SubmitHub – Page 44 – Queen City Sounds and Art

“less today” by plaster 0f paris is Deep Mood Shoegaze Noir From Tony Bevilacqua of The Distillers

plaster 0f paris, photo courtesy Tony Bevilacqua

“less today” by plaster 0f paris sounds like a noir version of a post-punk song. It has breathy vocals and granular guitar tones that together give the song the sound of weary resignation that bears out the title some. For mood think somewhere between True Widow and A Place to Bury Strangers and that starkly vivid intensity that allows for the atmospheric melodies to take center stage in how the song emerges from a more spacious opening into swimming in the sinuous swirl of melancholic yet commanding haze. The project is a new flavor for guitarist and vocalist Tony Bevilacqua who some may know for his time in The Distillers but one that showcases his interest in crafting vivid and evocative atmospheric compositions. Listen to “less today” on Spotify and follow plaster 0f paris at the links below. The 3-song less today EP dropped May 17, 2024.

plaster 0f paris on Instagram

Squarewav’s “Constructing my new world” is Analog Synth Soundtrack to Setting Your Life Back on a Fulfilling Path

“Constructing my new world” by Squarewav sounds like the music you’d want to hear if you had to witness a visual representation of the reconstruction of your life in chapters. The sequenced, textural beats and melodic paces are uplifting and bright, hopeful even. The saturated synth tones mid-song are reminiscent of the work of Norm Chambers and his Panabrite project. Later in the song the distorted sounds of a robot construction crew welding, landing rivets and screws and assembling the shiny and tidy final project end the song on a satisfying note like getting closure on an ambitious project that is your life or at least a chapter that began in raw disarray but now feels like a place where you can move forward with confidence and integrity. Listen to “Constructing my new world” on Spotify where the rest of the Beautiful digital, construct my world EP dropped on May 3, 2024 and follow Squarewav at the links provided.

Squarewav on Bandcamp

Squarewav on Instagram

Nihiloceros’ Surreal and Poignant “Penguin Wings” is a Fusion of Gritty Power Pop and Noisy Emo

Nihiloceros sounds like an amalgam of sounds and ideas across decades on “Penguin Wings.” The vocal melodies are in moments reminiscent of Lincoln-period They Might Be Giants but the angular, aggressive yet upliftingly melodic guitar riffs with a touch of jangle are like the a fusion of Bob Mould’s post-Hüsker musical projects and the more imaginative end of 2010s emo. The lyrics seem to juxtapose the surreal with the poignant like the band used a cut-up technique to assemble the words to give it a blend of the personal and the fantastical. The song mentions “dark ice balloons” which is also the name of the group’s latest full length that dropped on May 3, 2024 and available on vinyl, digital download and streaming. Listen to “Penguin Wings” on Spotify and follow Nihiloceros at the links provided.

Nihiloceros on Facebook

Nihiloceros on TikTok

Nihiloceros on Instagram

The Hypnotic Pulse and Haunted Echoes of Eudscher’s “RFU318” is a Soundtrack to Liminal Spaces

Eudscher’s enigmatically titled “RFU318” sounds like traveling down a long corridor accompanied by pulsing low end sounds and echoing voices and rattles draw out into fading infinity. The music video presents a series of triangles in black coming at you against a hazy off-white background like markers on that corridor to who knows where. In moments it brings to mind the vibe of those “The Backrooms” videos of liminal spaces parallel to our own regular dimensional space or the mood of the chapters of House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski where the characters find the hidden stairways that go on forever lit by a luminous gray light. It is a sustained drone, only small details change yet it is a little hypnotic ever evolving and holds your attention until the end. Watch the video for “RFU318” on YouTube and follow Eudscher at the links below. The album SN24002 released on April 5, 2024 and includes “RFU318.”

eudscher.com

Danielle Whalebone Yearns for the Solace and Comfort in Tactile, Mundane Normalcy in the Discordant, Industrial Post-punk of “Ordinary Things”

Danielle Whalebone, photo courtesy the artist

Danielle Whalebone’s “Ordinary Things” begins by providing texture and tactile sounds with what sounds like a metallic object being crafted and formed with the repeated sound of metal on metal and resonating drones. There is a chain-like rattle that sounds throughout like a mechanical mantra. Whalebone’s vocals, when they enter the song provides a human touch to what feel like inorganic objects interacting. She sings of being aware of an immense aspect of existence but now she seeks “peace in ordinary things.” The industrial sounds of the song have a post-apocalyptic menace that contrast with that message which is the point. In extraordinary times in the way they are now in all the ways they have been there is a solace to be found in ordinary things and situations. When one has spent much of one’s life in pursuit of the un-ordinary and the remarkable because of how mundane and uninspiring everyday life can be and making art to take one out of those circumstances only to find oneself in situations that set a different standard for what is the usual one can yearn for perceived comfort and stability of ordinary things. Whalebone’s discordant and gloriously noisy song expresses well that contrast and reconciliation of former conflict with instincts and impulses. Listen to “Ordinary Things” on Spotify and follow Whalebone at the links below. Her new album Whispers of Shadows released on May 17, 2024 on streaming, for digital download and as a limited edition vinyl LP.

Danielle Whalebone on Facebook

Danielle Whalebone on YouTube

Danielle Whalebone on Wikipedia

Danielle Whalebone on Instagram

Dick Dudley Dark Surf Rock Post-punk “Meditation” is a Surreal Yet Sincere Inducement to Living in the Moment

“Meditation” is a very different kind of song for Australian post-punk band Dick Dudley. Its lyrics are a kind of guided meditation but one that goes beyond the tranquil self-care of a New Age or non-Western spirituality type of exercise. There is an undercurrent of intensity that suits the slinking sense of menace in the music. The latter sounds like the kind of surf rock you’d hear in Apocalypse Now. If Charlie surfed, that is. Dick Dudley hasn’t been short on irony and subversive humor but this song seems to be playing the messaging fairly straightforward while subverting the form of the guided meditation which can benefit anyone needing to focus on living in this current moment rather than being distracted by the forces that take us out of living in the moment. Listen to “Meditation” on Spotify and follow Dick Dudley on Instagram.

KYCTO’s Progressive Noise Rock “War” is a Musical Embodiment of Chaos and Breakdowns of Widespread Conflict

The angular breakdowns and resolves from direct guitar lines into splayed percussion that KYCTO uses throughout “War” reflects well the horrific subject of the song. The drama, chaos and violence punctuated by periods of deceptive silence finds itself embodied elegantly in the song which introduces some melodic then blaring saxophone that joins the rest of the instrumentation to create an entrancing cacophony with a paradoxically non-linear precision. The song is at the intersection of progressive black metal and noise rock. Like this band listened to a lot of Last Exit and later period Daughters and in moments its reminiscent of the less hyperkinetic and industrial moments of Killl. Listgen to “War” on Spotify and follow KYCTO on Instagram. The project’s album A concert for guitar, voice and drums released May 3, 2024.

Carlos Antonio’s Cinematic and Soulful Downtempo Art Pop Single “Rhodes” is a Song About the Complexities of Being Open About Intimacy

Carlos Antonio, photo courtesy the artist

Carlos Antonio’s breathy vocals seem to come from shadow places in in a late night lounge on “Rhodes.” The downtempo beat, moody strings, horns and harmonic drones flow like a slow moving fog with rhythm and tone integrating perfectly to lend the song a cinematic, orchestral aspect like an especially lush trip-hop song. Although the song has a soulful and vulnerable quality its lyrics outline the complicated social aspects of LGBT intimacy even in the twenty-first century. Antonio’s vocals sound like someone who has long been in the practice of shielding their true self but is now sharing a raw yet sophisticated glimpse into the mixture of passion, fear and desperation that comes from being uncertain how one’s authentic self will be received. Listen to “Rhodes” on Spotify and follow Carlos Antonio on Instagram.

Kabusa Oriental Choir Brings Commanding Choral Arrangements to its Interpretation of South African Pop Banger “Tshwala Bam”

Kabusa Oriental Choir hails from the Federal Capital Territory of Nigeria known for creative, choir adaptations of popular songs. “Tshawala Bam” was and is a 2024 TikTok viral sensation by South African duo TitoM & Yuppe. Kabusa Oriental Choir turn the relatively pulsating dance pop song very much of its time and place into something that feels slightly more traditional without sacrificing the vitality of the original and its fantastic low end. This version of the song expands upon the vocal possibilities inherent in the song and gives it an even more celebratory spin with multiple voices dropping in to switch up the flavor and tenor throughout further proving the song’s adaptability to multiple contexts and interpretations as evidenced by the more conventional production style remixes of the song that have already come about.

Kabusa Oriental Choir on Facebook

Kabusa Oriental Choir on TikTok

Kabusa Oriental Choir on Instagram

Angelikah Fahray and SeepeopleS Neo Soul Trip Hop Single “If I Would Die” is a Lush and Affectionate Tribute to Love and Devotion

Angelikah Fahray, photo by Caitlin Carolan

Angelikah Fahray’s soulfully expressive vocals in “If I Would Die” are served well by the lush and exquisitely detailed production including contributions from Will Bradford (SeepeopleS, theWorst etc.). It’s a deeply affectionate tribute to love and devotion in a neo soul and trip hop vein and one that feels like a guided journey along Fahray’s poetic, emotional paces and her crafting of a mood you’d want to live in as long as you can surrounded by warmly resonant melodies and soft percussive textures. Fans of Sudan Archives and Erykah Badu will appreciate Fahray’s inspired songcraft and performance here. Watch the entrancing video for “If I Would Die” on YouTube and follow Angelikah Fahray at the links below.

Angelikah Fahray on TikTok

Angelikah Fahray on Instagram