Scottish power pop heavyweights FRANZ FERDINAND became instant heroes in the UK
with their debut single Take Me Out (more than 1,28 billion streams on Spotify) and
theirEponymous Debut LP in 2004. Five albums followed, with last year’s Human Fear
as the most recent one.
So how did they look on magazine covers, then and now?
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
.
The 5 fresh ones TRACK BY TRACK
Band: WHITEHORSE Who: New indie outfit fronted by Thomas
Haywood, former frontman of The Blinders.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The brothers Ron and Russell Mael known to the world as SPARKS
are around since 1966. Yes, that’s 59 years and no sign of retirement.
Music is the dominant element in their DNA. They can’t stop.
They released their 28th (!) album, entitled MAD! last May.
1971
Today RON, the oldest, the weird one, celebrates his 80th birthday.
He was born on 12 August 1945 in Culver City, California. Congratulations.
The brothers Ron (79) and Russell Mael (76), known to the world as SPARKS
are around since 1966. Yes, that’s 59 years and no sign of retirement. Music
is the dominant element in their DNA. They can’t stop.
They released their 28th (!) album, named MAD! today.
The bros say “Our mantra since 1972, amplified in 2025”.
Press Info: “Most acts, by their seventh decade in the biz, would have slowed to a crawl, creakily playing their past hits on the heritage circuit and releasing nothing more than the occasional Greatest Hits collection. This is not the case for Sparks, who have triumphantly returned yet again, proving their resilience and relevance in a modern world with a fresh record and summer world tour to accompany it.”
MOJO Magazine: “Pop’s rainbow would be significantly less colourful without Sparks. Sibling rivalry’s cooperative and prolific inverse, Ron and Russell continue to concoct songs that are distinctively, resolutely Mael. On MAD!, synth-pop, art-rock and a programmed Shostakovich vibe (see paean to Californian interstate highway I-405 Rules) all feed into their skewed, self-contained universe, the arrangements as unpredictable as the subject matter.”
TUTV: Hats off to these imperishable bros stars. After all these years they’te still an entertaining force with their glam and glitter tunes. Synth-pop at its fun best. No arty
farty stuff, the Maels do it straight up and with the dash and bash of young bands.
Hail hail Sparks.
Singles: My Devotion / Downed In A Sea Of Tears / JanSport Backpack / Do Things My Own Way
The brothers Ron (79) and Russell Mael (76), known to the world as SPARKS
are around since 1966. Yes, that’s 59 years and no sign of retirement. Music
is the dominant element in their DNA. They can’t stop.
They canned their 28th (!) album, named MAD!
It will see the day of light on May 23rd.
“Our mantra since 1972, amplified in 2025” the bros say.
Press Info: “Most acts, by their seventh decade in the biz, would have slowed to a crawl, creakily playing their past hits on the heritage circuit and releasing nothing more than the occasional Greatest Hits collection. This is not the case for Sparks, who have triumphantly returned yet again, proving their resilience and relevance in a modern world with a fresh record and summer world tour to accompany it.”
Singles: My Devotion / Downed In A Sea Of Tears / JanSport Backpack / Do Things My Own Way
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
.
The 5 fresh ones TRACK BY TRACK
Band: HOME IS WHERE Who: Rock team from Palm Coast, Florida
who easily could be your neighbours.
Legendary siblings SPARKS, in business since 1971, have canned
their 26th album, named it Mad! It’ll be launched on 23 May.
Link between FF and Sparks?
10 years ago, in 2015 they surprised the pop world
with a sparkling, let’s do it together album, named FFS.
The Guardian (English newspaper): “The Scottish rockers hitch a ride with the Mael brothers for a collaborative album that is far more than a conceptual gag. It is a very scenic route, even if it’s probably a dead-end – it is hard to picture either band throwing their lot in with the other permanently. There’s more here than mere novelty appeal – enough to make you hope they repeat the experiment at some point.
Glam rock/pop brothers Russell and Ron Mael have been busy non-stop since 1971 (!) as SPARKS and they’re not ready yet to stay home, sit on their coach and count their money.
– 1971 –
Cover of their self-titled debut LP.
– 2025 –
Cover of their new, upcoming
28th full length named MAD!
