"there always staring with the same face, same lines...."
In terms of indie bands, especially divergent ones that metamorphosize to their own defined beat as opposed to genre jumping, a decade is a defining moment. As someone who has been writing about indie music for over 13 years it is remarkable how many bands end around the 10 year mark. I mean, 10 years for a band is really like a 40 year marriage. For any band you cannot diminish how impactful a decade of stirring creative juices is. This is a good time to remember that maybe the most densely creative outfit, The Beatles were together only 8 years.
I wanted to say all that before sharing the first track of one of two so called "posthumous" albums by the much loved Turkuaz. The track is "Strange People" (Strange Times) and as press notey stuff indicate:
[After a decade of touring and recording their own unique brand of “powerfunk”, the most recent Turkuaz tour was cut short amidst a dramatic departure of multiple band members in 2021, leaving the two founders, Taylor Shell and Dave Brandwein with an uncertain future for the band. In recent years they graced stages from Red Rocks to Bonnaroo, The Fillmore in San Francisco to the Blue Note Tokyo, and spent nearly 200 days a year traveling the country and the globe to perform.
The band’s most recent release and tours featured Talking Heads guitarist/keyboardist Jerry Harrison, and singular figure in the world of guitar legends and innovators Adrian Belew (King Crimson, Nine Inch Nails, David Bowie), culminating in their final performance at Hulaween last fall.]
"Strange People" (Strange Times) feels incredibly vibey with a syrupy bass line that is worth the price of admission alone. I am digging the over-reaching look back and forward. Maybe the most ebullient thing you feel / hear are the late 70's funky handclaps. There is a synthetic sense when those stabs of synths felt super futuristic at time in our history when we were promised jetpacks and flying cars and we half believed it.
After the bands stress fractures eventually broke the massive amount of songs and atmospheres had to be dealt with, just had to be.
“We’re trying to focus on the legacy we created over the past 10 years, rather than lamenting the break-up,” says Brandwein. “These two albums celebrate that nine-piece band, which was built fan by fan, show by show, festival by festival.”
The post break up albums, "Paradiso" and "Apollyon" feature very different sounding music, but with a common thread as press notes indicate:
[The albums make reference to a dual afterlife in both heaven and hell in this time of uncertainty for the band, and though not planned to be released under these circumstances, it certainly seems oddly fitting. Paradiso features the electronic and synth inspired sound of Turkuaz’s recent years, with some added stylistic surprises throughout, while Apollyon brings the band back to their roots of bombastic and quirky funk, through a sonic lens of retro-soul.]
“I’m so proud of these records, and am glad we get the chance to tie a bow on this 13-year body of work,” Shell continues, “Turkuaz has been my life since Dave and I started the band in our little apartment oh-so-many years ago, and as hard as the disbanding has been, it really does give me so much joy to know that we are putting it down the same way we picked it up… with the creation and release of my favorite recordings I’ve ever been a part of.”
Highlights of the two albums include the appearance of Jerry Harrison and Adrian Belew on Apollyon’s “Ophidiophobia,” literally a fear of snakes, with a reptilian Belew guitar solo providing the slither, as well as the only cover song ever recorded for a Turkuaz album in Paradiso’s “In Heaven (Lady in the Radiator Song),” from David Lynch’s cult classic Eraserhead.
Recorded before any of the past two years’ madness, both Paradiso and Apollyon reflect Brandwein’s love of opposites, but also the overlapping of the two, capturing the space between the binary numbers.
“That duality in Turkuaz makes sense,” he explains. “My goal is for people to see the breadth of what I can do as a musician, to acknowledge where I come from, but I’m also excited about where I’m going. I feel good about this body of work representing what I’ve done so far.”
Brandwein and Shell plan to continue putting out music collaboratively as well as individually. Paradiso and Apollyon will be released on September 9, 2022. “Strange People (Strange Times)” and the B-side, “Feel No Pain,” both from Paradiso, are out now.]
-Robb Donker Curtius
THE FACTS AS WE KNOW THEM - PRESS NOTES:
https://www.facebook.com/turkuaz
https://soundcloud.com/turkuazofficial
https://open.spotify.com/artist/699X8OLj9lpNg8rqFdQsA7
https://www.youtube.com/user/turkuazband/featured
https://www.instagram.com/turkuazband/
After a decade of touring and recording their own unique brand of “powerfunk”, the most recent Turkuaz tour was cut short amidst a dramatic departure of multiple band members in 2021, leaving the two founders, Taylor Shell and Dave Brandwein with an uncertain future for the band. In recent years they graced stages from Red Rocks to Bonnaroo, The Fillmore in San Francisco to the Blue Note Tokyo, and spent nearly 200 days a year traveling the country and the globe to perform.
The band’s most recent release and tours featured Talking Heads guitarist/keyboardist Jerry Harrison, and singular figure in the world of guitar legends and innovators Adrian Belew (King Crimson, Nine Inch Nails, David Bowie), culminating in their final performance at Hulaween last fall.
Fans were devastated by the announcement that the tour would not continue, and have been clamoring for the band’s return ever since despite sources repeatedly saying they have “broken up”. What fans don’t know however is that just prior to the disbanding, the recording process for two full albums of new original music were completed. Taylor and Dave have spent the last several months putting on the finishing touches and quietly preparing to unveil these two records to the world.
Entitled Paradiso and Apollyon, these two separate full-length releases feature very different sounding music, but with a common thread. The albums make reference to a dual afterlife in both heaven and hell in this time of uncertainty for the band, and though not planned to be released under these circumstances, it certainly seems oddly fitting. Paradiso features the electronic and synth inspired sound of Turkuaz’s recent years, with some added stylistic surprises throughout, while Apollyon brings the band back to their roots of bombastic and quirky funk, through a sonic lens of retro-soul.
Though these albums are labeled as “posthumous” by the remaining members, it would seem from recent activity surrounding the releases and on social media that perhaps there is more in store for Turkuaz. This music either marks the culmination of a 10 year legacy, or the beginning of the next phase. Then again, it could be both.
** At this particular time we find ourselves in a financial pinch due to many factors. We want to keep AP going. It has been a passion project for over 13 years. PLEASE consider donating, we could really use the support. Thanks so much
We get by with a little help from our friends
Turkuaz, funk, indie pop, avant funk, funk indie, soul pop, dance pop, art pop, "Strange People" (Strange Times), adoring fans, two founders Taylor Shell and Dave Brandwein,
I wanted to say all that before sharing the first track of one of two so called "posthumous" albums by the much loved Turkuaz. The track is "Strange People" (Strange Times) and as press notey stuff indicate:
[After a decade of touring and recording their own unique brand of “powerfunk”, the most recent Turkuaz tour was cut short amidst a dramatic departure of multiple band members in 2021, leaving the two founders, Taylor Shell and Dave Brandwein with an uncertain future for the band. In recent years they graced stages from Red Rocks to Bonnaroo, The Fillmore in San Francisco to the Blue Note Tokyo, and spent nearly 200 days a year traveling the country and the globe to perform.
The band’s most recent release and tours featured Talking Heads guitarist/keyboardist Jerry Harrison, and singular figure in the world of guitar legends and innovators Adrian Belew (King Crimson, Nine Inch Nails, David Bowie), culminating in their final performance at Hulaween last fall.]
"Strange People" (Strange Times) feels incredibly vibey with a syrupy bass line that is worth the price of admission alone. I am digging the over-reaching look back and forward. Maybe the most ebullient thing you feel / hear are the late 70's funky handclaps. There is a synthetic sense when those stabs of synths felt super futuristic at time in our history when we were promised jetpacks and flying cars and we half believed it.
After the bands stress fractures eventually broke the massive amount of songs and atmospheres had to be dealt with, just had to be.
“We’re trying to focus on the legacy we created over the past 10 years, rather than lamenting the break-up,” says Brandwein. “These two albums celebrate that nine-piece band, which was built fan by fan, show by show, festival by festival.”
The post break up albums, "Paradiso" and "Apollyon" feature very different sounding music, but with a common thread as press notes indicate:
[The albums make reference to a dual afterlife in both heaven and hell in this time of uncertainty for the band, and though not planned to be released under these circumstances, it certainly seems oddly fitting. Paradiso features the electronic and synth inspired sound of Turkuaz’s recent years, with some added stylistic surprises throughout, while Apollyon brings the band back to their roots of bombastic and quirky funk, through a sonic lens of retro-soul.]
“I’m so proud of these records, and am glad we get the chance to tie a bow on this 13-year body of work,” Shell continues, “Turkuaz has been my life since Dave and I started the band in our little apartment oh-so-many years ago, and as hard as the disbanding has been, it really does give me so much joy to know that we are putting it down the same way we picked it up… with the creation and release of my favorite recordings I’ve ever been a part of.”
Highlights of the two albums include the appearance of Jerry Harrison and Adrian Belew on Apollyon’s “Ophidiophobia,” literally a fear of snakes, with a reptilian Belew guitar solo providing the slither, as well as the only cover song ever recorded for a Turkuaz album in Paradiso’s “In Heaven (Lady in the Radiator Song),” from David Lynch’s cult classic Eraserhead.
Recorded before any of the past two years’ madness, both Paradiso and Apollyon reflect Brandwein’s love of opposites, but also the overlapping of the two, capturing the space between the binary numbers.
“That duality in Turkuaz makes sense,” he explains. “My goal is for people to see the breadth of what I can do as a musician, to acknowledge where I come from, but I’m also excited about where I’m going. I feel good about this body of work representing what I’ve done so far.”
Brandwein and Shell plan to continue putting out music collaboratively as well as individually. Paradiso and Apollyon will be released on September 9, 2022. “Strange People (Strange Times)” and the B-side, “Feel No Pain,” both from Paradiso, are out now.]
-Robb Donker Curtius
THE FACTS AS WE KNOW THEM - PRESS NOTES:
https://www.facebook.com/turkuaz
https://soundcloud.com/turkuazofficial
https://open.spotify.com/artist/699X8OLj9lpNg8rqFdQsA7
https://www.youtube.com/user/turkuazband/featured
https://www.instagram.com/turkuazband/
After a decade of touring and recording their own unique brand of “powerfunk”, the most recent Turkuaz tour was cut short amidst a dramatic departure of multiple band members in 2021, leaving the two founders, Taylor Shell and Dave Brandwein with an uncertain future for the band. In recent years they graced stages from Red Rocks to Bonnaroo, The Fillmore in San Francisco to the Blue Note Tokyo, and spent nearly 200 days a year traveling the country and the globe to perform.
The band’s most recent release and tours featured Talking Heads guitarist/keyboardist Jerry Harrison, and singular figure in the world of guitar legends and innovators Adrian Belew (King Crimson, Nine Inch Nails, David Bowie), culminating in their final performance at Hulaween last fall.
Fans were devastated by the announcement that the tour would not continue, and have been clamoring for the band’s return ever since despite sources repeatedly saying they have “broken up”. What fans don’t know however is that just prior to the disbanding, the recording process for two full albums of new original music were completed. Taylor and Dave have spent the last several months putting on the finishing touches and quietly preparing to unveil these two records to the world.
Entitled Paradiso and Apollyon, these two separate full-length releases feature very different sounding music, but with a common thread. The albums make reference to a dual afterlife in both heaven and hell in this time of uncertainty for the band, and though not planned to be released under these circumstances, it certainly seems oddly fitting. Paradiso features the electronic and synth inspired sound of Turkuaz’s recent years, with some added stylistic surprises throughout, while Apollyon brings the band back to their roots of bombastic and quirky funk, through a sonic lens of retro-soul.
Though these albums are labeled as “posthumous” by the remaining members, it would seem from recent activity surrounding the releases and on social media that perhaps there is more in store for Turkuaz. This music either marks the culmination of a 10 year legacy, or the beginning of the next phase. Then again, it could be both.
** At this particular time we find ourselves in a financial pinch due to many factors. We want to keep AP going. It has been a passion project for over 13 years. PLEASE consider donating, we could really use the support. Thanks so much
We get by with a little help from our friends
Turkuaz, funk, indie pop, avant funk, funk indie, soul pop, dance pop, art pop, "Strange People" (Strange Times), adoring fans, two founders Taylor Shell and Dave Brandwein,
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