Yo La Tengo
Turn Up The Volume’s 20 BEST ALBUMS OF 2023
1. ‘Heavy Heavy’ by YOUNG FATHERS
This sizzling Scottish trio nailed it big time with their 3rd LP. Heavy Heavy is one of those rare remarkable records that arouses from start to finish, with the cliché no fillers, all killers all over it. You hear its sonic brilliance, you feel its dauntless vocality, you realise quickly that this album is special, very special.
(Photo by Turn Up The Volume – Antwerp 2023)
An undisputable first-class work where vitalizing soul, ecstatic pop melodiousness
and self-willed hip-hop come together in an organic way. A spiritual happening.
Funk-punk drunk virtuosity with astonishing vocal teamwork.
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2. ‘Sea Of Mirrors’ by THE CORAL (Liverpool, UK)
The seasoned psych-folk-pop-rock ramblers launched their 11th album, named
Sea Of Mirrors last September. Unquestionably one of their best in their succesful
career.
(Press photo via Maintain Perspective PR)
Expect a non-stop sequence of reflective pop fantasies, of tantalizing tunes
with a laid-back resonance and meditative musings that cause a welcome,
lazy state of mind.
Blissfully feelgood vocality, with a melancholic timbre, everywhere.
Gently weeping strings. A seamless sonic marriage of acoustic and electric guitars.
It’s vintage The Coral as we know them, but even more yearning for romanticism than before. So they left their island and travelled to their fictional Western reality where all
sorts of misfits try to survive. Americana, the Liverpool way.
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3. ‘Fronzoli’ by PSYCHEDELIC PORN CRUMPETS
The turbulent psych-rock team from Perth, Australia hit bullseye with
their 6th full lenght Fronzoli (meaning ‘something unnecessary added
as decoration’).
Press photo
Uppercut after uppercut, corker after corker, jackhammer after jackhammer and two breathers with Cpt. Gravity Mouse Welcome and the short acoustic beauty ‘Illusions of Grandeur’). Your ears need to be in great shape to absorb
this whirlwind record.
If PPC were animals they would be hungry wolves wandering in the deserts of Australia looking for prey. Their melting pot of glam metal, pithy punk, high-voltage pop and other noisy shout-outs results in an ecstatic body of infectious. Btw, am I the only one who thinks McEwan‘s voice resembles Arctic Monkey’s Alex Turner one (now and then) and vice versa, of course.
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4. ‘War Is Obsolete’ by THE BARBITURATES (Northern Island)
These Northern Irish political punk guerilla’s launched
a fully topical record titled War Is Obsolete
this year.
Here’s a message from their HQ in Londonderry.
“Some of The 1% are investors in the great big industrial war machine – the clearing / repairing of war torn cities / countries and rebuilding them along with there big pharma – food n supplies companies ect they make massive profits on all levels of war from the bullets n bombs fired to the food n medicine and everything you can imagine in between – this collection of sound scapes and anti war songs on this guerrilla ontological discordant meditation Ep are our SMALL way of trying to help raise money for the innocent human beings being punished and hurt because of other people’s ignorance – hate – fear – oppression!! ALL THE PROCEEDS OUR DIGITAL SALES NOW AND UNTIL THINGS INPROVE WILL GO TO THESE PEOPLE!!”
The Barbiturates care about our messed-up society, about humanity, about the weak, the poor and the outsiders, about tolerance, about inclusivity, about the desperate need for global peace. Couldn’t agree more.
Unfortunately, all the caring in the world can’t avoid (another) dirty war. After Russia invaded Ukraine early last year, Israel and Palestine started a filthy, deadly war in Gaza two weeks ago. Horrible, just horrible, again. One day a devastating world catastrophe will end it all.
War Is Obsolete is an intruiging, versatile and bone-chilling journey. Sonically with its experimental electronica psych jams and ambient, spacey orchestrations. The evil terror caused by war-and-power greedy scumbags needs to be stopped. The late great pacifist John Lennon never understood these murderous maniacs either, as we know it.
Purchase this record, digitally, 5£ or more.
All proceeds got to PCRF – Palestine Children’s Relief Fund.
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5. ‘Ignore Grief’ by XIU XIU (California)
This Californian experimental act, founded in 2002 by singer-songwriter Jamie Stewart surprise every time they come up with new music. Also with Ignore Grief, already their
13th full length, XX impress mightily.
(Press photo)
Ignore Grief is not happy music, it’s grim reality music, it’s mind-boggling music.
Inventive, capricious and ideal as the soundtrack for one of David Lynch‘s hallucinatory films. Although after a couple of spins, you’ll find out that Xiu Xiu‘s spellbinding sonic exorcism is more accessible than you thought at first. Their orchestral manoeuvres in
the dark are flabbergasting.
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6. ‘One Man Band’ by MILES KANE (UK)
British retro-mod rocker Miles Kane, half of The Last Shadow Puppets
(the other half being his great friend and Arctic Monkeys’ maestro Alex Turner)
released his 5th LP, titled One Man Band’ last summer.
As he said himself multiple times Kane loves the swinging 60s/70s pop, rock
and soul splendor. So again, you hear here those flamboyant influences from the past. And he always comes up with upbeat tunes that stick and put a big smile on your face. Guitar pop at its cacthing best.
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7. ‘Songs Of Silence’ by VINCE CLARKE (UK)
The synth-pop musician/songwriter who started his career with Depeche Mode,
who he left after their 1981 debut album to form Yazoo (1981–1983, 2008-2011)
with grand voice Alison Moyet and later on he started Erasure with singer/songwriter
Andy Bell launched his solo debut LP with Songs Of Silence.
TUTV: If you don’t pay attention to the author of this record when you’re listening
to it, there’s a great chance that you think that it’s another ambient Brian Eno album.
The relaxing ambient atmospheres Clarke creates (Cathedral / Passage / Imminent / Last Transmission) are similar to the ones Eno composes/composed (29 solo LPs, so far).
Clarke paints synth-scapes with an overall symphonic sonority, with both classical
and futuristic sounscapes. This is the sort of cosmic music that calms me down after a busy day. Its relaxing effect soothes my buzzing mind. Tranquillizing, instrumental (except for Blackleg which is infused with eerie chants) uncomplicatedness for dark winter nights.
Silent majesty.
Sonic ear-massage.
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8. ‘God Games’ by THE KILLS (US/UK)
Seasoned blues-rock duo THE KILLS – Alison Mosshart and Jamie Hince – are finally back with a new longplayer, their first in 7 years, following the swirling Ash & Ice album in 2016.
(Photo by Turn Up The Volume – Amsterdam, 2016)
God Games features fewer fireworks than on previous LPs, but the pair still move and groove with sonic fervour and melodramatic tunes, as we know them. Sultry, delirious and passional.
When Mosshart sings the blues, her heart-and-soul vocality draws all attention. Her tantalizing timbre and her midnight hour tone combined with Hince‘s edgy riffs and roasting hooks are what made me a Kills fan from day 1.
This 12-track record is a slow grower. Take your time, it’s all worth it.
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9. ‘Praise Of The Iconoclast’ by MORLOCKS (Sweden)
Swedish post-punk-Goth turbo MORLOCKS were formed last century by mastermind J.Strauss, and had several line-ups over the years. The trio operate around the borderlines between the collective subconscious, paradoxical multiverses and the bad conscience of the world, as we know it.
They travel either like sinister prowlers through the shadows, or like a raging
bulldozer, sneaking and bolting through and between the Cold War, radioactive wastelands, the catacombs of Rome and unspeakable dimensions beyond
the Unknown Kadath.
They care about humanity, they haunt everybody who doesn’t care, and they
embed their anger, frustration and hope in titanic, intimidating and cast iron
industrial bombast with loud and clear messages. Think Rammstein and NIN
having a sonic fight with riot guns. Doomsday is just around the corner and is
orchestrated by Morlocks.
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10. ‘Islands In The Sky’ by DEATH VALLEY GIRLS (California)
The L.A. garage rock fury led by vocalist/guitarist/organist and natural-born
charismatic front-Amazon Bonnie Bloomgarden triumphed with their 5th LP
this year.
(Photo by Turn Up The Volume – Brussels, 2023)
Islands In The Sky is, without a shadow of a doubt, according to my trained ears, their
best achievement (so far). When you combine pop/rock songwriting quality, richly layered orchestrations, Bloomgarden‘s full-hearted vocal dynamism and tons of tunes (if anything else tunes are key) wrapped up in party-igniting vibes, you have a winner.
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11. ‘Good Busy’ by THE IRRATIONAL LIBRARY (The Netherlands)
Dutch humanistic rock unit The Irrational Library is a pretty special affair.
A band with its roots firmly planted in both the regional and international
counterculture. They produce a raw, dirty groove influenced by punk,
provo, punk icons and spiced with sultry saxophone here and there.
Their poetry is packed with social criticism. They drew my ears’ attention with their 2021 album We Are… Doomed. An open-minded-plainspoken-asskicking-anti-establishement-and-other-scumbags opus.
The same biting spirit is present on their brand new full-length GOOD BUSY. Moody reveries and blasting belters alternate creating an overall stirring/roaring record in the end with, once again, a main role for highly dedicated and caring America-born frontman-punk-rapper-poet-storyteller Joshua Baumgarten.
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12. ‘The Crack And The Light’ by CMON CMON (Belgium)
Belgian guitar pop/rock band CMON CMON started their second coming
about two years ago, driven by sheer love for music. Writing it, recording it,
sharing it, playing it live, and enjoying it along with their fans.
No masterplan whatsoever to conquer the world, no commercial pressure.
They restarted with one and only one goal. Making the best album their
experience and their hearts and souls could come up with.
A balanced mix of amplified guitar-infused dream pop tunes with a melancholic
and soothing touch. References? R.E.M, Dinosaur Jr., Teenage Fanclub, Sparklehorse
and The Chills, to name a few. I’m sure you get the sonic picture.
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13. ‘A Headlong Fall Into The Vast Ocean Of Anxiety’ by EYEMOUTH (Sweden)
Expect atmospheric synth-scapes for soundtracks of sci-fi movies, mellow Pink Floyd echoes, dark-electro-wave surrealism, and an overall synth-symphonic sonority.
All mesmerizingly orchestrated with both classical and venturesome music structures. Now and then composer Marcus Lilja‘s ghostly voice adds an extra mysterious touch to
the instrumental grandeur at play. The power of nature in selectronic motion. Cinematic music that triggers your imagination.
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14. ‘Back In The Room’ by THE DHARMA VIOLETS (Wales)
THDV embed 60s psychedelia in a blistering mix of flaming garage rock mania,
swaggering mid-tempo grooves, an impressive, amplified slo-mo jam right in the middle and a stunning opener with horns snippets of Primal Scream‘s e-tastic classic Loaded.
Overall I hear Beatles-like harmonies, multi-layered guitar extravaganza à la Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, steady drums/bass horsepower, sizzling six-string solos, psyched-out space steamrollers, 24 Karat riff-rushing rockers, some slow ones, and echoing vocals
from the eight miles high past. Final result: a hell of a must-hear record that I added to
my best-albums-of-2023 list. The Dharma Violets should be huge. FACT! Don’t miss them.
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15. ‘Secret Life’ by FRED AGAIN… and BRIAN ENO
Weird collaboration? No, certainly not. The very popular EBM/house/hip-hop/DJ Fred and the legendary ambient wizard Brian Eno complete each other here perfectly. They create a sonic labyrinth where Eno‘s hallucinatory ambient waves progress in slow motion, causing a trance trip in a foggy environment while Fred‘s phantasmal vocals seem to come from an unknown universe.
Secret Life is a hushed, soothing companion for late-night mind entertainment after
another busy day and too much noisy music. Soothing, calming and triggering lazy dreaming.
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16. ‘Shook’ by ALGIERS (US/UK)
With Shook this American/English outfit drew tons of critical praise. Rightly so.
It’s a tremendously varied work. They jump from zestful hip-rap-hop to forceful
post-punk-rock, to soulful lullabies, to arresting spoken-word protest, to sparkling
gospel. 54 minutes long, but you get sucked in every second. Wowzers!
(Press – FB Algiers)
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17. ‘Venom’ by WARGASM (UK)
London‘s nu-rap-metal sensation WARGASM – Milkie Way and Sam Matlock – shocked the indie punk world with their debut album, titled Venom.
Press photo
A vicious motherrocker of an album. A monstrous collection of left/right uppercuts.
A schizophrenic series pf brain-breaking slegdhammers you can win sonic wars with. Holy smoke!
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18. ‘The Death Of Randy Fitzsimmons’ by THE HIVES (Sweden)
The Swedish amazeballs punk clowns The Hives are back in town. They unleashed
their new LP, called The Death Of Randy Fitzsimmons (I have no clue who that guy is?)
last summer.
📸 Bisse Bengtsson
Be ready for a tsunami of Molotov cocktails, punk-o-rama riffage, and yell-along
refrains spit out by primal screamer Pele. No rest for the wicked. Beware, this explosive record can damage your speakers. On the other hand, it’s the ideal soundtrack for banging your poor head against the kitchen wall and/or jumping up and down like a kangaroo on ecstasy.
Alert your neighbours before you start the deafening razzmatazz
and watch out for the anti-decibels police. Lots of LOUD fun.
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19. ‘This Stupid World’ by YO LA TENGO (US)
Yo la Tengo is all things indie. They follow their own capricious path, for almost
40 years now. They create uncomplicated melodies and then give them an edgy touch
that guides them in different directions. From acoustic to electric and back.
Different moods, different sonic tones. It’s old news that we live in a stupid world where political me, myself, and I leaders use the 2000-year-old trick of divide and conquer. YLT know too, of course, but reality as it is, obviously inspired them to make another rad record.
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20. ‘Clear Pound Road’ by KRISTIN HERSH (US)
The stirring Throwing Muses legend Kristin Hersh released
her new solo LP, titled Clear Pound Road last September.
(Photo by Turn Up The Volume – Belgium, 2022)
Expect Krautrock dynamics with an acoustic guitar and a mellow cello. Song by song,
the repetitive/rotating rhythms have a magnetic power. 10 intro/outro-spective sparks glowing, like the lights on the LP’s cover. Hersh‘s voice is singular, a bit hoarser than before, think Marianne Faithfull. I love both voices
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TURN UP THE VOLUME’s 25 Best Tracks Of 2023… So Far
Time flies. We already have six months of 2023 behind us.
Six months of listening every day to music, bad/good, very good and 24 Carat Gold.
It was hard to make a selection of the 25 most impressive pieces. But we did it.
Turn Up The Volume’s 25 Best Tracks Of 2023… So Far
Right here, right now.
ALL TOGETHER
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TRACK BY TRACK
1. ‘Lads Lads Lads’ by LAMBRINI GIRLS (UK)
These Brighton punk feminists are MENTAL and AWESOME.
They released Turn Up The Volume‘s best EP of 2023 (so far), named You’re Welcome
a couple of weeks ago. And one of the 6 Molotov cocktails on it is this in your-macho-face sucker-punch. The Lambrini girls race faster than a Ferrari bolide. Best band in the world!
Halle-fucking-lujah
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2. ‘This Just Ain’t My Year’ by 32 TENS
A vigorous young trio from the UK. On this turbulent ripsnorter, it’s full tilt ahead
from the get-go. No brakes, no breaks, no mistakes. A whirlwind of scorching guitars,
pounding drumming, a revolving bass line somewhere in the middle, go-getting vocals
and a dynamite refrain. This is gonna be the year for 32 TENS.
Here’s why.
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3. ‘Gorilla Guerilla’ by MANTRA OF THE COSMOS (UK)
This brand-new supergroup features Shaun Ryder & Bez (Happy Mondays/Black Grape), Andy Bell (Ride/Oasis) and drummer Zak Starkey, yes Ringo’s son, who played with Oasis and The Who among others and who actually came up with this project’s idea and describes it as “a fantastic psychedelic groove from a band of misfits, outsiders and innovators.”
Whatever, this first single is a Booming Blast!
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4. ‘Right Wing Beast’ by SLEAFORD MODS (UK)
Hip-shaking-hop highlight from the waterfall-punk-rap duo’s 12th LP UK GRIM.
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5. ‘Freedom’ by CHIC CHOC (NYC)
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. An electronic-booming EBM knockout to fill dance floors with. Boosting beats, catching chorus, sensuous vocals and
a protesting choir, lead to a sassy stunner. Bang-on. Le freak, c’est chic choc.
Freedom for every woman on the planet. NOW!
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6.’Beefcake Doctrine’ by CHUM (London, UK)
This 4-piece post-punk from London launched their
kick-ass debut LP Metaphysical earlier this year.
Beefcake Doctrine is driven by repetitive Krautrock dynamics.
Its trance-inducing beats create a hypnotic and puzzling razzmatazz
you can’t and you won’t escape from.
Touchdown!
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7. ‘Riverstone’ by DITZ (Brighton, UK)
After scoring the best debut LP – to TUTV’s ears – of 2023
The Great Regression, followed by a live album, they just
dropped this brain-frying hammer blow.
An electric chair experience.
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8. ‘Lose My Mind’ by THE MANIC BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB (Canada)
It’s a liberating, drum-backed anthem that allows the band to break free from any stress
or obligations in pursuit of a good night. Good times or bad times, it’s always (in)sane to lose your marbles while diving into a hot let’s have a ball night, now and then. And ‘Lose Your Mind‘ is the matching master blaster to double your adrenalin production.
Sheer euphoria.
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9. ‘Bullet Man’ by PARIS TEXAS (Los Angeles)
On this slam hip-hop dunk the duo condemn the US’s mass shootings of late in a cynical loud-and-clear way The rip-roaring rappers pretend to be murderous shooters firing at everyone and everything. Bulletman is a devastating drill, a boiling burst that cuts like a first-class Swiss knife.
Shoot.
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10. ‘Set Yourself On Fire’ by ULTRA SUNN (Brussels, Belgium)
Once again this cold/darkwave duo – Sam Huge and Gaelle Souflet – shine in the darkness. The rapturous chorus hits you from the first spin. Resounding beats, entranced synths, and echoing vocals combine for another triumph.
Shake your booty.
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11. ‘Your Death Is My Glory’ by CAMLANN (Indonesia)
A human-caring dark-disco duo Ony Godfrey and Fauzan Pratama from Indonesia.
Their newest single is a catchy-as-hell injection that accelerates your bloodstream.
An irresistible stomper to jump up and down like crazy while giving the middle
finger to all power-greedy politicians.
Score!
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12. ‘Lipstick’ by GHOST FETISH (Seattle)
What a way to debut! Expect a glorious nightclub gem with a synth-tantalizing vibe reminiscent of the starry-eyed sparks of British electro-pop heroes New Order. Lipstick
is both a sensuous and affectional tune with gripping vocals up front and melancholic
ones in the back.
Top!
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13. ‘Prophecy Of The Dragon’ by THE VOIDZ (NYC)
Julian Casablancas, the voice/face of The Strokes returns with his hobby band.
Their new single is a flabbergasting metallic corker. It goes forth and back, left and
right, slow and fast as if Casablancas and his misfits put several snippets of several
songs together and puzzled them into one stupendous stroke of a track.
Blimey.
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14. ‘What If?’ by QUIZ SHOW (Montclair, NJ)
This noizzzz jackhammer from their self-titled debut LP rocks and rolls with panache. Expect ablaze guitars buzzing in a slow/fast mode and turning up the volume, especially
on the yell-along refrain. Legends Hüsker Dü come to mind. Say no more.
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15. ‘Heart On‘ by 2LIBRAS (Seattle)
It’s the second single off of the upcoming debut album World’s End of this cyber-synth duo.
Heart On is an arousing mid-tempo groover. Both spicy and funky, shadowy and seductive, lustful and provocative with hypnotizing vocals. Its slow-mo synth-bass beat crawls under your skin from the kick-off and progresses steadily towards your restlessly pounding heart.
Groovy.
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16. ‘Night Time’ by BROKEN RECORDS (Scotland)
The first single from their new, 5th full-length,
named The Dreamless Sleep Of The 1990s.
Night Time is an ecstatic, awe-inspiring, and anthemic thrill. It has that engrossing and
afire rock swagger of Bruce Springsteen‘s melancholic Americana exploits, it’s infused with
The Edge-like guitar sparks and frontman Sutherland‘s ardent signing is a perfect match for this soul-stirring pearl.
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17. ‘Spellbinding’ by THE SMASHING PUMPKINS (US)
Billy Corgan and his combo released a rock
opera opus titled Atum: In Three Acts.
A total of 33 tracks which I reduced to a great 12-song album.
One of those 12 cuts is this flaming synth-induced haymaker.
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18. ‘Cars’ by Artists: LUNAR TWIN (Hawai/Salt Lake City)
This electro-pop duo scored an excellent album with Aurora last April.
A 30-minute sonic trip, an ambient fantasy with trancy vibrations, ataractic
effects, and near-whispering vocals.
Cars is my favorite piece. Electrifying dream pop
at its mesmerizing best with sparkling guitar play.
Home run.
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19. HRT by Band: I, DORIS (London)
This colorful collective criticize the disastrous state of health care, with the government ignoring the life-risking problems, in England with a sickly sticky riot grrrl pop tune that activates your limbs instantly.
Think Debbie Harry and Blondie playing around on their debut LP. Vibey and briskly. Frolicsome 60s organ touches, lively guitars here and there, and avid vocals.
Applause.
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20. ‘From The Start’ by LOST IN JAPAN (Canada)
The band’s new punchy stroke jumps up and down in your head and elevates your mood from the start. It’s a contagious foot-stamper 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!
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21. ‘Los Angeles: City Of Death’ by SWANS (NYC)
Capricious mastermind Michael Gira and his combo around for
a long time now, actually since 1982. But they still deliver impressive
goods.
New LP The Beggar is a mind-fucking feat.
And this grand jam is an ongoing, repetitive psych drone, with
saw-edged guitars Gira‘s poignant vocals adding a creepy
touch.
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22. ‘Sinatra Drive Breakdown’ by YO LA TENGO (Hoboken, NJ)
A notable psychedelic trip by the lauded indie veterans who released
one of their best longplayers (17 in total) with This Stupid World.
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23. ‘Dead And Over’ by DOWN THE LEES (Canada)
The first new music in three years from the post-punk-rock project of singer-songwriter-guitarist Laura Lee Schultz. The composition captures the raw emotions of sadness, frustration, and anxiety that permeated throughout the years since the pandemic began.
The track’s ominous mid-tempo progression and swelling structure advancing over
an ongoing hypnotic guitar riff send shivers down your spine. Second by second, like
a nervously ticking clock, the sonic poignancy and heartfelt fervidness grow with exuberance and magnitude until Schutlz’s monumental vocals go through the roof.
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24. ‘Why Did You Go?’ by CHVRLI BLVCK (London)
This is an emotive post-break-up pearl. Heartfelt reflections embedded in
a goosebump musing that resonates like a bittersweet symphony. This British
singer-songwriter’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.
Tune in.
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25. ‘A Little Bit’ by MILES FROM NOWHERE (Hamilton, Ontario)
This is the artistic moniker of Canadian songsmith Miles Evans-Branagh. He signed for
one of this year’s best albums, so far, with Slow Down. Eight musings. Eight engrossing compositions with one and the same message: get high on life with love. Craftily written, subtly arranged, and graciously orchestrated with intimate, soulful charm and stylish elegance that moves and touches.
Opener A Little Bit is one of those 8 affecting reveries.
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TURN UP THE VOLUME’s 20 Best Tracks – Februrary 2023
ALL TOGETHER on Spotify…
1. ‘Someone Up There’ by THE WAEVE (UK)
British duo THE WAEVE feat. Graham Coxon (Blur‘s guitarist) and songstress
Rose Elinor Dougall – launched their sterling self-titled album early February.
One of the highlights is this turbulent, riff-rotating and capricious groover
named Someone Up There that works as a mesmerizing magnet.
Touchdown!
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2. ‘Casting No Light’ by NOBLE ROT (Canada)
Clamorous frontman Alex Edkins of Canadian noise engine Metz and Graham Walsh, keyboardist of dance punks Holy Fuck, got together for a project of their own, named, Noble Rot. They have their debut ‘Heavenly Bodies, Repetition, Control.‘ out next month.
They just dropped first single Casting No Light. A motorik Krautrock-like mindfucker that circles around like forever, pushed by a pumping synth/drum/guitar riff-boom-beat that grows in hypnotic intensity along the way. Fucktastic!
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3. ‘Drum’ by YOUNG FATHERS (Scotland)
This Scottish dance-funk-punk trio is on an unstoppable roll. Their new, 3rd LP Heavy Heavy is a total triumph (Turn Up The Volume‘s Album of the Month) and their swirling concert in Antwerp (Belgium) blew the roof off the building.
One of the standout tracks on the album is Drum.
A flamboyant, head-over-heels stormer.
Vibe!
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4. ‘How To Replace It’ by dEUS (Belgium)
(Photo by Turn Up The Volume)
The Belgian Gods released their new longplayer How To Replace It?,
their first in 10 years, a couple of weeks ago.
The title song is a phenomenal piece. A mid-tempo stunner, driven by big
drums and frontman Tom Barman‘s bewitching vocality. It advances with
swelling orchestration toward the grand symphonic climax.
Top!
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5. ‘Islands In The Sky’ by DEATH VALLEY GIRLS (Los Angeles, CA)
(Photo by Turn Up The Volume)
The amazing Los Angeles Amazons delivered their
best album (so far) Islands In The Sky only last Friday.
The title track is a blissful guitar-pop earworm that sticks from the get-go
with Bonnie Bloomgarden‘s spell-binding vocals inviting you to her island of joy.
I’m on my way. Join me.
You’re in charge of your perception of your life
You can choose what you keep
And what you leave behind
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6. ‘Heart On’ by 2LIBRAS (Seattle)
This Seattle-based Cyberpunk duo – Wesley and Jewels Foster – nailed it with this arousing mid-tempo, electro-drum-beat-driven knockout from their upcoming full length World’s End. It’s sexy, catchy, trippy, and makes your blood pumping through your heart.
Je T’Aime Moi Non Plus for the dancefloor.
Sonic sex.
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7. ‘Samo’ by A CERTAIN RATIO (Manchester, UK)
(Press credit)
Manchester’s vibrant dance legends A Certain Ratio
canned their 11th LP, named 1982. It lands at the end
of March.
Single SAMO is as funky as hell. Consult your doctor
if your limbs refuse to move to this nightclub corker.
Tune in.
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8. ‘Sinatra Drive Breakdown’ by YO LA TENGO (New Jersey)
(Press photo)
The imperishable indie veterans keep on doing what they do best,
releasing notable LPs, this time with fresh one titled This Stupid World.
Riveting psych-riff jam Sinatra Drive Breakdown
is the track I always go back to.
Here’s why.
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9. ‘Scatterbrain’ by FILIBUSTER (Belgium)
This Belgian 4-piece outfit is gearing up for their 2nd longplayer, baptized
Quiet Part Out Loud, out next month, on 15 March, via Fons Records and
Gazer Tapes.
Newest single Scatterbrain is a riff-roaring rocker that grows on your ears
with every spin. It has a moody, shoegazy resonance annex reflective vocals.
Striking stroke. Bring on the album.
Press play here.
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10. ‘What If?’ by QUIZ SHOW (US)
(Photo by Phil Silverberg)
This fresh high-energetic trio features members from
Shudder To Think, Guided By Voices and The Dambuilders.
Their self-titled debut LP will see the day of light on 17 March.
What If? is a freaked-out, riff-drunk sucker punch that could
easily come from a Hüsker Dü LP. Herky-jerky electricity with
a steamrollin’ sticky chorus. Wowzers.
Lit up here.
.
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11. ‘I Expire‘ by MALE TEARS (L.A.)
This dark-Goth-wave duo from the City of Angels look like vampires,
they sound like vampires and they fabricate vampirish stuff.
The torrid tandem unleash their
new album KRYPT on 28 April.
Ahead of the release, to get us in the right make-up mood, they hit us
with first single I Expire. A punked-up electro uppercut to set batcaves
on fire with. One listen and the brisk beats will haunt you all day long.
In the accompanying video, Male Tears get straight in
your scared face and suck you into their wicked world.
Roll the tape.
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12. ‘The Court’ by PETER GABRIEL (UK)
Press photo GB – FB
No retirement yet for the once-upon-a-time face/voice
of art-prog-rock titans Genesis. His 9th, solo album,
named i/o lands next month.
Newest single The Court is Gabriel trippin’ in synth-pop land.
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13. ‘Tiger Girl’ by TEROUZ (France)
Canadian pop noir artist Terouz, as I said before, has a midnight-hour voice, that resembles the tone and timbre of Tindersticks frontman Stuart Staples and The National‘s maestro Matt Berninger’s.
His new song is a groovy love-drunk gem featuring the sensuous voice
of his ex-partner. It gets under your skin from the kick-off. Two spins and
you’re hooked.
Beware, tiger girl is a femme fatale.
.
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14. ‘Death Beats’ by NECRØ (Lisboa, Portugal)
NECRØ is the latest project of Portuguese musician João Vairinhos
featuring idiosyncratic singer and keyboard player Sara Inglês,.
The title track of their 6-track EP Death Beats
is Turn Up The Volume‘s favorite.
A dark-techno-wave rumbling that stomps and whomps with intense
impetus doing your head in from the get-go. Doomed beats for twilight parties.
The tenebrous vibe at play here sends shivers down your spine, while Sara Inglês‘s
ghostly wailing is reminiscent of shadowy Siouxsie Sioux moments.
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15. ‘What A Day’ by THE MYSTERY PLAN (Charlotte, US)
(photo: Daniel Coston)
This Charlotte-based collective seduced my sensitive ears with the title track of
their 3-track EP What A Day. The harbinger for upcoming 7th LP ‘Haunted Organic Machines’.
Feel-good tunes like these are always welcome on my headphones. What A Day is
a breezy synth-scintillating vibration that triggers sensual body moves. Its featherlight tonality causes a dreamy state of mind with trancy tinglings. And when that sweet flute came on, I swear, I saw a Spring bird flutter in the blue sky.
Enjoy!
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16. ‘Lonely Town’ by GALEN & PAUL (UK)
Multi-instrumentalist and songstress GALEN AYERS and former The Clash
bassist PAUL SIMONON have a collaborative album, named Can We Do
Tomorrow Another Day? out on 19 May.
I’ll be a pretty special one as the pair wrote a collection of bilingual duets, with both of them singing in English and Spanish and explore a variety of European music cultures. First single Lonely Town is a sweet, little pop ditty. You can sing/hum/whistle along.
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17. ‘I Remember What You Said’ by Artist: DYAN VALDÉS (Cuban-American)
(Photo credit: Petra Valdimardottir)
This Cuban-American singer-songwriter, living in Berlin, played/plays
in several bands and works as a solo artist too and has now a new single
out, named I Remember What You Said.
It follows her last year’s excellent debut album Stand.
The pretty poppy song is about a nightmarish memory of a poisonous
relationship. With its agitated words-flowing drive it feels like Valdés
wants to wash away all the BS and move on. Mission accomplished.
Check it out.
.
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18. ‘Dust’ by SUMMIT OF THE BIG LOW (UK)
Summit Of The Big Low is the moniker of British musician Toby Uffindell-Phillips,
who was a member of the early 00s folktronica group Sound Sanctuary.
This new piece, from his self-titled album out on 19 May, is an affecting folk-pop reverie that streams as a brisk brook. Sparkling, crystal clear, and glimmering in the sun. Its wistful tone, smooth vocals, and frisky finger-picking guitar play combine for a sweet little pearl.
Stream/buy.
.
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19. ‘Prisoner’ by 7DESCENT (Nashville, TN)
This 4-piece from Nashville produces a mix of metal, opera & 80’s rock.
Their new single Prisoner is about being captured and trapped by someone’s love.
It’s a mid-tempo power ballad that slowly but surely infiltrates your ears with its
anthemic dynamics, impassioned vocals, and weeping guitars.
Play here.
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20. ‘Tongue Of Kalina’ EYEMOUTH (Sweden)
This musical project started in Gothenburg, Sweden in 2014 and presents a soundscape based on electronic backgrounds and a more classic rock instrumentation blended with mellotrons, vibraphone, santur, harmonium and other alluring sounding instruments. In short, atmospheric psychedelic darkness with occult undertones.
Eyemouth‘s new longplayer, titled A Headlong Fall Into The Vast Ocean Of Anxiety reverberates a cinematic synth soundtrack to an atmospheric, hallucinatory dream
movie yet to be made.
Closing track Tongue Of Kalina gives you a perfect idea of it.
.
YO LA TENGO Still Sassy Stars In Indie Land With Their 17th Album ‘THIS STUPID WORLD’
Standout longplayers
10 February 2023
Band: YO LA TENGO
Who: Veteran indies from Hoboken, New Jersey
Active: 1984-present / 17 LPs (the new one included).
New album: THIS STUPID WORLD
Released: 10 February 2023
Order info: here.
(Press photo)
Info: “The most live-sounding Yo La Tengo album in years. Times have changed for
Yo La Tengo as much as they have for everyone else. In the past, the band has often worked with outside producers and mixers. In their latest effort, the first full-length in
five years, This Stupid World was created all by themselves. And their time-tested judgment is both sturdy enough to keep things to the band’s high standards, and nimble enough to make things new. At the base of nearly every track is the trio playing all at once, giving everything a right-now feel. There’s an immediacy to the music as if the distance between the first pass and the final product has become more direct.”
Pitchfork says: “On their liveliest album in at least a decade, indie rock’s most steadfast institution squares up against ubiquitous darkness. This Stupid World is just a particularly timely chapter in the modest saga of indie rock’s most unassuming institution.”
Full review here. Score:8.5.
TUTV: Yo la Tengo is all things indie. They follow their own capricious path, for almost
40 years now. They create uncomplicated melodies and then give them an edgy touch
that guides them in different directions. Musing (Aselestine / Tonight’s Episode / Apology Letter / Miles Away), wrought-up (Brain Capers / Fall Out) and pitch-psychedelic-black on
the distorted title track. From acoustic to electric and back. Different moods, different sonic tones. It’s old news that we live in a stupid world where political me, myself, and I leaders use the 2000-year-old trick of divide and conquer. YLT know too, of course, but reality as it is, obviously inspire them to make another remarkable record.
A spot-on indie opus.
Singles/clips: Fall Out / Aselestine / Sinatra Drive Breakdown
– FALL OUT –
– ASELESTINE –
– SINATRA DRIVE BREAKDOWN –
ALBUM
.
YO LA TENGO: Bio – Discography – Instagram – Facebook
Indie Veterans YO LA TENGO And MARKY RAMONE Go Gabba Gabba Hey In NYC
Veteran indies YO LA TENGO are in the middle of a Hanukkah Residency at New York’s Bowery Ballroom. Last night they were joined by Marky Ramone (who replaced original drummer Tommy in 1978) to play some Ramones bangers. Watch some fragments filmed
by fans.
– I WANNA BE SEDATED –
– SHEENA ISA PUNK ROCKER –
NEW 2023 ALBUMS – Veteran Indies YO LA TENGO With Their 16th Named ‘THIS STUPID WORLD’
Coming up
4 December 2022
(Press photo)
Band: YO LA TENGO
Who: Veteran indies from Hoboken, New Jersey
Active: 1984-present / 17 LPs (the new one included)
New album: THIS STUPID WORLD
Release: 10 February 2023
Pre-order: here.
Info via the band’s label Matador Records.
“The most live-sounding Yo La Tengo album in years. Times have changed for
Yo La Tengo as much as they have for everyone else. In the past, the band has often worked with outside producers and mixers. In their latest effort, the first full-length in
five years, This Stupid World was created all by themselves. And their time-tested judgment is both sturdy enough to keep things to the band’s high standards, and nimble enough to make things new. At the base of nearly every track is the trio playing all at once, giving everything a right-now feel. There’s an immediacy to the music, as if the distance between the first pass and the final product has become more direct.”
First single: FALL OUT
YO LA TENGO: Bio – Discography – Instagram – Facebook
YO LA TENGO – 2023 US Dates
YO LA TENGO
US Dates 2023
YLT release their – 16th – LP. It’s named Stupid World ,
and planned to land in February 2023.
Album’s artwork
HIGH FIVE – 5 New Big Ones For The Weekend
5 new big ones to stay on track in the weekend
Weekend 4-6 November 2022
(Press photo via C & The R)
Scottish post-hardcore punk and tattoo artist FRANK CARTER
and his RATTLESNAKES had their 4th longplayer Sticky out last
year.
Two weeks ago they nailed it big time with a brand-new nasty
haymaker called The Drugs featuring Carter‘s buddy Jamie T.
And here’s another new fireball named PARASITE.
Carter: “‘Parasite’ was conceived on a particularly brutal trip to the seaside
where both Dean and I were in a difficult time in our lives and feeling low”
Scream it out, guys…
FRANK CARTER & THE RATTLESNAKES: Facebook – Instagram
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Band: THUMPER
Who: Maximalist rockers
from Dublin, Ireland
Single: SUMMER ASSAULT
“It’s a vignette of self sabotage, an anthem of small failure. It’s about a doomed relationship that carries on regardless — a narrator banging on the glass trying
to warn the song’s inhabitants. Each melody and hook competes for space over
an ever expanding wall of guitars, bass and their signature double drums. In just
over three minutes, “Summer Assault” sees THUMPER boil their trademark noise
wall into an earworm of a pop song.”
Expect a concrete wall-of-schizophrenic-guitar sound, enough twists and turns
to make your head spin uncontrollably and a gigantic chorus spiced with flustered
vocals.
Yes, a stunning stonker.
Also streaming on other platforms here
THUMPER: Facebook – Instagram
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New Jersey’s Veteran indie rockers YO LA TENGO (already in action since 1984)
have a new album in the pipeline, their 16th. It’s named Stupid World p, planned
to land in February 2023.
First taster FALLOUT is pure YLT. Jangly guitars rotating on and on and Ira Kaplan
signing his story all over the hurried flow. Another familiar psych jam from masters
of the genre.
Let’s roll…
YO LA TENGO: Facebook – Instagram
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Pithy rock girl meets pithy rock boy for a pithy pop-to-rock cry-out called I’M A MESS.
It goes like this…
AVRIL LAVIGNE: Facebook
YUNGBLUD: Facebook
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Band: TRAGICOMICS
Who: Manchester-based troubadour Christopher Eatough who returned in 2017, having spent several years away from the music scene, emerged from his struggle with mental health with a raft of new material and a renewed sense of romantic fatalism. Determined to find a like-minded, ragtag collective of musicians to help bring the songs to life, Eatough brought friends and musicians from across the Northwest together. So far the collective canned/released 2 albums: Old Songs For The New Celibacy (2017) and Book Of Want (2021).
New single: HOPELESS ROMANTIC
“The track bursts with Tragicomics’ swaggering, earthy take on folk-rock. Their diverse influences – ranging from pop, folk and rock to tin pan alley, prog and Americana – shine brightly as off-kilter rock guitar is combined effortlessly with Eatough’s charismatic vocals,
the soaring soundscapes of violin, gritty bass lines and relentless drum beat.”
Put on your blue suede punk-rock shoes, you’ll need them to dance, jump,
pogo, and pirouette when this super-duper corker hits your ears. Romantic
or not it’s going apeshit time for everyone who wants to let steam off for
4 minutes.
Stream/buy
the firecracker here…
.
TRAGICOMICS: Facebook – Instagram
YO LA TENGO Cover THE BYRDS Easily – ‘I WASN’T BORN TO FOLLOW’
27 August 2020
Veteran alt-rockers YO LA TENGO from New Jersey just announced a new EP called SLEEPLESS NIGHT, with covers of five of their favorite songs. One of Bob Dylan, The Flying Machine, The Delmore Brothers, Ronnie Lane, and The Byrds and one new track of their own.
The covers were all initially released as part of a limited-edition catalog for a Los Angeles Country Museum Of Art retrospective of the Japanese artist Yoshitomo Nara who assisted the band to choose the five covers.
You can hear here their take on THE BYRDS‘ ballad I WASN’T BORN TO FOLLOW, co-written by Carole King and Gerry Goffin, which was part of the soundtrack of the classic movie Easy Rider…
The original…
YO LA TENGO: Facebook