Karalyne Winegarner (songwriter/voice) “I’m personally so over being
sad and complaining about life. The constant, endless scrolling through the
hell of social media and comparing my life to others…. F*** that. This song
is about kicking and screaming my way out of depression until I feel like the
badass that I know I am.”
Turn Up The Volume: This Nashville unit already displayed their towering
potential in the recent past with several stellar singles. And with this titanic
tune they reach for the sky. Crybaby is an all-consuming rollercoaster bouncing
forth and back, slow and fast, left to right.
From smooth dream-pop vibes to excorcistic rock eruptions and lots of aural
tension in between until the clamorous climax floors you with a knockout uppercut.
What a monumental corker, what a monumental voice. Winegarner screams her lungs
out with gusto and venom, aimed at her vicious fiends. Although it feels like she’s her
own demon. A reason to get really anxious if you ask me.
Band: FLIGHT ATTENDANT Who: Up and coming Nashville
based indie band.
Single: PARADISE
The song follows a brace of musically contrasting 2020 singles in
the form of hypnotic and pulsating guitar-based Man Of Chaos,
and the sensuous yet sombre piano-centred ballad Comedy Show
(timed to coincide with the US presidential election), plus the post
punk earworm Dogs released early 2021.
About: “feeling a release, whether that’s good behaviour, bad behaviour,
or something in the grey. Whatever was holding you back or making you
feel restricted in some way, this song is about those immediate feelings
that come after, revelling in instant gratification and then assessing
situations for what they are.”
Score: Here’s a light at the end of the tunnel vibe. Pizzazzy, sprightly and zippy.
Think Warpaint having a dance with Best Coast. ‘Paradise’ is a giddy gem that
makes you feel hopeful and looking forward expectantly to a post-lockdown
rebirth, enjoying life again after the science-fiction-like times we had to endure.
The passionate vocals, the banging beat, the violin-colored chorus,
all you need to go out, scream ‘I feel good‘ and have a beer.
Watch, you can see paradise by the dashboard light.
I love the smell of rock and roll.
Here come Turn Up The Volume’s
20 Knockout Tracks of 2020.
Nothing but the best! Hands down!
1. ‘State Of The Union’ byPUBLIC ENEMY (Long Island, New York)
Time to get up and leave the White House, Donald Dumped. You split the USA right down the middle, you’re a disgrace for America, for humanity and the whole wide world. GO!
Unprecedented, demented, many president’d / Nazi Gestapo dictator defended / State of the Union, shut the fuck up / Sorry ass motherfucker / Stay away from me / State of the Union,
shut the fuck up…
2. ‘Ultra Plus Ultra’ by ELEFANT (Belgium)
The Belgian sound-exploring motherrockers unleashed their second stupefying album Behajung early this year with Ultra Plus Ultra‘ as one of the dazzling highlights.
A schizophrenic sonic blast with balls. Abso-fucking-lutely cool! VREE WIJS! You betcha!
3. ‘Hot Slick’ byPINS (Manchester, UK)
A hot stuff disco stomper that should be played in all discotheques around the globe,
from one of the coolest gangs on the planet. Bad girls forever. Title track from their swirling party album. Saturday night pins fever all the way!
4. ‘Under The Spell Of Joy’ by DEATH VALLEY GIRLS (Los Angeles)
Sickly sticky like first-class glue. With an angelic choir, feet-tapping drum beats, sweaty
sax flames and a mental finale. Yes, it’s Death Valley Girls en-joy-ing themselves in a new sonic zone. Don’t resist the spell! From the rad, same titled full length.
5. ‘I Found Out’ by OFFWORLD (UK) Hard-Fi‘s frontman Richard Archer and imposing vox Krysten Cummings realized a high-powered tour de force. An epic heart and soul explosion! TOP! Waiting for the album!
6. ‘Never Ever Ever’ by BOA Vs COBRA (Belgium)
Don’t mess with charismatic frontwoman Sandy Fee who rants unambiguously about a toxic relationship from the very start when ‘Bad bad bad boy‘ bursts out of your speakers. The decibels turn up when the ablaze chorus kicks in. Stunning uppercut!
7. ‘American Dream’ by TOKYO TABOO (London, UK)
A steamy stunner with an explosive in-your-orange-face-intro, kick-starting this
clamorous jackhammer instantly with a titanic wall-of-blazing-riff hurly-burly and deafening percussion slams. YEAHHHHHHHHHHH!
Hey Mr President
You’re just a joke
Kids dodging bullets
World’s up in smoke
8. ‘Sweet’ by PORRIDGE RADIO (UK)
A towering loudQUIETloud haymaker with Margolin‘s repeating magnetically ‘I’m charming, I’m sweet and she will love me when she meets me‘. Emotive belter from the band’s excellent album Every Bad. Porridge Radio is on its way to world domination! Capeesh??
9. ‘Mr. Motivator’ by IDLES (Bristol, UK)
A riff-roaring ripper made to start crowded moshpits at gigs (for now you need to pirouette yourself bananas at home). A red-hot-blooded corker that does your head in. Hells Bells! Album: Ultra Mono.
10. ‘A Hero’s Death’ by FONTAINES D.C. (Ireland) ‘Life isn’t always empty ‘ states frontman Grian Chatten in his characteristic parlando
flow while the band grooves non-stop. Album:A Hero’s Death.
11. ‘Dark Blue’ by THROWING MUSES (California)
A firm banger driven by a solid beat with a pounding guitar groove, Kristin Hersh‘s characteristic sensual voice, and a catchy polyphonic chorus. Throwing Muses rocks!
From the band’s highly acclaimed longplayer Sun Racket…
12. ‘The Rise And Fall Of America’ byTHE MOODS (Manchester, UK)
A crystal clear stream of cutting lines as sharp as a brand-new Swiss knife. It’s The Moods‘ towering take on the bombastic American National Anthem. They rock, roar and rage. The Moods kick ass! Go home Donald Duck Trumpet!
13. Psychopath’s Monologue by THE CHRONICLES OF MANIMAL AND SAMARA
A 2020 Apocalypse Now Odyssey. It all starts enigmatically with Samara reciting her Dante’s Inferno inspired poem in a haunting foreplay tone until Manimal shows up and all metallic hell breaks loose. Learn more about this year’s most intriguing act in their interview with Turn Up The Volume righthere.
14. ‘Paycheck’ by LEG PUPPY
A dizzy disco-ball drone making you jump up and down like a kangaroo on E. It goes bang, bang, bang, and bang with crazy duet vocals all over it and that psych-o-delic surf guitar riff that messes up your mind the way you like it. Dance floor blast. PAY THEM!
15. ‘A Reason To Celebrate’ by bdrmm (Hull, UK)
Delightful shoegaze rainbow. Like a nightingale symphony waking you up in the morning. From – yes, ladies and gents – the best debut LP of the year with Bedroom.
16. ‘Out Of The Shadows’ by GREAT HARE (Sweden)
From the stimulating intro on you’ll tap your feet, without even noticing it. This is the wake-up-call I want to hear when I can’t get out of my bed in the morning. You simply can’t resist this shot of adrenaline. This is what elevating pop is all about.
. 17. ‘Man Of Chaos’ by FLIGHT ATTENDANT (Nashville, US)
A feverish cracker and jaw-dropping power slam. The sensual, magnetic, and spellbinding vocals create a sort of delirious trance. And when, unexpectedly, bouncy strings kick in as a harbinger for a vibrant finish you’ll reach a sonic orgasm.
18. ‘Rainbow Records’ by OCEANOGRAPHY (Oakland, CA)
Glorious guitar pop stonker getting your aural attention from the get-go with a repetitive riff sticking immediately. Inflammable passion, scintillating ardency, and vehement fervor. Big tune, big sentiments and a big voice reminding me of Greg Dulli‘s imposing vocals at times.
. 19. ‘Maggot Line’ by THE BATTERY FARM (Manchester, UK) “We all gonna die and it’s our fault.” This is not just a punk slogan. It’s the fucking truth. Middle-finger to all those buffoons who ignore global warming, corona and The Battery Farm. NO MERCY!
20. ‘No Rock Save In Roll’ by CORNERSHOP (UK)
A rattling Stones-esque garage rocker with an unstoppable groove that makes you
want to jump in the street and have a sweet little dance (with mouth mask on).
Who: A psychedelic space rock band from Nashville. “I think you could find some of our future tracks on ISS Radio in the year 2050” says frontwoman, Karalyne Winegarner of the band’s sound.
Track: COMEDY SHOW
New single released to coincide with the culmination of the election circus in the USA.
About: “A somber ballad of sorts, that serves as a gentle warning to not lose site of what’s important in a world filled with so many distractions. The song is supposed to remind you that the easier road of plugging your ears and laughing your problems away- is a temporary fix that won’t hold.” says Winegarner.
Score: The piano colored intro of this gripping ballad makes you silent for a while, causing a moment of reflection. But slowly but surely the song’s heartbeat gets more intense and mesmeric, Winegarner‘s vocal tour de force peaks and guitars flame up until a weeping violin outro brings you back to earth. Stunning orchestration! Stunning vox!
Ps: The moment I wrote this the new POTUS wasn’t known yet. Yes, the SHOW was still on.
Yes, we have already reached the middle of 2020. A surreal year we will never forget.
Fortunately, the music – on record that is – kept most of us alive and kicking.
Here are Turn Up The Volume’s 15 best tracks of 2020, so far…
‘I Found Out’ by OFFWORLD (UK) Hard-Fi‘s frontman Richard Archer and imposing vox Krysten Cummings have the right human mindset and rad songs to confirm that. ‘I Found Out’ is a high-powered soul tour
de force. An epic heart and soul explosion from their upcoming album. Top stroke!
‘Hot Slick’ byPINS (Manchester, UK)
A hot stuff disco stomper that should be played in all discotheques around the globe,
from one of the coolest gangs on the planet. These bad girls forever also made one of
the best party albums of the year (so far) with eponymous longplayer Hot Slick. Bingo!
‘Ultra Plus Ultra’ by ELEFANT(Belgium)
The Belgian sound-exploring motherrockers unleashed their second stupefying album Behajung early this year with Ultra Plus Ultra‘ as one of the dazzling highlights.
A schizophrenic sonic uppercut with balls. Abso-fucking-lutely mental! You betcha!
‘Dark Blue’ by THROWING MUSES (Boston, US)
A firm banger driven by a solid beat with a pounding guitar groove, Kristin Hersh‘s characteristic sensual voice, and a catchy polyphonic chorus. Throwing Muses rocks!
The band’s brand new longplayer SUN RACKET hits the street on 4th September.
‘Never Ever Ever’ by BOA Vs COBRA (Belgium)
Don’t mess with charismatic frontwoman Sandy Fee who rants unambiguously about a toxic relationship from the crystal clear start when ‘Bad bad bad boy‘ bursts out of your speakers. Don’t forget to turn up the decibels, even more, when the ablaze chorus kicks in.
‘Man Of Chaos’ by FLIGHT ATTENDANT (Nashville, US)
A feverish cracker and jaw-dropping power slam. The sensual, magnetic, and spellbinding vocals create a sort of delirious trance. And when, unexpectedly, bouncy strings kick in as a harbinger for a vibrant finale you’ll reach a sonic orgasm. Heated stuff from Nashville!
‘Mr. Motivator’ by IDLES (Bristol, UK)
A riff-roaring ripper made to start crowded moshpits at gigs (for you only can pirouette yourself bananas at home). A red-hot-blooded corker that does your head it. Hell’s Bells!
‘Crossbow’ by TAMAR APHEK (Israel)
A shattering juggernaut, dynamized by a rattling machine-gun drum, mind-blowing bass vibrancy and a thunder and lighting guitar force. This is a cutting crackerjack rolling over you like an unstoppable high-speed train, with a fiery and exploding finale. Yeah!
‘Control‘ by AMYL AND THE SNIFFERS
This Australian tornado – the new Stooges fronted by head-spinning punkette AMYL – woke up the dead with their boiling debut LP last year. To keep up the heat they dropped a live EP recently with ‘Control‘ as the brain-breaking standout. Go nuts, right here right now…
‘Sweet’ by PORRIDGE RADIO (UK)
A towering loudQUIETloud haymaker with Margolin‘s repeating magnetically ‘I’m charming, I’m sweet and she will love me when she meets me‘. Passionate belter from their excellent album Every Bad. Porridge Radio is on its way to world domination! Capeesh??
‘Downer Surrounded By Uppers’ by MRS. PISS (US)
Bloodcurdling shrieks from hell. Goth hysteria by gloom and doom sisters in crime Chelsea Wolfe and Jess Gowrie. More bone-chilling screams on their pitch-black LP Self Surgery.
‘Home Thru Hell’ by DEAP LIPS (CA, US)
When led zep blues-rock duo Deap Vally and symphonic fairy-tale eccentrics The Flaming Lips team up you can expect firework like on this Yahama motor highlight from their self-titled debut album. One of the best longplayers of 2020 (so far).
‘Hopeless Romantic’ by OH BROTHER (UK)
A loud and crystal clear invitation to get out of your straitjacket, to open your windows, and scream at the top of your lungs to ventilate all your rage, frustration, and fury while jumping like a kangaroo on tons of speed. A stone gold 24 Karat rocker. Bang Bang!
‘Lockdown’ by From The Specials – Neville Staple (UK)
Swinging 2Tone lockdown humdinger written in isolation by original Rude Boy Neville Staple and his wonderful wife Sugary. Perfect tune for a safe house-party. Get up, stand up, and fight for your right to do some ska moves in these special(s) times. Shake your booty.
‘United We Stand’ by CONFIDENCE SURVIVAL (Nigeria born, Canadian based) )
Black lives matter. Black music matters. This the official COVID-!9 Victory Song
written by this highly caring Nigerian reggae artist. The only way to survive is by
doing it together in unity. Listen to her excellent full EP Confidence Is Key.
‘Murder Most Foul’ by BOB DYLAN
A 17-minute epos about America in the sixties, centered around the world-changing assassination of president John F. Kennedy on 22 November 1963. Only living legend Bob Dylan (the best singer-songwriter-poet of all time in my book) can write such a compelling, epic story. It sounds like a musical book. Brilliant piece by the Nobel Prize winner.
Who: Psychedelic space rocker blending heavy rock and grunge with pop hooks and light synth textures. They fearlessly bring together influences that span from Kings of Leon to Vivaldi and Lana Del Rey. “I think you could find some of our future tracks on ISS Radio in the year 2050” says frontwoman, Karalyne Winegarner of the band’s sound.”
Track: MAN OF CHAOS– Winegarner stated about the new single: “‘Man Of Chaos’ shines
a light on that dark and creeping chaotic energy slowly seeping through the cracks of social turbulence. It is about waking up to a certain side of yourself. Chaos is a catalyst for change, and I hope
that our expression of it via this song can help to somehow tip the scale towards that unapologetic change so many are long overdue.”
Score: Just like that, this morning in my inbox, one of this year’s best singles. I repeat,
one of this year’s best singles. Fact! ‘Man Of Chaos‘ is a flaming groove banger driven
by a motorik drum beat. A feverish cracker and jaw-dropping power stroke your limbs
just can’t resist. The sensual, magnetic and spellbinding vocals create a sort of delirious trance. And when, unexpectedly, bouncy strings kick in as a harbinger for a vibrant finale you’ll reach a sonic orgasm. A game-changer indeed! You need to see your doctor if your bloodstream doesn’t boost on hearing this five-star knockout.
