Tag: Turquoise

Turquoise Delivers a Thrilling Dream Pop Call to Cultivating One’s Better, More Vital Instincts on “Le Bruit”

Turquoise, photo from Bandcamp

“Le Bruit,” the companion single to “Lumio,” by Belgian shoegaze/dream pop band Turquoise combines a brisk pace with hazy melodies and a defiant spirit. The lyrics seem to outline rediscovering something within oneself, an irresistible noise, thus the song title, that represents a more spirited part of our personality that has until now been buried and obscured by social conditioning and the ways in which we make a habit of departing from what is at the core of our being and which drive us to do something worthwhile in life rather than simply fit in with the dictates of a society and economic system that needs compliance rather than people connected to their humanity and living a life that has a personal connected with a community. The lyrics are in French but plugging the words into a translation site on a search engine reveals to the English speaker the lyrics suggesting speaking about these things rather than burying them can be cathartic and a way not to be isolated and despairing. Even if you don’t subscribe to any ideological thinking even in these times when authoritarianism and its culture is operating completely in the open anyone can relate to the desire to live free, to speak our truths and to live in a world where basic human rights are the bottom rung and not an aspiration. Musically it is reminiscent of Stereolab in a more pop mode with that always appealing fusion of forceful yet playful and expansive energy and for that matter in melding that with socially uplifting content. Listen to “Le Bruit” on YouTube and follow Turquoise at the links provided.

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Turquoise Urge Positive Action Now on Glowingly Urgent Post-punk Single “Tumulte”

Turquoise, photo courtesy the artists’ Bandcamp

Based purely on its single “Tumulte,” Belgian band Turquoise is appropriately named. Its urgent atmospherics are bright yet moody and its musical palette a gorgeous mix of elements: driving, melodic bass lead and spiraling guitar leads with perfectly accented percussion. The collage of styles places the song well within the realm of modern post-punk but with some aesthetic nods to early Ministry, knowingly or not future members of Ministry in Blackouts and more recent practitioners of melancholic pop like Actors. But Turquoise infuses the song with a wiry energy that hints at roots in punk. Certainly the lyrics, which are in French, hint at political themes of frustration at the status quo and the way many people intellectualize the very things that torment them and make their lives more difficult and insist on gradual change when that can be inadequate to the moment. You know, like waiting for “the market” to take care of pressing social and ecological issues, waiting for elites to come to a consensus on how to handle climate change. “Tumulte” isn’t necessarily calling for revolution but it sure does sound and feel like a declaration of resistance to abstracting people’s lives to some theoretical exercise and a need for action sooner than later. Listen to “Tumulte” on YouTube and check out the other track on the single “Voix off.” Keep up with Turquoise on Bandcamp, Soundcloud and Spotify linked below.