Arcana 13 do it to death, Rändi Fay shares her intuition, The Ah do factory work and more in today’s Roundup. Fingers crossed nobody gets their panties in a knot.
SONG OF THE DAY
1 | Arcana 13 | Black Death
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Italy’s horror-cult rockers Arcana 13 implant terror inside your brains with their highly aesthetic and anxiety-laden video for Black Death, their upcoming new 7″ EP coming out Jan. 17. Arcana 13’s new video produces this strange and disturbing sensation of suffocating that goes so well with the song atmosphere. Guitarist Simone Bertozzi tells us more about the video concept: “Black Death features our first proper music video and we were pretty nervous, because the visual nightmare we envisioned was not easy to transform into vision. Only Chariot of Black Moth could pull this off and bring to life our sickening vision, a colossal Begotten-style mindf*ck! Implanting terror inside the brain. Enjoy it and start to grasp the direction that our upcoming full-length album is going to take: asphyxiating heavy horror doom madness.”
ALSO ON THE PLAYLIST
2 | Rändi Fay | Intuition
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Green Bay’s most enchanting songstress, Rändi Fay, shares her stunning new music video. As the title track from her upcoming concept album, which is set for release next month, Intuition is a powerful, soaring, synth-driven track that follows Fay’s signature “symphonic electronica” style. The story is deeply rooted in the relatable eternal conflict of head vs. heart, exploring self-sabotage and the complex internal battle that arises when logic begins to override our emotions. Fay explains: “The single Intuition is based on the inner conflict of head vs. heart: ‘I don’t want to love you, I don’t want to lose control, I don’t want to need you but I don’t want to let you go.’ Overthinking and overcommitting to what is logical and easy (love is NOT, relationships are NOT) sabotages the intense experiences involved in risking deep connection with another being-joy, loss, all of that. All the feels can be exhausting-it’s treacherous landscape! Why take that risk? But loneliness is the other choice. Separation. Isolation. And that is even more exhausting. And depressing. Letting go and finding love, connection, intimacy is the reward. It’s worth it! Be vulnerable. Don’t be afraid!”
3 | The Ah | The Factory Girl
THE PRESS RELEASE: “The Ah — solo project of composer and musician Jeremy Gustin (Rubblebucket, Okkervil River, Delicate Steve, Marc Ribot, Albert Hammond Jr, etc) — shared the second single from his forthcoming sophomore full-length Mere Husk. Following the lead single Watermelon Tears, The Factory Girl features Gustin’s friend, Yuan Liu, on vocals, who also stars in the track’s accompanying music video. On the song, Gustin explains, “The Factory Girl is based on a traditional Irish song I first heard Margaret Barry sing. When struck by the beauty of the melody and the phrasing, I challenged myself to see what I could do with it to completely change the vibe, but keep the integrity of the melody. As I decided to not have vocals here, the narrative of the original, of course, is lost. But my friend Yuan just happened to be over my place at the moment I was recording this and I asked her to improvise some dialogue, which she did brilliantly. This of course alters the original narrative but keeps the underlying theme of love intact.”
4 | Richard Dawson | Dead Dog in an Alleyway
THE PRESS RELEASE: “After what was an outstanding 2019 for Richard Dawson, he now releases the video for Dead Dog in an Alleyway. The animated video is directed by Ewan Jones Morris and reflects the powerful portrayal of homelessness conjured by Dawson’s evocative and startling lyrics. The track is taken from 2020, Dawson’s sixth solo record, released in October of last year.”
5 | Frazey Ford | Azad
THE PRESS RELEASE: “Vancouver-based soul-Americana artist Frazey Ford announced her third album U kin B the Sun, due out Feb. 7. At turns ecstatic and heavy-hearted, gloriously shambolic and deeply purifying, the new album is the outcome of a certain personal transformation that Ford has experienced in recent years. With its graceful collision of soul and psychedelia and sometimes ’70s funk, it’s a body of work that invites both self-reflection and wildly joyful movement, and ultimately sparks a quiet transcendence. Lead album single Azad reveals the rich emotional texture of U kin B the Sun, embedding Ford’s lyrical storytelling with sharply rendered memories of early childhood (a time she spent living on a commune in Canada as the daughter of American draft dodgers). With its brightly shuffling beats and soaring vocal work, Azad offers a poignant message of courage. “There’s something to that song that’s about survival, and about the love that my siblings and I have for each other in coming through an intense situation together.”
6 | Raspberry Bulbs | Doggerel
THE PRESS RELEASE: “New York’s Raspberry Bulbs — featuring members of Bone Awl and Rorschach — are currently streaming Doggerel. The track comes by way of the band’s impending full-length, Before The Age Of Mirrors, set for release next month. Issues band founder M. Del Rio of the track, “With the theme of canines in mind, there is a hunt taking place, a spiritual hunt. The liars, the scoundrels, the cowards are running through the fields, terrified and pursued by packs of blood thirsty hounds. The cowards take shape as their spiritual counterpart, the frightened hog. With history in mind, there is a war taking place, a spiritual war. The liars, scoundrels, and cowards are lined up against your army – do they stand a chance? Not against a battle worn and cunning general. This is how you take them apart, sing the song and execute the strategy. It is hard for normal civilians to understand you never break rank with a superior officer without serious consequence. Respect and knowing your place is the first lesson learned and the key to maintaining an effective army.”
7 | World/Inferno Friendship Society | Having A Double Life Is So Hard (But Obviously Something You Enjoy)
THE PRESS RELEASE: “World/Inferno Friendship Society’s long awaited new album dares you to try and decipher its multi-layered, encrypted message, while dragging you kicking and screaming through a succession of flashbacks, alternate realities and drug and alcohol induced delusions. While World/Inferno is known for its utter disregard for boundaries of genre, All Borders are Porous to Cats deliberately pushes the limits of what could possibly be perceived as punk rock. It scores tales of fugitives, arson, larceny, perjury, drug addiction and freedom with elements of soul, funk, Latin, polka, and classical music, as well as World/Inferno’s signature punk cabaret sound. 3 years in the making, 4 missed release dates, 5 lost band members, many a bridge burned, and a defamation lawsuit waiting to happen, The World/Inferno Friendship Society invites you to enjoy the fruits of their perpetual torment.
