SubmitHub – Page 203 – Queen City Sounds and Art

Calcou’s “Colors on Screen (feat. GRIP TIGHT)” is Like the Soundtrack to the Awakening Wonder in an Artificial Intelligence to the Phenomenon of Creativity

Calcou_ColorsOnScreen_cover_crop — Calcou, “Colors on Screen” cover (cropped)

The bell tones that carry the melody on Calcou’s “Colors on Screen (featuring GRIP TIGHT)” bring a seemingly random and organic element to a steady, mathematical beat and paradoxically emotional robotic vocals. Like an A.I. contemplating the very fact of pixels on a screen and what went into making that happen and the concept of what informed the choice of those colors or, if not so chosen, the design behind making those patterns of color manifest as they do. Rather than take for granted that we can merely program a somewhat randomizing set of color sequences as in an old dynamic screensaver or use a computer to design visual art or even merely a flyer, the newly aware artificial intelligence expresses wonder at what is behind what humans might think of as calculated and mathematical on one level because to us it is but as humans sometimes wonder at what the primary forces behind existence and how it manifests and why, an intelligent being we designed by accident might wonder at similar things coming from an angle that can’t be our own. This song may not be about that but it would make a good soundtrack to a story about this happening and how artificial intelligences might not be homicidal robots destroying us for our inefficiency but beings of great empathy who share a wonder at existence and creativity in a way we could never have predicted. Listen to “Colors on Screen” on Soundcloud and follow Calcou at the links provided.

soundcloud.com/calcou
youtube.com/channel/UCEaA-2F0XdS1Kmqi1Oq_mFg
instagram.com/calcou.music

Manon’s Mysterious “Girls” Gives us a Vivid Sense Memory of an Unusual Childhood Experience

Manon1_crop — Manon, photo courtesy the artist

The texture of cello creating dynamic low end drones on “Girls,” the latest single from Iceland’s Manon, are like deep wells into which the milkily luminescent melodies on piano and vocals swirl and disappear into infinity. The song is about two girls trying to put out of their minds an experience that would leave its mark on their psyches for a lifetime the way an emotionally traumatic can haunt you with contemplating their meaning, even if there are no interpretations or answers that will ever satisfy you, seemingly endlessly. Manon sings of the romance of being curious and dangerous and a chance encounter on an adventure together. The strange and mysterious event is one worth sussing out for yourself but the classical sensibilities of Manon’s songwriting is reminiscent of the avant-garde pop stylings of Kate Bush whose own songwriting brings together musical elements in a way to craft personal myth enshrouded by evocative sounds that themselves stir the imagination. Though short, at two minutes twenty-two seconds, “Girls” feels like you’re getting a poignant sense memory of something Manon will never forget. Listen to “Girls” on Soundcloud and follow Manon at the links below.

musicmanon.com
open.spotify.com/artist/3sb9YxHMKqnzyLM89FzoWf
facebook.com/musicmanon
instagram.com/p/BueI81Egmgq

Best Mann Reflects on a More Nuanced Approach to Romance on the Lush and Hypnotic Single “MCO”

BEST_MANN_GEORGIA_TEENSMA-sm — Best Mann, photo by Georgia Teensma

The mellotron loop that runs throughout Best Mann’s single “MCO” keeps up back drop of dreamlike abstract melody upon which songwriter and producer Nate Mondschein places percussion, bass, minimal guitar and a story of some people’s tendency to need to have one’s romantic experiences and relationships to be like something out of a movie and overdoing everything in a way that could never be sustained by mere mortals long term. And the expectations placed on oneself and others that puts undue pressure on the association before it can really start or solidify and work to erode it from the start with the heaviness of it all. Everyone wants their love relationships to be imbued with some magic and passion but life isn’t always peak moments and if we let in some breathing room we might have more of that if we don’t always expect it of ourselves and our loved ones. Or out of any situation in life. The down times and those times we might think of as boring or dull are as important to our psychology as those that are the opposite. Joseph Campbell might have implied something like that in The Hero With a Thousand Faces. At any rate, the lush atmospheres and slow dynamic wave of the song is a recognition of this reality and attempt to honor the impulse of connection without shame as well as the human emotional limitations that often go unacknowledged. Best Mann’s new album …And the Sky is due out on October 25, 2019. Listen to “MCO” on Soundcloud and follow Best Mann at the links below.

bestmannmusic.com/epk
soundcloud.com/bestmannmusic
twitter.com/BestMannMusic
instagram.com/bestmannmusic

The Horizon Sun and Delicate Melodies Give Caoilfhionn Rose “Being Human” a Disarming Authenticity

CaoilhfhionnRose2_crop — Caoilfhionn Rose, photo courtesy the artist

There are examples aplenty of the negative and destructive side of humanity in the world. But Caoilfhionn Rose’s “Being Human” is a song that puts the focus on the appreciation for the people who enhance and nourish our lives in everyday often small ways. The video for the song was filmed at Fletcher Moss Park in Manchester, England at a time of day when the sun is on the horizon and casting a soft, nostalgic light with some lens flare visible in the shot on the proceedings but it suits the tone of the song that is one about the songwriter letting the people in her life that she likes being human with them and all that entails that is unique and valuable and beautiful about the experience if you’re able step away back and see yourself and the people around you from an expanded perspective. Rose doesn’t seem to romanticize so much as shine a light on the fragility of existence and the necessity of expressing your appreciation of people for who and what they are, flaws and all. The gentle, intricate melody of the song and Rose’s versatile and warm vocals give the sentiment of the song a refreshing authenticity that is much more effective than scolding people to be better and care for one another. Watch the video on YouTube and follow Caoilfhionn Rose at the links below.

caoilfhionnrose.co.uk
soundcloud.com/caoilfhionnrose
open.spotify.com/artist/6YRqlhH88xZ7h2WOhwNYOb
facebook.com/caoilfhionnrose

“Nvr Loved U” by Father Sheed is the Sound of a Breakup Without the Drama

FatherSheed2_crop — Father Sheed, photo courtesy the artist

“Nvr Loved U” by Father Sheed sounds like something put together inspired by checking your voicemail on an elevator ride up a tall office building and then later a train ride through late night rain, your face illuminated by your mobile device and refractions of light from sources nearby but indistinct. The voice message is of someone breaking up with you as gently as they can without leaving some painful hint that maybe you can patch things up. There’s no easy way to say you’re breaking up with someone but the voice in this song seems to make it not sound cruel. The arc of melody and percussive tones over the steady beat conveys a deep sense of isolation even given being in a big city with thousands if not millions of people. But the paradoxical sense of space and intimacy that this song captures makes that isolation seem almost comfortable. The title of the song suggests a realization either on the part of the woman leaving the message or the person listening to it but it also more than hints that the break is for good without the messiness of one of those dramatic partings that make some people think the relationship must have meant something. This song sounds like a breakup without the drama imbued with a sense of acceptance. Listen to “Nvr Loved U” on Soundcloud and follow Father Sheed on the Spotify account.

the Rec’s “(I don’t understand) town slang” is Humorous and Witty Example of the Adage “You Can Never Really Go Home”

theRec_IDontUnderstandTownSlang_cove2_crop — the Rec “(I don’t understand) town slang” cover (cropped)

When you’re away from where you grew up for a sufficiently long period of time and outside the contexts that reared you and on to something that makes more sense for the life you want or when circumstances force you onward, sometimes going back is an odd and alien experience because you’re forced to confront the fact that what is considered normal and acceptable is often contingent on context and not universal down to the local patois. UK group the Rec explores this phenomenon regarding the town in which they grew up, Oswestry in Shropshire located on the border between England and Wales, on the song “(I don’t understand) town slang.” The members of the band moved away from Oswestry in the 1980s and one can only imagine the culture shock when maybe you’ve been somewhere that isn’t trapped a little in the past or maybe a little culturally hermetic.

The story set to a dynamic beat with a surreal melody of shimmery synths and psychedelic keyboards like a post-punk song reminiscent of Sleaford Mods and its own vocal cadence and tone. The vocalist sings of having spent half a day driving to town and then crossing “the line into the alien zone” and running into blank expressions and thousand yard stares when he spoke because he wasn’t speaking in a way that made a lot of sense to the locals. Isn’t this his hometown? Then he escapes the situation and tries to find his brother’s place but getting lost and in fear of more encounters with people speaking “town slang,” some of which echoes in a chaotic, jumbled fashion that comes at you from all angles before the main melody of the song reasserts itself. The chorus about town slang making the singer feel “uncomfortable” might suggest some of this slang seems regressive the way some people use expressions and words so casually and unmindful that the rest of the world has moved on. The song ends with the singer relating how he went to the “taxi rank” to get some gas and then to drive as fast as possible to get to “a place that I can understand.” In a way the song is like a miniature horror story. Like the movie Get Out where you know something’s wrong but instead of the scenario in that movie it’s a culture you can no longer relate to and where you will never again fit in even if you try down to the local slang. It’s the classic you can never really go home story but told with a wry humor paired with a transporting electro post-punk melody that evolves throughout the song and on its own helps to keep your attention focused on the story and its mixing in keen local details and references. The song also seems to hint that sometimes you are stuck in that situation but aware that you don’t belong but the people in the Rec understand. Fans of the Happy Mondays and the aforementioned Sleaford Mods will find much to like here. Listen to the song below and follow the Rec at the links below.

(I don’t understand) town slang by the Rec

therec1.bandcamp.com
facebook.com/therecOswestry

“Eye On the Ocean” by Downtempo Artist Castle1 is Like a Zen Epiphany

Castle1_2_crop — Castle1, image courtesy the artist

The sound of distant conversation and equally distant saxophone float in the minimal beat and synth drone like the haze of an underground speakeasy. Or you’re standing on the deck of a cruise ship alone at night as the boat hits a mild bank of fog with the sounds of other human activity indistinct but oddly comforting so that you know you can’t quite let your imagination let you fantasize for a moment about being on ghost ship. As you stand there and take in the vision of the light fog floating past the ship and over the ocean it strikes you that this is as close as you’re going to get from the hustle and bustle of everyday life because there’s nowhere to go to distract yourself from contemplating what it’s all about. But you come to no real conclusions because you don’t have to solve the world’s problems, as if you could do that alone anyway, and you didn’t arrange to go on this vacation to focus on the demands of your life like you normally would. So you accept that these neurotic impulses can be put to rest and you can come to just accept that having the luxury of taking in the view and taking on its tranquility is as perfect a moment as you’ll get, a Zen epiphany. We’ve been talking about UK downtempo project Castle1’s track “Eye On The Ocean” which you can listen to on Soundcloud and follow Castle1 at any of the links below. The new EP from which “Eye On The Ocean” is taken was released on Bandcamp and Soundcloud as a free download.

soundcloud.com/castle1music
youtube.com/channel/UCIihnISNmrGbBqdRdRGDTdQ
zyridmusic.bandcamp.com
instagram.com/castle1music

Dr. LaFlow Has Distilled the Essence of Staying Focused on the Late Night Grind While Looking to the Future Into His Surreal Track “Speed And Chaos”

DrLaFlow1_crop — Dr. LaFlow, “Speed And Chaos Cover” (cropped)

“Speed And Chaos” sounds like Dr. LaFlow practiced for composing the track by having a few computers listening to different internet radio stations and took note of whatever sounded interesting and fit an overarching theme he had in mind and later dreamed up a rap to fit the resultant sonic puzzle pieces he had assembled. Apparently he came up with the lyrics while restocking the cooler during his gravyard shift at CVS. Which is how a lot of great creative ideas come together—while we let or imaginations roam as we do mundane work at mundane jobs rather than focus on a task that takes so little of our focus. Dr. LaFlow came up with some choice surreal one-liners like “Smoke so loud I woke the neighbors,” “Popeye’s over Colonel Sanders,” and “No days off until I’m faded” and arranged them in stream of consciousness style in a song with a sample that sounds like something from a Betty Boop cartoon and somehow it all makes sense. Like you need to keep your mind working the nights and it takes whatever can stimulate it in the moment because it sure isn’t the canned music or the fluorescent lights and not often enough the scintillating late night conversation of your co-workers. This song is so relatable in its lines about staying motivated and thinking about what the money from this work will get you in order to be where you want to rather than get stuck in the drudgery of the moment. Working late nights is a completely different vibe and energy from the daytime world and Dr. LaFlow has captured that in the mood and pace of “Speed And Chaos.” You go into work when it’s dark, you come out when it’s light, it disorients your perspective, you go in when the world is working at a slow pace and coming out of work when it’s ramping up or up to full speed. It stretches your psyche and forces it to work in various modes and to adapt in ways that not everyone will ever know. Listen to the song on Soundcloud and follow Dr. LaFlow at the links below.

soundcloud.com/drlaflow
open.spotify.com/artist/0GT8lAshoj8giFXEOojFLT
drlaflow.bandcamp.com/album/hypnodrome

“@m hours” by baby back then is a Tender Breakup Song Without Angst

babybackthen2_crop — baby back then, image courtesy the artist

Sometimes you find yourself in a relationship that after the initial rush of attraction you wonder how you ever got involved with that person but you still try rather than give up because maybe you’re going through something in your own head. But then the core disconnect becomes more obvious and you find yourself finding excuses to spend less time with that person and that dynamic just causes unnecessary drama and things end in a less than ideal fashion. “@m hours” by baby back then is a song about that sort of experience and the conflicting emotions that seem to make a bad end inevitable but without bad intentions going in. The spare melody with guitar, minimalist percussion and breathy vocals express both sides of that experience eloquently and how most people enter into a doomed relationship without malice in the beginning or really in the end either. Listen to “@m hours” on Soundcloud and follow baby back then at the links below.

soundcloud.com/babybackthen
babybackthen.bandcamp.com

Perfect Blue Channels the Raw Pop of C86 on Exuberant New Single “Poppyseed”

PerfectBlue1_crop — Perfect Blue, photo courtesy the artists

“Poppyseed” by Perfect Blue from Chicago sounds a little lo-fi for a song that balances out a broad spectrum of sound but that quality is what makes it reminiscent of C86-era bands and Shop Assistants in particular. Both bands share an affinity for raw compositions and upbeat melodies. Perfect Blue uses saxophone the way other bands might use bass as both a rhythm instrument and a carrier of melody at once. And at times it gives the song an unusual sound like if Felt (circa Crumbling the Antiseptic Beauty) and General Public did a song together. At the first the song may strike you a little odd but it rewards repeated listens in appreciating the layers and aesthetic that isn’t in some style being replicated endlessly even as darkwave and yesteryear post-punk has been mined well beyond the American and English strains of that music. Look for the group’s forthcoming self-titled EP but for now listen to “Poppyseed” on Soundcloud and follow Perfect Blue at the links below.

open.spotify.com/artist/52lpeXl3LgpmOaeWPitUCg
perfectblueband.bandcamp.com
instagram.com/perfectblueband