I lost track of how many bassists replaced Kim Deal since she left PIXIES. Anyway the most recent one is Band Of Skulls’ Emma Richardson and her first appearance on Pixies music is on these 2 new songs.
Well, actually one new one, a familiar rocker titled YOU’RE SO IMPATIENT and
a cover of QUE SERA SERA, the 1955 song written by composers Jay Livingston/Ray
Evans and made immortal by Doris Day. I love that cover better than the new one.
Mind you, I’m an absolute Pixies fan, but the original burning fire that inspired Black
Francis to write/record/release groundbreaking and unforgettable post-rock-punk music
is extinguished several years ago. Very understandable after 38 years.
Sad news came in a couple of weeks ago. L.A.’s blues rock tandem Deap Vally – Lindsay Troy and Julie Edwards – one of the most exciting
and dynamite acts, of the past 10 years call it a day.
But not without a big bang. They say farewell with an extensive North America tour.
They’ll release a new vinyl edition of their superb debut LP Sistrionix, out Spring 2024.
And their recent roasting cover of The Stones‘ VENTILATOR BLUES
track from their 1972 LP Exile On Main Street is spot-on awesome.
Sounds like this classic was written for them.
Musical Nashville legend Leon Russell, born
Claude Russell Bridge in 1942, passed away in
2016, at the age of 74.
To celebrate the genial, all-around, eccentric-looking icon, a 10-track
tribute album came out last September, titled A Song For Leon.
The imperishable noise rockers Pixies are part of the LP’s celebrity cast,
with a red-hot-blooded version of Russell‘s 1971 classic boogie woogie cracker Crystal Closet Queen.
British famous singer-songwriter-producerTREVOR HORN (now 74),
who scored a No 1 UK hit in 1979 with his one-time project Buggles
and their pop earworm Video Killed The Radio Star (more than 323 million
streams on Spotify) released an album of 11 covers early this month. It’s
titled Echoes: Ancient & Modern.
One of the covered songs is Personal Jesus, the 24-carat Depeche Mode classic
from 1990. Horn invited eternal punk Iggy Pop to do the singing. An inch-perfect
decision. At the age of 76, he still sounds like he wants to be your dog.
Since their reunion in 2010 glam pop legends Suede got
tremendously active with 4 albums and constant touring.
Last February they did something really amazing. They performed
at the BBC’s Maida Vale Studios for their Piano Room Month‘s series
with artists’ playing the piano room with the BBC Concert Orchestra.
Suede choose to cover the 1978 classic cracker Beacuse The Night,
co-written by Bruce Springsteen and recorded for eternity by Patti Smith.
The band’s take is astonishing. The orchestral magnificence is grand and
frontman Brett Anderson‘s vocal effort is phenomenal. Pure tour de force.
A tribute album for the legendary, singular, and utterly charismatic Marianne Faithfull came out a couple of weeks ago.
One of the most notable interpretations of Faithfull songs is by Garbage‘s Shirley Manson and queer queen Peaches who turn the explicit 1979 song WHY’D YA DO IT into a disco stomper.
Folk songsmith Drake (1948-1974) was/is an inspiration for many singer-songwriters.
His 3 LPs Five Leaves Left (1969), Bryter Layter (1970) and Pink Moon (1972) were and
are still widely lauded. The trouble artist died following an overdose of amitriptyline,
an antidepressant, aged only 26.
New Irish post-punk heroes Fontaines D.C. were invited too. They picked‘Cello Song
from Drake‘s 1969 debut LP Five Leaves Left. The Irishmen’s version is just splendid in
their own haunting way.
At the age of 77, the fabulous country superstar
still is working longer than 9 to 5 per day.
And to prove her never-ending productivity, she released her
49th (!) LP last month, named Rockstar. Yep, Parton‘s first rock LP.
It features several big-name collaborations.
I don’t own a Dolly album, I didn’t follow her career but as so many million people
I know her hits, and I do love her formidable voice – the heroine again on this record –
and her I do what I want attitude.
The supreme standout track is her version of Purple Rain,
the 1984 blockbuster hit by late musical genius Prince.
Last June the late Jeffrey Lee Pierce, the wayward mastermind of underrated
indie mavericks Gun Club from L.A. would have celebrated his 65th birthday.
Last March, a country rock tribute album for the immortal Stones was
put together by renowned producer Robert Deaton. It features 14 covers
of 14 classics of one of the greatest bands in history.
In March 2024 PIXIES will play two of their albums – not their best ones, but still good
stuff – in full in small venues in France, The Netherlands, Ireland and the UK. But all gigs are already sold out. For all fanatics fans who couldn’t get a ticket or live too far from the cities in question, we always can stream the two longplayers.
To celebrate the late genial, eccentric-looking, allround musician Leon Russell,
a 10-track tribute album came out last week, titled A Song For Leon.
Boston’s noise icons Pixies also feature on the LP with their blustering version
of Russell‘s 1971 classic boogie woogie cracker Crystal Closet Queen, which Black Francis and Co turned into a classic boogie woogie punk cracker.
Dick in Tanks will feature on the band’s forthcoming
album Praise The Iconoclast, out 6 October via Metropolis Records
It all starts with warning war sirens, marching soldiers chants.
90 seconds later, it’s all hens on deck when this industrial rock
missile erupts with a blitzkrieg fierceness.
Think Rammstein and NIN having a fight with riot guns. Menacing growls and howls suggest imminent danger and when the clamorous chorus crashes in, it’s time to
go to the battlefield. Midway, all need a breather in order to put fuel in the tank and continue the supersonic attacks will all burners on. War can be fun, in case Morlocks
lead the troops.
This queer art-pop duo launch their debut longplayer named Never Should Have Come Here, next week, on September 29.
Eureka! is the third shared piece from the album.
It combines the madcap vibrancy of Sparks‘ early days and some flipped-out Queen bombast. The Vanity Project produce eccentric pop pleasure, sonically
and lyrically, without mainstream restrictions.
They sound kooky and look kooky, but make no mistake, this tantalizing tandem
know perfectly well how to fabricate and construct high-freak-quality entertainment.
XTR HUMAN is the solo project of German artist Johannes Stabel.
So far he recorded/released 3 albums. Check them out here.
Now he has a new single out, titled I Want More. An EBM brainbreaker that makes
your head spin uncontrollably. An electronic gloom and doom hammer blow to smash
capitalist pigs with.
The accompanying video, directed by German filmmaker Matthias Landenberger, is an eye-catching spectacle.
Last week this young, most exciting Indonesian trio unleashed their ablaze debut album, baptized Spunky! More about it in an upcoming interview with Turn Up The Volume.
Angeeta Sentana (vocalist/songwriter): “Being diagnosed with any mental disorder is
not a nice thing to have. I’m still in the process of accepting it as a ‘normal’ part of my life,
but there are times when I would feel super down about it.”
Better Than Life races and rushes for 90 seconds with all engines on. Its razzle-dazzle tempo makes you dizzy, while angry guitars and scary screams in the back have the
force to kick evil demons into oblivion.
Canadian rockin’ songstress Jeen‘s sassy single will feature on her new,
5th full length, titled Gold Control, coming our way in February 2024.
Making Me Mad is a mid-tempo burst going up and down, swinging your mood from left to right and back, while you ask yourself if the mind-crushing demons will still haunt you in the end. Human nature stuff, as we know it. I swear I can hear the young out-of-her-head Courtney Love in the back.
Glam and glitter legends DURAN DURAN have no intention whatsoever to retire.
They canned album number 16, baptized DANCE MACABRE and they will share it
with the world on 27 October.
Danse Macabre is a funky/groovy earworm that combines Goth, psych-o-tic darkwave,
and some hip-rap-hop fragments. Ace. This year’s Halloween will be different, Duran Duran are different, it will be a horror-tastic party.
It’s been 7 years since iconic blues-rock duo THE KILLS – Alison Mosshart
and Jamie Hince – had their last longplayer out with the first-rate Ash & Ice.
Until a couple of weeks ago when the charismatic tandem announced
the launch of their 6th LP. It’s titled GOD GAMES and comes our
way on 27 October.
The tantalizing tandem already shared three cuts from the longplayer.
These manic motherrockers are all about raw and rough, rip-roaring racket as they let your stereo experience once again with this mend-bending riff monster. Think Metallica covering Guns N’ Roses. Thundering drums, crazed wah-wah guitars, hell-raising vocals, and a slam-bang, scream-along chorus. All ingredients you need to get up, stand up and fight for your right to be a hedonist.
The moniker of Irish musician Paul Dillon
featured here on TUTV several times before.
He just revealed his new turbulent 4-track EP Sword.
Stream/buy it here.
My favorite piece is Down.
The lyrics paint a vivid picture of the emotional turmoil that arises when personal safety and self-worth are threatened, reminding us that until we confront these issues, the cycle of suffering will persist. However, with the power of self-reflection and a realisation of life’s value, one can choose to break free from the cycle and reclaim their self-esteem and identity.
Down is an ardent bona fide punk-rock ripper going
full steam forward with all sonic cylinders on.
As I read firstly that the song’s theme was about fighting mental illness
I could relate before I heard it, as I struggled with bipolar problems myself for
years. It’s a drag that messes up your life in a hard-to-explain way. Always good
to hear emboldening music that arouses hope for everybody out there who experienced/experience those burdensome feelings.
Ewan Macfarlane‘s mighty voice is the star on this wholehearted Springsteen-esque
rocker. Americana ardency the Scottish way delivered with dedication, fervor and arousing electricity and when the loud and clear chorus hits your speakers it feels as if he wants to eliminate the fear with sonic assertiveness and confidence. Superb stuff.
This Britsh alt.country/Paisley Underground-inspired collective
released their self-titled debut album last month. Stream it here.
The band’s roots are in the same North London rockabilly/country-noir
scene that gave us the likes of Gretschen Hofner, Gallon Drunk and The Flaming Stars.
The standout album opener Don’t Do That is a riff-rotating roller
dominated by high-voltage guitar electricity with feverish vocals.
Lossline is a Manchester-based singer/songwriter tandem who, as they state themselves, love to write sad songs. So far they filled two affecting albums with sad beauties. Check them out here.
To be honest I’m a sucker for heartfelt lullabies/ballads. And that’s a musical mood territory Lossline excell in, which they prove once more with Date Night. Although, sonically here they combine tranquil lullaby intimacy – mesmerising piano play and near-whispering vocals – with fully orchestrated passion, winning your heart over second by second.
Probably the best-ever Lossline piece. It should have been – no, I’m not joking – a bonus track on The National‘s new bewitching album First Two Pages Of Frankenstein. I’m sure you get the vibe at work here by now.
Morphine Ridges is a new liaison, based in Berlin, led by Andreas Miranda (Lucy Kruger
and the Lost Boys, Third Sound, Ex Camera) blends dark country riffs with lap steel
guitar sliding through the cracks of shadowy vocals.
Route 36 is a gloomy ballad for the twilight hours, when reality and fantasy
get together and your dusky thoughts float somewhere in the middle. It’s a murky
mind-wanderer, with vulnerable vocals and melancholic guitar lines, triggering
darksome images on your head’s inner screen.
But unexpectedly, near the end, you’re awakened from your hallucinatory
state of mind with a wall-of-flabbergasting-electrical disturbance leaving you
behind, totally puzzled. What a bone-chilling debut this is.
For all lovers out there who realize that their relationship is over the LP’s opener Saccharine could serve as a comforting, mid-tempo synth-pop vibration that breathes hope for another future. After a smooth, Eastern-like-guitar-resonating intro a trippy bass riff and rhythmic drum touches take care of the song’s steady (heart)beat while Abdelbarry‘s crystal voice sounds sorrowful and reflective.
Somewhere in the middle, a heart-warming saxophone comes on (think of soul
diva Sade’s hits) and gives the song a matching melancholic feel that endears.
Opening musing Excommunicated an introspective ‘I don’t belong here‘ reverie.
Think Nick Drake and Elliott Smith. Intimate and heavy-hearted accentuated
by his moody acoustic guitar play.
It’s a shadowy contemplation for quiet
moments when melancholia hits you.
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.
Check the 10 new rad cuts just
added to this rad 2023 playlist.
TRACK-BY-TRACK
1. ‘The Badge’ by genCAB (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
This eclectic industrial-electro act was founded by musician David Dutton in 2006.
genCAB (generation cable) released their debut album II Transmuter in 2008.
Second full length Thoughts Beyond The Words landed last year. And now LP #3,
titled ‘Signature Flaws’, is set for release in October on Metropolis Records.
Ahead of it comes The Badge. A Krautrock-like industrial
techno burst to start and close all (il)legal raves with.
To celebrate the late genial, eccentric, allround musician Leon Russell looking
artist, a 10-track tribute album came out last week, titled A Song For Leon.
Boston’s noise icons Pixies also feature on the LP with their steaming version
of Russell‘s 1971 classic boogie woogie cracker Crystal Closet Queen, which Black Francis and Co turned into a classic boogie woogie punk cracker.
In just 102 seconds these maddening motherrockers succeed to make
you switch from hip-and-hopping like a kangaroo on dope over a funk-punk
disco beat, to dive head first into a maniacal hardcore moshpit.
The infamous 90s feminist hit team L7 broke up in 2001.
They reunited in 2015, scored new LP Scatter The Rats 4 years later,
and celebrated the 30th anniversary of their smashing Bricks Are Heavy
album, last year.
And now this new single.
L7: The song was inspired by the ongoing catastrophic news of climate change
and the strange passions of billionaire space cowboys to explore and exploit the
outer limits of our stratosphere. We feel like there is nothing “out there” that is as
mind-blowing as the biodiversity of what we have here on Earth. Because we’re
cooler than Mars, damnit.
Pastel Blank: “Dopamine,” is about the moment when you realize you’ve been flipping between apps like you’re checking an empty fridge for the 10th time, hoping to feed your receptors something that feels as good as the younger days of however long ago you picked up your phone. Ultimately, you just trust the algorithm like it were family and fall your way down each doom scroll rabbit hole.”
It’s the 2nd single from his new, upcoming album.
It’s a fervent funky and a dance-trippy stomper. My ears hear the beat
of Queen‘s Another One Bites The Dust, the ardency of A Certain Ratio‘s Shack Up and a Prince guitar solo all rolled into one. I love my ears.
Internet stands as a reflection on the web, underscoring the irony
of boundless information devolving into disputes and trolling.
It’s a tremendously catchy bass-banging and irresistibly hip-shaking disco-rock
stunner that gets you swaying, left to right and back, from the get-go. A solid gold dancefloor filler. Hands down.
7. ‘All My Friends Are Death’ by downtalker (Boston)
(Photo credit: Alexa Noe)
The Boston post-punk disco project has two new rulling
tracks out, of which ‘All My Friends Are Death‘ hit my
ears first.
Songwriter Thompson: “The way I write is quite subconscious. So much so that I have that word tattooed on me. The music just opens me up. It’s always a healing journey and it’s always a pit in my stomach because every word I sing is my truth and I believe if you’re not feeling uncomfortable with the truth in your art you’re not doing it right. I’m trying to heal and trying
to figure out why all these moments are sticking in my head.”
Devo fan? C’mon in, here’s the place to be. Their kooky-punky-cacthy disco wackiness
is omnipresent, but there’s more at play here, folks. Jagged Gang Of Four guitar frenzy, reptitive Yello synth-booms, and mouthy-shouty vocals, will give you s-a-t-i-s-f-a-c-t-i-o-n.
The band’s name is a testament to their stature and nature – alter kaker is a Yiddish term for an old person, or as the band likes to call it, “an old fart.” That level of self-awareness helps when creating a song like “When You’re Gone.”
The band’s Steve Bronstein wrote this new one years ago near the close of a relationship. But unlike the more common musical theme in breakup songs, the singer isn’t sad about the conclusion – he relishes it.
Looking for an infectious jump-for-joy post-breakup tune? Here it is.
The song is “about those moments that happen between what we think of as events – walking from one place to the next, waiting for something. Generally these happen when you’re alone, and it’s in these moments that self-reflection happens – when we give ourselves permission to think about what things actually mean.”
This seasoned indie combo know precisely well how to touch your heart and soul. Inbewteening is a breezy, tender and gentle lullaby for quiet dream-away moments.
Moony vocals, mellifluent backup harmonies, candlelight romanticism. Top!
Musical Nashville legend LEON RUSSELL, born
Claude Russell Bridge in 1942, passed away in 2016,
at the age of 74.
He was an all-round songsmith who released more than 30 LPs during his 60-year career, mixing rock, country, gospel, bluegrass, rhythm and blues, southern rock, folk, surf and the Tulsa sound. In 2011 he was inducted into both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
To celebrate the genial, eccentric looking artist, a 10-track
tribute album came out last week, titled A SONG FOR LEON.
It includes great performances from artists such as Orville Peck, Nathaniel Rateliff, Leon’s daughter Tina Rose, Amy Nelson (Willie Nelson‘s daughter), Bootsy Collins, and more.
(Photo by Turn Up The Volume)
Noise icons PIXIES also feature on the LP with their steaming version of Russell‘s 1971 classic boogie woogie cracker CRYSTAL CLOSET QUEEN. Long live Rock ‘n’ Russell Roll.
Boston’s noise rock champions PIXIES started their North American tour last night in Washington.
Black Francis and his accomplices will rock on until September.
And they just announced that, in March 2024, they will do some shows where they will play their albums Bossanova (1990) and Trompe Le Monde (1991) in full. Dates/venueshere.
