Ghost Patterns

20 BEST TRACKS OF THE MONTH – JUNE 2026

Posted on by JL

ALL TOGETHER

– 1 –


Press shot

Artist: TOM MORELLO
Who: Former RAGTM guitarist
and political activist.

Track: ADJOURN IT
It features his son Roman (on guitar, like his dad)
and System Of A Down frontman Serj Tankian .

Morello: “At this historical juncture every act of art is an act of resistance and ‘Adjourn It’,
a collaboration with long time friend Serj Tankian and my 15-year-old guitar wiz son Roman,
is a clarion call for justice in unjust times.”

TUTV: What the fuck! What a cast-iron, anti-tyranny rant.
Get up, stand up, rage against the Trump machine, people.

Morello Instagram
—————————————————————————————————————————–

– 2 –


Photo by Luke Bovill

Artists: ARAB STRAP
Who: Trippy Scottish electro-pop vets, Aidan Moffat and
Malcolm Middleton (1995–2006, 2011, 2016–present).

Track: FIGHTING FOR YOU
2nd single, following the stellar debut one You You You
from their new full-length Half-Told Tales, their 9th, out
on September 4th. Tracklist here.

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. Holy cow!


.
Instagram – Spotify
—————————————————————————————————————————–

– 3 –

Band: BUTTHOLE SURFERS
Who: San Antonio‘s veteran
grunge rockers.

Track: THEY CAME IN

TUTV: A stunning stonker from their lost 1998 album, named After The Austronaut.
At the time, their then record label refused to release it, not commercial enough. The
band blew new life into it, out now. It’s a splendid achievement. Stream it here.

Instagram – Short Bio – All Albums
—————————————————————————————————————————–

– 4 –


Photo by Max Avdeev

Band: PUSSY RIOT
Who: The notorious Russian punk feminists and political activists, led by mastermind and driving force since day one Nadya Tolonkonnik who spent two years, along with 2 fellow pussy riotiours in a Russian jail for hooliganism motivated by religious hatred after her protest performance in the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour church in 2012.

Track: FACELESS PIGS
Heated highlight from their brand new debut
album CYKA, titled Russian word for bitch.

TUTV: Don’t mess with angry bitch
Nadya no more Russia. Fuck Putin!


.
Spotify – Instagram – Website
—————————————————————————————————————————–

– 5 –

Band: DROPKICK MURPHYS
They released 13LPs, thus far.

Track: THE BODY OF AN AMERICAN
Their contribution to a tribute album for the late, incomparable Pogues‘ songsmith
legend and notorious frontman. It’s titled 20th Century Paddy – The Songs Of Shane MacGowan and arrives on November 13th.

TUTV: Sing, drink, cry, smile, and party hard.

Instagram – Linktree – All Albums
—————————————————————————————————————————–

– 6 –


Photo by Brendan Walte

Band: WEEZER
Who: The indestructible nerd
rockers from Los Angeles.

New track: WE MIGHT AS WELL BE STRANGERS
The lead single from their new, forthcoming 20th full-length,
another self-titled one (their 4th actually), decorated with
symbols, think Led Zeppelin‘s 4th LP.

The song features indie team on co-vocals.

TUTV: Hurray! Weezer drops, finally, another
titanic tune, as they used to deliver so many
times before.

Swaggering, staggering, and scintillating.

Instagram – Linktree – All Albums
—————————————————————————————————————————–

– 7 –

Band: WHOLES
Who: Belgian raucous noise outfit led by musical chameleon.
Last year they released their heart-wrenching debut album
A Mass In The Water.

Track: EAZY FOR YOU
A song about frustration
and liberation.

TUTV: Wholes still operate in a dark place where their demons feel at home.
Main man Wolf Vanwymeersch still wallows in self-torchering nightmares.

At times it feels as if somebody tries to rip his heart out with chainsaw riffs.
Quite scary. A gruesome dilemma of staying in the darkness or fighting its
way to the light at the end of the tunnel.

Another wholes-ly goosebumps juggernaut.


.
Instagram – A Mass In the Water
—————————————————————————————————————————–

– 8 –

Band: THE FALL
Who: You know, the late, legendary Manchester
post-punk collective, fronted by genial putbill
Mark E. Smith (1957-2018).

Track: 30 DEGREES
Taster from a new, posthumous album, named Post Script. It was
recorded not long before Smith‘s death. Tracklist/pre-order info here.

TUTV: It’s vintage The Fall. A droning post-rock jam,
with Smith at his agitated and sneering best.

Linktree – All Albums
—————————————————————————————————————————–

– 9 –

Band: GHOST PATTERNS
Who: Psychedelic shoegazers from London.
They released their debut album Infinite
in 2021.

Track: SILHOUETTE

TUTV: Chord by chord Silhouette grows into a titanic, psychedelic wall of blistering
guitars. Mind-bending, entrancing, and hypnotic. The non-stop jamming tension of
The Brian Jonestown Massacre comes to mind.

Stupefying.


.
Instagram – Linktree
—————————————————————————————————————————–

– 10 –

Artists: PALINDRONES
Who: An emotionally immersive, captivating, dark electronic duo from South London.
They take listeners on a shimmering and cathartic sonic journey with dreamy Industrial Synthpop, infused with pounding rhythms, haunting, evocative vocals and esoteric ambiance.

Track: THE BLOOD MOON

“Like the celestial body that gives the song its name, The Blood Moon pulls listeners into
a world where scars become constellations, rivers run red, and every ending delivers the
seed of creation. Immerse yourself in the bloody sea.”

TUTV: The Blood Moon is a dark-EBM-wave whirlwind that creeps under your skin,
into your veins, after a forbidding intro. It’s a sickly sticking tune that spirals and adrenalizes with pithy pzazz.

Macabre alternating/duet vocals emphasize the ill-boding pressure and awaken
bats all around. Palindrones draw you into their sinister and hypnotizing world,
but they leave the door ajar for a possible rebirth.

WATCH

BUY


.
Instagram – Website
—————————————————————————————————————————–

– 11 –

Artist: PETER GABRIEL

Track: A HARD LESSON
Newest piece from his 11th LP o\i.
Release date TBA.

Gabriel: “This is the oldest track of the project. It probably started in the late 80s
or early 90s when I was in Senegal. I was falling in love with the music I heard there.
I loved the tension created by the use of polyrhythms, particularly the threes and
fours, so that was the start of this song”.

TUTV: Gabriel sticks to trippy beats
and trancy vibrations. And it works
damn well.

Shake your booty, people.

Instagram – All Albums
—————————————————————————————————————————–

– 12 –

Artist: LOCUST
Who: The logtime project of London-based electro pop veteran
Mark Van Hoen, who also released records as Autocreation.

Single: SOUL SKY
Following Long Distance Lover, the 2nd new piece from his
forthcoming full-length Spectral+, slated for release on Sept 11.

It features rapper Griff Spex and multimedia artist Olive Kimoto.

TUTV: Heya, what’s up, bro? It’s slow-mo pelvis-swaying time. Yeah.

Instagram – Spotify
—————————————————————————————————————————
—

– 13 –

Artist: FIR CONE CHILDREN
Who: Musical moniker of Berlin-based
indie dream punk Alexander Donat.

Track: VAMPIRE QUEEN
My fav piece from his newest full-length, named Vs. The Real World.
You can stream/buy the album via Bandcamp.

TUTV: Vampire Queen is a double-edged crackerjack. Partly a glam-rock stomper,
partly a high-octane missile. The two parts assembled combine for a super-duper rollercoaster that goes back and forth.

Bingo!


.
Instagram – Linktree
—————————————————————————————————————————–

– 14 –


Credit: French Nancy

Band: FRENCH NANCY
Who: Post-punk duo
from Hackney, London.

Track: THE WAIT AND FALL

“If you didn’t pay attention to the lyrics, you’d hear an upbeat song.
Underneath, a narrator trying to talk themselves into believing they’re
still in control while underneath, they’re sinking.”

TUTV: Expect darkwavish Cure-esque guitar/pop spiritedness with
a brisk tempo, anthemic impetus and vocal gusto. Shiny score!


.
Instagram
—————————————————————————————————————————–

– 15 –

Band: HMS MORRIS
Who: A bilingual outfit from Wales. They thrive at the crossroads of art-pop,
theatricality, and fearless exploration. So far, they have released 3 albums.
You can stream them on Spotify.

Track: BWLETIN BRYS

“The rapid leap forward in artificial intelligence technology over the last few years brings
an element of urgency to the questions raised. Would we be better off if human’s weren’t in charge? Should we be happy to hand over control of Earth to a species/entity that prioritizes ecological harmony over cheap smartphones and beef?”

TUTV: Combative guitars, a Krautrock-like drum/bass cadence, and bubbly vocals
cause an unwavering, spine-tingling and hallucinatory jam. Be ready for a hell of
an other-worldly trip.


.
Instagram – Linktree
—————————————————————————————————————————–

– 16 –


Photographer: Martin Sommerschield

Band: DELFOI ROAD
Who: A Finnish alternative rock act, formed at the turn of the millennium.
The four-piece blends artistic sensitivity, strong melodic songwriting, and
atmospheric depth with an energetic and dynamic edge.

Track: SUNLIGHT
Newest single from their
debut LP, out in the fall.

TUTV: Again these Finns perform with an electrically-charged delirium-like
zing that captures your aural attention all the way, musically and vocally.
Stirring guitar-empowering pop avidity with a heartening radiance.

Instagram – Spotify
—————————————————————————————————————————–

– 17 –

Artist: AMY BELL
Who: English songstress who started writing at 14 and playing live at 17,
is inspired by big names such as Billy Bragg, John Cooper Clark, Badly Drawn
Boy, PJ Harvey and Nirvana.

Track: MILLHOUSE.
A song that touches on themes many people her age struggle with.
Highlight from her brand new, 2nd EP, called Want Me.

TUTV: With the first seconds kicking in, I thought a country song was about to evolve.
A solid cool one that is. From there on Millhouse progresses in a lazy Courtney Barnett groove modus, evoking swaying body moves while Amy Bell‘s laid-back slacker vocals
glide over it. It’s a funky tune that sticks promptly in your head.

Top-drawer tune!


.
Instagram – Spotify
—————————————————————————————————————————–

– 18-

Artists: DEAD ANYWAY
Who: British duo setting the dark lyricism of Kate Arnold against the music
and soundscapes of Marc Symonds. They offer a mix of poetry, electronica
and guitars. A heady brew of dark, glitchy head-messing wonder.

Track: EXILE WITH INTENT
Cut from their new 4-track EP
The Common Denominator.

TUTV: Welcome back to DA’s atmospheric, trip-hop
bubble for another relaxing, ear-and-mind massage.


.
Instagram – Linktree
—————————————————————————————————————————–

– 19 –


Album artwork

Artist: BETH ORTON
Who: The British, long-time renowned
singer-songwriter from Norfolk.

Track: OTHERSIDE
New piece from her brand new, 9th LP,
called The Ground Above.

TUTV: A heart-rending, spine-tingling,
vocal stream of consciousness thrill.

Soul-touching.


.
Instagram – Linktree
—————————————————————————————————————————–

– 20 –

Artist: CARLY SIMON
Who: American singer-songwriter shero (82 now) who became worldwide
known for her hit single You’re So Vain (more than 700 million streams on
Spotify) in 1972.

Track: HOWL
First single from her new 24th LP, first in 17 years,
called Comes In Waves. Out on August 14th.

Simon: “‘Howl’ lives in that space between betrayal and forgiveness, where anger has
to be voiced before it can be released. It’s about letting the frustration out so it doesn’t
sit and simmer. The song begins in anger, but it moves toward forgiveness, and speaks
to any situation where trust has been broken.”

TUTV: Howl shows that Simon‘s voice has aged admirably. Impressively strong
and riveting. The song itself is a tremendously arousing gem. Exquisite performance.

Instagram – Spotify – All Albums

————————————————

TURN UP THE VOLUME

Blog
Instagram
Facebook
X
BlueSky

Turn Up The Volume’s 20 BEST TRACKS For AUGUST 2023

Posted on by JL

The best of the best of the month

ALL TOGETHER


.
TRACK-BY-TRACK

1. ‘The Sinner’ by THE CORAL (Liverpool)

The seasoned psych-folk-pop-rock dreamers have two longplayers out next week,
on 8 September, titled Sea Of Mirrors and Holy Joe’s Island Medicine Show.

Suppose David Lynch wants to make a Spaghetti Western then this wistful lullaby should be part of the soundtrack. I’m sure he would like it for the shadowy vibe, the psychotic sinner (he likes psychotic sinners) and for the guitar reverberating sparks, thinking that’s it his fav nostalgic Casanova Chris Isaak on guitar (note: Lynch directed Isaak‘s Wicked Game video that featured flashes from his 1990 Wild At Heart movie).

Press play.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. ‘Constance Street’ by KRISTIN HERSH (US)

The stirring Throwing Muses/50 Foot Wave songstress has her
new solo LP, titled Clear Pound Road out on 8 September.

Hersh about the song: “I lived on Constance Street in New Orleans
when that song’s story happened. Buying slips in the Irish Channel/broken
prince in fluorescent camo is a very Southern day. I was born a hick and
I guess I’ll always be one.”

It’s a subtly groovin’ beauty
with Hersh poetic storytelling
adding a magical touch.

Enjoy.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

3. ‘Huevos Rancheros’ by THE IRRATIONAL LIBRARY (The Netherlands)

This Dutch-American rock band has its roots firmly planted in both the regional
and international counterculture. They produce a raw, dirty groove influenced by
punk, Provo, and punk icons. Their poetry is packed with social criticism.

The IL have canned their 4th LP. It’s named Good Busy and arrives via
Floprecords, digitally on 11 September and physically (vinyl/CD) 4 days later.

This first single is a tremendously catchy and melodic tune that mesmerizes from the kick-off. Stimulated by a sparkling and melancholic guitar riff à la Kurt Vile, a foot-stompin’ beat and word-smith Joshua Baumgarten‘s expressive storytelling, it becomes an electrifying pop gem, after a couple of spins. One for which the repeat button was invented for. One that invites you to stop for a while and look around to find the light at the end of the tunnel.

Stream/buy.


.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________

4. ‘We Did Nothing’ by GRAHAM PARKER (UK)

No retirement yet for the imperishable, now 72-year-old, pop-rock songsmith.
From the early 70s on he wrote/recorded/released a countless number of LPs
featuring several masterpieces.

His brand new one, called Last Chance To Learn The Twist,
featuring his new band The Goldtops shows up on 8 Sept.

Ahead of it comes this vintage Parker pearl.


.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________

5. ‘I Am A Wave’ by DEATH VALLEY GIRLS (Los Angeles)


Photo by Little Ghost/Kelsey Hart

Last February the Los Angeles‘ psychedelic garage pop/rock darlings
released their 5th longplayer Islands In The Sky. Their best ever to
my satisfied ears.

I Am A Wave is a new standalone single.

It’s a haunting mid-tempo psych jam, a sonic torch in the dark. The combination of the characteristically high-pitched Bloomgarden vocals, her 60s-sounding Hammond organ, the weeping guitars, the howling backing vocals, the steady drum beat and the glowing finale is just riveting and engrossing.

This is not a Mexican wave, it’s Bonnie‘s wave.
Follow her flow, she’s really kind of amazing.

Stream/buy.


.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________

6. ‘Everybody’s Save Until…’ by PARIS TEXAS (US)

This sharp-rap-cutting Los Angeles duo released their highly acclaimed riot-gun album
Mid Air last month. This 3rd single is nothing less than fucktastic, with a sickly sticky flow, a killer guitar riff and the tandem’s adrenalized vocality.

Stunning strike.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

7. ‘METALLI!!’ by BABYMETAL (Japan)

The kawaii metal girls teamed up with Rage Against The Machine
guitarist Tom Morello for this new head-banging blast. Their mix of
glam metal, pop-punk melodies and pithy/screamy vocals are an
infallible formula.

Hell bloody metali yeah!

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

8. ‘Bauhaus Staircase’ by OMD (UK)

The beloved synth-pop duo is around since the late 70s, and they have no
intention to go and sit in their lazy rocking chair counting their money.

On 27 October their 14th LP, baptized Bauhaus Staircase comes out.

The title track is the 3rd appetizer. A happy-go-lucky summer tune.
Irresistibly infectious. These two manoeuvres in the dark still come
up with vitalizing electro thrills.

The accompanying video is an animated spectacle, that features a nod to the imagery
of various sci-fi films, notably Fritz Lang’s Metropolis, Run Lola Run, and Blade Runner.

Listen/watch.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

9. ‘Your Side Of Town’ by THE KILLERS (Los Angeles)

Following their underrated 2021 album Pressure Machine and last
year’s single Boy Los Angeles‘ pop champs return with a new gem with
a vintage, nostalgic Killers flavor.

Tune in.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

10. ‘Blue Shadow’ by ASALONE (US)

Asalone is the solo project of singer/songwriter/producer
Adam Stanley Putzer from Buffalo, NY.

His new song is a reflection on returning to the place you
grew up, only to feel like a stranger in your own hometown.

Uplifting tunes like this one are always welcome on my busy headphones.
It’s a richly orchestrated melody that grabs your aural attention straight
away with its jaunty piano touches, scintillating guitar play, a bracing refrain
and last but not least Asalone‘s impassionate voice.

Amplified pop melancholia is what you get here.
Don’t be a stranger, enjoy and embrace the shadow.

Stream/buy.


.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________

11. ‘Fingerprints’ by : TREMENDOUS (Birmingham, UK)

Fingerprints is a post-break-up love song starting slowly and smoothly, only with
frontman’s Dudzinski‘s heartbroken voice and his weeping guitar, but 45 seconds
in, the emotions and the decibels go up and turn the song into a goosebumps power ballad, proving once again that lovesickness can lead to compellingly cathartic music.

Think the romantic vibes of The War On Drugs mixed with Noel Gallagher‘s raw guitar
play of the early Oasis days. To my persuaded ears Dudzinski has a torch-burning gem
on his hands. In a normal world, it would be a hit. Hands down.

Check it out.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

12. ‘Cosmic Dance’ by COMMON FLAWS (Italy)

Common Flaws is the solo project of Giacomo Oberti,
the singer/songwriter from Italian synth-pop outfit
The Bankrobber.

Cosmic Dance offers ambient vibes, jungle-esque drum beats, scintillating
synth sparks, and echoing vocals. It trips in your mind from the get-go.
Its tempting, playful flow and its melodic resonance have a tranquilizing
effect. A dream-stimulating effort.

Tune in.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

13. ‘Prize’ by GHOST PATTERNS

This London-based quartet formed in 2019. They blend psychedelia,
shoegaze and post-punk influences into their music.

Prize is the first 2023 music following a couple of new ones
last year and their excellent 2019 debut album Infinite.

I wonder if they invited Interpol‘s stellar guitarist Daniel Kessler and
give him a license to overdub the guitars at play on Prize. The result is
a wall-of-shoegaze vibrancy that progresses in slo-mo and grows in
intensity along its route, with foggy vocals all over it.

More melodic than My Bloody Valentine, tighter than Slowdive. Is it real or
fantasy? No idea, but who cares when it’s as ear-and-mind pleasing as this.

Stream/buy.


.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________

14. ‘ExtraTerrestial’ by SMALL MIRACLES (Wales)

Small Circles is an indie act from Cardiff, Wales. Inspired by the early New Wave movement, they infuse elements of Punk, Blues and Grunge into their genre-bending sound. Their music has a distinctly queer, underground feel, finely balancing heavy grooves and breakdowns with catchy hooks and choruses.

Mirari tackles all war-greedy political leaders. You can feel/hear
the anger, the frustration and the in-your-face rage on ExtraTerrestrial.
Its cast-iron slow-mo drones, its vocal aggression, its ear-piercing guitar furor
and its razor-sharp Mirari rap sequence combine for a volcanic knockout.
We need big miracles to end all the Warshit!

Feel the heat.


________________________________________________________________________________________________

15. ‘The Light At The End Of The World’ by IAN WILLIAMS (UK)

Williams started his music career in Edinburgh (Scotland) in the mid 1980’s as a founder
of Beautiful Pea Green Boat, whose ethereal, atmospheric sound pre-dated the vogue for dream pop by at least twenty years. He is now based in London and more recently, he has worked with singer Claudia Barton aka Gamine, releasing two albums of dark, piano-led torch songs and lullabies.

This new piece will feature on his new, forthcoming
full-length ‘Slow-Motion Apocalypse’, out in October.

Think Vangelis sharing ideas with Tangerine Dream and Jean-Michel Jarre.
Cinematic, with spacey, melodramatic vocals. It could be part of the soundtrack
of a nature documentary about an eagle flying between the sea and the sky. Proud, mighty, fearless and untouchable. These are the images I see on my screen in
my mind.

Listen/watch.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

16. ‘Body’ by STRESS DOLLS (Buffalo, NY)


📸: Peter Heuer

Stress Dolls is the moniker of alt/pop/rock artist Chelsea O’Donnell.
Her new single is a fully electricity-charged stunner with O’Donnell
expressive vocals adding a poignant resonance.

Steamy score.


.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

17. ‘Rosebud’ by SWAN HILL (UK)

These busy British indies have a new double
A-side single out, with Rosebud and Landlines.

Rosebud is my favorite.

A riff-loaded ripper with a vibrant pop edge.

.
________________________________________________________________________________________________

18. ‘Deadweights’ by SEADOG (Brighton, UK)

The dream-pop duo from Brighton, UK enthrall with their new musing that
will be part of the new, forthcoming album, named Internal Noise, out in
the autumn via Austerity Records.

It features the vocal harmonies of Jack and Lily Wolter,
both from the band Penelope Isles, while Jack also
drums on it.

Singer-songwriter Mark Benton encapsulates his psychologically and physically
crushing insomnia experiences in a bittersweet and melancholic pop tune that
babbles like a sparkling brook, yet underlying this humdinger resonates as if
the after-effects of the sleepless years are still wandering around. In the end
here’s proof again that music can be healing. Beautiful.

Listen/watch.

________________________________________________________________________________________________

19. ‘Alphabet City’ by THE NATIONAL

The Cincinnati heroes fronted by Matt Berninger, their songwriter
and one of the best crooners of the modern age released their 9th LP,
named First Two Pages Of Frankenstein last April.

Last week they dropped two new gloomy ballads to keep
the momentum going. One of them is Alphabet City.

Lit a candlelight.

________________________________________________________________________________________________

20. ‘My Submission’ by DEXYS (Birmingham, UK)

Now, after 45 (!) years, several line-ups and several hiatuses Dexys released (only)
their 6th album, the highly entertaining and feel-good full-length The Feminine Divine.

Mastermind Kevin Rowland celebrated his 70 birthday a couple of weeks ago,
and still has the gift to write a goosebumps balledis about. My Submission is
a diamond of a song.

Listen/watch.

GHOST PATTERNS – British Shoegazers With Their New Winner ‘PRIZE’

Posted on by JL

Daily electricity to load your batteries

19 August 2023

Band: GHOST PATTERNS
Who: London based quartet formed in 2019 blending
psychedelic, shoegaze and post-punk influences
into their music.

New single: PRIZE
Their first 2023 music following a couple of tracks last year and
their 2019 debut album Infinite, one of the best full-lenghts of
that year according to Turn Up The Volume‘s ears.

TUTV: I wonder if they invited Interpol‘s stellar guitarist Daniel Kessler and give
him a license to overdub the guitars at play on Prize. The result is a wall-of-shoegaze
vibrancy that progresses in slo-mo and grows in intensity along the way with foggy
vocals floating over it.

More melodic than My Bloody Valentine, tighter than Slowdive. Is it real or
fantasy? No idea, but who cares when it’s as ear-and-mind pleasing as this.
We have a winner.

LYRICS

No pain no heart find a place to start
There’s nowhere to hide it’s gonna take some time
So go make a start take some time now
It’s in your eyes
We dare to crawl don’t be scared to fall
Deliberate and slow always pushing forward
Fortunes unfold don’t you cry
So go
Oh when you come down
It’s a mind over matter extreme
The weather changes dramatically
Just like a drug
What is real and fantasy?
In the end you win
Forces at play
Wander astray somewhere somehow
Prizes unveiled
In time

STREAM


.
BUY


.
GP: Facebook – Instagram

Turn Up The Volume’s 20 BEST ALBUMS Of 2021

Posted on by JL

1. ‘New Fragility’ by CLAP YOUR HANDS SAY YEAH (Brooklyn, NY)

Released: 12 February 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

Key single: New Fragility…

Stream/buy album here…


.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________

2. SEEK SHELTER by ICEAGE (Denmark)

Released: 7 May 2021 – 5th LP

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.

Their fifth, their best.

Key single: Vendetta

Full album…


.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________

3. ‘Calvacade’ by BLACK MIDI (UK)

Released: 26 May 2021 – their second album

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.

Key single: John L

Full album…


.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________

4. ‘Marriage’ by DEAP VALLY (Los Angeles)

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.

Key single: Magic Medicine

Get married here…


.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________

5. ‘Comfort To Me’ by AMYL AND THE SNIFFERS

Released: 10th September 2021

Turn Up The Volume:

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!

Key single: Hertz

Stream/buy album here…


.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________

6. ‘CARNAGE’ by NICK CAVE & WARREN ELLIS (Australia)

Released: 25 February 2021

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.

A tantalizing tandem made in twilight heaven.

Key track: White Elephant


.
Stream album here…


.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________

7. Full Spectrum by THE CHRONICLES OF MANIMAL AND SAMARA (UK)

Released: 26 February 2021

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.

Surreality becoming reality in a tormented world.

Key single: Psychopath’s Monologue

Stream ‘Full Spectrum’ here…


.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________

8.’Infinity’ by GHOST PATTERNS (UK)

Released: 3 September 2021

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.

Key track: House Of Lies…

Stream/buy album here…


.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________

9. ‘Pressure Machine’ by THE KILLERS

Released: 13 August 2021

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.

Key track: Quiet Town

Dim the lights…


.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________

10. ‘Mutator by ALAN VEGA (US)

Released: 23 April 2021

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.

Talking about a great find!

Key track: Nike Soldier

Stream/buy full album here…


_____________________________________________________________________________________________

11. ‘WE… ARE DOOMED’ by THE IRRATIONAL LIBRARY (The Netherlands)

Released: 15 January 2021

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.

Key single: And The Next Song

Stream album here…


.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________

12. ‘For The First Time’ by BLACK ROAD, NEW ROAD (London)

Released: 5 February 2021 – debut LP

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.

Believe the hype!

Key track: Science Fair

Full album…

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

13. ‘SURVIVORS’ by ONISM E (San Antonio / NYC)

Released: 19th February 2021 – debut album

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!

Key track: Stay


.
Stream/buy album here…


.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________

14. ‘Putain Royale’ by PINK ROOM (Belgium)

Released: 12 Match 2021

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.

Key track: Losing

Stream/buy here…

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

15. ‘G_d’s Pee AT STATE’S END!’ by GODSPEED YOU! BLACK EMPEROR

Released: 2 April 2021

Turn Up The Volume: A exquisite soundtrack for the funeral of the present,
and at the same time for the re-birth of humankind in the future.

Somber, apocalyptic and longing.

The Canadian mavericks are looking
for a way out of all the (pandemic) mess
with a mesmerizing fervor. Remarkable.

Stream/buy album here…


.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________

16. ‘Crawler’ by IDLES
17. ‘Blue Weekend’ by WOLF ALICE
18. ‘Better Than Life’ by GLASS SANDS
19. It’s Critical by SAVING JACKIE
20. ‘Vivre’ by ARNO

Poetallica Sensation THE CHRONICLES OF MANIMAL AND SAMARA Triumph With ‘FULL SPECTRUM’

Posted on by JL

21 December 2021

Band: THE CHRONICLES OF MANIMAL AND SAMARA
Who: London-based duo comprising Daphne Ang (Singapore) and Andrea Papi (Italy). Drawing inspiration from TOOL and Kraftwerk, as well as the poetry of Sylvia Plath,
Virginia Woolf, and Jim Morrison, TCOMAS fills a gap in music by bringing literature,
art, and history together into a space where rock and metal meet electronics.

Album: FULL SPECTRUM – debut LP
Released: 26 February 2021

Turn Up The Volume wrote: Manimal and Samara are a poetallica sensation. A new laser
light at the end of a mythical tunnel where anything can happen. Imagine Sylvia Plath fronting a theatrical and mind-challenging psychedelic noise band. Their debut album is a multi-faceted opus in sound and vision. Compelling poetry exploring life, death, birth, past, present, and future embedded in a titanic thunder and lighting symphony going from perplexing metal to chill-out ambient. The final result is at times jaw-dropping, at times weirdly confusing, at times dumbfounding but always flabbergasting and fascinating. When surreality becomes reality you know something is about to happen.

Congrats, Daphne and Andrea!

If you didn’t discover the puzzling world of
Samara and Manimal yet, do it here and now…

.
THE CHRONICLES OF MANIMAL AND SAMARA: Facebook

Available via iTunes and Amazon

A Chat With London’s GHOST PATTERNS Who Impressed With Their Stunning Debut Album ‘INFINITE’

Posted on by JL

19 November 2021

GHOST PATTERNS is a 4-piece London-based indie band that started its journey only
two years ago. Last September they released their stunning debut LP called INFINITE that struck me instantly as much as the debut full-length Bedroom by bdrmm struck me last year, a British band who also operates in the multidimensional world of shoegaze.

Infinite is an astounding accomplishment mixing the amplified haziness of Slowdive, the mystifying nightmares of Spacemen 3, and the multi-layer-constructing skills of My Bloody Valentine. Ghost Patterns design hallucinating soundscapes, sonic shadowplays where synths and guitars duel with each other while tireless drums dauntlessly beat, and wailing voices wander in an enigmatic fog of reverberation. Without a shadow of a doubt one of the most fascinating records I heard all year.

So I really got curious to learn more about the authors of Infinite. Thank you very
much Terry Hale (vocals/guitars/keys), Somrata Sarkar (vocals) and James Walker (drums
and percussion) for taking the time to do this chat. But, as usual, we’re starting an interview with music to get us all in the right mood. Here comes one of my fav tracks
on the longplayer…

Hello Terry, hello Somrata, hello James

Who or what triggered you to start a band?

Terry: “Essentially, James and I had a gig offer to play a Club AC30 record label night in London back in May 2019 without a band! It was off the back of a submitted demo, which later became our debut single ‘Disappears’, so we had about 6 weeks to pull a full band together! We played that night under my own name ‘Thale’ and have had the same line-up since then, but about two months later we settled on Ghost Patterns for the permanent band name.”

What’s the story behind the band’s name?

Terry: “After our debut gig, we started collecting band name ideas well into the hundreds, but basically the drop-dead rule was to make sure it was a unique name not taken on any social media, Bandcamp etc. We had to chop and change a lot of word combinations to make it unique, but in a way, I also think it seemed quite representative of the sounds we were producing too, so that could be why we all stuck with it.”

Which song would you pick to introduce yourselves
to people who never heard of GHOST PATTERNS?

Terry: “It may well be ‘Disappears’, our debut single, or ‘House Of Lies’ off the new album. But for forthcoming releases, we could look at other ways of writing and collaborating as
I don’t think were totally confined to any one particular sound at this point. For example, expect some more fuzzed up psychedelic type sounds on the new tunes we are currently working on.”

Recently your stunning debut album INFINITE came out.
A true triumph. Is the final result what you had envisioned?

Terry: “In some ways, it’s an accurate reflection of our circumstances, but in other ways, it’s not at all as it was originally envisaged. We had some outline demo ideas from around late 2019 and was about to book some studio time in London with engineer/producer James Aparicio, who has worked on some great records for Fuzz Club and other labels.

This was back in February 2020, but soon after the entire plan collapsed due to COVID!
So, I continued making more home demos, which gradually became more and more integrated into the finished songs and mixes. Sometime around the end of summer 2020, we ditched planning any studio time and simply because it just wasn’t possible! We also abandoned an E.P. idea to focus on creating a full album totally from home recordings, then mixed and mastered it ourselves.

Quite late on, we added and re-mixed two previous singles from our earlier
release, ‘Oracle’, and the song ‘Infinite’ eventually become the album title.”

The opening track INTRO (DEATH WISH) doesn’t sound like a song
about the birds and the bees. What about the death wish?

Terry: “This came from an instrumental piece based on another demo from a few years earlier. I think it became apparent during the writing of the album that this would be a good ‘intro’ type opener, so we left it without lyrics and kept the overdubbed vocals in
the final mix.

As for the song title, this goes back to a somewhat curious forced position back in summer 2020 of having to return to some kind of ‘normal’ life again at the first unlocking attempt, even though no one had access to vaccines, or even proper test and trace systems. Hence, it felt like a bit of a ‘death wish’ to put ourselves in that position at the time.”


.
Single HOUSE OF LIES is a flaming rocker. What’s the song about?

Somrata: “‘House Of Lies‘ is about the death of a friendship, realising someone isn’t
who they say they are. I was going through a difficult time processing betrayal from
a close friend. The song came out of anger, of realising this person who I trusted
really had no substance.

House of Lies describes a person who has carefully crafted their persona but is
ultimately empty on the inside. I spent a long time recovering from the emotional
damage I’d suffered from this person’s manipulation and narcissistic behaviour. When I wrote the song, I was fed up with feeling horrible. I just wanted to clean out any memory of them from my life. But I also felt stronger and in a space where I finally felt free of them.”

What or who decides who sings what song?

Terry: “I almost always do the music first in demo form together with the overall structure, so then it’s a case of working out who feels more comfortable to sing and develop lyrics and melodies over the music for each song.

I think ‘Safe’ was probably the only song that I had fully written and decided to keep my own vocals in. For the others, we did the vocals quite late on, as Somrata and I were only able to meet up once in person at our rehearsal space in April to go through the vocal demo ideas!

Prior to this, Somrata did her vocals for ‘Feel it Out’ at home based on instrumental
tracks that we had done and then mixed it into the finished song.”

How’s life in London post-BREXIT?

Terry: “It’s maybe a curious atmosphere of denial and a wish to move on, but also probably there’s still an element of fear too at the same time! Lockdown has ended
and Brexit has started, but there is an underlying current of uncertainty on both fronts.

I also co-run Other Side Promotions in London, booking bands from all over Europe
and beyond and having to deal with all the red tape and extra costs that goes with it.

Luckily, bands are still eager to play in the UK, so I’m happy to play a part in it and give exposure to bands on the psych, shoegaze, and post-punk scenes to help them along their musical journey. I think it also helps Ghost Patterns too to meet and share some great gig nights with other bands.”

What’s a GHOST PATTERNS gig like?

Terry: “It’s quite hard to judge that one to be honest, being in the band! Especially as we have had few opportunities to play live because of the pandemic. As we are still a new band, I’m sure we will find our own way to bring the recorded sounds and atmospheres into the live shows. It’s still a work in progress I’d say and will evolve further, but I think
the live experience could be slightly different as a distilled version of the recordings.”

Which movie would you choose to play on a big screen
behind the band while playing INFINITE in full?

James: “I think Last Year In Marienbad would look great as a backdrop to the album.

It’s a French arthouse film made back in the 60s. It’s like a brilliantly shot never-ending sequence of corridors, stages, and expressionless people. You’re not sure what’s supposed to be real and what’s supposed to be a performance. It’s open to interpretation (which helps!) but essentially, the people in it and the environment that they’re in, are trapped
in an infinite loop, where time and reality are questionable.

So, I think this fits well with the concept of the album. Within that are themes of deception, so I think it also really suits the single ‘House Of Lies‘. You’ll know what I mean when you watch it!”

Slowdive or My Bloody Valentine

Terry: “It’s an interesting one this..I’ll say MBV, but the ‘shoegazing’ genre wasn’t something I was really hugely into at the time. Keyboards are my original obsession
when it comes to instruments, so I was probably more into The Charlatans around that
1991 period.

I didn’t get a cd of ‘Loveless’ until about ten years after it was released! But once I heard it, that was it, the penny dropped. It covered everything, from the underlying songs to the ingenuity of the sounds and satisfied my psychedelic leanings being into that late 60’s period as well.

For Slowdive, they were a more recent re-discovery, apart from ‘Alison’ and ‘Souvlaki
Space Station’ I’d say. ‘Slowdive’ from 2017 is an amazing sounding record and a stunning comeback as such.”

Ride or Swervedriver?

Terry: “I remember Ride’s early singles/ E.P. from seeing them on a great alternative
music show out in the late 80’s/ early 90’s called ‘Snub TV’, but they seemed to go off
my radar even by the time the first album ‘Nowhere’ came out.

So, for me, it was a case of re-discovery again about ten years ago listening back to
albums like ’Going Blank Again’. As for Swervedriver, I was never really familiar with them
to be honest, maybe I’ve missed a trick there!”

Best song and or album of 2021

Terry: “Margaritas Podridas self-titled album – amazing shoegaze/ psychedelic grunge from Mexico. A must see when they come to London! Or, from the UK, I’d say the White Flowers, ‘Day By Day’ album, which really is a beautifully produced record.

Next step for GHOST PATTERNS?

Terry: We are doing demos for our next bunch of songs at the moment, so hopefully this will be out in early 2022. It’s fair to say I think these songs will have a more tripped-out groove-based psychedelic sound than the intensity that’s on display for ‘Infinite’. We also have some great shows lined up with Qlowski and The Third Sound in January next year and hopefully, we will play live a lot more next year.

Thanks a bunch guys for this interview.
May the road rise with Ghost Patterns!

Don’t miss the band’s fantastic debut.
Stream/buy the album here…


.
GHOST PATTERNS: Facebook  

 

Psychedelic Shoegaze Trip – London’s GHOST PATTERNS Score With Debut Album ‘INFINITE’

Posted on by JL

Best longplayer of September 2021

1 October 2021

Band: GHOST PATTERNS
Who: London based quartet formed in 2019 blending
psychedelic, shoegaze and post-punk influences
into their music.

Debut album: INFINITE
Released: 3 September 2021
You can purchase the record via Bandcamp

Turn Up The Volume: The amplified haziness of Slowdive, the mystifying nightmares
of Spacemen 3, the multi-layer-constructing skills of My Bloody Valentine. Hallucinating soundscapes, sonic shadowplays, synths and guitars duelling with each other while
tireless drums dauntlessly beat, and wailing voices wander in an enigmatic fog of reverberation.

This and much more is what the (sur)real world of Ghost Patterns has to offer. Put your headphones on, open your mind and ears and you’ll experience a wondrous, psychedelic shoegaze trip. Strongly intense debut! Don’t miss it!

Single: House Of Lies

Stream/buy full album here…


.
GHOST PATTERNS: Facebook

Vocals/guitars/keys- Terry Hale
Vocals- Somrata Sarkar
Bass- Letitia Austin
Drums & Percussion- James Walker

Lyrics/music
Tracks 3,4,6,8,9 – Somrata Sarkar/ Ghost Patterns
Tracks 1,2,5,7 – Terry Hale/ Ghost Patterns

Recorded by Ghost Patterns
Produced & mixed by Terry Hale & James Walker

Pic credit: Serge Kutuzov

London’s GHOST PATTERNS Reflects On Life In A Big City On New Haunting Single ‘DISAPPEARS’…

Posted on by JL

Daily fuel to load your sonic batteries…

23 November 2019

Band: GHOST PATTERNS

Who: International quartet based in London producing “swathes of layered guitars and icy synth textures washed in reverb, juxtaposed with pounding bass lines and abrasive drums to round off the sonic palette.”

Pick: DISAPPEARS – New single – “A bittersweet homage to the huge metropolis we live in here in London, with all its pressures, taken opportunities, missed opportunities and its transient nature… nothing stays still here for very long so it’s an overall reflection of that.

Score: This new single reflects the band’s ambivalent feelings of living in a big, faceless city and being confronted with its daily race in the fast lane. The haunting guitars à la Interpol, the darksome sentiments, the doom-like vocals and the jittery orchestration all point in the same uncertain, feverish direction. Urban tenseness translated into a mind-blowing psychedelic escapade. A spine-chilling experience with a staggering finale. Top stuff!

Capture the vibe here…


.
GHOST PATTERNS: Facebook 

(on top: promo photo via band)