SubmitHub – Page 244 – Queen City Sounds and Art

“What If” by BERG Tells Us That it is Better to Live in the Present Tense Than in a Shroud of Wishful Thinking

Berg1_sm — BERG, photo courtesy the artist

“What If” by Swedish songwriter BERG (Alexandra Berglöf) sets a wistful, nostalgic mood with ethereal harmonic layers that seem to drift with and over each other to serve to highlight vocals that seem to wander through a hazy dreamscape. Produced by The Horrors lead singer Faris Badwan, “What If” sounds like an attempt to escape into the reverie of times past but instead serves as a reminder that doing so can be poison to the psyche however sweet and soothing the feeling at first. The seduction of an imagined better past or future while ignoring the present is a common maladie of the current era with the world more than seemingly rushing into destructive disarray. “What If” tells us in its subtle ways that the present is good enough and that the work to address our bad habits individually and collectively, with compassion and conviction, will feel better in the long run. The song is part of BERG’s new collection of songs called “Fake Love” and you can listen to the single below and follow the artist’s work at the links at the bottom.

www.thisisberg.com
soundcloud.com/thisisberg
www.facebook.com/isthisberg
http://instagram.com/berg

Josie Dunne’s Alternate Version of “Same” Displays a Gift for Using Simple Elements to Express Complexity of Feeling

JosieDunne_Same_Image_sm — Josie Dunne, still from “Same”

The ukulele can be a played out affectation these days but Josie Dunne has made it into a vehicle for setting the perfect sonic accompaniment to nuanced, mixed emotions. It helps to render the melody luminous alongside her gentle vocal cadences and taste synth like a breeze one imagines the figure in the video would encounter on her ride to sort out her thoughts and feelings on a nice day when peace of mind allows the room for exploring your real feelings rather than what you think they should be or what you’re told they should be when you can take the luxury of getting outside your usual contexts and confines. The simple elements come together so well including the video in which nothing seems to happen that it highlights Dunne’s tenderly thoughtful lyrics. The original is a solid pop song but this alternate version of “Same” is striking. Watch/listen to the video below and to keep up with Dunne you can visit her website josiedunne.com and find her through the usual social media channels.

Mazeppa’s “Storm” Evokes the Grandeur of Maurice Jarre’s 1960s Soundtracks

Mazeppa1_sm — Mazeppa, photo courtesy the artist

From the opening strains of “Storm” by Mazeppa you can tell you’re in for something different from the realm of modern psychedelic rock. The instrumentation and sweeping dynamics is cinematic in a way reminiscent of Scott Walker’s solo albums Maurice Jarre’s soundtrack work for Lawrence of Arabia and Doctor Zhivago. It is not in that long form but the creative vision behind the track is aiming for something more than just a four minute fifty-six second psych rock song. The rich emotional colorings and the impression that you’re getting a glimpse into more mythical human experiences. Side note: Maurice Jarre is the father of synth pioneer Jean-Michel Jarre. The Israeli band named itself after a Lord Byron poem about the Seventeenth Century Ukrainian leader Ivan Mazepa so there’s bound to be a bit of myth making and grander than average storytelling. That and the fact that singer/musician Michal Perez Noy started the group to write songs by Rainer Maria Rilke. None of these details and speculations are necessary to appreciate the lush gorgeousness of the song that seems to sound timeless in a period when there is a lot of imitation in psychedelic and modern progressive rock and few as orchestral as Mazeppa. The group is planning for a debut album release in September 2019 but for now you can sit back and let your imagination engage with “Storm” below. Links to follow the band its goings on below the song embed.

youtube.com/channel/UCDvEt7UN4sSojx_UKyqiVpw
mazeppa.bandcamp.com
facebook.com/MazeppaBand

Prudence’s Elegant Melancholy Incandesces in the Emotional Fog Through “Sound of Your Voice”

Prudence1_crop — Prudence, photo courtesy the artist

Tom Crandles (also of Au.Ra) has been writing music under the moniker Prudence of late. The new single “Sound of Your Voice” from the Major Tom EP has an utterly entrancing decadent, world-weary quality reminiscent of pre-post-rock Mark Hollis with Talk Talk and Mindbomb period The The. The subtle bass line works to accent the downbeats in a way that gives the song a heaviness that could be gloomy but instead accentuates the emotional complexity of a song that seems to be about resignation at thwarted yearnings and a rare admission of male vulnerability in a rock song. The rest of the EP has a similarly beautifully melancholic quality but an undeniable crackle of energy underneath a layer of introspective moods. The Major Tom EP recently released as a cassette and digitally through prudenceprudence.bandcamp.com/album/major-tom. If you’ve been a bit jaded by the wave of same-y darkwave and minimal synth-laden post-punk but looking for something that satisfies what the best of that music supplies, listen to “Sound of Your Voice” below and then give Major Tom a good listen. Its richness of layers, textures, tones and modes will not disappoint.

Franc Cinelli Evokes 70s Daydream Vibes on His New Single “Horses”

FrancCinelli_SilviaLadespa_sm — Franc Cinelli, photo by Silvia Ladespa

On Franc Cinelli’s new single “Horses” the songwriter creates not just a wistful emotional snapshot for the listener, he evokes a time in North American musical history when the the rules for art, film and music was less bound to strict styles and sounds. The spaces Cinelli leaves in the music aren’t all occupied and when they are it’s a fleeting and transporting mellotron line that both makes the melody transcendent and let’s you back into the feeling of reverie, romance and acceptance of love lost that Cinelli conveys so well throughout the song. Cinelli will release his new album Night Songs in September 2019 and until then will release a new song every two weeks. For now you can listen below and follow Cinelli’s progress toward the new record/explore further the songwriter’s work at franccinelli.com.

Kin Capa’s “Sum1” is a Bracing Power Pop Gem in an Age of Uncertainty

KinCapa_TheAmericanOperaActOne_crop — Kin Capa, The American Opera, Act One cover (cropped)

Lee Capa is a multi-instrumentalist and singer whose band Kin Capa recently released its debut album in March 2019. Titled The American Opera Act One, the record isn’t just a sampling of urban American experience with its complexities and challenges rendered with a spirit of yearning to comprehend one’s place in the great big mess while maintaining one’s passion and integrity. The song “Sum1” (listen below) caught my attention because it’s simply a great, jangle-y power pop song that takes some sonic chances with established form including an almost background guitar sound in lightly distorted phasing that gives the track a sense of disorientation but one in which one can let go and trust in one’s instincts and the impermanence of every situation in a fast-moving world to carry the day. The punchy percussion and Capa’s emotive quaver reinforces the perfect impression of bravery in the face of seemingly never-ending uncertainty. Fans of The Raspberries and Dave Edmunds may enjoy this one greatly. The American Opera Act Two is due in the summer. Visit kincapa.com to follow the band’s future adventures in imaginative, finely crafted pop.

Take In Sail By Summer’s Gift For Transforming Personal Gloom Into Beauty with “Fetch You Roses”

SailBySummer_FetchYouRoses_crop — Sail By Summer, “Fetch You Roses” cover

“Fetch You Roses” by Sail By Summer has a power and elegance like a late 70s Giorgio Moroder song transmogrified into a melancholic modern pop song. The bright synths, the luminous melody, the emotionally soaring melody and Casio tone arpeggiation recall Neon Indian’s evocation of nostalgia and reverie in “Fallout.” If “Fetch You Roses” is any indication, William Hut and Jens Kristian of Sail By Summer have created a vehicle for transforming personal gloom and regret into uplifting music without dishonoring the feelings and experiences that inspired the song in the first place. Follow and explore the duo’s work further through any of the links below the song.

sailbysummer.com
soundcloud.com/sailbysummerofficial
open.spotify.com/artist/1KLprSWhIYjqkoLCJ88SLv
youtube.com/channel/UC6KlhkVT56sFlClxrZz7nLg
hqindie.bandcamp.com/music
twitter.com/SailBySummer
instagram.com/sailbysummer

Ghassan’s “Break Some Shit” Erases the Line Between Industrial, Americana and Post-punk

Ghassan1_resize — Ghassan, photo courtesy the artist

The beginning of Ghassan’s song “Break Some Shit” has that kind of shimmering bass tone that sounds like you’re about to hear a version of Tricky’s “Black Steel” (which is, of course, a masterful cover of Public Enemy’s “Black Steel In The Hour of Chaos”) but the meditative/metronomic percussion, wind-like, gritty synth swells and expansive dynamics underlying the dark poetry waxing frustrated nearly to the point of nihilism is a bit what it might be like to hear Tom Waits collaborating with MC 900 Ft. Jesus. Industrial, post-punk Americana? With the rippling soundscape, accented beat and expansive sounds, an impending existential, maybe literal, beatdown has rarely sounded so contemplative.

The Simple Charms of Lofi Legs’ “Dreamin” will Soothe Your Heart

LofiLegs_Dreamin_crop — Lofi Legs “Dreamin” cover (cropped)

On “Dreamin,” San Francisco’s Lofi Legs leave out all sonic distractions from the brilliance of its spare composition. Just Maria Donjacour and Paris Cox-Farr harmonizing with minimal guitar accompaniment. Its charm rests in part due to how it recalls stripping 90s indie pop to the bare essentials, or Low’s more intimate songs or even “After Hours” by The Velvet Underground. It is a prime example of how a few elements can articulate so much with creative arrangements and unvarnished emotional honesty and an elegant delivery. The group has an album called Lamb in the works and you can check out more from Lofi Legs and keep up with their happenings at the links below the song.

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/lofilegs/?fref=ts

Spotify – https://open.spotify.com/artist/6NSKTNhAAE9RTo3NrGBQu2

Bandcamp – https://lofilegs.bandcamp.com

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/lofilegacy

Walt Disco’s “Strange to Know Nothing” is the Flamboyantly Glam/Goth Pop Song of the Year Thus Far

WaltDisco_3000x3000_A — Walt Disco “Strange to Know Nothing” cover (cropped)

Listening to “Strange to Know Nothing” by Glasgow’s Walt Disco it’s impossible to anyone relatively familiar with glam/Goth/post-punk not to be struck how it’s reminiscent of the eccentric and energetic weirdness of Sparks or The Pop Group with a Heaven 17-esque pop baseline. The impassioned, warbling vocals and the minimalistic guitar riff and synth swells executed in a wonderfully melodramatic fashion makes me personally wonder if San Francisco’s The Sleepers got in a time machine and recorded a new record after listening to only post-punk and ska from the UK made between 1981 and 1986. If this is retro it’s at least borrowing after an original fashion. If that’s the band on the cover, and even if it’s not, rarely has a group of eccentrically dressed yet indisputably cool Goth misfits been so perfectly rendered as a representation of a song as rambunctious yet as haunting as “Strange to Know Nothing.” Listen for yourself below.