Song Post – Page 169 – Queen City Sounds and Art

The Acoustic Version of Party Favor’s “Be OK” Featuring EZI is an Unvarnished Declaration of the Need for Internal Peace and Acceptance

PartyFavor1_sm — Party Favor, photo courtesy the artist

Party Favor released stylistically eclectic album Layers in April 2019 and recently issued the music video for an acoustic version of “Be OK.” The original was accompanied by trap and future bass beats but the acoustic version truly highlights collaborator EZI’s emotionally vulnerable vocals. It’s a treatment that suits a song that speaks to a sense of overstimulation and emotional exhaustion. And to being in a place where you don’t want extremes of feeling, but an easily sustainable place of being OK, or in another way, in a state you find acceptable with no complaints. It’s the ultimate state to be if you listen to a lot of Lou Reed and his songwriting for The Velvet Underground because it’s something that is often easily achievable or the best one can hope for in troubled times because it means you’re no longer at the bottom end of your life. It’s not about settling but finding internal peace and personal equilibrium. Watch the video below and follow Party Favor at any of the links provided.

soundcloud.com/partyfavormusic
open.spotify.com/artist/7yPPzu5UdAK7yagQqjEZQm
twitter.com/partyfavormusic
facebook.com/PartyFavorMusic
instagram.com/partyfavormusic

“Where You Left Me (My Lonely World)” Finds the Secret Chord Sketching the Contours of a Broken Heart Waiting for the Pain to Pass

TheSecretChord1_crop — The Secret Chord, photo courtesy the artist

Nathan Hui-Yi as The Secret Chord has tapped into a palette of sound for his single “Where You Left Me (My Lonely World).” It is downtempo with a lead piano melody tracing an impressionistic emotional sketch of a broken heart waiting for the worst of the pain to wriggle out and dissipate into the mists of time and new experiences. The soft bass line accents and propels the song in an organic progression that flows smoothly with a flare of guitar as a second melody with the piano. Like some of the most interesting music of the past forty plus years the song blurs the line between jazz, hip-hop and the avant-garde. The dusky soulfulness of the vocals speak to a soul weariness having come from dark places ready to move forward again. The track comes from the album Journey to the Soul and Back Again out March 2019 and you can listen to the rest of the album on the project’s Bandcamp page. Listen to the single below and watch its beautiful music videos comprised almost of water colors as animation. You can also follow The Secret Chord at any of the links provided.

thesecretchordmusic.com
soundcloud.com/thesecretchord
open.spotify.com/artist/5QitTXV9bbuIyOtskyctG2
youtube.com/c/TheSecretChordMusic
thesecretchord.bandcamp.com
facebook.com/TheSecretChordMusic
instagram.com/thesecretchordmusic

The Claremonts Channel The Second Summer of Love and Inject Attitude Into Its Single “Clearer Than Ever”

TheClaremonts2_sm — The Claremonts, photo courtesy the artists

There’s more than a touch of Pills ‘N’ Thrills and Bellyaches period Happy Mondays in The Claremonts’ new single “Clearer Than Ever.” You know, the kinds of melodies and songwriting that seems, if you’ll excuse the reference, loose but undeniably appealing and accessible. Like being a blatant weirdo but likeable enough to get the pass into mainstream normalcy somehow. The jangle-y guitar and the drivingly funky bass line and just enough grit and attitude so as not to be simperingly friendly. Halfway through the song the band sends the song into a dynamic flare-up of sound and energy before letting us back down into the groove. In that way its reminiscent of Public Image Ltd. when the late, great John McGeoch was in the band. “Clearer Than Ever” makes its mark in your brain at two minutes twenty-two seconds and leaves you wanting more especially if you’re a fan of its Madchester-esque flavor. Listen to the song on Soundcloud and follow The Claremonts at any of the links below.

soundcloud.com/the-claremonts
open.spotify.com/artist/69JF5ZDoKfk1Rke9ETZT5g
facebook.com/TheClaremonts
instagram.com/theclaremonts

The Wistfully Romantic Mood of Catch a Dinosaur’s “Maybe You Just Wait” is the Perfect Song For These Dog Days of Summer

Catch a Dinosaur captures that perfect moment as you’re drifting off into a nap and and your mind wanders mixing contemplative reflection and a dreamstate with its single “Maybe You Just Wait.” The shimmering tremolo sound of the guitar and the vocals are reminiscent of Luna’s more chill moments and the way Dean Wareham can say so much with a pithy observation that is neither self-deprecating or aggressive in its analysis of a situation. There is a bittersweet flavor to the song once it gets into the main groove but the mood doesn’t get stuck there and brief guitar solos flare up that propel the song back into its wistfully romantic mood and again before the outro. There are angry breakup songs, this is more a hey maybe things aren’t working now and we need a break sort of vibe. Follow Catch a Dinosaur on Spotify.

Wallfly’s “Bad Habits” Has a Title That Reflects its Constantly Evolving Weirdo Stream of Consciousness Avant Garde Jigsaw Pop-Rock

Wallfly1_sm — Wallfly, photo courtesy the artists

Wallfly’s album Somethings has been out since April 2018 but its’ single “Bad Habits” recently came to our attention which was welcome for such an unusual and sonically challenging rock song. You never have time to get to used to a sound or a dynamic across the song so calling it “Bad Habits” is genius. Like the band or its members spent some time making music that got stuck in a rut or conforming to some style that bored them. Like when young musicians in recent years think they discovered something new and exciting with the fifth or seventh wave of garage rock or psychedelia like so many do thinking it’s adequate to sound like “Anemone” by The Brian Jonestown Massacre and that simple reverb works to be trippy because delays are for pretentious “art” bands. Wallfly seems to disregard these considerations completely. Somewhere someone cited Deerhoof as a comparison or an influence which seems apt as that’s another band that doesn’t really sound like anyone else unless someone could be said to sound like Melt Banana collided with Alice Donut and Brainiac. The fact is that this song that melds together electronic sounds with rock sounds and an avant-garde sampling aesthetic while creating a song that at its heart speaks to and articulates a desire not to be hemmed in even by one’s own internal task master. If Guerilla Toss is touring through the band’s hometown of Provo, Utah, throw these people on the bill just for weirdo solidarity’s sake. Listen to the song on Spotify and follow Wallfly at the links below.

facebook.com/pg/wallfly.music
wallfly.bandcamp.com

Calcedon’s new single and video “Ice in the Desert” is a View Into the Hubris of Humanity’s Presumptions About its Ability to Adapt to Anything

Canadian singer Calcedon’s new single “Ice in the Desert” is an ethereal meditation on what the future may hold for our species if current climate trends continue. The music video above is a harrowing, all-too-near future science fiction themed scenario set after the collapse of world civilization in the wake of dramatic climate change. It’s a peculiarly human hubris to think we can make the technology to solve all our problems and our ability to adapt to any and all change and that failure to do so is somehow a more failing as well. But, in fact, there are forces beyond our control at play all the time and we as humans often fail at dealing with our problems that seem obvious when other considerations take precedence like temporary benefits in the way of profit, national politics, ego and loyalty to outmoded ideas and ideals. The gently soaring melodies and billowing dynamic of the song, though, suggest not judgment so much as compassion for human folly but one informed by a firm knowledge that “thoughts and prayers” and “good intentions” won’t be enough to stave off our extinction. Rather that we must take action while also not forgetting the nurturing and benevolent side of our collective humanity. Fans of Zola Jesus and the more dreamy side of Myrkur will appreciate Calcedon’s use if vocal tonality and atmosphere to convey powerful emotions. follow Calcedon at the links provided.

soundcloud.com/calcedonmusic
open.spotify.com/artist/0vrPFzt9Jy9I9NV3XGDg3M
twitter.com/calcedonmusic
instagram.com/calcedonmusic

Bull’s Tapetown Sessions Live Video for “Eugene” Displays the Magic and Chemistry of the Left Field Rock Band

Bull1_sm_crop — Bull, photo courtesy the artists

The Tapetown Sesssions recording of Bull’s “Eugene” demonstrates how the band crafts what seems like a simple melody and song from complex components showing in detail the level of attention and effort and care went into the song’s dynamic structure and atmosphere. Even more so than seeing a live gig, the way the video is put together highlights the way Bull pulls off the delicate moments and play off each other in sync with each other as they shift from the quiet and delicate to the more impassioned passages of song. That the band has great chemistry together contributing in seeming equal measure to the graceful power of “Eugene” is on clear display. Listening without seeing gives one a sense of a band with more than four members but that’s just a testament to the songwriting and band logistics in making a mini-orchestral piece with what might otherwise be standard rock band instrumentation. And there’s nothing standard about the song other than maybe some conventional pop structure. Its chord choices reflect a coming at music from a refreshingly different angle the way maybe Pavement or Built To Spill have done—classic rock and punk elements skewed decidedly differently enough to be fresh. Watch the video below and follow Bull at the links provided.

soundcloud.com/bulltheband
twitter.com/BullTheBand
facebook.com/bulltheband
instagram.com/bulltheband

Dudley Benson’s “Matariki” and its Music Video Embodies the Concept of the Maori New Year, Staying Connected With Our Ancestors and Transcending Petty Attachments

DudleyBenson1_sm — Dudley Benson, photo courtesy the artist

Dudley Benson’s contemplative “Matariki” is named after the time of the year in the southern hemisphere when the constellation Pleides appears in the midwinter sky and signaling the Maori New Year. It is a time to think back on those who have passed on with the star formation as a conduit to communicate with them much. Benson’s melody is low key and almost functions as a piece of theater like a song written for a section of a charmingly eccentric musical about the presence of the spirits our loved ones who have died remaining in our consciousness long after they have left corporeal form. Benson takes the implication of these cosmic patterns to another level into blissed out sections of song and with the help of illustrator Emile Holmewood for the music video. Benson communicates how these things we imbue with so much essential meaning aren’t as significant in the grand scheme of things as we often imagine them to be. Heady stuff but with this way of manifesting the song is imaginative rather than pretentious. Watch the video below and follow Benson at the link provided.

abadgeoffriendship.com/dudley-benson

“The Time Has Come” is Mat Creedon’s Song About Interstellar Travel as a Metaphor for Motivating Yourself to Attain Your Dreams

MatCreedon1_sm_crop — Mat Creedon, photo courtesy the artist

Mat Creedon’s “The Time Has Come” references “Space Oddity” in the first section of the song with a nod to Pink Floyd’s “Set the Controls” for the Heart of the Sun” in the next section as part of the chorus. And the synth pop song has a bit of a now retro-futurist feel with pulsing, distorted synth lines and vocals processed to sound like they’re coming from the kind of A.I. that might be running an interstellar spaceship except for that bit about voices in its head and other refinements that one would most expect from an organic being. This space ship metaphor also serves as a message about getting on with the momentous events of one’s life rather than put them off and getting swept in the forward motion of your personal destiny. Listen to the song on Soundcloud and follow Creedon on Spotify.

Sal Dulu’s Single “Tyko” is The Expression of Pure Feeling and the Ghosts of Pleasant Memories in song

SalDulu_Tyko_cover_crop — Sal Dulu “Tyko” cover (cropped)

On “Tyko” Sal Dulu demonstrates how one can take familiar and established musical ideas and transform them into something fresh and stirring to the imagination. Structurally and sonically saunters into your brain like a downtempo track with the lush atmospheres, introspective soundscapes and a sense of depth. The bright synth shimmer that cycles in an out is like a reminder that the real world awaits your return from this trip into dreamlike reverie. The vocals are used as a sampled mantra more than conscious wording. At times the song is reminiscent of Moby’s most blissed out moments, at others like a mid-90s trip hop act going fully abstract and expressing pure feeling and the ghosts of pleasant memories in sound. Listen to “Tyko” on Soundcloud and follow Sal Dulu at the links provided.

soundcloud.com/user-727004974
facebook.com/saldulu