As announced last June Los Angeles‘ surf punks FIDLAR (Fuck It Dog, Life’s a Risk) have canned their fourth album, their first in 5 years. It’s named Surviving The Dream and
will hit the streets on September 20.
Album artwork
New single SAD KIDS is already the 5th one the band have
shared. It’s a pretty poppy tune that speeds up all the way.
The lead single from the glam and glitter pop tandem’s
upcoming longplayer The Soul Of… The Fabulous Courettes
out September 27.
Flavia Couri (voice): “I mean, I know some bands can do that but we don’t see
ourselves making the same album for the next 20 years. We thought ‘Back In Mono’
was our best album until this one!”
California is a pure summer pop kick. A fun, infectious,
organ-juiced tune with a 60s Shangri-Las vocality to make
your day.
One of the two songs PG wrote for the brand-new released soundtrack
for 2023 film National Anthem, about a 21-year-old construction worker
in New Mexico joins a community of queer rodeo performers in search of
their own version of the American dream.
Daily noise that works faster than a stream of caffeine
11 June 2024
Last year Los Angeles‘ surf punks FIDLAR (Fuck It Dog, Life’s a Risk) had a 3-track EP and a couple of covers out, and have now canned their fourth LP, their first in 5 years. It’s named SURVIVING THE DREAM and will land on September 20.
Album artwork
Zac Carper (frontman): “This record is about doubling down on what you love. For us,
it’s about playing shows and making music. Coming back after a few years away, our intention was to self-make an album that the three of us are stoked on. We’re very very very pumped on it and what’s to come. These songs are meant to be heard live with the fellow FIDIOTS going off.”
Along with the news come two tracks. FIX ME and GET OFF MY WAVE. Two hopped-up hammers hitting left and right, slow and fast, but always LOUUDDD with Carper testing
the range of his punked-up pipes once again.
Los Angeles‘ surf pop punks FIDLAR (Fuck It Dog, Life’s a Risk)
Last year, the trio had their boiling 6-track That’s Life out and also shared their
red-hot-blooded cover of Limp Bizkit‘s Nookie. Less steaming is another cover they
put online. Not an obvious choice. It’s the 1977Jackson Browne hit Running On Empty. Sounds like Fidlar became a harmonious power pop band. Not a bad take, boys.
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.
Los Angeles‘ surf pop punks FIDLAR (Fuck It Dog, Life’s a Risk) dropped
another new track, named MOVE ON. It’ll feature on the NHL 24 soundtrack.
Zac Carper (frontman): “It’s a song about a break up. I noticed that everyone kept
saying ‘you just gotta move on dude.’ And it just seemed like such a stupid response.
I wish this song was about a romantic relationship but it is more about the friends
that come and go in your life. Best friends turn into ‘used-to-be-friends’.”
Canadian singer-songwriter Jeen launches her 5th album
later this year and Just Shadows is the first taster.
“I wrote “Just Shadows” just thinking how the darker parts of everything can snuff
out some of the best people’s light. It’s about trying to get out from under it so we
don’t just become casualties of our shittiest days.”
Just Shadows is a cast iron, drumming energy-stroke detonating with firm
puissance when the chorus hits your ears and Jeen‘s towering voice spices
all things up with flamboyant flair. The vitalizing impact of this effervescent
summer anthem is heartening.
It features The Cure drummer LOL TOLHURST (64), BUDGIE (65),
former Siouxsie and the Banshees drummer and Siouxsie‘s husband,
and Irish music producerJacknife Lee.
Los Angeles is the title track of their first, forthcoming LP.
It features LCD Soundsytem‘s mastermind/voice James Murphy
and soundwise it’s what you may expect from these musicians.
Los Angeles is a stompin’ and pumpin’ percussion burst
to stomp your feet and pump your fists like mad.
Happy mondays Shaun Ryder, and rapper Kermit (Paul Leveridge) are back.
They fabricated a new, their 4th, LP named Orange Head hitting the streets
in November.
Milk is the lead single. A pounding disco-rock blast
with the 24-party madchester vibe of the 90s.
The British post-punk mavericks announced a few weeks ago that they finished their
2nd longplayer, but first we can go gaga to this new smashing stand-alone single.
The Trench Coat Museum is an 8+ minute dancefloor filler infused with a flabbergasting bass riff, spiced with Smith‘s parlando vocals, schizo guitars and yes, cowbells. I guess that for the second half of this super-duper knockout, Smith left the studio for a cup of tea. Anyway, from there on jumbo techno-like beats take over.
I swear, when this knife-edged tune hit my ears for the first time, I thought
I pushed the wrong button and instead of these young Irish gunslingers I got
post-punk legends The Fall on my headphones.
These young Irish gunslingers’ combination of hyperkinetic drum/bass beats,
fanatic guitar riffage, Mark E Smith sneering and an overall staccato sonority
is irresistibly engrossing.
If you haven’t found your sonic twilight summer companion yet, then this new Coral tune will be the one. The Liverpool gang are experts in writing/creating hum-along, whistle-song, sing-along and dream-along pearls while you can tap your feet to the beat. Imagine sitting in a rockin’ chair on the porch of your farmhouse in a Serge Leone-directed spaghetti western. That’s the vibe.
8. ‘Do You Mind I’m A Little Late For Life?’ by BY FAR (Belgium)
Their debut single Bricks already entertained my music-addicted ears,
and this new one is a stone gold gem too. The fervent passion and the
overwhelming psychedelic resonance are nothing less than astounding.
The song’s bone-chilling progression blows you away, slowly but surely.
This is a diamond of a song. Vampire Empire is another staggering
new gem by a staggering band. Intense, dynamic, jaunty and avid
vocals by Adrianne Lenker. I love Big Thief.
Through To You is a track from the group’s sophomore album,
titled Days Are Mountains. It lands on August 11th.
It all starts with a steady, feet-activating drum beat, soon followed by an explosion
of hectic guitars. And in an eye/ear blink the whole resistlessly sonic process steamrolls over you, again and again, and riffs and grooves and moves it’s way like an electric-charged whirlwind to a sped-up climax. Frontman MacDonald wants to bang his head against a wall. That doesn’t sound like a bad idea in case you need to get rid of some demons, that is.
The energy developed here is off the charts. Meres rock their tails
off on this sinewy punk missile. Chainsaw guitars, forthright drums/bass
spanks and the both sensual and spiced vocals of Mary Shannon.
This hit-and-run uppercut will start lots of moshpits.
Clone is a lush rock ’n’ roll collage collective that fuses the sequined swagger of 70’s glam with the DIY gut punch of early punk and polishes it all off with the audacious vocals of contemporary pop.
Their new single Queen is a big wham T.Rex bang.
The British trashy 70s riffs, groovy hooks and flashy licks are all over the place. It also echoes Bowie‘s smashing 1974 hit Rebel Rebel. And I can’t but think of glam rock icon Suzy Quatro when front Amazon Juniper Watters comes on with her sensual and sultry vocals.
She’s not a clone, she’s for real, she’s the perfect queen for this firecracker. She’s extremely inspired by drag culture and is a huge supporter of the drag community.
Expect a titanic wall-of-shoegaze-layered sound that takes your breath away for almost
4 razzle-dazzle minutes. It feels as if this spectacular piece of a hallucinatory symphony comes out of space with its reverberated and tremoloed guitars, its scintillating synths,
its mystifying melodiousness and its cosmic vocals.
These British gunslingers kick-start your adrenalin production from the first chord on with this peppery pop-punk cryout fed by schizo guitars and distressed vocals. A thrill, although the song is about the wake of a breakup, an anthem of self-loathing, regret, and ultimately, forgiveness. I said it a million times before, heartache can lead to explosive catharsis in music.
Fury is an explosive cocktail of speed metal(lica), synth sketches, post-punk tumult
and dark-Goth-wave vocals. It’s a fuzz and buzz rocket that whirls forth and back. These messed-up times cause mind-madness and paranoia that leads to furious eruptions as pMAD experiences too.
Floatin’ Stone is a robust tune powered-up by a mean hard rockin’ machine.
References? Muscular Australian noisemakers Wolfmother and stoner rock
mavericks Queens Of The Stone Age. Say no more.
This must be the closest The Underground Youth come to sound like The Velvet
Underground. The repetitive jingle jangle pattern, the midnight hour vocals of Dryer, the dreary harmonies and the ongoing melodic catchiness. All ingredients
for a psych gem are in place here.
This slow-progressing musing appeals instantly with its rudimentary PJ Harvey-esque
guitar play and Abdelbarry‘s affectional voice, think Sharon Van Etten.
Birthday Cake‘s has both a romantic and wistful sonority that captivates
and moves. And halfway melancholic synths accentuate the overall ruminate
timbre in a warm way.
Love Town is a heart-warming and reflective musing about falling in love.
A romantic candlelight ballad for mind-relaxing moments. Sweet and sensitive.
Tuplin‘s vocality made me immediately think of The National‘s melancholic crooner Matt Berninger with its affectional resonance. Beautiful. Let’s follow him to Love Town,
wherever that might be.
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.
Three renowned musicians came together in their beloved L.A. The former The Cure drummer Lol Tolhurst, the former Siouxsie and The Banshees drummer Budgie and Irish producer Jacknife Lee. They canned an album (out in November) and released the title track Los Angeles with LCD Soundsystem‘s mastermind/voice James Murphy on vocals,
just today.
These three Irish misfits will crash your speakers with this new steaming
speedball. Think Blink 182, Green Day and Sum 41 in their early insane days.
“The song is a reflection on the struggle of falling into habits that once seemed incomprehensible. The lyrics are quite self-deprecating, filled with feelings of self-doubt
and show us trying to confront our own insecurities. The song explores the feeling of being trapped in a cycle of negative thoughts, battling demons that threaten to cause insanity.”
4. ‘Playful Enchantress’ by LOOSE FANG (Vancouver, CA)
Following three mind-bending singles in 2020 these Vancouver rascals return with
their 4th mind-bending slam. It has a punked-up groove that draws your hungry ears’ attention on the spot.
It’s the title track of the New Jersey’s upcoming album (out in October) and features
co-vocals by their longtime superstar friend Bruce Springsteen. It’s a glorious 24-karat anthem. Rock ‘n’ roll streams through these guys’ veins. Rock ‘n’ roll streams through their
veins.
This Montreal-based indie rock 4-piece had their 6-track self-titled debut EP out in 2015.
A couple of singles followed, and this brand-new one should be your favorite summer cracker while you consume fresh margaritas.
Mexico is a mid-tempo funk-punk groover that explodes now and then with
a fiery guitar flare that has the vigor to break down moron Trump‘s racist wall.
City Ghost is a magnetic alt-rock band who use their music
to inspire others to be their true and authentic selves.
This new song is Salt Lake City‘s the band first single
off of their upcoming 3rd EP Cause and Effect.
It’s about “A sentiment for being fed up with mental health struggles and
just wanting to find the light at the end of the tunnel. The song ebbs and
flows through themes of struggle and relief, and crisis and hope.”
Expect a guitar-layered, emotional, mind-boggling meditation, infused with
poignant vocals, that swings forth and back, and has a heart-rending feel.
8. ‘Too Bright To Burn’ by LOVINA FALLS (Boston, US)
Photo by Joan Hathaway
Lovina Falls is the new musical project of Valerie Forgione,
the lauded vocalist of 90s band Mistle Trush.
“I love writing, recording, and performing music, and have spent most of my life doing so. Since Mistle Thrush, I’ve been scoring for theater, independent film, and podcasts, and while it can be rewarding to work with directors and actors to set the tone or mood for a scene, much of it is solitary work. I missed being able to connect with people directly. And I really missed singing. The experience is unmatchable.”
Too Bright To Burn is a trippy, instantly sticky and bass-driven vibe with Forgione‘s crystalline voice flowing all over it. It’s part of her notable debut
longplayer Calculating The Angle Of Our Descent.
This new piece of the Canadian singer-songwriter is about the fear of
trying again when it comes to love. It features Amanda Lyn Parker
on backup vocals.
Reluctant Heart is a jolly-sounding mid-tempo musing with a moody touch.
The kind of zippy guitar-strumming tunes that mesmerize spontaneously.
Formed in 2020, Brand New Mornings mix west coast 3-part harmonies
and English 70’s folk rock results in a modern indie sound with retro charm.
Heart Full Of Tunes is a charming and sepia-colored Americana-resonating lullaby performed the English way. It’s strength is actually that it evokes universal sentiments of mind-relaxing dreaminess. So welcome in these chaotic times.
Los Angeles punks FIDLAR (Fuck It Dog, Life’s a Risk) released a new
6-track EP last March, called That’s Life. It follows their 2019 album Almost Free.
And they keep the momentum going with a nasty punk-ed up cover of
the 1999 hitNOOKIE by Fred Dust‘s gang LIMP BIZKIT. Jump, jump, jump.
