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
Artist:A. SMYTH Who: Singer/songwriter from Dublin, Ireland who
released his notable debut album Last Animals in
2021.
“This is a song about the inevitability of pain. We all try to avoid the bad things in life, to hide from them, but as sure as the sun will set bad things are going to get you. Because life is made of the light and the dark, you can’t have one without the other. And in that way, sometimes, the dark can be kinda beautiful”.
TUTV: Sonically Can’t Stop The Rain combines both the melodic briskness
of Vampire Weekend and the mystic sensibility of Beirut. The result is a breezy
pop tune for the summer, even when it’s cloudy and you need to hide for
teardrops from above. Envigorating music always works, come rain or shine
Band: THE NORTHERN LINE Who: Newcomers from Boston, Massachuttes raised on a steady diet of Britpop, baggy, Madchester, and modern alternative, who urge everyone to raise a fist, bang a drum, and get on the indie dance floor.
Bilvox (Vocals/guitar): “It’s a personal song, but it is also a song that connects with
anyone who has done the hard work to move on after a meaningful relationship falls
apart. The liberation, the freedom of the ‘fist’ that’s thrown, mostly metaphorically, is
throwing away the pain, the failed dream, and embracing the future.”
TUTV: Could easily be a hidden track on Blur‘s 1991 debut album Leisure. 90s psych pop with trippy 60s echoes and the characteristically British, confident swagger. Peppy party tune for girls & boys on a high on a holiday on an exotic island. Mass.chester indeed.
“At the time I wrote this song, I was coming to terms with the fact that you can’t carry everything with you throughout your life. The physical space of the antique mall symbolizes that feeling. With that symbol as its base, the song explores allowing yourself to hold onto the reverence of memory and acknowledge how it has shaped you while letting go of the idealistic sense of the ‘good ol’ days’.”
TUTV: Lazy bedroom pop tune for lazy people on
a lazy day. Like you and me and Alan Howard.
Seattle‘s grunge rock veterans PEARL JAM led by titanic voice Eddie Vedder are back
in business with their 12th album, their first in 4 years, baptized DARK MATTER.
Press info: “PJ retreated to the Shangri-La Studios in Malibu where they simply plugged in and played under the watch of producer Andrew Watt. Writing and recording in a burst of inspiration, Dark Matter was born in just three weeks. As a result, it channels the shared spirit of a group of lifelong creative confidants and brothers in one room playing as if their very lives depended on it.”
Rolling Stone says: “Dark Matter is jam-packed with fist-pumping rockers, stunning songwriting, and melodies tailor-made to be shouted with the windows down.”
TUTV: My oh my, is this 2024 or 1991, the year that Pearl Jam shook the grunge world
with their debut blockbuster Ten. The veterans bark and bite again like young punk dogs. Even when they slow down (Wreckage / Won’t Tell / Waiting For Stevie) the decibels fly around.
The band go berserk on several nasty barnstormers such
as Scared Of Fear, React Respond, Running and Got To Give.
In the eye of the ruthless storm is Eddie Vedder’s sky-scraping vox sounding at times
like the young Springsteen‘s one, as monumental as the Empire State Building. Never expected that, in their 50s they would steam like in their 20s, with unbridled confidence and the amps to the max. Holy smoke! Definitely alive again
Boston‘s hefty garage blues-rock act released their new EP The Red Angel.
Six barbed wire bursts is what you get. To give you a loud and clear idea
here’s the closing crusher Wave Out Sunkiss.
S o f t e r is a psychedelic shoegaze stunner, a multi-layered symphony propelled
by about a thousand guitars, a mind-boggling bass riff, and combative drums, while Rebecca Dow‘s ghostly vocals scrape the sky. What a titanic thrill.
This disco-punk sucker-punch is just perfect to start and end all (il)legal
club nights with. High Value Man is a jiving bass-insane jackhammer that
doubles your adrenaline production on the spot and triggers your hottest
body contortions.
The orgastic ‘dance with me’ chorus revs up the sultry temperature and invites you to go mental, like a kangaroo on E. London‘s boiling dancefloor wackadoos Warmduscher should take these Welshmen/woman on the road with them. Frisky fun guaranteed. Machos not allowed.
Seattle‘s rock giants led by towering voice Eddie Vedder are back in business.
They canned their 12th longplayer, called it Dark Matter and they will share
it with the world on April 19.
Single Running sounds like if Vedder & Co
found their young razor-blade rock legs again.
This dazzling electronic duo conjure their influences of EBM, techno and electropop,
their sound is an intoxicating mix of analog synthetics and seductive vocals, touching
on themes of desire and despair, domination and submission.
They have a new 3-track, titled Inservio out, with opener Lights Down Low
as my favorite. An electro booster with a tantalizing techno beat à la The Prodigy
that rotates irresistibly, non-stop.
Spring is in the air, titillating tunes are in the air, like this frisky one
that circles around a disco beat in overdrive, and has an instantaneous,
activating impact on your eager limbs.
Lively vocals and a jumpy synth chorus augment the briskness at play here.
Get up, stand up, take your blue suede shoes out of the closet and show us
your best hip moves. Shake your dancefloor fright off with this rad
head-over-heels twister.
Expect a synth-adrenalizing thrill, a head-spinning belter,
infused with whirlwind vocals and UK garage dynamics. Imagine The Streets on acid or Yard Act pressing the accelerator.
11. ‘Diana’ by AUTOGRAMM (Seattle/Chicago/Vancouver)
Photo by Dave Paterson
Diana comes out of the gates like a speed train and never looks back.
Dynamizing synths start the rapid trip, the powerhouse drum/bass
engine pushes the rotating rhythm with vivid vigour, and zippy vocals
complete the accelerating sonic picture.
No, I don’t speak/understand Spanish, but hey, there are a lot of English/American hardcore/punk bands that scream and shout in such a cacophonous way, that I have no clue whatsoever what they’re on about. Who of you understand, except the people from Iceland, what world-famous orchestral pop outfit Sigur Rós, are singing about? It’s always about the music first.
Oceans Sangrientos is a titanic psychedelic blast. Be ready for a wall-of-fuzzing-and-buzzing guitar attack. Think The Brian Jonestown Massacre turning up their amps to the max and coming up with layers of mind-blowing electricity. Blimey.
These Boston rockers let the good times roll. Op-Operator is a dynamite
power pop tune that gets you out of your bed, after a night on the town
and triggers your limbs to start partying all over again.
This is how British blues rock titans Royal Blood would sound if their producer
is a fanatic post-punk fan. Trying is a riff-rough roller coaster going forth and back.
The crude combination of hammering drums, stoner rock electricity, and yearning vocals create a shocking effect that bangs on and on. Yokophono not only try, they succeed with bold brio.
Nick Cave and his iconic bad seeds band have bagged album #18.
It’s called Wild Godand will hit the streets on August 30.
The title track is a sublime composition. The first part is crooner Cave as we know
him, but quickly the vocal passion and goosebumps intensity goes up and from halfway on, the song turns into an orchestral masterpiece, with a zealous hallelujah choir and an opera-like majesty. Best piece they wrote in years.
Blansjaar is an up-and-coming 21-year-old singer-songwriter
born in Amsterdam, raised in Oxford, now based in Brooklyn.
Anna Madonna echoes Ezra Koenig and Vampire Weekend. It’s a frolicsome tune that flutterers around in your head like a happy-go-lucky butterfly. A sweet little pop gem.
Worldcub are a group from North Wales piloted by brothers Cynyr (guitar & vocals) and Dion Hamer (drums & vocals). They produce material from their home studio on the hills of Eryri, splicing together elements of surf guitar music, kraut-rock grooves and hypnotic psych tinged Cymru vocal harmonies.
They have their new album ‘Back to the Beginning’ out 17th of May.
The title track gets under your skin from the kick-off with its
bass-pulsating groove, its breezy guitar sparks, and its layered,
affecting harmonies.
The 76-year-old singer-songwriter/producer has recorded his 15th solo
full-length, his first in 18 (!) years. The Other Side comes out on April 19.
First single ‘Waiting For You’ is a vintage romantic, longing, bittersweet, sentimental and good old ballad. I’m a sucker for lullabies like this (certainly after a day with lots of noisy music) that calm me down and touch my heart and soul. Burnett‘s warm voice and crystal guitar play turn this song into a wonderful, timeless, and charming musing. A universal love song.
Rock giants PEARL JAM led by towering voice Eddie Vedder have recorded
their 12th LP, called Dark Matter and will share it with their global army of
fans on April 19.
A perfect occasion for MOJO to score an exclusive in-depth interview with
the great survivors of Seattle’s ’90s rock explosion. About triumph and tragedy,
madness and mega-stardom, and a new album.
Also articles on Jimi Hendrix (the secret archive), Bowie and Ronson, their stellar
alliance, the incredible life of the MC5’s Wayne Kramer, Brian Wilson, a chat with Roxy Music’s Phil Manzanera and many more features.
This month’s free CD features 10 rare live tracks from
the Pearl Jam archives, including Drifting, Sad, Ghost,
Parting Ways and six more.
You can purchase a copy of this new issue #366
and let it be sent to your home. Info HERE.
Seattle‘s rock giants PEARL JAM led by towering voice Eddie Vedder
are back in town since the release of theirGigaton album 4 years ago.
They canned their 12th longplayer, called it DARK MATTER
and they will share it with the world on April 19.
Last year the band retreated to the Shangri-La Studios in Malibu where they simply plugged
in and played under the watch of producer Andrew Watt. Writing and recording in a burst of inspiration, Dark Matter was born in just three weeks. As a result, it channels the shared spirit of a group of lifelong creative confidants and brothers in one room playing as if their very lives depended on it.
Following the boisterous title track PJ present another badass barnstormer, named RUNNING. Sounds like Vedder & Co found their young razor blade rock legs again.
Artist: JOULIE FOX Who: London-based artist who brings a truly genreless approach to her musicality. Honing down an impressive repertoire, Fox’s musical endeavours shine brightly, as she brings her unique chronicles to life. Defining her truly unique soundscape, her rich musical heritages take the shape of influences such as St. Vincent, Jack White and Marina & The Diamonds, as Fox prides herself on an ability to stay genuine to her unique artistry.
‘Running’ is a story of a lost soul seeking love but fighting with demons living in her head since she was very little. She feels devoid of emotions, therefore, believing there is not much left in her to give and that she doesn’t deserve true love.”
Isn’t this is a song from the Twin Peaks soundtrack? The enigmatic 90s American mystery serial drama television directed by genius David Lynch. Weird but true, this was the first thought that crossed my mind when I heard this ghostly beauty.
Lyrically – about a lost soul with demons living in her head – as well as musically – Chris Isaak‘s glossy guitar echoes, slow-mo pace and haunting vocals – this pensive ballad resonates Lynchesque. Arresting performance.
