Johnny Marr

Turn Up The Volume’s 20 BEST TRACKS – SEPTEMBER 2023

Posted on by JL

Best of the best of September 2023.

ALL TOGETHER


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TRACK-BY-TRACK

1. ‘Crystal Closet Queen’ by PIXIES (Boston, US)


(Photo by Turn Up The Volume)

To celebrate the late genial, eccentric-looking, allround musician Leon Russell,
a 10-track tribute album came out last week, titled A Song For Leon.

Boston’s noise icons Pixies also feature on the LP with their blustering version
of Russell‘s 1971 classic boogie woogie cracker Crystal Closet Queen, which
Black Francis and Co turned into a classic boogie woogie punk cracker.

Dynamite.


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2. ‘Dick In Thanks’ by MORLOCKS (Sweden)


2023 photo by Krichan Wihlbor

Dick in Tanks will feature on the band’s forthcoming
album Praise The Iconoclast, out 6 October via
Metropolis Records

It all starts with warning war sirens, marching soldiers chants.
90 seconds later, it’s all hens on deck when this industrial rock
missile erupts with a blitzkrieg fierceness.

Think Rammstein and NIN having a fight with riot guns. Menacing growls and howls suggest imminent danger and when the clamorous chorus crashes in, it’s time to
go to the battlefield. Midway, all need a breather in order to put fuel in the tank and continue the supersonic attacks will all burners on. War can be fun, in case Morlocks
lead the troops.

Jump in your own tank
and kick dicks’ asses.

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3. ‘Eureka!’ by THE VANITY PROJECT (London)

This queer art-pop duo launch their debut longplayer named
Never Should Have Come Here, next week, on September 29.

Eureka! is the third shared piece from the album.

It combines the madcap vibrancy of Sparks‘ early days and some flipped-out
Queen bombast. The Vanity Project produce eccentric pop pleasure, sonically
and lyrically, without mainstream restrictions.

They sound kooky and look kooky, but make no mistake, this tantalizing tandem
know perfectly well how to fabricate and construct high-freak-quality entertainment.

Bring on the album.

Eureka!

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4. ‘I Want More’ by XTR HUMAN (Germany)

XTR HUMAN is the solo project of German artist Johannes Stabel.
So far he recorded/released 3 albums. Check them out here.

Now he has a new single out, titled I Want More. An EBM brainbreaker that makes
your head spin uncontrollably. An electronic gloom and doom hammer blow to smash
capitalist pigs with.

The accompanying video, directed by German filmmaker
Matthias Landenberger, is an eye-catching spectacle.

Listen/watch.

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5. ‘Better Than Life’ by GRRL GANG (Indonesia)

Last week this young, most exciting Indonesian trio unleashed their ablaze debut album, baptized Spunky! More about it in an upcoming interview with Turn Up The Volume.

One of the standout tracks is Better Than Life.

Angeeta Sentana (vocalist/songwriter): “Being diagnosed with any mental disorder is
not a nice thing to have. I’m still in the process of accepting it as a ‘normal’ part of my life,
but there are times when I would feel super down about it.”

Better Than Life races and rushes for 90 seconds with all engines on. Its razzle-dazzle tempo makes you dizzy, while angry guitars and scary screams in the back have the
force to kick evil demons into oblivion.

Stroke!

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6. ‘Making Me Mad’ by JEEN (Canada)

Canadian rockin’ songstress Jeen‘s sassy single will feature on her new,
5th full length, titled Gold Control, coming our way in February 2024.

Making Me Mad is a mid-tempo burst going up and down, swinging your mood from left to right and back, while you ask yourself if the mind-crushing demons will still haunt you in the end. Human nature stuff, as we know it. I swear I can hear the young out-of-her-head Courtney Love in the back.

Press play.

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7. ‘Danse Macabre’ by DURAN DURAN (UK)

Glam and glitter legends DURAN DURAN have no intention whatsoever to retire.
They canned album number 16, baptized DANCE MACABRE and they will share it
with the world on 27 October.

Danse Macabre is a funky/groovy earworm that combines Goth, psych-o-tic darkwave,
and some hip-rap-hop fragments. Ace. This year’s Halloween will be different, Duran Duran are different, it will be a horror-tastic party.

Here’s why.

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8. ‘103’ by THE KILLS (US/UK)


(Photo by Turn Up The Volume)

It’s been 7 years since iconic blues-rock duo THE KILLS – Alison Mosshart
and Jamie Hince – had their last longplayer out with the first-rate Ash & Ice.

Until a couple of weeks ago when the charismatic tandem announced
the launch of their 6th LP. It’s titled GOD GAMES and comes our
way on 27 October.

The tantalizing tandem already shared three cuts from the longplayer.

I’ll go with 103.

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9. ‘Love And Misery’ by DEAD LEVEE (Canada)

These manic motherrockers are all about raw and rough, rip-roaring racket as they let your stereo experience once again with this mend-bending riff monster. Think Metallica covering Guns N’ Roses. Thundering drums, crazed wah-wah guitars, hell-raising vocals, and a slam-bang, scream-along chorus. All ingredients you need to get up, stand up and fight for your right to be a hedonist.

Let’s rock.


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10. ‘Down’ by pMAD

The moniker of Irish musician Paul Dillon
featured here on TUTV several times before.

He just revealed his new turbulent 4-track EP Sword.
Stream/buy it here.

My favorite piece is Down.

The lyrics paint a vivid picture of the emotional turmoil that arises when personal safety and self-worth are threatened, reminding us that until we confront these issues, the cycle of suffering will persist. However, with the power of self-reflection and a realisation of life’s value, one can choose to break free from the cycle and reclaim their self-esteem and identity.

Down is an ardent bona fide punk-rock ripper going
full steam forward with all sonic cylinders on.

Listen up.


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11. ‘Heartbreak Kid’ by THE VACCINES (UK)


(Press photo)

The celebrated British indie rockers prepare for the launch
of their 6th LP, titled ‘Pick-Up Full Of Pink Carnations’.

And here’s the lead single.

A vaccination that boosts your mood immediately.

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12. ‘Fade Out The Fear’ by EWAN MaCFARLANE (Scotland)

As I read firstly that the song’s theme was about fighting mental illness
I could relate before I heard it, as I struggled with bipolar problems myself for
years. It’s a drag that messes up your life in a hard-to-explain way. Always good
to hear emboldening music that arouses hope for everybody out there who experienced/experience those burdensome feelings.

Ewan Macfarlane‘s mighty voice is the star on this wholehearted Springsteen-esque
rocker. Americana ardency the Scottish way delivered with dedication, fervor and arousing electricity and when the loud and clear chorus hits your speakers it feels as if he wants to eliminate the fear with sonic assertiveness and confidence. Superb stuff.

Here we go.

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13. ‘Somewhere’ by JOHNNY MARR (Manchester, UK)

SPIRIT POWER – THE BEST OF JOHNNY MARR will
be launched on 3 November. Pre-order info here.

The compilation will also feature this new guitar pop gem,
titled Somewhere. A sickly sticky tune that made my day
on the spot.

It’s a sickly sticky tune that made my day on the spot, which
happened/happens so many times with Marr‘s killer instinct
for thrilling tunes.

Here comes the messenger.

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14. ‘Don’t Do That’ by SHAW’S TRAILER PARK (Brighton, UK)

This Britsh alt.country/Paisley Underground-inspired collective
released their self-titled debut album last month. Stream it here.

The band’s roots are in the same North London rockabilly/country-noir
scene that gave us the likes of Gretschen Hofner, Gallon Drunk and
The Flaming Stars.

The standout album opener Don’t Do That is a riff-rotating roller
dominated by high-voltage guitar electricity with feverish vocals.

Let’s go.

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15. ‘A Feather Of A Pigeon In The Cave Of The Wisdom Of God’ by LIGHT BY THE SEA (The Netherlands)

Back in 2019, the Dutch duo released their notable debut
full-length ‘Only Death Makes Iocns’. Discover it here.

With this new piece, they deliver another intriguing pop symphony.

Scintillating electronic bliss, beautifully orchestrated.

The accompanying video is a classy and subtly sexy visualization.

Listen/watch.

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16. ‘Date Night’ by LOSSLINE (Manchester, UK)

Lossline is a Manchester-based singer/songwriter tandem who, as they state themselves, love to write sad songs. So far they filled two affecting albums with sad beauties. Check them out here.

To be honest I’m a sucker for heartfelt lullabies/ballads. And that’s a musical mood territory Lossline excell in, which they prove once more with Date Night. Although, sonically here they combine tranquil lullaby intimacy – mesmerising piano play and near-whispering vocals – with fully orchestrated passion, winning your heart over second by second.

Probably the best-ever Lossline piece. It should have been – no, I’m not joking – a bonus track on The National‘s new bewitching album First Two Pages Of Frankenstein. I’m sure you get the vibe at work here by now.

Pure pearl.

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17. ‘Route 36’ by MORPHINE RIDGES (Berlin)

Morphine Ridges is a new liaison, based in Berlin, led by Andreas Miranda (Lucy Kruger
and the Lost Boys, Third Sound, Ex Camera) blends dark country riffs with lap steel
guitar sliding through the cracks of shadowy vocals.

Route 36 is a gloomy ballad for the twilight hours, when reality and fantasy
get together and your dusky thoughts float somewhere in the middle. It’s a murky
mind-wanderer, with vulnerable vocals and melancholic guitar lines, triggering
darksome images on your head’s inner screen.

But unexpectedly, near the end, you’re awakened from your hallucinatory
state of mind with a wall-of-flabbergasting-electrical disturbance leaving you
behind, totally puzzled. What a bone-chilling debut this is.

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18. ‘Saccharine’ by TEEN IDLE (New Jersey, US)


Photo by Samantha Abdelbarry

Teen Idle is the musical project of New Jersey singer-songwriter,
producer, and multi-instrumentalist Sara Abdelbarry.

She shared her bittersweet debut album with the world today.

It’s named Nonfiction. Play it here.

For all lovers out there who realize that their relationship is over the LP’s opener Saccharine could serve as a comforting, mid-tempo synth-pop vibration that breathes hope for another future. After a smooth, Eastern-like-guitar-resonating intro a trippy bass riff and rhythmic drum touches take care of the song’s steady (heart)beat while Abdelbarry‘s crystal voice sounds sorrowful and reflective.

Somewhere in the middle, a heart-warming saxophone comes on (think of soul
diva Sade’s hits) and gives the song a matching melancholic feel that endears.

Lovely.


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19. ‘One More Time’ by BLINK-182 (California)


Press photo

Californian veteran rockers BLINK-182 got
together with their classic line-up last year.

There’s no stopping them now. A new album is canned. It’s named
ONE MORE TIME… and will make the massive army of B-182 fans
go nuts on 20 October.

A candlelight ballad.

Melancholic, romantic and heartfelt. Millions of fans
around the globe will sing along with tears in their eyes.

Enjoy.

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20. ‘Excommunicated’ by NOBODY (Finland)


Photo by Mikke Strandberg

Nobody is a one-man dark acoustic prog folk
rock act fronted by Tuomas Kauppinen.

Two weeks ago his new album, called Hyperborean Ecstasy
came out. Listen here.

Opening musing Excommunicated an introspective ‘I don’t belong here‘ reverie.
Think Nick Drake and Elliott Smith. Intimate and heavy-hearted accentuated
by his moody acoustic guitar play.

It’s a shadowy contemplation for quiet
moments when melancholia hits you.

Stream/buy.


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See/hear you next month, music junkies

TUTV: Facebook – Instagram – Twitter

JOHNNY MARR Remembers His Very Good Friend And Former THE SMITHS Bassist ANDY ROURKE

Posted on by JL

ANDY ROURKE, the highly praised bass player of immortal indie stars THE SMITHS
passed away two days ago, on 19 May, following a long battle with pancreatic cancer
at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City. He was born named Andrew Michael Rourke on 17 January 1964 in Manchester UK, 59 years ago.

Johnny Marr, his very good friend since their childhood, and
The Smiths‘ guitar hero posted this in memoriam on his socials.

20 BEST TRACKS For NOVEMBER 2022 Picked By TURN UP THE VOLUME

Posted on by JL

A stream of rattling rippers, jagged jams, and magnific musings

All 20 on Spotify

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Track by Track

Stoogefather IGGY POP still wants to be your dog.
Next January he launches a new album, named Every Loser.

First lead single FRENZY is a motherfucker of a punk bomb
featuring an all-star band including Watt, Guns N’ Roses‘ Duff
McKagan and Red Hot Chili Peppers‘ Chad Smith.

I’m in a frenzy
Fucking prick
I’m in a frenzy
Goddamn dick

Turn it up!

IGGY POP: Facebook – Instagram
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Last April grime-rape/punk-rock duo BOB VYLAN caused noisy waves
with their second longplayer Bob Vylan Presents The Price Of Life

But they’re not done yet this year. They teamed up with Laurie Vincent
of London‘s punk duo Slaves for a brand new hammer blow called
THE DELICATE NATURE

It goes like this…

BOB VYLAN: Facebook – Instagram
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Band: DEAD PATRONS
Who: British noise trio

Debut single: LOVER

Both a gloomy and foot-tapping drum/bass are the backbone of this ominous post-punk stroke. Haunting guitar layers inject this jaw-dropper with edgy electricity, grim vocals add a kind of dark tension, while the sickly catchy groove rattles on and on, before a surprising finish with a weeping violin.

The video features the English comedian Sean Walsh in a much darker tone than his usual TV appearances, as he is seen battling his inner demons through the bottom of a whisky bottle.

DEAD PATRONS: Facebook
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Band: ULTRA SUNN
Who: Cold/darkwave duo – Sam Huge
and Gaelle Souflet – from Brussels

New single: CAN YOU BELIEVE IT

Turn Up The Volume: Can you believe this? Even before the music comes
on I’m already moving furniture to make room, because with ULTRA SUNN
it’s always shake your booty time.

The tantalizing combination of boosting beats, shadowplay sound textures,
reverberant vocals, and a pumping chorus at work here, attract you to act the
whole way through. Just irresistible. With ambitious artists like ULTRA SUNN
darkwave music will never age.

Dance into the night here…

ULTRA SUNN: Facebook – Instagram
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Toronto label We Are Bodies releases Remix The Universe on 27 January 2023.
It’s a compilation of new perspectives on The Upsetter’s final collaborative LP, 2021’s acclaimed Lee “Scratch Perry’s Guide To The Universe by NEW AGE DOOM.

First taster LIFE IS AN EXPERIMENT (Cloud Climber Version) is vintage dub electronica honoring Lee “Scratch” Pery wonderfully. The Jamaican dub music pioneer who gave reggae another vibe with his revolutionary studio wizardry and visionary production technics. He passed away last year, aged 85. R.I.P.

Hear the ghost of Perry at work…

NEW AGE DOOM: Website
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(Keira-Anee Photography)

Band: BUGEYE
Who: Female pop quartet from London blending cherry-liqueur lyrics,
bubblegum-kneecap bass electrics, goth-heavy drum compactions and
hi-rise guitar sculptures.

New single: SIGNS & EXIT

Middle-finger to bullies. Stay home, dress funky, paint yourself up,
turn up Bugeye, pirouette yourself in a trance and let the sweat flow.

The clip is directed by Laura Jean Marsh and inspired by psychological
drama movie We Need to Talk About Kevin from 2011.

Watch it here…

BUGEYE: Facebook – Instagram
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Swedish electro-pop artist FEVER RAY (born Karin Elisabeth Dreijer, 47 years ago)
canned her 3rd album and named it RADICAL ROMANTICS. It comes out on
10 March 2023. More info here.

Spicy taster CARBON DIOXIDE is an edgy
Björk-esque disco-pop stomper. Bingo!

Tune in.

FEVER RAY: Facebook – Instagram
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Band: MEMES
Who: A noisy Glasgow duo (cousins) called John and Paul – not that John and Paul, obviously. And as band name John Paul II would be ridiculous, they called themselves Memes, and hit the scene in 2019, and have been twisting heads ever since

New single: LEADER

After their eponymous bonkers debut EP (2020) followed by some staggering singles,
the high-decibels tandem nail it with another sucker punch. Leader is a funk-punk riff ripsnorter that kicks forth and back before a freakish guitar outbreak slashes and
trashes its way to the end.

Watch out for the pigman,
he looks like a meme in disguise…

MEMES: Facebook – Instagram – Twitter

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(photo by Turn Up The Volume)

DEATH VALLEY GIRLS, the garage rock fury from Los Angeles, led by vocalist/guitarist/organist and charismatic voodoo doll Bonnie Bloomgarden,
who love to doom boogie while glowing in the dark, have their new – 5th – album,
baptized ISLANDS IN THE SKY out on 24 February 2023. Pre-order info here.

Along with the great news, DVG spoil our ears with the first single WHAT ARE THE ODDS.
It’s a ridiculously sticky juiced-up power-pop chant triggering your limbs to get up and move. And when the under the spell of joy choir joins Bonnie Bloomgarden on the elated chorus you just feel that the odds are huge for the simulated Californian girls having another top album are huge. Fact!

We are living in a simulated world
And we are simulated girls!

Stream/buy
the track here…


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DVG: Facebook – Instagram
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Band: CROSS WIRES
Who: fervid post-punk 4-piece
from Romford, UK.

Single: MOURNING
The first piece of the band’s
upcoming second longplayer.

TUTV: Great news for all Cross Wires fans, including myself, out there.
Their 2nd album is finished/recorded and ready to leave its vault early
next year through Culture Wars Records. It follows the band’s album
A Life Extinct. One of the most poignant debut records of 2019.

Lead single. Mourning is not a happy story. It’s a post-break-up cry out,
a cathartic shout out. Sixties psychedelic-sounding wah-wah guitar fuzz,
alternated with cutting six-string fervor stoke up the energy of this crackerjack
all the way, along with a steadfast drum/bass tandem, and back up frontman
Jonathan Chapman‘s harrowing confession of lovesickness.

Press play here…


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CROSS WIRES: Facebook – Instagram
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Band: JUSTINE PAYNE & CO.
Who: Musician, composer and performer, describing himself
as a “natural born underdog.” With over 15 years of experience
in the industry

Track: TOGETHER AS ONE

Payne describes how his life is changing throughout the song, but no amount
of fame or distraction could deviate him from the one he loves. The tender lyrics
contrast in the baddest way possible with Justine‘s gritty delivery.

TUTV: Expect a slow-burning slacker cracker with poignant Dinosaur Jr echoes and
garage rock reverberation stoked up by cranked-up guitars. As the song progresses
Payne spellbinding voice takes over. Breathtaking.

Get puzzled.

JUSTIN PAYNE & CO: Facebook – Instagram
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NOEL GALLAGHER and his HIGH FLYING BIRDS
return with a new single, titled PRETTY BOY.

A speedy psych roller featuring guitar lines from Johnny Marr.
The song is the first piece The Chief shared from a new album
coming next year. Details follow later.

Gallagher: “For this new record it was the first thing I wrote, the first thing I demoed and the first thing I finished, so it’s only right that it’s the first thing people get to hear. Massive shout out to my mainest man Johnny Marr for taking it somewhere special. Oh… and watch out for a cameo from me in the video… first one to spot me wins a bag of Flamin’ Hot Wotsits Giants!!”

Music, maestro, please…

NOEL GALLAGHER’S HIGH FLYING BIRDS: Facebook – Instagram
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Band: VAZUM (Detroit, Michigan)

Who: Zach Pliska and Emily Sturm. The project started in 2017.
They describe their sound as deathgaze, combining the raw energy
of deathrock with the depth of shoegaze. So far the duo released
four albums and a handful of singles and EPs.

New single: THE PRECIOUS ONES

TUTV: Vazum ventilate their anger versus the money-greedy corporate music industry
with this brutal straightforward shocker generating a wall-of-fuck-the-elite-labels sound that bulldozes its way on repeat with schizo guitars, a non-stop spiteful rant and Emily Sturm‘s freakish backing vocals. Bang-on!

Buy/stream here…


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VAZUM: Facebook – Instagram
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Band: ONISM E
Who: Committed indie quartet based in New York, fronted
by wholehearted singer/songwriter Eline Chavez

New single: IT’S NOT OVER.

Lyrically and sonically it follows Lin Manuel closely. Lyrical guitar play
stars along Chavez‘s fervid soul/blues voice. She still has hope for the
future. No, it’s not over yet.

Onism E are survivors.
No doubt about that.

Listen.

ONISM E: Facebook – Instagram
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(Photo credit: Keira Anee)

Artists: FERAL FIVE
Who: Electro-punk dance music duo – Kat and Drew Five – from London
with bite, fusing snarling guitars, sparkling synths, and ferocious beats.

Single: GOLDEN RULE
Fresh piece from their long-awaited debut album, named
The New Truth Is Gold out on 10 February 2023 through
Reckless Yes.

FF: “‘The golden rule is people come together. This is a shimmering
anthem of renewal, and a clarion call for people to come together.”

TUTV: Golden Rule is a desirous pick-me-up pop tune. Airy, breezy, instantly catching and an invitation to get together in these troublous times. Kat Five‘s vocals float all over this romantic reflection and glossy synths sparkle throughout. The most notable component, to my ears, of this new piece, is the distinctive Cure-like guitar sonority. Feverish, shadowy and arresting. Pretty cool. Bring on the album FF.


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FERAL FIVE: Facebook – Instagram
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Band: VOGUE VILLAINS
Who: A hard-rocking alternative band from Vancouver Island, Canada with a musical foundation planted firmly in catchy melodies and multipart harmonies. Set on making music that feels unique, yet unafraid to wear the boys many influences on their sleeves, this powerhouse of a band has created a sound that is undeniably and unmistakably VV.

New single: WRONG SIDE OF THE MIDNIGHT

TUTV: Hells bells! This nasty motherrocker of a hammer blow speeds up your adrenalin machine from the kick-off. VV mix blues rock, classic rock and hard rock seamlessly into a red-hot-blooded wall-of-riff-sick sound. A boiling mishmash of intimidating guitars, a powerhouse rhythm section, a Herculean chorus, boogie-woogie flashes and vociferous vocals is what your stereo speakers will spit out. Just what you need to bang your head against a wall. Hells bell, indeed.

Here come the bloodthirsty villains…

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VV: Instagram – Facebook
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Band: TAPE TRASH
Who: This new duo project draw inspiration from the music they listened to when
they first picked up their instruments as enthusiastic teenagers: Indie rock induced with infectious choruses, catchy guitar riffs, and huge drums. After an involuntary break due to the corona epidemic, they have spent the past year working on their debut album.

Single: OLD HIGHS
2nd piece, following lead-single Not Going Home,
from their upcoming debut longplayer

TUTV: Expect a multi-layered, towering and schizophrenic wall-of-guitar-electricity propelled by a pushing rhythm section. When they take the decibels a bit down it’s
only a foreplay moment for a stormy finale. Breathtaking stroke!

Check it out.

TAPE TRASH: Facebook – Instagram
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(Photo: Josh Cohen and Max Marren)

Band: SUEP
Who: A stubbornly high-spirited combo creating oddball music with
a touch of theatrical storytelling. Fronted by Georgie Stott (Porridge Radio,
Garden Centre, The GN Band) and Brain Wastefield. SUEP is born out of a
near-decade of wearing silly clothes and deconstructing pop together.

News single: IN GOOD HEALTH

TUTV: I love the vivid vibe here. In Good Health resonates like a comforting chant with friends, hand in hand, taking care of each other. It’s a frisky tune that plays instantly on your inner stereo in your head. It’s an all-together ditty that puts a big smile on your face.

More of that is expected when SUEP release their debut album, named Shop,
It lands on 27th January 2023 via Memorials Of Distinction.

Listen/watch and feel in good health…

SUEB: Twitter – Instagram
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Band: THE SHORT CAUSEWAY
Who: Three young indies from
Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire, UK

Debut single: TRIPPING DOWN THE STAIRS

TUTV: Both wayward and playful. I hear early Talking Heads guitars, vibes
from Manchester’s legendary Factory Records (A Certain Ratio, The Durutti Column,
Section 25) and also from Welsh daydreamers Young Marble Giants (1978-1982).
All indie music that never ages and still is around today.

The Short Causeway are a notable 2022 example. They zig-zag their way through
this debut single with capricious tempo changes, with glimmering guitar sparks,
breezy melodiousness, and moony vocals. Welcome!

Tune in.

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THE SHORT CAUSEWAY: Facebook – Twitter
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American nightdreamer GREG GONZALEZ and his combo
CIGARETTES AFTER SEX shared their first piece of new music
in over two years.

PISTOL brings together all of the elements that have made CAS such a celebrated band, while also introducing a subtle yet impactful increase in tempo. Equal parts transportive and romantic, the song’s driving rhythm meets a stark, minimalistic atmosphere that is given dimension by dreamy, washed-out guitars, swelling synths, and intimate, yearning vocals from Greg Gonzalez.

Listen/buy here…
Lit a candlelight
and listen…


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CAS: Facebook – Instagram

Live Strong Forever – Two Smiths Reunite On Anthemic BLITZ VEGA Chant

Posted on by JL

Daily electricity to load your batteries

22 November 2022

BLITZ VEGA is the band of Andy Rourke, the former bassist of Manchester‘s
indie icons The Smiths and Happy Mondays’ guitarist Kav Blaggers.

They started their project on Xmas day in 2017
and let the world know it in 2019 with 3 singles.

The tandem is back now with a new piece named STRONG FOREVER
featuring guitar hero Johnny Marr reuniting with his old bandmate
since the split of The Smiths in 1987.

Kav:  “What began life as a theme for a campaign against discrimination in football
evolved into a broader message appropriate to the challenging times we live in. We all
seem to be fighting to survive, but it’s not too late. There are lots of good people on this
planet who want to do something positive, big or small, it’s just hard to notice them
sometimes with all the noise. But now’s the time to make some kind of difference if
you can.”

Rourke: “I wanted exactly what Johnny does. He has a very distinctive sound, and
that’s what he did. We love what he brought to the track. Marr and I remained friends,
we’ve known each other since we were 13 years old. He’s my oldest and dearest friend
and I feel our friendship gets stronger as time passes.”

TUTV: Strong Forever has that glorious and optimistic perspective of Oasis‘ 1993
classic Live Forever. Amidst all the shit going on the past few years (pandemic, war, economic crisis, the resurrection of racism, sexism, intolerance with the help of far-right leaders) this sickly cathcy chant reflects some welcome light at the end of a troubled tunnel. They’re is only one way to get through these worrying times and that’s with spiritual and unbiased unity. Blitz Vega knows, we all know. We need to act now.

All together…

We have the love
We got the power
We’re in it together
Strong forever

Also st(r)eaming on Spotify

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BLITZ VEGA: Facebook – Instagram

NOEL GALLAGHER And His FLYING BIRDS Share New Single ‘PRETTY BOY’

Posted on by JL

Works faster than caffeine

1 November 2022

NOEL GALLAGHER and his HIGH FLYING BIRDS
return with a new single, titled PRETTY BOY.

A speedy psych roller featuring guitar lines from Johnny Marr.
The song is the first piece The Chief shared from a new album
coming next year. Details follow later.

Gallagher: “For this new record it was the first thing I wrote, the first thing I demoed and the first thing I finished, so it’s only right that it’s the first thing people get to hear. Massive shout out to my mainest man Johnny Marr for taking it somewhere special. Oh… and watch out for a cameo from me in the video… first one to spot me wins a bag of Flamin’ Hot Wotsits Giants!!”

Johnny Marr: “We’ve been friends now for something like 30 years. He’s one of the most disciplined people I’ve ever worked with, without a shadow of a doubt. Then there’s the other side of his life. He can’t walk 100 meters around the British Isles without people stopping him for selfies, and he’s not insane. I would be. I only have to get stopped five times and I go into a meltdown about culture. He’s a very impressive dude.”

Music, maestro, please…

NOEL GALLAGHER’S HIGH FLYING BIRDS: Facebook – Instagram