SubmitHub – Page 179 – Queen City Sounds and Art

Foreign Television’s “Minus 27” Celebrates the Life You Have Rather Than Being Trapped Into the Life You Were Born To

ForeignTelevision3_crop — Foreign Television, image courtesy the artists

Foreign Television sets the stage for us at the beginning of its single “Minus 27” with the gentle falling snow of sparkling guitar tone. It sounds like the aspect of the Christmas season we’d rather focus on rather than the possibilities of going back to the place that spawned you and the reminders of what drove you to seek greener pastures to begin with. The swirling riff is like a free-flowing haze of memories that burn off the anxiety of anticipating the time on holiday back “home” and the lifeline back out of the place you’re going to out of a sense of familial or otherwise social obligation. Perhaps to enjoy some of that time but knowing you’ll run into the people and the situations that may remind you of how much better you have it now. It’s not a melancholy song. Its melody is nostalgic but with a sense of being present in a way that makes it impossible to get full stuck in the past as many people seem to be at some point later in life, romanticizing a time that never really was when they felt more alive, more valid and more accomplished in a realm of life when your options really were more limited even if you felt otherwise. In the end “Minus 27” is a celebration and embrace of the life you have knowing you don’t have to feel trapped by a former life and milieu that didn’t suit you. Listen to “Minus 27” on Soundcloud and follow dream-pop/shoegaze band Foreign Television at the links below.

foreigntelevisionmusic.com
soundcloud.com/foreigntelevision
foreigntelevision.bandcamp.com
twitter.com/foreigntvmusic
facebook.com/foreigntelevisionmusic

Daddy Who’s “Clock Clock Clacka” is a Homage to the Dreamlike Production Style of 90s Underground Hip-hop

DaddyWho1_crop — Daddy Who, image courtesy the artist

The breaks on Daddy Who’s “Clock Clock Clacka” are so intentional and precise yet organic that it sounds like the work of an expert turntablist setting the tempo either before something big hits or between epic tracks. The synth swells, the sleigh bells placed so tastefully, the vocals speaking the title of the song and echoing off, the myriad other sonic details are reminiscent of another era of hip-hop before trap became one of the dominant styles of beatmaking. That era when producers like The Alchemist, DJ Premier, collectives like Hieroglyphics and artists on the Stones Throw label assembled sounds from disparate sources to set a mood channeled into a rhythm whether lyrics flowed with the soundscape or not. Listen to “Clock Clock Clacka” on Bandcamp.

“In Love” by dopeman is a Wistful, Musical Key to Unlock Memories of Affection and Tenderness

Dopeman_DaddyWho_1_crop — Dopeman and DaddyWho, Cheesecakes Vol. 1 split, cover image courtesy the artists

“In Love” by dopeman begins with a piano line and the crackle of of a record like the memory of a good time in your life being triggered by running across an artifact of a relationship as mnemonic key to unlock a flood of positive feelings. The shuffling beat gently buoys the mood and the vocal samples, like voices from an old movie leaking in from another room, anchor and contextualize the memory in the part of your mind that stores sensory perception on an almost subconscious level. Though the tone is moody and hushed it is not melancholic, rather, wistful and nostalgic. Musically it’s in the realm of IDM or a more experimental hip-hop beat but ultimately doesn’t fit neatly into a genre category as its appeal transcends that of a specific style. Listen to “In Love” on Bandcamp and follow dopeman at the links provided.

open.spotify.com/artist/5JTxaZxdkwOIirFJlm3ynP?si=lVuUL38qSEO6nXFFT7TSWQ
soundcloud.com/misterdopeman
misterdopeman.bandcamp.com

Kapeesh Invites All The Too Cool For School Wallflowers to Join in the Fun at the Show on “Lampshade”

Kapeesh3_sm — Kapeesh, photo courtesy the artist

When “Lampshade” by Kapeesh starts off it sounds like something heard through a wall on AM radio. But when it attains full fidelity the onslaught of ideas and cultural references hits like something out of late 90s Big Beat collided with irreverent alternative hip-hop and the Butthole Surfers. It really is a fascinating genre-bending song that draws on a broad spectrum of sounds and ideas in a way that establishes a unique aesthetic. The song is aimed at the people that stand near the stage at the show that are above dancing and the confusion at the proclivity of some people to not be swept away by the music or at least participate. Many of them are just trying to take in the experience but those that stand there unimpressed at all, who show no appreciation can throw performers off their game and frustrate people who want to be there and show their own enthusiasm without hitting that emotional brick wall. But the song is more than that and it’s a kind of goading of these people to join in on the fun. Listen to “Lampshade” on YouTube and follow Kapeesh on the Instagram account (linked below).

instagram.com/kapgunsarefun

Agency 666 Takes You Into a Starkly, Beautifully Haunted Journey Into the Subconscious on “Deep Sleep”

Agency666_2_crop — Agency666, image courtesy the artist

Listening to Agency666’s “Deep Sleep” you are drawn into the realm of soundscapes that feel like you’ve entered into the weird end of a supernatural horror ARG in which you must navigate out of your own subconscious mind. “Every time I close my eyes” is the refrain that floats about, processed to echo parts of the vocal like repeated images that throw you off the trail of the path out of this spiraling maze of sound. The sound of what seems to be chirping insects in the distance surrounds you, a warping, melodic arpeggio intertwines with the voice in a staccato pattern that serves almost as a luminous walkway in a dark realm until the end when the whole beautifully nightmarish, minimalistic world fades from your hearing. It’s reminiscent of HTRK or a demented, stark side of Everything But The Girl in being so alien, minimal and enveloping but more in the realm of minimal techno yet unlike much of anything that fits neatly in any genre. The song comes from the project’s Fear of the Unknown EP and you can listen to the single on Spotify and follow Agency666 on the Soundcloud account.

soundcloud.com/agency666

Moon Beach Evokes That Moment When One’s Tentative Feelings Break Through to Emotional Clarity On “Don’t Drive Away”

MoonBeach1_lg — Moon Beach, photo courtesy the artists

Moon Beach quickly establishes an elegant and subtly evocative dynamic on its single “Don’t Drive Away” between the introspective vocals, a simple yet elegant keyboard figure and spare, ethereal guitar work. The singer seems to implore her love to not leave the scene despite some setbacks and difficulties and her inability to fully articulate her feelings in a way that will make everything alright. It’s almost a resigned yearning but toward the last third of the song one that is imbued with some hope and being able to reach the the feeling that made her remember what made the emotional connection so strong and real and finally able to say the simple phrase that is the title of the song as an opening to more. Between the vocals and the rhythm the song is reminiscent of late 80s Suzanne Vega and early offerings by The Sundays and that compellingly wistful style of dream pop. Listen to “Don’t Drive Away” on Soundcloud.

ASHRR’s Video For the Moodily Ominous “All Yours All Mine (Dark Days Mix)” Reflects the Shadowy, Surreal Side of Life in Los Angeles

ASHRR2_crop — ASHRR, image courtesy the artists

ASHRR, like some of the most interesting artists from Los Angeles, highlights the experience of the side of the City of Angels that isn’t romanticized on television or in movies. The group’s sound reflects the unusual and surreal qualities of the city’s unique blend of geography and culture as a place where many go to pursue their dreams but finding it far different than anything they would have assumed. ASHRR’s musical vision is more in line with William Friedkin’s and Jeffrey Lee Pierce’s own depictions of Los Angeles and not that of Beverly Hills, 90210 or even Bret Easton Ellis’ nihilistically lurid depictions of the city and its culture. The music video for the group’s song “All Yours All Mine (Dark Days Mix)” is an apt companion to its darkly rich synthesizer melody with a plot like something out of Black Mirror or the new Twilight Zone with a man encountering duplicates of himself at home and lurking about even when he manages to escape the scene in his car into the night. Musically the song is also something like an R&B-inflected, late 80s Depeche Mode song, the aforementioned melody drawing a wide-ranging, pulsing sonic arc. That dynamic suggests the rhythm of night driving and the way street lights can serve as an almost hypnotic strobe to induce an introspective mood. Watch the video on YouTube and follow ASHRR at the links provided.

ashrrmusic.com
soundcloud.com/ashrrmusic
twitter.com/ashrrmusic
facebook.com/ashrrmusic
instagram.com/ashrrmusic

“MotherTongue (language has a fault of its own)” is Mykimono’s Ode to the Inadequacy of Language to Express the Fullness of Feeling

Mykimono3_sm — Mykimono, photo courtesy the artists

Mykimono’s “MotherTongue (language has a fault of its own)” has a roiling dynamic that swirls with saturated tone that goes spacious and clear like a day with high flying clouds that flow and move rapidly in a wind that hasn’t quite hit the ground. Musically it is reminiscent of a more introspective Swervedriver with the wah elegantly pitching the tones accented by a bass line that periodically punches gently through the soundscape to accent the riff. The tone is a touch melancholic but awash in nostalgia and hints of romance whether that’s romantic love lost or of something or some time that can never be again. The words of the song express well the inadequacy of language to express the fullness of feeling though one tries with poetic language and metaphor. Listen to “MotherTongue (language has a fault of its own)” on Soundcloud and follow Italian dream pop/shoegaze band Mykimono on Facebook (linked below).

facebook.com/mykimonoband

“Nine from Lax-di-Kal” by SevenAntenna is a Rube Goldberg-esque Soundtrack to a Futuristic Urban Exploration Adventure

SevenAntenna2_crop — SevenAntenna, photo courtesy the artist

Don’t put too much numerological analysis into SevenAntenna and it’s song “Nine from Lax-di-Kal” as it reduces to seven all over again. Further analysis will just take you down the Max Cohen rabbit hole and no trepanning needed. But the song begins like a retro IDM excursion that sounds like a musical analog of a basic Rube Goldberg machine and from there the beats increase in complexity and the layers of distorted synth tone take on more bombastic figures as the song progresses and then fade from the foreground in the final minute of the song. One might also imagine playing one of the more immersive early 8-bit video games to this song like Metroid but one in which you navigate an abandoned city of the future based on the artwork of Moebius, searching for treasure and solving the mystery of why the inhabitants had to leave. Listen to “Nine from Lax-di-Kal” on Soundcloud.

“You’ll Only Make It Worse” by Renwick is a Heartfelt Song About Accepting That Your Personal Limitations Can Be a Stumbling Block to Reconciling With a Loved One

Renwick1_sm — Renwick, photo by Connor Barkey

On “You’ll Only Make It Worse” Renwick articulates in some detail and with an air of sensitivity and hard won self-awareness the feeling of knowing you need to try to make amends to someone you hurt but that maybe your current self and your ways of being and communicating can only make the situation worse. Its hushed tones and beautifully saturated and lush soundscape express well a gentleness of spirit and vulnerability in that moment in having good intentions but being so keenly aware of one’s limitations and the hurt caused and the painful realization that maybe making things good again is beyond your abilities. It really is mostly a male instinct to think one can simply “fix” something with actions but here Renwick sagely recognizes that such a mentality is hard to shed when it’s so ingrained in you to be a “problem solver” and shed it you must and not so that you can make amends in a possessive way but so that you avoid causing harm in similar ways in the future. It’s a bittersweet, resigned song but all the better for not taking on the stance of conquering male bravado. The song comes from Renwick’s 2019 EP I Hope You Feel Good In The Morning and you can listen to the single on YouTube and follow Renwick at the links below.

facebook.com/renwickmusic
Instagram.com/renwickstreet