DESCRIPTION:
How the hell do you spell the word “turquiose”?

No, that doesn’t look right. “Turqiouse”? That doesn’t look right either. “Turquiose”? “Torquiose”? “Tuorquioze” – shit, I think that’s the worst one yet. Alright, look, I’m gonna come clean with you guys: I have NO fuckin’ idea how to spell “turquoise” – wait, wait, I think I just got it. The text box isn’t giving me one of those red squiggly lines underneath the word, so I’m gonna go out on a limb here and assume that’s the correct way to spell “turquoise” – okay, that’s two for two, so it’s GOTTA be right. Turquiose. No, that’s wrong. Turquoise. That’s right. Turquoize. Turquoiz Noiz.

Fuck me, this is gonna be a long night. Getting dropped a few times does nasty stuff to a kid, alright? My dyslexia is killing me here, so give me a break.

Obviously, based on the spelling of the group’s name alone, I was a little off-put by Turquoiz Noiz’s presence in my inbox back when Related Records, the Phoenix-based label behind the physical release of this LP, presented their material to me a month or so ago. I mean, it’s not the sort of band name you’d expect to find anywhere in the punk-oriented Jimmy catalog, right? Hell, even the vibrant, multi-colored album artwork seems something that’d reside on the farther end of rock spectrum, miles and miles away from anything vaguely punk-like. But then again, I’ve willingly uploaded bands with names like “Moondreamzzz” in the past (no disrespect, much love to y’all), so I suppose posting a band called “Turquoiz Noiz” wouldn’t be too far outside the realm of possibility. So, I bit the bullet and checked it out. Turns out I liked it. I liked it a lot.

Turquoiz Noiz is a… band from Oakland, California. I’m not entirely sure what as to what subgenre I should label these guys and gal with, because given the diverge range of sounds that were etched onto this turquoise-colored wheel of wax, I’ve quickly realized the difficulties that come with trying to find an all-encompassing classification for this group. Is it punk? Is it noise rock? Is it psychedelic? Is it pop? I have no goddamn clue. At the most, I can safely state that this record lies somewhere in the muggy bog separating garage and noise rock; it clearly bares enough layers of distortion to warrant the latter, and enough simplistic, angular riffs to warrant the former. But even then, I feel that doesn’t specify the group’s sound enough, at least not to an extent I’m happy with. Both sides of this ten-track LP – which are inexplicably labeled as “horse” and “bird” respectively – boast an impressive, alluring variety of melodies, with the only elements remaining constant being those that were recently detailed: the enticing sprawl of naïveties, of often-delicate song structures turned burly through generous pedal usage and supplementary tones, be it through drilling basslines or external, spacelike noises and mechanical coos. An enticing foundation is beautifully established in the rousing, noise-tinged opening track, “Green Hair”, and is only further explored as the album progresses. “Until We Die” introduces the aforementioned space tones and are later utilized in “Glad I Laughed”. The succeeding track, “Nursery Rhyme”, is built like a temperamental funeral elegy. “Windows” is a bass-driven number that only serves to further blur the thin line that scarcely divides Turquoiz Noiz from a drug-fueled psychedelia group. “Stoner”, my personal favorite track of this LP, is a a four-minute-long exploratory jammer that masterfully graduates from a similar bass-driven dirge, to a vivacious, upbeat melody that I can’t describe any better than simply being punk as fuck. The aptly-named instrumental, “Noise”, is an aural abrasive used to assure that all traces of cheery beatitude is wiped aside for the LP’s somber conclusion, “Braid”. A bittersweet end to a fantastic debut LP.

So yeah, I’m genuinely surprised by how much I’ve come to adore this record. I mean, once you finally learn how to spell their fucking name, it’s pretty easy to look at this vinyl and think, “yeah, I’m okay with liking this”. Well, I suppose my enjoyment isn’t all-too surprising once you realize that one of the members, Brendan, also plays in Oaklands’ Cough Syrup Kids and The Peels (https://thepeelsoakland.bandcamp.com/album/loop-de-loop). Dude must be stoked to know that I inadvertently covered TWO of his bands. Gotta get that free publicity.

TRACK LIST:
Green Hair – 0:00
Until We Die – 3:13
Nursery Rhyme – 5:42
Choices – 7:18
Stoner – 9:34
Aware – 13:35
Glad I Laughed – 15:35
Windows – 17:32
Noise – 22:15
Braid – 22:33

SUPPORT: https://relatedrecords.bandcamp.com/album/sweat-lodge
DOWNLOAD: http://www.mediafire.com/file/aq0ba5109o5kl5o/Turquoiz_Noiz.zip