Happy 52 to one of the greatest smart-ass, wordsmith waterfalls, who attracted
millions of fans with ridiculously catchy pop tunes embedded in rapid-fire riot-gun
rants. He canned 12 LPs between 1996 and 2024. His latest The Death of Slim Shady (Coup De Grâce) is not one of his best records.
On the other hand its stellar old skool single HOUDINI is an E-tastic abracadabra banger.
Pitchfork says: Mostly, The Death of Slim Shady just feels sad. No matter how self-aware he is about becoming the old white guy scared of a changing culture, Eminem can’t seem to get in front of that fact. He was so provocative on his first few albums not because of his lyrics—plenty of horrorcore and gangster rap records were just as gnarly—but because he anticipated the criticism his lyrics would inspire. He set up the hall of mirrors and led you right into it… But now he’s stuck between contradictions; he claims to be above Slim Shady’s acidity but included that song anyway. If Slim Shady’s a mirror, as he asserts in “Guilty Conscience 2,” Marshall Mathers still can’t smash it. All the shards show the same reflection.” Score: 4.8/10.
TUTV: First things first. I’m not a hip-hop-rap fanatic, but one of the genre’s artists I really got/get thrilled by is EMINƎM. His 2002 album The Eminem Show was and still is a stroke of genius in my book. The way he embedded his manic rap rants into sickly sticky melodies was/is genial, but the new album is a stinker.
I feel sorry and happy for Slim Shady aka Eminem aka Marshall Bruce Mathers III. The guy had to endure a lot since he showed up for the first time in 1999 on his 2nd LP. And now, good for him, he gets the coup de grâce. Over and out (although you never know with E). He deserved a more fitting funeral than one with a farewell speech of 64 mediocre minutes, unworthy of the Detroit giant.
Slim here, Slim there, Slim everywhere, shoot Slim, hit Slim, tons of macho Slim rhymes etc. Musically we get only a handful of tunes that make me turn up the volume (tongue-in-cheek single Houdini, Habits, Brand New Dance, Evil, Antichrist, Guilty Conscience 2). Spread over those 64 minutes you need to skip over and over again, yet the master himself says you have to listen from start to finish to get the full story. Full story? Slim is dead, and that’s it. End of story.
The best lines are the first ones of Houdini. LOL!
“Hey, Em, it’s Paul (Paul Rosenberg = E’s associate) Uh, I was listening to the album
Good fucking luck, you’re on your own”
The highly influential The Jesus Lizard (1987–1999, 2008–2010, 2017–present,
still with their classic line-up) have their first album, named Rack. in 26 years
out on September 13.
First single Hide & Seek is an explosive, nervous, race & rushing
missile and sounds like they recorded it 26 years ago.
0% is a vicious cryout with schizoid guitars producing a chainsaw cacophony,
bone-chilling howling and primal screams sending shivers down your spine, and
vehement drum/bass ebullition doing your head in. 100% helter-skelter turbulence.
Drummer Dale Crover of chaotic veteran rockers Melvins
comes out of the shadow of the band again, for his 3rd solo LP.
It’s titled Glossolalia and shows up on September 13.
The lead single is a killer track. It moves and grooves with power-driven
energy and voltaic dash. Crover says it’s “vampire-story ‘Venus In Furs.’”.
Come again.
Heartworms is the psych-pop band of fast up-and-coming British songstress Jojo Orme.
They drew a lot of aural attention with last year’s 4-track A Comforting Notion. And they confirm their upcoming indie star status with Jacked. A flabbergasting guitar-propelling jam rotating in your head before you are aware of it.
5. ‘I Know The Future’ by THE LOOKOUT (Montreal, CA)
The Lookout are a melodic punk rock band from Montreal, fronted by dynamite voice Martha Rockhard.
On I Know The Future all burners and all cylinders are ignited.
The band go fast-forward with unbridled panache and vivacious
vigor.
They fuzz and buzz with revved-up energy, fueled by what sounds like an army of hungry guitars, by a merciless and relentless bass/drum collaboration pushing this barnstormer’s bustling beat to a dizzying level, and avid Amazon Martha Rockhard augments the red-hot-blooded intensity with her commanding powerhouse vocals.
Eminem canned his 10th LP and named itThe Death Of Slim Shady (Coup De Grâce). Release date TBA. I really feel for Shady, how many times has that poor guy died?
Lead single Houdini echoes his 2002 cracker Without Me and thrives on a
sample of the utterly catchy chorus of Steve Miller‘s 1982 hitAbracadabra.
Now you see him, now you don’t.
Now you hear him, now you don’t.
London-based poetallica duo of Daphne Ang (Singapore) and Andrea Papi (Italy) return,
after 2 notable albums with this new head-twister. A piece about addiction and recovery.
Feed The Beast dives into the tumultuous inner journey of learning how to live all over again. The emotional and barbed quest starts cinematically with Ang‘s near-whispering voice echoing intriguingly, at the 1-minute mark Papi joins in vocally and metallically causing mental turmoil.
From there on, the mercurial and emotional trip gets fragmented, swinging forth
and back, and drawing all of your auditory attention until the volcanic finale hits
you in the face.
This British trio infuse their guitar-driven sound with emotion, bravado and purely
authentic melancholy. as they prove here, again, with striking stroke Waiting.
With Waiting they hit bullseye with invigorating dash, resonating
somehow like Dinosaur Jr and/or The Lemonheads on a roasting roll .
Band: FRENCH MOTHERS Who: 4 indie rockers out
of Leighton Buzzard, UK
This caring quartet gives depression the middle finger with this urgent riff-ripper
that has a jangly Strokes-esque flow and rattles in your head without asking
from the first spin on.
This is a lovely day to be alive with French Mothers.
There’s always a ‘you only live once’ light at the end
of the tunnel.
KK: “This is essentially a happy breakup song. It’s about that moment when you realize
you can actually get up and stand tall, after the tough period of stumbling through the pain that breaking up from a person you care about brings with it – regardless of whether that is a romantic partner, a friend or a project collaborator. Once you come out of it at the other end of the tunnel you know that the transformative process was a character building experience, and that most things happen for a reason.”
Well, why not have a happy break-up song for a change. And Boom! is more than just a happy tune. It’s Koan‘s most inventive piece (so far). A brassy mid-tempo uplifter inviting you to do some of your best dance moves. I hear sultry horns, Eastern and samba vibes, ska trumpets, and lots of fun on this fiesta-like chant.
Irish indie stars FONTAINES D.C. already have 3 top-drawer albums
on their résumé. And #4 is bagged now. They named it Romance
and will share it with the world on August 23rd.
On Starburster frontman Grian Chatten
goes on a parlando roll again.
15. ‘Hero In The Season Of The Gun’ by LIFE COACH (Glasgow, Scotland)
Hero In The Season Of The Gun is an aflame synth-layered flare-up that triggers jump-from- left-to-right moves on the spot. It’s a hopped-up and vivified disco-punk knockout.
Life Coach balances here between the perky moments of fellow countrymen Arab Strap and The Streets with Mike Skinner charged by Duracell batteries. And his rapid-fire verbal ranting adds some more oil to the sonic British Army fire.
The Swedish do what they do best, once again.
Making your day with an instantly sticking guitar/synth
tune that has a both relaxing and brisk impact on your
ears at the same time.
“At its core, the song delves into the aftermath of a regrettable decision and the need
for redemption. However, beyond the surface, it’s an introspective exploration of life’s pressures, the weight of regret, and the awakening to what truly matters. It captures the essence of emotional turmoil and the consequences of acting on fleeting impulses,
ultimately leaving scars on all involved.”
You can whistle along, hum along, and sing along to this chirpy and feel-good
earworm, reminding me of harmonious Scottish nightingales Teenage Fanclub.
Adios MF is a musical project spearheaded by Nathan Keeble carving
fresh dark waves and electronica sounds from the underground of Sheffield, UK.
AMF about the new track: “They” is a Kitsch by product of existence amid the constant
churn of urban development and the persistent buzz of drilling. It was written as a tonic
to the realisation that resistance is futile; you must simply acquiesce to the world of
urbanism and let it carry you along on its unpredictable journey, set to a naughty
80s beat.”
Expect a swirling, darkwavish electro reviver that bounces somewhere between
the dark side of Depeche Mode and Cold Cave‘s addictive sonority. Infectious beats
and shadow-dancing rhythms.
Green Crow Collective is a new unit from Belgium led
by seasoned singer-songwriter Roeland Vandemoortele.
Coolcats is one piece from their fresh double A-side debut single that
will show up on their debut album Hard Drive Error later in the year.
No brakes, no breaks, no mistakes. Always full steam ahead driven by schizo guitars, steadfast drumming, and cool rock cats meowing all together. A mean machine debut.
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.
51-year-old word waterfall Marshall Bruce Mathers aka EMINEM is one of
those smart-ass hip-hoppers who attracted millions of fans with ridiculously
catchy pop tunes embedded in rapid-fire riot-gun rants.
On the album’s first single Eminem is foolin’ around again. HOUDINI (already more
than 23 million views on Spotify in just 4 days) is a familiar Without Me echoing tune mixed with a sample of the chorus of Steve Miller‘s 1982 hitAbracadabra.
Now you see him, now you don’t.
Now you hear him, now you don’t.
Going back in sonic history looking for memorable albums…
21 September 2018
Band: MELVINS
Album: HOUDINI – the band’s fifth LP
Released: 21 September 1993 – 25 years ago
ALL MUSIC review: “Houdini is about as close as one gets to a representative Melvins album, and it vividly captures the band’s unreconstructed power, vision, and musical strangeness… this album that displayed the full fruition of the outfit’s sonic breadth… with their voluminous output and determination to continuously expand their sound regardless of musical trends, the Melvins oeuvre has begun to rival – at least on paper – the career arcs of Frank Zappa and Neil Young.” – Score 4.5/5 – Full review here
TURN UP THE VOLUME! says: Besides the late, great Kurt Cobain I’m quite sure Metallica and Black Sabbath were great fans too!…
