Song Post – Page 168 – Queen City Sounds and Art

“Black Lion’s” Downtempo Song “Survive ft. Testament & Ray Robinson” Conveys a Sense of Hope and Striving Against Everyday Challenges

BlackLion1_lg — Black Lion, photo courtesy the artists

“Survive,” the new single by Canadian hip-hop duo Black Lion, features contributions from Testament and Ray Robinson. Ostensibly a hip-hop song with the beat structure and sampling you’d expect from someone selecting some tastefully atmospheric sounds to convey a sense of striving and hope against everyday challenges. But the mood and lush tone is more reminiscent of downtempo and trip hop. Maybe it’s the small details Rich Lindo and JR “Heny” Lindo place into the mix like Massive Attack did all over Blue Lines. Little tones and textures to give the beat an internal diversity that is the foundation for the vocal rhythm while also giving the listener that extra hook to draw you in to what the song has to say about maintaining positive mental attitude when too many things in your life including your own mind want to erode your effectiveness as a human to attain even the most modest of dreams. Listen to “Survive” on Spotify and follow Black Lion at the links provided.

itunes.apple.com/ca/artist/black-lion/198183281
soundcloud.com/black-lion-productions
open.spotify.com/artist/7KREsI6YKvT8xoz4w4BuDe

“Boychoir” Finds Noise Punk Band Hissing Tiles Dissecting the Toxic Narratives That Erode Our Lives From Inside and Out

HissingTiles1_crop — Hissing Tiles, photo courtesy the artists

“Boychoir” appropriately sounds atonal, troubled and desperate. Post-punk/noise rock band Hissing Tiles spent some time writing the songs for the album of the same name to explore one of the root sources of violence and social tension and that’s the principal of the masculine and how it manifests in negative ways in culture, belief systems and our own psychology whether we identify as masculine or otherwise. The feedback in the song is like the internalized narratives of what it means to be a “real” man and the social inducements to cling to those ideas regardless of the fallout and consequences we may not even see as negative but simply normal when in fact there’s nothing “normal” about mindsets that warp our perception and thinking and allows us to rationalize oppression. And yet isn’t it true that most people want to be pumped up about something and to be cheered on in their endeavors. The song suggests maybe taking a deep look into what we allow ourselves to be excited about and the manner in which we accept encouragement, to dissect our own pedagogy of desire and realize that we can change our will to perpetuate psychic poison. Listen to the lead track to Boychoir on Soundcloud and follow Hissing Tiles at the links below.

hissingtiles.bandcamp.com
facebook.com/hissingtiles

Chris Child & Micah Frank Evoke a Sense of Ancient Civilization and Technology on Ambient Drone Track “Peering At Dawn”

ChrisChild_And_MicahFrank1_crop — Chris Child & Micah Frank, photo courtesy the artists

“Peering At Dawn” sounds like what might happen if some artificial intelligence from Puma Punku or Göbekli Tepe had somehow made its way to the northeast of the modern United States tasked with creating theme music for the local environment only to be discovered by local explorers in the grotto where this artifact was hidden for millennia and documented its creations to sample through analog synths and old tape machines that occasionally warped the source recordings. It’s that enigmatic and seemingly out of step with standard reality. The same could be said for songs by Boards of Canada and Seefeel where alternate realities seem to blend and put the sounds out of time in their music. It’s reminiscent of weirdo, tripped out library music and thus the sense of having come from another time and place before the modern era but difficult to accurately place with its mixture of blurred tones and the background sound like generative sound replicating the sense of phosphenes. The song hails from Chris Child & Micah Frank’s forthcoming release Tape Loops Vol. 1 due out on 8/23 through Foil Imprints. For now, though, listen to “Peering At Dawn” on Soundcloud and follow Chris Child & Micah Frank at the links provided.

twitter.com/kodomoremix
facebook.com/kodomoremix
instagram.com/kodomoremix

Caracol Teams Up With Illa J on “Flooded Field” to Break the Emotional Isolation of a Loved One

Caracol5_cropped — Caracol, photo courtesy the artist

Caracol’s new track “Flooded Field” was written in collaboration with Illa J, the brother of J. Dilla. The song’s structure has well-arranged complexity with downtempo flavor and a reggae cadence with electronic steel drum accents. Its rich synth piano flourishes and splashes of rapidly expanding tonal wash suggest a sound palette drawn from 80s hip-hop production. When Illa J comes in the song exits the ethereal undertones and comes down to earth for a nice passage of vivid imagery to reinforce the message of the lyric “Your heart is a flooded field” and the sense of isolation the narrator of the song feels for the object of her love and a desire to bridge that emotional barrier. It is as though Illa J gives the critical clue to solve the emotional conundrum. The dynamics of the song as it shifts between vocals, moods, rhythmic flavors and an effervescent melody keeps it an interesting and rewarding listen beginning to end. Check out “Flooded Field” on Soundcloud and follow Caracol at the links below.

twitter.com/caracolmusic
facebook.com/caracolmusic
instagram.com/caracolmusic

Typewriter’s Impressionistic Dreamscape of “Kalemegdan” is a Fusion of Synth Pop and Experimental Dance Track

Typewriter_Kalemegdan_cover_crop — Typewriter, “Kalemegdan” cover (cropped)

With “Kalemegdan,” Typewriter takes the language and sonic palette of current EDM and left field dance music generally to create a soundscape with saturated atmospheres and lush orchestration. As the track evolves it fuses a stretched pop melody and introspective moods to create an extended reflective moment like watching a section of a dream spool out behind you in slow motion for you to take in impressionistically and in vivid momentary details of peak significance as motes of memory and emotional attachments swirl about you to give context to the way your subconscious mind reveals to you and important bit of information, perhaps even a lesson, that cannot be conveyed with mere language. The song operates on that sort of dream logic as familiar elements of song are used in ways they often aren’t. To call it a dance track or a simply electronic pop song would miss the point of the way Typewriter is aiming for a synthesis of the two and more. Listen to the song on Soundcloud and follow Typerwriter at the links below.

typewriter.global
youtube.com/c/Typewriterofficial
instagram.com/typewrtr

“Le Canto” by ALM and Featuring Sofree and Luzmira Zerpa is a Theme Song For a Science Fiction/Magic Realist Thriller as Yet Unmade

ALM_LeCanto_cover_crop — ALM featuring Sofree and Luzmira Zerpa “Le Canto” cover (cropped)

“Le Canto,” the ALM track featuring Sofree and Lizmira Zerpa masterfully combines modern electronic dance music with Latin pop for a song that sounds like music from a science fiction movie made as a collaboration between Pedro Almodóvar and Jaime and Gilbert Hernandez. It begins with a sense of mystery and takes us into the thick of a story rich in romance and intrigue with strong female characters and the impression that local mythology and culture and technology are not so distinctly separated. The dynamic dub bass serves as an interest contrast and compliment to the organic, Latin rhythms and vocals and lending a dimensionality and depth to the track worthy of the imagery and ideas it inspires. Listen on Soundcloud and follow ALM at the links below.

soundcloud.com/alammogliamusic
open.spotify.com/artist/1D5htX4ri6eFUt0xyuwfSy
youtube.com/user/ALammogliaMusic/featured
almproductions.bandcamp.com
facebook.com/ALM.Prods
instagram.com/alm_prod

Kendra & The Bunnies’ “Figure 8” is a Tone Poem of Personal Liberation From Social Conditioning

KendraAndTheBunnies3_crop — Kendra & The Bunnies, photo courtesy the artist

“Figure 8” by Kendra & The Bunnies comes in like impressionistic sketches of a melody that is given context when the vocals come in about a free spirited girl who doesn’t want to be penned in my conventional notions of how to be. The guitar work can be challenging at first but its own logic and improvisational style, given to going off the rails here and there, makes perfect sense in the entire arc of a song that feels like free verse poetry set to a folk song written by someone who had to figure out how to write one having read about that music and having access to a guitar without ever hearing it before making some of her own. It’s not outsider music but has a similar appeal because Kendra Muecke’s approach to songwriting seems to be one as immersed in poetry, biographical storytelling and constructing expectations of identity as a path to healing the trauma of the identities and values imposed on us by a culture that values efficiency and material value over humanity. Maybe when you hear the song you won’t find it so very different but in the realm of folk-inflected singer-songwriter music the subtle and distinct differences are striking. You may even dismiss it as a bunch of hippie nonsense but it is exactly those kinds of left-field ideas we need in a world filled with turmoil. The song comes from Kendra & The Bunnies new album of Vinyl and you can listen to the single on Spotify and follow Kendra and the band at the links below.

kendraelisabethmuecke.com
soundcloud.com/kenbunny
youtube.com/user/thepoliticsofkendra
instagram.com/kenbunny

AxMod Pays Tribute to Northern Disco Idol Todd Terje on “Bounce 808”

AxMod_Bounce808_cover_crop — AxMod “Bounce 808” cover (cropped)

AxMod pays tribute to Norwegian nu-disco star Todd Terje on “Bounce 808.” Referencing the classic drum machine, the Roland TR-808, that has been a staple of house music and hip-hop since the 80s the song is simple in its beats but that aspect of the composition allows the other elements to shine more as the track evolves from a basic melodic synth line into expansive arpeggios and bubbling flourishes of tone. AxMod brings in synth swells as an element to indicate urgency and give the song some momentum with tones while ever so slightly bringing up the BPMs before tastefully bringing things back without an abrupt drop as happens all too often in electronic music. The orchestration of elements is what is most impressive with the song as AxMod employs atmosphere, texture, dynamics, rhythm and melody to craft a song that works as a not so minimal synth tune and as a dance track. Listen to “Bounce 808” on Soundcloud and follow AxMod at the links below.

soundcloud.com/axmod
open.spotify.com/artist/3UlxLrm4Nt8Ga2eLv4RoN2
facebook.com/Axmod
instagram.com/axmodmusic

Inner Oceans Ponders a Maze of Life Options On the Dark and Experimental “The Cause”

InnerOceans_SecretsOfLife_cover_crop — Inner Oceans *Secrets of Life* cover (cropped)

“The Cause,” Inner Oceans’ latest single, finds the band going off its usual map of dreamily transporting pop into noisier territory. Griffith Snyder steps in and out of a near falsetto seemingly singing to his higher self for guidance to almost whispered darker passages in self-comfort as though in debating with himself about what path to take in an existential conundrum. The layers of sound, white noise, disorienting tones, melodic drones shimmering like steam down a dark alley and the phased percussion reflect an internal confusion while also working as an unconventional, intuitive guide through a maze of options. It’s impossible to say if there’s a definitive resolution by the end of the song but that’s the point—life rarely presents you with a clearly defined route through to where you want to be in your heart and in life. Not only that but maybe you don’t even know anymore where you want to be because your internal compass of your dreams and desires has shifted as well. Yet the song is oddly comforting in its inconclusiveness. It’s a signal post in Snyder’s evolution as a songwriter who was inventive and talented to one confident enough in his ability to take chances with more challenging aesthetics.

soundcloud.com/inneroceans
open.spotify.com/artist/1u7T9riTxt6jCQsZTJX6nR

Haruhisa Tanaka’s “1110” is a Musical Modeling of the Interference Patterns Formed Between Ripples of Raindrops on the Ocean and Clouds Drifting Together

HaruhisaTanaka2_crop — Haruhisa Tanaka, photo courtesy the artist

Drifting in on clouds of billowy drone, Haruhisa Tanaka’s “1110” from his album Gone sounds like what patterns of ripples from drops of rain impacting each other endlessly might sound like if abstracted into sound. Or of the aforementioned clouds passing into and over each other in the night. The interference patterns that result from natural, everyday phenomena that we experience and note but rarely take conscious note of is what Tanaka embodies in this composition. The louder, distorted sounds are those interference patterns as the frequencies intersect in the track. By giving voice to these cycles of the natural world Tanaka’s “1110” is like the musical equivalent of a Zen garden capturing the simple and comprehensible nature of the universe if only we can quiet the mind enough to take it in in its proper measure. With the tranquil mood of this song that openness to the sort of revelation the Buddha believed could be had if one could look properly into a blade of grass and attain a deep understanding of all things and their interconnectedness might just be possible. Listen to “1110” on Soundcloud and follow Haruhisa Tanaka at any of the links below.

purre-goohn.com/haruhisa-tanaka
soundcloud.com/haruhisatanaka
open.spotify.com/artist/4ZTlbJ3KHGs7wuvdtouuIw
haruhisatanaka.bandcamp.com
twitter.com/hhtk0
ja-jp.facebook.com/haruhisa.tanaka.758
instagram.com/haruhisa_tanaka