Much-lauded Los Angeles-based band EELS fronted and orchestrated by
compelling singer-songwriter Mark Oliver Everett released their staggering
debut LP BEAUTIFUL FREAK today 30 years ago, on 13 August 1996.
It was the first album as Eels, but before, Everett
already produced 3 LPs under his own name
#5 in the UK / #114 in the US
Artwork: Everett had suggested having a little girl with big eyes on the cover.
The girl that came in to have her picture taken incidentally looked “like a miniature
Susan” to him, referring to his ex-girlfriend and the subject of the song ‘Susan’s House‘.
Q magazine wrote: “A complete musical vision, a genre-spanning
soundscape that reels you in with its myriad hooks.”
TUTV: This debut still stands out on Eels‘ catalog (15 LPs so far,
and #16 Cookie Happened, landing on October 16th).
Band: GARBAGEBARBIE Who: 4-piece that has carved a space for themselves in Los Angeles’ DIY scene, gaining a reputation for hosting rowdy and oftentimes free, themed shows. Combining elements of Britpop, glam, punk, French disco, and garage rock, garbagebarbie’s confrontational racket refuses to be confined by genre.
Dan Karasev (drummer): “The song holds up a mirror to ourselves. It pokes fun at the LA bar scene which even though we can make fun of, it doesn’t change the fact that we are still in that scene. “
Single artwork
TUTV: Prepare your eardrums for a punked-up motherrocker, a savage haymaker,
a sped-up barnstormer. The unyielding harshness increases with every second and
every time the clamorous chorus kicks in, it’s all hands on deck.
Band: TRÄŠHBAG Who: Hefty Irish duo from Dublin (where everyone seems to in a band lately).
They spent time playing in numerous bands together or standing in for each
other in various bands. They produce a volatile blend of visceral punk rock
and post-punk.
TUTV: OMG! These two nice-looking guys aren’t that nice on record.
They smash, clash and trash with their white van. All hell breaks loose from the outset.
This noxious sledgehammer does your poor head in with non-stop industrial-punk slams.
Wham bloody wham bam! Throw some agitated vocals in the mix and
the volcanic eruption is complete. By far, best debut single of June.
Peter Zaremba (frontman): “It’s about ‘wet-blankets’ in situations
where people should be enjoying life. Basically a positive message
behind the snarky tone. Have some fun. And Goa was great.”
TUTV: Expect a sassy slice of heavy-duty knock-out rock ‘n’ garage roll.
These vivid vets still know all the revved-up tricks to set your speakers
on fire.
Band: TV PINS Who: Indie five-piece based across London and the West Midlands.
They blend prog-pop, new wave, and Americana influences with a
distinctly British alt-rock songwriting sensibility – pairing 70s-inspired
vocal harmonies with a sharp, 90s-influenced energy.
They released their debut album Aircutter in 2024.
Track: VERSION OF LOVE
Cut from their forthcoming
self-released EP.
Grace Hinks (LGBTQ+ vocalist): “To me, it’s about accepting and standing up to
those who don’t embrace all forms of love – romantic, aromantic, and especially
queer joy. It’s about celebrating that openly.”
TUTV: Version Of Love is a perky pop pearl that promptly activates your dance-hungry
body. A sparkling guitar riff, summery vibes, warm-hearted melodiousness, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed vocals, and an infectious tunefulness come together to soundtrack an
all-inclusive love gathering.
John Lennon was right all along ‘All You Need Is Love’.
This way for cloud-nine, people, next to that vibrant
rainbow.
Band: BRICKHOUSE Who: Fresh hit team from Manchester that evokes the uncompromising static
of The Jesus and Mary Chain and the measured rebellion of The Velvet Underground.
Sharp (vocalist/guitarist/songwriter): “Angel Eyes is, at its core, about being haunted.
Not in the supernatural sense, but rather the persistent melancholy. The lingering of
memories after losing a lover and being unsure as to how to help yourself let go and
be released from the curse of seeing someone in everybody else you meet.”
TUTV: Welcome to Brickhouse‘s remarkable debut belter. Angel Eyes is a psych-infused steamroller, going back-and-forth, motorized by alarming guitars, a pounding beat, jittery vocals, and a trenchant chorus that keeps coming back to haunt you with force – think The Velvet Underground ripper ‘Run Run Run‘, but slower.
“‘Go Out’ is essentially from the perspective of an anti-social individual in
a relationship with a social butterfly. Basically, the older we get the more we
enjoy staying home and we’re tired of apologizing for it.”
TUTV: Full of vim and vigour guitar pop at its riveting best. Big intro, big sound, big melody, very big chorus. Got up this morning with the wrong leg? Put this enlivening tune on your headphones (on repeat), go out and embrace the day.
Track: SEEING IN THE DARK
2nd single from their debut album, named Electric Pleasure, out October 30.
“Originally inspired by a dream melody that arrived complete with the phrase “We The Ugly People,” recalling the classic Leonard Cohen line, “we are ugly but we have the music” as well as Pulp’s “Common People,” the chorus lyric drew from this sly sense of solidarity.
Drawing influence from the spiritual yearning and melodic immediacy of classic mid-’70s power pop, particularly Dwight Twilley Band’s “Looking for the Magic,” “Seeing In The Dark” emerged as a celebration of collective connection and shared resilience.”
TUTV: From the kick-off, with its thudding drum/bass beat intro, your eager ears know that Seeing In The Dark is a vivacious and vigorous guitar pop feat. Brisk duet vocals intensify the kicky vibe. A sonic trill for common people like you and me.
TUTV: Full blast forward from square one. It Gets Worse fires on all riff-charging cylinders. Vivid vocals lead the compulsive troops who’re bucked up by about a hundred guitars and a choleric drummer.
Think Blink-182 fronted by supercool rock chick Avril Lavigne. And when the
terrifically catchy chorus comes on like a comet without brakes, it’s all getting
better.
TUTV: Courtney Love is back with her band Hole. Well, not really, but
there’s definitely a sonic and attitude connection with this roasting Irish
engine. Constance rocks you off your socks in just under 3 minutes.
They race with high-voltage speed from the blitz start on, gas-powered by furious
guitars, a raving mad drummer and Chelsea Andrews‘s spiteful vocals. WTF! Fasten
your seatbelts. Gush turns you upside down with this torrid turbocharger.
“Now is all we have. The present is slipping away, the
future isn’t guaranteed, so what are we waiting for?”
TUTV: Expect a brisklt paced and jangly earworm electrified by a flood of jangly riffs, with melancholic vocals floating all over it. Think The Drums and Tame Impala teaming up in the studio together. No brakes, no breaks. We all know we live in chaotic, bodeful times, so
I propose we play this bracing gem on repeat and extend the careless, summer feel.
Homme: “It’s kind of a funny song. It’s like hitting your funny bone, where it’s funny because
it hurts and it hurts because it’s funny. You’re serious, but it’s funny. We made it the way you’d make a demo. No click track, mistakes left in. It speeds up, it slows down, the claps aren’t great, but they’re not bad, and a bad clap adds this human thing you can’t fake.”
TUTV: Certainly another kind of feel-good summer hit than the one from 2000. No bragging about taking a ton of drugs here. No macho riffs. No astronomic power speed. Easy Street is an acoustic pop nugget. Infectiously melodic, spiced with duet vocals here and there. Let the freaks and the birds sing.
Band: ELEPHANT STONE Who: Acclaimed psych outfit fronted by Rishi Dhir, a songwriter and sitarist who
has spent twenty years blurring the lines between Western psych-pop and Indian
classical.
Track: I GOT A PILL
Single from the band’s new upcoming LP, baptized Asha.
It’ll come our way on August 26th.
Album cover
TUTV: Weird intro, weird end. But in between we get an organ-flavoured and lively guitar psych-pop gem. An energizing and hopped-up foot stomper. Elephant Stone know, for a long time, how to groove and move exhaustively, how to please your aural appetite for galvanizing gems. Take this pill three times per day and shake your booty.
“The song introduces us to a possibly unreliable narrator who is nearing the end of the road and is saying goodbye. The song was recorded live at Black Mountain Studios in Co. Louth and captures the energy of the band’s live performances.”
TUTV: Eels have a new album out soon. This is one of the instantly recognisable tracks. Well, it easily could be. Carry On Without Me‘s funky flow, lazy vocals, relaxing ambiance, breezy sparkling guitar glow and perky duet vocals on the contagious chorus lift this song
to E’s magnetic level.
Band: THE DURUTTI COLUMN Who: Post-punk project of Manchester-born, experimental singer-songwriter-guitarist Vincent Gerard “Vini” Reilly (now 72). The band’s name refers to the Durruti Column,
an anarchist military unit in the Spanish Civil War, named after Buenaventura Durruti.
Track: SCAMMER
New piece from their upcoming 28th full-length,
called Renascent, out on July 31st. Order infohere.
TUTV:Reilly‘s vulnerable voice carries this both melancholic and spellbinding musing designed with warm background synths and shiny guitar sparks. Just beautiful, really beautiful. Can’t wait to hear the comeback album.
TUTV: The Scottish daydreamers haven’t changed their longtime sonic formula
one bit. They still sound like The Byrds did in the 60s, like nightingales on a bright
summer afternoon.
Artist: JOHNNY MARR Who: The former The Smiths‘ guitar hero, who played afterward
several years with Modest Mouse, also with The Pretenders, Brian
Ferry and many more.
Track: OPHELIA
New piece from his new LP,
his 5th solo one. Out Oct 2.
TUTV: Marr does what he already did for
ages, writing catchy, jangly pop tunes.
Who: Acclaimed psych rock outfit fronted by Rishi Dhir,
songwriter and sitarist who has spent twenty years
blurring the lines between Western psych-pop and Indian classical.
Band: RADIO FREE ALICE Who: Post-punk, art-punk, and new-wave rockers from down
under with an energetic, operatic swagger reminiscent of 1980s
bands. So far they have released 3 EPs.
Artist: JOHNNY MARR Who: The former The Smiths‘ guitar hero, who played afterward
several years with Modest Mouse, also with The Pretenders, Brian
Ferry and many more.
Track: SPIN
First single from his forthcoming album, his 5th solo
full-length, baptized The Age Of Everything. Out October 2.
TUTV: Marr never copied TheSmiths‘ work.
With Spin he delivers a cathcy pick-me-up.
Moffat: “I grew up in the ’80s, and sometimes I feel like I’m living my youth again: the same myths of a once glorious nation prevail, and the threat of global war seems constant; economic inequality and class divisions just seem to get worse and worse, and the same old bigotries are being encouraged in very dangerous ways.
I try to keep positive by telling myself I’ve seen this kind of thing before
and it will pass. And, of course, venting my frustrations in a big, noisy
banger.”
TUTV: Guess what, the Scots rock out as never before. Yeah!
Band: EELS
Who: Singer-songwriter Mark Oliver Everett‘s combo.
Track: CAP IN HAND
Lead single from new album, their 16th, named Cookie Happened. It’ll land on October 16th.
Everett: “I wanted to sound kind of worn out for this one too, like someone
who’s messed up their life but now sees the error of their ways and is trying
to make amends with their tail between their legs.”
TUTV: The new Eels one is both
a darkly reflective and funky cut.
Band: THE DIRTY THREE (Australia) Who: Australian experimental, instrumental band
from Australia, featuring bad seed and close Nick
Cave collaborator Warren Ellis.
Artists: ARROWS OF ATHENA (Boston, MA) Who: Boston-based duo – multi-instrumentalist/producer Scott Lerner and vocalist/lyricist Jac-Lyn Gibson – who craft a distinct sound on their own terms, bridging usually disparate ends of the pop and rock spectrum for an illuminated sound of big dance beats, heavy riffs, and melodic intensity.
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.
This week’s 10 new rad additions.
Press photo
Band: IDLES Who: Bristol‘s punk heroes with
5 first-rate albums under their belt. Track: MOOD SWINGS
It’s a cover of a recent hit by English hip-hop rapper Little Simz
Band: GREEN CROW COLLECTIVE Who: New unit from Belgium led by seasoned
singer-songwriter Roeland Vandemoortele. Track: COOLCATS
One of the double A-side debut single from
upcoming album Hard Drive Error that lands
in September.
No brakes, no breaks, no mistakes. Always full steam ahead driven by schizo guitars, steadfast drumming, and cool rock cats meowing all together. Steaming debut.
Infectious mid-tempo pop tune with an easygoing feel, making you
want to go outside and hip-hop in the streets with a smile on your
face, freed from all daily buzz and fuzz.
Everybody wants to know
Where do you stand?
But I wanna free myself
I wanna free myself
When the sail is moving slow
I dream of sand
But how do you leave yourself?
Can you leave yourself?
Artist:SOFIA GILLANI Who: Pop and soul singer/songwriter based in London.
Taking cues from ballad icons such as Sia, Adele, and Ariana Grande, she crafted a sound of her own. Track: WYN
A post-break up tune sounding funky and upbeat, as if Gillani is relieved and
wants to look forward. She’s blessed with an enthralling voice that takes you
to a starry-eyed place.
Uncut (British music magazine: “Throughout his three-decade career, E has brought
a hushed beauty to the act of staring into the abyss, and his use of space on EELS TIME!
(all caps for added irony) makes this lonely guy seem that much more lost in space.”
TUTV: Sounds like Everett was all by himself in the studio to record this album with
its 12 tenebrific songs. Despite the exclamation mark in the LP’s title and E’s kicking
image on the cover, the overall sonic atmosphere is downcast and laid-back.
Moony lullabies, meditative musings, shadowy melodies, and a couple of half-lively tunes is what we get. Everett isn’t the happiest boy on the block, as we know him, and he reminds us of it for 41 mellow minutes. Sombre reveries for lonely nights.
Singles/clips: Goldy / If I’m Gonna Go Anywhere / Time
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 2024 playlist.
ALL TOGETHER
. TRACK BY TRACK
Artist:CEMENTO ATLANTICO Who: The electronic project of Italian producer
and DJ Alessandro “ToffoloMuzik” Zoffoli
Cemento Atlantico‘s logo is made up of the initials “C” and “A”. According to him: «The letter ‘A’ indicates the first Ocean I crossed, the Atlantic one, while the letter” C – represented by a crescent Moon, with no political or religious reference – symbolizes rebirth or the advent of a new life in many ancient and modern cultures».
TUTV: This mid-tempo techno boomer spellbinds from start to finish.
Magnetic vibrations interwoven with hip-swaying synth eurhythmics and
echoing vocals. Top!
Band: TIHONUS Who: Belgian trio, led by singer/guitarist/songwriter Ben Overlaet, that sets course
to an unknown destination since 2009, inspired by the grunge movement of the early nineties and the feedback & dissonance of noise rock.
TUTV: Expect a medium-paced rock sucker-punch fueled by roasting guitar riffage, Herculean drumming and sassy vocals. Think of Korn‘s cast iron resonance. So I’ve
Been Told will test your stereo’s resilience.
Band: SPRINTS (Ireland) Who: Irish post-punk sensation, fronted by the utterly cool Karla Chubb ,
who released their stellar debut LP Letter To Self last January.
Band: TYPHOID ROSIE Who: Robust retro rockers out of Brooklyn, New York
fronted by Rosie Rebel, producing high-energy sing-along
alt/power punk with pop hooks and indie grit.
Track: COVER IT UP
Second shared single from their, forthcoming
5th album, named Last Words, out on June 21.
“It’s a war to love yourself. So here’s an affirmation you can shout from rooftops and
on the tops of mountains, and most importantly when you’re looking in the mirror.”
TUTV: Get up, stand up and fight for your right to love
yourself, and screaming it out loud at the top of your lungs.
War, Hate, Distrust, Propaganda, Bullying and all the horrible attributes of life,
we don’t need it!! We have seen it all and it does not make us happy, let us break
the cycle and stop the unhappiness!!
TUTV: Wow! What a powerhouse debut single. Terrifically vigorous
and puissant, with a titanic guitar-blazing and drum-hammering chorus.
Band: MASCOTS Who: Outfit formed in the fall of 2014, as a dynamic passion project among five friends hailing from the outskirts of Cincinnati, Ohio, fusing infectious melodies, electrifying guitar riffs, and pop anthemic undertones.
“Vertigo” is the natural evolution and next step in finding hope, and seeing glimpses of a future beyond the instant satisfaction we so often seek. A social commentary on quick fixes that we use to tear ourselves down. It is the discovering of new possibilities and finding support to regain a sense of purpose.
TUTV: This is a towering Green Day-esque piledriver motorized by a peppered-up drum/bass tandem, haywire guitars, agitated vocals and a muscular chorus.
Artist: SOPHIE SHREDZ Who: The artistic project of New Jersey-born, Nashville-based vocalist, songwriter, and guitarist Sophie Ruggiero. She was raised listening to classic rock greats like Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, and Heart, and became an avid guitar player by the age of 7.
‘OMG’ is about living rent free in another person’s head. It’s about when someone’s hate
for you turns into an obsession. The song pokes fun at them for wanting to tear me down
when I’m thriving and living my best life. ‘OMG’ opened up a lot of new ideas for my upcoming album and influenced where the SOPHIE SHREDZ project is going creatively and sonically.”
TUTV: Booming electro hip-hop fireworks is what youe ears will hear.
A razzle-dazzle clip is what your eyes will see. If you love Alice Glass
you’ll definitely love SS.
“The overall concept for the video was creation, control and worship. We wanted to stay true
to the SOPHIE SHREDZ vibe while adding a darker twist to create a vampire chic moment.”
