Porcupine

JUKEBOX 2025 – Week 36 Five New Rad Tracks Added Twice A Week

Posted on by JL

In order to not miss a beat TURN UP THE VOLUME scans the musical
horizon daily, for 10 years now, to pick ace tracks and add 5 new ones
twice per week, to the one and only JUKEBOX playlist that matters.

ALL TOGETHER


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The 5 fresh ones
TRACK BY TRACK

Band: WHITEHORSE
Who: New indie outfit fronted by Thomas
Haywood, former frontman of The Blinders.

Track: RED RIPTIDE

TUTV: This splendid steamroller is driven by a manic bass riff motorizing it all the way. When electric-powered guitars and high-strung vocals join the race it’s full steam ahead, scraping the sky now and then. Toptier stroke.

Instagram – Website
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Photo by Jeremy Bewer

Artist: BEDROOM JUNE
Who: Singer-songwriter from Hamburg, Germany who transforms personal fractures into delicate electronic pop songs that oscillate between vulnerability, alienation, and a quiet longing for closeness.

Track: DISTRACTED BY YOU
Piece from her brand-new, Eponymous EP. It tells of inner vulnerability, the search
for connection, and small moments of clarity—all wrapped up in a warm, electronic
indie pop sound.

TUTV: Adrenalized by a magnetic bass force, luminous synths and sensual vocals this jagged jam takes you on a whirling ride. Trust me, you will be attracted, not distracted
by this swift thrill. Startling stuff.

Instagram – Linktree
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EP artwork

Band: SPARKS
Who: The imperishable
Mael brothers.

Track: PORCUPINE
New single from their upcoming, 4-track Madder EP,
out October 3. It follows last year’s 26th album Mad!

TUTV: Sparks are one of those bands that not quit. Vocalist Russell is 78 and his bizzare looking bro Ron is 80, yet they are more productive than some outfits in their 20s. And they still manage to please your ears with synth pop kicks.


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Instagram – All Albums
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Artist: BLAUDZUN
Who: Renowned Dutch
singer-songwriter Johannes Sigmond.

Track: STRIPES

TUTV: Affecting singer-songwriter splendor. Mixed emotions and confused feelings wrapped in a passional song peaking when the wholehearted chorus comes up,
spiced with Blaudzon‘s gripping vocals.

Instagram – Linktree
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Photograph by Kevin Westenberg

Artist: THE DIVINE COMEDY
Who: The backing band of Irish
songsmith veteran Neil Hannon.

Track: THE INVISIBLE THREAD
Newest single from their upcoming, 13th album, the first
in 7 years, named Rainy Day Afternoon. Out Sept 19.

TUTV: Once a crooner, always a crooner. Hannon designs
smooth musings for years now and still is very good at it.

Instagram – Linktree
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ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN Released Their 3rd Album ‘PORCUPINE’ 40 Years Ago

Posted on by JL

Back in time

8 February 2023

Liverpool‘s imperishable heroes – one of Turn Up The Volume‘s
all-time fav bands – ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN released their
third longplayer 40 years ago, on 4 February 1983.

AllMusic wrote: “Porcupine, Echo & the Bunnymen’s third album, has garnered
a reputation for being as prickly as its namesake. Although the record is lined with
jagged guitars and is arguably the band’s darkest offering, these aspects suit the
Bunnymen just fine. Ian McCulloch, in particular, sounds right at home on this
brooding set of songs; his deep, Jim Morrison-esque vocals perfectly convey his
intriguing, shadowy tales. Score: 3.5/5.

TUTV: It was hard to match their first 2 classic LPs (Crocodiles / Heaven Up Here)
although they reached its grandeur with the two sublime singles The Cutter
and The Back Of Love and tracks Heads Will Roll, Gods Will Be Gods, and the title
track. It was their most successful chart LP, reaching #2 in the UK.

Singles/clips: The Cutter / Back Of Love

– THE CUTTER –

– BACK OF LOVE –

Full Album

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ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN: Bio – Discography – Facebook

One Of Their Grand Classics – ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN Released ‘THE CUTTER’ 40 Years Ago

Posted on by JL

Great 7″ singles/sleeves/vinyl from the past

17 January 2023

Liverpool’s imperishable heroes ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN
released one of their grand classics THE CUTTER 40 years ago
this month.

Allmusic wrote: “Echo and The Bunnymen successfully wed the Eastern influenced
psychedelic sounds made famous by the Beatles. The Eastern strings re-enter at strategic points, filling in space between verses and Ian McCulloch’s esoteric pleas to ‘spare us the cutter!’. The track never loses steam, cruising through each section with power and grace.”

The cutting gem was part of their excellent 3nd LP PORCUPINE.

It peaked at #8 in the UK Singles Charts and was ranked
#14 on the end-of-the-year selection of NME.

Who’s on the seventh floor
Brewing alternatives
What’s in the bottom drawer
Waiting for things to give
Spare us the cutter
Spare us the cutter

B-side

ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN: Discography – Instagram

Picked By TURN UP THE VOLUME – 10 Big Albums Turning 40 In 2023

Posted on by JL

Back in time

Band: ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN
Active: 1978–1993, 1996–present

Album: PORPUCINE – 3rd LP
Released: 4 February 1983
Score: #2 in the UK

Stream here…

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ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN: Bio – Discography
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Band: R.E.M.
Active: 1981-2011

Album: MURMUR – debut LP
Released: 12 April 1983
Score: #36 in the US

Stream here…

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R.E.M: Bio – Discography
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Band: MARK STEWART + THE MAFFIA
Who: One of the adventurous dub projects of
The Pop Group‘s centipede musician Mark Stewart

Album: LEARNING TO COPE WITH COWARDICE – first and last LP
Released: January 1983

Stream here…

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MARK STEWART: Bio – Discography
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Artist: TOM WAITS
Album: SWORDFISHTROMBONES – 8th LP

Released: 6 March 1983

Stream here…

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TOM WAITS: Bio – Discography
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Artist: BILLY BRAGG
Album: LIFE’S A RIOT WITH SPY Vs SPY – debut LP
Released: May 1983

Stream here…

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BILLY BRAGG: Bio – Discography
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Band: THE FALL
Active: 1976–2018

Album: PERVERTED BY LANGUAGE – 6th LP
Released: 12 December 1983

Stream here…

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THE FALL: Bio – Discography
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Band: CABARET VOLTAIRE
Active: 1973–1994, 2009–2022

Album: THE CRACKDOWN – 3rd LP
released: 18 August 1983

Stream here…

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CABARET VOLTAIRE: Bio – Discography

Band: THE THE
Matt Johnson‘s band

Album: SOUL MINING – debut LP
Released: 21 October 1983

Stream here…

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THE THE: Bio – Discography
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Band: NEW ORDER
Active: 1980–1993, 1998–2007, 2011–present

Album: POWER, CORRUPTION AND LIES
Their second LP
Released: 2 May 1983
Score: #4 in the UK

Stream here…

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NO: Bio – Discography
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Band: BIG COUNTRY
Active: 981–2000, 2007, 2010–present

Album: THE CROSSING – debut LP
Released: 29 July 1983

Stream here…

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BIG COUNTRY: Bio – Discography

YESTERDAY’S CRACKERS – This Week: 25 Killer Tracks And 3 Top LP’s From 1983…

Posted on by JL

The best of the past…

Every week Turn Up The Volume! jumps into the past! Relive 25 Killer Crackers
and 3 Top Albums per year/per week. Here’s the sonic diversity of the year 1983

The 25 Killer Crackers

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The 3 Top Albums

– ‘Porcupine’ by ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN –

Stream here…

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– ‘Power, Corruption & Lies’ by NEW ORDER –

Stream here…

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– ‘Swordfishtrombones‘ by TOM WAITS –

Stream here…

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See/hear you next week for another year…

To Hell With Blue Mondays – Cut It With… ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN

Posted on by JL

Weekly firework to splinter Blue Mondays into a thousand pieces…

bluemondayremedy

‘The Cutter’ by ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN

echocutter2

ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN is one of my all time favourite bands and one of the most influential post punk bands of the eighties and still playing tremendous live shows with key founders Ian McCulloch and Will Sergeant. Here is their 1983 monumental score THE CUTTER with those spectacular Eastern sounding, psychedelic strings from their third album PORCUPINE . A superb masterstroke to split Blue Mondays right in the middle…

Who’s on the seventh floor
Brewing alternatives
What’s in the bottom drawer
Waiting for things to give

Spare us the cutter
Spare us the cutter
Couldn’t cut the
Mustard

Conquering myself until
I see another hurdle approaching
Say we can, say we will
Not just another drop in the ocean

Come to the free for all
With cello-tape and knives
Some of us six feet tall
We will escape our lies

Spare us the cutter
Spare us the cutter
Couldn’t cut the
M-m-mustard

Conquering myself until
I see another hurdle approaching
Say we can, say we will
Not just another drop in the ocean

Am I the happy loss
Will I still recoil
When the skin is lost
Am I the worthy cross
Will I still be soiled
When the dirt is off

Conquering myself until
I see another hurdle approaching
Say we can, say we will
Not just another drop in the ocean

Watch the fingers close
When the hands are cold

Am I the happy loss
Will I still recoil
When the skin is lost
Am I the worthy cross
Will I still be soiled
When the dirt is off

Am I the happy loss
Will I still be soiled
When the dirt is off

ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN: Website – Facebook – Discography

echopprcuoine
From PORCUPINE album – 1983