Turbo Goth

Turbo Goth are unique. There I said it! They are unique in the local scene, they play music that is damn interesting and have a swagger reminiscent of Goldfrappe and the White Stripes. It was a real pleasure then listening to their debut album “Destroy Us All” released earlier this year because it just ticked all the right boxes for what I look for in electronic rock. Once again an unsigned band that is forging ahead with a great sound and a powerful image.

Electronic rock is a hard category to define but there are some really great global acts out there who are masters in this field such as early N.I.N., Goldfrappe, Electric Six and a latter day Killers with Day & Age who have perfected the art of mixing in inherently dance orientated beats with more edgy guitar laden song writing. The thing is about this style, you either have it or you really don’t – it requires confidence on all fronts or else it just sounds corny. This is the bit I love most about Turbo Goth – the confidence to deliver something that is raw and edgy yet very musically coherent. The potential here is just mind boggling.

Turbo Goth are a two piece Filipino band that started out a few years back with Paolo joining up with Sarah after hearing her singing style. Now Sarah has had no previous singing background and was (and in some instances still is) more famous for artistic work and writing. The first thing that grabbed me though was how both have created an visually striking image that is totally at odds with 99% of the local market and more akin to the underground indie scene of the US and UK. You just won’t forget these two in a hurry.

Venus Flytrap
BBM
Farfalla Vendetta
Hanging on the Watch
New Star Energy
Velodrome
Short Circuit Mirage
Velvet Escapade
The Fire of Prince Vincent
Cosmopol
Necropolitan Casino
Eye in the Sky Looking Straight at Me
Julio Polet
Soothing Sounds for Human

Of course this visual impact would all lead to nothing if it was not for the fact the album ‘Destroy Us All’ is an absolute masterpiece.

This album is very raw, current and edgy with wonderful hooks and takes so many risks yet makes so many right decisions in those risks. These guys were made for each other musically and image wise. This album takes me back to the indie pop scene I remember so well in the mid 90's in the UK with the ethereal types vocals of Sarah gracefully surfing Paolo’s more guttural and in your face beats and guitar work. There is also a touch of some classic shoegazer bands such as Chapterhouse when the music comes across as more dreamy but still remaining strong and focused.

You cannot accuse these two of lacking rhythm and swagger and it comes across in many of the tracks. My absolute favorite Farfalla Vendetta is just a pure blast of heavy rushing guitar laden beats with those super ethereal vocals of Sarah’s just effortlessly surfing over each wave. Some have mentioned White Strips as an influence. I don’t see it that much having listened to a few tracks of late of the Stripes but in Farfalla Vendetta there is a similarity in the way Paolo wants you to hear the tempo and rhythm of the guitar work – its stomping bass heavy and never drifting.

The distorted bass synth is a common feature in the album but there are moments when this is cleaned up and the results are more akin to really early Nine Inch Nails (Pretty Hate Machine) or Unter Null’ with the Fire of Prince Vincent – a touch of detachment though without a loss of intensity.

The beauty of the risks they take is that each song has an underlying melody that is very strong. Only towards the end of the album do you hear ‘The Science of Sound” and some stronger experimentation but the first 10 tracks are pure “pop genius” as they say.

It normally takes me a bit of time to get into new albums and really get into the tracks but with Destroy Us All it was almost instant. I really did get what they were saying and I digged how they said it. That is rare. Some music has become so sanitized these days with all the soul, sexiness and swagger sucked right out of it – this is the complete opposite and thank god for that!

You can buy the album by going to their facebook book and requesting a copy or by attending one of their live shows (which I am told is just amazing!) - headfonics.com

Amidst the soundscape that is Baybeats, more often than not you’ll see that performers are either dressed comfortably (meaning t-shirt and shorts), or presentably (in shirt and jeans). With Turbo Goth, this is one of the rare opportunities that you get to see the performer all dressed up to bring you not only an audio feast, but also a visual spectacle (in every sense of the word)! If you’ve seen their music and gig videos on YouTube, you might not notice anything out of the ordinary with their ‘live’ performances. Sarah might play around with the microphone a little, swaying back and forth, while Paolo reveals the occasional head-banging from time to time, but then came Baybeats 2011, and all that changed.

Some energy that must have been, to have set Paolo into a raging frenzy of movements reminiscent of good old Wilko Johnson! While on the other part of the stage, Sarah was making movements that made her seem like a mannequin coming to life and singing on stage, The fact that she looked and dressed like a doll accentuated this even further.

Thanks to the two, I’m sure the photographers on-site had a field day with the band, as they kneeled before Turbo Goth as though they were worshipping them, which in itself was a sight to behold as well. Although they appear to be the perfect dichotomy, when put together, the chemistry between the two creates amazing sounds. Sarah’s vocals are soft, soothing, and placed in a loosely-spaced slow decay echo, while Paolo’s sounds are always in a constant flux, non-repetitive, filling up the empty spaces between Sarah’s vocals with erratic sounds from his myriad musical devices.

Turbo Goth (The Philippines) played at the Baybeats Arena (Esplanade Outdoor Theatre) on Sat 20 August 2011 at 7pm.
- esplanadeyouths.com

Turbo Goth has emerged as one of the most unique bands in the country today – not just because of their sound but also because of the fact that there are only two people on the roster (Sarah Gaugler and Paulo Peralta). The band challenges common perceptions on what a band should be and how many members there should be in one. Quite frankly, the sound that the duo of Sarah and Paulo produces is as good as any four-piece band out there – it seems like having Sarah in the vocals and Paulo manning the guitar/synthesizer and drum machine makes for a good combination.

Destroy Us All is a meaty fourteen-track album that features the band’s signature semi-experimental sound that dabbles into electronica, rock and punk-jazz. There is certainly nothing else in the mainstream that even closely resembles what Turbo Goth sounds like.

The first track “Venus Flytrap” sets expectations high with a very catchy and easy going beat. Sarah also makes it clear that she’s not going to be flying all over the place with the vocals – her very icy and cool tone just rests just on top of the instrumentation and the singing style she employs makes it seem like her voice is just another instrumental layer on top of an already flavorful mix of sounds. There is no effort to stand out or be flashy about the singing. Everything feels harmonious and unforced. The beat dominates the song and the predictable patterns does make the trippy rhythm vaguely hypnotic.

This theme resonates with the track “BBM” wherein Sarah once again goes for a very understated vocal approach amidst an ethereal back drop of sounds laid out by Paulo that could have been on any good post rock record. The treatment of the material is gorgeous – you don’t even have to read the lyrics to have an emotional connection with the song. It’s that good. When music can make you feel things without having to resort to words and phrases, you definitely know that the musicianship is superb. If you’re more of the lyric-reader, you can always check their lyrics on the Turbo Goth Facebook page.

‘Farfalla Vendetta’ is a gorgeous dynamic song that features a relatively heavy approach to rock and electronica. Sarah smoothens the roughness of the track by doing a very easy going reading of the lyrics – definitely a perfect contrast with the aggressive assault of sound.

In ‘Cosmopol”, the self-labeled “turbo duo” goes for a fairly straightforward rock approach with a little hint of electronica. It’s a good dashboard-tapping-inducing ditty that would certainly make you want to step on the gas. The same is true for “Velvet Escapade”. The band makes creative choices that enriches the experience of listening to music. The end result is a particularly unique feeling – one that seems very familiar and somehow nostalgic (the singing and the music does have some retro elements) and novel (the end product isn’t similar to a lot of things) at the same time.

Turbo Goth is also a totally different animal live. Paulo Peralta is a madman on the guitar and is absolutely a dynamo when he’s playing a set. Sarah Gaugler on the other hand is the perfect counter point – she’s already gorgeous so it’s amazing that she has an incredible knack for showmanship. Everything about her is very well-put together; the look, the hair, the way she pumps her fists and the signature stance that commands attention from just about anyone. There’s something really enthralling about Sarah and the album cover captures the essence of it all. She is like the Galatea to Paulo’s Pygmalion – the beautiful cyborg creation made by a mad scientist. Some of textural elements of the music maybe lost live but that’s mostly a problem of the current setups of most gig venues. In the studio, Turbo Goth is a creative engine that just churns out very inventive material.

If ever we were to be destroyed, most people would probably not care if it was done by these two people. Check out Turbo Goth, guys, love it or hate it, you will definitely hear something that you don’t hear that often. - blog.splintr.com

On “The Fire of Prince Vincent,” the ninth track on their long-awaited debut album, vocalist Sarah Gaugler sings in a hypnotic, robotic manner: “I can give you just what you need / If it’s too hot, then I’ll give you some ice." A heady balance of beats, synths and dirty-dangerous guitars, Turbo Goth’s Destroy Us All delivers on the promise that lyric makes with a 14-track sonic attack that leaves you with a virtual hangover: hungry, spent and maybe even a little horny.

With producer Pat Tirano at the helm, Gaugler and multi-instrumentalist Paolo Peralta take us on a tour through what seems like a mad scientist’s lair, injecting each track with a kind of energy that can only be harnessed when a perfect synergy between creative minds is achieved. There’s no denying the electricity in the air whenever you experience the duo perform live, and while some spontaneity does get lost in translation in the controlled, condensed environment of a studio recording, the end result is nonetheless engaging and infectious.

Much of the album’s spirit is captured by Peralta’s deft handle on the different elements of their sound. He knows which songs are better served by a denser aural palette and which ones deserve a simpler arrangement. Gaugler’s vocals provide an interesting counterpoint to the beautifully mechanized mayhem that Peralta serves up, maintaining an almost drone-like delivery that upon first listen may seem like a strange fit for hard-hitting tracks which seem to beg for riotous growls like “Short Circuit Mirage,” “Farfalla Vendetta,” and “Cosmopol.” Once I got used to it though, I realized that I wouldn’t want the vocals delivered in any other way. Still, it’s on the more tenderly written songs like “New Star Energy” and “Velvet Escapade” that Gaugler’s unflashy vocals really feel more in their element.

While the album does achieve a degree of cohesiveness, the only thing lacking for me might be somewhat stronger lyrics to suit the inventiveness in the instrumentation of each song. On the other hand, it may have been a conscious decision by the duo to let the album speak through its overall sound rather than words. Bearing that in mind, Destroy Us All definitely deserves more than one spin. (Independent) - pinoytuner.com