Queen City Sounds Podcast S4E18: Je est un Autre

Je est un Autre, photo courtesy Dylan Desmond

Je est un Autre is a solo project from Dylan Desmond who is perhaps most well known as half of cosmic doom band Bell Witch. Borrowing the name, which means “I is another,” from poet Arthur Rimbaud’s declaration on the nature of being, Desmond has crafted a set of six songs for the project’s debut album Flatworm Mysticism (released March 1, 2024 ) that embody an evocative style of soundscaping and composition reminiscent of the soundtracks to the existential science fiction and adventure noir films of the 70s and 80s like Aguirre, the Wrath of God, Stalker, Sorcerer and Blade Runner and more contemporary manifestations of similar creative impulses like the films of Robert Eggers, Alex Garland and Rose Glass. Desmond had some opportunity to exercise these creative skills when Bell Witch launched its Patreon in 2021 and he beagan writing original pieces to be paired with sections from influential films. But he set aside the bass he usually plays in Bell Witch and took on synths as the vehicle of expression. The album has titles that suggests ideas from obscure science and esoteric knowledge with sounds that perfectly embody those resonances.

Listen to our interview with Dylan Desmond on Bandcamp and follow Je est un Autre and Desmond’s other projects at the links below.

bellwitchdoom.net

Bell Witch on Bandcamp

Hanna Ojala Evokes Melancholic Transmissions From a Distant World on “A Smoky Memory Of You”

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Hanna Ojala, photo courtesy the artist

Hanna Ojala sounds like she’s singing to us from an alternate reality on “A Smoky Memory Of You.” The phasing synth drone is like the rippling of a field that allows communications between dimensions, a quantum transmitter of sound and ideas, the vocals dopplering through space and time. Perhaps Ojala in this song is like the first person to use a new form of transportation to visit remote spots in the multiverse and has had to jury rig a way to send messages back but because of the heretofore impossible gap between locations she’s been stranded and missing her beloved with a poignant ache and the transmission we’re getting is meant for that person and the desolated tones of her voice not intended for our ears as the message isn’t all love and yearning. The synth drones are reminiscent of late 70s Tangerine Dream circa the Sorcerer soundtrack when the band was at its enigmatic and melancholic peak. Watch the video for “A Smoky Memory Of You” below.