Comprising non-LP cuts (or, “misfit children,” as singer Elias Bender Rønnenfelt says), Shake The Feeling features songs recorded during the band’s last three album cycles: 2014’s Plowing Into The Field Of Love, 2018’s Beyondless (2018), and the aforementioned Seek Shelter. Meanwhile, “Shake The Feeling” was written and recorded during the Beyondless sessions and at the time was left off for being too “happy go lucky.”
(photo by Turn Up the Volume!)
Rønnenfelt (frontman): ‘We thought this one to be a little too “nice” and well behaved at the time. I didnʼt want to learn the song, so I ended up improvising on the final take we did before abandoning it. In hindsight, I find the song to be completely sprawling with an impulsiveness difficult to capture on purpose. It has some of the guitar work Iʼm personally most proud of.”
Close your eyes and you’ll think that taster Shake The Feeling is a Dinosaur Jr song.
Last year, Danish soul mates ICEAGE fronted by the charismatic singer/songwriter Elias Bender Rønnenfelt delivered their best longplayer, so far, with Seek Shelter, their fifth one.
A top-10 album on Turn Up The Volume‘s end-of-the-year-2021 list.
The Copenhagen boys just announced that a tour through the US and Europe this Fall.
Along with the message came a new track calledAll The Junk On The Outskirts
A riff-rotating reflection. Haunting and highly strung.
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
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
1. Any light, simple song, especially one of sentimental
or romantic character, having two or more stanzas all
sung to the same melody. 2. A simple narrative poem of folk origin, composed
in short stanzas and adapted for singing. 3. Any poem written in a similar style. 4. A sentimental or romantic popular song.
Okay, I just wanted to check if I picked the right songs here.
Below you find TUTV’s Ballads Of 2021 Spotify playlist with
a total of 30 beauties that I picked from the past 12 months.
The late Suicide legend had a lost album out this year
called Mutator. One of those rare lost albums that are
actually really good. Samurai is one of the dark
highlights.
The passion-driven Danish outfit finally hit the bull’s eye
with their fifth longplayer Seek Shelter. A near-perfect
opus with this slow-burning torch…
Stand out track from these young Texans’ debut album Survivors.
The lyrics are crystal clear. America is not what Hollywood tells you. It has become
a dangerously divided country where racism and far-right rebirth stimulated by
charlatan Trump and his ruthless entourage are frighteningly realistic (again).
Alarming feelings expressed with heavy-heartedness…
A brave and affecting pop pearl. An inspiring encouragement for
the countless girls/women and boys/men worldwide, struggling with
the looks of their body when it doesn’t correspond with society’s
everlasting sexist perception of how a body should look like, as
we all know.
Singer/songwriter Chrisy Hurn sounds as if she’s
related to The Sundays‘ grand voice Harriet Wheeler.
8. ‘Weeping Willow’ by MODERN MOXIE (South-Carolina)
This nostalgic gem has that melancholic and magical feel we, adults,
are familiar with. Looking back at good times gone. This wistful lullaby
brings tears to your eyes.
Yes, we have already reached the middle of 2021. The world, finally, looks brighter
than last year. Mad summer parties are just around the corner. And here’s the perfect soundtrack… Turn Up The Volume’s 20 best knockout tracks of 2021, so far!
All together on Spotify…
. Track by Track…
1.‘Finger Pies’ by ANIKA (Berlin)
Electro earworm that moves and grooves from the get-go driven by a rolling
bass riff. Strangely catchy, mysteriously designed with a hypnotic effect. Top!
Catch the vibe…
2.‘Nike Soldier’ by ALAN VEGA (US)
Alan Vega is dead! Long live Alan Vega! This spine-chilling
slo-mo groove comes from his lost album Mutator.
Check in…
3.‘Night Is Mine’ – ULTRA SUNN (Brussels, Belgium)
Combine D.A.F.‘s industrial vibes, Sisters Of Mercy‘s gloom and doom hallucinations, and Depeche Mode‘s pop-noir thrills and you know it’s time for a dazzling night. It’s the title track from their standout debut EP.
Put on your leather jacket and dance…
4.‘One + One’ by DEATH FROM ABOVE 1979 (Canada)
With Is 4 Lovers the Canadian champions of drone noise rock made one of their best
full-lengths (so far). And the lead-single ‘One + One’ is a bulldozing, yet catching power blast that comes right at you.
Get slammed…
5.‘Ten Points On The Damage Meter’ by HOW TO LOOT BRAZIL (Germany)
No rest for all who are addicted to dance their asses off. This is a hip-shaking belter, 145 seconds of steamed-up pop-punk euphoria. Imagine German dark disco legends D.A.F. on speed, fronted by Brit-girls Shampoo who are in trouble again.
Here comes the shot of adrenalin…
6.‘Coma-Inducing Gibberish‘ by PIZZA CRUNCH (Scotland)
Scottish hit the bullseye with this sturdy stunner. A fab-tastic masterstroke to shut up all narcissists. Beware of getting too excited. It can lead to a rock ‘n’ roll coma. Whatever! Go for it!
Right here, right now…
. 7.‘Stay’ by ONISM E (New York)
A soul-stirring and highly affecting vocal highlight – from one of the best albums of 2021 – by this rad emo-striking NY-based outfit. Stream/buy ‘Survivors’ LP here.
And stay for this pearl…
. 8.‘Fall Of The Big Screen’ by DEADLETTER (South London)
Imagine George Orwell fronting The Fall back in Nineteen Eighty-Four scaring the
world with a grim, futuristic vision of humankind about to collapse in 2021 due to
a deadly virus. Scary!
Turn up the heat here…
9.‘Wake Up’ by LOBSTERBOMB (Berlin, Germany)
A screaming triumph. This up-and-coming Berlin trio combines Bikini Kill‘s rough
outcries, L7‘s detonating gusto, and B-52‘s peppery liveliness. Touchdown!
Wake up here…
10.‘Heroin’ by PERMO (Scotland)
A sizzling slice of trash and slash punk. Expect 135 striking seconds of heavy thunder
and creepy lighting. Totally insane drums and bass, deranged guitar frenzy, and cranked-up, psych-o-tic howling. Fucktastic intensity!
Hell yeeeaaahhhh…
. 11.‘We… Are Doomed’ by THE IRRATIONAL LIBRARY (Dutch-American)
A challenging rap and roll rant by an open-minded-plainspoken-ass-kicking-anti-establishement-and-other-scumbags force of doom and gloom. The title track from
this caring collective’s excellent new album.
Apocalypse now…
12.‘Boilermaker’ byROYAL BLOOD (UK)
The blues-rock tandem is back with this motherfucker of
a slam dunk from their brand new album Typhoons.
Wham bloody wham bam…
13.‘The Men Who Rule The World’ by GARBAGE (US/Scotland)
A surprisingly funky disco banger that triggers your head’s up-and-down movement the very moment the money drops into the corrupt politicians’ pockets. I still love you, Shirley!
Let’s roll…
14.‘This Is Not’ by CROWS ON WIRES (Germany)
Sultry synths, punchy percussion, glimmering guitar lines, and vibratory vocals.
Sounds like Sisters of Mercy are back, produced by Bauhaus who listened to Soft
Cell on repeat. A stunner, indeed!
Get magnetized here…
15.‘Vendetta’ – ICEAGE (Denmark)
An intoxicating jam with a threatening pace. A glam
power punch from their best-ever album Seek Shelter.
Press play and get moved…
16.‘Not To’ by WOLFVANWYMEERSCH (Belgium)
Melancholia at its starry-eyed, synth-pop best. Here’s a romantic at heart, going
solo, who’s sanely obsessed with creating music, playing music, and enjoying music,
if possible, all at the same time. Damon Albarn‘s moody side comes to mind.
Dim the lights and enjoy…
17.‘Unspoken’ by ANNIE TAYLOR (Switzerland)
A troubled love reverie with a sorrowful touch. Heartbreaking romanticism at its balladesque best, notable for its vocal splendour and silver-toned resonance.
Enjoy the sweet little pearl…
. 18.‘Carry Me On’ by THE BANKROBBER (Italy)
This new musing feels like a nightly gloaming. Acoustic soul-searching and intimate tenderness. The darksome sorrowfulness of several past and present crooners come
to mind when hearing this gloomy song.
Dream away…
19. ‘Man Alone (Can’t Stop The Fadin’)’ byTINDERSTICKS (Nottingham, UK)
Surprising stonker! An 11-minute psychedelic and epic journey. Trippy and spacey.
From their new, 13th album, Distractions.
Follow the flow…
20. ‘Amsterdam’ by MOONLIGHT PARADE (UK)
Magical and red-colored ballad, combining the melodic melancholia of Teenage Fanclub and The Coral. A sweet little gem about a wonderful city I’m in love with for a long time now. Press play and let your thoughts drift away on a cloud.
NME says: “A record that never sits still, an album of considerable polish and scope
and by far the boldest thing the Danes have ever made, but also an album that still feels distinctly theirs. The fierce 90-second punk songs of their early days might now have
morphed into vast stadium-rock anthems, but Iceage remain as razor-sharp as ever.”
Full review here. Score: 4/5.
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 balls, impassioned with vigour, romantic with grimness. Charismatic frontman Elias Bender Rønnenfelt leads the troops as never before.
Their fifth, their best.
Rønnenfelt: “We by no means wanted a producer to go in and tell us what to do
or lead the way as to what kind of record we were trying to make. We just wanted
a partner in crime.”
Singles/clips: Vendetta / Shelter Song / The Holding Hand
Turn Up The Volume‘s 15 Knockout Tracks for May 2021!
A sassy stream of rambling rippers and jagged jackhammers.
‘Racist, Sexist Boy’ by THE LINDA LINDAS (Half Asian / Half Latinx)
Young kids standing up and making a sharp-cutting, alarming statement
about racism and sexism with a spot-on, in-your-face, loudmouthed punk
anthem à la Bikini Kill. I love it, so should you.
Plug in here…
‘Weather Strike’ by TOM MORELLO and PUSSY RIOT (US/RUSSIA)
Riot, bloody riot, yeah! Morello and Pussy Riot rage against the machine
together with a quiet/Loud/quiet/Loud crossover outburst. I repeat:
riot, bloody riot, yeah.
Press pussy play…
. ‘Finger Pies’ by ANIKA (Berlin)
Electro earworm that moves and grooves from the get-go driven by a rolling
bass riff. Strangely catchy, mysteriously designed with a hypnotic effect. Top!
Catch the vibe…
‘Heat’ by WHISPERING SONS (Belgium)
This is the best Whispering Sons song my ears ever heard. Heat takes you by the throat from the kick-ass kickoff. A haunting and sickly sticky stomper. A 24-carat rocker!
Press play here…
‘Le Jour Du Cobra’ by LA JUNGLE (Belgium)
A bulldozer-feedback intro, repetitive synth-thrills, glowing guitars, freakish voices and a thunderous pace all rolled into one mad-as-a-hatter Kraut-noise escapade making your mind go dizzy, your heart beating faster and your potency going sky-high. Fuck Viagra,
long live La Jungle!
‘Vendetta’ by ICEAGE (Denmark)
An intoxicating jam with a threatening flow. A first-rate power blow.
From their new, brilliant longplayer Seek, Shelter.
Tune in…
‘Slice Of Pain’ by BLACK INK STAIN (France)
All hell breaks loose from the very start. An obstreperous post-punk sledgehammer with a deafening dose of illegal decibels. Opening missile from their excellent Incidents album.
Here comes the blast…
. ‘Shallow’ by BIG TIME KILL (Boston, MA)
In a normal world, Big Time Kill should be know wide and far. Their massive
wall-of-electro-rock-shock is titanic, overwhelming at times, and served with a
gigantic gusto to blow roofs off dance floors. Shallow is my favorite piece of their staggering new 4-tarck EP Recovery.
Dance around and around…
. ‘Cosmic Fingers’ byPAUL WELLER (UK)
No rest for the Modfather. The last few years his production is impressive and
a couple of weeks ago another LP,Fat Pop hit the streets. Lead-single Cosmic Fingers proves once again that Weller still can rock out like the best. That’s entertainment!
Fire it up, Weller…
‘This Is Not’ by CROWS ON WIRES (Germany)
Sultry synths, punchy percussion, glimmering guitar lines, and vibratory vocals.
Sounds like Sisters of Mercy are back, produced by Bauhaus who listened to Soft
Cell on repeat. A stunner, indeed!
Get magnetised here…
‘Party’ by LOVE ITOYA (Greek Nigerian)
This feels so good. Upbeat, happy and totally summer. Only Love Itoya‘s second
single but definitely one to start and stop all coming sunlit beach jamborees with.
Yes, the sun shines again. Finally! Post-pandemic hope for the future, right here!
Party time indeed…
‘Joker’ by THE HACIENDAS (Manchester, UK)
The Haciendas rattle their butts off on this new fervent firecracker. They turn up the temperature with electric-powered riffs-hooks-and-licks and a clear-cut chorus. One message for all doubters out there: guitar rock is not dead.
Here‘s why…
‘I Said That You Looked Fine’ by ALEX JAMES (North East England)
This banging belter has an instant effect on your body movements. Expect a steamy stonker that rattles and rolls with swagger and energy. Big guitars, big chorus, big tune. What do you want more? Okay, we agree.
Tune in and start the beat…
‘Carry Me On’ by THE BANKROBBER (Italy)
This new musing feels like a nightly gloaming. Acoustic soul-searching and intimate tenderness. The darksome sorrowfulness of the late great Buckley legends floats
all over this gloomy ballad.
Dim the lights and dream away…
. ‘Odes’ by DEAFDEAFDEAF (Manchester, UK)
A slow-paced meditation driven by Hill‘s poignant vox and puzzling guitar waves.
London’s sharp-knifed engineshame should take DEAFDEAFDEAF on tour with
them. They share the same outspoken edginess and sonic resonance. Bingo!
5 new firecrackers to boost your favorite 48 hours…
‘Stick By Stick’ by LITTLE MUSGRAVE (Brussels)
Lighten up, folks. Joey Wright aka Little Musgrave activates your feet, hips, and head with
this ongoing funky groove. Its hypnotic vibe triggers your best body moves. Shake and quake is what you’ll do when this inflammable crackerjack hits your ears. EP ‘Matches’ coming up via Wild Goose Chase Records.
Here‘s the vibe…
‘High & Hurt’ by ICEAGE (Denmark)
One of the best pieces these Danish rockers ever recorded. Amplified passion,
anthemic swagger, and a titanic chorus. From the band’s new, very impressive
fifth LP Sheek Shelter. Actually their best (so far). Hurrah!
Feel the glow…
.
‘Non-Dramatic Break-Up Song’ by LINNEA’S GARDEN (Boston, MA)
The happiest break-up song I heard in ages. All lovers out there, listen and learn. This electrical earworm will make you stay good friends after you called it a day with your partner. Heads up, put Linnea on the stereo and your broken heart will be healed in no time (I hope). From her new 5-track sensual party EP Nowhere Friday’s Night.
Let’s roll…
‘Sketch Of Light’ byTHURSTON MOORE (US)
One of those 24/7 musicians who breathe music, who dream about music, who are obsessed about music and who only make music they want to make. Like this sparkly, instrumental jam you wanna hear when you get up in the morning (well, I do).
A sonic veteran with a youthful heart…
. ‘Save Yourself’ by THE NEVERLUTIONAIRIES (North-Carolina, US)
Wow! This pumping psych knockout grabs you by the throat from the get-go with its Black Sabbathesque drone hammering all the way and its thunder and lighting beat doing your head in. The band’s brainchild Christopher Harold Wells: “I wrote ‘Save Yourself ‘ about a dear friend of mine who had serious substance abuse issues that eventually claimed his life. Though he had a crazier existence than mine, he always tried to give me advice about getting myself together.”
NME says: “A record that never sits still, an album of considerable polish and scope
and by far the boldest thing the Danes have ever made, but also a album that still feels distinctly theirs. The fierce 90-second punk songs of their early days might now have
morphed into vast stadium-rock anthems, but Iceage remain as razor-sharp as ever.”
Full review here. Score: 4/5.
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 balls, impassioned with vigour, romantic with grimness. Charismatic frontman Elias Bender Rønnenfelt leads the troops as never before.
Their fifth, their best.
Singles/clips: Vendetta / Shelter Song / The Holding Hand
TURN UP THE VOLUME 