Queen City Sounds and Art

Bad Flamingo Peels Back the Tedium of Understimulated Boredom on Retro Pop Single “Numb”

Bad Flamingo, photo courtesy the artists

Bad Flamingo expands its musical palette and songcraft a bit on “Numb.” Ratchet sounds provide some of the texture and rhythm. Like the band is sampling a wrench sound used to maintain the getaway car one imagines listening to a lot of the duo’s music. The bass slinks along, leading the song and ghostly guitar work resounds and fades in some moments and others the acoustic guitar the vulnerable and fragile melody. But of course the main driver are the vocals and the group’s signature storytelling of an impulse to bad behavior as an act of resistance against a society that necessitates boredom to function “smoothly” and lacks a channel for the energy that builds when people are feeling constrained by tedium and few varied enough options that feel like they actually matter. The chorus of “I’m bored, kiss me, if I’m going out I want you with me” speaks to a need for stimulation that isn’t being satisfied with a stale status quo. It isn’t exactly Rebel Without a Cause but a restless spirit and intrusive thoughts seem more realistic and instantly relatable anyway and that’s what Bad Flamingo excels at expressing in its songs that defy easy genre categorization but it is fine crafted pop music for anyone with a taste for retro sensibilities and the aesthetics of noir. Listen to “Numb” on Spotify and follow Bad Flamingo at the links provided.

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STEFA* Foster’s a Healthy and Nurturing Sense of Self in the Exuberant Rhythms of Dub Pop Single “3COSAS!”

STEFA* imbues “3COSAS!” with a joyful set of interlocking and mutually supporting rhythms. All to deliver a song about feeling good and leaning into a feeling of possibilities of personal liberation and a spirit of being ungovernable. The lyric “when I’m happy, when I’m full of joy, they can’t control me” sums up the mood of the song. The claps, the exuberant percussion and the constantly cycling pulse of an uplifting bass line lend the song an irresistible quality that perfectly complements the vocalist’s vital and fortifying words that celebrate a healthy sense of self that is rooted in encouraging a nurturing sense of self among all people. Fans of Y La Bamba and Tune-Yards will readily find themselves keying into the flow of what STEFA* is creating. Listen to “3COSAS!” on YouTube and follow the “genderless” and “genreless” artist STEFA* at the links below. STEFA*’s album Born With an Extra Rib lands June 28, 2024 and is now available for digital download and streaming as well as pre-order for a limited edition 7” with “Costillas” b/w “differ3nt today.”

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The Mosfets Blow Off Some of the Steam of Domestic Anxiety With the Wiry Garage Punk Single “Welcome to the Apartment Jungle”

The wiry momentum of The Mosfets’ humorously titled “Welcome to the Apartment Jungle” is irresistible in its exaggerated and surrealistic depiction of domestic frustration and affectionate exasperation. In the lyric video we really only see a single cactus in a small pot but particularly during the early pandemic plenty of people adopted all kinds curiously accumulative behavior including bringing plants into their living space. Sure the cactus in the video multiples a little and takes on psychedelic colors and gyrates in dramatic fashion now and then but at least it wasn’t a spider plant or a cluster of aloe or a variety of pothos seemingly taking over. The song speaks to the small things that can drive people crazy when they’re living with someone else in a limited area and it can feel like something like a plant can seem like an encroachment on not only their physical environment but also that more psychological. But in the end the garage flavored punk song is a purging of that creeping anxiety and a fine excuse to take a dig at Guns N’ Roses and one of its most iconic hits the video for which makes it look like Indiana is less dystopian and corrupting than Los Angeles. But it’s all in good fun. Watch the video for “Welcome to the Apartment Jungle” on YouTube and follow The Mosfets at the links provided.

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The Beautifully Dark and Eclectic Black Metal Free Jazz of Mamaleek’s “Vileness Slim” is a Poignant Statement on the Corrosive Neglect of American Capitalism

If Mamaleek is referencing The Residents’ Whatever Happened to Vileness Fats? in the title to “Vileness Slim” it has to be considered one of the most adroit allusions in music of late. But the resemblance doesn’t stop there. Not only are the members of the band anonymous, The Mamaleek song lopes along with a dark atmospheric sense of menace and vocals reminiscent of some of what The Residents were doing during the aforementioned period as well. But the black metal noise jazz rock electronic band from San Francisco is making a statement about life in America when you’re living on the edge of society. The music video for the song makes this explicit. The song speaks to the neglect baked into American capitalism and its corrosive effects landing squarely on the disadvantaged. Chanting vocals in the song bring a haunting elegance to what is otherwise a beautifully broken and noisy free jazz-esque free form composition and with the raspy vocals doling out sage observations on the state of things, later articulating the disgust and outrage in distorted cries that swim in darkly melodic riffs and slow-chiming arpeggios. It is simultaneously one of the band’s most accessible and challenging songs in its long and fascinating career as one of the choice experimental acts in the American underground. If you’re a fan of The Residents, Chat Pile and Oxbow you will truly appreciate the deeply subversive songwriting and sentiments of this song. Watch the video for “Vileness Slim” on YouTube. The group’s new album Vida Blue releases August 9, 2024 via The Flenser on vinyl, CD, dgitial download and streaming.

Mathilda Bohman Untangles Her Hurt and Heartbreak in the Cathartic, Orchestral Pop Song “I’m Okay”

Mathilda Bohman, photo courtesy the artist

Mathilda Bohman’s title for “I’m Okay” suggests a simple premise but the song we get is one of much more emotional complexity than simply a song of heartbreak and heartache. With spare guitar and gently synth melodies and washes of tone accented by processed percussion, Bohman’s clear and strong voice takes center stage in the song evoking deep feelings of being broken and vulnerable when articulating in details the ways in which someone who told her they loved her was toying with her emotions. Bohman relates the platitudes about relationships that people tell you growing up that end up feeling like false guideposts for life when they meet the reality of flawed people acting in selfish bad faith. There is an orchestral sweep to the way Bohman has arranged the song that is bright with life so that even though the lyrics are striking in capturing a low moment in life there is a self-awareness that hints at growing inner fortitude. Sometimes when you’re hurting you have to be honest with how it’s making you feel and speaking truth to your pain even if it might seem melodramatic to others. And really feeling it instead of burying it. It’s the hiding those feelings that amplifies them to haunt you with a crushing weight later in life. This song takes the opposite path and one that will ultimate lead to a better place. Listen to “I’m Okay” on Spotify and follow Mathilda Bohman on Instagram.

Waves_On_Waves Struggles With the Loss of an Identity of Melancholic Detachment on Synthwave Single “Messed up and Fell in Love”

Waves_On_Waves, photo courtesy the artist

Waves_On_Waves delivers another song of regret and inverted tragedy on “Messed up and Fell in Love.” With collaborators Crimewave and Death By Algorithm the producer and songwriter establish a driving beat with percussive bass synth and ghostly guitar to frame vocals that might be described as passionate but desolated. The beat bounces lending the synthwave song the aspect of a dance track perfect for a DJ night catering to fans of synthwave or darkwave. In moments the song is reminiscent of something one might hear on a Big Black Delta record with the dense but dynamic rhythm and understated melodrama. The lyrics seem to be from the perspective of someone who has come to romanticize their own misery, wearing his sense of melancholic detachment like an imagined barrier to getting hurt. But he meets someone who pulls him out of that adopted identity for a moment and thus the chorus and title, “Messed up and fell in love.” When you cultivate an aspect of your personality so meticulously and seemingly thoroughly it can feel like a mistake to allow yourself feel strongly and to feel a connection with someone against what you think of as your will. But in the song we hear a sense of resignation and even acceptance. The line “I’m defined by loss” becomes prophetic in the end because our narrator loses the veneer of sanguine cool at least to himself as well as the losses that have been the touchstones of his life and yet it seems this loss is one much more desirable. Listen to “Messed up and Fell in Love” by Waves_On_Waves on Spotify and follow the project at the links below. Look for the forthcoming collaborative album Coffin Kids due out in 2024.

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Martina Berther Explores the Wide Extent of the Sonic Possibilities of Bass Tone, Texture and Rhythm on the Haunted “Obertone”

Martina Bether, photo by Alexandra Baumgartner-Kopie

Martina Berther’s voicings on “Obertone” between the plucking of the bass and the background drone establish a haunted sense of unease and anticipation. The song has movements and it opens up in the second half but that enhances a sense that there is a hidden presence suggested in the mood of the song. As the title suggests Berther works in layered overtones with a hypnotic steady pace. It’s reminiscent of something from Brian Eno’s 1982 album Ambient 4: On Land. One can feel the texture of the plucked/struck bass notes contrasting with the ghostly overtone and that lends the track a physicality beyond the spectral moods like something from a transitional scene in a Jim Jarmusch film. Listen to “Obertone” on Soundcloud and follow the Swiss composer and musician at the links below. The song is from Berther’s sonically inventive and exploratory debut solo album Bass Works: As I Venture Into which became available April 5, 2024 on vinyl, digital download and streaming.

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“The Last Word” by evrshde’s is a Brooding and Slow Burning Downtempo Song of Regret Over Hurting a Loved One

“The Last Word” by evrshde sets a deep mood reminiscent of a Klaus Doldinger soundtrack (Das Boot in particular) with its rich low end, brooding resolves and richly saturated haze. Its a song that takes its time to deliver its story of a romance that was deep in its connection but also in its dysfunction. The sense of linger affection is palpable in the vocals as well as a spirit of regret over what was and could have been. The lyrics express an awareness of hurt dispensed in a moment of anger and the way people can say things to each other in times like that that later seem unimportant, foolish, stupid and unnecessary. The title is where our narrator seems stuck, haunted by her own words and how they can feel so final even when you don’t want them to be. How do you come back from causing such emotional pain to someone you love? The song with its strength of feeling offers a possibility of making amends even if its dusky atmospheres such hopes don’t seem possible. Fans of Boy Harsher and Bestial Mouths may find some resonance with evrshde’s richly rendered sounds. Listen to “The Last Word” on Spotify and follow evrshde at the links below.

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Bru-Kin’s Video for Futuristic High Life Pop Song “Miss Africa” is a Glimpse Into a World That Should and Could Be Here Now

Bru-Kin is a musical collaboration including Sylvie Nawasadio (ex-Zap Mama) and Bart Petitjean (Hakuna Patata). Its single “Miss Africa” and its attendant music video is a low key celebratory song about life and enjoying the fruits of success. It depicts people partying in a luxury setting but also the daydreams of a young woman who hangs out in a record shop and contemplates her future with images of of glamorous people dancing interspersed with images of colorful lines like neon signs in motion tracing and lighting up everyday life. Musically it’s rooted in African pop music, some touches of High Life, dub and a futuristic, international R&B. But mostly it comes across like what should be a hit song across national and cultural boundaries with its exuberant energy, rhythm and chill moods. Watch the video for “Miss Africa” on YouTube and follow Bru-Kin on Spotify.

Stinkus Encourages Us to Liberally Indulge the Simpler Joys That Enrich Our Lives on Lo-Fi Indiepop Single “23”

The title track to Stinkus’ debut album 23 (released April 5, 2024) has an air of nostalgia for simpler times and simpler joys as captured in the music video. We see some men playing a small scale version of soccer without much regard for who or if anyone is winning but making gestures toward caring. The song has spare guitar melodies and some background synth warble and shimmer. The vocal harmonies are slightly off center yet tuneful like something from an earlier era of indiepop when bands were taking a departure from where the mainstream industry was headed and recording on 4-track. But the production isn’t lacking though the aesthetic is lo-fi. Rather, it preserves a sound that is tender and homespun and thus immediately relatable. It closes playfully with voices sped up to cartoonish levels in banter imbued with camaraderie. The song is representative of Stinkus’ other music from the album in bringing together hazy atmospheres and charmingly slackery energy and sensibilities in the songwriting that embraces the mindset that we’ve been sold a bill of goods in modern society that encourages us to ignore our joy and humanity in favor of serving a system that is designed to enrich the one percent of one percent rather than the nurture all of us. Stinkus has clearly figured out a way to find a way to lean into a way to live in those moments where we can all indulge our better impulses on the regular throughout 23. Fans of Modest Mouse and Death Cab For Cutie will get a lot of mileage out of what Stinkus has to offer. Watch the video for “23” on YouTube and follow Stinkus at the links below.

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