SubmitHub – Page 27 – Queen City Sounds and Art

The Video For Yemen Blues’ “Miss Ballad” is a Mysterious and Sinister Manifestation of the Song’s Subversive Genre Bending

When you enter the world of Yemen Blues’ song “Miss Ballad,” at least as manifested in its music video, be prepared for layered cultural expressions and references that mutually enrich a unique musical and visual experience. The song itself seems to represent the name of the band because it has a distorted guitar riff in a blues rock mode but the rhythm is more textured and outside conventional Western time signatures. We see figures in Noh theater style masks but with social roles subverted in a surreal fashion the way Devo would do in its own music videos paired well with the message of the lyrics. But here the lyrics are in Arabic yet the meaning if the video is an apt analog is clear regarding social norms and the breaking of social contracts as the story of the video drifts into decidedly sinister territory like an unusual, Japanese horror film. Musically its like if a Krautrock band indulged a moment of more conventional musical style only to bake into it something more subversive. Watch the video for “Miss Ballad” on YouTube and follow Yemen Blues at the links below. The group’s latest album Only Love Remains dropped August 28, 2024.

yemenblues.com

Yemen Blues on Instagram

Cici Arthur’s Baroque Jazz Pop Single “All So Incredible” is Brimming With Warmth, Intimacy and Emotional Nuance

Cici Arthur is a project featuring Toronto musicians/composers Joseph Shabason, Chris A. Cummings and Thom Gill. The trio is set to release the album Way Through on February 21, 2025 via Western Vinyl. The lead single “All So Incredible” is accompanied by a music video directed by Nicholas Krgovich that is comprised of footage shot by artist and activist Gary Whitefield Coward (provided courtesy his daughter Mara Coward) in the 1960s. It pairs well with the baroque pop hush of the song and Cummings’ slightly husky and rich vocals. The backing vocals provide harmonic contrast and support for Cummings mixing well with the sparest percussion and languid yet lively piano work and horns. The song sounds like something from another era as well with sensibilities that allow for elegant details to enrich the songwriting like the musical equivalent of a vibrant painting, reminiscent of vintage era Frank Sinatra or Tony Bennett with tones trailing off and a feeling of emotional warmth and intimacy that can go by the wayside when songs are perhaps written to be disposable or consumed. “All So Incredible” is imbued with a spirit of writing to express enduring human emotional experiences in their depth and nuance as suggested by the title. Watch the video for “All So Incredible” on YouTube and follow the artists at the links below.

Cici Arthur on Western Vinyl

Chris A. Cummings on Twitter

Joseph Shabason on Instagram

Thom Gill on Bandcamp

Anastasia Nikoulina’s Debut Song “In coherence” is an Orchestral, Experimental Pop Analog of the Human Struggle to Create Meaning in the Chaos of Existence

Anastasia Nikoulina, photo courtesy the artist

Anastasia Nikoulina’s debut “In coherence” has a quiet sense of foreboding generated by string drones and meditative yet menacing and urgent piano work. Her vocals contrast that energy with an introspective, smoky quality that reflects her words asking questions about the workings of the human mind and the way the mind struggles to comprehend a world of constant stimulation that we sort through in every waking moment and casting much of that aside in pursuit of significant perceptions from the external world and the content of what’s going on inside our own minds and how that balance can be relatively easily disrupted. The orchestrated tonal and rhythmic emphases and changing dynamics parallels this process and so the song feels like something we’ve experienced directly without it having to work hard to reach natural comprehension. Even the percussion has a cadence like a heartbeat and so the whole piece is like hearing the equivalent of the experience of daily human life. Listen to “In coherence” on Spotify.

Gabe Lopez’s Vibrantly Melancholic “Long Road” is a Love Song Full of Yearning and a Spirit of Romantic Commitment

Gabe Lopez might be more well known for his co-writing and production for projects and artists like Belinda Carlisle, New Kids on the Block, The Go-Go’s, RuPaul’s Drag Race and James Brown but his own pop songcraft is what got him there. His latest song “Long Road” showcases his soulful vocals and gift for creating melodies of melancholic beauty. The song seems to be about feeling a connection with someone and yearning for more than sharing some moments of laughter and meaningful conversation. The title is a metaphor for being willing to make a commitment to someone but the song itself has the sound of the kind of song for night driving perhaps conceived while taking a contemplative drive and taking in other such songs that make a journey both psychologically resonant and emotionally satisfying in the way night drive can, the way a trip in real time can set the mind in motion toward achieving short term goals with the long term in mind. The elegant piano melodies and minimal guitar figures are stirring and build toward the kind of songwriting denouement reminiscent of the best end of Coldplay’s expansive and uplifting atmospheres and the more pop side of The Verve. Listen to “Long Road” on Spotify and follow Gabe Lopez at the links provided.

Gabe Lopez on Twitter

Gabe Lopez on Facebook

Gabe Lopez on TikTok

Gabe Lopez on Instagram

Gabe Lopez on YouTube

Kuh-Leeb’s Perceptive and Dreamlike Single “Tadpole Racing” is a Vivid Emotional Snapshot Into the Rewards and Downsides to a Life in Music

“Tadpole Racing” demonstrated that Kuh-Leeb is capable of great economy of expression while producing a rich soundscape to pair with his lyrics. From jump the textured rhythms and dream-like melodies swirl and intertwine to produce a sense of being outside normal time. Kuh-Leeb comments on the tensions between the demands of what it takes to achieve success and the trappings and rewards thereof and the desire to not compromise one’s values and get too attached to the “good” things of a life in art and music that end up being burdens that undermine your ability to stay with it with integrity or at all. In the end it seems like Kuh-Leeb is expressing how it can all end in disillusionment when the reality of everything involved hits you all at once with a simple “Oh damn” repeated into the outro. The song is just under two minutes long but contains an astute evaluation and heartfelt assessment of the complexities and nuances of how things are and how they shouldn’t have to be. Listen to “Tadpole Racing” on Spotify and follow hip-hop artist Kuh-Leeb on Instagram.

Kramies’ Warmly Vulnerable “That’s a Midwest Christmas” is a Minimalist Folk Pop Embodiment of the Best Essence of the Holiday

“That’s a Midwest Christmas” may be overtly a different kind of Christmas song but one that’s imbued with layers of memory peeled back to mixed together with memories and the essence of family bonds and traditions. Kramies is no stranger to crafting elegantly executed atmospheric pop and this single is no different though it’s brought together with seemingly just his vocals and strummed acoustic guitar but the mood is rich and the tones vivid and detailed in a way that casts emotionally vibrant and real moments that linger as his lyrics string together musings and meditations on the holiday and acknowledgments of how in the past maybe not everyone in the family got along but can now share laughs and singing and thankfulness for being able to be together at least part of the year at a time when maybe similar scenes and experiences are going on elsewhere with other families who have the privilege of having the time off, or at least part of the day, and the means of getting together and setting aside the time to be together because it matters more than what we’re told truly matters everyday with the usual daily demands on us away from actually living as people. The song is a warm reminder of the things that matter deep down and that more than the crassness of a commercialized holiday that was made up by previous cultures the season signifies for many people at least sometime in their lives. Listen to “That’s a Midwest Christmas” on Spotify and follow Kramies at the links below. Look for the new Kramies album due out in Fall 2025.

Pink Turns Blue Announces the Release of Its 2025 Album BLACK SWAN With the Release of the Existential and Melancholic Titular Single

Legendary German post-punk band Pink Turns Blue is set to release its new album BLACK SWAN on February 28, 2025. Its lead single of the same name as the album title is a melancholic, almost brooding, existential examination of modern malaise and how the seeming meaningless or essential aimlessness of going through the motions of our lives can leak into the psyche like a slow acting poison that brings about a dissatisfaction with even the most comfortable lives and making a living and getting by. Especially when that mindset and perception masks how it’s resting on a civilizational delusion regarding rising authoritarianism, inequality, the specter of climate disaster that most powerful world governments seem to be glossing over. The song speaks to a yearning to plug into something more meaningful and relevant because there is more to life than even ethical consumption and identifying with any aspect of where one fits into one’s economic utility to any political or economic structure in all of human existence right now. The song goes deeper than the surface level and immediate concerns because the neglect of that inherent depth of understanding and feeling and sensitivity is what fuels so much of our collective sense that things could and should be better for everyone and everything if our energies weren’t feeding back as despair or funneled into consumptive endeavors and livelihoods that don’t build toward a mutually nurturing civilization. Watch the beautifully melancholic music video for “Black Swan (But I Know There Is More to Life)” on YouTube and follow Pink Turns Blue at the links below.

Pink Turns Blue on Wikipedia

Pink Turns Blue on Twitter

Pink Turns Blue on Facebook

Pink Turns Blue on Instagram

Yiigaa’s Lushly Downtempo Pop Single “Follow Lights” Embodies the Allure and Energy of Urban Nightlife

Yiigaa’s sultry and lush “Follow Lights” perfectly evokes the romance and energy of city nightlife. But in its undeniable allure for anyone seeking a variety of experiences and the ability to get lost with the variety of social circles and options available for someone willing to dive in. The song has a quality that has a hushed quality like the anticipating of going out and of the late night energy of coming down off the stimulation of an evening of adventure and socializing. Or even observing the human drama unfold around you while engaging in some of your own. The song combines downtempo sounds with an energetic flow of tones and rhythms accented by a strong melodic bass line that embodies the undercurrents of a large city—an ambient sense of activity and opportunity that can be both alluring and overwhelming at once. But the song itself has an immediate accessibility and inviting spirit that pulls you into its charming sense of place immediately. Listen to “Follow Lights” on Spotify and follow Yiigaa at the links below.

Yiigaa on Facebook

Yiigaa on Instagram

Yiigaa on YouTube

The Avant-Jazz-Folk Pop of Talk to Your Neighbor’s “Knock” is Both Intimate and Mysterious

Talk to Your Neighbor, photo courtesy the artists

“Knock” is the kind of song that unfolds according to its own organic logic yet utilizes familiar elements of spare, possibly finger-picked guitar and slide guitar swells around vocals in a folk style. The song fills out heading into the two minute mark with luminous keyboard melodies and minimal percussion while maintaining an intimate sense that you’re hearing a confessional diary entry on isolation. Then in the last third or so of the song it waxes into unraveled strands of psychedelia, free jazz and deconstructed Bossa Nova. The band’s name, Talk to Your Neighbor, suggests one should connect with one’s immediate community and the title of the song more than hints at a way to break that barrier between people with a simple gesture. In a realm of indie rock it’s refreshing to hear a song that doesn’t have obvious touchstones with elements that are uniquely its own with an unexpected accessibility in spite of its avant leanings. And yet fans of Dry Cleaning will appreciate the wonderfully weird places the song goes. Listen to “Knock” on Spotify and follow D.C.’s Talk to your Neighbor on Instagram.

Wyatt E. Collaborates With Vocalist Nina Saeidi For Hypnotic and Ritualistic Doom Drone Track “The Diviner’s Prayer to the Gods of the Night”

“The Diviner’s Prayer to the Gods of the Night” is a collaboration between Belgian doom band Wyatt E. and Iranian singer Nina Saeidi of progressive metal duo Lowen. The lyrics come from an ancient Babylonian/Akkadian poem used in night divination in appeal to distant constellations while the doors of heaven were shut after night had fallen. The song incorporates Middle Eastern tones and compound rhythms so that the song flows with an intuitive rhythm that along with Saeidi’s rich vocals bring the listener into a musical realm immersive and hypnotic in its orchestration of elements, ritualistic in its appeal and simultaneously otherworldly and grounded. Fans of late 80s Dead Can Dance and Nancy Mounir’s experiments in fusing modern production and older recordings. Listen to “The Diviner’s Prayer to the Gods of the Night” on Spotify and follow Wyatt E. at the links below.

Wyatt E. on Facebook

Wyatt E. on Instagram