This edition of Pump Up The Jam features VOWWS, Gorillaz, Blanck Mass, Rose Elinor Dougall, Choir Boy, and more!
I usually avoid politics in this column, but this is important: Bandcamp has announced that for any purchase made on the site on Friday, February 3, they will be donating 100% of their share of the proceeds towards the American Civil Liberties Union who “are working tirelessly to combat [the] discriminatory and unconstitutional actions” of the Trump administration. The post states, “We believe that knowledge and empathy are crucial weapons against fear and intolerance” and as such, they have “compiled a list of albums made by artists from the affected countries.”
Find out more on the Bandcamp site.
Back in 2012, I reviewed an album by a band called Wazu who I thought showed a lot a promise. The band is now called VOWWS and they have a great new single out called “Heartbreaker” which proves that I was right!
The band has also collaborated with Gary Numan on the track “Losing Myself In You.”
VOWWS is currently on tour with White Lies and they’ll be playing at Lee’s Palace on Saturday, February 4. You can also read a recent interview with the band on Brutal Resonance.
Their new album will be released later this year, but in the meantime, you can check out their 2015 album, The Great Sun, on Dangerous Minds.
Also on tour soon will be Slowdive, who as you might remember from this column, have recently released their first single in more than two decades. Granted, it’s a very short list of dates, but it does include Toronto! Due to overwhelming demand, the band has also added a second NY date on May 9. For tickets, check out the band’s website.
Slowdive Tour Dates:
Tue. May 2 – St. Paul, MN @ Palace Theatre
Wed. May 3 – Chicago, IL @ Vic Theater
Fri. May 5 – Toronto, ON @ Danforth Music Hall
Sun. May 7 – Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
Mon. May 8 & 9 – Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Steel
Another band we haven’t heard from in a while is Gorillaz. That just changed with the release of a brand-new song called “Hallelujah Money.” The band’s new album is slated for a release this Fall.
Also on the list of bands with upcoming releases is Blanck Mass, the solo electronic project of Benjamin John Power of Fuck Buttons. The first track released is “Please,” which is both hypnotic and addictive. World Eater will be out on March 3 from Sacred Bones.
Rose Elinor Dougall, formerly of The Pipettes, has just released a solo album called Stellular. If the title track is any indication, it’s a good one.
For those of us who enjoy the angelic falsettos of singers like Jimmy Somerville (Bronski Beat, The Communards) or Hayden Thorpe (Wild Beasts), Choir Boy is a godsend. Listen to the glorious vocals of singer Adam Klopp, set against ethereal synths and guitar on the band’s Passive With Desire album.
This week’s #FlashbackFriday is Bronski Beat’s “Love and Money.”
