new album

Scary Reality Grimness – PROTOMARTYR Launched Their Fifth Abum ‘ULTIMATE SUCCESS TODAY’

Posted on by JL

17 July 2020

Band: Protomartyr (Detroit, US)
Album: Ultimate Success Today – fifth LP
Released: 10 July 2020
Info: ‘Ultimate Success Today’ is the band’s fifth album. Following the release of Relatives In Descent, the band’s critically acclaimed headlong dive into the morass of American life in 2017, Ultimate Success Today continues to further expand the possibilities of what a Protomartyr album can sound like.

The Guardian says: “With stadium rock riffs and saxophone over lyrics about riots and respirators, the Detroit post-punks are the soundtrack of an uncertain future… They’re capable of unleashing pulverising guitar noise, but they’re not reliant on it. The music sounds affectingly ragged and drained – emotions that again feel perfect for the current moment – while the lyrics flip-flop between something approaching faint optimism (“hope you walk through life with a smile”) and something darker and dejected: “Remember me, how I lived / I was frightened, always frightened.” It’s music for uncertain times, something Protomartyr seem to be almost eerily skilled at producing.” Full review here. Score: 4/5.

Key phrase: “In a time of deceit telling the truth is a revolutionary act.” – George Orwell

Singles: Processed by The Boys / Worm In Heaven / Michigan Hammers

– PROCESSED BY THE BOYS –

– WORM IN HEAVEN –

– MICHIGAN HAMMERS –

Full album…


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PROTOMARTYR: Facebook


(photo by Turn Up The Volume!)

Power To DREAM WIFE – Second Album ‘SO WHEN YOU GONNA…’ Hits The Bull’s Eye

Posted on by JL

12 July 2020

Band: Dream Wife
Who: Three awesomely cool Riot grrrls from London making your heart going boom and your adrenalin going bonkers with a firework melting pot of punk, rock and pop!
Released: 10 July 2020 – second longplayer

The Guardian says: “Dream Wife are a very modern rock band: they sing about queer
love, miscarriage and misogyny; they work with an all-female recording team; and they have
a podcast. And yet the London-based trio’s music recalls lost nights at midweek indie clubs
and Karen O’s fingerless gloves. The follow-up to their self-titled 2018 debut continues to blend 2000s guitar bands with yelping riot grrrl while sounding surprisingly new, stripping back their earlier post-punk atmospherics to bring Icelandic singer Rakel Mjöll’s storytelling to the fore… They career through a wide range of moods – coquettish, horny, craving approval, irony – with
a zeal you rarely hear in other bands. Occasionally those stories can come across as a little juvenile, but where they lack finesse (and, indeed, it’s great to hear a punk band that still
sounds like one, the edges unsmoothed), they make up for in ambition.”

Key phrase: “Power to Dream Wife! They rock your world with punch, panache and passion.”

Singles: So When You Gonna… / Hasta La Vista / Sports!

– SO WHEN YOU GONNA… –

– HASTA LA VISTA –

– SPORTS! –

Stream/buy album here…


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DREAM WIFE: Facebook

Trip Pop Duets – ‘None Of Us Are Getting Out Of This Life Alive’ By THE STREETS…

Posted on by JL

12 July 2020

Who: Mike Skinner and THE STREETS (London, UK)
Album: None of Us Are Getting Out of This Life Alive – sixth longplayer
Released: 10 July 2020

NME says: “Now a settled family man, who still parties hard, but parties hardly Skinner’s now doing things on his own terms, rather than bowing to the beck and call of record labels, lawyers and PR companies. As a result, things seem a little less exhausting. Instead of spunking huge budgets on lavish videos, he’s now filming his own on an iPhone, which he also used to mix this on rather than in a flash studio… A duets record by any other name, Skinner’s effortlessly taken the temperature of the best left of centre sounds of 2020, bringing in everyone from Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker to heart-on-sleeve punks IDLES, British rap hero Ms Banks and G-folk originator Hak Baker… This is the sound of The Streets having a whole lot of fun and worrying very little about the consequences… ‘None of Us Are Getting Out Of This Life Alive’ isn’t just a testament to Mike Skinner’s intriguing evolution but also proof of his keen eye for curation. It’s good to have him back – and all of his mates, too.” Score: 4/5.

Singles: Call My Phone Thinking I’m Doing Nothing Better / I Wish You Loved You As Much As You Love Him / Falling Down

– CALL MY PHONE THINKING I’M DOING NOTHING BETTER –
(Feat. Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker)

– I WISH YOU LOVE YOU AS MUCH AS YOU LOVE HIM –
(Feat. Donae’O and Greentea Peng)

– FALLING DOWN –

Full album…

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THE STREETS: Facebook

LAURA MARLING Shines On New Seventh Album ‘SONG FOR OUR DAUGHTER…

Posted on by JL

11 April 2020

British folk artist LAURA MARLING just released her seventh longplayer titled ‘SONG FOR OUR DAUGHTER’. Another affecting folk pearl from this compelling singer/songwriter and angelic voice that makes you silent at times. All 10 tracks excel because of its enticing and intimate tenderness and its tranquilizing melodiousness. Music for dreamy moments.

NME wrote: “The folk singer’s seventh album, a tribute to a figurative character, largely eschews percussion in favour of piercing words. It’s a graceful ode to resilience… Album seven is a piece of a person we are familiar with. It might be less folky than her previous work, more guided by vital words than percussive rhythm, but it still feels cohesive and like a safe haven. The album is a balm, Marling a lifeline – and a source of stability. We’re lucky to have her. “
Full review here – Score: 5/5

Album in full…

LAURA MARLING: Facebook

Emotive Troubadour BRICK BRISCOE Has A Long Story To Tell – Here’s His New Album ‘FROM LUCKY POINT TO PÈRE LACHAISE’…

Posted on by JL

9 August 2019

BRICK BRISCOE is a Petersburg, Indiana-based radio and television personality and a compelling singer/songwriter. His new album, entitled ‘FROM LUCKY POINT TO PÈRE LACHAISE’ is inspired and recorded after a life-changing battle with cancer and the life-affirming travels suggested by LP’s title. It makes me think of Ray Davies‘ two Americana albums because of the heart and soul touching stories and the varied reflections on humanity. Like Davies, Briscoe is a gripping storyteller too. An observative troubadour wrapping personal experiences into sensitive songs with a heartfelt touch.

Here’s the author himself about his new, probably most personal, longplayer…

“It feels good to finally have this album out there. It took more than a year to finish things up and that’s a long time for me. I normally pace around for a couple of weeks, call folks in and then vomit it all out in about a week. This time I was more considerate of the overall landscape. It took me back to a time before I became ill where I thought I had all the time in the world. The urgency now is to share the ideas and keep the conversation going.

The response, thus far, has been very rewarding. I was worried that the fans I’ve made over the last two records were going to wonder where I had gone. This record is more considerate of arrangement and melody and, in a lot of ways, I think I’ve found my voice again because I took such a considered approach. I’m happy to find out from the live shows we’ve done that I can tackle the material in any way I want, from original intent to quiet solo versions to turning them into straight up rock n’ roll. I’m lucky that I play with a live band who can be flexible enough to interact with an audience and figure out how to feed the dragon. Deep down I realize that I’m really a live artist at my best and getting to play in front of people is the true reward.

I live in a very rural atmosphere. Petersburg, Indiana has around 2500 inhabitants. The cost of living allows me to go out on a limb and make records and then travel to do live shows and make tv/film projects. I’ve lived in NYC, Los Angeles and Seattle and I never could feel the creative freedom living in those cities as I do in my hometown. It was always too financially daunting to pull it off in the big cities. But maybe I’m just a small town boy who really likes to immerse himself in the big towns and then come home and synthesize the two. That just dawned on me actually. Because, growing up, I always wanted to be somewhere else. I still do. I’m probably going to ask to sleep in your spare room sometime.”

Dim the lights, sit down, relax and lose yourself in this journey.
Here’s the album in its uninterrupted, continuous entity…


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You can stream it here on Spotify too, if you like
to skip, play and save your favorite tracks…

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BRICK BRISCOE: Facebook – Bandcamp

Portland’s SOUVENIR DRIVER Impresses With New Album ‘A DANGEROUS CROSSING’…

Posted on by JL

7 May 2019

Sonic daydreamers SOUVENIR DRIVER from Portland, Oregon just released their fourth
LP titled ‘A DANGEROUS CROSSING’. A deeply emotive record influenced by a Friedrich Nietzsche quote ‘Mankind is a dangerous crossing’, current events, and personal lives.

Overall it’s an intensely touching, captivating and soul-stirring piece of work. High-class songwriting from the pensive lifelike reveries ‘Glow (The Empress)’ and ‘Outer Space‘ to the spicier full-sound humdingers ‘Haze‘, ‘Spin’ and ‘Lonesome Prairie‘, the cutting guitar fueled ‘Who Are You‘ and the splendid synths and bass injected swagger of ‘Admire’.

When the more than 8-minute groovy closer Glass Slipper (The Queen) comes to an end you’ll push the repeat button without any hesitation as, just like me, you’ll be tempted to discover every layer, every twist, every hook, every lick, every moment and every line of these terrifically arranged en delightfully orchestrated songs. This band knows exactly what imposing tunes need, how to construct them and how to turn them into appealing aural pearls that impact your hungry ears. ‘A DANGEROUS CROSSING‘ is an arresting achievement! I Discover the splendor here…


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SOUVENIR DRIVER: Facebook