Last year, highly talented 17-year-old Canadian singer-songwriter Nell Smith, was hit by fatal fate, when she died in a car crash accident.
A couple of years ago, as a dedicated The Flaming Lips fan she got in contact
with the Oklahoma band and they recorded a Nick Cave covers album together
in 2021, she was just 14. Her solo album Anxious was posthumously released
2 weeks ago.
Unfortunately, Kweller knows the pain of losing a teenage child. His 16-year old son
also passed away after a car accident. It happened two years ago. Via the Flaming Lips, Ben met Nell‘s family, and afterward he wrote this goosebumps song for her. It’ll be on
his new album Cover The Mirrors, that appears on 23rd May, on his lost son’s birthday.
Band: THE WATERBOYS Who: Scottish pop-rock-folk heroes orchestrated by
songsmith Mike Scott with 16 LPs, new on included,
on their most impressive résumé.
Press info: “Inspired entirely by the life and mythos of actor Dennis Hopper, Mike Scott and The Waterboys created this expansive album as tribute to one of American popular culture’s most compelling public figures. Deeply conceptual, this album of all original songs brings together high-profile featured artists like Bruce Springsteen, Fiona Apple, and Steve Earle to musically weave through Hopper’s life, including a song for each of Hopper’s wives.”
TUTV: This an amazing piece of work. A soundtrack for a yet to be made Dennis Hopper documentary. Hats off to Mike Scott for his boldness, imaginativeness, and ingenuity to score this musical movie, constructed marvellously with its sonically cinematic versatility.
Pop, rock, blues, country, bar-room jazz, and musing balladry take turns and puzzle
a most coherent and highly entertaining whole together, spiced with magnificent vocal contributions by Fiona Apple, Steve Earle and others. Never a dull moment with its varied stream of top-tier songs and Scott‘s awe-inspiring vocality throughout.
Movie shots from Hopper‘s parts in doom and gloom films such as Blue Velvet, Apocalypse Now, True Romance, Speed and, of course, counterculture classic Easy Rider pop up on the screen in your head. He was at his best when he played psychotic characters. And Scott is here at its best too. Can’t stopping listening to it and discover new things with every spin I know it’s only April but this pièce de résistance is, unquestionably, a contender for album of the year. Let’s fuck.
Band: THE MOONLANDINGZ Who: English electro-pop combo started by the Eccentronic Research Council
duo, featuring Adrian Flanegan and Dean Honor back in 2015. Lias Saoudi (Fat
White Family, Decius, author, modern day, philosopher) joined them, as well as
different guests.
Press info: “No Rocket Required delivers brassy squawks, motorik convulsions and
sinister soothing vocals from a righteous line-up of guest singers and ranters: Nadine
Shah, Iggy Pop, Jessica Winter and Ewen Bremner. Plus, of course, there’s The Moonlandingz’ own front man, Johnny Rocket aka Lias Saoudi.
What to do, as we potter and fret, as we watch bodies, homes and lives destroyed every day while our elected leaders, so forensic and so sensible, use their weasel words, shrug their coward shoulders and saunter off to raise our bus fares. Dancing of course and togetherness, looking out for each other, and that’s not enough. What kind of fight are we bringing? We will always need to organise, to fight, to collaborate, to connect and to dance dance dance. And that is what The Moonlandingz do.”
TUTV: Where the first album was a 24-hour party affair, this 2nd one is musically a
sonic melting pot of 70s disco (like Sign Of A Man that clearly is inspired by 1978 classic Born To Be Alive by Patrick Hernandez) and 80s house (like Yama Yama) uppers and midnight hour downers (like Roustabout, and the romantic ballad It’s Where I’m From with perfectly matching vocals by the one and only Iggy Pop) that messes with your mind, body and soul.
To make sure that you hit the (dance)floor in the end, Flanegan and Honor knock you
out with the 9-minute hyperkinetic brainbreaker The Knack Drought Suite (Pts 1-3) that hammers your head in relentlessly and gives the last word to film-noir crooner Lias
Saoudi. Lyrically, NRR echoes Twin Peaks‘ unhinged stories from the dark side of the
human psyche. Everybody happy now? I definitely am.
KEY SINGLE
ALBUM
. Instagram – Linktree
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Artist: ANIKA Who: British, Berlin-based songstress. She released two splendid
albums with indie band Exploded View and has her 4th solo one
out now.
Press info: “Anika channels her frustration, anger, and confusion with the world.
The album captures raw energy with minimal overdubs, resulting in a visceral and
urgent 10-track journey fueled by intense emotions.
Abyss reflects Anika’s desire to create a space where people can unite and feel free to express themselves amidst the chaos of the world. With influences ranging from 90s grunge and Courtney Love to Patti Smith and Genesis P-Orridge, the album is driven by
a rebellious spirit.”
Press
TUTV:Abyss is sonically, her most heavy-laden longplayer. From revved-up pop crazing (Hearsay / Honey / Last Song) to psych rock shocks (Abyss / Oxygen / Out Of The Shadows).
It’s Anika Vs Anika and the outside world as she makes clear in Walk Away with the lines “The truth is, I don’t really like myself / And the truth is / I don’t really like anyone else.”
Anika still struggles with all kinds of demons (media moguls, a broken relationship, being trapped in your own narrative, patriarchy, toxic masculinity, and other mind-destroying dangers). Eventually, she’s at her best when she faces and fights her worst nightmares and she knows she’s not alone. We’re all in it together. We should try not to hate each other and be tolerant for a chance. L’union fait la force. 2025 is Anika‘s year.
Band:VIAGRA BOYS Who: Swedish punk-rock dropouts fronted
by the human tattoo Sebastian Murphy.
New album: VIAGR ABOYS
Not their smartest LP title, but
already their 4th one.
Press info: “The LP sees VB turn inwards, leaving the acid-laced, conspiracy-addled societal commentary of previous LP Cave World behind to journey into the acid-laced, conspiracy-addled landscape within. Absurd, intense and surprisingly tender, viagr aboys shuts out the noise to find that the important part of being alive in the big, stupid world is figuring out that the world inside of you that is equally big and stupid.”
Press photography by Fredrik Bengtsson
TUTV: At their core, Viagra Boys still are the mean groove machine we know from
their swirling start. Whether they speed up, slow down, or move somewhere in
between (except for the closing, tender piano ballad), they always have an intense
impact on your body’s movements.
Wordsmith Murphy still keeps on rattling and rap-like rolling non-stop, but the overall
sonic vibe is more varied this time. From catchingly capricious to one-direction punk crazy, to sultry saxy. I’m not sure all the time what Murphy rambles about, but our messed-up times are always in the middle of his bizarre stories. Ultimately, it’s all about love, the only answer to hate. Another great job, boys.
Artist: NELL SMITH Who: A highly talented teenage singer-songwriter, who died
in a car crash last October, only 17. Cruel, really cruel.
As a dedicated Flaming Lips fan, she got in contact with the Oklahoma band aged 13,
and after frontman Kevin Coyne found out that Nell has a great voice and musical skills,
they recorded a Nick Cave covers album together, titledWhere The Viaduct Looms together in 2021. A once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Full of confidence, Nell Smith started to write songs for herself,f which are now collected on her posthumously released album, named ANXIOUS produced by renowned siblings Jack and Lily Walter.
It displays her artistically, far-reaching potential, with 10 spirited, real-life pop songs.
All beautifully orchestrated tunes. A combination of mixed emotions, reflective reveries and jaunty ruminations, with Smith‘s crystalline voice as the star in the middle. This record is/will be an everlasting memory of a bona fide artist in the making, who was taken from life abruptly, way too soon.
Back in 2021, highly skilled UK-born and US-based, musical teenager NELL SMITH recorded at the age of 13-year an album, named Where The Viaduct Looms with Oklahoma’s eccentric legends The Flaming Lips.
Frontman Wayne Coyne spotted her at one point as she attended several gigs with her father. They got in touch with each other and after Coyne found out that she’s a singer he proposed her to work with the band on a Nick Cave tribute album he already had in mind for some time.
.
Last October, the worst happened when Nell died in a vehicle motor crash,
only 17. Her debut LP, titled Anxious was released posthumously last Friday.
Also now, San Francisco songsmith BEN KWELLER has shared a goosebumps ballad, named KILLER BEE. A track from his upcoming 7th full-length Cover The Mirrors. It features backing vocals by The Flaming Lips.
His first new music since the sudden passing
of his 16-year-old son Dorian Zev in 2023.
Kweller: “Today we release the song ‘Killer Bee’ in memory of Nell Smith. Nell was
a gifted artist who marched to the beat of her own drum. Like my son Dorian, she was
taken from us out of nowhere, driving alone, freak car accident, 17 years old. Grief makes
us feel isolated and the weight seems too heavy to carry alone. Community reunites and
lifts us up. Love on your people today and every day.”
I discovered this brilliant post-punk turbo last month at an indoor festival in Amsterdam. The whole crowd went bananas. These motherrockers slash and trash with a burning vehemence and a flabbergasting fervency. Miami Lounge is the crackerjack opener of this year’s released 5-track EP Bad Time.
Now it’s your turn to discover this awesome London squad.
Earlier this month this dynamite hit team blew all punters away with their jaw-dropping gig in my hometown Ghent (Belgium). They razzled and dazzled with ebullient exertion, blistering British bluster, and a fuck Brexit fierceness. The roof went off.
Ded Würst, their newest single, is nothing less
than a nasty and filthy sledgehammer. Das super!
6. ‘His Ilk’ by BRONSON ARM (Kalamazoo, Michigan, US)
From Michigan here come 2 Pc Noisey Slacker Psychedelic Sludge Punks.
They joined Canada-based indie label Off White House Records
this year with a big bang.
Their newest outburst is a riffin’ rollercoaster that makes the hair in
your neck stand up with its metallic resonance and relentless bass
frenzy. Add nightmarish vocals and I’m sure Santa Claus will run
away in fear.
The alias of British singer-songwriter of Bobby Anderson.
Never Ready is a vicious droning blast. Wïlderman rankles,
rages, and has a bad taste in his mouth. Never ready for
her look and her voice. 133 seconds of sonic sex.
Hot groove, hot intensity, hot slam dunk. Fucktastic!
8. I Don’t’ Love You Anymore’ by CHATEAU CHATEAU (Tucson, Arizona, US)
Glam and glitter riot tattoo grrl Blue attracts all attention,
sonically as well as visually. She swirls and scintillates on this
new kick while cursing idiots who hate the LGBTQ+ community,
who hate tattoos, and who hate anybody who doesn’t live by
their ultra-conservative rules.
To hell with all these idiots.
Meanwhile, enjoy this jangly earworm that sticks as
first-class glue and reaches an aural orgasm every
time the chorus pops up.
With Absent Transient they show their masterly skills of writing ear-and-mind
pleasing pop tunes charged-up with rotating riffs and dreamy vocal harmonies.
When an old skool DJ teams up with Pulp’s Jarvis Cocker you
get a sizzling acid house corker to start and end all upcoming New Year’s Eve parties with.
13. ‘What You Keep Telling Yourself’ by DOWN WITH SPACE (Montreal, Canada)
The motorik and magnetic rhythm of this electronic exploit makes your head
turn 360°. The catching combination of near whispering vocals, scintillating David
Gilmour guitar vibrance and cybernated elegance create an overall ear-ecstatic
vibe culminating in a dynamic finale.
Expect flashy echoes of the 80s British New Romantics movement with
this instant catching pop spark, fueled with glimmering guitar/play,
impassioned vocals, and a non-stop drum beat.
This sugary pop bliss feels good at first, better the second time,
and the best with all other spins. Great pop-ular music is about
lifting up the listener’s mood to a euphoric level for about
3/4 minutes. Easier said than done, but not here.
Still is a glorious harmonious touchy-feely gem that appeals from
the kick-off with Gardiner‘s tantalising voice and Kuras‘ vitalizing
guitar ravishment. Add a delirious chorus and you have yourself
a 24-Carat top thrill.
This Italian singer-songwriter, born Patrizio Ottavianiiter,
produces a blend of psychedelic rock and Arabic harmonies.
Knight Of Cups is the latest single in a series of monthly releases this year.
Electric dream-pop at its tempting best. Sparkling, spirited, and seductive.
Nell Smith is a 13-year old fan of Oklahoma’s eccentric stargazers Flaming Lips
(one of my all-time fav bands). Frontman Wayne Coyne spotted her at one point
as she attended several gigs with her father. They got in touch and after Coyne
found out that she’s a singer he proposed her to work with the band on a Nick
Cave tribute album he already had in mind for some time.
They got all in the studio and the result is a 9-song Nick Cave
covers album baptized Where The Viaduct Looms with
the nightingale voice of Nell as the heroine in the middle.
You can stream the brand new record on Spotify
One of the standouts is her version of
the heart and soul ballad The Ship Song.
19. ‘Always Together With You’ by SPIRITUALIZED (Rugby, UK)
Jason Pierce and his orchestra have a new LP,
called Everything Was Beautiful coming on
25 February 2022
With this spellbinding symphony, he does what he does so splendidly for so long. This
first new piece is another soulful spiritual growing slowly into a gospel-like trance. Epic!
Last June mega-star-crooner Cave and his bad seed friend Warren Ellis
signed for one of the best LPs of 2021 with their astonishing Carnage opus.
And they’re not done yet. The duo releases the soundtrack they wrote for the French nature documentary Panthère Des Neiges (The Snow Leopard)on 17 December.
Here’s the magnificent taster We Are Not Alone.
A characteristic Cave humdinger. Tender and gripping.
Watch the magic, hear the magic…
See/hear you next month with the best 20 knockouts of 2021…
Nell is a 13-year old fan of Oklahoma’s eccentric Lips.
Frontman Wayne Coyne spotted her at one point as she
attended several gigs with her father. They got in touch
and after Coyne found out that she’s a singer he proposed
her to work with the band on a Nick Cave tribute album he
already had in mind for some time.
They got all in the studio and the result is a 9-song Nick Cave
covers album baptized When The Viaduct Looms covers LP,
with Nell on vocals.
Release: 26 November 2021
Coyne: “It is always great to meet excited, young creative people.
With Nell we could see she is on a journey and thought it would be
fun to join her for a while and see if we could get things going. It was
a great way to connect with her and help harness her cool attitude
to making music.”
Nell: “I hadn’t heard of Nick Cave but Wayne suggested that we should
start with an album of his cover versions, and then look at recording some
of my own songs later. It was cool to listen and learn about Nick Cave and
pick the songs we wanted to record.”
Nick Cave: “I’m a fan.”
A first cover Girl In Amberwas shared a few weeks ago and now we get an
amazing interpretation of one of my all-time Cave favorites The Ship Song
(my wedding song 12 years ago). Smith‘s vocals are just splendid…
The Cave original…
Tracklist
1. ‘Girl In Amber’ 2. ‘Weeping Song’ 3. ‘Into My Arms’ 4. ‘O Children’ 5. ‘The Kindness Of Strangers’ 6. ‘No More Shall We Part’ 7. ‘Red Right Hand’ 8. ‘The Ship Song’ 9. ‘We Know Who You Are’
