Song Review – Page 47 – Queen City Sounds and Art

Kid Tigrrr’s Ambient Shoegaze Single “Shapes of Water” Entrances in Dappled Musical and Emotional Tones

Kid Tigrrr guitar figures flow into languid eddys of sound in the beginning of “Shapes of Water” and as the musician layers the guitar we hear a hint of electronic percussion counting out the paces. Hushed, breathy vocals reminiscent of Fever Ray circa The Knife’s more tender moments or of Jenny Hval add a dreamlike and reflective tone to the song the effect multiplied by deeply evocative imagery of the music video. We see projections of colors and of light reflected on rippling water, of abstract environments in which Kid Tigrrr sways and gestures when not actively executing the music. And in the end there is a touch of reverse delay in the guitar loop concluding the song on a lingeringly entrancing note. Watch the video for “Shapes of Water” on YouTube and follow Kid Tigrrr at the links below.

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Kid Tigrrr on Instagram

Kid Tigrrr on Bandcamp

“Sweets” by faults. is an Endearing Yet Dark Dream Pop Portrait of Life on the Edge

The video for “Sweets” by Swedish audio-visual artist KC Dahlehan looks like scenes from a more cinéma vérité style of one of those great Nordic crime dramas of recent years. All washed out colors and stark landscapes, dramatic situations born of trauma and regret. We see two women seemingly on the run from something in their pasts and all they have is each other and their shared sense of quelling or purging lingering inner darkness. The music is reminiscent of Eastern European post-punk with the spidery guitar figures and icy synth melodies that though gentle and subtle in its composition is not short on a brooding urgency. The vocals are like something you’d expect from a synth pop band with their emotionally stirring melodies but undeniably and compellingly darker in mood. Combined the visual and musical elements of the presentation of the song seem like an a music video commissioned by A24 that fans of Rose Glass will appreciate. Watch the video for “Sweets” on YouTube and follow faults. at the links below.

faults. on Instagram

Signe Vange Tenderly Wish Outmoded Ways of Being and Thinking Farewell on Dream Pop Single “Dinosaur”

Signe Vange takes a different approach to casting off ways of living, being and organizing human civilization with “Dinosaur.” The gentle vocals, measured pace, subtle washes of synth and warbling melody hovering in the background like the least intrusive alarm siren in recent memory are the perfect backdrop to Zen-like lyrics addressed kindly to the forces in the world that are holding the collective species from living in peace and sustainable prosperity with “For nothing can last forevermore/Not you, you dinosaur/Take a bow and leave before/Your bones/Turn into stones.” The words are not delivered with the angst and understandable rancor such words often manifest in music but with an affection and respect for how maybe some older ways and habits served their purpose at a time or weren’t fully understood to be as harmful as they were or became. It’s an invitation to exit with grace before getting fully weighed down by one’s rigid hubris. Listen to “Dinosaur” on Spotify and follow Danish dream pop group Signe Vange at the links provided.

signevange.com

Signe Vange on Instagram

Signe Vange on YouTube

Manpreet Kundi’s “unresolved” is a Poignantly Affecting Song About Earnest Infatuation and Future Heartbreak

Manpreet Kundi, photo courtesy the artist

Manpreet Kundi brings to her new single “unresolved” a level of emotional depth and detail even though it seems to come from a place of youthful infatuation. With spare and gentle guitar work and melancholic washes of synth and electronic strings, Kundi frames her song in which we hear moments of sensory memory that anchor feelings of love and affection in your mind like longing gazes, kisses on the neck and shared “frantic” heartbeats when together. But there is a suspicion that can’t be ignored that concludes each section of the song when Kundi realizes “You just won’t say a word.” The whole song Kundi sings of expressions of love and regard without getting them back the way you expect and thus you hear the hint of future heartbreak without them needing to be said because anyone that has felt similarly about anyone else in a similar situation recognizes that moment of realization even when you know your feelings were at least honest and genuine regardless of their reciprocation. Listen to “unresolved” on Spotify and follow Manpreet Kundi at the links below. Look out for Kundi’s forthcoming concept EP of which “unresolved” is a part.

Manpreet Kundi on Facebook

Manpreet Kundi on TikTok

Manpreet Kundi on Instagram

Mya Lee Explores Themes of Impostor Syndrome and Inner Fortitude on Cinematic Neo Soul Pop Single “Tonight’s the Night”

In “Tonight’s the Night” Mya Lee seems to explore themes of impostor syndrome and cultivating inner fortitude when your internalized habits of mind work to hold you back from achieving your dreams. But Lee also expresses a truth not often spoken of in popular music and that is how if you fail according to the terms of a situation or culture you’ll still be able to get by and continue to do what it’s in your heart to do. Musically Lee starts off with a spare piano accompaniment to her soulful vocals with a style reminiscent of neo soul but with a tasteful trap beat that accents Lee’s lyrics well and weaves in and out of percussive synth lines and electronic orchestral sounds lending the whole song an air of a larger narrative of which this song is an early chapter. But the song stands on its own and the insecurities expressed early in the song are met with gentle words of reassurance and encouragement by the song’s conclusion. It’s a song that has thematic and musical depth and layers of meaning that reward repeated listens. Hear “Tonight’s the Night” on Spotify and follow Mya Lee at the links below.

onlymyalee.com

Mya Lee on Instagram

Urkle’s Downtempo IDM Track “The Hermit” is the Musical Equivalent of the Intricate Inner Workings of a Great Cosmic Clock

“The Hermit” by Urkle is like experiencing a meditative exploration of inner space as an awareness of the interlocking dynamics between aspects of one’s consciousness as it intersects with the world. Tones and textures manifest in an almost mechanistic yet smoothly rendered way with percussive electronic tones like bells struck in exquisitely executed sequences while accented by slow bursts of sound and a background drone orchestrates a reflective mood with swells and fades. Musically it’s reminiscent of Aphex Twin’s enigmatic energies circa Selected Ambient Works Volume II mixed with 90s trio hop especially with the brief moments of warm vocals bringing a touch of organic humanity to what hits as hearing the workings of a great cosmic clock processing the intricacies of space-time into a readily discernible and elegant form. Listen to “The Hermit” on Spotify. Urkle’s latest EP Contrast released on February 24, 2024.

The Fever Haze Relives Peak Emotional Moments in the Warm, Nostalgic Shoegaze Sounds of “(I’ll Always Leave a Part of My Heart in) Colorado”

The motes of melody in the introduction to “(I’ll Always Leave a Part of My Heart in) Colorado” as the guitar line chimes almost impressionistically as well establishes a deep sense of bittersweet nostalgia. But it builds to epic whorls of tone and processional rhythms in which Jackie Kalmink’s vocals seem to fall back into while looking back on a time in life that was filled with peak emotional moments however long those times were, or how episodic. The melodies soar and blaze and then dissolve into meditative open spaces into which the vocals drift and fade with each line of lyrics. Then the song reprises with expansive, robust riffs without dispelling a sense of Kalmink reliving cherished moments of vulnerability and connection with a full heart even if the days coming to mind are in the past. It’s the kind of song that doesn’t fetishize nostalgia but taps into it as a way to access a part of the psyche that’s awash in what makes life feel vital. Listen to “(I’ll Always Leave a Part of My Heart in) Colorado” on Spotify and follow The Fever Haze at the links below. The band’s new full-length album Moonbow was released on digital, cassette and “galaxy” colored vinyl by Graveface on March 29, 2024.

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The Fever Haze on Instagram

Joh Chase Leans Into Life’s Shifting Circumstances in the Introspective and Spirited Indie Pop Song “Gone”

Joh Chase’s songs from the forthcoming album SOLO (due April 26, 2024 via Kill Rock Stars) each seem to have their own personality and style but all informed by a poetic outlook and personal insight into life’s transitional moments. The single “Gone” finds the melody centered around Chase’s expressive vocals and words that seem to come from a moment when maybe you feel like you’ve run out of luck (“Gone, my four-leaf clover”) and left to your own devices by former partners and even your dog, for now. Chase seems to accept the latter in stride because the dog will find her way home and our narrator in the words “And I’m gone with the wind, now,” leaning into circumstance rather than bemoaning it because so much is transitory and sometimes these changes are the best course for your life whether you are completely aware of it or not. The note struck by the end of the song is one of triumph and exulting in the moment. The minimal, rhythmic guitar work and drums flow where Chase guides them with their introspective and spirited moments lending the song an organic feel like you’re with Chase in accepting an intuitive approach to what might otherwise be more challenging times in one’s life. Watch the video for “Gone” on YouTube and follow Chase at the links provided.

Joh Chase on Facebook

Joh Chase on Instagram

Syndel’s Dream Pop Song “Hear Me Bleed” Evokes Deep Feelings of Conflicted Affection

Syndel imbues her single “Hear Me Bleed” with a vulnerability and dream like melancholy that serves as a fascinating contrast with the sentiments in the song. Employing both introspective singing and spoken word Syndel presents us with the story of someone who has opened herself up to someone who has proven himself not worth being show a side of herself she shares with very few people. We hear her anger at herself for making herself vulnerable to someone who seems to take such a casual approach to her affection. Yet she can’t help but still feel the impulse to be generous with her emotions and regard. The conflicted feelings expressed in the song will surely resonate with anyone who feels strongly and has the capacity to be sensitive and open even if it’s not always something most people experience. The music embraces Syndel’s soulful vocals with lush pulses of synth and a soaring and lonely piano melodies that echoes so slightly reflecting lingering feelings that aren’t so easy to shake. Listen to “Hear Me Bleed” on Spotify and follow Syndel at the links below.

Syndel on Facebook

Syndel on Instagram

Boy With Apple’s Gauzy Dream Pop Single “Good For You” is a Transporting Meditation on Unselfish Yearning

Boy With Apple, photo by Christian Valenzuela Barrondo

Boy With Apple’s final single from its debut album Attachment is “Good For You.” The song’s ethereal melodies are enveloping and transporting and though there is the gorgeously gossamer guitar work and winsome vocals for which the band has become known there is an element to its composition that seems rooted in the aesthetics of electronic music and beatmaking. The result is a composition that drifts into your brain and takes you on an emotional journey exploring uncertainty in love while holding a certainty about how you feel. The line “How can I be good for you when I’m not even good for me” is delivered with such delicacy it speaks to a perspective of unselfish yearning, of wanting to love and be loved but not to harm in the course of a relationship. Fans of Black Tambourine and Lush will appreciate the genre-bending style of the song and the way it articulates complex feelings with an expansive musical reach and a willingness to let the sounds linger and interact organically with an analog sparkle. Listen to “Good For You” on Spotify and follow Gothenburg, Sweden’s Boy With Apple at the links provided. The Boy With Apple debut album Attachment was released March 15, 2024.

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