New Music – Page 20 – Queen City Sounds and Art

Queen City Sounds Podcast S5E18: doubleVee

Oklahoma City-based duo doubleVee is comprised of former Starlight Mints frontman Allan Vest and his wife Barbara Vest who have been releasing some of the most imaginative pop songs going since starting to work on and release music in 2012. The Vest’s have a deep background in music and music culture with Allan writing scores for film and television and Barbara working in radio and producing the nationally syndicated film music program Filmscapes. Starlight Mints were one of the last, great indiepop bands out of that great 90s tradition that included artists out of and connected to the Elephant6 Collective. You can hear that level of compositional and aesthetic sophistication in the music of doubleVee. All of the project’s songs involve a fusion of imaginative storytelling and emotive melodies and an emotional immediacy and intimacy that truly sets the music apart from a lot of modern music. Their music videos reveal an eye for making something that feels like someone dispensed with the usual methods of production and made something accessible like a video a good friend with creativity and cinematic talent would make to share with an immediate social circle. The music of doubleVee invites you to step out of mundane normalcy into something more vital and fun.

The new doubleVee EP Periscope at Midnight, with eye-catching art by Grant Fuhst, is being released on July 25, 2025 digitally and on CD. It’s a kaleidoscopic journey to fantastical places through the lens of everyday curiosity pursued to stimulate the mind and the senses. For the EP the Vests wrote four new tracks and re-imagined a couple of older Starlight Mints songs “Submarine Number Three Vee” and “Maybe Tonight [What’s Inside of Me?]” and brought to all the songs an orchestral power pop sensibility lends each a cinematic aspect that give a dramatic dimension to the songwriting. Fans of XTC and The Apples in Stereo will find much to like about doubleVee’s creative pop songcraft.

Listen to our interview with doubleVee on Bandcamp and follow the band at the links below.

doubleVee.net

doubleVee on Bandcamp

doubleVee on YouTube

doubleVee on Facebook

doubleVee on Instagram

Adrianna Krikl’s Ambient Jazz Noir EP The Shadow Lounge is Imbued With a Spirit of Menace and Urgency

Adrianna Krikl, photo courtesy the artist

Inspired by film noir Adrianna Krikl’s new EP The Shadow Lounge is a trio of tracks that layer textured rhythm, echoing trumpet processed almost into abstract atmospheres and harmonic synth backdrops that give each song a baseline mood of suspense and mystery lurking beneath the surface with a touch of menace. Which is what you want when evoking the kind of noir that David Lynch seemed to execute so well over the course of his filmmaking from Blue Velvet onward. The title track sets that expectation and “A Memory of Tomorrow” would suit well Jim Jarmusch’s own adventures into noir with a song imbued with more forward momentum and electronic strings evoking an exotic setting and sensibility. Violins streak with a tense urgency across a slow roiling wave of a dynamic in the rhythm and you feel like something ominous is quickly approaching. Concluding track “Fading Lights” is more ethereal in its orchestration of dark things afoot. Like the listener is wading through the aftermath of the skulduggery suggested by the earlier tracks. The spectral winds blow through the song and the threads of tone ripple and drift slowly into a hazy infinity. Listen to The Shadow Lounge on Spotify and follow Adrianna Krikl at the links provided.

adriannakrikl.com

Adriana Krikl on Twitter

Adriana Krikl on Facebook

Adriana Krikl on Instagram

Adriana Krikl on Bandcamp

Adriana Krikl on YouTube

Jouska Soothes a Sense of Lovesickness With the Luminously Warm Dream Pop Single “Flower Moon”

Guitars sketch faint tonal lines of melody in the opening parts of Jouska’s dream pop single “Flower Moon.” Jouska’s voice is soft yet evocative in describing a situation of melancholic yearning. Wanting a sign from a loved one that seems uncommunicative after a disruption in the relationship. The warm harmonic keyboard figure that illuminates the song’s backdrop embodies the underlying sadness that informs the song and with the sweeping percussion it all establishes a beautiful atmosphere that soothes the morning and lovesick feeling one can get into in those moments where you feel left wondering what comes next with no real sense if anything will. Listen to “Flower Moon” on YouTube and follow Norwegian dream pop artist Jouska at the links below.

Jouska on Facebook

Jouska on Instagram

Queen City Sounds Podcast S5E17: Chris Stamey

Chris Stamey is one of the leading figures of American indie rock as we know it. Born in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, Stamey grew up in Winston-Salem and earned a degree in philosophy from NYU. While living in New York, Stamey became the bass player for Alex Chilton’s band for around a year and released a 1978 by another Big Star alum Chris Bell on his own Car Records imprint with “I Am the Cosmos” and “You and Your Sister.” Around that time he formed The dB’s with Peter Holsapple. That band’s jangle guitar and post-punk sensibilities in terms of literary lyrics and willingness to write emotionally complex songs made it a favorite of college radio throughout the 1980s before splitting in 1988 (though back together since 2005). Stamey is renowned for his production and his credits would be too long to list. For example perhaps unexpectedly he produced the first two Le Tigre records and Pylon’s classic 1983 album Chomp. Simply put indie rock and pop bears the hallmarks of Stamey’s work directly on indirectly for decades. He has played in numerous bands during the course of his lifetime including a short stint in Let’s Active with his friend and also legendary producer Mitch Easter and he has had an acclaimed solo career as well.

Stamey’s latest long player Anything Is Possible released via Label 51 Recordings on July 11 on 12” LP vinyl (out August 8, 2025), CD, digital download and on streaming. The new record Stamey says “is a love letter to the kind of harmonically rich yet often lyrically innocent pop music I heard, on the family turntable and especially on AM radio, growing up in the late 50s and mid-60s in the American South.” With contributions from Tthe Lemon Twigs, Mitch Easter, Probyn Gregory (Brian Wilson Band), Marshall Crenshaw among other luminaries of modern music the album has the sophisticated and sonically detailed pop songcraft that Stamey has perfected across a lifetime. Shades of Harry Nilsson and Brian Wilson can be heard throughout the album supported by Stamey’s knack for fusing texture and tone into the kinds of pop hooks and moods that linger with you.

Listen to our interview with Chris Stamey on Bandcamp and follow the artist at the links below.

chrisstamey.com

Chris Stamey on Apple Music

Chris Stamey on YouTube

Chris Stamey on Instagram

Chris Stamey on Bluesky

Chris Stamey on Facebook

Chris Stamey on Twitter

Chris Stamey on Deezer

Chris Stamey on TIDAL

Chris Stamey on qoboz

Chris Stamey on Audiomack

Chris Stamey on Amazon Music

Clark Stiles’ Introspective Synth Pop Single “Keep On Trying” is a Song About Affection and Perseverance in Pursuing Life Affirming Inspirations

Perhaps with a title like “Keep On Trying” is may be obvious that Clark Stiles’ song has themes of perseverance and commitment. But with the beautifully saturated synth layers and electronic horns over a subtle, shuffling beat there is a gentle momentum that the song sustains. And the lyrics go further than merely pushing ahead but also to challenging oneself to pursue new inspirations and to be open to new things that spark one’s imagination and curiosity. Without getting out there you only have your immediate experiences and stimuli to draw upon. Stiles also incorporates ideas of how people can enrich their commitment to each other through these adventures into new realms of experience and the tenderness with which he delivers lines like “It’s why I get out of bed/To help each other” and when he sings “I’m pushing back/I’m pushing back/For whatever sparks my interest” we get the sense that he is driving away the psychic forces that keep him in penned in to the familiar and complacent. It’s a gentle song about growing and the bonds that sustain us while doing so. Listen to “Keep On Trying” on Spotify and follow Clark Stiles at the links provided.

Clark Stiles on Facebook

Clark Stiles on Instagram

Queen City Sounds Podcast S5E16: Willie Nile

Willie Nile is a a New York-based singer-songwriter and guitarist who released his twenty-first album The Great Yellow Light on June 20, 2025 on CD, 12” LP, digital download and streaming via River House Records. Nile moved to NYC in the early 80s in time to catch the early and classic days of the city’s punk scene and by the time of the release of his 1980 debut album the musicians on the record included Jay Dee Daugherty (Patti Smith Group) and Fred Smith (Television). Then as now Nile’s uplifting songs struck a chord with his literary turns of phrase and the spirited delivery. That debut record was released on Arista Records after Nile met Clive Davis and that same year Willie Nile foud himself joining The Who on their 1980 summer tour. But following the release of his 1981 album Golden Down Nile’s career was stalled by legal problems and he didn’t return to the music world until later in the decade. Nile became a bit of a songwriter’s songwriter and had a fan in Bruce Springsteen who invited him to share the stage with the E Street Band in 2003 at Giants Stadium and Shea Stadium. Interestingly enough, though, Nile really his his stride as an artist from 2009 onward when he seemed more prolific than his entire earlier career with highly acclaimed albums along the way. The new record is brimming with passion and compassion and striking for Nile’s charismatic delivery.

Listen to our interview with Willie Nile on Bandcamp and follow his exploits at the links below.

willienile.com

Willie Nile on Facebook

Band of Muses’ “Cinnamon” is Infused With Kaleidoscopic Melodies and Transporting Rhythms

Band of Muses, photo courtesy the artists

Band of Muses infuse its psychedelic single “Cinnamon” with a touch of that hazy Laurel Canyon sound from the 70s. The video utilizes kaleidoscopic imagery while its members are show with a crystal ball and otherwise like Southern California esoteric types, New Age vagabond mystics who generate hypnotic melodies and rhythms that keep you swept up in their colorful, ethereal charms. But around the edges the band trades in choice guitar leads that jangle and transport. Fans of the likes of L.A. Witch with find a similar sonic allure here as well fans of Sky Cries Mary’s more cosmic, expansive compositions. Watch the video for “Cinnamon” on YouTube and follow Band of Muses at the links below.

Band of Muses on Twitter

Band of Muses on Facebook

Band of Muses on Instagram

Band of Muses of Bandcamp

Queen City Sounds Podcast S5E15: Robert Scheffler

Robert Scheffler, photo by John Matthews

Robert Scheffler is a New York City-based singer-songwriter who released his third full length studio album Truce on June 26, 2025 for digital download, streaming and limited edition CD. Scheffler was a regular in downtown NYC clubs Mercury Lounge, Arlene’s Grocery and the Bitter End including shows with his band A Million Pieces. But the time came when Scheffler took up a job as a research editor and writer for a national magazine. Eventually the lure of songwriting pulled Scheffler back into the world of music but like many a songwriter he had to figure out what he would have to say in a crowded milieu with thousands of artists vying for attention. Without a band the challenge was even greater. But Scheffler found his inspiration in part when filing through his old CD collection and stumbled upon a promo disc for Warren Zevon’s Life’ll Kill Ya given out at the record release party. He tried Zevon’s workmanlike approach to songwriting but once he abandoned that more methodical approach the songs came together. The new album is about people navigating agreements between each other, socially and in their relationships with the world. The record also explores in poetic fashion loss of friends and of hope and the pain of connections coming apart. The music has a folk and Americana flavor but of the vibrant yet pastoral variety with immediacy and a spirit of intimacy like Scheffler is hooked into universal human experiences.

Listen to our interview with Robert Scheffler on Bandcamp and follow the artist at the links below.

robertschefflermusic.com

Robert Scheffler on Instagram

Queen City Sounds Podcast S5E14: The Whimbrels

The Whimbrels released their eponymous debut album on June 27, 2025 via Dromedary Records. The band has in its membership luminaries of the experimental, avant-garde, post-punk and No Wave scene of New York City with credits including playing with The Glenn Branca Ensemble, The Swans and J. Mascis. Between racks of guitars in alternate tunings and unconventional arrangements the band’s new record is somehow both accessible and challenging, filled with gorgeous, left field melodies, discordant atmospheres and dissonant soundscapes. It’s like noise rock abstract jazz with real attention to songcraft. Arad Evans is the primary songwriter as well as vocalist and one of the group’s guitarists and he’s been in more than a few of the great improvisational and experimental guitar bands in NYC since 1980. Norman Westberg many may know as one of the main guitar wizards in Swans for over 35 years but his fascinating ambient solo albums are worth visiting. Guitarist Luke Schwartz is a composer who also played with Glenn Branca but also with ambient legend John Hassell. Matt Hunter on bass and vocals is a co-founder of New Radiant Storm King but has performed with J. Mascis & the Fog, King Missile, Silver Jews and SAVAK. Steve DiBenedetto is mostly known as a painter but his work as a solo musician and with Airport Seven among other projects are highlights of American experimental music. Drummer Libby Fab is a member of Paranoid Critical Revolution and was the technical director of Glenn Branca’s Symphony 13: Hallucination City. Produced by Jim Santo, the record will resonate deeply with fans of its members various musical endeavors but also the textural tonalities of Mission of Burma, the enigmatic soundscapes of Nicholas Jaar and the exotic tonal exercises of Savage Republic. The album is now available as 12” LP, digital download and on streaming platforms.

Listen to our interview with Arad Evans and Norman Westberg on Bandcamp and follow The Whimbrels at the links below.

thewhimbrels.com

The Whimbrels on Instagram

The Whimbrels on Facebook

Queen City Sounds Podcast S5E13: Meatwound

Florida’s Meatwound came into being circa 2014. Threading together strands of hardcore, noise and sludge rock, Meatwound’s mutant sound is a little like what might be described as psychedelic noise power violence with caustic vocals and seething guitar work driven by almost mechanistic rhythms. The group’s new album Macho (out now on Threat Collection) reveals a band that seems to be tearing in all directions with its sharp-edged sonics and a left field sensibility in fusing heavy and aggressive music. The cover in its bright and dark pink is a send-up of the concept of “macho” and the songs are infused with a sense of humor and the absurd. With titles like “Frank Stallone,” “Obese Variants,” “Pig, Tu” and “Barking Dog As Plot Device” it’s clear that Meatwound while making music that can be taken seriously don’t take themselves too seriously as artists. Think something like Killing Joke doing a collaborative album with Napalm Death.

Listen to our interview with Meatwound vocalist Daniel Wallace on Bandcamp and follow the band at the links below.

meatwound.com

Meatwound on Bandcamp

Meatwound on Instagram

Meatwound on Facebook

threatcollection.com

Threat Collection on Instagram

Threat Collection on Bandcamp

Threat Collection on TikTok