Dana Margolin (singer/songwriter): “A lot of this album is about a more frenetic and desperate kind of love. It is about completely losing my sense of self in one relationship,
and the deep residue of insecurity and pain that lingered and clouded a new relationship.”
Margolin: “After being messed around enough, you just want to take back control. I just wanted to let it go, stop letting it consume me. I wanted simplicity, to have fun and remember everything good that could possibly happen. To love wholly, to not take anything too seriously. To have fun with my friends, to remove the tunnel vision and fall in love with my life again.”
When you hear the heart-rending tension and the impactful vocals it feels rather as if Margolin is in pain and feels depressed, but as we known from previous heart-and-soul thrills Margolin canalises negative as well as positive feelings with her natural zeal and devotedness the same she does.
“I’m sick of the blues,
I’m in love with my life again”
Pitchfork says: “Broadening its sound and tightening its lyrical focus, the Brighton post-punk band conjures mantras of despair and anthems of pure frustration… Waterslide, Diving Board, Ladder to the Sky honors Margolin’s self-appraisal: an inversion of teen-pop that doesn’t engage in time travel so much as allow adult listeners to keep their most immediate and mortifying mindsets close at hand. If they could write uplifting, emotionally mature love songs, I’m not sure they would. Despite noting the influence from the sound and spirit of arena acts like Deftones and Coldplay, Porridge Radio never allow themselves to fully project their pain outward, where it can reach the cheap seats.” Score: 8/10.
Turn Up The Volume: Same musical formula. Slow start, building up in the middle and going ballistic in the end. At times a recipe for disaster as Margolin’s mood swings drive her crazy. She looks like a boyish angel but she’s entangled in her heartbreaking love life. It’s in fact her mind-boggling inner struggle that leads to this soul-cathartic – yet familiar – opus.
Singles/clips:Back To The Radio / The Rip / End Of Last Year
New single: END OF LAST YEAR
The third track shared by the band (all 3 below)
Marglin: “It’s a love song for my bandmates and for myself. It’s about not trusting my intuition, not trusting my body to heal itself, not trusting the people closest to me, but it is also an ode to all those people, and to difficult platonic love. It came out of a particularly painful period of communication breakdown and high pressure that hurt a lot, but ended in reconciliation and understanding.”
Another recognisable Porridge Radio stroke,
building up the emotions along the way…
Info: The artwork of the band’s third full-length is a surreal image that evokes
the ducks and dives, slippery slopes, and existential angst of life in recent times.
“To me, the feelings of joy, fear, and endlessness coexist together You’re never just
happy or unhappy” says frontwoman/songwriter Dana Margolin.
New single: THE RIP
The second piece from the upcoming LP,
following lead-singleBack To The Radio.
Margolin: “We wanted ‘The Rip’ to sound like massive pop, like Charli XCX, but with the instrumentation of bands like Slothrust or Deftones. It took the longest a song has ever
taken me to write lyrics for, and they took form over a few years. At the beginning it was
a song about a power dynamic where I was in control, by the end it was about one where
I had none. I wanted it to feel like your soul is dropping out of your body.”
Turn Up The Volume: Finally, Porridge Radio played in my Brussels, about a month
ago, and caused waves of excitement, mostly generated by front Amazon Dana Margolin,
the boyish angel with girlish wings, whose ardor and eagerness went through the roof.
Same cathexis right here again with new glowing gem The Rip.
Irresistible, electrical, and spine-chilling gusto.
The accompanying video was made by Dana’s sister Ella…
Finally after 2 years of canceled gigs (fuck you, corona) Brighton’s exhilarative
indie rockers PORRIDGE RADIO landed in Brussels to play several crackers from
their formidable 2020 longplayer EVERY BAD. With standout belters Born Confused, Give/Take, Long and Circling we got the best of the best of that LP.
Add the ablaze power of 7 Seconds, the feverish flow of new singleBack To The Radio and the first hearing of a couple of new ones from the upcoming album ‘Waterslide, Diving Board, Ladder To The Sky’ and you have all the emotive ingredients for a memorable concert. And it was nothing less than that.
The high-strung voice of Dana Margolin is the shiny star in the middle. Hands down. Several Poprridge Radio songs have a similar structure. They start moody and meditative and work their way to an overwhelming climax. From sonic foreplay to sonic orgasm in 3 minutes, and over and over again. Margolin‘s pitchy passion comes and goes like ebb and flow with incredible potency. You need a breather at times to be able to absorb all full-of-life puissance on stage. I’m sure that Margolin kicks one of her demons out of her system with every gig.
She looks like a boyish angel with female wings, she smiles endearingly
and she puts all her psyche in her songs and her vocality.
The whole band is authentic. They’re not technically trained musicians (as if that matters), they follow their confused hearts and their sweet souls and turn multi-layered studio versions of their songs into a raw experience on the podium. And it feels so real. Top gig.
Here’s an idea of their impressive impact on a stage….
SETLIST
Born Confused
Give/Take
Circling
Good for You
Splintered
Long
Back to the Radio
Jealousy
7 Seconds
Lilac
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.
Danna Margolin: “Back To The Radio” feels like a huge introductory hello or
a big ceremonial goodbye. I wrote it at the end of 2019 when we were gearing
up for the release of Every Bad and I felt like a lot of things were coming that I
wasn’t sure I knew how to handle.
The song grew out of a feeling of intense loneliness and being unprepared for
what everybody was promising me was about to happen – and a strong desire
to escape without knowing what I wanted to escape to. To me there’s a huge
feeling of catharsis in this song, of letting go and letting it sweep you away.”
Turn Up The Volume: 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. Stupendous piece!
5. ‘Stayin’ Alive’ by LEE ROGERS (Northern Ireland)
Original by Bee Gees.
This warm Americana voice out of Northern Ireland slows
the classic down, drenches it in a nostalgic sepia bath, and
gives it a haunting and soul-stirring twist corresponding with
the somber lyrics. Compelling version!
From the massive covers compilation called The Metallica Blacklist
featuring no less than 53 artists interpreting a Black Album song, the
breakthrough LP that was released 30 years ago.
Every Sunday for about two years now, the famous British songstress and
her King Crimson husband Robert Fripp entertained us (and still do it) via
YouTube with covers of big crackers. Their performances were/are ridiculously
hilarious. Definitely the stand-up rock comedians of 2021.
An infectious ditty, bouncing in your head before it ends. If this, simply irresistible, tune doesn’t do anything for you, you gotta go to your shrink. From Barnett’s new, upcoming album Takes Time, Take Time, out 12th November.
Catchy as hell…
Summer is only over when it’s over. Still time to move and groove to this disco
stomper from the recently released lost Prince album Welcome To America.
Why don’t we all get a tattoo, suggests Frank. I think he’s right, it’s
the only way to really go nuts to this bangtastic jackhammer. From
the band’s 4th longplayer called Sticky, arriving in October.
“I’m not looking for trouble, I’m looking for love / Let me in your hard heart Let me in your pub” sings Amyl over and over again with fervency and tons of gusto, while flamed-up guitars go mental. A blast from new album Comfort To Me, out 10th September.
A queer five-piece from London who play fun, fuzzy garage rock. Their songs are a mishmash of influences all pulled together by a love of loud noises, pop tunes, and
having a good time. ‘Soap And Cigarettes‘ is a stand-out knockout from their brand
new album Hedge Fun.
This ardent 4-piece flames with force on this new riff-roaring ripper. They operate somewhere between Green Day and Weezer, with peppery panache, gusty guitars,
vivid vocals, and a cracking chorus.
Darkwave electricity from Belgium. Haunting and ominous. You can smell Doomsday waiting around the corner. It’s 2021, folks, we need to fix our problems now. This sickly sticky roller coaster is a call to arms.
‘Highway To Hell’ by TOM MORELLO feat. Eddie Vedder and Bruce Springsteen
Rage Against The Machine guitarist Tom Morello launches his new album titled The Atlas Underground Fire on 15 October. He invited several friends, like Springsteen and Vedder for a bombastic version of AC/DC’s classic headbanger.
The speedy and steamy title track is one of the fired-up highlights of the new album of this punked-up Brooklyn squad. A zigzagging collection of amplified belters to start and end post-lockdown parties with. More info here.
Wham bam, bloody bam! From the kick-off Money Song booms, bangs and batters. Hefty guitars blare in between and raise your blood pressure on the spot. And when the blissful chorus pops up it’s time to leave your cocoon and let your body do its thing. Don’t wait to boost your stream of adrenalin.
A stunning and shadowy top piece from this duo’s equally stunning
album Participation Mystique. And Tomorrow sounds cinematic,
atmospheric and spacey. Join Lore City on their journey.
Wurlitzer jukeboxes were invented for these 60s inspired humdingers, so they could be played in dark bars downtown were broken hearts gather at midnight. One more thing:
do not mess with SHE/BEAST, she’s not in the mood for fucking assholes and psychos.
And she’s absofuckinglutly right.
Press play…
‘Popstar’s Daughters’ by SHAUN RYDER (Manchester, UK)
The Happy Mondays frontman’s brand new solo album Visits From Future Technology is hip-shaking proof
that he still can fill dance floors. Here’s the trippy and poppy single…
‘All Nations’ by NADINE GAGNE and The Star Nation Collective (British Columbia)
This resonates as a bright sonic light at the end of our troubled world tunnel. Only with togetherness, friendship, mutual respect, equality, harmony and tolerance, humankind can have hope for the future. This tremendously catching chant reflects all that. It’s a joyful, anthem that should be played on radios all over the planet.
“We are all stars, all stars come on now. Rise, rise and shine, gotta stay proud!”
We need songs like these in the restless times we live in. Songs of hope, songs of consolation, songs of inspiration. Shauna wants humankind to fight to see the light
(at the end of the tunnel) again. Her thoughts are embedded in a starry-eyed and
instantly enthralling groove that hops from dreamy pop to hip-swaying rap and back.
Nowhere sounds like a desperation song, but one that has a deeply felt effect on your psyche, on your state-of-2021-mind. This spellbound jam is driven by melancholic guitar lines, reminding me of Interpol‘s electrically-charged drive. Affecting and soul-stirring fever.
An inspiring reverie for the countless girls/women and boys/men worldwide, struggling with the looks of their body when it doesn’t correspond with society’s everlasting sexist perception of how a body should look like, as we all know. Skin is an instantly heartfelt
slo-mo musing, turning after a distorted guitar intro, into a vocal and musical pearl, with touching piano play. I’m sure The Sundays‘s Harriet Wheeler would love it.
‘You Are A Runner And I Am My Father’s Son’ by PORRIDGE RADIO (Brighton, UK)
Porridge Radio‘s leading Amazon Dana Margolin is a fan of Canadian rockers Wolf Parade. Here’s her terrifically gripping rendition of the band’s 2005 composition.
