Strummed acoustic guitar sets the mood and meter of Pacing’s unusual slowcore pop song “Aliens.” Drums accent the lines and in the background we hear the sound of plucked strings that might be a keyboard or processed violin or harp, spare piano, flutters of electric guitar and at one point the noise of a car on a highway coinciding with the line “the car you drive.” It’s a spooky yet oddly comforting song and in the last sixth of the song two of the choruses are layered and it almost sounds like chaos yet it oddly syncs up with the vocals not quite harmonizing but close enough to seem like it. But the lyrics sound like the words of someone dissociating after an abduction by aliens with words about being in “the big space machine that they fly in the sky with the birds” and “I can see my house from here.” At one point in the song Katie McTigue drops in a quirky single word in observation in“cool” after the bit about being able to see her house, breaking the fourth wall of the song narrative, not unlike Laurie Anderson dropping in a “Hi mom” in “O, Superman.” The abrupt ending of the song could be ominous but the tenor of the song is one of acceptance of this unique and novel situation and with the way the world is now who wouldn’t want to be abducted by what seem to be benevolent aliens? Listen to “Aliens” on Spotify and follow Pacing at the links below.
“Dibujos De Mi Alma” is the lead single from the new, and seventh, Y La Bamba album Lucha. The title translates into English as “Drawings of My Soul” and with the usual inventive blend of styles it expresses a complex emotional state. Luz Elena Mendoza Ramos says the “song was written for a romantic partner right before the shutdown in 2020” and that it is “a song of longing for this person but at the same time trying to detach myself from the unhealthy parts of connection.” Which is a perfect sentiment for that confusing time that also forced many of us into a period of isolation and reaching an unusual clarity of priorities and boundaries. For the song Ramos and the band employ a typically shifting and layered yet spare polyrhythm in the percussion, bass and the orchestrated pacing of sounds. Her vocals sound like a reaching into the delicate places of the psyche for a conversation with self that teases out the strands of emotion to take in the honest resonances to glean a true gauge of feeling. The insights issue from the psychedelic tinge of guitar and the strength of singing Ramos brings to bear in the last half of the song as it fades into an elevated tone. It’s a song that is gentle in the beginning and has an effect like a psychological cleansing by the end with the sifting out of un-useful uncertainty and ambiguity in favor of a healing knowing of where one’s hear should be going. Listen to “Dibujos De Mi Alma” on YouTube and pre-order Lucha on the Tender Loving Empire website linked below.
Shoegaze/alternative soul legends The Veldt released its new album Entropy is the Mainline to God on September 2, 2022 with a batch of songs that re-establish the group as a unique and powerful voice in the realm of genre-bending music. The video for “Sweeter” directed by xiouping features Daniel Chavis floating in a quantum vortex of images looking like he’s traveling through a wormhole to a higher state of being and following a route to a more transcendent love as per the chorus of “Sweeter/deeper/when you need her/love to love you.” It invokes some of the dreamlike moods of late 70s Donna Summer and late 80s Madchester if that whole thing had gone through a psychedelic soul revival. Watch the video for YouTube and listen to more of The Veldt on Spotify and Bandcamp.
Dax is always reliable for a visually fascinating music video and that for “The Devil’s Calling” is like a short existential horror film. In the song Dax outlines how he’s struggled with the forces of evil in his life and sees them threatening the people in his life as embodied by the figure of The Devil. Whether or not you’re a Christian, Dax’s embrace of his better instincts and habits as being with God as a source of strength against the influence of our weaker inclinations. He invokes, Malcolm X, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks as people who leaned on their faith as reinforcing a will to personal liberation and the song with its haunted yet urgent beat and Dax’s forceful verbal flow makes choosing the better path seem more desirable than the opposite even if you stumble along the way through life. Watch the video for “The Devil’s Calling” on YouTube and follow Dax at the links below.
Night Hikes imbue the title track from their recently released Perfect Wonder EP (released March 24, 2023) with a dreamlike haze and an uplifting spirit. Its lightly distorted synths have a soothing effect that mixes nostalgic reflection with a hopeful wistfulness of opening horizons that Neon Indian had on the Era Extraña album. But there is no patina of regret and no “Perfect Wonder.” Its very much about accepting how things are now and how current frustrations, struggle and limitations are so often not permanent and with some effort and patience, with no small amount of self-kindness, you can get through those times to reach a better place. The lines “And when the present washes away/I let tomorrow make it okay/Somehow I know it’s all worth waiting for/And I’m inclined to stay and see.” This is not a sentiment of false hope, it is a very gentle pragmatism that requires only to resist egotistical impulsiveness and not blind faith so much as trusting in natural processes you don’t always know or see to work out. Listen to “Perfect Wonder” on YouTube and follow Night Hikes at the links below.
The performance video for Chrome Waves’ “Under the Weight of a Billion Souls” showcases the groups twin and complementary virtues. There is the feral and acidic vocals and driving beat one might associate with black metal as well as the rapid, ascending guitar riffs but paired with a moodiness and melodic touch that gives its more aggressive elements an immediacy and accessibility that allows its songs to reach a little deeper. This song in particular is expansive and its message of cultivating our collective responsibility toward one another as fellow humans and going beyond tribal obsessions and narrowly crafted and conceived social circles for our mutual benefit seems especially poignant and relevant at this moment in our development as a species. The yearning guitar arcs and gritty ambient soundscape both posits a question about if it’s possible to transcend our current social and psychological limitations and offers an emotional resonance suggesting in the affirmative if we want to. Watch the video for “Under the Weight of a Billion Souls” on YouTube and listen to more Chrome Waves on Spotify. The group’s new album Earth Will Shed Its Skin releases April 28, 2023 on M-Theory Audio (link to Bandcamp below).
Lars Reid and Julie Rada in rehearsals for Strange Bird, Queer Bird
Strange Bird, Queer Bird is the latest production from Grapefruit Lab and it launches on Friday, April 7 and runs the following two weekends (see dates and times below) at Buntport Theater at 717 Lipan St., Denver, CO 80204. Per the latter’s press release:
“Strange Bird, Queer Bird, the latest original show from Grapefruit Lab, is an early-pandemic love story based on actual events. After a single face-to-face date, the world shuts down, but two queer people manage to connect despite the imposed distance. Against the backdrop of forest fires, uprisings in the streets, uncertainty, and massive death – this show finds a hopeful tone in the personal and profound connections still happening between people.
“It’s a story told through music, dance, and intimate correspondence,” says Lars Reid, one of the creators. “A story about falling in love, and finding comfort in a time of great loss and widespread isolation.” The text is taken verbatim from letters, phone messages, journal entries, and poems between Reid and Julie Rada – who perform as themselves. These words are joined with original dance (Kate Speer, Allison Blakeney) and live music (Teacup Gorilla) to create a poetic reflection on blossoming love.
“The show is inspired by the complex mating rituals of bowerbirds,” says Rada. “These birds build intricate nests and colorful collections to impress each other – and we’re telling a queer version of that story. In the context of the pandemic, it’s a story that seems relatable, in spite of these specifics.
“This vulnerable, charming production is a collaboration among many other local artists. In addition to the creators and performers, the show features sculptural scenic pieces and costumes created by the masterminds at Colorado Shoe School: Annabel Reader and Dan Huling. It is also being performed at (and co-produced by) Buntport Theater, another company known for their innovative original work.”
Allison Blakeney and Kate Speer in rehearsals for Strange Bird, Queer Bird
All ticket sales for the Sunday April 9 performance will benefit the Denver Actors Fund which profides financial support to Colorado artists in medical need. On Saturday, April 15 Grapefruit Lab will host a thirty minute “creative conversation” at 4 pm for attendees with an interest in a behind-the-scenes glimpse into how the production was made.
As per usual for Grapefruit Lab, a performance company founded by long-term collaborators Julie Rada, Miriam Suzanne and Kenny Storms, this show will be a mixed media affair imbued with great creativity, humanity, humor and warmth that will provoke thought and reflection on the subjects presented. For tickets visit Grapefruit Lab’s website at this link: https://www.grapefruitlab.com/shows/queer-bird/
Allison Blakeney and Kate Speer in rehearsals for Strange Bird, Queer Bird
Showtimes Friday, April 7, 2023 – 7:30pm Saturday, April 8, 2023 – 7:30pm Sunday, April 9, 2023 – 6:00pm (fundraiser for Denver Actors Fund – suggested donation $20) Friday, April 14, 2023 – 7:30pm Saturday, April 15, 2023 – 2:00pm Saturday, April 15, 2023 – 7:30pm
You don’t need to know that Trummerkind wrote “Revolt” as a protest against the genocide of Ukrainian citizens for it to have the proper impact or context. The song’s distorted opening drone and its menace like an abstracted air raid siren before facts about how the roots of the conflict go back to 2014. But then the song goes directly into a chant-like decrying of genocide with industrial tribal drumming and an urgent guitar line that sounds almost more like the hum of a machine cycling up and down than a standard instrument and sweeps of synths to elevate the mood to one of defiant excitement. The net effect is like a Killing Joke song as done by Pussy Riot and with its well arranged elements in electronics, vocals and agitprop it hits a bit like one of Crass’s more experimental pieces. Listen to “Revolt” on Spotify and follow Trummerkind at the links below.
Former Cell Division guitarist Miss Torsion expresses a feeling of self-imposed isolation on “Lost.” The electro-post-punk song is reminiscent of ADULT. in its undercurrent of menace and sustained purge of anxiety. And in the last portion of the song it takes a turn into a more upbeat and melodic dance song yet its lyrics with the refrain of “I’m lost the world does not hold me/I’m lost I’m falling no end” and then ending that set of words with “I’m lost I’m falling apart” and concluding with “I fall so deep, see myself from above.” It’s like in the hypnotic and irresistible rhythm Miss Torsion has given herself to that mood and felt it right through to its natural conclusion rather than get distracted from actually feeling those uncomfortable and enervating states of being, experiencing that wave and coming out the other side with a hard won sense of psychological clarity. The more brooding first part of the song and the more dance-y ending reflect this progression in a creative way rather than being so obvious and offering hope without the usual clichés about how it’s going to magically get better. Miss Torsion shows us one way how. Watch the video for “Lost” on YouTube and connect with Miss Torsion at the links provided.
With the video for “Glassplanet,” Norwegian dream pop artist Glassmanet showcases her intertwined gifts for creative soundscaping and video art. It’s a short film and journey through entrancing streams of melody crafted from luminescent droplets of guitar floating through flares of distorted tone that give the ethereal whole some definition while letting go into free flowing anti-structures as styles and visuals evolve quickly but gently into the next phase of ideas with the artist frequently seen frolicking about and performing in gossamer outfits in colorized, negative image footage and animation collage. It’s mostly a summery and otherworldly experience but the “Waves Cannot Be Crushed” portion introduces a twinge of menace like if Bricks Are Heavy period L7 followed its most psychedelic instincts. It’s a full ten minutes eleven seconds but “micro albums” don’t often come this fully realized and engrossing. And wait until after the credits for some of the most blissed out sections of the album as the synth tones go full on Boards of Canada-esque but with some anchoring grit that makes the come down from this delightfully unusual trip into cosmic musicality land easy. Watch the video for “Glassplanet” on YouTube and follow Glassmanet at the links below.
Queen City Sounds and Art 
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