Band: NOTHINGHEADS Who: Formed in 2020, this trio quickly became a mainstay in the London
DIY live music scene, along with the likes of Mcluscksy and Japanese Television.
They make dissonant grooves drawing influence from Post Punk & Psych/Doom.
Band: NOTHINGHEADS Who: Formed in 2020, this trio quickly became a mainstay in the London
DIY live music scene, along with the likes of Mcluscksy and Japanese Television.
They make dissonant grooves drawing influence from Post Punk & Psych/Doom.
New single: RAT
Piece from their upcoming EP (out in June) described as “a two minute
aural blast of boredom induced paranoia built around a driving guitar riff.”
Turn Up The Volume featured these intense indies several times before.
They are a mean punk machine always in for turning up the heat with
ironbound left/right hooks as it happens here again with their new burst Rat. Hurly-burly havoc at its mind-blowing best with demented guitars, a
sinewy drummer and a sneering singer. A pure punch to the face that’ll
awake you in less than 2 maniacal minutes.
About the accompanying clip the band say: “The video explores a character
whose reality is conspiracy and paranoia, making frenetic movements at every
turn, connecting dots that do not exist but with no idea of how to piece it together.”
1. ‘Twitchin’ in The Kitchen’ byWARMDUSCHER (London)
This punky-funky disco corker is the perfect pick-me-up tune for all the wacky
weirdos who are always in the kitchen at parties waiting for free drinks and waiting
for Warmduscher to come in and kick their lazy asses. Big stroke, big chorus, big fun!
The Scottish dance-funk-punk trio YOUNG FATHERS launch
their 5th LP called HEAVY HEAVY on 3 February.
Ahead of hit came this ridiculously sticky stunner I SAW.
A master blaster that makes your blood stream faster
through your veins. The addition of a choir in the back
works on the spot.
This London post-punk team unleashed their 2nd scorching album Beware Believers, last April. One of TUTV’s best full-lengths of 2022.
Slowly Separate is a schizo sonic serpent generating a mind-blowing backwash
while chainsaw guitars turn up the decibels to an illegal peak, and vox-in-the-middle James Fox rages and blazes through his teeth.
The by now legendary passion rockers from Cincinnati, Ohio with mastermind Greg Dulli leading the troops. Their new 10th LP How Do You Burn? was voted Best Album Of 2022 on Turn Up The Volume.
I’ll Make You See God was the lead single. A sturdy steamroller, a red-hot-heated juggernaut, an unstoppable cannonball going everywhere fast. Manic blitzkrieg
guitars, ruthless drum/bass attacks, Greg Dulli‘s rush of blood vocality, and a brutal
finish. Flabbergasting.
Dulli: “That’s one of the hardest rock songs we’ve ever done.
It was written and performed on sheer adrenalin.”
This frenetic Brit force hit big time with their dazzling
debut album The Great Regression last March.
Single I Am Kate Moss is a cast-iron brainbreaker. It’s a poignant, biting, and
anxious uppercut. I’m pretty sure Moss would love this hit-and-run drone when
it would hit her ears. She is, after all, the Femme Punk Fatale of fashion.
The Prophet progresses like a vicious viper sliding to its prey until a horrific explosion strikes you in the face. Next is a titanic bass riff that keeps the roller coaster turning with scary speed. This flabbergasting monster is part of their 2nd notable longplayer Trust No Leaders.
About: “As a story or metaphor, we are all ‘Frankenstein’s monster’ – made up of
other people’s opinions and parts that don’t belong to us. That we were born
perfect but people, in their own conditioning, come along and can make us feel
undesirable/inadequate/the monster. But we can choose to be real instead.”
This is without a shadow the best debut single of 2022.
A towering tune going low, high and back. A sickly sticky pop gem wrapped in
a big-boisterous wall-of-sound. And up front, Sianna Lafferty‘s phenomenal voice
causes goosebumps when she reaches for the sky on the chorus. The ardency of Porridge Radio comes to mind.
“I am not what you want me to be
Uncle Sam won’t even point at me
Even the eyes of the Virgin Mary wall
hanging won’t even stare at me.”
Kill Me Again, one of three pieces shared so far, is an infectious groove
propelled by a pounding synth/bass riff, spiced with Coxon on saxophone
and mesmerizing (duet) vocals. Splendid stuff. Bring on the LP.
This power pop sensation impressed big time with their self-titled debut album. The outstanding dingle Chaise Longue – catchy, funny and witty caused choirs of thousands of sing-along people at festivals this past summer as I experienced myself, not at Glastonbury (below), but in Belgium at Hear!Hear! fest.
After releasing her sterling debut LP last year, songstress Ilayda Cicek and her band
came back this year for a series of riveting concerts (I saw 5 of them) and this sublime single. Her passion, her vivaciousness and vocal fervency push this electrifying pearl
way up to the stars.
Where We Sleep is the alter ego of Beth Rettig,
former front force of electro-rock band Blindness
On this boiling groover Rethig rants non-stop with anger and frustration.
A nasty bass riff is the backbone here, while layers of menacing guitar
electricity augment this ripper’s rowdy roll.
A crystal clear statement, a menacing projectile.
“They Don’t Want The Truth / They Just Want The Power”
12. ‘Nothing Good Comes Easy’ by DEAD LEVEE (Canada)
What a wowzer! This uplifting motherrocker boosts your state of mind with
fired-up dynamism from the get-go. Rapid-fire rawk and roll riffs switch on
a fervent feel of euphoria. It did it in the past, it does it in the present and
it will do it in the future.
Despite all the BS we have to endure (pandemic, Ukraine, natural disasters,
and other threats) it’s never too late to get back on track and why not start
with 4 and a half minutes of heart-warming guitar-fueled boogie-woogie
that triggers hope and assurance.
Stoogefather IGGY POP still wants to be your dog.
He has his new – 19th – LP, named Every Loser
lands out next week, on 6 January.
Lead-single was the perfect harbinger. 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
It’s been two years since these Scottish hound dogs made
my speakers tremble with their furious Johnny single.
But on their steamy comeback stomper they still have the same barnstorming groove and move drive. Something Good is a nasty rip-roaring-riff jackhammer,
annex agitated vocals, rotating in your head in an ear-blink. Think NYC’s darlings Interpol playing The Fall. Something good? Way better, something ace!
Geordie Greep (vocalist, guitar): “Almost everything I write is from a true thing, something
I experienced and exaggerated and wrote down. I don’t believe in Hell, but all that old world folly is great for songs, I’ve always loved movies and anything else with a depiction of Hell.”
A screwy zig-zagging haymaker it is.
From their head-spinning 3rd LP Hellfire.
“A paean to taking your foot off the gas and letting things slide, or a warning of the perils of procrastination, perhaps? It’s hard to tell whether ‘Mañana’ is meant to serve as a confessional regarding Domestic’s own perceived lack of willpower, or a celebration of idleness. It could be either of these things; and that’s one of its many joys.”.
A sirens intro, David Bowie‘s saxophone, and steel drums straight from Trinidad. Sounds like an exotic swing and shake ditty is coming up. No folks, it’s a lazy rap-sody you can play the morning after a booze marathon to get up and sober up, slowly.
Soul voice Clare Gillet takes care of the chirpy chorus.
These Welshmen released their new excellent album Druids and Bards
displaying mastermind Scott Marsden high-quality songwriting.
This impassioned hard-luck story is my fav cut. It grows slowly but surely into a soul-stirring and mesmerising heartbreaker with an epic finale. Glowing guitars, a steady drumbeat, and mixed-emotions vocals all come together for a poignant performance.
‘Love Is Cruel / The Hurt Within’. You can feel it.
This wholly charismatic and fast up-and-coming darkwave duo mixes Gothic Depeche Mode beats, with sonic Human League echoes, bass-synth-riffs à la German legends D.A.F. and spice it all up with spooky vocals. And it looks like 2023 will even be bigger than 2022.
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.
“It’s a warning, an unflinching assessment of the vastness and insignificance of this
life, is precisely counterbalanced by their lesson, which models the resilience that this understanding demands. ‘Demolition Row’ is persistent, concise, and alarmingly physical.”
This blustery belter is vintage Metz. Full blast ahead. The track
featured on a split 7” with London-based group Adult Life.
From Dylan’s Desolation Row
to Metz’s Demolition Row…
Once I learned that this startling belter is about the horrible exploitation of human
beings by ferocious money sharks this jagged jackhammer blew my mind even harder than I heard it the first time before knowing about the band’s inspiration for this slam.
Expect rabid guitars, doom-and-gloom vocals, and frantic
twists and turns until the chaotic finale. Post-punk at
its razorblade best.
Jeen: “It’s about letting yourself drift in the flow of everything and hanging on as hard as you can to what makes the shitty parts more tolerable…I was thinking of that Hunter S. Thompson quote, “buy the ticket, take the ride.” It was written in April 2021, which was a rough part of last year for me. I needed to write something that reminded me to tread lightly, to forget about the heaviness of everything.
After only one spin, my ears told me that Chemical Emotion is an bewitching pop doozy. Jeen‘s emotive voice bewitches right away, the mid-tempo cadence emphasizes the meditative reflection perfectly, the compelling chorus brings Alanis Morissette to mind, and overall the orchestral sonority and the layered harmonies lead to a thrilling triumph.
Oscar Mic wrote this song after witnessing the horrific violence of
psycho Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine on the news. All proceeds of
the song weent to Save The Children’s Ukraine Appeal.
We Are Ukrainian is a vivid hp-rap-pop anthem featuring steel drums
and timpani balancing somewhere between Roots Manuva and Mr. Scruff.
“Fleeing people running scared, so tell me Where’s the justice? Our leaders say they care,
tell me can you trust this? Urban warfare, your home’s done and dusted, Aiming at the
public, they wouldn’t? They just did,”
The by now legendary passion rockers from Cincinnati, Ohio with mastermind Greg Dulli leading the troops have their new longplayer How Do You Burn? out on 9 September.
This lead single is a sturdy steamroller, a red-hot-heated ripsnorter, an unstoppable cannonball going everywhere fast. Manic blitzkrieg guitars, ruthless drum/bass attacks, Greg Dulli‘s rush of blood vocality, and a brutal finish. Flabbergasting.
Dulli: “That’s one of the hardest rock songs we’ve ever done.
It was written and performed on sheer adrenalin.”
This London post-punk team unleashed their 2nd scorching album Beware Believers, last April. One of TUTV’s best full-lengths of 2022 (so far).
Single Slowly Separate is a schizo sonic serpent generating a mind-blowing backwash
while chainsaw guitars turn up the decibels to an illegal peak, and man-in-the-middle James Fox rages and blazes through his teeth.
This frenetic Brit force hit big time with their dazzling debut album The Great Regression last March (more about it in a couple of days).
Let’s focus now on one of its cast-iron brainbreakers. It’s a poignant, biting, and
anxious uppercut. I’m pretty sure Moss would love this hit-and-run drone when
it would hit her ears. She is, after all, the Femme Punk Fatale of fashion.
4. ‘Twitchin’ in The Kitchen’ byWARMDUSCHER (London)
This punky-funky disco corker is the perfect pick-me-up tune for all the wacky weirdos who are always in the kitchen at parties waiting for free drinks and waiting for Warmduscher to come in and kick their lazy asses. Big stroke, big chorus, big fun!
“It’s a warning, an unflinching assessment of the vastness and insignificance of this
life, is precisely counterbalanced by their lesson, which models the resilience that this understanding demands. ‘Demolition Row’ is persistent, concise, and alarmingly physical.”
This blustery belter is vintage Metz. Full blast ahead, no brakes, no breaks.
The track featured on a split 7” with London-based group Adult Life.
From Dylan’s Desolation Row
to Metz’s Demolition Row…
“As a story or metaphor, we are all ‘Frankenstein’s monster’ – made up of other people’s opinions and parts that don’t belong to us. That we were born perfect but people, in their
own conditioning, come along and can make us feel undesirable/inadequate/the monster.
But we can choose to be real instead.”
This is without a shadow of a doubt the best debut single I heard so far this year.
A towering tune going low, high and back. A sickly sticky pop gem wrapped in
a big-boisterous-wall-of-sound. And upfront, Sianna Lafferty ‘s phenomenal voice
causes goosebumps when she goes sky-high on the chorus. The ardency of Porridge Radio comes to mind.
One word: AWESOME.
“I am not what you want me to be
Uncle Sam won’t even point at me
Even the eyes of the Virgin Mary wall
hanging won’t even stare at me.”
Shaman progresses like a vicious viper sliding to its prey. Determined, but always
wary of sudden danger. It dumbfounds and flummoxes while the song’s tension
intensifies and sends shivers down your spine.
No metallic explosions or abrupt pace changes this time, although it feels like a thunderstorm can happen as the mesmeric music swells along its ominous path
towards a demonic climax. Another appealing piece de resistance, another
psychedelic exploit another step closer to the new album.
“A paean to taking your foot off the gas and letting things slide, or a warning of the perils of procrastination, perhaps? It’s hard to tell whether ‘Mañana’ is meant to serve as a confessional regarding Domestic’s own perceived lack of willpower, or a celebration of idleness. It could be either of these things; and that’s one of its many joys.”.
A sirens intro, David Bowie‘s saxophone, and steel drums straight from Trinidad. Sounds like an exotic swing and shake ditty is coming up. No folks, it’s a lazy rap-sody you can play the morning after a booze marathon to get up and sober up, slowly.
Soul voice Clare Gillet takes care of the chirpy chorus.
“Propelled by a motorik rhythm and abrasive guitars, it stomps toward a doom-laden finale. Inspired by Sebastião Salgado’s (note TUTV: Brasilian photographer) anarchic photos of the Gold Mines of Serra Peladain the Amazon in 1985: the track explores the relentless obsession with grasping a glint of glory from the mud. “
Once I learned that this startling belter is about the horrible exploitation of human
beings by ferocious money sharks this jagged jackhammer blew my mind even harder than I heard it the first time before knowing about the band’s inspiration for this stunner.
Expect rabid guitars, doom and gloom vocals, and frantic
twists and turns until the chaotic finale. Post-punk at
its razorblade best.
Geordie Greep (vocalist, guitar): “Almost everything I write is from a true thing, something
I experienced and exaggerated and wrote down. I don’t believe in Hell, but all that old world folly is great for songs, I’ve always loved movies and anything else with a depiction of Hell.”
A screwy zig-zagging haymaker it is. From upcoming, 3rd, LP Hellfire.
My fav track from one of my fav albums of the year (so far), baptized A False Glimmer Of Hope with loudmouth James Domestic (yep, the
guy from above) going bonkers.
This red-hot-blistering hardcore missile punks up your adrenalin and
invites you to open all windows and doors and yell your tits off.
My favored sonic sci-fi symphony from the duo’s excellent Eris Wakes EP.
Trippy, spooky, trancy. With repetitive mind-twisting Krautrock eurhythmics
that take you on an otherwordly voyage. Top-flight!
After the piano intro (sounds like the theme tune of classic horror-thriller Halloween) this young outspoken artist fumes with barbed wire temper towards the supersonic chorus that resonates like hardcore rap.
This rushing rollercoaster swings forth and back with grim impetus until the gloomy
synth climax makes way for that ominous piano fragment again. TV or not TV, that’s
the question? The answer is easy. To hell with the relentless idiocy of reality TV stars and influencers constantly putting pressure on growing minds to behave in ways unattainable to most.
Oscar Mic wrote this song after witnessing the horrific violence of
psycho Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine on the news. All proceeds of
the song go to Save The Children’s Ukraine Appeal.
We Are Ukrainian is a tremendously catchy hip-rap-pop jam featuring steel drums
and timpani balancing somewhere between Roots Manuva and Mr. Scruff.
“Fleeing people running scared, so tell me Where’s the justice? Our leaders say they care,
tell me can you trust this? Urban warfare, your home’s done and dusted, Aiming at the
public, they wouldn’t? They just did,”
The titillating electro- intro echoes early Depeche Mode before they became the darkwave Goth-esque rockers we all know. But in an eye-blink White Skin turns into a swirling synth-pop stomper to fill dancefloors with. It’s an instantly infectious nightclub earworm with an ecstatic chorus.
18. ‘Worthless Souls’ by MELTED WINGS (Toronto, CA)
“A track that calls out how sexism and power corrupt all levels of society.
We all need to recognize this going forward and make sure that it doesn’t
go unchecked.”
The sickly sticky synth beat comes across like an invitation for my feet to kick the butts of vicious sexists and power-horny billionaires ruining people’s lives. Middle finger to them while spinning around mad as a hatter to this bang-on electro buzz. Trust me, you’ll feel much better afterward
This is what ecstatic pop grandeur is all about. Music that elevates
your state of mind to a titillating level. This pearl generates a feel-good
entrancing buzz.
When the multi-layered vocals/harmonies pop up in a gospel-like choir delight
creates an atmosphere of utter joy comparable with the euphoric drive of The Polyphonic Spree. Vitalizing vibe, refreshing rapture.
20. ‘Life And Lies’ by LEE ROGERS (Northern Ireland)
A mixed-emotions lullaby with Rogers‘ sky-reaching voice as the star. It’s an emotional
and bluesy reflection. Wurlitzer jukeboxes should be reinvented for these heartbreakers so moody minds can cry their eyes out (or cry in their beer) at night in a downtown bar where lonely ones gather and muse about life and lies.
Turn Up The Volume‘s ears say that these
are the 5 best EPs of 2022… so far.
Band: NOTHINGHEADS Who: Hit team formed through a shared love for London’s DIY music scene.
Their songs draw no boundaries – no subject is too confusing, no sound too
eclectic. The band write collaboratively, harnessing the noise and energy
that comes from playing together.
Turn Up The Volume said: Three riff-mental haymakers. Three vitriolic sucker-punches. Three intimidatory knockouts. The Nothingheads‘ frontman sounds like his own meanest demon, threatening and ready to kick badasses. This EP was made to scare all the human-destroying rulers of our paranoid world. If we go to the dogs don’t forget to take this EP with you. It’ll help to channel your frustrations while Armageddon is grinning around the corner.
Turn Up The Volume said: Violet Nox compose their spaced-out symphonies in an
electronic universe of their own where ambient music dominates in all its different reverberations. Soothing and meditative (opener Spaceport 5), tripping out (Eris / Bellatrix), spooky (Magnetar), and mind-puzzling (Ghost Star). It all feels utopian and cosmic. Foggy harmonies with Portishead‘s vocalist Beth Gibbons‘ transcended timbre and repetitive eurhythmics echoing German legends Tangerine Dream.
Close encounters of the third kind.
Sonic science-fiction. Stupefying
Band: THE DARTS Who: Inflammable engine
from Phoenix, Arizona
Turn Up The Volume: wrote: The Darts? They sound cool, look cool and rawk ‘n roll cool.
This Devilish American Rip-roaring Turbo Squad do it again on this new 3-track EP
with a garage hurricane (Love Tsunami), a mid-tempo groover (Shit Show) and another
brisk belter (Underground). And again, Nicole Laurenne, the utterly charismatic dart in
the middle, fires up the cuts with her sexy 60s-sounding organ.
The electrifying Amazons hit the bullseye once more.
Turn Up The Volume wrote: An instrumental 4-track one with a featherlight, heavenly and spiritual magnificence. Stardust everywhere. If you’re not into all that festive end-of-the-year fuss (like me) play all Guthrie‘s 2021 releases on repeat. It’ll give you (and me) a mind-relaxing, soothing, and idyllic feel. Sparkling vibrations for the midnight hours. Guthrie transfers you to a blissful place.
Last November sharp-rapping poets SLEAFORD MODS played in their
hometown Nottingham. Now 6 of the performed tracks (2 of the latest
album ‘Spare Ribs‘, a cover of Yazoo’s ‘Don’t Go, and 2 oldies) are cemented
in a live EP called LIVE AT NOTTZ ARENA.
Mork In Mindy features big soul voice Billy Nominates
and Amyl Taylor was a guest on Nudge It (which she did
too on the duo’s 2021 LP).
Get up and let your feet and your hips do the talking…
Shaman progresses like a vicious viper working its way to a grandiose climax. Determined, but always wary of sudden danger. Shaman dumbfounds and flummoxes while the song’s tension intensifies and has a spine-chilling effect. From the duo’s upcoming album Trust No Leaders, out 1st of July.
A roaring riff slashes and thrashes throughout this psych-o-tic hellraiser. Add Lunadon‘s freakish vocals and you know that this brainbreaker will test the resilience of your stereo. Fucktastic! From new album Beyond Everything
7. ‘Striking Like Thunder’ by LOWERY MILLS (Canada)
This thunder and lighting corker strikes big time from the first chord on, to the final one. Classic riffage rock with an anthemic plangency, a flaming drive, and a mammoth chorus. Add aroused vocals and the overall result is an ear-popping champion you’ll have on repeat for a while.
These DIY misfits have a new 5-track EP out, titled DIGGING.
You can buy it on Bandcamp.
My numero uno cracker is the title track.
The band’s frontman sounds like his own meanest demon.
Threatening and ready to kick badasses. This uppercut goes
mental on schizophrenic guitars and merciless drums.
To hell with all ruthless power abusers. That’s the central sharp-cutting message
of this new Janis jackhammer that causes a racing rush of blood through your veins.
This cocksure swipe is stoked up by jagged guitars,
by a steadfast drums/bass force, and by biting vocals.
What do you think of this? Topliners Arctic Monkeys turning up their amps or Liverpool legends The La’s if they would have been a rapid-fire punk turbo. Sounds insane, right?
You bet.
Spiky guitars zigzagging madly all over the place, John Bonham-like
drum brutality hits hard, and Alex Turner‘s younger brother is singing.
Be ready to move like a nutter on
a pogo stick. Contagious pyrotechnics.
Dream pop splendor in motion, with shiny synths, bouncy basslines,
laid-back drums, sensual vocals, and majestic orchestration. This winsome
humdinger will find its way to your yearning heart and your restless soul.
This timeless Etta James gem is 55 years old. It was written
by Ellington Jordan and co-credited to Billy Foster and James.
Songstress Sam Casey‘s heart-and-soul touching rendition
sends shivers down your spine, with her goosebumps voice.
Casey about the video: It feels so vulnerable to see the results of my raw emotion and struggle that this is almost difficult to watch. As soon as we started filming, the lyrics (and most likely, the fact that I was crying between takes) took everyone to this dark yet loving place where tears were being shed, but there were hugs and kisses floating around all night.”
Desert Storm is a psychedelic thrill with the hypnotizing and repetitive dynamism
of Krautrock. Its vibrant vigor and steadfast swagger roll all the way.
Pounding drums push the track continuously, guitars glimmer,
and febrile vocals add a shadowy timbre. Bingo.
This synth dream-pop duo has their
debut album Soft Chaines out now.
A gripping work inspired by physical pain leading to psychological pain feeding doubt, despair, and anguish. Often musicians use their work to process adversity. That’s what happens on this album. The layered synth orchestrations add melancholic warmth and here and their guitars gently weep while Miller‘s voice is the wandering star in the middle. An enticing debut with a harrowing, human touch.
My favorite piece of the record is the opener The Order.
Last year the Scottish veterans excited critics and
fans with their 10th LP As The Love Continues.
One song, from the same sessions, didn’t make the album as it wasn’t finished yet at the time. But it’s now ready to meet the world. It’s classic Mogwai euphony with swelling layers of synths, sheeny guitars, and slow-paced drums. The finale is just Homeric.
Twinkling guitars draw you into this touchy-feely daydream from the get-go. The color is blue, the melody is melancholic, the voice is wondering. This is a shoegazy gem for heavyhearted hearts and vulnerable souls, a soothing score for all romantics among us. The vibe is idyllic, the tone is hazy, the end result is just wondrous.
I’m sure you know that feeling of awakening in the morning and your first thought is ‘I don’t want to get upand face the cruel world, out there, today‘. But some smart cells in your brains tell you that you have no choice as you can’t escape reality. Not today, not tomorrow, never.
That very moment smooth and soft shanties like this one help you to ease your
moody state of mind. By mingling shimmery guitar sparks, shooting synths, spirited melodiousness, and comforting vocals in a happy-go-lucky way you can imagine you’re
on a special satellite where life colors pink again.
Band: NOTHINGHEADS Who: Hit team formed through a shared love for London’s DIY music scene.
Their songs draw no boundaries – no subject is too confusing, no sound too
eclectic. The band write collaboratively, harnessing the noise and energy
that comes from playing together.
Three riff-mental haymakers.
Three vitriolic sucker-punches.
Three intimidatory knockouts.
Nothingheads‘ frontman sounds like his own meanest demon, threatening
and ready to kick badasses. This EP was made to scare all the human-destroying
rulers of our paranoid world. If we go to the dogs don’t forget to take this EP with
you. It’ll help to channel your frustrations while Armageddon is grinning around
the corner.
Oh wait, that’s not all. The EP counts 5 tracks, including Worn and Doommbox.
For only 3£ you get the whole EP (digitally) and for 5£ the cassette version.
I added these gunslingers to the list of the British post-punk rebirth featuring
pepped-up bands such as Crows, Black Midi, The Mysterines, Shame and Black Honey.
Disco-freak stomper of the month, hands down. This new punky-funky corker follows
the previous 2 shared crackers Wild Flowers and Fatso. They will all be on their upcoming album At the Hot Spot, out tomorrow, 1 April (no joke).
It’s a bangin’ beast with a screamin’ chorus. A perfect pick-me-up tune for all the weirdos
who are always in the kitchen at parties waiting for Warmduscher to kick their lazy asses.
Compared to this Japanese red-hot-bloody fury the Ramones sound like choirboys. Otobeke Beaver‘s race and rush in an overwhelming overdrive. No brakes, no breaks.
Their rabidity rolls like a tsunami through your ears. These perky punkettes produce
moshpit madness on the spot. The average song length is 2 minutes, 120 seconds
of clamorous pandemonium.
3. ‘Territorial Call Of The Female’ by BODEGA (Brooklyn, NY)
The New Yorkers still operate on Parquet Courts’ playground with their new,
2nd full-length Broken Equipment. But they supersized their jangly beats
and they turned up the temperature.
Territorial Call Of The Female is my favorite cut. It activates
every muscle and every nerve in my itching body.
Scott Kirkland (the remaining member of Las Vegas dance act The Crystal Method)
invited icon Iggy Pop (you can hear him almost any day on a new collaboration, the
past few years) and his British buddy, composer/DJ Hyper in his studio.
The raving result is a techno boom boost, bursting all the way, with Pop‘s voice
strangled by a blender. Sounds spooky, sounds wicked, sounds like lust for life.
Breaking news: Iggy says he’s not a punk anymore!
“I don’t want to be a punk
I don’t want to belong to any of it
I just want to be”
Busy blues-rock bee Jack White canned two new longplayers for this year, titled Fear Of The Dawn (out 8 April 2022) and Entering Heaven Alive (out 22 July 2022)
The hottest cut I heard so far is Hi-De-Ho (from ‘Fear Of The Dawn’ LP) featuring Q.Tip.
The by now legendary passion rockers from Cincinnati, Ohio with mastermind
Greg Dulli in control are back from being away for 5 years. Their last album In Spades came out in 2017.
I’ll Make You See God a striking steamroller, a red-hot-heated stunner, an unstoppable
cannonball going everywhere fast. It will feature in the upcoming PlayStation game Gran Turismo 7.
7. ‘Nothing Comes Good Easy’ by DEAD LEVEE (Canada)
Wowzer! This sickly uplifting belter (from upcoming EP Rise-Up) elevates your state of mind with fired-up dynamism from the get-go. Rapid-fire rawk and roll riffs switch on a fervent feel of euphoria. It did it in the past, it does it in the present and it will do it in
the future.
Despite all the BS we have to endure (pandemic, Ukraine, natural disasters,
and other threats) it’s never too late to get back on track and why not start
with 4 and a half minutes of heart-warming guitar-fueled boogie-woogie
that breathes hope and assurance.
Once I learned that this startling uppercut is about the horrible
exploitation of human beings by ferocious money sharks this
jagged jackhammer blew my mind even harder than I heard it
the first time before knowing about the band’s inspiration
for this standout.
Expect rabid guitars, doom and gloom vocals, and frantic twists and turns
until the chaotic finale. Post-punk at its razorblade best. Think fierce Canadian
turbine Metz and London‘s up-and-coming gunslingers Crows.
This fiery crackerjack goes forth and back with
turbulent velocity. Imagine the full of vim and vigor
intenseness and puissant vocality of The Afghan Whigs.
Anxious, unyielding, and ablaze.
Breaking Grounds races like a rush of blood to the head with
screaming guitars and propelling drum muscularity.
The first taster from the upcoming debut full-length Dancing On A Volcano.
Imagine the fervid fuzz of punchy guitar pop legends Buzzcocks, with The Stranglers’ Jean-Jacques Burnel on bass, combined with the cutting
verbality of today’s post-Brexit-punk rebirth and you know a frisky doozy
is coming your way.
Add some American-dream girls of the City of Angles on your imaginary
mind-screen and you’re about to start a champagne party in your head.
The combination of a nasty Gang Of Four bass riff,
frenzied Keith Levene guitars here and there and Skinner
hip-hop-rapping like Beck used to do, works like an ecstatic
upper.
This funk-punk stonker has an immediate intensifying impact on all of your
limbs and your bloodstream’s flow. Add some sexy sax thrills to the mix and
you’ll have all you need to jump out of your slump. Capice?
Cut from their sophomore album
‘Moon Reflections’, out on June 24
A rotating synth riff echoes British electro legends New Order and
is the beating heart of this new piece, yet the mood is meditative
and musing, strengthened by the near-whispering and eager vocals.
This darksome and soul-searching reverie gets under your skin after
a couple of spins.
This impassioned hard-luck story grows slowly but surely into a soul-stirring and mesmerising heartbreaker with an epic finale. Glowing guitars, a steady drumbeat,
and mixed emotions vocals all come together for a poignant performance.
‘Love Is Cruel / The Hurt Within’. You can feel it.
You’ll hear titillating electro-echoes of early Depeche Mode before
they became the darkwave Goth-esque rockers we all know. But
in an eye-blink White Skin becomes an infectious nightclub earworm
with an ecstatic chorus.
In a normal world (does that actually exists?) this adrenaline-infused
and hip-swinging spark should top the dance charts around the globe.
The musical project of singer/songwriter Jordan Speare
assisted by guitarist/bassist and friend Andrew Billone.
After a couple of EPs the pair’s canned their first longplayer
called Silhouettes. Release at the end of the year.
I don’t know if it’s the world-famous and historic museum in Paris
they want to burn, that wouldn’t be so nice. What I do know is that their
brisk and spirited sound is infectious and captivating with an immediate
impact on your body’s movements. Expect guitar pop electricity, extra
pushed by lively vocals.
16. ‘Life And Lies’ by LEE ROGERS (Northern Ireland)
The Americana voice of Northern Ireland releases
his new album Gamebloodon 13 May.
Ahead of it came this mixed emotions single with Rogers‘ sky-reaching voice as the star, once again.
It’s a bluesy goosebumps reflection. Wurlitzer jukeboxes should be reinvented
for these heartbreakers so moody minds can cry their eyes out (or cry in their beer)
at night in a downtown bar where lonely ones gather and chat about life and lies.
A poppy synth trip with a floating flow and near-whispering vocals. Both eerie and affecting, both dizzy and hypnotic with a frenetic guitar attack coming out of nowhere around the 3-minute mark.
It’s an epic ballad with a country feel. If this melancholic gem was written
in the 60s it would have been sung by Linda Rondstadt, Tammy Waynette
or Dolly Parton, anyway, by an angelic voice like Olsen‘s magnific one.
James Cox (frontman): ““I used to be quite obsessed with true crime, and this song was
kind of born out of researching H.H Holmes and the World Trades Hotel in the 1860’s where
he would murder people staying at his hotel informally called ‘The Murder Castle’. I also got quite obsessed with a faith healer from the early 1900’s called Reverend Major Jealous Divine and reading transcripts of his old sermons, so this is basically just a weird amalgamation of mad shit I read about.”
A wham-bloody-bam drum intro, scorching guitars, filthy grooves, angry vocals,
all in just 50 seconds. Sounds like Nick Cave and his freakish gang The Birthday Party
are back with a filthy blues-injected blast. If you like creepy doom and gloom hullabaloo from a smelly basement you’ll love this to death.
A razorblade uppercut as intimidating as a bulldozer and
cutting as a Swiss knife. No rest for the wicked. One of the
clamorous highlights of these hardcore junks’ debut album A False Glimmer Of Hope.
Garage blues-rock junk Jon Spencer is back in town.
This time with his HITmakers. This razzle-dazzle cracker
is pushed by a bouncy synth touch and, schizophrenic
guitars and, of course, Spencer‘s freaky vocals.
The wonderful Kristin Hersh has an impressive résume.
10 albums with Throwing Muses, 10 solo albums and one
full LP and several EPs with50 Foot Wave (trio with Throwing Muses‘ bassist Bernard Georges).
And Hersh doesn’t think about retiring yet, she never will.
A new 7-track 50 Foot Wave album, entitled Black Pearl
comes our way on 15 April. Order info here.
Taster Staring Into The Sun is, a boisterous and metallic
slo-mo groove with a hammering beat, pumped-up guitars,
and Hersh’s manic vocals augmenting the shadowy tone of
this belter.
So what’s next for 50 Foot Wave? Playing at
metalfest Aftershock in Sacramento in October?
8. ‘Clowns For President’ by BAD SKIN (Montreal, CA)
Think legendary gritty grrrls Bikini Kill having a ball with Pussy Riot while kicking Russian president Putin up the ass.
These 4 steamy sisters in punchy punk crime buzz and fuzz
like a hot rod on the run.
Bad Skin storm full steam ahead with front Amazon Dope sneering
like a raging riot grrrl. Yep, Dope is dope. And this stunning stonker
is dope too!
Sounds like Patti Smith‘s Because The Night ends in a painful break-up
for the lovers. Ava Vox‘s heartache vocality and hurt timbre emphasise
the confused state of mind of the abused one and the melodramatic
sonic boom of this emotional eruption expresses sorrow, distress,
and angst. Another gripping Vox piece.
10. ‘This Cost Of Life’ by TIDAL WAVE (Toronto, CA)
Oh my, oh my. This sky-reaching gem left me out of breath after just one spin.
A tower of a song with an imposing impact. A masterstroke that explodes after the foreplay-intro and moves up and down like a roller coaster. Stellar tune, stellar sound, stellar guitars, stellar emotions, and a stellar chorus. Anthemically orchestrated with goosebumps arrangments. I’m quite sure their awesome fellowmen Arcade Fire would
like this grand exploit.
This is one of those songs that hypnotise from the get-go
to the eager finale. A feverish chant, one long chorus with Marglin‘s delirious voice causing goosebumps.
This is classic heavy metal. Huge sound, huge vocals, huge tune
with a huge chorus. If you’re a metal addict you will not mind if this
Swedish hit team stalks you. After an ominous violin intro, all burners
are on and frontman Michael Storck’s overwhelming pipes take over.
Self-titled debut longplayer comes on
11th February 2022 via WormHoleDeath.
This boiling-hot-cooking stroke hit me and my ears from
the moment the first chord blasted out of my shaking stereo.
Ardent anxiety and edgy excitability dominate this fanatical
outburst. And when the hair-rising chorus erupts you’ll
go mental just as these wolves do.
A twist and turn prog-pop-rock composition bringing legends Genesis (early years with Peter Gabriel) and YES (with voice Jon Anderson)
to mind. My favorite cut from Odawin‘s triumphant debut EP ‘Untitled.
Sensual, puzzling, tempting, synth-matic,
imaginative, seductive, esoteric, and relaxing.
HVIRESS are here to stay.
The ladies have once again teamed up with Scott Chalmers
to create an unsettling music video that leaves the viewer
pondering what they’ve just seen, a perfect partner to
the song’s opening lines…
“What is it that you see? It almost seems unreal
What is responsible for all the things you feel”
This riff-rowdy ripper flames with fervid fervency and resonates
as if Bob Mould was invited to play guitar. Ace tune, towering
sound, impassioned vocals, and a sickly sticky chorus.
Just what you need to activate your serotonin production.
Maximum result for a minimum wage.
This is what ecstatic pop grandeur is all about. Music that elevates
your state of mind to a titillating level. This new majestic single
generates a spellbinding buzz we all can use in these difficult
pandemic times.
When the multi-layered vocals/harmonies kick in, a gospel-like choir delight
creates an atmosphere of utter joy comparable with the euphoric drive of The Polyphonic Spree. Vitalizing vibe, refreshing rapture.
Band: NOTHINGHEADS Who: Hit team formed through a shared love for the capital’s DIY music scene.
Their songs draw no boundaries – no subject is too confusing, no sound too
eclectic. The band write collaboratively, harnessing the noise and energy
that comes from playing together.
“Propelled by a motorik rhythm and abrasive guitars, it stomps toward a doom-laden finale. Inspired by Sebastião Salgado’s (note TUTV: Brasilian photographer) anarchic photos of the Gold Mines of Serra Peladain the Amazon in 1985: the track explores the relentless obsession with grasping a glint of glory from the mud. “
Gold Mines of Serra Pelada, Brasil – photo bySebastião Salgado – 1985
Turn Up The Volume: Once I learned that this startling belter is about
the horrible exploitation of human beings by ferocious money sharks this
jagged jackhammer blew my mind even harder than I heard it the first time
before knowing about the band’s inspiration for this stunner.
Expect rabid guitars, doom and gloom vocals, and frantic twists and turns
until the chaotic finale. Post-punk at its razorblade best. Think fierce Canadian
turbine Metz and London‘s up-and-coming gunslingers Crows. Dynamite!
