It’s PART 4 of Turn Up The Volume‘s yearly hot summer playlists.
A mix of new and old tunes. A mix of adrenalin-infused punk/rock
anthems, dance fireworks, and some moony musings to end the
party when the sun comes up.
Who: Three musically seasoned Amazons from NYC using drum machines,
synthesizers, guitars, voice and a variety of sound filters and pedals to make
their point.
It’s an incredible shame that women still have to fight for so many fundamental rights.
It’s bloody 2023 and so much female injustice is still a reality. So, it’s great that female artists get up, stand up and fight for their right to tackle this human disease.
Chic Choc do it right away on their fantastic debut single. They travel around the world looking for freedom with an electronic-booming EBM knockout to fill dance floors with. Boosting beats, catching chorus, sensuous vocals, and a protesting choir, combine for a sassy stunner. Bang-on. Le freak, c’est chique choc.
Who: A synth-fueled post-punk
trio from Seattle, WA.
“Lipstick follows the obscure path of desire. Stretched between the lingering
impression of a touch lost to time, and the unshakable sense of its inevitable
return.”
Lipstick is both a sensuous and affectional tune with gripping vocals
up front and melancholic ones in the back. At times it feels like the track will
erupt into an avid disco stomper. Maybe this debut is a foreplay teaser and
the follow-up will be an orgastic energizer. Anyway Ghost Fetish have my aural
and hip-shaking attention and will have yours too.
3. ‘Right Wing Beast’ by SLEAFORD MODS (Nottingham, UK)
(Cover of new album ‘UK Grim’)
It’s Sleaford Mods by very good numbers. They slam the remorseless Tories and Brexit once again with knife-sharp ranting. Sonically, their characteristic catchy simplicity still activates your limbs. The mods never disappoint. Best track on their best album so far, named UK GRIM.
Who: 2-piece members who have been playing music around Seattle and the west coast of the United States in various incarations for years, and recently stumbled upon the formula that became Docé Operator.
These are the lets-go-bonkers bangers we need in these fucked-up times. Mousehouse
is a kooky disco floor knockout you can jump up and down to like a kanagaroo on E. Middle-finger to reality, bottoms up, ladies and gents. I don’t know who’s the mouse or who’s the rat, but I do know that this tune will bounce in my head for a while.
First single Hello is a euphoric booster expressing a desire for human connection
and a feeling of being lost in the world. This upper will put a smile on your face,
from left to right.
The by-now pretty famous Irishmen are part of a notable cast that cover a song
of the late troubled troubadour Nick Drake (1948-1974) for a new tribute album.
They launch their 3rd full length named God Intentions on 28 April. More infohere.
Ahead of it comes this astounding psych-jam that goes on like forever with motorik,
Kraut-rock-like dynamics. Jangly riffs, 60s resonating organs, floating vocals, and an extensive wall-of-guitar-extravaganza sound to end this intoxicating symphony.
Yes, all ingredients for a mind-bending trip are here at work.
Magician is about having a crush on someone and doing all that’s needed to score. Sonically, it’s a garage rock riff sledgehammer. A mean psych-groove monster doing your head in the way you like it. It goes wham bam bloody wham bam with its manic drum/bass force, its helter-skelter hooks and its hungry vocals. Bring on the album, motherrockers!
Don’t miss the debut LP, entitled 57 Heaven. It arrives on Record Store Day, April 15, both on vinyl and digitally.
“It’s a reflection of how we’re all feeling, trapped in ongoing patterns of depression and anxiety. It’s also the lead single and aural appetizer to our debut album ‘Black Light Poster’, out on April 21.”
No whistles and bells for these four sharp-edged hombres out of Boston. After a short, jangly intro it’s all riff-rotating cylinders and all garage rock burners on. Psychobilly hooks and surf licks swirl side by side with manic magnetism. Black Heart is a roaring steamroller with a buzzing bluster, an electric-energetic flow, and snappy vocals. As the cliché goes, it’s only rock ‘n’ roll but they and I like it any day of the week. So should you.
“The road gets so lonely, got nothing to say
Will the sun shine? Well I hope and I pray
Oh yeah!”
They have a new 6-track EP out, named Echo Reverie.
More info here.
The EP is a characteristically post-darkwave-punk affair with
infectious twilight melodies embedded in a whirlpool of booming
beats, scintillating synths, gloomy stories, cinematic orchestrations
and tenebrous vocals. Footstomper Polarized is my favorite piece,
and probably yours too.
Townshend didn’t release solo work for 30 years, and now, out of the blue
comes this brand new song. It’s composed and produced by his partner Rachel Fuller.
It’s an irresistible, bluesy tune with a country feel.
A little pearl with heart-wrenching Townshend vocals
and melancholic harmonica play.
Who:Harry Sullivan, a seasoned
London-based singer-songwriter.
A majestic melody. A stellar orchestration. A sterling vox. Three matching ingredients
that guarantee an epic composition. And it’s all here. Getting Old progresses with tension and passion, forth and back, and magnetizes all the way through. Epic!
The song wrestles with the idea of us freezing in the moment, gripped by anxiety as fear takes over our ability to do the things we really want to. Familiar thoughts for many of us. But affecting music, as always, uplifts a moody state of mind.
Who: Canadian pop/rock team that
released their debut full length in 2018.
This new punchy piece jumps up and down in your head and elevates your mood from
the kick-off. It’s a contagious foot-stomper with a poppy chorus vibe inviting you to play
air guitar and sing along with all the force your lungs can come up with. Wowzers!
The Italian synth-guitar pop siblings released their 6-track EP, named Lighters
last year. An exemplary accomplishment of skillful songwriting. Sparkling, breezy,
and varied. Turn Up The Volume named it the best EP of 2022.
And the family isn’t done yet. This year another EP, titled Lovers comes our
way. Afterward, Lighters and Lovers will marry and become one full album.
First single, titled Always Wrong. It’s another skilfully crafted
mid-tempo pop tune with glowing guitar sequences echoing
throughout.
Who: Singer-songwriter, 1950s-inspired guitarist, and loop-maker from Oxford, UK. Assisted by trip-hop-inspired percussionist Tom Bruce, she creates complexly evocative soundscapes, filled with dramatic Lynchian atmosphere.
OMG! Emma Hunter‘s vocals reach for the sky on this flamenco-influenced, breathtaking tour de force. She has truly an overwhelming vox that sends shivers down your spine. Mourning trumpets and Chris Isaak-like guitar sparks add a haunting timbre. Morire (the Italian word for ‘to die and fade‘) is what goosebump songwriting quality is all about. It wouldn’t be out of place on the melodramatic soundtrack of western classic Once Upon A Time In The West . Capisce?
Who: An eclectic group of international recording musicians
assembled by Canadian artist Jill McKenna. They joined forces
to make an album of music surpassing geography and genres.
Until The Vague Takes A Form is part of that recently released
album, titled None Of This Mine. More info here.
The song is an intimate, tender and vocally superb collection of romantic balladry, piano/cello/violin/banjo musings, and some intriguing pop experimentalism. Think Regina Spektor and Big Thief. Discover it all, it’s a great companion for relaxing
moments.
Who: London-born singer-songwriter known for his vocal prowess and emotionally raw style. His music reflects his personal struggles with mental health, with an eclectic but immediately recognisable sound, influenced by artists such as Jeff Buckley, The Maccabees, and Fiona Apple.
This is an emotive post-break-up pearl. Heartfelt reflections embedded
in a goosebump musing that resonates like a bittersweet symphony. BLVCK’s
highly passionate vox reminds me of Antony Hegarty‘s sensitive ardency. The
whole-souled tristesse and mixed emotions at play here make you silent.
Who: Fresh NYC dream pop duo featuring voice Ashley Selett and musician David Terranova.
Imagine driving your car in the middle of the night, on the Talking Heads‘ road to nowhere while listening to Massive Attack with Portishead‘s singer Beth Gibbons on vocals and Interpol‘s Daniel Kessler playing trippy guitar lines all along. Sounds pretty intriguing, right? You betcha. Darkcar hypnotizes and magnetizes. Useless to try to resist. Trust me, you’ll join them on their ride the moment they call you.
Last year Italian guitar/synth pop act THE BANKROBBER centered around siblings Giacomo and Maddalena Oberti released their 6-track EP, named Lighters. An exemplary accomplishment of skillful pop songwriting. Sparkling, breezy, and varied. Turn Up The Volume named it the best EP of 2022.
And the family isn’t done yet. This year another EP, titled Lovers comes our
way. Afterward, Lighters and Lovers will marry and become one full album.
But before all that happens, let’s hear the first
song, titled ALWAYS WRONG, off the new EP.
It’s another skilfully crafted mid-tempo pop tune with
glowing guitar sequences echo throughout.
Sparkling Italian synth-guitar-pop act THE BANKROBBER is centered
around siblings Giacomo and Maddalena Oberti. Turn Up The Volume is
a vivid fan since their 2018 album Missing with its effervescent shaped
pop-ular tunes without frontiers.
This year the band came back with a stellar new 6-track EP, named LIGHTERS and is voted Best EP of 2022 by Turn Up The Volume.
Say no more.
Enough reasons to have a chat with capobanda Giacomo about the EP
but also about their Euro tour, a scary night in France, The Clash (of course),
the siblings’ inspirational father and more.
But, as usual, we start an interview with a piece of music. Here’s one of my
fav tracks off the EP where they went from bankrobbers to bankrockers.
Hello Giacomo,
When and how did THE BANKROBBER started its musical journey?
“We started as a band many years ago, playing the songs we loved. We had
the rehearsal room in the cellar under the house, after the first gigs we wanted
to start writing our songs and over the years the project has changed shape
up to today’s line up.”
Who came up with the band’s name and is there story behind?
“We were kids and we mostly listened to punk music. We had a list of names
from songs or album by artists we loved like “Shadow Play” by Joy Division and “Bankrobber” by The Clash. I decided for The Bankrobber because it sounded great
to me and it still does, I also love the meaning so I really like our band’s name.”
Your father was in a prog rock band in the 70s and now his daughter and
son are making music for some time. Were you inspired by your dad?
“Sure! We grew up in a house full of music and records so it helped a lot
to build our passion for music and our creativity. He also always bought
us the records we wanted and encouraged to make music but without
pressure.”
Father Oberti on the far left – drummer for
with prog-rock band Men Of Lake in the 70s
Which of your songs would you pick to introduce
THE BANKROBBER to people who never heard of you?
“Hard question! I think our music has a soft romantic side and a more energetic side,
so I will probably would say “Blood” which was released between the two albums.”
The brand new EP ‘LIGHTERS’ is a great work of pop
excellence. Does the title relate to the 6 songs?
“Actually it’s not, we are going to release another EP called “Lovers” and the full album’s title will be Lighters and Lovers. We chose this name from one of the songs we were producing for the record but then we decided to save it for a future release.”
With song titles like ‘Kill My Name’, ‘Hate Me’, ’Bury Me Softly’
and ‘Leah Dies’ it’s like the EP is not really a happy one.
“We define this new work something between Dark and romantic, there are often
both elements. introspective, abstract and dark lyrics that somehow speak of love.”
WHITE SKIN is my absolute fav piece.
What’s the song about?
“White Skin is a love song about distance. A love letter.”
“The video for ‘White Skin’ is top too.
What did you want to express with the clip?”
“To get a more precise answer we should ask my sister who conceived and directed
the video but it is set during prom and she wanted to give the protagonist an almost magical aura to make the story dreamy and romantic.”
Next year another EP named LOVERS is coming out.
What can you already reveal about it ?
“It’s going to be a five songs EP, we produced everything in the same
period so the whole project sounds heterogeneous but with common
references.
We can also say that there will be a feat. In one of the songs.”
Any anecdotes about your recent Euro tour?
“We are very happy to be back after two years without concerts.
During this tour everything went very well except for a couple of scary
accommodations and a crazy adventure by night. We were in France and
we almost had to cross the country in one day. So after the concert we
headed back to the next city but we were too tired and we looked for
rooms to rest a bit.
At one point we entered the parking lot of a motel to see if there was the
possibility of staying overnight when we realize that the gate had closed
behind us blocking us inside.
Desperation!
No one was answering at the motel’s phone number so we
had to wait for someone to come in or leave. We decided to
sleep in the van while we waited and after a few hours
a very drunk man came in opening the gate and leading
us to freedom!”
What’s the best track/album you heard all year?
“I loved Skinty Fia by Fontaines D.C.”
Suppose you were asked to cover a Xmas carol,
which one would it be and how would it sound?
“Christmas songs sound too happy for us, haha. Actually, I like almost
all Christmas tunes but I don’t really know if I don’t know if I could make
a version with our sounds while keeping the spirit but let’s try with “The Christmas Song ” by Nat King Cole.”
Which track will you play when the clock
strikes midnight on 31 December.
“This is unpredictable! It will depend on the moment
but I think I would put something really powerful.”
Name three things you really want to happen in 2023?
“In terms of projects I’m building my production studio and I hope to work
a lot in it, I also would love to play with my band at some great festivals and
of course, I want to feel good with my friends and family.”
Thank you for this interview, Giacomo!
May the road rise with The Bnakrobber in 2023.
It has been 4 years since Italian guitar/synth pop act THE BANKROBBER
centered around siblings Giacomo and Maddalena Oberti. released their brisk
debut album Missing,. But it’s not like they took an extensive vacation.
Over the past 2 years, they dropped 6 new striking songs, which
they bundled together last month in an EP baptized LIGHTERS
Giacomo: “We define this new work as something between dark and
romantic, there are often both elements. introspective, abstract and
dark lyrics that somehow speak of love.”
TUTV: Lighters is an exemplary accomplishment of skillful pop songwriting. Sparkling, breezy, and varied. The first three tracks (Kill My Name / White Skin / Hate Me) are sheer nightclub stompers you can pirouette yourself giddy too.
With the three other pieces (Burry Me Softly / Carry Me On / Leash Died (Shouldn’t Cry))
the mood and atmosphere change, sonically, vocally and lyrically, to shadowy reflections and enigmatic musings, which makes the full extended play a versatile aural experience.
The seamless production let the songs breathe. No over-dubbing, no disturbing arty
farty tricks. Lighters is about crystal clear pop richness. Best EP of 2023. But the family
isn’t done yet.
Giacomo: “Next year we are going to release another EP called “Lovers” and both EPs
will become a full album, titled “Lighters and Lovers“. We chose this name from one of
the songs we were producing for the record but then we decided to save it for a future
release.”
TUTV: Keep your eyes peeled for an end-of-the-Bankrobber-year
interview coming very soon so you can read it around the Xmas tree.
Watch/enjoy the video clips for White Skin,
Leash Died (Shouldn’t Cry) and Carry Me On .
Band: THE BANKROBBER Who: Italian alt-pop band led by
brother ad sister Giacomo and
Maddalena Oberti‘
The Italian trio released their swirling synth stomper single WHITE SKIN
last March. A rad track from their upcoming, second LP Lighters and Lovers.
Turn Up The Volume wrote: This titillating electro- intro echoes early Depeche Mode before they became the darkwave Goth-esque rockers we all know. But in an eye-blink White Skin turns into a swirling synth-pop stomper to fill dancefloors with. It’s an instantly infectious nightclub earworm with an ecstatic chorus.
Now you can make your best moves to disco ball rotating
remixes by Common Flaws and Max Granata.
A stream of rattling rippers, jagged jams, and magnific musings
All 20 on Spotify.
. TRACK BY TRACK
Band: GILLA BAND Who: Raw Irish post-punk projectile New album: Most Normal,
their third, out on out 7th October.
Dara Kiely (frontman man): “The lyrics are from a stream of consciousness rant, weird imagery and all that. The track is about attraction – fancying someone and not knowing what to say exactly. It’s an indirect love song, knowing you like someone but can’t quite articulate it.”
It follows the character of Billy as he loses his job, his house, his wife and kids, and ultimately maybe his life. After pursuing everything at all costs, we follow Lehman brother’s banker Billy as he chronologically loses everything throughout the worst day of his life, after the bank collapses and everything just keeps going wrong.
Be ready to jump up and down, left and right. This not-so-happy song sounds terrifically happy. A riveting pop tune that could come straight from a Yungblud album. If this devil-may-care earworm doesn’t make you go gaga I don’t know what will.
Turned-on guitars and Oberti‘s quick-fire vocals – on the cracking
chorus he goes as fast as a rapper – inflame this straightforward
standout. From bankrobber to bankrocker.
Fantastico!
THE BANKROBBER: Twitter – Instagram
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
(photo by Sandra Ebert)
Band: MODERN WOMAN Who: London-based act that began as the songwriting project of Sophie Harris.
The band’s music, still based around Harris’ songwriting, explores a diverse range
of sounds drawing from their melting pot of influences.
Following their splendid 2021 debut EP Dogs Fight In My Dream these up-and-coming gunslingers score again with their new sassy bass/drums motorized and guitar-spiced stunner, extra energized with Sophie Harris‘s clear-cut vocals and a schizo finish. They should get the same attention as Liverpool‘s sensation The Mysterines. NOW!
MODERN WOMAN: Facebook
________________________________________________________________________________________________
Band: THE KILLERS (Los Angeles) Active: Since 2001 / 7 studio albums
Brando Flowers (frontman): With ‘boy’, I want to reach out and tell
myself, and my sons, to not overthink it. And to look for the ‘white arrows’
in their lives. For me now, white arrows are my wife, children, my songs
and the stage.”
The tunesmiths experts do what do best, writing
lyrical anthems for huge stadiums.
Boy, oh boy.
THE KILLERS: Facebook – Instagram
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
This slow-mo reflection on personal turmoil is driven by an ongoing bass-riff that got under my skin and kept on rotating in my head after just one spin. And when Rettig adds psychedelic guitar pizazz and flashy fingertip touches, the bone-chilling progression gets even more poignant. Her shadowy vocality seduces once again. To hypnotise, magnetise and mesmesize are familiar Where We Sleep characteristics I never get tired of.
With The Speed this Belgian darkwave duo invites you once more to get off your
lazy couch, to dress black and head to the nightclub where they are waiting
to make your booty shake to their ghostly bass synth riffs. Nirvana guaranteed.
Jodie: “How It Is, the recurring tale of getting messy with your mates to escape from the standard 9 to 5 working life. This track celebrates the poor life choices made after deciding to go for a drink with your friends/colleagues and the chaos and amusement experienced along the way. “
It’s only Langford‘s third single.
This new one is a brisk clap-along groover with an instantaneous swaying
impact on your hips. Could be the ideal remedy when trying to get out of bed after
a 48-hour weekend revelry and shake your hangover off. Sheeny synths, hip-hopper Marx‘s jaunty contribution, and the zestful chorus, it all comes together seamlessly.
Band: TUHAF (Copenhagen, Denmark) Who: The fusion of different types of musicians and all kinds of genres
– Anatolian folk, indie rock, free jazz, Danish traditional songs and US
roots rock – wondrously merges into the sound of TUHAF. The band is
fronted by Turkish-born singer Berrin Bas.
New single: HAFLA
From their debut album ‘Mere Guld’,
out this Friday.
Berrin: “‘Hafla’ is about celebrating oneself. It is dedicated to Bicop (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) and everybody
can join the party.”
Hafla is a sensual groove with an exotic Eastern vibe. Its ongoing vibe
gets you, slowly but surely, into an elevating trance, while Berrin Bas‘s
vocals add a mesmerizing touch that works as a magnet.
Everybody is invited to Tuhaf‘s politically progressive party to celebrate
diversity with them. Music has the power to unite people. We all should
use that power to get together and respect each other as humans without
any kind of discrimination. Tolerance of diversity is the one and only key
to live together, side by side.
The marvelous black & white video will help
you to get in the right mood to dance…
Jordan Speare: I wrote “Hey Stacey” for a friend of mine named Stacey, who also just
so happens to be one of the best people I’ve ever met. I remember when we first met, she
had mentioned how she hated whenever she’d meet new people, they would always make
a reference to that Fountains Of Wayne song “Stacy’s Mom” – she would joke: “it’s not funny
and my name isn’t even spelled that way!” I thought that was hilarious, so I wrote this song especially for her, with her name spelled correctly, of course.
Jingle jangle pop at its exciting best. Hey Stacey is a steamy swinger with all
cylinders rollin’ all the way. It’s sticky as first-class glue and you can sing
the chorus to your lover.
Check the vibe.
. BURN THE LOUVRE: Facebook
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
Band: THE ZINVANDELS Who: 4 uproarious rockers from Wales
New single: BLACKHOLES
Their sixth one. A statement of intent
ahead of their debut LP release.
Oh my, oh my. Expect riff schizophrenia bucking up this flipped-out
corker for its whole 4 minutes. Blackholes is a rollicking post-punk
juggernaut that scurries full tilt without looking back.
Add a steamed-up drums/bass tandem and poignant vocals and you
know this head-over-heels thunderstorm will attack your speakers
mercilessly.
These Welshmen are a burning engine.
THE ZINVANDELS: Facebook – Instagram
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
Band: STICK TO YOUR GUNS Who: The famous Californian hardcore tormentors Active: Since 2003 / 7 studio LPs (new one incl.)
The slowest and moodiest piece on the LP. But as intense
and fanatical as their hard-screeching-core missiles.
STICK TO YOUR GUNS: Facebook – Instagram
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
Photo Credit: August Wolfe
Band: REIGN MAKER Who: Australian prog rock band formed in Melbourne, Victoria in 2020.
Reign Maker is the collaborative project of passionate, activists who weave
politically charged, social commentary throughout their songs to raise
awareness and give voice to a wide range of current issues faced
in the world today.
The band take a stance here against racial discrimination and
police brutality needlessly taking the lives of innocent people.
This mighty-powered and impassioned ballad blows your mind in sound and vision.
Its metallic sonority and its titanic fervency send shivers down your spine. Astonishing.
And the monumental heart-and-soul cutting vocals are just flabbergasting, making me think of the haunting voice of Tarja Turunen from Finnish metalheads Nightwish. Midway, when the decibels go sky-high, the delirium increases to a jaw-dropping level.
Get the picture? Yes, this is a towering stonker
with an aroused impact. Touchdown.
Don’t be a stranger, press play
and get overwhelmed.
Right here, right now.
. GATHERING OF STRANGERS: Facebook – Instagram
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
Band: ERASE ME Who: Sludge pop band from Phoenix, Arizona. Their songs cover the gamut of topics but are often driven deep into what it’s like to be piece a of desert trash blowing through gentrified downtown phoenix landscapes, just tryin’ to survive.
Expect a hugely catchy guitar booster with a head-spinning cadence, an electrical rush, and elated vocals As short as a Ramones song. For some reason, my ears tell me that this could be Pavement if they would write a pop tune as silver-toned as this one. Sounds like kick-ass fun, right? You betcha
Listen/watch.
JOAN OF ARKANSAS: Facebook
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
(credit: Bianca Petris)
Band: THE CASE Who: Firm 4-piece from Romania who started their journey in 2012, always
refining their rock & grunge sound. On their creative process, the band reckons
they “tried to create a space where originality prevails, to detach themselves from
the current musical cliches while glorifying their lord and savior David Bowie.”
“‘Fever’ is about the passage of time, about the failed attempts to correlate the quality of
a relationship with its duration and intensity. The song is about happiness, sadness, breakup, and forgiveness. It would be love if we were to associate our new single with just one word.”
This is a mind-magnetic and slow-burning sonic torch. Sounds both riveting and piercing as American alt-rockers The Afghan Whigs did/do so impressively for years. The Case develop a similar sensation of vivacity.
A cast-iron winner.
THE CASE: Facebook – Instagram
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
Band: THE TRUSTED (Southend-on-Sea, UK) Who: Formed in 2016, making music with strong melodies and catchy hooks. Being inspired by the new age Brit-rock bands like The 1975 and Catfish and the Bottlemen, The Trusted have made their own unique sound by the fusion of post-punk and punk energy with a little hint of modern rock.
“A song about being abandoned by the good guys.”
It was composed during lockdown. The band couldn’t write together
face to face. The creative collaboration went through computers.
Smooth synths, and gently weeping guitar lines take you immediately
on a dreamy head-in-the-clouds trip that moves slowly, heading to an
epic climax. Stylishly composed, greatly arranged.
A bittersweet symphony.
A romantic beauty.
.
THE TRUSTED: Facebook
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
Band: THE BANKROBBER Who: Italian alt-pop band led by
brother ad sister Giacomo and
Maddalena Oberti‘.
New single: HATE ME
5th shared track (hear the other 4 below) from
their new, upcoming album Lighters and Lovers.
Turn Up The Volume: Wow! So far this Italian trio made their way
to Turn Up The Volume‘s ears with scintillating synth-pop sparks. But
here with Hate Me they swirl stupendously.
Turned-on guitars and Oberti‘s quick-fire vocals – on the cracking
chorus he goes as fast as a rapper – inflame this straightforward
standout. From bankrobber to bankrocker.
The by now legendary passion rockers from Cincinnati, Ohio with mastermind Greg Dulli leading the troops have their new longplayer How Do You Burn? out on 9 September.
This lead single is a sturdy steamroller, a red-hot-heated ripsnorter, an unstoppable cannonball going everywhere fast. Manic blitzkrieg guitars, ruthless drum/bass attacks, Greg Dulli‘s rush of blood vocality, and a brutal finish. Flabbergasting.
Dulli: “That’s one of the hardest rock songs we’ve ever done.
It was written and performed on sheer adrenalin.”
This London post-punk team unleashed their 2nd scorching album Beware Believers, last April. One of TUTV’s best full-lengths of 2022 (so far).
Single Slowly Separate is a schizo sonic serpent generating a mind-blowing backwash
while chainsaw guitars turn up the decibels to an illegal peak, and man-in-the-middle James Fox rages and blazes through his teeth.
This frenetic Brit force hit big time with their dazzling debut album The Great Regression last March (more about it in a couple of days).
Let’s focus now on one of its cast-iron brainbreakers. It’s a poignant, biting, and
anxious uppercut. I’m pretty sure Moss would love this hit-and-run drone when
it would hit her ears. She is, after all, the Femme Punk Fatale of fashion.
4. ‘Twitchin’ in The Kitchen’ byWARMDUSCHER (London)
This punky-funky disco corker is the perfect pick-me-up tune for all the wacky weirdos who are always in the kitchen at parties waiting for free drinks and waiting for Warmduscher to come in and kick their lazy asses. Big stroke, big chorus, big fun!
“It’s a warning, an unflinching assessment of the vastness and insignificance of this
life, is precisely counterbalanced by their lesson, which models the resilience that this understanding demands. ‘Demolition Row’ is persistent, concise, and alarmingly physical.”
This blustery belter is vintage Metz. Full blast ahead, no brakes, no breaks.
The track featured on a split 7” with London-based group Adult Life.
From Dylan’s Desolation Row
to Metz’s Demolition Row…
“As a story or metaphor, we are all ‘Frankenstein’s monster’ – made up of other people’s opinions and parts that don’t belong to us. That we were born perfect but people, in their
own conditioning, come along and can make us feel undesirable/inadequate/the monster.
But we can choose to be real instead.”
This is without a shadow of a doubt the best debut single I heard so far this year.
A towering tune going low, high and back. A sickly sticky pop gem wrapped in
a big-boisterous-wall-of-sound. And upfront, Sianna Lafferty ‘s phenomenal voice
causes goosebumps when she goes sky-high on the chorus. The ardency of Porridge Radio comes to mind.
One word: AWESOME.
“I am not what you want me to be
Uncle Sam won’t even point at me
Even the eyes of the Virgin Mary wall
hanging won’t even stare at me.”
Shaman progresses like a vicious viper sliding to its prey. Determined, but always
wary of sudden danger. It dumbfounds and flummoxes while the song’s tension
intensifies and sends shivers down your spine.
No metallic explosions or abrupt pace changes this time, although it feels like a thunderstorm can happen as the mesmeric music swells along its ominous path
towards a demonic climax. Another appealing piece de resistance, another
psychedelic exploit another step closer to the new album.
“A paean to taking your foot off the gas and letting things slide, or a warning of the perils of procrastination, perhaps? It’s hard to tell whether ‘Mañana’ is meant to serve as a confessional regarding Domestic’s own perceived lack of willpower, or a celebration of idleness. It could be either of these things; and that’s one of its many joys.”.
A sirens intro, David Bowie‘s saxophone, and steel drums straight from Trinidad. Sounds like an exotic swing and shake ditty is coming up. No folks, it’s a lazy rap-sody you can play the morning after a booze marathon to get up and sober up, slowly.
Soul voice Clare Gillet takes care of the chirpy chorus.
“Propelled by a motorik rhythm and abrasive guitars, it stomps toward a doom-laden finale. Inspired by Sebastião Salgado’s (note TUTV: Brasilian photographer) anarchic photos of the Gold Mines of Serra Peladain the Amazon in 1985: the track explores the relentless obsession with grasping a glint of glory from the mud. “
Once I learned that this startling belter is about the horrible exploitation of human
beings by ferocious money sharks this jagged jackhammer blew my mind even harder than I heard it the first time before knowing about the band’s inspiration for this stunner.
Expect rabid guitars, doom and gloom vocals, and frantic
twists and turns until the chaotic finale. Post-punk at
its razorblade best.
Geordie Greep (vocalist, guitar): “Almost everything I write is from a true thing, something
I experienced and exaggerated and wrote down. I don’t believe in Hell, but all that old world folly is great for songs, I’ve always loved movies and anything else with a depiction of Hell.”
A screwy zig-zagging haymaker it is. From upcoming, 3rd, LP Hellfire.
My fav track from one of my fav albums of the year (so far), baptized A False Glimmer Of Hope with loudmouth James Domestic (yep, the
guy from above) going bonkers.
This red-hot-blistering hardcore missile punks up your adrenalin and
invites you to open all windows and doors and yell your tits off.
My favored sonic sci-fi symphony from the duo’s excellent Eris Wakes EP.
Trippy, spooky, trancy. With repetitive mind-twisting Krautrock eurhythmics
that take you on an otherwordly voyage. Top-flight!
After the piano intro (sounds like the theme tune of classic horror-thriller Halloween) this young outspoken artist fumes with barbed wire temper towards the supersonic chorus that resonates like hardcore rap.
This rushing rollercoaster swings forth and back with grim impetus until the gloomy
synth climax makes way for that ominous piano fragment again. TV or not TV, that’s
the question? The answer is easy. To hell with the relentless idiocy of reality TV stars and influencers constantly putting pressure on growing minds to behave in ways unattainable to most.
Oscar Mic wrote this song after witnessing the horrific violence of
psycho Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine on the news. All proceeds of
the song go to Save The Children’s Ukraine Appeal.
We Are Ukrainian is a tremendously catchy hip-rap-pop jam featuring steel drums
and timpani balancing somewhere between Roots Manuva and Mr. Scruff.
“Fleeing people running scared, so tell me Where’s the justice? Our leaders say they care,
tell me can you trust this? Urban warfare, your home’s done and dusted, Aiming at the
public, they wouldn’t? They just did,”
The titillating electro- intro echoes early Depeche Mode before they became the darkwave Goth-esque rockers we all know. But in an eye-blink White Skin turns into a swirling synth-pop stomper to fill dancefloors with. It’s an instantly infectious nightclub earworm with an ecstatic chorus.
18. ‘Worthless Souls’ by MELTED WINGS (Toronto, CA)
“A track that calls out how sexism and power corrupt all levels of society.
We all need to recognize this going forward and make sure that it doesn’t
go unchecked.”
The sickly sticky synth beat comes across like an invitation for my feet to kick the butts of vicious sexists and power-horny billionaires ruining people’s lives. Middle finger to them while spinning around mad as a hatter to this bang-on electro buzz. Trust me, you’ll feel much better afterward
This is what ecstatic pop grandeur is all about. Music that elevates
your state of mind to a titillating level. This pearl generates a feel-good
entrancing buzz.
When the multi-layered vocals/harmonies pop up 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.
20. ‘Life And Lies’ by LEE ROGERS (Northern Ireland)
A mixed-emotions lullaby with Rogers‘ sky-reaching voice as the star. It’s an emotional
and bluesy reflection. Wurlitzer jukeboxes should be reinvented for these heartbreakers so moody minds can cry their eyes out (or cry in their beer) at night in a downtown bar where lonely ones gather and muse about life and lies.
Band: THE BANKROBBER Who: Italian alt-pop band led by
brother ad sister Giacomo and
Maddalena Oberti‘.
New single: BURN ME SOFTLY
Third new piece from their
forthcoming, sophomore album.
Score: This is a mesmeric slo-mo electro groove with Soft Cell synths here and there, a booming beat making your head move up and down while your feet tap to the rhythm. The dark lyrics and the haunting siblings vocals create a shadowy atmosphere. A curious and capricious cut. Another great single. Bring on the album!
Try this: lights out, headphones on, volume to the max.
It’ll feel like if your heart beats like hammer blows.
