Album: SONGS OF A LOST WORLD
Their 14th LP, their first in 16 years.
It went to the top spot in the UK and the US.
NME says: “The album deals in darkness and death, but with
flowers on the grave… Being arguably the most personal album
of Smith’s career. “
TUTV: Sonically, it resonates as if you’re part of a funeral march that progresses in slow
motion. Every song starts with a long instrumental intro of waves of melancholic synths and weeping guitars, and every time when Smith‘s feverish voice joins in, the intensity augments wondrously captivating.
The most drastically soul-stirring record I heard all year, accentuating how sorrow
can overwhelm and hurt one’s heart and mind. It’s a universal experience that millions, and millions of people who lost loved ones – past, present and future – can relate to.
Pure masterpiece.
KEY SINGLE
ALBUM
. Instagram – All Cure Albums
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– 2 –
New album artwork
Artist: KIM DEAL
Best known as the utterly cool bass player of indie icons Pixies and from her own band The Breeders, featuring
her twin sister Kelley.
MOJO (British music monthly) says: “Nobody Loves You More is a singularly uplifting,
life-affirming listen, where joy and despair, love and loss, are irrevocably entwined, and
kept afloat by Deal’s unfailing lightness of touch.”
TUTV: Kim Deal on her own, expresses mixed emotions about past and present
personal experiences. Mostly with moony and subtly orchestrated reveries such
as the title track, Coast, Are You Mine?, Wish I Was, and Summerland. All charming
and melancholic songs for a quiet winter night in.
Deal‘s slightly hoarse voice is instrumental. Its tender-hearted aura creates a relaxing ambiance, interrupted now and then by more uptempo, upbeat tracks like stand-out
vibe Crystal Breath, the vigorous guitar-frisky Disobediece and the buzzing Big Ben Beat
jam. A formidable debut record.
Band: MAYFLOWER MADAME Who: A band from Oslo, Norway who specialize in a dark and distinctive blend
of post-punk, shoegaze, and psych-noir. Their history, so far, includes two album
releases, Observed In A Dream (2016) and Prepared For A Nightmare (2020).
MM: “Insight’ is the album we’ve always wanted to create, but at the same time it’s
the most personal and emotionally hardest we’ve made so far. Lyrically, it delves into
a wide range of emotions, from somber reflections about loss and sorrow to feverish
depictions of love, escapism and catharsis.”
TUTV: As they showed/proved us so many times before MM know mesmerically well
how to embed infectious, poppy melodies into trance-like orchestrations infused with waves of sparkling guitar lines and transfixing vocals, creating a magnetic appeal.
Best examples are the 4 top-tier singles Crippled Crow, Never Sever, Paint It All In Blue
and A Foretold Ecstasy. References? Depeche Mode, New Order, Interpol. Impressive, right? You betcha.
The Guardian (British newspaper): “Its two predecessors
were surprisingly good, this is genuinely great.”
TUTV: Lots of critical praise for PP’s new opus, deservedly so. At 72, he still excels
in writing high-quality pop/rock songs and he’s still a romantic at heart. His unique
voice and luminous guitar play combine for a splendiferously aural delight. With
20 tracks a bit too long, although there’s not one bad one on this gratifying record.
Band: THE CHRONICLES OF MANIMAL AND SAMARA Who: London-based DIY duo – Daphne Ang (Singapore) and Andrea Papi (Italy)
that fills a gap in music by bringing literature, art, and history together into a
space where rock and metal meet electronica. They released two fascinating
albums so far.
TUTV: TCOMAS have broadened their musical and lyrical boundaries again.
Mind you, their psycho-delic, metallic trademark sound, their quiet/Loud/quiet rollercoaster compositions and their intriguing sagas are still in place here, but
there’s more room for meditative moments, annex Samara‘s chill-out voice/vocals,
like on Waves, Mysterium Tremendum, with beautiful classical piano play, and Per Astra.
Their mercurial and emotional odysseys are inventively fragmented, swinging
forth and back. And then there’s the unexpected, but superb collaboration with Italian hip-hop rapper Mr Meuri on standout piece Bite The Bullet. Another rad
longplayer achievement.
Band: MAYFLOWER MADAME Who: A band from Oslo, Norway that specializes in a dark and distinctive blend
of post-punk, shoegaze and psych-noir. Their history, so far, includes two album
releases, Observed In A Dream (2016) and Prepared For A Nightmare (2020).
The Oslo-based dark-post-punk-wave outfit have their much anticipated
3rd album, titled INSIGHT out November 1st. Pre-order info here.
MM: “Insight’ is the album we’ve always wanted to create, but at the same time it’s
the most personal and emotionally hardest we’ve made so far. Lyrically, it delves into
a wide range of emotions, from somber reflections about loss and sorrow to feverish
depictions of love, escapism and catharsis.”
Ahead of the release, they present the final preview piece.
CRIPPLED CROW is the fourth triumphant track in a row. The band know
mesmerically well how to embed infectious, poppy melodies into trance-like orchestrations, creating a magnetic appeal from the kick-off. It happens here
again with this darkwavish pearl and its sparkling Interpol-like guitar lines.
The countdown for the album starts here.
Band: MAYFLOWER MADAME Who: A band from Oslo, Norway that specializes in a dark and distinctive blend
of post-punk, shoegaze and psych-noir. Their history, so far, includes two album
releases, Observed In A Dream (2016) and Prepared For A Nightmare (2020).
New single: NEVER SEVER
3rd shared track from their forthcoming
3rd longplayer, out in October.
Press info: “‘Never Sever’ shows a more direct and dynamic side of the band.
The characteristic elements of their deftly blended post-punk-shoegaze-psychedelia
are still here and their sound is still spun with alluring dark textures, but is now more profoundly interwoven with rays of light and a bittersweet melancholy.
On top of this, there is a touch of rock ’n’ roll swagger in the verses merging with
a delicate flow of dream-pop sensibilities in the choruses, making ‘Never Sever’ one
of their most accessible songs to date. Lyrically, the song captures a nostalgic feeling
of being unable to reclaim or – unwilling to let go of – a haunting past.”
TUTV: I can’t agree more with the above detailed press statement.
I’ll add this: with Never Sever MM score a hattrick following ‘Paint It
All In Blue’ and ‘A Foretold Ecstasy’. Three splendid psych-pop pieces.
Bring on the album!
Band: iNNUENDO Who: Irish indie act founded in 2022. Their goal is to create a captivating and dynamic atmosphere with melodically compelling and distinct original songs, all while honouring classic and modern influences.
Track: DON’T ASK AWAY
Piece from their debut EP, named On Occasion, out in September.
It captures the frustration and anger of feeling unseen and used, offering
today’s youth a voice to scream out against those who value them only for
their image rather than their true selves.
Artwork by Keelin Sutcliffe
TUTV: Following rad single clear motion this new one is another sonic
and emotive triumph. These Irish indies are going places. Don’t miss them.
TUTV: What a riveting and rotating blue-wave gem, enforced by Krautrock dynamics, ongoing motorik beats, glowing guitar lines and echoing vocals. MM nail it once again
with this hypnotic and magnetic jam. Bring on the album.
F333 about the new one: “There are no diamonds to be produced without pressure.
No lessons to learn without trials. ‘Higher Power’ revolves around these ideas and reveres
the beauty in the adversity induced magic performed by marginalized communities.”
Alert your ears and check your speakers
before playing this ballistic uppercut.
Rogers: “I thought it was interesting to get under the skin of death as a being with
a conscience, but who had to get on with the job like so many of us. We wanted to explore the idea that people are more than their jobs and that we need to consider there’s more to people than meets the eye. We liked the idea of death giving birth as well, so Death became a woman and why not?”
TUTV: The song’s protagonist is named Death. She seems to be a female grim reaper, who’s pregnant, you and you need to escape from if you want this short life live the longest you can.
Death Knocked Up is a jagged word-waterfall jam rolling over a repetitive beat and trippy synth dynamics. Rogers advices us to choose future, to choose life. A spot-on proposal in these turbulent rat-race times on its crushing way to Death‘s big party if we do not make the right choices right now.
The song touches on the fact that people mostly use Pride
as an excuse to party when actually the rest of the year, the
LGBTQIA community suffers from dangerous stigma and
abuse.
TUTV: Here is an explicit middle-finger for all LGBTQIA-haters. To hell
with them. Queer-trans-punk trio Daffodildos just entered the indie
scene with sharp-cutting knifes between their teeth and are here to
stay.’No Pride‘ is a fast-forward projectile that rattles and battles for
251 barbed wire seconds.
“We’re here, we’re queer
We’re never gonna disappear.”
Band: HUGE MOLASSES TANK EXPLODES Who: Italian outfit that offer a kaleidoscopic experience,
ranging from rugged and evocative beats to dreamy
soundscapes, inspired by post-punk and psych-wave.
Track: INDETERMINATE
Piece of their 3rd album, named ‘III’,
out on September 6.
TUTV: Don’t miss the start of this supersonic Krautrock missile, or you won’t
be able to catch up. Indeterminate goes full steam ahead from the kick-off and
never looks back, never slows down. All cylinders, all burners on, and fast-forward.
Track:LE RISQUE
From their upcoming, 26th LP in 14 years (no this is
not a typo), called Flight b741. It’ll land on August 8.
TUTV: Frenzied bass-and-guitar-crazy projectile that rocks and
rolls straight on with racy panache. It has drummer Michael Cavanagh
on vocals for the first time.
Artists: RED PERIL Who: The new endeavour of the London-based Italian-Mexican musician Stefania F. Cardenas, co-founder, singer and guitarist of the now defunct all-female indie act Madonnatron (I loved them, criminally underrated) and musical partner Dexter.
RP: “Space Dogs is a song about trusting the wrong people. It’s a reflection on loneliness
and the extreme things people do when they are desperate for love and have nothing left to lose. Sometimes the only thing you can do is shoot for the stars. It might work out, or not.”
TUTV: Sultry, zippy and sprightly. Imagine your dog teaming up with Pet Shop Boys
for a Space Bowie Oddity trip. A titillating tune to move to in mysterious ways
surrounded by mysterious people in a mysterious universe. Pretending that you’re Laika in the sky with diamonds will help.
Seamus Hayes (vocalist): “The song starts with what seems like an apology. It’s been a crazy year of self-reflection and self-improvement and I owe most of it to my girlfriend. The verses are in some way directed to my girlfriend.”
TUTV: The first time I listen to this new Oscar Mic tune on Spotify it was automatically followed by a Sleaford Mods tune. Get the vibrating picture? I’ll add to this that Beastie
Boys (Paul’s Boutique era) are fighting for their right to party in there too, and that Roots Manuva definitely would rap along if this punchy buzz hits his ears.
TUTV: I had no idea that extraterrestrials could be an inspiration for a straightforward rocker like this glorious one. It’s an adrenalized, speedy and sparkling guitar-spiced energizer with an infectious chorus. Those extraterrestrials should form a band and entertain planet Earth.
Band: DEREK SMITH & THE COSMIC VULTURES
Who: Captivating pop/rock outfit from Boston with
5 LPs under their belt. Check them out on Spotify
right here
Press info: “The notion of “Tomorrow Morning” can mean different things to different people, but for Derek Smith and the Cosmic Vultures, it represents the idea of a guiding
light. It’s also the title of their new electric single.
TUTV: Stirringly soulful. Sparklingly pop melodic. Americana-like emotive.
If you mix those three elements, and you add heart-whole vocals, you get
this titillating tune that’ll play around in your head all day long.
“The meaning behind the song is best to be interpreted however you choose, if it makes you feel a certain way be that happy, sad or just forget about your own problems for a few minutes and try to put yourself in the shoes of the writer, that’s all we want and that’s why music to us is at times the only solution and the only thing that make sense because often life doesn’t and I suppose briefly to me this song is me trying to make peace with that.”
TUTV: These young gunslingers sound like a seasoned band, operating somewhere
in-between Welsh heroes Stereophonics and blue-chip Americana acts. Thick As You is a blues-infused, charged riff-ripper delivered with vital pizzazz and impassioned ebullience.
“HMRC was written off the back of a few first hand experiences, including working under
a supervisor who was high on crack and getting a phone call on payday asking if I would be
OK with just half the wage until next month.”
TUTV: Imagine walking on the street, after you hit your greedy boss with
a left/right uppercut, with hip-hop swagger, whistling to this sickly stick tune
playing on your earphones. Get the picture? In case you have a great boss you
can swagger around to this vibe too, of course.
Artist: pMAD Who: The moniker of Irish musician Paul Dillon who draws inspiration
from bands like The The, The Cure, Killing Joke, Echo and the Bunnymen,
Rammstein, and Depeche Mode.
Artist: KIM DEAL is best Who: Best know as the former drop-dead gorgeous bassist of indie icons Pixies and from her own band The Breeders, featuring
her twin sister Kelley.
COAST is a sweet little tune with a breezy, smooth vibe.
It was recorded by the late Steve Albini who passed away
in May, only 61.
Kim wrote ‘Coast’ in 2020 after being at a friend’s wedding.
But the song’s roots date back to 2000, when she was staying
in Nantucket, even though she doesn’t like the sun, beach and
watersports.
She’s still the real deal.
Whistle/hum/sing along.
Artist: KIM DEAL is best
Who: Best know as the former drop-dead gorgeous bassist of alt rock
icons Pixies and from her own band The Breeders, featuring
her twin sister Kelley.
COAST is a sweet little tune with a breezy, smooth vibe.
It was recorded by the late Steve Albini who passed away
in May, only 61.
Kim wrote ‘Coast’ in 2020 after being at a friend’s wedding.
But the song’s roots date back to 2000, when she was staying
in Nantucket, even though she doesn’t like the sun, beach and
watersports.
She’s still the real deal.
Whistle/hum/sing along.
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.
Track: LE RISQUE
The first taster of their 26th LP in 14 years (!!!)
baptized Flight b741. It will hit the streets on
August 8.
A pumped-up-bass & frenzied guitar-crazy stomper that rocks and rolls straight on with racy panache. Steamy stuff. It has drummer Michael Cavanagh on vocals for the first time.
“Paint It All in Blue” is the second taster from Norwegian band Mayflower Madame’s highly anticipated third album. Following the much acclaimed first single “A Foretold Ecstasy”, the new offering instantly puts a spell on you with its throbbing bass lines, motorik drums and hypnotic guitars, while midway it all opens up and leaves you drifting in a sea of dreamy melancholia. Combining the rhythmic grooves of kraut-rock and post-punk with the dazzling atmospherics of shoegaze and neo-psychedelia, the result is a profoundly dynamic song unfolding layer by layer.
Justin Case: “I want it to end upon a Driving Rock Anthem compilation.
You know,the kind of CD you’d initially pass over at a carboot sale, only to
return later,driven by a strange compulsion to buy it. We want to be that
guilty pleasure!”
I hope these weirdos give us a couple of more guilty pleasure
juggernauts we didn’t ask for, to go nuts to this summer.
Artist: SELMA HIGGINS Who: Described as “A meteor strike in Danish music” by leading culture newspaper, Politiken. She has proved herself as an artist who never limits her musical output to
a specific sound or style.
Higgins:“I wanted to make it a sensuous, sensual song, almost like Grease’s ‘Summer Nights’. The feeling of butterflies in your stomach and wanting to open yourself to someone. And the excitement, because it’s the summer, anything can happen. And that’s such a feeling.”
Don’t be fooled by her cute Pippi Longstocking freckles. Selma Higgins is
up to no good in the mad fun DIY-video for this funky and trippy summertime pop gem.
The flabbergasting energy these ear-splitting loud Irish beatniks develop on their ace debut LP Letter To Self is off the charts. The opener Ticking is what these 4 Irish indies
do on repeat. Building a near-unbearable tension and exploding insanely along the rough ride.
Since this Australian punk tornado released their 2nd
longplayer Comfort To Me back in 2021 they’re on an
endless tour around the globe.
Yet, in between all gig mayhem they found some time to write/record/release
two new searing sucker-punches with U Should Be Doing This as my favourite.
Amyl: ‘This song makes me laugh, but it’s also in a way poking fun at the shock that
people still feel at a little bit of skimpy clothing, and the bitchy high school way that
the music community still is.’
Washington‘s flamboyant guitar pop quartet release
their 3rd LP, baptized Wearing Out The Refrain next
September.
On Hallelujah they rage against the anti-LGBTQ
machine with knives between their teeth and an
unstoppable drive.
“To express oneself, now expressly forbidden/ That’s a spiritual hell, that’s
a new prohibition/ And they’ll boil you down to reproductive function/ When
they see you as a vessel and not as a person!”
The feminist-punk duo went nuclear the past year following their
amazeballs 6-track EP You’re Welcome and this year’s bulldozing
and gender-themed missile Body Of Mine.
Irish indie stars FONTAINES D.C. will share their 4th LP,
named ROMANCE with the world on August 23rd.
The lead single Starburster is a feverish corker
with a bone-chilling gush and frontman Grian
Chatten rapping all over it with his characteristic
uptight parlando.
Last March the Dandys came up with their 12th album, named Rockmaker.
Lead single Danzing With Myself features Pixies‘ general Frank Black and
is a gloomy and doomy groover. With its poignant progression, this piece
creeps under your skin in an eye/ear blink.
UK’s rock/hip-hop team Rapturous invite us to scream
our lungs out on their avid anthem that celebrates freedom.
“The song was inspired by the old blues style of call & response, we wanted to create something that could be easily sung back to us by the crowd. The song is about being free from anything that is getting you down, be it your job, finances, the world, or the weekend’s football scores. Freedom from misery, that’s the idea.”
Think Cypress Hill fronted by Zack de la Rocha,
rattling like a rapid-fire riot-gun.
This Norwegian band specializes in a dark and distinctive blend
of post-punk, shoegaze and psych-noir. So far they released two
albums.
On this new, superb single drums and bass team up for an
incessantly beat that carries this instantaneously sticking ride,
along with a magnetizing Cure-esque guitar riff that gets you in
a trance.
Truly hypnotizing from start to finish with velvety vocals
and darkwavish synths in the back adding a twilight tone.
This hepped-up EBM duo conjure their influences of EBM, techno and electropop,
their sound is an intoxicating mix of analog synthetics and seductive vocals, touching
on themes of desire and despair, domination and submission.
They have a new 3-track EP, titled Inservio out, with opener Lights Down Low
as my favorite. An electro booster with a mindblowing techno beat à la The Prodigy
that rotates irresistibly, non-stop.
Lead single Softer is a psychedelic shoegaze stunner, a multi-layered symphony
propelled by about a thousand guitars, a mindboggling bass riff, and combative
drums, while Rebecca Dow‘s ghostly vocals scrape the sky. A titanic thrill.
19. ‘I Don’t Understand What Any Of You Are Doing’ by DEAD ANYWAY (UK)
This British duo combine the dark lyricism of Kate Arnold
against the music and soundscapes of Marc Symonds.
They caught my attention with last February‘s top album Partially Eaten By Animals.
Highlight ‘I Don’t Understand What Any Of You Are Doing’ dives into trip-hop-pop territory with Arnold‘s crystal clear voice floating all over shiny synth dynamics. Catchy as hell.
20. ‘Welcome Tou Your New Future’ by LEG PUPPY 2.0 (London, UK)
This madcap techno act scored their best (so far)
album with Humanity 2.0 which came out last May.
You can shake your (p)elvis to single Welcome To Your New
Future while getting nervous about the unknown tomorrow.
What’s in store for humankind. Nuclear war or peace and free love?
Or will we be just another brick in the wall? Whatever happens,
never stop pirouetting yourself dizzy to manic music .
We don’t need your education
We don’t need no your thought control
Just Like Everybody Else is a glorious, full-orchestrated pop gem, that transfers you in an eye/ear blink to a sonic dreamland with its affecting melodiousness, riveting chorus and warm-hearted vocals. Three highly-entertaining minutes and twenty seconds with Spielmann
New star tandem Gallagher-Squire produced/released their debut LP last March.
The lead-single Just Another Rainbow is partly Oasis, partly Stone Roses. Liam sings like Liam (who else?) and Squire does his psychedelic 6-string Stone Roses thing.
Stress Dolls is the musical moniker of songstress Chelsea O’Donnell.
Last May she released her enchanting debut album Queen Of No.
Close Enough is one of my favorite tracks. A captivating pop song.
Tantalizing tunefulness, glistening guitar sparks, and gratifying vocals
combine for a top tune.
Nick Cave and his Bad Seeds have canned album number 18.
It’s baptized Wild God and will show up on August 30.
The title track is a sublime composition. The first part is crooner Cave as we know him,
but quickly the vocal passion and goosebumps intensity go up and from halfway on, this diamond turns into an orchestral masterpiece, with a zealous hallelujah choir and an opera-like majesty.
Band: MAYFLOWER MADAME Who: A band from Oslo, Norway that specializes in a dark and distinctive blend
of post-punk, shoegaze and psych-noir. Their history, so far, includes two album
releases, Observed In A Dream (2016) and Prepared For A Nightmare (2020).
First shared piece from their forthcoming 3rd longplayer, due for release in October.
“The song sees the band refining their signature blend of post-punk, shoegaze and psychedelia into a sharper soundscape distinguished by a pulsating, forceful rhythm section, atmospheric synths and reverb-drenched guitars that stab and shine. It’s the perfect soundtrack for the nightly walks of restless city dwellers, but also a highly
potent dancefloor-filler at gritty indie clubs.”
TUTV: Drums and bass team up for an incessantly beat that carries this instantaneously sticking jam, along with a magnetizing Cure-esque guitar riff that gets you in a trance.
Truly hypnotizing from start to finish with velvety vocals and darkwavish synths in
the back adding a twilight tone. Top-tier tune. The on-repeat button was invented for
this kind of adrenalized earworms. I just hit it for the 7th time. Don’t miss this ecstatic
MM jam.
“In and out
Inside again
I’m passing out
To ease the strain”
Who: A band from Norway known for its signature mesh of post-punk, dark psychedelia, shoegaze and indie rock. For fans of The Soft Moon, Joy Division, The Black Angels, Jesus & Mary Chain, Psychic Ills, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club and The Velvet Underground
Track: VULTURES – the lead single from their second LP, titled ‘Prepared For A Nightmare‘, out next month via Only Lover Records. The song “is about desire, gluttony and vanity, both on a personal level and as a general symptom of the excesses of modern society. However, there’s a sense of both doom and revival in there. It’s partly inspired by the art of George Grosz and Hieronymus Bosch.”
Score: After a gloomy psych guitar intro this inflammable crackerjack turns immediately into a propelled rocker with a hammering beat, a burning force, a tenebrous tension and a cutting chorus. Midway the tempo goes down shortly for a sparky guitar/bass duet, but the pulsating drum dynamism pushes the darksome commotion back to its swirling pace. Top!
Who: The band “formed in Oslo in 2011. They started rehearsing in a desolate industrial building they shared with a car wash company. Amidst the gritty surroundings, their hazy, smoke-laden sound seemed to be conceived naturally and the band soon recorded a four-
track demo. Debut album ‘Observed in a Dream‘ finally arrived in 2016. The album proved
to be well worth the wait and its dazzling display of darkly inflected post-punk swathed in shimmering psychedelia earned them rave reviews. Since then, the band has toured both
in the U.K./Europe and North America.”
Pick: PREMONITION
Score: If ‘Premonition‘ is the sound of Judgement Day than I’ll welcome the world’s
end with open ears and a big grin on my face. Its sonic gloominess is just perfect
for humankind to go down with an electrifying big bang. As this troubled planet will
destroy itself sooner or later I recommend these four Norwegian horsemen of the Apocalypse to be our Armageddon Orchestra. Capture the ominous beauty of their
hellish anthem and its devastating images right here…
