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Sonny Ratcliff’s Video For Georgia Weber and The Sleeved Hearts’ “Parachute” Single Highlights the Song’s Message of Gentleness in Honest Self-Reflection

GeorgiaWeberAndTheSleevedHearts1_lg — Georgia Weber and The Sleeved Hearts, photo courtesy the artists

The translucent imagery of Georgia Weber and The Sleeved Hearts in Sonny Ratcliff’s video for the band’s new single “Parachute” is the perfect visual analogue to the song and its themes. Going from ethereal introspection to strong rhythms and a more determined pace “Parachute” is a song about learning to build your own means of keeping from going into your own life’s freefall. It’s about being transparent with yourself and honest, observing the layers of distance you make for yourself and your own truth and then being willing to reach within for the capacity to not just float with the currents but to weather them and steer your own path. Weber talks about visualizing this path and making a conscious choice to make the life you want rather than the one that most readily and easily presents itself. The intricate melodies and classical sensibility accomplished with bandmates Kenji Herbert on guitar and Nathan Ellman Bell on drums finds Weber striking a tricky balance of delicate yet directed and compassionate rather than self-coddling. Watch the video on YouTube and follow Georgia Weber and The Sleeved Hearts at the links provided. Also look out for the group’s debut full length Keeping It Real due out October 4, 2019.

georgiawebermusic.com
soundcloud.com/georgiaweberbass
open.spotify.com/artist/3jNVXgSbElAWKxzfFnUvq4
youtube.com/georgiaweberbass
twitter.com/georgiaweberbas
facebook.com/georgiaweberbass
instagram.com/georgiaweberbass

The Bergamot Side-Step the Tropes of Therapy Culture With the Insightful and Compassionate Single “Bones”

TheBergamot1_crop — The Bergamot, photo courtesy the artists

Rather than offer the tired bootstrap type talk favored by people with no real understanding of other humans, on its latest single “Bones,” The Bergamot offers a poetic insight into personal struggle without platitudes. The opening lines sets the stage for the rest of the song with a simple metaphor of how can you really get up or get anything done as a human without the internal emotional framework to do so. What do you do when things most of us take for granted aren’t there? The metaphor could stand for being in a state of depression, addiction, chronic illness or any state of mind and/or body that puts us in a place where we don’t or don’t feel like we have the internal support to get up and going on our own without help. What the song doesn’t do is patronize in its hushed, melodic atmospheres. It doesn’t offer pithy, mealy-mouthed wisdom. But most importantly it offers an attempt at understanding without judgment or a sense that the songwriters feel like they have it figured out. The Bergamot’s Nathaniel Paul Hoff has some experience with the subject matter as his brother attempted suicide nearly three years ago following a stint in rehab. Rather than take an ableist perspective, Hoff and the band crafted a song that is flush with emotion but also a message of taking it easy on yourself even as you try to get and do better and to not have unrealistic expectations about where you are so that you don’t set impossible bars to reach. It’s essentially a message of self-kindness and one that is deft and avoiding the pitfalls, the hubris and the bravado that comes with too many attempts by people doing well or with healthy coping mechanisms trying to help others whose circumstances they don’t understand and how one can be winnowed to nothing inside with nothing to snap back with. The Bergamot with this song seem to suggest a program of patience, gentleness and active listening to what your body and mind are telling you. Listen to “Bones” on Soundcloud or on the recently released album Mayflies, which released on September 19, 2019.

soundcloud.com/the-bergamot
facebook.com/TheBergamot

Blind The Thin King Evokes a Sense of the Cultural Ephemera of an Ancient or Alien Civilizations on its Sample Strewn New Ambient Single “Cloak of Misanthrope”

blind-the-thin-king-2_crop — Blind The Thin King, image courtesy the artists

Blind The Thin King’s aim is to make music that sounds like something from a lost or extra-terrestrial civilization or found by a far future society with no known cultural connection to our own—to make something for which the social and technological context is unknown. So the project’s latest single “Cloak of Misanthrope” comes across like the discovery of a music storage device that contained the information throughout an optical storage matrix that was found in pieces and through which we’re stimulating the crystalline structure to elicit sounds and we get a fascinating collage of tones, textures and a rhythm not based on anything normal but out of the cadence of seemingly random sonic data. Instead of a Hari Seldon type figure giving us the finest music of the era from the arts equivalent of Foundation, we get something like an even more corrupted, more randomized flow of sounds than the Elvis Presley hologram performance from Blade Runner 2049. It’s supposed to be challenging, it’s maybe even supposed to be off putting but there’s something about this track that keeps you listening, a sonic puzzle that tantalizes because some of the pieces are missing but if you pay close enough attention you will figure out the unifying element. Perhaps the connectors can be found across the Four Hymns LP from which “Cloak of Misanthrope” is taken. But even if not, “Cloak of Misanthrope” has an appeal similar to artifacts of ancient civilizations we don’t fully understand or the electronic transmissions from numbers stations. Yet there is a strange and haunting coherency to the song that is undeniable. Listen on Soundcloud and follow Blind The Thin King further there as well.

soundcloud.com/blindthethinking

The Mighty Avon Jnr Evoke the Harrowing Psychedelic Experiences of the Films of Herzog and Francis Ford Coppola on Industrial Post-Punk Track “Cobra, Dear Heart”

TheMightyAvonJr2_crop — The Mighty Avon Jr, photo courtesy the artists

Although Popol Vuh’s soundtrack to the 1987 film Cobra Verde, Werner Herzog’s fifth and final collaboration with Klaus Kinski, is perfectly adequate, this song, “Cobra, Deart Heart” by Irish experimental post-punk group The Mighty Avon Jnr, could very well step in with its gritty and colorful, sprawling and lush industrial soundscape. It might even work for Fitzcarraldo and Aguirre the Wrath of God as well. Bass throbs like the jungle swelter and the threat of hidden fauna, disease and the inner demons of other humans as their psyches crack under the strain of trying to survive and thrive in challenging environments. As the track progresses its vocals evolve into the realm of the wilder late 80s EBM and the distorted processing. And then the horns kick in giving the song a truly surreal feel like you’ve come upon some makeshift oasis in a hostile tropical landscape much as Willard and company did in the original cut of Apocalypse Now when they stumble upon the last refuge of former French colonists. All the shadows and light, the disorientation, the transcendence and mystery of the aforementioned films, the sense of them, flow through the entire composition. Overall the song is reminiscent of something Pigface might have done or some other Chris Connelly project but more melancholic and coherent yet just unbeholden to a narrow genre aesthetic. Listen to all nearly eleven minutes of this epic on Spotify and follow The Mighty Avon Jr at the links below.

mightyavonjnr.com
open.spotify.com/artist/4R8jAFIwOzE6L6wR1NwTQF
themightyavonjnr.bandcamp.com/album/hold-everything-dear
instagram.com/mightyavon

Non-Functional Harmony’s “—b— (the Torri in Sabina Ambient Remix)” is a Guided Meditation Through Layers of Textural and Tonal Flow

Non-FunctionalHarmony_cover — Non-Functional Harmony, “—b—” cover (cropped)

“—b— “ (the Torri in Sabina Ambient Remix) finds Non-Functional Harmony in a mode of abstraction like the charting of undercurrents in what seems to be a still body of water. Its flows of drone layers and textures are subtle as though you’re contemplating vectors of nearby breezes while meditating on the minutiae of the natural world around you to get you out of your usually conscious perspective. Tones ring out like rivulets on the desert post spring drizzle and others hover like the Aurora Borealis or clouds moving rapidly in the sky against the sun from fast moving wind that isn’t touching the ground. As your mind takes in these stimuli and your imagination and consciousness drift into an altered state the gentle winds and streams of the song’s leaves you in a zone of tranquility with the worries of everyday life dissolved by erosion in miniature. Listen to “—b—” on Soundcloud and follow Non-Functional Harmony at the links below.

nonfunctionalharmony.com
soundcloud.com/nonfunctionalharmony
open.spotify.com/artist/0qKhXF7qAINNad9x0qiRBo
twitter.com/nfharmony
instagram.com/nonfunctionalharmony

Neuland Charts the Path of Humanity’s Brighter Future Path on “Longing in Motion,” the Single From its Self-Titled Debut

Neuland2_sm — Neuland, photo courtesy the artists

“Longing in Motion,” the debut single from Neuland’s self-titled double LP due out October 25, is like the musical analogue of that moment when the human race takes the first trip through a functioning worm hole to a remote part of the universe dense with stars. The luminous elegance of that moment and the unprecedented emotional impact of the certain knowledge and direct experience of the realization of a peak of human imagination and intellect but of worlds beyond what we will have been able to see with our own eyes until that first contact. Maybe we will not have matured enough as a species to not have agendas of profit and exploitation of resources and the development of a weaponized use of that technology leading up to that time. But the sheer sense of wonder is something no one will be able to deny and in that moment there is hope. It is the same sense astronauts who have been to the moon and back have described and even a yearning to experience again but on a galactic and intergalactic and perhaps even interdimensional scale. The music hints at a knowledge of a new kind of liberation from former limitations and a hint that we can be more than the current ideologies and belief systems have limited our thinking and consciousness. The accompanying music video beautifully illustrates this sense of expanded view that the song expresses in sound.

The duo responsible for this music are no strangers to transcendent and mind-altering compositions. Peter Baumann was a keyboardist of pioneering synth and art rock band Tangerine Dream during the critical years 1971-1977 including working on the landmark 1974 release Phaedra and the soundtrack to the 1977 film Sorcerer. Paul Haslinger later played keyboards and guitar in Tangerine Dream from 1986-1990 and worked on the soundtracks to Near Dark and Three O’Clock High and the albums Canyon Dreams and Melrose, among other releases. With this collaboration broached three decades ago, the self-titled debut is not beholden to past accomplishments, having been impacted by groundbreaking modern masters of synth composition, rather it looks to soundtracking humankind’s inevitable brighter future. Listen to and watch the video for “Longing in Motion” on YouTube and follow Neuland at the links below.

soundcloud.com/neulandproject
youtube.com/channel/UCZTOabpxPCRPRkIIJWE–jg
facebook.com/neulandproject
instagram.com/neulandproject

The Stargazer Lilies Warp Forward and Back in Psychological Time on the Fuzzy, Mind-Bending New Single “Living Work of Art”

TheStargazerLilies1_sm — The Stargazer Lilies, photo courtesy the artists

The Stargazer Lilies’ “Living Work of Art” begins like an unmarked cassette found at a thrift store with some tape hiss and white noise the picks up into a fuzzy, warping, worn VHS collage of granulated, phasing melodic tone over which female vocals intone winsomely, occasionally glitching out. Though clearly a modern recording, the band has opted for the opposite of slick production but not quite lo-fi as the sounds are strong and clearly intentional if not 100% calculated. The track comes from the band’s forthcoming album Occabot, out on November 1 on Rad Cult. The latter is more than a clue that Tobacco of Black Moth Super Rainbow is involved and in fact is the producer of the record. But this doesn’t sound like he took over the sound of the band, he just encouraged their natural instincts for going outside their own lines and rules and make an experience as much as individual, coherent songs. “Living Work of Art” seems to simultaneously go forward and backward in an entrancing loop and to evolve in organic ways much as the title suggests. Listen to the single on Soundcloud and follow the band from northeastern Pennsylvania at the links below.

open.spotify.com/artist/0BykdcTFMgGvvyySXL7yGI
twitter.com/TheStrgzrLilies
facebook.com/thestargazerlilies
instagram.com/thestargazerlilies

Tablefox Subverts the Bravado of 80s Action Movie Rock to Deliver a Tenderly Confessional Pop Song

Tablefox3_sm — Tablefox, photo courtesy the artists

One its new single “Always Always,” New Zealand’s Tablefox strikes triumphant tones with an epic upsweep of chords and rhythm. But this upbeat tone comes with a deeply confessional story of a person who admits to shortcomings in their relationships with a specific person. But wanting to make up for those failings by being present now and not running from admitting to an emotional connection that was always there. It’s an interesting piece of music considering the core message seems to be the singer admitting to pursuing nonsense that in their own minds seemed more exciting and important but that it was simply “My foolish paradise.” Musically it sounds like one of those badass pop anthems that might have appeared in a Sylvester Stallone movie crossed with one The Call’s spiritual power pop ballads. Except it subverts the macho bravado of the former and embraces the earnestness of the latter in delivering a song that is sweeping and heartfelt. Listen to “Always Always” on Soundcloud and follow Tablefox at the link below.

soundcloud.com/tablefox

Honey Creeper’s “Killer Gourmet Burgers” is the Sound of a Wise-Ass Coming to Terms With the Mortality of a Loved One

Honey Creeper’s catalog up to now is a surreally nightmarish songs throwing up the more unsavory side of the American psyche for display in an absurd and humorous, if sometimes edgy, fashion. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say some of the artwork and song titles and songs themselves are within the realm of “NSF.” But think more in the spirit of early Ween than something like Brainbombs. This song, “Killer Gourmet Burgers,” submitted to us from an EP that seems to have emerged in 2017, is actually a short song as a testimony to a parent, a grandparent, a mentor missed deeply. It’s a tender ode to someone you took for granted in your life who is suddenly gone and you don’t quite know how to deal with it so you write a weary song with a warped jangle and your voice slowed down to enhance the sense of poignantly confused loss. It’s a song that sounds like someone used to poking fun at and laughing at everything with no sacred cows finally has to come to terms with the mortality of someone they care about and there’s no glossing over the hurt with humor. Follow Honey Creeper at the links below.

https://soundcloud.com/user-177357622
https://www.facebook.com/pg/honeycreeperfuxsquad

daisy’s Debut single “BLEACH” is a Song About How Starting Over Sometimes Takes Extreme Measures

daisy1_sm_crop — daisy, photo courtesy the artists

The throbbing distortion of daisy’s new single “BLEACH” is reminiscent of the era of music represented on the Amphetamine Reptile imprint at its peak from the 80s through the 90s. Its pounding beat and atonal noise hooks with just shy of tortured vocals create a disorienting haze well complemented by the music video. The plot of the latter seems to be of young women, disillusioned with the hypocrisy, abuse and warped cult-like nature of their evangelical upbringing turn to what seems the opposite in occult practices inspired by what they’ve seen in movies depicting Satanism. The video is even more low budget than Ti West’s chilling 2009 early 80s inspired horror film The House of the Devil. But that’s what gives it an unsettling authenticity. Once the women walk up a sinister looking set of poorly lit stairs to a secluded apartment the visuals are blown out in smoky orange that settles into a candlelit circle and they are welcomed to the other side as in video footage of faith healers and phone numbers to call to donate run on screen like memories being expunged from consciousness as the repeating, pins and needles guitar figure, like an amp picking up cel signal, takes us out of the song. Though perhaps not explicit the song with the video suggests that personal darkness can come from anywhere inside us as we’ve internalized what’s outside of us and that to rebuild the kind of authentic self we need maybe a little psychic bleach will help. Watch the video on YouTube and follow daisy, which includes members of Bleached and Warpaint, at the links provided.

open.spotify.com/artist/2LAyBWkYdMBf6VfrT8HSZn
instagram.com/daisydaisyofficial