Alpha Cat is the musical project of Elizabeth McCullough that came together when she started writing songs some of which would become the 1999 EP Real Boy. The latter began as demos produced by McCullough’s friend, Television bassist Fred Smith and it enjoyed attention in the national charts for six weeks. The follow-up release Pearl Harbor had some unfortunate timing with the image of a bomb on the cover when it landed in October 2001 yet did well on college radio early the following year. But then, as happens with many people, McCullough went through and ended an unfortunate relationship and in April 2006 she started working on 15 instrumental tracks for what was to be her next album Venus Smile. With seven vocal tracks complete by summer McCullough lost her voice and fell into a dark place emotionally and psychologically and wouldn’t return to that music for over a decade. After hospitalization and various treatments McCullough in recent years engaged in a form of therapy to get to the root cause of the trauma that had run throughout her life. Starting in 2019 she has also revisited the finished recordings for Venus Smile and is now releasing the material in segments that make sense and work as a piece including the 2019 album Thatched Roof Glass House and the newly issued Venus Smile EP out now on Aquamarine Records. In this interview McCullough and I discuss her life and career thus far and the path through the sometimes unpredictable perils of mental health struggle and a culture that helps to exacerbate and perpetuate them.
Listen to the interview on Bandcamp linked below and connect with McCullough at the links provided where you can purchase the music as well.
Failure at Bluebird Theater 6/8/22, photo by Tom Murphy
Although we’re going to have to wait to see the full Failure documentary until 2023, for the 2022 segments of said cinematic biography of the band screened in lieu of an opening act for many if not all dates. In a sense the testimonials of Hayley Williams of Paramore, Margaret Cho, Jason Schwartzman, Tommy Lee, Maynard Keenan, David Dastmalchian, Troy Sanders of Mastodon, Dean DeLeo of Stone Temple Pilots, Matt Pinfield, Butch Vig of Garbage and Brian Aubert of Silversun Pickups opened the show with pithy and often poetic commentary on the impact of Failure on their lives and their music. And as compelling as these tidbits were they were a simple approximation of the band the way a written review can only be an abstraction of the visceral impact of the music and Failure’s gift for emotionally gripping, cinematic soundscapes as songs.
Failure at Bluebird Theater 6/8/22, photo by Tom Murphy
Often a band will have the drummer placed in the background but not so with Failure on this tour or on recent tours and maybe going back to the beginning. No, Kellii Scott is the engine and the glue that holds together Greg Edwards’ quiet intense energy as a musician and Ken Andrews’ more luminously volatile yet introspective expansiveness. It’s what makes the contradictions of the band’s music make sense and come together as forcefully and as gracefully as it does.
Ken Andrews of Failure at Bluebird Theater 6/8/22, photo by Tom Murphy
Perhaps it was Margaret Cho who sagely referred to this music as “Space Goth” as it was melodramatic and dark and dreamlike, conflicted, gritty and ambient, industrial beats feeding into an evolving sonic infrastructure. There was something elegant in the underlying menace of so many of the songs and a sense that each song could scorch out from within. It all felt like it was on the precipice of an all consuming abyss and yet buoyed up by a desperate yet fatigued hope. The first two thirds of the set drew largely from the earlier albums and the more recent records and all of it seemed like a grand adventure through harrowing emotional spaces and built into each a thread of the promise of catharsis. And it all lead to the end of the show featuring the the final third of Fantastic Planet. “The Nurse Who Loved Me,” “Another Space Song,” “Stuck on You,” “Heliotropic” and “Daylight” were an arc of songs that felt mythic and like the kind of science fiction story you wish someone could make into a movie instead of the corny claptrap that passes for genre most of the time because it doesn’t often contain the weight of emotion and penetrating self-examination contained in those five songs. In the context of the album it was like hearing the epic conclusion of a classic science fiction trilogy but with modern sensibilities—like an art rock band helmed by Clifford Simak and A.E. Van Vogt.
Kellii Scott of Failure at Bluebird Theater 6/8/22, photo by Tom MurphyGreg Edwards of Failure at Bluebird Theater 6/8/22, photo by Tom Murphy
If you weren’t already completely drawn in by the whirlpool of melodic fuzz of “Another Space Song” then the strains of “Stuck on You” obliterated that resistance on into the tone grinder and transformative rumblings of “Heliotropic” and toward the epic heights and mythical denouement of “Daylight.” It was a musical experience that makes you forget other bands matter for a few days and that Failure had played the Bluebird Theater and not some gaudy enormodome like Ball or Wembley Arena because the music felt built for that scale.
Failure at Bluebird Theater 6/8/22, photo by Tom Murphy
The keening tone and textural drone that opens “Angst” by La Vie Sauvage is unsettling enough. But when Pet Snake’s vocals come in like a demon whispering from the darkness of one’s own inner depths the song takes on a quality like experiencing a possession firsthand. The sound of metal on metal setting the pace, the chittering drone that runs throughout in swells and valleys, the squelched siren tone all conspire to make for a track that is a supernatural horror movie experience in the first person experienced through your ears and while that may not sound like a fun experience it is certainly interesting and different and more original than a conventional piece of music and a different take on the realm of darkwave and industrial especially given some of the synthwave compositions that La Vie Sauvage has put into the world. Listen to “Angst” and its catharsis of anxiety through the embodiment of that pervading sense of menace on Spotify and follow La Vie Sauvage at the links below.
Wild Arrows is a band headed by Mike Law of posthardcore bands EUCLID and New Idea Society but don’t expect that style of music on its new album Loving the Void. The single “Here’s the Ghost” exemplifies the fusion of musical ideas and palette of sounds. It begins as an almost ambient, synth pop meditation on being stuck in a feeling and the repetition of the line “So what if I still love you” the way you can get trapped in your head and the recursive loop of an internal narrative that probably serves to salve your wounded feelings but can be counterproductive in re-establishing psychological health. But halfway through the song the energy shifts and the words to “I only wanted to be with you in a way that you were all your own so here’s the ghost.” It’s a flipping of perspective from an aggrieved self-focus born of hurt to one of coming to terms with the break-up and maybe beginning to see a way clear of the unhealthy aspects of the relationship. The sudden yet somehow subtle shift of pace and tone around the 3:20 mark is an interesting way to show how your psychological orientation toward anything can change without having to lose anything. The uplifting sweep of the song out of a dreamlike melancholia is a dramatic evolution worthy of Mercury Rev. The whole album feels like a tapping into the emotional territory of Law’s other projects but through the lens of early OMD and that unlikely alchemy makes for a collection of fascinating and emotionally vibrant music. Listen to “Here’s the Ghost” on YouTube and follow Wild Arrows at the links below.
Treat Her Strangely is the new album by Norman, Oklahoma-based art pop band doubleVee. The project formed in 2012 with Allan Vest and Barb Hendrickson whose creative backgrounds in music and art complemented each other well. The duo married in 2015 and released their debut album in 2017, The Moonlit Fables of Jack the Rider. Allan had been the lead singer and guitarist of indiepop band The Starlight Mints from 1998-2009. The group’s orchestral pop songs were some of the more creatively ambitious works in the realm of what was coming to be called indie rock and The Starlight Mints garnered attention and placement in film and television for its colorfully baroque compositions. Barb spent sixteen years in public radio and she wrote, hosted and produced Filmscapes, a nationally syndicated film music program that afforded her the opportunity to interview the likes of Danny Elfman and Philip Glass whose own music have long graced film scores. Barb’s and Allan’s experiences jibe well together in the songwriting for doubleVee with a body of work that reveals a talent for pairing mythical storytelling with establishing a deep mood and dynamic orchestration of musical elements so that the songs are like vignettes in the story arc of each album even when the albums are not necessarily conceived as having a unified concept or aesthetic. The albums draw you in like the theme music for a great radio drama from another era. In the interview we discuss the roots of doubleVee’s artistry, their mutual appreciation for a good Caesar salad, the possibilities for presenting this music of cinematic scope live among other refinements.
Listen to the interview at Bandcamp linked below and follow the adventures and goings on of doubleVee at the links provided.
The lush background synth swells, the exquisitely accented bass line and Maja Lena’s warmly soaring vocals on “No More Flowers” itself sounds like a pagan cognate of something Rubblebucket might someday do. But in the context of the music video filmed, edited and costumed by Martha Webb (who also designed the flag) with choreography by Anders Duckworth and a sword provided by Bob Watson (look out for cameos from Apollo the Goat) it’s like a the mystical journey of a Viking priestess warrior as she carries out the proper ceremonial exercises and gestures to attain the next stage of her development and taking on more aspects of her power and prestige. Which could be a metaphor for the song which poetically mythologizes the ways in which people relate to one another and the barriers we put up so that people can’t get too close unless we want them to and the oblique ways in which we drift apart. It’s a song that delves into a realm of human interaction not often written about with that level of insight and creative imagery of not offering extravagant gestures of good will toward people we don’t want in our lives anymore. Watch the video for “No More Flowers” on YouTube, look out for the full album out on Chiverin likely later in 2022 and follow Maja Lena at the links below.
Since 2003 White Hills from New York City has been making psychedelic rock that has evolved in consistently interesting ways across a prolific career. The core duo of Dave W and Ego Sensation have incorporated elements of krautrock, space rock, metal, ambient soundscaping, post-punk into their sound so that the project’s body of work is eclectic yet coherent with a palette of mind-expanding sonics and rhythms that have separated the band from most other artists that might fall under the psych umbrella. For White Hills it’s not just a sound adopted from influences, it’s an outlook on the possibilities of the psychological impact of the music on both the members of the band and those who take in one of its records or attend a performance. Each record has been made with an approach that gives it its own sonic identity so that while the band’s sound may be fluidly evolving it has built into its aesthetic a drive to not get stuck in a rut. Now after nearly 20 years as a band White Hills has established its own imprint Heads On Fire Industries with its first physical release being that for a double vinyl of The Revenge Of Heads On Fire which is a reworking and re-imagining of the 2007 album Heads On Fire for which several more songs were recorded during the sessions with an album in mind with that music included but due to a disagreement with one of the parties involved with the record some of the songs were left out. So with some refinements added to complete the recordings left on the cutting room floor, as it were, really on an old, thought dead/defunct hard drive, White Hills presents the album as it was meant to be heard in its originally conceived form and with its themes of transformation and self-inspiration seeming as relevant now as it was at the time of original release. The vinyl edition of the record is available for pre-order (releases, assuming things go as planned, on September 16, 2022) on the band’s Bandcamp page linked below where you can find other links related with White Hills currently on tour with Telekinetic Yeti.
“Preach Your Love” by Gamblers featuring the infectiously melodic yet enigmatic vocals of NOVA ONE taken in the context of its most unusual video packs a lot of content into a 3:42 synth pop song. It’s sound is reminiscent of early chillwave but the spare production probably wouldn’t have been part of that movement of music. Not this way. Yes, the 1980s VHS instructional video aesthetics are there in perfect sync with the song’s gorgeously transporting flow of engrossing layers of saturated tones while making perfect use of space in the mix. But the lyrics sound like something an AI that doesn’t fully understand human language might use to express affection like the line “I’ll drink your blood to see you” and how that sounds like something some alien read about tribes eating parts of the bodies of the recently deceased to symbolically and not so symbolically reincorporate them into the community. All the while images of what seems to be a cognitive test scrolls on with multiple choice questions and delivered by the mysterious National Division of Metaphysical Expanse. That’s like something straight out of the Cronenberg universe and the video itself like a benevolent version of the videotape from The Ring. Who can say what the inspirations for this entrancing and charming track might be but its ethereal tones and light sonic touch is irresistible if you don’t get too caught up with its sinister yet well-intentioned lyrics. Watch the video for yourself on YouTube, look out for Gamblers’ debut album Small World out 9/25 via Symphonic and follow the project at the links provided.
The mysterious moods evoked by Sebastian Müller’s “Manor Farm / Finding Life” is perfectly paired to footage of a night drive on a country highway with the foliage at the side of the road lit by headlights and passing by in a kind of blur like the details of a half remembered dream. The ambient synth and processed drone alongside field recordings of distant conversation and rain progresses along until brighter melodic sounds come into the field of hearing and more distinctive sounds carry you along even as the imagery in the video turns more abstract and blurred out into the infinity of the subconscious mind. There is a sense of hopefulness and low level excitement as though traveling toward something promising an elusive which is a quality one doesn’t hear enough in ambient music and the track fades out in a way that finally achieving one’s goal puts an end to the anticipation with one hopes is the payoff of one’s patience and rewarding of the anticipation. Watch the video for “Manor Farm / Finding Life” on YouTube and follow Sebastian Müller at the links below.
Felix Bechtolsheimer of Curse of Lono, photo courtesy the artist
Curse of Lono is an alternative rock band based in London, UK that formed in 2015 when former Hey Negrita members Felix Bechtolsheimer and Neil Findlay continued making music together after their former band’s split. Curse of Lono borrowed its name from the rare 1983 Hunter S. Thompson book of the same name and its songs have been informed by a literary sensibility and exquisitely soulful moods. The group’s new album People In Cars (Submarine Cat Records) is named after Mike Mandel’s 2017 photo book featuring people through the windows of cars in a Los Angeles intersection in 1970. The aesthetic of the photos parallels that of the songs with their late night, weary, existential folk blues like one might hear in the late 1980s and early 90s albums of Leonard Cohen. There is a noir quality to the songs and its themes of menace, depression and personal dissolution resonate like Ed Brubaker’s Reckless series. A version of the new album was recorded in June 2020 with each band member (guitarist Joe Hazell, drummer Neil Findlay, keyboardist Dani Ruiz Hernandez and bassist Charis Anderson) recording their parts individually. But Bechtolsheimer had lost his father that April and he began writing more songs for the album and delved deeper into his psyche and re-recorded the songs in stripped down form with Bayston pedal steel player Joe Harvey-Whyte and Boxed In drummer Liam Hutton in the first part of 2021. The resulting album is a vibrant and introspective piece of work like many long nights driving alone and leaving oneself exposed to the raw side of one’s feelings and tapping into their insight that can be covered over in everyday life.
Listen to our interview with Felix Bechtolsheimer on Bandcamp linked below and follow Curse of Lono at the links below.
Queen City Sounds and Art 
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