a nightmare is just around the corner, but Domestic
thunders like he’s a determined survivor who will not go down
just like that.
I listened to the title track of this London-based singer/songwriter’s new album
about 50 times, so far. It’s a guitar-driven riff-hook-and-lick standout that cuts like
a new Swiss knife with feverish and heartfelt vocals amplifying the dumbfounded
chorus. Holy smoke.
The rock ‘n roll swagger of Eddie Cochran, the surf guitar electricity
of Link Wray, and the fervent fire of Bo Diddley. Get the punchy
picture? This rollin’ razzle-dazzle riffage will boost your mood.
London’s funk-punk gang is gearing up
for their big breakthrough album.
This first taster is a trippy bass-driven disco groove you can sway
your hips to in the morning while waking up, in the evening while
getting drunk, and during the day when you’re getting bored.
When surreality becomes reality cry outs like these pop up to translate
alienated feelings that dominate your daily life. This club of two decided
to embed their frustration into a swirling dance stunner for our doomed
generation.
Pithy, peppery, and a blacked-out chorus that sticks as primo glue.
Add glamorous vocals and a glittering full-on wall-of-sound and the
final result is a supersonic stunner.
‘It’s Critical’ by SAVING JACKIE (San Antonio, Texas)
The heated rap-rock gang from San Antonio launched
a video for the title track of their debut album.
The clip is a clear-cut message regarding life-threatening diseases.
Flamboyant frontwoman Jenny 4C Ramirez emphasizes the fight
for your life bravery while making your blood stream faster through
your veins.
These young gunslingers rushed to indie stardom with their ace jazz and prog-rock influenced debut LP For The First Time.
Isaac Wood (frontman) about this brand new song: “it’s the best song we’ve ever
written. We threw in every idea anyone had with that song. So the making of it was
a really fast, whimsical approach – like throwing all the shit at the wall and just
letting everything stick.”
A blazing rock slam about the desperate need for stable emotional stimulation.
Blustering guitars, flurried synths, hot-blooded vocals, a discharging chorus, and somewhere in the middle a thunder and lighting guitar solo to electrocute all your
mind-destroying demons. Every time you take this medicine, you’ll get a kick out of it.
If you like British turbo Royal Blood
you’ll go berserk to this cracker too.
Instantly effective pop tunes like these make me smile
from left to right and back. Shiny guitars with shoegazy
sparks, a dizzy-making rhythm, happy-go-lucky sentiments,
and seducing vocals. A song that would turn Taylor Swift
into an indie star.
A crystal-clear structured protest against greedy political sharks and
megalomaniac charlatans oppressing people for their own devastating
agendas. Again Manimal and Samara show how to fuse poignant poetry
and versatile metal genres.
The fab goth-metal gang made an album with goth heroine Chelsea Wolfe
and Cave In‘s Stephen Brodsky. The LP, titled Bloodmoon: I will soundtrack
our nightmares from November 19 on.
Here comes the first piece Blood Moon. A classic mix of deafening bombast,
theatrical doom and gloom, barking voices (except for Chelsea of course), and
hardcore torment. A perfect Halloween monster.
White continues her sound-exploring search. Here she fuses
symphonic instrumentation with deep-bass-resonating synth
turbulence. Trippy, dissonant, and even claustrophobic when
short fragments of White‘s restless breathing emerge somewhere
in there.
The ongoing pizzicato violin play adds both an airy and eerie timbre.
I have no idea what the totally silent outro with some echoes of (what
seems to be) firecrackers in the very end, is about. What I do know is
that the first thought that crossed my mind when hearing this, was: Aphex Twin is back, in disguise.
Pretty quick into the song the early days of electronic
British legends Human League and Baxter Dury‘s synth
pop sensuality (especially the female voices) popped up
on my stereo in my head.
It sounds as if this Boston tandem warns us of Big Brother’s ambition to brainwash humankind with mind-altering chemicals with this darksome, yet instantly striking
electro jam. Haunting, feverish, and gloomy are the keywords here. Best played at
night while being dazed and confused by the surreal times we experience the past
18 months.
It’s been a while since I heard an epic belter that evokes
an image on the screen in my head of a massive stadium
filled with a sea of people holding their phones up with
shining lights and scream at the top of their lungs.
This powerful love ballad will
trigger your romantic side…
Band: DEAP VALLY Who: Utterly cool female rock duo out of Los Angeles Active: Since 2011 / 4 studioalbums (the ace collabarotive
one with The Flaming Lips last year, and the upcoming new
one included).
Recent work: Two EPs Digital Dream and American Cockroach,
featuring several guests, released this year. Put together it’s an
extra Deap Vally album to my ears.
New album: MARRIAGE Out: 12th November 2021 – order info here
Deap Vally: “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 new LP also features a number of collaborations from the aforementioned
EPs, including songs with Peaches, KT Tunstall, and Warpaint‘s Jenny Lee.
”’Magic Medicine’ is a song five years in the making. 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.”
Turn Up The Volume: Deap Vally is dead! Long live Deap Vally! This year’s two EPs (see above) surprised us with other sonic sides of these two steamy sisters in rock. After 10 years they inject their bond with new musical challenges (mind you, I still go bonkers to their first two blues-rock albums). And here’s the first taster. A slo-mo synth-vaccinated groove with glimmering Lindsey Troy guitars all over it and Julie Edwards, as usual taking care of the solid backbone drum beat. And Troy‘s vocals and Edwards echoing voice in the back give the song an extra thrill.
Trust me, this magic medicine will protect you against post-lockdown blues.
Turn Up The Volume‘s 15 Knockout Tracks for May 2021!
A storming stream of rattling rippers and jagged jams…
All together on Spotify…
. One by one…
‘AMERICAN COCKROACH’ by DEAP VALLY (Los Angeles) Deap Vally is back at their rock-blues meanest. Steaming,
intimidating, and totally fired-up. Touchdown!
Drop the bomb on me
Drop the bomb on me
I got armor on me Feed me anarchy
I am perfect, Evolutionary
You can’t kill me,
The world belongs to me…
. ‘GUIDED BY ANGELS’ by AMYL & THE SNIFFERS (Australia) Amyl rants again like a riot-gun rap punkette on an all-conquering mission.
From the gunslingers’ new, second album Comfort To Me, out in September.
Make way, folks, here she comes…
‘HEAT’ by WHISPERING SONS (Belgium)
This is the best Whispering Sons crackerjack my ears ever heard. Haunting, chilling,
and catchy as hell. This is a mad motherrocker with frontwoman Fenne sounding like
a female Scott Walker. A speedy stomper. Bingo!
‘ZOOM ZOOM’ by TOYAH (Birlingham, UK)
With beloved husband Robert Fripp, Toyah puts up a hilarious cover show every Sunday
for months now, but now she’s back in her own special way. Zoom Zoom rattles and rolls with funky flair, hip-shaking hooks, and glamorous gusto. This sticks all the way. Score!
From her upcoming album Posh Pop, out 27th August.
Start a revolution, talk like Andy Warhol and become a millionaire here…
‘OH!’ by THE LINDA LINDAS (Los Angeles)
After going viral with previous single Racist, Sexist Boy the young Riot grrls hit again with
a pithy pop-punk roller that thunders ahead from the flashy get-go and rushes to its hurrah finale.
Pretty cool, pretty wild, pretty Lindas…
‘I, MORON’ by LOVELY EGGS feat. Stooges icon Iggy Pop
The menacing way immortal icon Iggy Pop pronounces moron several times, makes
you desperately hope you’re not one, all the more so that a jackhammer is drilling
along Pop‘s intimidating tone. Bang-on stunner!
Moron, moron, moron…
‘COMMUNICATION BREAKDOWN’ by REAL SICKIES (Edmonton, Canada)
No brakes. No special effects. Only red-hot-blooded hullabaloo. Louder than
the Ramones. Sickies don’t talk, they roar. Sickies don’t pretend, they are 4 real. Real Sickies are for rockers, for punks, and for noisemakers. Hallelujah!
‘BLAME IT’ by MARLOW (East Sussex, UK)
I have had this instant knockout on repeat since I discovered it last week.
A solid gold stormer “about the lack of communication in relationships and
how people try to avoid responsibility for their issues by shifting the blame onto
others and coming up with excuses.”
Its sticky pop melodiousness, its hefty panache, its passionate vocals, and
its fiery chorus are simply irresistible. Don’t blame Marlow. They rock big time!
One of the best singles of 2021! Fact!
Here‘s why…
. ‘WHEN THE WHIP GOES CRACK’ byTHE BATTERY FARM (UK)
This spine-chilling, self-flagellation outcry sizzles like a vicious serpent. Prepare yourself
for a demons-inflicted nervous breakdown, for a jagged jam that makes the hair in your neck stand up. Slowly but surely the intensity goes up and the insanity kicks in. Infuriating powers take over until the out-of-breath end. Goodness, gracious!
Get impressed right here…
‘DEFEND YOUR TEMPLE’ by TYPHOID ROSIE (Brooklyn)
Imagine imperishable rockers Green Day fronted by a rousing female fury.
A loud and clear feminist you better not mess with her. This punk ‘n slam
stonker will get you out of your lazy couch in a blink of an eye.
. ‘OLD JOE’ by SEADOG (Brighton, UK) Old Joe moves and grooves from the kick-off. Its ongoing Krautrock-like hypnotizing spell, its energizing synth mesmerism, its repetitive beat, its echoing vocals, all contribute to the psychedelic impact of this exciting trip. Once you’ve joined the ride, you won’t get off. Clear-cut crackerjack!
Experience the vibrant vibe…
‘MAKE UP YOUR DAMN MIND’ by SINGLE RUIN (Brighton, UK)
Swirling electro-pop with an unwavering ongoing bass beat à la Modest Mouse that gets under your skin before turning and twisting surprisingly towards the end. Fascinating piece! From the new 7-track EP Unique.
Tune in here…
. ‘TIME TRAVEL‘ by PARTEFACTS (Berlin, Germany)
Imagine: Hundreds of sweaty bodies dancing hyperkinetically in a shadowy Berlin discotheque on a feverish Saturday night. Everybody minds their own business,
everybody ignores the pandemic reality for a while. Funky shake-your-booty bangers
like these are ravishing and rapturous. Exactly what we need right now.
Get up and go gaga ..
‘THE EAR FAIRY’ by MONSIEUR POMPIER’S TRAVELLING FREAKSHOW (Dublin, Ireland)
Puzzling eccentricity by Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Freaks Club Band. This town ain’t big enough for Sparks and Mister Pompier jumping out-t of-the-normality box with synth-asia pop. Don’t worry, be a weirdo and do the French cancan.
‘HONEY I BELIEVE’ by TRICKSHOOTER SOCIAL CLUB (Chicago)
This first upbeat single made my fingers snap, my feet tap, and my head twist from the flaming get-go. This rollin’ ripper gets under your skin and in your veins without asking permission, and, trust me, you’ll love it. Clear your room and lose yourself.
Move here to the beat…
‘DIG ME UP’ by HANNAH ROBINSON (England)
The rock swagger of Sheryl Crow, the melodramatic richness of Florence Welch, and a vivid voice as imposing as St. Paul’s Cathedral.
The combination of those envigorating elements leads to emotional
resurrection. Dig Me Up is Robinson’s sonorous and liberating triumph.
Press play here…
. ‘FRIENDLY IS BETTER’ by WOLF VANWYMEERSCH (Belgium) Wolf could be the singer of Belgian top band Balthazar, Wolf could be the unknown
brother of Bonnie “Prince” Billy, but at the end of the day, Wolf is Wolf. After his wistful debut single Not To he continues his musing journey, on his horse, with this slo-mo meditation. Friendly is better, Wolf is better.
Catch the friendly mood here…
‘ALL THE LOVE YOU GIVE‘ by THE FOREIGN FILMS (Canada)
After a bang bang bang intro, you enter Beatles territory. Melodic splendor polyphonic harmonies and All You Need Is Love trumpets. This is 60s pop splendor at its sunlit finest. Feels like we’ll have new flowers in our hair this summer. The swinging sixties spirit. Lovely!
. ‘THE LIONS DEN‘ byTMCF (UK)
A shadowy dream-tune with a rotating rhythm making you run to the first dance
floor you find around. Pirouette yourself dizzy, folks, and forget these viral lion’s
den times for 339 seconds. Trust me, it helps to activate your body’s movements.
Make your best moves here…
. ‘REMEMBER WE WHERE LOVERS’ by Bobby Gillespie and Jehnny Beth
Surprising collaboration between the frontman of Primal Scream and front lady of Savages. They bring those 60s melancholia stars Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazlewood back to life, and it works wonderfully. Dim the light and hit some candles. From the new albumUtopian Ashes.
Turn Up The Volume: After the equal top-notch Digital Dream EP Deap Vally shine again on this follow-up, with some help from their
friends. Put the two 4-track EPs together (I did) and you get nothing
less than the amazing amazons’ best album (so far)! A gloriously
varied and high-quality pop/rock/blues accomplishment. Please
come back to Belgium (asap)!
Turn Up The Volume: Combine D.A.F.‘s industrial vibes, Sisters Of Mercy‘s gloom and doom hallucinations and Depeche
Mode‘s pop-noir thrills and you have the soundtrack for midnight
summer parties.
Band:EMPTY HEAD Who: Up and coming hit team from Liege, Belgium. They cultivate the contrasts
and hold both the visceral intensity of Seattle’s grunge and the bewitching fever
of California’s desert rock. The resulting blatant firepower is then used by singer
Simon Galloy as a support for his dark and intimate lyrics, which evoke topics such
as dreams and delusion, introspection, and the anxiety of the passage of time.
Turn Up The Volume: From supersonic prog-punk-rock to towering primal screams
and psychedelic ax riffage, from mind-crushing paranoia and muscled turbulence to
swing moods emotions. Your ears will not feel the same again after listening to this full-headed whirlwind.
Artist: NICOLE MARXEN Who: Dallas-based musician and visual artist.
Known as one of the shiny dark innovators behind
acclaimed avant-garde pop band Midnight Opera.
Marxen says “In many ways, it was a crucial first step in my own grieving
process and self-discovery as a songwriter. Being so rooted in showmanship,
I hadn’t explored such vulnerability in my work before. when I began to shift
my efforts inward, I found that my truth very much needed to be expressed.
The song serves as a reminder to hold space for myself.”
Turn Up The Volume: You actually can feel Nicole Marxen‘s pain of losing
her mother as titanic industrial synth wallops petrify your perplexed mind.
She wants to ease the gloom and doom impact of her dramatic loss so her
wounded heart and restless soul can breathe free again. Chelsea Wolfe is
around the corner, listening in the shadow.
Artist: HANNYA WHITE Who: Musician/modern art painter and video maker,
based in London creating an unusual combination of
the playful and the dystopian.
Score: 4 love songs for those who want to explore the dark side of their
inner self by watching David Lynch movies. I’m sure Hannya White is one
of them. The way she infiltrates your worried thoughts with electro-scapes
boggles your psyche. It’s a puzzling experience. Expect the unexpected.
Chaotic music for chaotic people in chaotic times.
TUTV says: Deap Vally invited their friends jennylee (Warpaint), Soko, KT Tunstall, Peaches and Jamie Hince (The Kills). With such
an impressive cast you can’t get but 4 genuine gems: 2 soulful
ballads and 2 bluesy grooves. Top stuff! And a new EP is already
canned. Can’t wait. More info about American Cockroachhere.
EP: ELASTICITY – solo debut Released: 19 March 2021
TUTV says: 5 sledgehammers with balls, perfect to start
insane moshpits with. Tankian still roars, rants and rattles
as if nothing else matters. Absobloodylutely noisetadtic!
TUTV says: Combine D.A.F.‘s industrial vibes, Sisters Of Mercy‘s
gloom and doom hallucinations and Depeche Mode‘s pop-noir
thrills and you know it’s time for a dazzling house-lockdown-party.
TUTV says: Dream pop at its very best. Sonic melancholia for
the twilight hours with the sensual voice of Elisabeth Thorsen.
Imagine Mazzy Starr‘s wonderful Hope Sandoval wandering
at night in empty city streets while whispering her lullabies.
TUTV says: Expect electrifying head-spinning rippers you
can play out loud to deafen your lockdown demons with.
But this Chicago gunslingers also show their moody blues
side on this excellent debut EP.
TURN UP THE VOLUME 