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.
Last month Italian popsters THE BANKROBBER launched
the second single, titled WHITE SKIN from their upcoming
second longplayer.
Turn Up The Volume wrote: “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. This adrenaline-infused and hip-swinging doozy should top the dance charts around the globe.”
Here’s the totally cool retro discotheque clip, glitter ball included, feat. a drop-dead
gorgeous, white-legged lady (can I have her telephone number, please?)
Disco-freak stomper of the month, hands down. This new punky-funky corker follows
the previous 2 shared crackers Wild Flowers and Fatso. They will all be on their upcoming album At the Hot Spot, out tomorrow, 1 April (no joke).
It’s a bangin’ beast with a screamin’ chorus. A perfect pick-me-up tune for all the weirdos
who are always in the kitchen at parties waiting for Warmduscher to kick their lazy asses.
Compared to this Japanese red-hot-bloody fury the Ramones sound like choirboys. Otobeke Beaver‘s race and rush in an overwhelming overdrive. No brakes, no breaks.
Their rabidity rolls like a tsunami through your ears. These perky punkettes produce
moshpit madness on the spot. The average song length is 2 minutes, 120 seconds
of clamorous pandemonium.
3. ‘Territorial Call Of The Female’ by BODEGA (Brooklyn, NY)
The New Yorkers still operate on Parquet Courts’ playground with their new,
2nd full-length Broken Equipment. But they supersized their jangly beats
and they turned up the temperature.
Territorial Call Of The Female is my favorite cut. It activates
every muscle and every nerve in my itching body.
Scott Kirkland (the remaining member of Las Vegas dance act The Crystal Method)
invited icon Iggy Pop (you can hear him almost any day on a new collaboration, the
past few years) and his British buddy, composer/DJ Hyper in his studio.
The raving result is a techno boom boost, bursting all the way, with Pop‘s voice
strangled by a blender. Sounds spooky, sounds wicked, sounds like lust for life.
Breaking news: Iggy says he’s not a punk anymore!
“I don’t want to be a punk
I don’t want to belong to any of it
I just want to be”
Busy blues-rock bee Jack White canned two new longplayers for this year, titled Fear Of The Dawn (out 8 April 2022) and Entering Heaven Alive (out 22 July 2022)
The hottest cut I heard so far is Hi-De-Ho (from ‘Fear Of The Dawn’ LP) featuring Q.Tip.
The by now legendary passion rockers from Cincinnati, Ohio with mastermind
Greg Dulli in control are back from being away for 5 years. Their last album In Spades came out in 2017.
I’ll Make You See God a striking steamroller, a red-hot-heated stunner, an unstoppable
cannonball going everywhere fast. It will feature in the upcoming PlayStation game Gran Turismo 7.
7. ‘Nothing Comes Good Easy’ by DEAD LEVEE (Canada)
Wowzer! This sickly uplifting belter (from upcoming EP Rise-Up) elevates your state of mind with fired-up dynamism from the get-go. Rapid-fire rawk and roll riffs switch on a fervent feel of euphoria. It did it in the past, it does it in the present and it will do it in
the future.
Despite all the BS we have to endure (pandemic, Ukraine, natural disasters,
and other threats) it’s never too late to get back on track and why not start
with 4 and a half minutes of heart-warming guitar-fueled boogie-woogie
that breathes hope and assurance.
Once I learned that this startling uppercut 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 standout.
Expect rabid guitars, doom and gloom vocals, and frantic twists and turns
until the chaotic finale. Post-punk at its razorblade best. Think fierce Canadian
turbine Metz and London‘s up-and-coming gunslingers Crows.
This fiery crackerjack goes forth and back with
turbulent velocity. Imagine the full of vim and vigor
intenseness and puissant vocality of The Afghan Whigs.
Anxious, unyielding, and ablaze.
Breaking Grounds races like a rush of blood to the head with
screaming guitars and propelling drum muscularity.
The first taster from the upcoming debut full-length Dancing On A Volcano.
Imagine the fervid fuzz of punchy guitar pop legends Buzzcocks, with The Stranglers’ Jean-Jacques Burnel on bass, combined with the cutting
verbality of today’s post-Brexit-punk rebirth and you know a frisky doozy
is coming your way.
Add some American-dream girls of the City of Angles on your imaginary
mind-screen and you’re about to start a champagne party in your head.
The combination of a nasty Gang Of Four bass riff,
frenzied Keith Levene guitars here and there and Skinner
hip-hop-rapping like Beck used to do, works like an ecstatic
upper.
This funk-punk stonker has an immediate intensifying impact on all of your
limbs and your bloodstream’s flow. Add some sexy sax thrills to the mix and
you’ll have all you need to jump out of your slump. Capice?
Cut from their sophomore album
‘Moon Reflections’, out on June 24
A rotating synth riff echoes British electro legends New Order and
is the beating heart of this new piece, yet the mood is meditative
and musing, strengthened by the near-whispering and eager vocals.
This darksome and soul-searching reverie gets under your skin after
a couple of spins.
This impassioned hard-luck story grows slowly but surely into a soul-stirring and mesmerising heartbreaker with an epic finale. Glowing guitars, a steady drumbeat,
and mixed emotions vocals all come together for a poignant performance.
‘Love Is Cruel / The Hurt Within’. You can feel it.
You’ll hear titillating electro-echoes of early Depeche Mode before
they became the darkwave Goth-esque rockers we all know. But
in an eye-blink White Skin becomes an infectious nightclub earworm
with an ecstatic chorus.
In a normal world (does that actually exists?) this adrenaline-infused
and hip-swinging spark should top the dance charts around the globe.
The musical project of singer/songwriter Jordan Speare
assisted by guitarist/bassist and friend Andrew Billone.
After a couple of EPs the pair’s canned their first longplayer
called Silhouettes. Release at the end of the year.
I don’t know if it’s the world-famous and historic museum in Paris
they want to burn, that wouldn’t be so nice. What I do know is that their
brisk and spirited sound is infectious and captivating with an immediate
impact on your body’s movements. Expect guitar pop electricity, extra
pushed by lively vocals.
16. ‘Life And Lies’ by LEE ROGERS (Northern Ireland)
The Americana voice of Northern Ireland releases
his new album Gamebloodon 13 May.
Ahead of it came this mixed emotions single with Rogers‘ sky-reaching voice as the star, once again.
It’s a bluesy goosebumps 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 chat about life and lies.
A poppy synth trip with a floating flow and near-whispering vocals. Both eerie and affecting, both dizzy and hypnotic with a frenetic guitar attack coming out of nowhere around the 3-minute mark.
It’s an epic ballad with a country feel. If this melancholic gem was written
in the 60s it would have been sung by Linda Rondstadt, Tammy Waynette
or Dolly Parton, anyway, by an angelic voice like Olsen‘s magnific one.
Band: THE BANKROBBER Who: Italian alt-pop band led by
brother ad sister Giacomo and
Maddalena Oberti‘
New single: WHITE SKIN
Second shared piece of the
band’s new upcoming album.
Turn Up The Volume: 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.
In a normal world (does that actually exists?) this adrenaline-infused
and hip-swinging doozy should top the dance charts around the globe.
Band: THE BANKROBBER Who: Italian alt-pop band led by
siblings Giacomo and Maddalena Oberti‘
The tandem revealed their newest single LEASH DIED (SHOULDN’T CRY)
last month. A first taster from their forthcoming, second, album titled Lighters and Lovers
Turn Up The Volume wrote: The Italian band follows their intimate and tender
ballad Carry Me On with this new emotive reflection. But this shadowy dream is
more upbeat and lively although with a dark twist when a distorted ghost-like
voice takes over on the chorus. I’m pretty sure Tame Impala will like this.
As usual The Bankrobber visualize their songs with eye-catching videos.
Here’s the colors-filled clip for the new one, starring a young enigmatic
beauty. Eurythmics‘s Annie Lennox would sing ‘Who’s That Girl?‘.
Band: THE BANKROBBER Who: Italian alt-pop band led by
siblings Giacomo and Maddalena Oberti‘
New single: LEASH DIED (SHOULDN’T CRY)
A new piece from their upcoming, second, album
titled Lighters and Lovers
The Italian band follows their intimate and tender ballad Carry Me Onwith this new emotive reflection. But this
shadowy dream is more upbeat and lively although with
a dark twist when a distorted ghost-like voice takes the
song over on the chorus. I’m pretty sure Tame Impala will
like this one.
1. Any light, simple song, especially one of sentimental
or romantic character, having two or more stanzas all
sung to the same melody. 2. A simple narrative poem of folk origin, composed
in short stanzas and adapted for singing. 3. Any poem written in a similar style. 4. A sentimental or romantic popular song.
Okay, I just wanted to check if I picked the right songs here.
Below you find TUTV’s Ballads Of 2021 Spotify playlist with
a total of 30 beauties that I picked from the past 12 months.
The late Suicide legend had a lost album out this year
called Mutator. One of those rare lost albums that are
actually really good. Samurai is one of the dark
highlights.
The passion-driven Danish outfit finally hit the bull’s eye
with their fifth longplayer Seek Shelter. A near-perfect
opus with this slow-burning torch…
Stand out track from these young Texans’ debut album Survivors.
The lyrics are crystal clear. America is not what Hollywood tells you. It has become
a dangerously divided country where racism and far-right rebirth stimulated by
charlatan Trump and his ruthless entourage are frighteningly realistic (again).
Alarming feelings expressed with heavy-heartedness…
A brave and affecting pop pearl. An inspiring encouragement 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.
Singer/songwriter Chrisy Hurn sounds as if she’s
related to The Sundays‘ grand voice Harriet Wheeler.
8. ‘Weeping Willow’ by MODERN MOXIE (South-Carolina)
This nostalgic gem has that melancholic and magical feel we, adults,
are familiar with. Looking back at good times gone. This wistful lullaby
brings tears to your eyes.
Yes, we have already reached the middle of 2021. The world, finally, looks brighter
than last year. Mad summer parties are just around the corner. And here’s the perfect soundtrack… Turn Up The Volume’s 20 best knockout tracks of 2021, so far!
All together on Spotify…
. Track by Track…
1.‘Finger Pies’ by ANIKA (Berlin)
Electro earworm that moves and grooves from the get-go driven by a rolling
bass riff. Strangely catchy, mysteriously designed with a hypnotic effect. Top!
Catch the vibe…
2.‘Nike Soldier’ by ALAN VEGA (US)
Alan Vega is dead! Long live Alan Vega! This spine-chilling
slo-mo groove comes from his lost album Mutator.
Check in…
3.‘Night Is Mine’ – ULTRA SUNN (Brussels, Belgium)
Combine D.A.F.‘s industrial vibes, Sisters Of Mercy‘s gloom and doom hallucinations, and Depeche Mode‘s pop-noir thrills and you know it’s time for a dazzling night. It’s the title track from their standout debut EP.
Put on your leather jacket and dance…
4.‘One + One’ by DEATH FROM ABOVE 1979 (Canada)
With Is 4 Lovers the Canadian champions of drone noise rock made one of their best
full-lengths (so far). And the lead-single ‘One + One’ is a bulldozing, yet catching power blast that comes right at you.
Get slammed…
5.‘Ten Points On The Damage Meter’ by HOW TO LOOT BRAZIL (Germany)
No rest for all who are addicted to dance their asses off. This is a hip-shaking belter, 145 seconds of steamed-up pop-punk euphoria. Imagine German dark disco legends D.A.F. on speed, fronted by Brit-girls Shampoo who are in trouble again.
Here comes the shot of adrenalin…
6.‘Coma-Inducing Gibberish‘ by PIZZA CRUNCH (Scotland)
Scottish hit the bullseye with this sturdy stunner. A fab-tastic masterstroke to shut up all narcissists. Beware of getting too excited. It can lead to a rock ‘n’ roll coma. Whatever! Go for it!
Right here, right now…
. 7.‘Stay’ by ONISM E (New York)
A soul-stirring and highly affecting vocal highlight – from one of the best albums of 2021 – by this rad emo-striking NY-based outfit. Stream/buy ‘Survivors’ LP here.
And stay for this pearl…
. 8.‘Fall Of The Big Screen’ by DEADLETTER (South London)
Imagine George Orwell fronting The Fall back in Nineteen Eighty-Four scaring the
world with a grim, futuristic vision of humankind about to collapse in 2021 due to
a deadly virus. Scary!
Turn up the heat here…
9.‘Wake Up’ by LOBSTERBOMB (Berlin, Germany)
A screaming triumph. This up-and-coming Berlin trio combines Bikini Kill‘s rough
outcries, L7‘s detonating gusto, and B-52‘s peppery liveliness. Touchdown!
Wake up here…
10.‘Heroin’ by PERMO (Scotland)
A sizzling slice of trash and slash punk. Expect 135 striking seconds of heavy thunder
and creepy lighting. Totally insane drums and bass, deranged guitar frenzy, and cranked-up, psych-o-tic howling. Fucktastic intensity!
Hell yeeeaaahhhh…
. 11.‘We… Are Doomed’ by THE IRRATIONAL LIBRARY (Dutch-American)
A challenging rap and roll rant by an open-minded-plainspoken-ass-kicking-anti-establishement-and-other-scumbags force of doom and gloom. The title track from
this caring collective’s excellent new album.
Apocalypse now…
12.‘Boilermaker’ byROYAL BLOOD (UK)
The blues-rock tandem is back with this motherfucker of
a slam dunk from their brand new album Typhoons.
Wham bloody wham bam…
13.‘The Men Who Rule The World’ by GARBAGE (US/Scotland)
A surprisingly funky disco banger that triggers your head’s up-and-down movement the very moment the money drops into the corrupt politicians’ pockets. I still love you, Shirley!
Let’s roll…
14.‘This Is Not’ by CROWS ON WIRES (Germany)
Sultry synths, punchy percussion, glimmering guitar lines, and vibratory vocals.
Sounds like Sisters of Mercy are back, produced by Bauhaus who listened to Soft
Cell on repeat. A stunner, indeed!
Get magnetized here…
15.‘Vendetta’ – ICEAGE (Denmark)
An intoxicating jam with a threatening pace. A glam
power punch from their best-ever album Seek Shelter.
Press play and get moved…
16.‘Not To’ by WOLFVANWYMEERSCH (Belgium)
Melancholia at its starry-eyed, synth-pop best. Here’s a romantic at heart, going
solo, who’s sanely obsessed with creating music, playing music, and enjoying music,
if possible, all at the same time. Damon Albarn‘s moody side comes to mind.
Dim the lights and enjoy…
17.‘Unspoken’ by ANNIE TAYLOR (Switzerland)
A troubled love reverie with a sorrowful touch. Heartbreaking romanticism at its balladesque best, notable for its vocal splendour and silver-toned resonance.
Enjoy the sweet little pearl…
. 18.‘Carry Me On’ by THE BANKROBBER (Italy)
This new musing feels like a nightly gloaming. Acoustic soul-searching and intimate tenderness. The darksome sorrowfulness of several past and present crooners come
to mind when hearing this gloomy song.
Dream away…
19. ‘Man Alone (Can’t Stop The Fadin’)’ byTINDERSTICKS (Nottingham, UK)
Surprising stonker! An 11-minute psychedelic and epic journey. Trippy and spacey.
From their new, 13th album, Distractions.
Follow the flow…
20. ‘Amsterdam’ by MOONLIGHT PARADE (UK)
Magical and red-colored ballad, combining the melodic melancholia of Teenage Fanclub and The Coral. A sweet little gem about a wonderful city I’m in love with for a long time now. Press play and let your thoughts drift away on a cloud.
Turn Up The Volume wrote: “New musing Carry Me On feels like a nightly
gloaming. Acoustic soul-searching and intimate tenderness. The darksome
sorrowfulness of the late great Buckley legends floats all over this gloomy
Giacomo Oberti ballad. The Bankrobber is back and still has the lockdown
blues.”
And here’s the video clip for the song. As always, made with images fitting
the song’s heart and soul, with stylishness and refinement, visualizing the
tristesse of the protagonist in this one beautifully. Melancholia in motion.
Turn Up The Volume‘s 15 Knockout Tracks for May 2021!
A sassy stream of rambling rippers and jagged jackhammers.
‘Racist, Sexist Boy’ by THE LINDA LINDAS (Half Asian / Half Latinx)
Young kids standing up and making a sharp-cutting, alarming statement
about racism and sexism with a spot-on, in-your-face, loudmouthed punk
anthem à la Bikini Kill. I love it, so should you.
Plug in here…
‘Weather Strike’ by TOM MORELLO and PUSSY RIOT (US/RUSSIA)
Riot, bloody riot, yeah! Morello and Pussy Riot rage against the machine
together with a quiet/Loud/quiet/Loud crossover outburst. I repeat:
riot, bloody riot, yeah.
Press pussy play…
. ‘Finger Pies’ by ANIKA (Berlin)
Electro earworm that moves and grooves from the get-go driven by a rolling
bass riff. Strangely catchy, mysteriously designed with a hypnotic effect. Top!
Catch the vibe…
‘Heat’ by WHISPERING SONS (Belgium)
This is the best Whispering Sons song my ears ever heard. Heat takes you by the throat from the kick-ass kickoff. A haunting and sickly sticky stomper. A 24-carat rocker!
Press play here…
‘Le Jour Du Cobra’ by LA JUNGLE (Belgium)
A bulldozer-feedback intro, repetitive synth-thrills, glowing guitars, freakish voices and a thunderous pace all rolled into one mad-as-a-hatter Kraut-noise escapade making your mind go dizzy, your heart beating faster and your potency going sky-high. Fuck Viagra,
long live La Jungle!
‘Vendetta’ by ICEAGE (Denmark)
An intoxicating jam with a threatening flow. A first-rate power blow.
From their new, brilliant longplayer Seek, Shelter.
Tune in…
‘Slice Of Pain’ by BLACK INK STAIN (France)
All hell breaks loose from the very start. An obstreperous post-punk sledgehammer with a deafening dose of illegal decibels. Opening missile from their excellent Incidents album.
Here comes the blast…
. ‘Shallow’ by BIG TIME KILL (Boston, MA)
In a normal world, Big Time Kill should be know wide and far. Their massive
wall-of-electro-rock-shock is titanic, overwhelming at times, and served with a
gigantic gusto to blow roofs off dance floors. Shallow is my favorite piece of their staggering new 4-tarck EP Recovery.
Dance around and around…
. ‘Cosmic Fingers’ byPAUL WELLER (UK)
No rest for the Modfather. The last few years his production is impressive and
a couple of weeks ago another LP,Fat Pop hit the streets. Lead-single Cosmic Fingers proves once again that Weller still can rock out like the best. That’s entertainment!
Fire it up, Weller…
‘This Is Not’ by CROWS ON WIRES (Germany)
Sultry synths, punchy percussion, glimmering guitar lines, and vibratory vocals.
Sounds like Sisters of Mercy are back, produced by Bauhaus who listened to Soft
Cell on repeat. A stunner, indeed!
Get magnetised here…
‘Party’ by LOVE ITOYA (Greek Nigerian)
This feels so good. Upbeat, happy and totally summer. Only Love Itoya‘s second
single but definitely one to start and stop all coming sunlit beach jamborees with.
Yes, the sun shines again. Finally! Post-pandemic hope for the future, right here!
Party time indeed…
‘Joker’ by THE HACIENDAS (Manchester, UK)
The Haciendas rattle their butts off on this new fervent firecracker. They turn up the temperature with electric-powered riffs-hooks-and-licks and a clear-cut chorus. One message for all doubters out there: guitar rock is not dead.
Here‘s why…
‘I Said That You Looked Fine’ by ALEX JAMES (North East England)
This banging belter has an instant effect on your body movements. Expect a steamy stonker that rattles and rolls with swagger and energy. Big guitars, big chorus, big tune. What do you want more? Okay, we agree.
Tune in and start the beat…
‘Carry Me On’ by THE BANKROBBER (Italy)
This new musing feels like a nightly gloaming. Acoustic soul-searching and intimate tenderness. The darksome sorrowfulness of the late great Buckley legends floats
all over this gloomy ballad.
Dim the lights and dream away…
. ‘Odes’ by DEAFDEAFDEAF (Manchester, UK)
A slow-paced meditation driven by Hill‘s poignant vox and puzzling guitar waves.
London’s sharp-knifed engineshame should take DEAFDEAFDEAF on tour with
them. They share the same outspoken edginess and sonic resonance. Bingo!
