For those who are interested in Shoegaze or nu gaze music, please do me a favor and check out Parannoul’s music. You’ll love it! Definitely one of the coolest music artists/groups or mystical being on this planet crafting the most awesome music. Parannoul’s “White Ceiling/Black Dots Wandering Around” is highly recommended!
Click here to purchase Parannoul – White Ceiling/Black Dots Wandering Around
BAND/ARTIST: Parannoul
ALBUM: White Ceiling/Black Dots Wandering Around
DURATION: 6 Songs (47 Minutes)
RELEASE DATE: February 23, 2022
- Escape
- Someday
- Soft Bruise
- White Ceiling (demo)
- Growing Pain
- Ending Credit
I am a fan of shoegaze music.
And sure, while the genre was at its peak in the late ’80s and early ’90s, Shoegaze music kind of snowdived when Grunge and BritPop became popular. And while there was a “demise” of the genre, the fact is that it never ended. People were still listening to it and those inspired by the music, inspired many musicians in other countries.
In fact, shoegaze music continued to exist in Asia and there were people in America and other countries that were still playing that kind of music, unaffected by media who grew tired of it and not caring if people moved on to a new musical genre. Some of those bands are still playing to this day. In fact, some of those beloved bands that were popular from the past have returned back for a tour or some reunion and release new material. And of course, there are new bands that play this music today. Call it Shoegaze, nu gaze or “art school shoegaze”, the music has evolved. Incorporating other musical genres to shoegaze or other themes. It’s actually very cool to see how far certain bands will carry it.
But one thing I love about how things are today, compared to how things were back then during the peak of shoegaze, is that you have so many choices out there to listen to the music that you want to listen to and much better ways to access it. And the best part of it, no one gives a flying f*ck what music critics have to say and no worries about them trying to usher the demise of a music genre because they write for a popular magazine and were impatient waiting for the next trend. Nor making people, especially the bands feel like sh*t because they were listening to this kind of music.
Want to listen to shoegaze music from the US? From Australia? From Germany? Japan? From Brazil? From Mexico? It is an exciting feeling because many people are discovering new talent from all over the world.
That being said, before I come off as a hypocrite, because I am a long time music critic. I have always been a big supporter of music worldwide. And I love music for the purpose of enlightening my mood, entertaining me or taking me on a mental journey and just listening to the music, as I have done as child with my father’s vinyl’s, listening as a teen outside underneath the starry sky, long commutes to college or to work, I love discovering music and artists that I have not heard before.
And for those who have read my reviews, know that I am a big fan of the shoegaze, nu gaze, dream pop and anything ethereal, where vocals are not always heard but if they are, you may not know what they are saying (which isn’t important), but it’s the music, may it be that guitar distortion, effects or just something mixed and mashed.
And one such artist that has been bringing me a lot of joy as of late is the South Korean music artist or group, Parannoul.
The music artist or group is mysterious and no one knows much about him/them. But from Bandcamp, we do know he or they have self-deprecating humor, writing on Bandcamp as being an “active loser”, “below average in height, appearance and everything else”, with “singing skills [that] are fucking awful”.
In truth, his music is awesome, his singing skills work amazingly with his music.
And while I’ve reviewed many Korean music artists and groups, I have never reviewed a shoegaze artist from South Korea. And while I could have picked a few albums by Parannoul, I wanted to review his “White Ceiling/Black Dots Wandering Around” first.
For no reason, just because…(I know, lame answer).
So, what’s this album about? Parannoul posted on Instagram, “To celebrate the 1st anniversary of last year’s album, I decided to release the B-side EP on February 23… worse and noisier. like DLC or something?”.
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The first album which Parannoul is talking about is “To See the Next Part of the Dream”, which was released back in February 2021. It’s a wonderful album and I’ll review it.
But for now, let’s discuss the EP “White Ceiling/Black Dots Wandering Around” which are B-sides not included on “To See the Next Part of the Dream”.
The opening track begins with “Escape” is a fantastic song, showcasing Parannoul’s deep and then normal vocals (could it be two individuals singing or just one person? Not sure) but I like the bright music featuring frenetic drums, creative use of synths, especially the claning guitars midway through the track, before reverting back to normal. It’s actually a fun and amazing song!
The second track is titled “Someday”. Love the changing guitars starting off, then followed by the drums. You know, this song was giving me New Order Bernard Sumner vocal vibes. But love the creative use of the electric guitar in this short song.
The third track features “Soft Bruise” and the track is whimsical and love the heavy hitting drums, guitar distortion but hearing that touch of synth underneath the layers of this upbeat song. A track that makes you move a long to the cool groove!
The fourth track is a demo version of “White Ceiling” and wow, it sounds completely different from the original song. But what I like about this version is that it’s a complete different musical style. Both tracks feature heavy drums but this one, has a totally different arrangement and is literally a completely different song, despite it being a demo. Listening to both songs side by side and you wouldn’t know this version is a demo. But a very good demo version and it’s 17:32 long! I think the longest track I have ever heard that made me feel on a creative journey was Kraftwerk’s 1974 song “Autobahn”.
Needless to say, while “Autobahn” feels like a leisure ride, “White Ceiling (demo)” is like going on a journey with a lot of jump cuts of images and things playing in my mind. What a trip! I love it!
The fifth track begins with Parannoul playing the keyboard and it sounds like a love ballad (I don’t know what the song is about) but instead of being shmaltzy ballad, distortion sets in three minutes into the song and it become a haunting melody. Or a melody I hear in my head after having a lot to drink. Needless to say, I love the musical transitions.
The final sixth track is titled “Ending Credit”. Shoegaze with distortion and something sound so familiar but because of Parannoul’s ability to switch things up through his music. A long track at nine minutes long, but a fitting end to a wonderful journey.
Overall, for those who are interested in Shoegaze or nu gaze music, please do me a favor and check out Parannoul’s music. You’ll love it! Definitely one of the coolest music artists/groups or mystical being on this planet crafting the most awesome music.
Parannoul’s “White Ceiling/Black Dots Wandering Around” is highly recommended!
Click here to purchase Parannoul – White Ceiling/Black Dots Wandering Around
