Los Angeles
BIG THIEF Present Another Pair Of Sweet Tunes From Their Upcoming New Album – Hear ‘LOS ANGELES’ And ‘GRANDMOTHER’ Here
New striking strokes
6 August 2025
Press Photo by Genesis Báez
The wait is finally over for the millions (including me) of BIG THIEF fans, although,
let’s not forget we got frontwoman Adrienne Lenker‘s wondrous solo full-length
Bright Future last year.
Three years since Brooklyn’s folk-pop-rockers released their enthralling
20-song strong LP, Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You, they
have recorded a new one, their 6th.
It’s titled Double Infinity and is scheduled to be released on September 5.
We already got two appetizers with Incomprehensible and All Night All Day.
And here’s another pair of new ones. Two sweet, folky and catchy tunes.
LOS ANGELES
GRANDMOTHER
All 4 singles
5 BEST ALBUMS – NOVEMBER 2023
1. ‘FRONZOLI’ by PSYCHEDELIC PORN CRUMPETS (Perth, Australia)
The psych rock gunslingers from down under launced their 6th album, titled
Fronzoli (meaning, ‘something unnecessary added as decoration’) on November 10.
Press photo
Jack McEwan (songwriter/frontman): “This record is my favourite creation
to date. Every nuance has been discussed, slandered and carefully contorted into place,
it sporadically colours outside the lines, so you’re left with these extraverted squiggles.”
TUTV: Uppercut after uppercut, corker after corker, jackhammer after jackhammer
(you get two breathers with amplified ballad Cpt. Gravity Mouse Welcome and the short acoustic beauty ‘Illusions of Grandeur’). Your ears need to be in great shape to absorb
this whirlwind record.
If PPC were animals they would be hungry wolves wandering in the deserts of Australia looking for prey. Their melting pot of glam metal, pithy punk, high-voltage pop and other noisy shout-outs results in an ecstatic body of infectious. Btw, am I the only one who thinks McEwan‘s voice resembles Arctic Monkey’s Alex Turner one (now and then) and vice versa, of course. Top-tier opus.
ALBUM
.
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2. ‘SONGS OF SILENCE’ by VINCE CLARKE (UK)
The synth-pop musician/songwriter who started his career with Depeche Mode,
who he left after their 1981 debut album to form Yazoo (1981–1983, 2008-2011)
with grand voice Alison Moyet and later on he started Erasure with singer/songwriter
Andy Bell.
Now he has released his solo debut with Songs Of Silence.
TUTV: If you don’t pay attention to the author of this record when you’re listening
to it, there’s a great chance that you think that it’s another ambient Brian Eno album.
The relaxing ambient atmospheres Clarke creates (Cathedral / Passage / Imminent / Last Transmission) are similar to the ones Eno composes/composed (29 solo LPs, so far).
Clarke paints synth-scapes with an overall symphonic sonority, with both classical
(like the weeping violin play on The Lamentations Of Jeremiah) and futuristic-sounding structures (White Rabbit / Scarper). This is the sort of cosmic music that calms me down after a busy day. Its relaxing effect soothes my buzzing mind. Tranquillizing, instrumental (except for Blackleg which is infused with eerie chants) uncomplicatedness for dark winter nights.
Wonderful work.
Silent majesty.
Chill-out vibes.
Sonic ear-massage.
ALBUM
.
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3. ‘LOS ANGELES’ by LOL TOLHURST x BUDGIE x JACKNIFE LEE (L.A.)
Former The Cure drummer Lol Tolhorst (64), Budgie (65), former Siouxsie
and the Banshees drummer and Siouxsie‘s husband, and Irish music producer
Jacknife Lee all live in Los Angeles and as music junkies, they found each other
in the City of Angels and decided to give it a go together and fabricated
a rad longplayer.
TUTV: The trio invited big-name vocalists such as Bobby Gillespie and James Murphy
(LCD Soundsystem) and other stars such as The Edge (U2) and Mark Bowen (Idles) for
their first body of work. 13 tracks, 54 minutes.
If there was a jungle in Los Angeles this would be its soundtrack. Lots of primitive
Budgie percussion (remember his album ‘A Bestiary Of with his then-wife Siouxsie Sioux, operating as The Creatures?) embedded in synth orchestrations creating dance-infused collages. Paranoid psychedelia for big cities. The flow of the tracklist isn’t as accurate as it could have been, but first impression after a couple of spins is one of let’s hit the drums
once again.
ALBUM
.
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3. ‘WHAT A RACKET!’ by JOE JACKSON (UK)
Supreme songsmith Joe Jackson released his 21st studio album a week ago.
A surprising one as the record celebrates Music Hall legend Max Champion
who is credited for writing all the songs.
Music Hall is a musical genre that started in the pubs and streets of London
in the mid-19th century and grew into the first form of mass entertainment to
be created by the working classes. By 1900 it regularly drew huge audiences from
across the whole spectrum of society, from prostitutes to princes, all singing along
with superstar performers in gorgeous theatres (some of which still survive). Like
its American cousin Vaudeville, Music Hall featured magicians, acrobats, and
ventriloquists – elements that we still see today in musical theatre and cabaret
shows.
One of the most fascinating of the Music Hall performers was Max Champion.
Little is known about him, except that he was born in London in 1882. He was
almost completely forgotten until the sheet music of his songs was found in
Valletta, Malta, in 2014.
What A Racket! presents eleven of Max Champion’s songs for the first time
in more than a century with Jackson directing a 12-piece orchestra and singing
like a genuine Music Hall artist.
Title track with a great old footage video
Joe Jackson:: ‘These were wonderful songs in their time, but they’re
surprisingly modern, too. Sometimes it’s almost as if Max is speaking,
from his London of the early 20th century, directly to us in the early 21st’.
It’s showtime, folks.
Enjoy this glorious sonic spectacle.
.
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5.’ROCKSTAR’ by DOLLY PARTON (US)
At the age of 77, fabulous country queen Dolly Parton
is still working longer than from 9 to 5 per day.
In a recent interview, she said:“I would never retire. I’ll just hopefully drop
dead in the middle of a song on stage someday, hopefully one I’ve written.”
Her never-ending creativity and productivity is astonishing.
The living legend just launched her 49th (!) LP. Her first rock album.
Parton about the album: “I’m so excited to finally present my first Rock and Roll album.
I am very honored and privileged to have worked with some of the greatest iconic singers
and musicians of all time and to be able to sing all the iconic songs throughout the album
was a joy beyond measure. I hope everybody enjoys the album as much as I’ve enjoyed
putting it together!”
The longplayer contains no less than 30 songs and 20 covers, including collabs
with big names such as Miley Cyrus, Sheryl Crow, Paul McCartney, Elton John, Sting,
Chris Stapleton, Stevie Nicks, John Fogerty, and many more.
I don’t own a Dolly album, I didn’t follow her career but as so many million people
I know her hits, and I do love her formidable voice – the heroine again on this record –
and her charismatic I do what I want attitude.
ALBUM
.
New Supergroup Featuring LOL TOLHURST x BUDGIE x JACKNIFE LEE Have Their Debut LP ‘LOS ANGELES’ Out – Jungle Music For The City Of Angeles
3 November 2023
Former The Cure drummer LOL TOLHURST (64), BUDGIE (65), former Siouxsie
and the Banshees drummer and Siouxsie‘s husband, and Irish music producer
Jacknife Lee all live in Los Angeles and as music junkies, they found each other
in the City of Angels and decided to give it a go together.
Following a couple of singles, their first album,
named LOS ANGELES (what else?) is out now.
MOJO: “Los Angeles already feels like a destination record. Lee, Tolhurst and Budgie putting their decades of world-building expertise to excellent use. If the world they have built is on the brink of collapse, it only adds to the thrill.” Score: 8/10.
TUTV: The trio invited big-name vocalists such as Bobby Gillespie and James Murphy
(LCD Soundsystem) and other stars such as The Edge (U2) and Mark Bowen (Idles) for
their first body of work. 13 tracks, 54 minutes.
If there was a jungle in Los Angeles this would be its soundtrack. Lots of primitive
Budgie percussion (remember his album ‘A Bestiary Of with his then-wife Siouxsie Sioux, operating as The Creatures?) embedded in synth orchestrations creating dance-infused collages. Paranoid psychedelia for big cities. The flow of the tracklist isn’t as accurate as it could have been, but first impression after a couple of spins is one of let’s hit the drums
once again.
Singles/clips: Los Angeles / Ghosted At Home
– LOS ANGELES –
– GHOSTED AT HOME –
ALBUM
.
Turn Up The Volume’s 20 BEST TRACKS For JULY 2023
ALL TOGETHER
.
TRACK-BY-TRACK
1. ‘Just Shadows’ by JEEN (Canada)
Canadian singer-songwriter Jeen launches her 5th album
later this year and Just Shadows is the first taster.
“I wrote “Just Shadows” just thinking how the darker parts of everything can snuff
out some of the best people’s light. It’s about trying to get out from under it so we
don’t just become casualties of our shittiest days.”
Just Shadows is a cast iron, drumming energy-stroke detonating with firm
puissance when the chorus hits your ears and Jeen‘s towering voice spices
all things up with flamboyant flair. The vitalizing impact of this effervescent
summer anthem is heartening.
Top!
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2. ‘Los Angeles’ by LOL TOLHURST x BUDGIE x JACKNIFE LEE (UK/LA)
A new supergroup has arrived.
It features The Cure drummer LOL TOLHURST (64), BUDGIE (65),
former Siouxsie and the Banshees drummer and Siouxsie‘s husband,
and Irish music producer Jacknife Lee.
Los Angeles is the title track of their first, forthcoming LP.
It features LCD Soundsytem‘s mastermind/voice James Murphy
and soundwise it’s what you may expect from these musicians.
Los Angeles is a stompin’ and pumpin’ percussion burst
to stomp your feet and pump your fists like mad.
Bang-on.
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3. ‘Milk’ by BLACK GRAPE (Manchester)
Happy mondays Shaun Ryder, and rapper Kermit (Paul Leveridge) are back.
They fabricated a new, their 4th, LP named Orange Head hitting the streets
in November.
Milk is the lead single. A pounding disco-rock blast
with the 24-party madchester vibe of the 90s.
Bingo.
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4. ‘The Trench Coat Museum’ by YARD ACT (UK)
The British post-punk mavericks announced a few weeks ago that they finished their
2nd longplayer, but first we can go gaga to this new smashing stand-alone single.
The Trench Coat Museum is an 8+ minute dancefloor filler infused with a flabbergasting bass riff, spiced with Smith‘s parlando vocals, schizo guitars and yes, cowbells. I guess that for the second half of this super-duper knockout, Smith left the studio for a cup of tea. Anyway, from there on jumbo techno-like beats take over.
Fucktastic.
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5. ‘Three‘ by SEARCH RESULTS (Ireland)
I swear, when this knife-edged tune hit my ears for the first time, I thought
I pushed the wrong button and instead of these young Irish gunslingers I got
post-punk legends The Fall on my headphones.
These young Irish gunslingers’ combination of hyperkinetic drum/bass beats,
fanatic guitar riffage, Mark E Smith sneering and an overall staccato sonority
is irresistibly engrossing.
Tune in.
.
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6. ‘Algorithms’ by KASABIAN (Leicester)
(photo by Turn Up The Volume)
Last year Leicester’s rock heroes KASABIAN returned with
their number one longplayer The Alchemist’s Euphoria.
To warm up for a hot festival summer the band invited us to sing-along
on this magnified pop lullaby. Its anthemic chorus is irresistibly infectious.
Let’s roll.
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7. ‘That’s Where She Belongs’ by THE CORAL (Scotland)
The seasoned psych-folk-pop-rock troubadours will offer us, on 8 September,
two albums. Sea Of Mirrors and Holy Joe’s Island Medicine Show.
If you haven’t found your sonic twilight summer companion yet, then this new
Coral tune will be the one. The Liverpool gang are experts in writing/creating hum-along, whistle-song, sing-along and dream-along pearls while you can tap your feet to the beat. Imagine sitting in a rockin’ chair on the porch of your farmhouse in a Serge Leone-directed spaghetti western. That’s the vibe.
Listen/watch.
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8. ‘Do You Mind I’m A Little Late For Life?’ by BY FAR (Belgium)
Their debut single Bricks already entertained my music-addicted ears,
and this new one is a stone gold gem too. The fervent passion and the
overwhelming psychedelic resonance are nothing less than astounding.
The song’s bone-chilling progression blows you away, slowly but surely.
Get puzzled.
.
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9. ‘Vampire Empire’ by BIG THIEF (Brooklyn, NY)
This is a diamond of a song. Vampire Empire is another staggering
new gem by a staggering band. Intense, dynamic, jaunty and avid
vocals by Adrianne Lenker. I love Big Thief.
Enchanting.
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10. ‘Through To You’ by LEBARONS (Toronto, CA)
Through To You is a track from the group’s sophomore album,
titled Days Are Mountains. It lands on August 11th.
It all starts with a steady, feet-activating drum beat, soon followed by an explosion
of hectic guitars. And in an eye/ear blink the whole resistlessly sonic process steamrolls over you, again and again, and riffs and grooves and moves it’s way like an electric-charged whirlwind to a sped-up climax. Frontman MacDonald wants to bang his head against a wall. That doesn’t sound like a bad idea in case you need to get rid of some demons, that is.
Press play.
.
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11. ‘Ocean View’ by MERES (Australia)
The energy developed here is off the charts. Meres rock their tails
off on this sinewy punk missile. Chainsaw guitars, forthright drums/bass
spanks and the both sensual and spiced vocals of Mary Shannon.
This hit-and-run uppercut will start lots of moshpits.
Stroke!
.
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12. ‘Queen’ by CLONE (Canada)
Clone is a lush rock ’n’ roll collage collective that fuses the sequined swagger of 70’s glam with the DIY gut punch of early punk and polishes it all off with the audacious vocals of contemporary pop.
Their new single Queen is a big wham T.Rex bang.
The British trashy 70s riffs, groovy hooks and flashy licks are all over the place. It also echoes Bowie‘s smashing 1974 hit Rebel Rebel. And I can’t but think of glam rock icon Suzy Quatro when front Amazon Juniper Watters comes on with her sensual and sultry vocals.
She’s not a clone, she’s for real, she’s the perfect queen for this firecracker. She’s extremely inspired by drag culture and is a huge supporter of the drag community.
Big bang.
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13. ‘No Meaning Man’ by WE MELT CHOCOLATE (Florence, Italy)
Expect a titanic wall-of-shoegaze-layered sound that takes your breath away for almost
4 razzle-dazzle minutes. It feels as if this spectacular piece of a hallucinatory symphony comes out of space with its reverberated and tremoloed guitars, its scintillating synths,
its mystifying melodiousness and its cosmic vocals.
Splendid.
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14. ‘Nookie’ by FIDLAR (Los Angeles)
L.A. punks Fidlar produce an illegal amount of decibels on their nasty
steamed-up cover of 1999 hit NOOKIE by Fred Dust‘s gang LIMP BIZKIT.
Awesome.
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15. ‘I’m A Wreck’ by ROOMMATES (UK)
These British gunslingers kick-start your adrenalin production from the first chord on with this peppery pop-punk cryout fed by schizo guitars and distressed vocals. A thrill, although the song is about the wake of a breakup, an anthem of self-loathing, regret, and ultimately, forgiveness. I said it a million times before, heartache can lead to explosive catharsis in music.
Listen up.
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16. ‘Fury’ by pMAD
Fury is an explosive cocktail of speed metal(lica), synth sketches, post-punk tumult
and dark-Goth-wave vocals. It’s a fuzz and buzz rocket that whirls forth and back. These messed-up times cause mind-madness and paranoia that leads to furious eruptions as pMAD experiences too.
Yeah!
.
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17. ‘Floatin’ Stone’ by VOGUE VILLAINS (Canada)
Floatin’ Stone is a robust tune powered-up by a mean hard rockin’ machine.
References? Muscular Australian noisemakers Wolfmother and stoner rock
mavericks Queens Of The Stone Age. Say no more.
Wow!
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18. ‘Another Country’ by THE UNDERGROUND YOUTH (UK)
This must be the closest The Underground Youth come to sound like The Velvet
Underground. The repetitive jingle jangle pattern, the midnight hour vocals of
Dryer, the dreary harmonies and the ongoing melodic catchiness. All ingredients
for a psych gem are in place here.
Run, run, run.
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19. ‘Birthday Cake’ by TEEN IDLE (New Jersey, US)
This slow-progressing musing appeals instantly with its rudimentary PJ Harvey-esque
guitar play and Abdelbarry‘s affectional voice, think Sharon Van Etten.
Birthday Cake‘s has both a romantic and wistful sonority that captivates
and moves. And halfway melancholic synths accentuate the overall ruminate
timbre in a warm way.
Arresting.
.
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20. ‘Love Town’ by JEREMY TUPLIN (England)
Photo by Suzi Corker
Newest piece from Tuplin‘s 4th LP Orville’s Discotheque.
Love Town is a heart-warming and reflective musing about falling in love.
A romantic candlelight ballad for mind-relaxing moments. Sweet and sensitive.
Tuplin‘s vocality made me immediately think of The National‘s melancholic crooner
Matt Berninger with its affectional resonance. Beautiful. Let’s follow him to Love Town,
wherever that might be.
Beautiful.
See/hear you next month, music junkies
TUTV: Blog – Facebook – Instagram
New Supergroup Featuring LOL TOLHURST x BUDGIE x JACKNIFE LEE Share Stellar Debut Single ‘LOS ANGELES’
Daily noise that works faster than any stimulant
24 July 2023
A new supergroup is born.
Former The Cure drummer LOL TOLHURST (64), BUDGIE (65), former Siouxsie
and the Banshees drummer and Siouxsie‘s husband, and Irish music producer
Jacknife Lee all live in Los Angeles and as music junkies, they found each other
in the City of Angels and decided to give it a go together.
For more info about this new project, you can read the trio’s interview with NME right HERE.
Artwork album
The result is an album named, not surprisingly, LOS ANGELES.
And today they shared the title track as the first single.
It features LCD Soundsytem‘s mastermind/voice James Murphy and soundwise
it’s what you may expect from these very musicians. Los Angeles is an stompin’ and pumpin’ percussion blast to stomp your feet and pump your fists to like mad.
Tune in.
Dance.
Tolhurst-Budgie-JacknifeLee: Website
Jaw-Dropping Voice! Hear ‘LOS ANGELES’ By Arresting Songstress ANNABEL LEE
Relaxing reveries for the laziest day of the week…
ANNABEL LEE is a “force of f***ing nature” who makes pop music with a grunge disposition. Born and raised in North Dighton, Massachusetts, Annabel – born Sarah Borrello – s a hot blooded singer-songwriter summons the intellectual grit of artists like Fiona Apple and Alanis Morrisette, paired with the unorthodox and commanding energy of a punk band playing in a dingy basement.”
She shared a gripping live take of LOS ANGELES, the dangerously glam city of the angels.
Lee about the making of: “The morning I wrote this song I woke up crying. I sat in my bed
with my guitar, hungover- it was raining- a peculiar occurrence here in LA, but something that always stirred up old emotions for me. I wrote the song in about 10 minutes. The most literal thing I’d ever written. It’s the story of how I coped- or didn’t cope- how I used people, destroyed my health, and self-medicated to forget it all. A romantic time. Releasing personal work feels very strange in this climate, but it’s the best small gift I can offer.”
Los Angeles is a jaw-dropping vocal tour de force.
Stripped to the bone tristesse. Dramatic, high-octane
and breath-taking like a female Nick Cave. That tense!
You’re wasting me, Los Angeles
And I can’t go home…
Also on Spotify…
.
Now that you’re here watch this dazzling footage of
Annabel Lee‘s recent and truly amazing Drive In Concert
performing the Sex Pistols’ raging punk blast Problems
and other electrical stuff…
ANNABEL LEE: Facebook