As Great Hare profile them frequently as dreamers I’m pretty sure – judging by
the song’s title – this new tune is inspired by a book 2011 book by R.J. Cole called The Archipelago of Dreams: The Island of the Dream Healer about somebody
leaving his body allowing his spirit to travel freely, with the guidance of a wizard
mentor, searching for the dream of life. More info here.
Yes, the Gothenburg romantics muse again on their romantic island. Like the Scottish sentimentalists Teenage Fanclub they prefer la-la land above reality, confirming it once again with this electrifying guitar pop reverie. And, yes, even metalhead Ozzy Osbourne loves to dream as he once sang: “I’m just a dreamer / I dream my life away / I’m just a dreamer / Who dreams of better days.”
AfterOut Of The Shadows – one of the best singles of 2020 –
Swedish indie band GREAT HARE say hello to 2021 with a new
composition titledALL THOSE DREAMS.
You’ll hear a straightforward rocker that opens with a sonic and vocal Dinosaur Jr drive but turns quickly into a more melancholic and poppy
modus when the chorus comes up, but still rolling as glowy guitars take
over and provide an electrical finale. Nordic Europe delivers again.
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).
I love the smell of rock ‘n’ roll all month long! Turn Up The Volume‘s 15 Knockout Tracks
November 2020! Right here, right now…
‘State Of The Union’ by PUBLIC ENEMY (US) Whatever it takes, rid this dictator / POTUS my tail, Ass debater / Prime-time Preemo, rhyme-time crime / Like no other in this lifetime / Stay away from me / State of the Union, shut the
fuck up / Sorry ass motherfucker / Stay away from me / State of the Union / Shut the fuck up
‘There’s A Ghost’ by SUPERCHUNK (North-Carolina)
This steamed-up missile proves that Superchunk still has the adrenalin-fueled buzz and fuzz energy to make you go nuts like a manic kangaroo. A welcome wham bloody bam smack to ventilate your lockdown frustration. Pogo along here…
‘I Don’t Know What I’m Doing’ by MAXÏMO PARK(Newcastle upon Tyne, UK)
Instant rollicking-guitar-crazy stormer. An agitated and keyed-up cracker on the
run with an adrenaline-fueled chorus triggering your jump up-and-down button.
From the upcoming album Nature Always Wins, out 26 February 2021…
‘The Eyeball Dance’ by HEY COLOSSUS (UK)
From the get-go, this ongoing repetitive-riff-ripper infiltrates your mind without asking permission. And the sickly sticky chorus causes head-twisting dynamics making you totally dizzy. Mind-bending psych jam for greedy ears! Get up and turn it up…
. ‘The Observer’ by FLYING MOON IN SPACE (Germany)
Only thirty seconds in and this electrical Kraut-synth stunner is already jumping from left to right and back in your uncontrollably spinning head. Ongoing sparkling rotations cause a transcendent experience giving you the opportunity to escape our grim reality for a while…
Cutting Sonic Youth echoes, flashing Metz dynamics, and layers of Dinosaur Jr. guitars.
A sizzling bolide about loving each other while rocking your balls off. From the band’s excellent debut LP Future Anachronisms. Start the fire…
. ‘Out Of The Shadows’ by GREAT HARE (Sweden)
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. Vitalizing, energizing, and galvanizing. In a normal world, this should be a global hit…
. ‘Breaking Out’ by GHOSTLAWNS
Middle finger to the lockdown, there’s no law against freaking out in your living room and it helps to activate your adrenaline production. And kraut-dance impulses are so much cheaper and more effective than therapy. Hit the floor…
. ‘For Daze’ by FAUX MACHISMO (Leeds)
Passion, desperation, devotion, distress, and heartache. An anxiety-driven outburst making your hair in the back of your neck stand up. A haunting groovy guitar riff-mad stroke with emotive vocals dragging you to the dark side of your soul and the exploding full-grunge chorus messes up your mind. Smells like heart-shaped box melodrama to me…
. ‘Where You Find Me’ by THE NOTWIST (Germany)
The German indie rockers are gearing up for a new album called Vertigo Days, out
29 January 2021. Lead-single Where You Find Me is a frolic pop tune you’ll whistle, hum and/or sing along pretty quick in your shower. As sticky as first-class glue…
‘Edge Of The World’ by THE SEA AT MIDNIGHT (Los Angeles)
One-man band The Sea At Midnight balances between twilight and sunrise, between
past and present, between pain and hope. This both melodious and darkwave blues introspection has a healing effect. Gripping piece from his new self-titled album…
. ’20th Century Boy’ by BEAUTY IN CHAOSfeat. AL JOURGENSEN
20th Century metal boy Al Jourgensen from industrial noiseniks Ministry obviously
has fun with this hot-tempered and filthy cover of the 1973 T.Rex blockbuster…
Well, It’s plain to see you were meant for me / Yeah, I’m your toy, your 20th Century boy.
‘King Of Machines’ byTIGER MIMIC (London)
Tiger Mimic rants about the dangerous state of chaos we live in with a crystal clear, outspoken jackhammer fueled by sinewy guitar hooks, a battering beat, sharp-cutting male/female vocals, and a caustic chorus. Midway the tempo drops and the intensity goes up before starting the pugnacious ‘I’ll Stand My Ground’ finale. Time to act! Time to survive!
. ‘No Justification’ by LOUD APARTMENT (New York)
Uplifting music is what we need to inject our concerned minds with hope and faith in
a better future while battling for survival. This hip-shaking, funky, hip-hop party tune
will do the trick perfectly. From the new albumSystem Breakdown…
. ‘Compersion Pt. 1’ by ARAB STRAP
Back after 15 years. A track that “depicts a quest to find the ever-elusive unicorn, to bond fluidly, and safely, with the like-minded and adventurous, in the comforting arms of an anonymous hotel, and the stark realization that you never really wanted it.” A near-spoken story over an ongoing addictive riff. Magnetic cut…
All together on Spotify…
. See/hear you next month for the best-of-2020-tracks…
GREAT HARE is a Swedish band formed about 10 years ago. As they know
the how-to-write-a-great-tune manual inside out Turn Up The Volume featured
this combo several times before.
And here we are again with their brand new mood-boosting
thrill called OUT OF THE SHADOWS.
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. Vitalizing, energizing, and galvanizing. In a normal world, this should be a global hit. Oh yeah, I
feel quite euphoric and, trust me, you’ll have your heart beat as fast as mine after just
one spin. Hopefully, we can all come out of the lockdown shadows pretty soon.
A maddening cocktail of roaring rippers and sassy strokes.
Fifteen jackhammers that heated up my isolation days!
Here’s Turn Up The Volume‘s Knockout May Team!
‘Skimmington Ride’ by SEX SWING (UK)
Apocalyptic and intimidating barnstormer matching these science-fiction-like times.
Contender-of-the-year single from their contender-of-the-year album TYPE II. Yeah!
‘Behajung’ by ELEFANT (Belgium)
Exotic designed title track of Belgian’s Krautsludge and sound-exploring crusaders from their new Sturm und Drang longplayer. Shake your belly and pirouette yourself dizzy. Fab!
‘Mr. Motivator’ by IDLES (UK)
Punk rebels hit again with riff crazy corker made to start crowded moshpits at gigs. Bingo!
‘Crossbow’ by TAMAR APHEX (Israel)
A shattering juggernaut, dynamized by a rattling machine-gun drum and a mind-blowing bass vibrancy. A 24 Karat score you’ll have on repeat for quite a while. Flabbergasting!
‘IW2BWU4EVR’ by FANTASY NON FICTION (New Orleans, US)
Resplendent roaring ‘n’ roll jingle having a vertiginous effect on your limbs. From
the band’s multifaceted, rad self-titled debut album. Advice: play this very loud!
. ‘Celebration’ byRHYS BLOODJOY (Manchester, UK)
Electro-industrial madness mixed with psycho wave lunacy. Bloodcurdling synths whipped up by a bone-chilling cadence. From stunning debut album Human.Pattern.Repeat.
‘I’m Not Getting Excited’ by THE BETHS (New-Zealand)
A boiling ripsnorter pushed by rattling riffs, heated hooks, and lively licks. Supersonic!
‘Suck My Mind’ by CHEMTRAILS (UK)
High-voltage roller fueled by ruthless percussion, guitar extravaganza, 60s organs and ecstatic vocals. From their fresh must-hear album The Peculiar Smell of the Inevitable.
. ‘Just Friends’ by SMALLTOWN TIGERS (Italy)
The Stooges fronted by Joan Jett with the Ramones sniffin’ glue in the producer’s room. Riot girls firework from Italy. Check their mad debut longplayer Five Things. 1-2-3-4!
. ‘Seed Of Evil’ by BLACK NEEDLE NOISE (Norway)
A colossal, diabolic electronic drone thumping mercilessly as a brain-fucking hammer causing thunder and lighting electricity. Be ready, Armageddon is just around the corner.
‘Black Love’ by UNRULY GIRLS (Italy)
Head-twisting sledgehammer as dark as the night. Jaw-dropping industrial killer from their new, storming Epidemic album. A decibels-loaded beast of a record! Sonic nightmare!
‘Fresh Air’ by GREAT HARE (Sweden)
Electric-powered slacker swagger, glimmering guitars, glowing vocals, and a tenacious chorus. Impossible to resist. Probably the best piece of this Swedish quartet. Top stuff!
. ‘POS’ by THE BUNDY BUNCH (Norway)
Furious. Red-hot-angry. Discombobulated. Pulverizing and disordered. You can burn
your poor ears by listening to this crashing bang. Let that be a loud and clear warning!
. ‘It Ain’t Water’ by ALISON MOSSHART (US)
When the lady sings the blues. Second striking solo single from The Kill’s wonderful singer.
Swedish pop ‘n’ rock outfit GREAT HARE excels in amplified melancholia with sticky tunes. They balance somewhere between the poppiest moments of Dinosaur Jr and the willful fuzz of today’s young star Will Toledo and his band Car Seat Headrest.
With new single FRESH AIR the Gothenburg quartet shows again what great, affecting guitar rock is all about. The fresh track captivates instantly because of the band’s familiar, electric-powered slacker swagger, driven by a solid beat, marvelously glimmering guitars, glowing vocals and a tenacious chorus. Great Hare strikes again and like so many of us we also need fresh air in these isolation days.
THE HIGH TROPICS is an Australian indie band centered around singer/songwriter Josh Stewart. After ardent single ‘Feel The Same’ earlier this year the band now shared new piece ‘CHANGES‘. A fiery, highly passionate mid-tempo humdinger with Stewart‘s towering vocals lifting the song to a fervent level that causes goosebumps. Top cut!
After their sensitive September single ‘Love Is Around’, Swedish indie guitar pop outfit GREAT HARE is back with a new one called ‘WEIGHTLESS STARDUST‘. A reflective song “about the inevitable ups and downs in life and that it can be hard to appreciate what you already have and instead restlessly searching for new things and experiences. We take better care of what is really important, before we turn into stardust again.”
From the get-go ‘Weightless Stardust‘ grooves like Great Hare never grooved before. Driven by an addictive, ongoing beat and layers of jangly guitars with meditative vocals all over it this is their rockiest piece ever and its overall captivating vibe reminds me of the late great Mark Linkous‘ band Sparklehorse. Yes, that good!
Eleven Knockout Tracks on repeat this past month!
A fervid fusion of clashing crackers and boisterous bangers!
Here’s Turn Up The Volume‘s Knockout September Team…
1. ‘Land Of Dead’ by ELEPHANT STONE (Montreal, Canada)
A stomping rocker pushed by a steamy sitar riff. Wham bloody bam!
2. ‘Destiny’ by PRYSM (North Of England, UK)
Flaming fuel for all you out there who needs to ventilate their fury once in a while. Yeah!
3. ‘Don’t Wake Up, Wake Up by NO SWOON
Savage guitars, ablaze percussion & urgent vocals! Bang-up buster! Jaw-dropping debut!
4. ‘Getting Older’ by RETAIL SPACE (Brooklyn, NY, US)
Dazzling guitar pop catchiness that will make your head swirl 360°. Irresistible zinger!
. 5. ‘Pushing Back’ by THE NEW POLLUTION (New York, US)
An ongoing repetitive hypnotic guitar riff spiced with airy dancey vibes. Bingo!
6. ‘We’re Not Detective’ by FEVA (Newcastle, UK)
Boiling hot smasher! Uproarious hubbub that will blow up your speakers! Kaboom!…
. 7. ‘Ego‘ by FERAL FIVE(London, UK)
Blistering blessing for those who want to swing themselves into a coma. Tanze jetzt!
. 8. ‘Mexico’ by HUSBANDS
The 21st Century Beach Boys. Non-stop fun, daily sun and sonic bubblegum. Surf’s up!
. 9. ‘Second Hand Emotion’ by SAYTR PLAY (Manchester, UK)
Put on some mascara, your sexiest boots, your coolest shirt and let your adrenalin flow.
10. ’75 Trips’ by REFLEKTER (Nottingham, UK)
Hungry guitars, jumpy electro beat injections, cocky vocals and a knockout chorus. Top!
. 11. ‘Love Is Around‘ by GREAT HARE (Gothenburg, Sweden)
A sticky amplified guitar pop tune, jingle jangle chants and a nostalgic Dinosaur JR feel…
