Tag: Matt Hart

July 2023 Sounds and Shadows Darkscene Singles Chart

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Trying to hit the ground running and get the Darkscene Singles Chart out right at the beginning of the month. As always this chart started as a way to highlight the best songs released in July, chosen by our group of DJs, Artists, Bands, promotors, reviewers, and superfans. Since it is not pay to play it highlights artists who may not get recognized in other charts with prominent legacy artists. If you have a single release in August, or know someone who does, add it to the Poll in the feature section of the Facebook group or on our Patreon. Congratulations to all these artists and please share to show support for the scene.

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  1. Missing In Stars – Fight
  2. Matt Hart – Rotations
  3. Mark E Moon – Daemons
  4. Bestial Mouths – Slitskin
  5. The Bleak Assembly – A Night Like This
  6. Dread Risks – Comadose (Moann Exis RMX)
  7. Motuvius Rex – Eleven 33
  8. Microwaved (Feat: Eva X ) – Propaganda (Gaslight Remix by Paul Housin)
  9. Male Tears – Sad Boy, Paint My Nails
  10. Choke Chain – Burial
  1. Missing In Stars – Fight – (Infacted Recordings Germany) – Milwaukee synthwave artists with this gorgeous and emotive declaration of passion and symmetry earns a much deserving spot at number one. Dan Guenther has truely outdone himself with the layered sculpture of poetry and light. The vocals are so unique and drip with honey. A truly magnificent example of songcraft that touched something deep inside me.

Fight | Missing In Stars | Infacted Recordings (bandcamp.com)

2) MATT HART – Rotations – London Fundustrial Neuromancer with a SLAMMING new single which ties borg technology to the bones of Front Line Assembly and pumps 1.21 gigawatts of juice to animate this old school concept in 2023. Music to automate your factory to.

ROTATIONS | MATT HART (bandcamp.com)

3) Mark E Moon – Daemons – (Cold Transmission Music) – Our dear friends from The Isle Of Man back once again with this slinky duet with gnashing vinegar in Marks delivery smoothed over with Shelly Rourke‘s cascading light. Transe fueled Ultravox synth vibes replace the Trad goth I am accustom to. The course language and snarl replace the teeth usually found in Phil’s guitar and leave you feeling shredded by a rampaging monster. Stay on the path and beware of the moon.

Daemons | Mark E Moon (bandcamp.com)

4) Bestial Mouths – Slitskin – (Negative Gain) – This single has a real story behind it. We discussed it in our interview with Negative Gain who have their festival in New Orleans coming this month.  Lynette Cerezo unmistakable vocal fury cuts through this hum and flickering machinery. Brant and Mathew have constructed a cyber city backdrop to hold the rising explosion of Lynette’s chant. Industrial legend Rhys Fulber added string arrangements, additional keyboards & programming. He was so moved by this project he went seeking them out to be involved. This single paves the way for the album out August 11th and it will be a ground shaker.

Slitskin (Single) | Bestial Mouths (bandcamp.com)

5) The Bleak Assembly – A Night Like This – A wonderful collaboration of talented artists Kimberly Kornmeier of (Bow Ever Down) and Michael Smith of Fiction8. This first single has a lovely Violator vibe with the bouncing beats and grey vocal streaks. Wonderful poetry in the lyrics. That lost romantic goth I long for. Kimberly brings a violet crystal essence to every phrase. Beauty and Bop in equal measure. Loss, regret, strength and courage. The full journey.

A Night Like This | The Bleak Assembly (bandcamp.com)

6) Dread Risks – Comadose (Moaan Exis Remix) – (Re:Mission Entertainment) – This is the second time Texas Doomdustrial act Dread Risks has met up with powerdustrial Moaan Exis to unfurl this hot wet steel wool like a tidal wave down the asphalt. Another home run for Re:Mission Entertainment who keeps taking big swings and chances on bands not everyone knows but should. A dangerous mixture that swings a chain around it’s head somewhere between futurepop and 90’s Helmet. I love it when mean sounds good.

Comadose (Moaan Exis Remix) | Dread Risks | Re:Mission Entertainment (bandcamp.com)

7) Microwaved – Propaganda (ft Eva X​)​(​Gaslight Mix by Paul Housin) – First single from a series of remix albums from Des Moines, Iowa. This one with the electrowhip vocals of Eva X. I love the steamy rave pop build and shake. Gaby gives a timely lift to the bouncing electronic journey. This is welcome at my dance party anytime.

Propaganda (ft Eva X)(Gaslight Mix by Paul Housin) | Microwaved (bandcamp.com)

8) Motuvius Rex – Eleven 33 – (InClub Records) – I love when I find something new from this chart. Louisville Kentucky has produced some of my favorite new wave traditional goth. This band is about to be added to that list. Beautiful flickering Cure Pornography guitar lines behind a gate of dark pastels. The vocals are bizarre and captivating with psychedelic chaos and dark fold reverence. This band caught me completely by suprise but they have my attention now.

Eleven 33 | Motuvius Rex (bandcamp.com)

9) MALE TEARS – sad boy, paint my nails – So happy to hear a new track from my adopted goth little brother James Edwards. Know in equal measure for his playful sass online, and undeniable hook based synthwave in his blood. Just reading the title I knew I was in for the ride. I know most artists have access to the same plug ins and sounds, but whenever I hear a Male Tears synth intro, it always feels like they are laying into the keys of an old Korg through a Laney tube amp. James has a voice that blends genuine pain hiding behind mockery like Oscar Wilde using a rapier like tongue in a pub. I also long for a remix of this with that chorus over an explosive club hit.

sad boy, paint my nails | MALE TEARS (bandcamp.com)

10) Choke Chain – Burial – The long-awaited new release from Milwaukee, Wisconsin Mark Trueman. In form this is machine gun EDM laying suppressing fire for Mark’s raw napalm screams of anguish and intensity. This single paves the way for the upcoming album MORTALITY, out September 22. I’ve seen Choke Chain preform three times now, and it is one of those things you need to witness to fully understand.

Burial | Choke Chain (bandcamp.com)

February 2023 Sounds and Shadows Darkscene Singles Chart

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Greetings my friends, it is once again time for the S & S Darkscene singles chart. The top 10 singles in February 2023 chosen by our group of Artists, Djs, Producers, Promotors, and Super Fans. We receive no compensation and every month I am astounded to find an incredible new bands I was not aware of. I welcome you all to do the same and dive in for the best new Goth, Industrial, New wave, Post Punk, Darkwave, Witchaus, or any other genre we decide suits our fancy. If you have a single in March or know someone who does, join the Sounds and Shadows Facebook group and add them to the poll.

  1. AL1CE – The Lucky Dead Theme Song
  2. IAMWARFACE – Say My Name
  3. Sawtooth (feat. Sapphira Vee) – Walk Into The Ocean
  4. Matt Hart (feat. Daniel Graves) – To The Core
  5. Microwaved (Featuring Gaby Gustafson of Eva X) – Propaganda
  6. Bellhead – I Would Die 4 U (Prince Cover)
  7. A Cloud Of Ravens – Requiem for the Sun
  8. Self Titled Album – The Unicorn Tornado Of Hurt
  9. The Picassos – Under The Floorboards (With You)
  10. Carrion – THERE IS ONLY HELL

Special Mention:

The Bellwether Syndicate – We All Rise –

AL1CE – The Dead Lucky Theme Song – (Los Angelos CA) Animated raindrop synthwave track with an explosive bassline and jet engine guitar roar. I love the multi media connection to a comic called The Lucky Dead by Melissa Flores. Tash’s vocals are elegant and abstract weaving an image over the rhythm sections drive. Every new track I hear impresses me more.

The Dead Lucky Theme Song | AL1CE (bandcamp.com)

IAMWARFACE – SAY MY NAME – (Brighton UK) – This one surprised me from the first beat. A blistering prog pulsed synth slammer that teetered between live and electric drums. The vocals are outstanding with a real Brett Anderson energy and sass against the hard rock thunder. Writing this down on paper this should not be my cup of tea, with every choice and change I kept finding myself won over. The quality and complexity on display here are undeniable.

SAY MY NAME | IAMWARFACE (bandcamp.com)

Sawtooth – Walk Into The Ocean (feat. Sapphira Vee) – (Lowell, Massachusetts) – I love everything about this team up. Two amazing people that impress me every time working together. This beat slithers like an anaconda slithering along a slutty muted trumpet. Knowing both these artists, the way both voices shine is my favorite thing about this heavy air banger.

Walk Into The Ocean (feat. Sapphira Vee) | Sawtooth (bandcamp.com)

MATT HART – TO THE CORE (AESTHETIC PERFECTION REMIX) – (London UK) – Industrial Pop tender destruction remixed by the master of the genre. Glitchy and cruel with crystal clarity. This is not Matt hart’s first trip to our singles chart, it most certainly won’t be his last. The rising strikes like visible heat rising from the pavement. The bassline is a diamond tipped drill seeking out minerals below the curst.

TO THE CORE (AESTHETIC PERFECTION REMIX) | MATT HART (bandcamp.com)

Microwaved – Propaganda (Featuring Gaby Gustafson of Eva X) – (Des Moines, Iowa) – Gabe Wilkinson teaming up with Gaby is a beautiful synthesis of deadly EDM beats and a gatling gun cadence from the breathy vocals. Music to hunt the wastelands to.

Propaganda (Featuring Gaby Gustafson of Eva X) | Microwaved (bandcamp.com)

BELLHEAD – I Would Die 4 U – (Chicago IL) – My favorite Chicago double bass duo with a Prince cover that is weird, disturbing, and I’ll be damned if it doesn’t work. Ivan Russia summons some Steven Malkmus vocal delivery that leaves such a dissonate aftertaste to the familiar melody. I don’t know what I was expecting, it wasn’t this, it somehow hit for me on every level.

I Would Die 4 U | BELLHEAD (bandcamp.com)

A Cloud of Ravens – Requiem for the Sun – (Brooklyn, New York) – what a bright future the Brooklyn post punk standouts have. Leaving for tour and every new single that comes out on this record is a bonfire banger. This bassline is Peter Hook worthy crude oil pipe. Matt’s vocals show range and creativity. People really need to get on board with this band. Don’t be the last.

Requiem for the Sun | A Cloud of Ravens (bandcamp.com)

Self Titled Album – Unicorn Tornado of Hurt – (Price, Utah) – Ok number 1, I didn’t think Utah had sweet bands. number 2, The title of this song is epic. That is before I even hit play. This track is a fuzzy level of bass I have not heard since Monster Magnet. Filthy and psychedelic with a retro 90’s engine.

Unicorn Tornado of Hurt | Self Titled Album (bandcamp.com)

thePicassos – Under the Floorboards (With You) – (Detroit MI) – One of my favorite haunting indie shadow sonic flavors from Detroit. Organic, emotive, and original driving into a concealed truth without fear. Charle’s vocals and haunting and original. Every time I hear this band I wonder where they have been all my life.

Under the Floorboards (With You) | thePicassos (bandcamp.com)

Carrion – THERE IS ONLY HELL – (Kingdom of Norway) – Our moderator and reviewer Hide has been locked away drinking torture juice pressurizing emotion for a new string of synth driven terror abstraction. Vocally flinging broken glass at our jugular at random precision. It’s always new, always distinct.

THERE IS ONLY HELL | Carrion (bandcamp.com)

For this month I am going to add a special mention. The Bellwether Syndicate had a new single release that didn’t come out until 2/24/23 but it is such an absolute BANGER it felt wrong not to mention. The tone of this guitar is like walking in your door after an especially long day of work. William Faith’s voice is distinctive and raw. These drums slash us in reckless assault. A modern day classic.

We All Rise | The Bellwether Syndicate (bandcamp.com)

Top 12 Sounds and Shadows Darkscene Singles of 2022

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I am so proud of how the Sounds and Shadows Darkscene Singles Chart has grown in the last 2 years. This chart is chosen entirely by our groups Artists, Djs, Reviewers, Promotors, and Superfans. I took the number 1 pick from each month this year. So they were all top picks in no particular order.

Jan – Gravity Corp – Another Day

Feb – Dead Cool – Game Of Trust

March – Lycia – Simpler Times

April – Stoneburner – Contacting Iris

May – Leathers – Runaway

June – Dead Cool – Send Me An Angel

July – Kill Shelter (Feat Stefan Netschio) – In This Place

Aug – Pilgrims of Yearning – La Mar

Sept – Leathers – Ultraviolet – Artoffact Records

Oct – Panic Priest – AngelSteal – Negative Gain

Nov – Matt Hart – Terraform

Dec – The Bellwether Syndicate – Beacons –

Gravity Corps – Another Day – Spacey driving dance beats from Mark Sousa. This futurepop trance rhythm with the melodic bass whisper vocals and sharp mastering of Eric Oehler (Klack). This is sensational music to fire finger guns on the dancefloor to.

https://gravitycorps.bandcamp.com/track/another-day-ep-version

Dead Cool – Game Of Trust – Wilmington, North Carolina stellar splashing synthwave goodness full of mystery and mayhem. Ringing front striking vocals and cascade keys. The husband and wife John and Angela Yeagher create a sinister story that is always driving forward. Awesome cover art to complete the image by Morgan Elizabeth.

ttps://deadcool.bandcamp.com/track/game-of-trust

Lycia – Simpler Times – A triumphant return for the Arizona based trance coldwave band. This track is a perfect blend of pastel light and dark hues. Oil spreading in a rain puddle. Mike VanPortfleet‘s vocals sit deep within the mix to create a gentle specter haunting your mind. I love seeing a band I loved in my youth break new ground while keeping their soul.

https://lycia.bandcamp.com/album/simpler-times

Stoneburner – Contacting Iris – Steven Archer is always pushing the edge hard and furious. This time by interweaving with Sci Fi author Peter Watts with a punishing new sonic canvas so relevant to the emotional mindset of the population. This artistic journey keeps getting larger and more intricate.

Contracting Iris | Stoneburner (bandcamp.com)

Leathers – Runaway – Another gorgeous smash hit from Shannon Hemmett of Vancouver. As part of the darkscene darlings Actors this synthy dreamwave project continues to grow and impress with every release. Masterful execution with a personal delivery.

https://leathers.bandcamp.com/

Dead Cool – Send Me An Angel – I had no idea anyone had 2 number one wins in 2022 but here we are 🙂 From Wilmington, North Carolina the darkwave duo of Johnny and Angela Yeagher made this broken glass glittering on concrete version of the 1989 Real Life dance classic. A cool take on the original with much more menace to change the feeling. The band continues to be a fan favorite with our listeners and a number 1 single win speaks to their bright future.

https://deadcool.bandcamp.com/track/send-me-an-angel

Kill Shelter Feat (Stefan Netschio) – In This Place – I have a full review on S & S as well as an interview with Pete releasing tomorrow. However it is fitting this single off an early contender for album of the year is top song in July. Stefan of Beborn Beton delivers heavy resonant drops of tone into an unlit cave pool. 10/10 absolute banger

Asylum [European Version] | Kill Shelter (bandcamp.com)

Pilgrims Of Yearning – La Mar – I was so ecstatic to see the Boston shadowsynth band finish in 1st place. Delicious 90’s Siouxsie with texture snake delay guitars. Juls delivers a haunting and soulful performance. This is a must have in your collection. One of the most criminally underrated bands in the modern darkscene.

La Mar | Pilgrims of Yearning (bandcamp.com)

Leathers – Ultraviolet – So we had two double winners in 2022. Just shows how much of this year was a blur to me. Shannon deserves every great thing that happens to her though. New single from the Canadian synth extravaganza that is the project of Actors members and currently on tour with them. I love how if this was ever a “side project” it has evolved into a distinct powerhouse of twilight all on it’s own. There is a reason it was a definitive #1 in our most voted on chart to date. Force of nature single you need.

Ultraviolet | LEATHERS (bandcamp.com)

Panic Priest – AngelSteal – Jack has a gorgeous and razor streaming style between the cracks of the darkscene. Warm crooning Baritone, waterfall backdrop synths, and lightning crackle guitar leads. Panic Priest always needs more recognition and having this single as number 1 is a fitting start. People need to start recognizing Jack as one of the top voices in the modern scene. Interview coming up with Jack in Jan 2023

ANGELSTEAL | Panic Priest | Midnight Mannequin Records (bandcamp.com)

Matt Hart – Terraform – Great to see UK artist Matt Hart get the number 1 spot. This single is a banging narrative short film in sonic form. Dystopian sci fi full of underground machinery, perseverance and rebirth. I love the sharp edges and skull smashing mid-tempo beats.

TERRAFORM – SINGLE | MATT HART (bandcamp.com)

The Bellwether Syndicate – Beacons – Chicago show stopper’s have a brilliant new single that roars like a muscle car charging down Woodward Ave. Flames spewing out the engine to chase back the darkness. William croons with an extra edge of piercing determination. The mix is clear but always feels like a toe on the line which makes it feel dangerous, on the verge of shattering the glass bubble. They just took this song on the road with Then Comes Silence from Sweeden. Of everyone I currently follow in the modern darkscene, no one has more “rockstar” energy than William with a mic in his hand.

Beacons | The Bellwether Syndicate (bandcamp.com)

November Sounds And Shadows Darkscene Singles Chart

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Nearing the end of the year and just in time for Bandcamp Friday we have the latest addition of the S & S chart. November was an amazing month for new music. I found a ton at the Detroit Skull Fest which I will be putting an article out about soon. In the meantime, I encourage all of you to support our scene by listening to these singles chosen by our group of Artists, Djs, Promotors, Reviewers, and Super Fans. Each song here is a single released in Nov 2022 and voted on by our group. If you have a single release in December, or know someone who does, post it in the December poll.

  1. Matt Hart – Terraform
  2. Derision Cult (Feat: Chris Connelly and Gabriel Reeves) – Deaf Blood
  3. ST///LL – Darkened Eyes
  4. Minuit Machine – Follower
  5. Anti-Social Club – Empty
  6. SINE – Je Suis
  7. STAER – Manifold
  8. Mari Kattman – Fever Shakes
  9. Null Device – For You
  10. Mechanical Vein X Moris Blak – Cemetary Wind

MATT HART – Great to see UK artist Matt Hart get the number 1 spot. This single is a banging narrative short film in sonic form. Dystopian sci fi full of underground machinery, perseverance and rebirth. I love the sharp edges and skull smashing mid-tempo beats.

TERRAFORM – SINGLE | MATT HART (bandcamp.com)

Derision Cult – Deaf Blood – West Chicago Industrial band with an all star contributor list of Chris Connelly and Reeves Gabrels. Slamming drum progression and wicked guitar solo with the iconic Connelly vocals, what is not to love?

Mercenary Notes Pt 1 | Derision Cult (bandcamp.com)

st///ll – Darkened Eyes – UK band I wasn’t aware of before they popped onto the chart. Really cool slushy Chameleons meets The Dammed post punk vibes. The basslines here in particular are really infectious. You have my attention.

Darkened Eyes | st///ll (bandcamp.com)

Minuit Machine – Follower – French based ultra-cold wave with the always amazing  HĂŠlène de Thoury of Hante with vocals from Amandine Stioui. An icy gust of winding motion and shimmer. This album is so effortlessly cool. I feel like the slickest version of myself when I am listening to it.

24 | Minuit Machine (bandcamp.com)

Anti-Social Club – Empty – Really cool project from two group members Pete and Greg. Sweet throwback synthgoth anthem, I love the vocals here, big Peter Murphy energy with harmonies from Rachael Fuhs. This track is the perfect blend of fresh and familiar. That chorus drops like an A bomb.

Last Train to Oblivion | Anti-Social Club (bandcamp.com)

SINE – I recently got to discuss this single with Rona in an upcoming interview we will be releasing. Slow steps over smoking volcanic earth with whispered vocals that declare I am. I love how this powerful and sensual confidence oozes in waves while making a sound impossible to place in a box.

Mantis Complete | SINE (bandcamp.com)

ST∆ER – Manifold – I was so excited to see electronic texture artist Ian R. Staer crack the singles charts. This isn’t a “typical” single bopper. It is emotional landscape painting in sonic form. Stretching and breathing with a story created in the listeners mind. I really love that our listeners are picking songs this cerebral.

Written, performed, and recorded by Ian R. Staer.

Mixed by Chris Vrenna at Bluebird Studio, Huntsville AL.

Mastered by Eric Oehler at Submersible, Madison WI

Equilibrium | ST∆ER (bandcamp.com)

Mari Kattman – Fever Shakes – One of my favorite humans in the scene, the amazing burning energy of Mari releases this stomping shadowpop single full of bopping beats and furious delivery. A picture Mari in silver robot armor with a blue electric broadsword carving a swath through her enemies.

Fever Shakes | Mari Kattman (bandcamp.com)

Null Device – For You – The mostly Wisconsin based electronic band with this gorgeous old school synth single that puts me in mind of Depeche Mode “Construction Time Again” blended with powerful Annie Lenox style vocals from Sheridan. Powerful and emotive this whole EP is a must have. Which is why I have it

Eric Oehler – Vocals, Synths, Violin, Guitars
Jill Sheridan – Vocals, Lyrics, Synths
Eric Goedken – Lyrics, Additional Production
Kendra Kreutz – Cello

The Emerald Age | Null Device (bandcamp.com)

Mechanical Vein x MORIS BLAK – Powerhouse team up from England and Boston for this stabbing cadence with some electro Nu Metal energy. This is a positive banger. Glitchy, bass pounding goodness to set your dancefloor ablaze.

Cemetery Wind | Mechanical Vein x MORIS BLAK | Mechanical Vein (bandcamp.com)