SubmitHub – Page 145 – Queen City Sounds and Art

“Sonic Winds” by Patrick Zelinski x Karl Edh x Ryan Dimmock is Gives Voice to the Empty Spaces of Earth After Humans

“Sonic Winds” is a collaborative track from the EP Dystopia by Patrick Zelinski, Karl Edh and Ryan Dimmock. Patrick Zelinski created all sounds on the track with a real analog eurorack synth witth production by Edh and for at least “Sonic Winds” Ryan Dimmock did overtones with violin later by Edh and Zelinski. In the context of the accompanying music video the doleful layers of sound give voice to a wind traveling through lonely, forgotten places in and on the edge of abandoned human civilization. The distorted synth swell brings a sense of ambient menace as an elegant and strong melody runs through in short emphatic passages that ring out, echoing off the walls of buildings and disappearing into the shadows, the only witness to this music a flock of birds startled from their perch on the rooftop. It evokes an eschatological mood, or more precisely, what it might be like to explore the world after humanity has moved on whether to its own destruction from plague, famine or war or off to outer space or other dimensions in search of greener spaces the likes of which it ruined in the cradle of the species. It’s a thought-provoking piece that is a fantastic soundtrack to urban decay. Watch the video for “Sonic Winds” on YouTube and connect with the creators of this song at the links below.

Neil Foster Evokes a Landscape Cloaked by Snow and Fog With the Enigmatic Ambient Soundscape of “Western Line”

“Western Line” might well be the signature song of Neil Foster’s new album Stormlight. Its spare soundscape suggests a snow covered landscape traversed via rail and peering out the window, marking time by the towers and the steady shuffle of wheels on tracks and the mechanisms driving motion in the distance, the rest of the world obscured by the falling snow. Soft pulses of tone accenting stages of the journey and ethereal, all but wordless female vocals courtesy Utasvi Jha giving voice to memories and passing thoughts as you wend toward a mysterious destination. Listen to “Western Line” on Bandcamp and follow the link to give a listen to the rest of Stormlight. Connect with Neil Foster at the links provided below.

neilfoster.com

Neil Foster on Facebook

The Dark Dream Logic of Lunar Noon’s “Peregine” Leads to Down a Non-Linear Path to Emotional Reconciliation

“Peregrine” shimmers into your ear and takes you with soaring tones to an otherworldly realm as depicted in the Michelle Zheng-directed music video. The dream logic of the song and the video complement each other well. Luna Noon’s crystalline percussion muted bass ground the ethereal vocals and playful, ghostly synth melodies. The confused and disorienting, vaguely menacing interaction between the characters in the video before they reconcile and the lyrics of the song describe the way one can become lost in your own head swept up in a mood of the moment cast adrift on a sea of your own emotions. The song is reminiscent of Laurel Halo’s willingness to go off standard tonal structures and Holly Herndon’s surreal, percussive compositions and that artist’s own penchant for working in uncomfortable emotional spaces as a vehicle to explore one’s own lived psychological dynamics. Watch the video for “Peregrine” on YouTube and connect with Lunar Noon at the links provided.

lunar-noon.com

Lunar Noon on Instagram

Lunar Noon on Facebook

Lunar Noon YouTube Channel

Orchestral Ambient Track “volt” by Icelandic Duo Hugar is the Sound of Focused Solitude

Hugar, photo by Inga & Lilja Birgisdottir

Hugar processed multiple sound sources for their new single “volt.” Synth, piano and trombone all processed to a point of near abstraction and pure mood and channeled as a soothing flow of soft tones. It seems to replicate a time of thoughtful isolation while snowed in with memories of a sunny day drifting into your consciousness in contrast to the sound of winter wind outside heard faintly while your mind is focused on a neglected passion project that is best completed without distractions. The song itself while quietly commanding also hangs well in the background as a resonant set of tones that calm the mind and nudge your brain back on track. Watch the video directed by Blair Alexander Massie on YouTube and connect with Hugar at the links provided. Look for Hugar’s album Rift due out January 21, 2022 on XXIM Records/Sony.

Hugar on Twitter

Hugar on Facebook

Hugar on Instagram

Uèle Lamore’s “The Dark” is a Masterfully Orchestrated Organic Flow of Textural Atmospherics

Uèle Lamore orchestrates textures, melodic drones, percussive tones and swirling, swelling synths with a masterful command of dynamics on the single “The Dark” (from her forthcoming album Loom). The accompanying video directed by Akiko Nakayama perfectly embodies Lamore’s synergy of ideas and layers of sound with imagery that initially suggests plasma flares and evolves into the movement of liquid and air as if under a slide like a black and white oil projection with all the granular detail intact with the intricate and organic flow of disparate elements that together create a striking visual experience in absolute sync with Lamore’s bright and breezy yet focused composition. Watch the video for “The Dark” on YouTube and connect with Uèle Lamore at the links provided.

Uèle Lamore on Instagram

Uèle Lamore on Facebook

Uèle Lamore YouTube Channel

Mokhov Primes the Mind and Body for a Trip to a Zen-like State With “Dream Weaver”

“Dream Weaver” builds in your mind images of clear lines, open spaces and unstructured time. The latter suggested by its spare rhythms and cycling melodic synth line with languid, echoing arc of luminous tones over delicate bass accents. It is the mood of a countryside train ride with hours to go to reach your destination and no demands on your attention or energy. It eases your mind into a leisurely state ready to take in whatever comes your way with a Zen-like tranquility. Its minimal techno beat is akin to more chill IDM or trance and while unobtrusive it isn’t music that fades into the background so much as actively soothes your conscious mind. Listen to “Dream Weaver” on Spotify and connect with Mokhov at the links below where you can also listen to the Solid State Dreams album in its entirety.

KEG Pose a World Without Humans in the Video for the Charmingly Frantic “Farmhands”

“Welcome to SMELVE VILLAGE” are the first words we see in KEG’s video for “Farmhands” before we enter a village of mushroom houses, green skinned short humanoids with pointy ears and the band performing in herky jerky manner citing a litany of complaints and observations which the aforementioned creatures object to with a parade carrying signs saying “HUMANS FUCK OFF” while one of their number summons a giant creature that shows up out of the local pond and consumes the band as the view pulls back and we come to see it was either a very strange TV show, certainly an unusual music video and/or a glimpse into an alternate reality we may not want to visit but where certainly magic is real and our species doesn’t dominate the world. There is some comfort in that mere possibility even as the band carries on with a frantic yet tuneful song of rapid guitar arpeggios and vocals on the verge of some kind of break. Visually the video is like a cross between what Dash Shaw did for My Entire High School Sinking Into the Sea, the cartoon style of Adventure Time and what Richard Linklater did with Waking Life. Musically imagine the borderline unhinged moments of The Rapture, the surreal wordplay and off kilter rhythms of Parquet Courts and the irreverence and disregard for all regular song logic of their own of Happy Mondays and you’ll be somewhere near the inherent charm of the track. Watch the music video below on YouTube and connect with KEG at the links provided.

https://twitter.com/kegtheband/

KEG on Instagram

KEG on Bandcamp

The Rec’s “Teenage Teardrops” is a Pop Requiem for the Loss of a Youthful Exuberance for Life

“Teenage Teardrops” begins with a hushed and stirring dynamic to frame a narrative about the ways youthful aspirations and ability to see possibilities and find meaning in simple things like, as mentioned early in the song, meaning on a seven inch record, can be leached from your psyche if you’re in an environment that doesn’t nourish the soul in even the simplest ways. “I can’t cry anymore” is such a simply lyric but in the context of the song it encapsulates having reached a point where you find yourself in a place geographically and/or emotionally where you have lost the ability to even mourn a situation that no longer serves you because you’ve given so much so freely without thinking about it. When you’re young you think you have infinite time and opportunity to do what you would like but even at a young age bleeding yourself dry for a lifestyle or a job or a relationship or for anything or anyone can catch up to you. Later in life that timeline shortens and this song acknowledges that reality of having moments of vitality feeling like youth and when you’re tapped out it can leave you feeling confused and devastated. The orchestral quality of the song with melancholic piano and synths driving the melody while husky vocals seem to dance and sway with the gently strummed guitar line and finely accented percussion suggests a cinematic quality and experience evocative of everyday experiences elevated to the mythic. After that fashion it is reminiscent of where XTC went with its own songwriting from the mid-80s onward and early solo Barry Adamson. Listen to “Teenage Teardrops” on Bandcamp and follow the Rec at the links provided.

The Rec on Facebook

George McFall Encourages Amusement in the Face of Stimulus Overload on the Dada-esque Post-punk “Diurnal Patio”

George McFall took samples of songs by Big Country as an element for the sonic palette for his Diurnal Patio EP. The title track melds the upbeat, jaunty quality of Big Country with an almost cut-up style of repeated images for lyrics in free associating how so many of the crises and dramatic events we’ve been experiencing of late are just another version of something we’ve had shoved down our throats before like it’s something new but in the end (“another panic attack, another century, another sentiment, another cigarette, another apathy) it’s a collection of feelings we process and when things fly at us with what feels like a rapid fire of stimulation it’s easy to become numb to the full impact of the events as we try to sort through what might actually have meaning and significance and do our best as humans with limitations of cognition in processing so much information that may or may not have an impact on our lives directly. It’s like an irreverent post-punk track built on a cheeky remix and collage/barrage of ideas and images that takes the very absurdity of the situation and suggests that so much of what’s floated our way is the detritus of history we can brush aside and not get lost in the flood of distractions. The song and perhaps the EP is a way to comment the Marcel Duchamp once did in his concept of “Readymades” or even the radical social deconstructionist impulses of Dada to mulch culture to create something new out the other end of the process. But whatever the intentions or methods, McFall has created a fascinating and compelling work that fans of both TransAm and The Fall equally might appreciate. Listen to “Diurnal Patio” (surely a Dada-esque title) on Spotify and connect with McFall at the links provided.

tenemenetrecords.com

“The Margin” by Good at Rockets is an Invitation to an Exercising of Grace in Challenging Times

Good at Rockets is an Orange County Trio that released its latest single “The Margin.” The track certainly bears comparison to late 80s R.E.M. with jangly guitar work paired with poetically introspective lyrics that examine the strange ways humans conduct their lives and engage with the world around them by way of behaviors intended to be statements of identity not often examined enough, a pantomime of intentionality. The spare piano work accents the melodic line and as a subtle element it helps to emphasize an underlying message in the song to think beyond the usual frames and narratives that ring in your life out of force of habit even when situations call for greater nuance, understanding and compassion. Every day, John McCabe suggests in his singing, is a chance to get this dynamic right and to inculcate better habits but self-awareness is a good place to start and without judgment. Listen to “The Margin” on Spotify and follow Good at Rockets at the links provided.

goodatrockets.com