SubmitHub – Page 152 – Queen City Sounds and Art

The Rec’s “Teenage Teardrops” is a Pop Requiem for the Loss of a Youthful Exuberance for Life

“Teenage Teardrops” begins with a hushed and stirring dynamic to frame a narrative about the ways youthful aspirations and ability to see possibilities and find meaning in simple things like, as mentioned early in the song, meaning on a seven inch record, can be leached from your psyche if you’re in an environment that doesn’t nourish the soul in even the simplest ways. “I can’t cry anymore” is such a simply lyric but in the context of the song it encapsulates having reached a point where you find yourself in a place geographically and/or emotionally where you have lost the ability to even mourn a situation that no longer serves you because you’ve given so much so freely without thinking about it. When you’re young you think you have infinite time and opportunity to do what you would like but even at a young age bleeding yourself dry for a lifestyle or a job or a relationship or for anything or anyone can catch up to you. Later in life that timeline shortens and this song acknowledges that reality of having moments of vitality feeling like youth and when you’re tapped out it can leave you feeling confused and devastated. The orchestral quality of the song with melancholic piano and synths driving the melody while husky vocals seem to dance and sway with the gently strummed guitar line and finely accented percussion suggests a cinematic quality and experience evocative of everyday experiences elevated to the mythic. After that fashion it is reminiscent of where XTC went with its own songwriting from the mid-80s onward and early solo Barry Adamson. Listen to “Teenage Teardrops” on Bandcamp and follow the Rec at the links provided.

The Rec on Facebook

George McFall Encourages Amusement in the Face of Stimulus Overload on the Dada-esque Post-punk “Diurnal Patio”

George McFall took samples of songs by Big Country as an element for the sonic palette for his Diurnal Patio EP. The title track melds the upbeat, jaunty quality of Big Country with an almost cut-up style of repeated images for lyrics in free associating how so many of the crises and dramatic events we’ve been experiencing of late are just another version of something we’ve had shoved down our throats before like it’s something new but in the end (“another panic attack, another century, another sentiment, another cigarette, another apathy) it’s a collection of feelings we process and when things fly at us with what feels like a rapid fire of stimulation it’s easy to become numb to the full impact of the events as we try to sort through what might actually have meaning and significance and do our best as humans with limitations of cognition in processing so much information that may or may not have an impact on our lives directly. It’s like an irreverent post-punk track built on a cheeky remix and collage/barrage of ideas and images that takes the very absurdity of the situation and suggests that so much of what’s floated our way is the detritus of history we can brush aside and not get lost in the flood of distractions. The song and perhaps the EP is a way to comment the Marcel Duchamp once did in his concept of “Readymades” or even the radical social deconstructionist impulses of Dada to mulch culture to create something new out the other end of the process. But whatever the intentions or methods, McFall has created a fascinating and compelling work that fans of both TransAm and The Fall equally might appreciate. Listen to “Diurnal Patio” (surely a Dada-esque title) on Spotify and connect with McFall at the links provided.

tenemenetrecords.com

“The Margin” by Good at Rockets is an Invitation to an Exercising of Grace in Challenging Times

Good at Rockets is an Orange County Trio that released its latest single “The Margin.” The track certainly bears comparison to late 80s R.E.M. with jangly guitar work paired with poetically introspective lyrics that examine the strange ways humans conduct their lives and engage with the world around them by way of behaviors intended to be statements of identity not often examined enough, a pantomime of intentionality. The spare piano work accents the melodic line and as a subtle element it helps to emphasize an underlying message in the song to think beyond the usual frames and narratives that ring in your life out of force of habit even when situations call for greater nuance, understanding and compassion. Every day, John McCabe suggests in his singing, is a chance to get this dynamic right and to inculcate better habits but self-awareness is a good place to start and without judgment. Listen to “The Margin” on Spotify and follow Good at Rockets at the links provided.

goodatrockets.com

Icarus Phoenix Examines Lived Experience of Social Anxiety With “80’s Night Dance Party Singing ‘Send Me an Angel’”

Icarus Phoenix “80’s Night Dance Party Singing ‘Send Me an Angel’” cover

Icarus Phoenix uses the vehicle of power pop Americana with “80’s Night Dance Party Singing ‘Send Me an Angel’” to deliver the realest lines about social anxiety rendered in thoughtful couplets. It’s posed as a series of questions coming from a place of compassionate curiosity and works whether directed to a friend or to oneself. Singing “Why’s it gotta be you feel alive with no one round?” A.R. Herrin sums up what it means to be an introvert but recognizing the limitations of going too far into yourself to the point of isolation. “Riding on my bike abandoning social events every time” is a line at the end of the song that so succinctly creates an image of a habit of a different kind of escapism than simply binging on entertaining media or chemical alteration. The sparkling, jangly guitar work as almost processional strumming frames this song about getting to the root of one’s anxieties that one’s well-constructed system of coping mechanisms aren’t fooling anyone and no longer serve the interests of your heart. Listen to “80’s Night Dance Party Singing ‘Send Me an Angel’” on Bandcamp and perhaps further explore the full album No tree can grow to heaven unless its roots reach down to hell out now on Telos Tapes. Also, connect with Icarus Phoenix at the links provided.

Katja Vale’s “Water Serpents” is a Downtempo Tale of Personal Liberation

Former Skinjobs vocalist Katja Vale has been releasing solo tracks in 2021 and her latest is “Water Serpents.” With an array of synth swells and layers of ethereal melody and a vocal line that rises and falls with subtle dynamics, Vale offers a song that seems to use the image of mythological creatures as metaphor for the ways people trap and define other people to suit their own needs even as a core human instinct for freedom will unwind that influence and power in the end. Vale sings of the ways we internalize this attempt to control through guilt and people pleasing and a natural desire to do no harm but in the context of a toxic relationship not harming the situation isn’t a sustainable way of being. The song’s downtempo moods and slow-coiling synth line punctuated by bright tonal accents truly makes this song of quiet personal liberation stand out. Listen to “Water Serpents” on Spotify below and follow Vale at the links provided.

“Can You Hear Me?” by Margo Polo is an Uplifting Call to the Universe For a Little Relief

Margo Polo’s single “Can You Hear Me?” comes on with a confidence and exuberance propelled by the excitement of the dream and visions that have brought you to where you want to be. But David Provenzano’s lyrics with this project rarely sit with simple hopefulness and bravado. And though the track rushes with great energy, buoyed with upsweeping, ethereal synth melodies and driving, fuzzy guitar rhythms it really does seem to come from a place we’ve all been for two years minimum where everything has felt up in the air, uncertain and filled with doubts about our ability to turn aspirations into dreams and no end in sight to a time of seemingly new challenges every week and every month and now every year. Sure the pandemic is the big disruption but it simply focused larger societal and civilizational issues that have made it increasingly difficult for most people to get by or to achieve many modest goals in life with the unspoken truth that when the under class struggles so hard and the people that are the undercelebrated glue of society similarly struggle the whole thing is in trouble whether the wealthy and powerful recognize it or not and in aggregate they haven’t for years. This song is about being in that place not necessarily trying to fix some bigger picture but just trying to make it through a little at a time while not pretending it’s all okay yet yearning for a state of things that don’t seem like an endless crisis. Heady stuff but Provenzano has a gift for making serious subject matter personal, accessible and uplifting. Fans of M83 would do well to check out any Margo Polo song. Listen to “Can You Hear Me?” on Spotify below and follow Margo Polo at any of the links provided.

Tweets by margotpolomusic

Margo Polo on Facebook

Drones Que Caens Captures the Tragedy of Homelessness and Compassion for the Dignity of The Homeless on Downtempo Track “No Faltes”

Drones Que Caens employs an impressionistic set of synthesizer arpeggios and meditative percussion to set the mood for “No Faltes.” But when the vocals come in with electronic flutes the dynamic of the song changes and opens up into contemplative emotional spaces. The song is in Spanish and the poetry of it is perhaps most fully appreciated with a knowledge of the language. However, even lacking that, knowing that the song is a portrait of a homeless person in Argentina, as a symbol for homeless people around the world, the emotional content of the song is the same and evocatively conveyed. It has a tragic, mournful quality that conveys a deep compassion for the situation and what makes it possible and the inherent human dignity of the subject of the song. Fans of Trent Reznor’s and Atticus Ross’s soundtrack work will appreciate the sound design component of the arrangements and production of “No Faltes” with its attention to texture, rhythm and the accents of tone. The song has a downtempo quality but one that moves you to a different state and a consciousness of the plight of others rather than comforting and soothing your conscience and that’s partly what makes it a remarkable piece of work. Listen to “No Faltes” on Soundcloud and connect with Drones Que Caen at the links provided.

https://dronesquecaen.bandcamp.com
https://soundcloud.com/drones-que-caen

Sasha Daniel Has Crafted a Tender and Delicate Tribute to True Love on “Hold”

Sasha Daniel uses an enigmatic, warbling drone and a minor progression on acoustic guitar to accompany her intimate vocals on “Hold.” It’s a song celebrating the love you have before heartbreaks happen and the romance experiences any major tests. Or maybe it simply expresses the durability of a bond that has deepened after some challenges. Whatever place in the romance from which the song was written its tender feelings shine through in a song that sounds melancholic and reflective. Daniel sounds assured yet tentatively hopeful with the knowledge of the way romantic bonds can be fragile and evolve in unpredictable ways as the people involved grow and change. Daniel holds on to the feelings and the memories of what made the emotional connection strong enough to be more than merely liking someone so that it can be an anchor for when times seem tougher, those times when many people can forget even for a moment what brought them together. Listen to “Hold” on Spotify and connect with Sasha Daniel at the links below.

https://www.facebook.com/musicbysashadaniel
https://www.instagram.com/sashadanielworld
https://soundcloud.com/sashadanielmusic

Elliot James Mulhern’s “Again” is Like Cinematic Retrofuturist Ballroom Dream Pop

Elliot James Mulhern, photo courtesy the artist

From the beginning of Elliot James Mulhern’s “Again” it sounds like we’ve been invited into a retrofuturist re-imagining of some kind of spacious ballroom from the 1940s. Or like a chillout room adjacent to The Restaurant at the End of the Universe from the Douglas Adams novel of the same name where there exists a time bubble that seemingly allows access to a broad spectrum of possibilities. The bursting swells of tone, the bright synth tones, Mulhern’s echoing, haunted vocals make for a lo-fi dream pop song that sounds like something that might have been featured in a never before made Hitchcock film or an Orson Welles science fiction vehicle in collaboration with Baz Luhrmann with lush, scintillating sonic dynamics and a sense of hidden personal darkness and romance. Listen to “Again” on Spotify, connect with Mulhern at the links below and look out for the new EP FREE THOUGHTS which released June 5, 2020 and graced with with artwork by George Mager.

https://www.facebook.com/elliotjamesmulhernhttps://www.instagram.com/elliotjameshttps://open.spotify.com/artist/2iPp4PJ4eO0m4pHBPLizoY?si=JoPvVuG3R_aFCUIUREz7Nghttps://elliotjamesmulhern.bandcamp.comhttps://twitter.com/elliotjames

MOLTENO Accepts the Letting Go of the Illusion of Control on “Waves”

MOLTENO, photo by Laura Viana and styling by Simone Meissl

MOLTENO expertly uses electronic finger snaps, echoing percussion and swell of synth alongside her contemplative vocals to manifest the image of cycles on her single “Waves.” She sings of dropping a tone into the water and observing the inevitable waves that ripple as a result as a metaphor for the way our actions in life have inevitable and predictable consequences though we can’t always clearly see what those might be and sometimes we have to wait patiently to see how things ultimately pan out. The song captures this endless cycle of cause and effect and how it can be hypnotic and seductive to think by observing consequences that we can somehow predict the future and alter its course. Except in the luminous yet resigned tones of the song one detects an acceptance of the fact that even knowing the likely outcomes of actions conveys the illusion of control because as a mortal being you can only be aware of so much. Listen to “Waves” on Soundcloud and connect with MOLTENO at the links below.

moltenomusic.com
soundcloud.com/moltenomusic
open.spotify.com/artist/7rAKOEwi4Wp5NXVmmkwd0n
twitter.com/moltenomusic
facebook.com/moltenomusic
instagram.com/moltenomusic