Browsing Tag

Calgary

Her Motives Are Silent delivered darkwave redemption in his spectrally lush orchestration, Running

Posted on 23 July 2024

In the latest single from Her Motives Are Silent, the marked-to-be illustrious Calgary-hailing innovator, Michael Valenzuela, looked into the shadows of introspection through a darkwave electronica lens that invokes Glenn Branca’s avant-garde obscurity.

‘Running’ meticulously stitches distorted vocals into the fabric of its production, ensconced amidst formidable percussive lashes flowing through syncopated rhythms and crafting a sonorous web capable of placating the macabrely-minded and unsettling the comfortable.

By implanting orchestral motifs and the spectral qualities of Porcupine Tree into the middle ground of NIN and Radiohead the single, which challenges the listener to confront their anxiety instead of simply evading it by any means necessary, is a deeply reflective score which acts as a compelling precursor to the solo artist’s upcoming debut album, Love Muse.

As the track unfolds, it pensively guides its audience towards resolution, encapsulating a journey through emotional turbulence with a promise of catharsis; the oscillating momentum ebbs and flows around the evocatively vulnerable pull of the vocal delivery, resulting in a cinematically lush auditory extension of redemption.

Running was officially released on July 19; stream and purchase the single via Bandcamp.

For more info, head over to the official Her Motives Are Silent website.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Midnite Gossip illuminated the airwaves with the darkwave indietronica alchemy in ‘Streetlights’

Posted on 28 December 2023

Midnite Gossip, the Calgary-based indie-pop duo, has once again demonstrated their unique flair for blending genres with their nocturnal odyssey, Streetlights. The synthesis of moody pop, darkwave, industrial, and electronic post-punk elements come together to create a soundscape as enigmatic as the night itself.

From the first caustic beat, the tone is set for a journey through the urban night. The twilight of the synth lines glimmers beneath Nicky Markin’s vocals, providing a haunting backdrop to the siren-esque vocal harmonies to draw you deeper into an entrancing mix that lingers in your subconscious, echoing long after the outro.

The fusion of 90’s industrial synth wave with modern club anthem vibes creates a sound that is both ‘pretty but gritty’, a hallmark of Midnite Gossip’s style, which is influenced by The XX, Phantogram and St. Vincent. With their upcoming debut EP eagerly anticipated, Midnite Gossip is clearly a duo on the rise. Their performance at the Satellite Music + Arts Festival, alongside artists like Felix Cartel and Ruby Waters, has already cemented their status as one to watch.

Check out the new official music video for the Mickey Valenz Remix of Streetlights which premiered on December 21 via YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Missing: Jackson Reed and The Silverbirds knows that she has a hold In My Head

Posted on 7 March 2023

Swimming back through a waterfall of a possible romance to treasure, Jackson Reed and The Silverbirds return with a fantastic fusion of sounds to bring smiles to the house on In My Head.

Jackson Reed and The Silverbirds is a Calgary, Alberta-based indie pop/rock act who have assembled a nostalgic sound which will have many licking their lips in joy.

”There’s a lot of people out there, both young and old, who want nothing more than the sounds of the past to come back. I want to be their representative and ensure that happens.” ~ Jackson Reed and The Silverbirds

With a Michael Bolton-like aura and so much to love, while tapping those happy feet, Jackson Reed and The Silverbirds fly so freely like an airborne plane on a mission and rocket into our spirits on a timeless-sounding song which could be from the 80s or 90s.

In My Head from Calgary, Alberta-born indie pop/rock outfit Jackson Reed and The Silverbirds is a rather enjoyable melody made with the feelings of being head over heels for a romantic interest. Poised and precise throughout, this is a delightful innovation made with only pure intentions for the listener.

This is a soaringly well-made song with so much texture attached and shall take our hearts into an imaginative state of affairs.

Hear this new single on Spotify.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

Less Miserable – The Dentist: Meet the Icons of Self-Depreciating Post-Emo Pop-Punk

Posted on 27 September 2022

43 Chinook by Less Miserable

Post-emo pop-punk outfit, Less Miserable took expression to the next level in their 2022 standout single, The Dentist. The visceral track explores the intricacies of depression by making a series of proclamations that everyone who has ever felt inadequacy loom along with the bark of the black dog will relate to.

With killer lines “the sun on my face feels like a cheap insult that I can’t ignore” and the chorus hook “If you want me to see a dentist, you’ll have to kick me in the teeth, I can’t ask for help unless it is an emergency” to a backdrop of progressively off-kilter post-hardcore rancour, The Dentist will break your heart through resonance. Before mending it through the affirmation that you’re not alone in the insecurities you feel in loving relationships and the tendency to neglect self-care when you don’t see yourself as something worth investing in

Without a hint of hyperbole, I’ve just found a new favourite artist in the Alberta-based outfit who specialises in self-deprecating anthems made to drink cheap beer to and shout along to in sweaty basements. It’s almost enough to make me buy a plane ticket to Calgary to party with the candour-gifted lyrical visionaries.

The Dentist is now available to stream and purchase via Bandcamp.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Calgary’s Her Motives Are Silent pleads for that deserved peace for humanity on ‘Pieces’

Posted on 15 April 2022

Pieces by Her Motives Are Silent

With his eagerly-anticipated debut album being currently created to perfection and on the way soon, Her Motives Are Silent sends the world a song that should be heard by the current world leaders who persist to cause devastating butchery without feelings on, ‘Pieces‘.

Founded by Michael Valenzuela, Her Motives Are Silent is an experimental solo project that has been warmly created in beautiful Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

”His goal is solely to create art that resonates with others. Hoping to make timeless music that defies limitations. His music is a mix of genres ranging from pop, rock, piano ballads, noir, electronic, trip-hop, orchestral, psychedelic and ambient.” ~ Her Motives Are Silent

Gliding up above to lead the way for those who have lost hope and only see such haunting visions that have been thrown at them lately, Her Motives Are Silent shows such care and a leader’s mentality with a beat that will pull on all your feelings.

‘Pieces‘ from Calgary, Alberta-based experimental artist, composer, drummer and music producer Her Motives Are Silent, is an emotional call for common sense to prevail again in this wartorn world that needs a calm holding of hands to bring some sense of normality again. He sings with an air of love and understanding, which is such an inspiring listen. This is the type of release that will cause your heart to beat faster, as you take time to have a moment of silence for those who continue to lose their lives.

Love and peace must always conquer, not hate and war.

Hear this deep new single on Bandcamp.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

Western Bloc – Monkey Christ: Darkwave Avant-Garde Post-Punk

Posted on 19 July 2021

I never thought Glenn Branca would have competition, but Western Bloc’s darkwave avant-garde post-punk composition, ‘Monkey Christ’, parallels the ethereally phantasmic effect in The Ascension. It’s got the class, nihilism and theatrical flair but through the consistently evolving progressions, you’ll pick up on contemporary post-punk styles through the reminiscence to the Editor’s impassioned sound that tends to air on the melancholy despite the bursts of energetic angsty euphoria.

Any fans of SWANS, Magazine and Echo and the Bunnymen definitely won’t want to miss out on the official launch of the Calgary-based artist’s forthcoming album, which is due for release in August 2021.

Check out Western Bloc for yourselves by heading over to the band’s official website and SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Mak London has released her ensnaringly witchy sophomore single, ‘Cut Ya Clean’.

Posted on 6 July 2021

Dark, witchy, and edgy are just a few of the adjectives that first come to mind when listening to Mak London’s sophomore single, Cut Ya Clean. But it is so much more than your average brooding-pop-princess track, which we’ve heard so many times since Eilish declared herself as ‘the bad guy’.

Cut Ya Clean is an artfully decadent track; full of lavish authenticity that will undoubtedly see the Calgary-based singer-songwriter go far on her path to alt-pop royalty. The starkest reminiscences in the soundscape are the ones that bring Lewis Carroll’s The Queen of Hearts to mind.

Cut Ya Clean officially released on July 2nd; you can check it out for yourselves by heading over to SoundCloud.

For more info, head over to her website.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Brand New Day: Calgary band Lÿnx look into the shaky mirror and ‘Shout Out Loud’

Posted on 31 May 2021

Formerly known as Lazer Blade and powered by Bullzhorn Records, Lÿnx used this horrific pandemic to reform, refocus and re-energize, and show us what they have been up to on ‘Shout Out Loud‘.

Lÿnx is a fiery Calgary, Canada-based 80’s-inspired hard-rock/glam-metal four-piece band formed by Lazer, Blade, Fangs and Flash. With a rip-roaring sound that is full of that old school fire and ferocious vocals, they make that rare sound that was ridiculously popular back in the day.

The sound is so rampaging and full of impressive energy – as they rip down the mic and shred the speakers off their hinges – they are full-on and smash in hard with a classic vibe throughout.

‘Shout Out Loud‘ from the uniquely inspiring Calgary, Canada-based glam-metal/hard-rock act Lÿnx, is the vivid story about trying your best to get through the day, as you need so much love from the stresses of life and nasty bills that need to be paid. This is that volume-raised-to-the-max track that needs to be heard on full, so you can get through your day and feel so much better for getting out the inner frustrations.

Stream this new single on Spotify and see more via IG.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen