Michael
GosT - “Maleficarum”
Blood Music really knows how to pick out the haunting and dark outrun artists. GosT, who is often on tour with labelmate Perturbator, is spot-on with this music video in both vision and execution. It is a great way to present this style of music because when you see outrun videos you usually see a bunch of neon and futuristic skylines, but this is a lot closer to the version of the movie The Witch (2016) that I wanted: creepy, dark, and at times bloody. GosT does a good job of bringing distorted bass breakdowns, mixing them with a little bit of lo-fi synth, and then just punching it hard.
GosT has a new album out September 30th on Blood Music called Non Paradisi. People are very stoked about it, and you should check it out.
Hante. - “Living in a French Movie”
Hante., who we have mentioned here before, is at it again with a great new music video to promote their EP No Hard Feelings. They’ve included the lyrics in the description of the video - which, if you are taking votes, is a much better way to do it than a goddamn lyric video - which is a great move for this song because the images in the video (showing a woman walking along a path who slowly starts to run through the forest, then later a car driving quickly through mountain roads) reflect the almost maudlin nature of the lyrics. The video is shot in the Pyrénées Mountains in France, but it could have easily been shot here in the Pacific Northwest. The trees and the beautiful lakes in the video make me want to run out of this office and up into the deep forest forever - which I think is the point of the video and the lyrics.
Nothing’s gonna happen
I’m sinking in a fantasy
If we love each other
Why can’t we be dreaming together?
Nothing’s gonna happen
I cannot stand reality
Does true love only exist?
I don’t want to live in a French movie.
The No Hard Feelings EP will be out September 6th on Synth Religion records.
Wes
Zanias - “Follow the Body”
The first track from Zoe Zanias’ solo project produces an interesting mix of responses from me. The music is both driving and danceable, but also almost relaxing in a way. While the percussion and bass push forward, the synthy string pads and Zanias’ vocal delivery pulls back, airy and thoughtfully paced; the contrast between the elements, rather than clashing, feels right.
It’s interesting - you definitely draw lines to previous work from Zoe Zanias. The vocal delivery isn’t so different from Keluar, and there is still sort of an EBM feel. However, where Keluar’s ties to EBM feel direct, Zanias feels like she’s pulling the parts of EBM she needs and discarding the rest, building a sounds that feels distinctly hers.
Zanias is the solo project of Zoe Zanias (Keluar/Linea Aspera). Her first release for this project, To The Core, will be released in September 2016 on Noiztank.
Chynna - “Reaper [prod. Park Ave]”
If you haven’t heard Chynna before, I don’t know why, but you’re really missing something. The production on this track is really fantastic; slow and moody, the sampled electric organ provides a great backdrop to Chynna’s fierce flow. Chynna has a diverse arsenal of cadences, but for the most part, she keeps it pretty consistent in “Reaper”. It feels purpose driven - she has something to say, and isn’t going to stop until it’s been said.
Chynna is a rapper from Philadelphia now based out of Brooklyn. Her latest release, Ninety, is available on Soundcloud.