#The guitar is in fact an ornament

[adventuresofsnake]

Here's a little song I wrote, it's called

"I blinked and lost six weeks to seasonal depression"

[notsowrites]

where every wish comes true

Summary: Alex wants everything to be perfect for his first Christmas with Michael.

A/N: my humble contribution to this year's @rnm-secret-santa for @dr-lemurr

[read it on AO3]

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Because the holidays have never been a big deal to Alex, he has a basic amount of Christmas decorations - a wreath for the front door, a fake tree that he usually puts up in front of the window in the study, and enough ornaments and decorations to make the tree look festive. It's basically the extent to which he feels is enough “holiday cheer.” He and Maria exchange gifts - a tradition between the two of them since they were kids. Even when he was overseas during the holidays, he'd always make sure she got sent something he knew she wanted but couldn't justify the expense for herself. Since he understood that money was difficult for her, particularly given Mimi’s medical bills. 

But in all their years together, their on and off again relationship with no discernible beginning or end points, Alex realizes that he and Michael have never shared the holiday together in any way.

And of course, everything is different now. Never before have they been in a committed relationship like this, one that others around them know about, and one where Alex feels like he can be public about his feelings for Michael. The pendant of alien glass around his neck, laying against his chest, feels like a promise that Alex intends to make good on one day.

The first problem he encounters this year, however, is where to put the tree. Typically he just rearranges the study, moving the couch from under the windows to against the wall, and putting the tree there instead. It's only temporary, and it makes the house feel a tiny bit more festive.

But when he drags the box out of the storage, and stands in the open doorway to the study, Alex realizes he doesn't want to keep the tree out of the way this year.

Wanting is something he's teaching himself is okay - he's allowed to be selfish. He's allowed to do things and desire things simply because they make him happy. And right now, he wants to put the Christmas tree in the living room, because he wants to be able to cuddle with Michael on the couch, with the fireplace going, and really see if all that fuss about coziness is actually true. There's simply never been the opportunity before where it was possible, and now that it is, Alex finds he wants to experience it for himself.

“There's nowhere to put it,” he whines to Maria on the phone, standing in the middle of the living room, surveying the furniture.

“And the study is not an option?”

Alex sighs, glancing down the hallway, the reasons floating through his mind. “No.”

“So we just need to figure out a different spot for you,” Maria replies, sounding much more confident than Alex feels. There's another voice in the background, and Alex can just make out Maria explaining his dilemma, realizing after a moment that she’s speaking to Rosa.

“Is that Rosa? I can call back-”

“She says you're overthinking it,” Maria pushes on, ignoring him. “And I agree with her.”

“Great,” he grumbles, falling down on the sofa and staring up at the ceiling. 

Overthinking is something that he knows he does on occasion, especially in regards to Michael. Because Alex can’t think of any time in his professional life - a decade in the Air Force, including officer school and two completed tours - where he’s had the same doubts and worries. Things just always seemed easier when he can fall back on facts and logic.

And Michael, well. Alex knows his feelings for Michael are sometimes anything but logical.

“What about in that space next to the dining table?” Maria asks, pulling him out of his thoughts. 

Alex glances over where there’s a potted plant in the corner near the doors that lead out to the patio; the decor in the wall alcoves; and the guitar he has leaning in the corner near his bedroom doorway. It might work, he thinks, but it’d be a tight fit. And he doesn’t really want the tree to be sticking out awkwardly, especially if he’s putting it somewhere he might trip over coming out of the bedroom.

“No, I don’t think so.”

There’s a bit of shuffling on the other end of the line, and then Alex hears Rosa loud and clear, realizing he’s been put on speaker.

“What about in that corner? Next to the sofa?”

Alex twists to look to his right where the end table is currently placed. It’s a large enough space in the corner if he moves the table and the plant - but isn’t the point of this to be able to see the tree while sitting on the couch? It really would just look like it was shoved into the only available spot between the couch and his keyboard bench.

“The couch would be in the way.”

Rosa sighs, rather loudly, and says something that Alex can’t quite make out, probably meant only for Maria anyway. While he listens to them chatter amongst themselves, he wonders about next to the fireplace, but figures there probably isn’t enough room and the tree would cover part of the TV - and it’d definitely make it harder to get to the record player. 

“Are you up for moving some furniture?” Rosa asks after a moment. “Because I think I have an idea, if I remember your house correctly, and Maria says I am.”

Not letting himself get too hopeful, Alex nods his head as if she can see him. “Yeah, if it’ll make this whole thing work.”

“Move your keyboard bench.”

For a moment, Alex wants to argue and ask where he’s going to put his music set-up in the meantime, but the answer is obvious. If he moves the keyboard, and his audio equipment into the study, they can go against the wall where he typically puts the couch when the tree is in there. It feels like such a simple solution, he’s annoyed at himself for not thinking of it. 

“You two are geniuses,” he replies quickly, pushing himself up off the sofa. “Love you both, but I gotta go.”

He hears the two of them giggling on the other end, and ends the call. 

None of the furniture he needs to move is actually heavy, thankfully. And he hopes he can get it done before Michael gets home - because he’d like to be able to at least have the tree up. First, he gets the bench - it’s the smallest and lightest part. Then all of the smaller items - the guitars, the sound mixing equipment, the speakers, and finally - the keyboard itself. The table, however, presents its own dilemma. It’s a little too big, and a little too awkward in size for him to lift all on his own.

Alex falls back onto the sofa, frustrated with himself and his own limitations, when he hears the front door open, close, followed then by the familiar sound of Michael’s boots on the floor.

“Rearranging?” Michael asks, and Alex turns slowly to look over at him, noticing the way he’s taking in the emptiness of the space where his instrument set up used to be.

“Trying.”

Michael nods his head, glancing around the living room and dining room, as if looking for something. “Where’d the rest of it go?”

“In the study.” 

He watches as Michael disappears out of view, his footsteps receding down the hallway, and then back towards him, as if Michael had needed to see for himself where the missing equipment had gone. 

“So we just need to move the table?” Michael finally asks, sitting down on the coffee table and sliding over until he’s across from Alex, reaching out and taking his hands in his, letting their fingers slide together. “Any particular reason for this change? You seemed pretty settled in how you had the house set up.”

Alex lifts his left hand, along with Michael’s, and motions vaguely towards the box with the Christmas tree that’s on the floor next to the dining table.

“I thought - I think it'd be nice to be able to enjoy the tree out here.” Alex doesn't know why his own reasoning feels dumb - it's his own home. A house he bought with his own money and has worked to furnish how he wants. “Since it's our first Christmas together.”

Slowly, a smile spreads across Michael's face, as he gently tugs Alex's hands towards him. Alex goes, letting himself be pulled forward until Michael is pressing their lips together - once, twice, three times. The smile never leaving his face, either.

Alex pulls one hand out of Michael's grasp, reaching out to slide it up along Michael's chest to cup his face, letting the tips of his fingers slide into the curls at the back of Michael's neck. His hair is longer - obviously in need of a trim, but Alex likes something about it like this as well. 

Especially when it means watching that one stubborn curl fall over Michael's eyes as he works. Or as he cooks. Or even as he's just talking while they're sitting on the patio chairs outside, Michael telling him about the dreams he had as a child, searching for home in the night sky.

“So where’d you put it last year?”

“Uh, the study,” he replies with a sigh, still frustrated with himself. “Christmas was never a big affair growing up. And here I just - I never saw much reason to go all out on decorating.”

Michael’s eyes go soft, and Alex feels a little less like an idiot for admitting something like this. 

“Max and Isobel always tried - especially when we were kids,” Michael says, his attention drifting back down to their hands, letting his fingers drift lightly across the skin. “Think they wanted to make sure I felt included. Never really got a real Christmas otherwise.”

Alex’s heart breaks for the childhood Michael should have been able to have growing up. That he’d been left to fend for himself so often in ways that no child should have had to do.

“That’s why I wanted to tree in here,” Alex tries again, gently tugging at Michael’s hands, pulling him towards where he’s sitting on the couch. He smiles at the easy way Michael moves, first pinning him against the back as their lips meet, sliding onto his lap and dropping his hands. Michael’s hands slide up to cup his face, kissing him over and over again as Alex drops his hands to his thighs. He doesn’t stop his hips from bucking up against Michael.

“Good thing for you,” Michael says after a moment, pulling away and Alex feels his hands drop down flat against his chest as he looks up to see a familiar smirk, “that your boyfriend is an alien who can move things with his mind.”

It’s always fascinating for Alex to watch Michael use his abilities, watching as the table slowly glides across the floor of the living room, freeing up the empty space in front of the bay window. 

Between the two of them, they carefully get the table moved into the study, and set everything to rights with his equipment, which seems to calm the remaining nerves Alex had about everything. 

Getting the tree together is easiest, the two of them laughing as they try and fluff the branches out enough to make it look somewhat like a tree before decorating it in the small collection of ornaments Alex has purchased and collected through the last several years. He sits on the coffee table to sort through the containers, Michael choosing to be the one to hang them up, taking any leads Alex chooses to give him about placement. 

And it’s then, as he watches Michael place the silver star at the top, that it hits Alex just how right all of this actually feels. How perhaps this is what has been missing for the holiday to feel like it’s more than just a date on the calendar. That perhaps next year they’ll be doing this not as boyfriends, but as husbands instead.

Husbands, Alex repeats to himself. Because he’d asked Michael to marry him, and Michael had said yes.

He watches as Michael effortlessly gets a fire going in the fireplace, fascinated by the way the flames burst from his hand, the logs lighting with minimal effort. 

“Is that why you run hot?” Alex can’t help but ask, raising an eyebrow at Michael and nodding at the fireplace. He knows enough about the alien’s biology to know the elevated temperature the alien’s have is related to their species, but it feels like a good moment to joke. He knows he’s tried in the past to make a similar remark in the past, but the timing hadn’t been right, and it hadn’t landed how he’d intended.

This time, however, he watches as a smile spreads across Michael’s face, his eyes lighting up in amusement. 

They settle onto the sofa, fingers laced together, Alex pushed into Michael’s side as they both take in the quiet moment around them. 

“What did you used to do for Christmas?” Michael asks, his voice quiet next to Alex. “Since coming back here?”

“Spend time with Maria and Mimi,” he replies, turning to look at Michael, noticing the way he’s focused on him, eyes bright and golden in the warm haze of the firelight. “Maria called me a grinch the first year I got back because I didn’t decorate.”

“But not this year.”

Alex shakes his head, leaning up to press a kiss to Michael’s lips. 

“No, not this year.”

[here-have-some-stories]

Paper Love Part 2

Part 1

Florence slowly began to gain consciousness. It was black, pitch black for a while. She tried to open her eyes but they were stuck. She didn’t know where she was, but she felt herself being lifted into the air. As soon as she got moved, she stumbled backwards. The fact that she could still move around a little herself gave her comfort. Even though she still couldn’t open her eyes, Florence began to walk around, trying to figure out her surroundings. She held her hands out in front of her to try and feel out anything. She had only moved a couple paces when she touched something soft and squishy. Florence jumped back and banged into something behind her. It felt like a table. At the same time Florence jumped back, she heard a little yelp from something in front of her. 

The thing lifting her up in the air stopped moving after one final abrupt movement. Florence stumbled forward again with the final movement and fell to her knees. Slowly, she stood up and tried to open her eyes again, this time finding that she could. 

Once her eyes adjusted she took in her surroundings again, this time doing a better job. She was in an area that looked like the inside of a hollowed out tree. There were vines and mushrooms growing out of the walls. Lights were hanging from the ceiling, with ornamented dragonflies hanging from the ceiling next to them. There was a little kitchen area that had an odd mixture of fantasy styled nature and what seemed to  be steampunk. Looking around the rest of the room she noticed that mostly everything was nature and steampunk themed. It was an oddly beautiful mix. 

Florence’s gaze continued to roam around the room but stopped as her eyes landed on the most beautiful thing in this new strange area. 

Sadie was standing on the other side of the room, making eye contact with Florence. Her lips were parted slightly and a blush had spread across her face as she started longingly and the gorgeous fairy. 

Florence had never even heard Sadie’s voice before, she had never had the chance to hear it. Florence didn’t know much about the elf, but she didn’t care. For ages she had admired Sadie, longed for the day where she could hear her speak, and now here she was, only a few feet away. 

Florence didn’t waste any time. Using her wings to proper her forward, she ran straight towards Sadie, her arms outstretched. Sadie didn’t startle back, but instead forward, her arms out in front of her as she grabbed Florence and pulled her close to her chest. 

Florence sank into Sadie’s warmth and felt her body go weak as it relaxed from the pure joy of the moment. She might have fallen straight to her knees if Sadie’s strong arms hadn’t been holding her tight.

“You have no idea how long I’ve been waiting for this,” Sadie said quietly into Florence’s hair. Florence almost melted as she heard Sadie speak for the first time. Her voice was soft and sweet, something that the fairy could listen to on repeat all day. Hearing it made Florence feel that they had known each other for years, that they were just as close as two magnets. And in their own way, they were. 

“Me too,” Florence replied, gripping Sadie a little harder. 

They held each other for a couple minutes more, before Saide gripped Florence by the shoulders and pulled her back to get a better look at her face. Florence found herself falling in love with the small, sweet, genuine smile Sadie had on her face.

A quiet tune from guitar strings started to be heard. It was the same sweet melody that had been playing while Florence was relaxing on her mushroom. Sadie pulled Florence back into her arms and started swaying gently with the fairy to the music. Florence rested her head on Saide’s chest and closed her eyes, content with what was happening and loving every moment. 

I hope you enjoyed it. If you have and feedback, suggestions, comments or questions please feel free to ask them and send them to me. I am actually desperate for them at this point ngl. If you have any recomedations or requests for stories you would want written don't be afraid to send an ask. -Kenickie

[here-there-were-dragons]

non-exhaustive list of interesting things i saw at the store today

-plush doll of lisa simpson with haunted eyes (there were no other simpsons plushes visible anywhere)

-robotic talking krusty klown someone had hidden in a home decor aisle

-a pillow that looked like a realistic wood log

-an unpleasantly scratchy but very aesthetically pleasing pillow that looked like a realistic chicken, with neck scales made out of beads

-the world's most annoying singing animatronic skeleton, whom i very much wanted to smash over the head with it's own guitar

-a giant disembodied shadow the hedgehog head

-scented glitter playdoh

-plastic cyborg dinosaur mask (too small for my head)

-minecraft anniversary enderdragon, which apparently could make sounds

-several different sizes of starlight mint candy shaped pillow (sadly the smaller one was a squishmallow with legs and the smallest one was a foam ornament)

-sonic the hedgehog advent calendar

-fake "carvable" pumpkins made out of plaster

-a knit pumpkin skeleton???? not just like a skeleton with a pumpkin on it's head, it was a pumpkin skeleton???

-functional nerf minecraft crossbow, among other functional minecraft weapons

-"let's hit eachother with fake swords", the world's most self-explanatory toy

-penguin shaped waffle makers

-pillow shaped like a snowflake with embroidered beads

-giant plastic bowser figure

-unsettling animatronic dog (store mascot?)

-exclusively ugly dresses and sweaters, in office carpet grey, old puke orange, tasteless olive, and divorced mother in law cheetah print

-winged dragon onesie for small child

-shark slippers (also for small child)

-small plastic figure of shadow the hedgehog that appeared to have munchkin cat dwarfism

-drone disguised as a fighter jet

-pleasing wooden bowl in which to put medieval soup

-just, so many candles, in increasingly unhelpful scents like "disco orchard" and "winter midnight joy"

-small plush husky my mother spent an hour straight cooing over obsessively

-minecraft pickaxe (hurts to tap head with)

-inexplicably purple minecraft sword

-pack of minecraft figurines the perfect size to use as d&d minis

-similarly sized pack of simpsons figurines

-a collection of extremely ugly decorative birds that appeared to be dressed as various different types of cultists

-a plastic owl, molded to look like it was made out of black wicker, when it was in fact a solid plastic piece

-The Candy Skeleton

-Poseable minecraft steve

-an absurd number of squishmallows (seriously does anyone make or sell literally any other stuffed animals anymore)

-giant plush mario mushroom

-giant plush blue shell to murder your eldest sibling with

-plush bowser holding the plush corpse of his son while a grotesquely oversized bob-omb watches blankly

-sonic the hedgehog crab-bot that we could not determine whether or not it was a functional robot or just an unmoving toy

-empty shelves where halloween candy used to be, with conspicuously only popcorn remaining

-will add if i remember anything else

[xfulmen]

Gajeel hands Laxus a guitar. ❝This is what ‘ya want, right? A guitar lesson.❞ The Lightning Dragon Slayer had a foul reaction the last time he had performed. He thinks that it‘s mainly out of jealousy because Gajeel is a good musician, and he is not. Well, he‘s here to share his talent to the world!

( * / @thebellators / prompt / accepting )

Patience is virtue, some might say. A phrase that has being engraved upon his mind, constantly reminiscing it ( or more likely, putting it to good usage ) once he would bestow his presense upon the rambunctious Guild known as Fairy Tail. And this day was no different from any other; where hullabaloo, craze and loudness was the prominent sight for anyone to behold. As for the lightning dragon slayer? You would catch him on the bar, with his weight adjusted on a stool, and a mug filled with icy and foamy liquor ready to be consummed.

But that didn't seem to be the case.

Just when he was about to bring the rim of the aforementioned mug right atop his lower lip, the appearance of the fellow dragon slayer abruptly interrupted such act. Again, with a pure white suit ornamenting his physique, a ludicrous as an accessory, and --- this time --- two imanimate objects resembling the musical instruments of electric guitars occupying his hands. Hues of orange widened momentarily the minute he was offered one of them. But soon the sentiment of surprise swifted to vexation the minute Gajeel's words reverberated his ears. Is he.. truly that delusional? Partaking in the entertainment of this circumstance wasn't a contemplation he was willing to negotiate. If anything, the vein that had just surfaced upon the skin of his forehead was enough to indicate a lot.

And the incohesive strumming of the strings wasn't helping either. If anything, the noise that was generating was atrocious. Not even a deaf person could appreciate such monstrosity. Therefore, Laxus had acknowledged the fact that he has to cease this. Or more likely; give him a lesson of his own.

Henceforth, he separated his structure from his sitting point; now standing gallant and prideful. The formation of an oblique curvature took place upon masculine mien, as the illustration of sinisterness could be seen with the naked eye --- like brushstrokes swirling around blank canvas in obscure colours. With one enormous palm, he had the musical item grasped with great physical strength, effortlessly could dismantle it. But no; he had a better idea. One that could be considered as promptitude for another fatuous brawl to follow afterwards. But in this moment, little he cared for such detailism.

❛ Good lesson, my friend. How about I repay the favour? ❜

❛ Check ... --- THIS. ❜

In a swift movement, he raised his occupied arm with the guitar and briefly thereafter would swing it with utmost force towards the iron slayer, consequently making a huge and booming impact. As if a bludgeon hit an empty iron barrel. Seemingly, the ragamuffin's skin was tougher than it appeared to be. Either way, the damage was done, and Laxus got the sentiment of aleviation out of him.

[dustedmagazine]

Chris Forsyth — Solar Motel (Expanded) (Algorithm Free)

Chris Forsyth marks the ten-year anniversary of his turn from towards rock with this expanded edition of Solar Motel, augmented with two previously unreleased studio tracks and a side-long live WFMU recording of “Paranoid Cat.” The two newly released tracks are a revelation, solidifying and reaffirming Forsyth’s connection to Television (he studied with Richard Lloyd) with cartwheeling guitar riffs and roiling, surging percussion in the epic vein of Marquee Moon.  

Forsyth was just off his 2011 release of Paranoid Cat when he made Solar Motel, stillstruggling for a way to incorporate a palette of influences—Television, Takoma-style fingerpicking, psych and drone—into a coherent aesthetic. Our own Bill Meyer saw him as only partly successful at this on the previous album, calling Paranoid Cat, “an album that is full of good ideas lifted from other people’s work, but he makes such good use of them that it’s easy not to care.”

Solar Motel, Forsyth’s first full-band album, was a big step towards the driving, boogie-ing, rock-leaning long grooves that we have since come to associate with the guitarist. In the notes, he says, “Solar Motel is the first record on which I overtly took rock tropes and twisted them into new shapes, incorporating so many of my interests and influences - the twin-guitar elegance of Television, the sprawl of West Coast psych, the boiled down Rock Minimalism of Rhys Chatham, the abstract tangles of free improv, an undercurrent of ecstatic jazz energy, and the studio textures of Eno/Cale/Roxy ‘70s art rock.… Solar Motel basically set the template for much of what I did for the remainder of that decade.”

The band for Solar Motel included Forsyth, drummer Mike Pride, bassist Peter Kerlin and keyboard player Shawn Edward Hansen, all musicians that Forsyth had worked with previously in various roles and configurations. It was recorded mostly live, though Forsyth put in additional guitar after the fact to build up Television-like layers of interplay. The music took shape in four numbered tracks Solar Motel I through IV.  “Part I” opens with tense, staccato guitar, at first alone, then joined by a second guitar and bass. The groove is insistent, cleanly minimal, and over it, Forsyth improvises warm, fluid arcs of solo guitar, and as it goes, the texture becomes less of a drone and more of a warm, living jam. This becomes a pattern over the next three track, as taut, disciplined motifs blossom into full-band free play. Repetition becomes a launching pad for the wildest swirls of improvisatory ornament, with sweet lyrical mid-range guitar vaulting over motorik grooves.

All that is still there, still striking in the way it marries austere experiment to lighter flaring guitar solo. If you haven’t heard it—or haven’t heard it in a while—all four original tracks remain very much worth a listen. However, it’s the new stuff that you’ll want to spin right away, because these two unreleased tracks take the basic experiment and launch them into richer, more exciting directions.

“Harmonious Dance,” at just under nine minutes, is the expanded release’s best tune. A slow chime of guitar notes hitting turbulence early on in Pride’s swelling drum roll. The notes get bigger, more resonant, more sustained as they go, taking on the burnished glow of Lloyd and Verlaine in tandem (though without the trebly yelp of vocals). “Long Warm Afternoon” starts out with warmth and sustained tones, building shimmering textures of guitar over a steady thump and roll. Both cuts feel less restrained, less tightly disciplined than the original Solar Motel cuts. It’s as if Forsyth had a concept for setting down guardrails and eventually swamping them with sensory data, and it took him a while to implement it fully.

The WFMU recording is fine, too, letting the twitchy glamor of “Paranoid Cat” stretch out, catch fire in a truly insane instrumental freakout and somehow stuff all that back into the bottle for a reprise of the original melody. But if you need a reason to check out this ten years after reissue, I’d look at the two unreleased tracks, where Forsyth and his band hit a groove they’ve been riding ever since.

Jennifer Kelly

[auxiliarydetective]

Varsha: The Potion and The Poison

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Standing next to Ishmael was a young woman with dark skin, large brown eyes, and long black hair. Her face was mesmerizing to look at, appearing almost otherworldly. There was something about her eyes and her smile that made you trust her, want to protect her at all costs, but it also gave you a feeling of safety, of hospitality. But it didn’t end at her face, of course. It was in her clothes, too, a white top showing off her midriff, covered by winding, indigo-colored fabric, a saree, of silk, with a fine pattern of silver that gleamed in the light of the lamps. A thin chain went along where her hair was parted, leading down onto her forehead to a golden ornament, a similar design shared by both her earrings and the stud gracing her left nostril. But the gold and silver didn’t clash, no, it was far from that. They harmonized in a way that should not be possible. Or, to put it into one sentence: She looked regal. As soon as she laid her eyes on the guests entering the bridge, she placed both her palms together under her chin and gave a deep bow.

Skinner whistled in astonishment. “Wow, I think I’ve just found the most beautiful thing on this ship!” he called out and had already started heading for the woman when Nemo grabbed him and held him back.

“Nobody is to touch her,” the Captain immediately declared.

“Sorry,” Skinner quipped back, “didn’t know she was your daughter.”

“That honour isn’t mine to claim.”

“Clearly, Skinner, she’s out of your league,” Gray declared and pulled him back towards the group.

“This, gentlemen,” Nemo said as he gestured towards the woman to come closer, “is Miss Varsha Devi, the jewel of this ship. She may not speak our language, but she understands every word.”

“I always thought women on a ship meant bad luck,” Quartermain regarded with a smirk.

“Not this one. In fact, since Varsha has been on board, the seas have been nothing but kind to me. - Perhaps due to her navigation.”

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Quietly, you are saving me Please, don't fade away Into the darkness of night I don't need no light to see you shine

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That was when he heard music down the hallway, though only very faintly. Any regular human probably wouldn’t have heard it but, seeing as some portion of Hyde’s superior senses carried over to him, he did. It was an exotic instrument, possibly stringed, with a very distinct timbre. Curious, Jekyll followed the sound to a door that stood just slightly ajar. Nonetheless, the opening was just barely enough to look inside.

The room was lit by a circle of candles, or rather small oil lamps, their flames flickering with the sound of the instrument. In its middle sat Varsha, playing an instrument that vaguely resembled a guitar, though with a smaller, oval- or teardrop-shaped body and a long, thick neck with many more strings than a guitar could feasibly have. It was ornamentally decorated, with designs similar to ones found in Varsha’s jewelry. Distinctly, a snake wound itself around the body of the instrument, a sleek creature crafted by a master, no doubt. Still, the instrument was no match for the beauty of the artist. In the light of the candles, Varsha’s skin took on a copper glow and her hair gleamed golden. The flames flickered in her eyes and her jewelry glimmered. With the way her sleek fingers gently plucked the instrument, a man could get jealous. But not Jekyll. Certainly not Jekyll. After all, them being in any sort of relationship was an impossibility. As he tried to convince himself of that, he barely even noticed himself taking out his pocket watch and starting to fidget with it. First of all, Varsha was divine, and she was fundamentally good-hearted, something Jekyll wished he could claim of himself but clearly couldn’t. He couldn’t possibly burden her with the looming threat that was Hyde, not someone as kind and as fragile as her. Not anyone, but definitely not her. Secondly, Nemo’s protection of her. Though he was not her father, he did shelter her like his own daughter. Skinner had told Jekyll that Nemo had forbidden anyone in the League from as much as touching Varsha, making it very obvious how sacred her purity had to be to him. Even the most elevated and proper courting of her could upset the captain and that was the last thing Jekyll wanted. Not to mention that Varsha probably wouldn’t be interested. After all, who would want a pathetic man like him? The only thing he had to offer was his doctorate. Not even his moderate wealth that he had managed to carry over from London would be a viable factor, considering that she lived in the utmost luxury aboard the Nautilus - if she even cared about riches at all. Thirdly, and most importantly of all, Jekyll knew of the fact that it was customary in India for marriages to be arranged. Surely, someone as beautiful as her already had a husband, or at the very least a fiancé. Nemo may have mentioned that she had no family to speak of, but then he probably had made the arrangement himself, in his efforts to care for her. With Nemo off the table for obvious reasons, the next possible option was Ishmael, but as he was a Westerner, he was an unlikely choice. But there were hundreds of Indian men on board this vessel and one of them was sure to be engaged to her, officially or not. But no matter how much he tried to reason, his heart still beat faster than it should, his hands shivered about the pocket watch and his breath hitched. It was like he was hypnotized. The dangerous snake to her snake charmer. For a while, it was just him and her and the music between them. That was until a voice echoed through Jekyll’s mind.

“Yes, Henry. Look, but don’t touch.” Hyde gave a chuckle. “That’s your way.”

Suddenly, Jekyll became very aware of his surroundings. Of the shadow he might be throwing into the room, of the clicking sound his pocket watch might make, of his breathing that Varsha might hear. Quickly, he put the pocket watch away and hurried around a corner, away from this peaceful image.

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Tagging: @daughter-of-melpomene and @waddlesworth aka the LXG mutual and one of the few people with good content on the movie on this platform. I thought I'd honour you this way, hope you don't mind :)

[plungermusic]

The Girl With The Golden Larynx… and why not?

“Welcome to Film74 with me, Barry Norman. Tonight’s show focuses exclusively on To Shoot Another Day, the latest major emotion feature from Essex auteur (or should that be ‘auteuse’?) Rosalie Cunningham.

Cunningham demonstrates an unquestionable dramatic flair for the cinematic, right from the opening moments with the boldly Bond-evoking (both the Monty Norman/John Barry original and Wings’ West Coastiana remake) To Shoot Another Day, and there’s another nod to the great one too in the John-Barry-meets-Roy-Budd-in-a-Soho-porno-theatre Heavy Pencil which mashes up Carmen Miranda-style latin rhythms and vibes with VDGG/Focus flute-and-organ… and, somehow, pulls it off with aplomb.

More celluloid slinkiness colours In The Shade Of The Shadows, a walk-these-mean-streets-alone torch song with a gothic chorus-line erm, chorus, and a surprise detour to a New Orleans dive-cum-Tattooine cantina (which is clever, as that doesn’t happen for three years yet) for a bit of furry, extemporising saxophone; and the instrumental Smut Peddler - a moody, suspense-filled ‘George Carter tailing a suspect on a crowded street’ acoustic-led cue that explodes into a meaty electric version of same (at the point of discovery and subsequent headlong chase, one presumes) culminating in a nicely ‘blow to the head and loss of consciousness’ chaotic breakdown close.

Tinsel Town trimmings come late in Stepped Out Of Time: an anaesthesia-induced hazy out-of-body waltzing weepie that meanders from minor to major and back again (a regular feature throughout, in fact) that tugs at the heartstrings with Cunningham's silky childlike voice building to passionate Piaf-y vibrato, but all the time maintaining a cut-glass diction Celia Johnson would be proud of. A rather trippy rising maelstrom culminates in some highly Spaghetti Western mariachi brass in the dramatic finale.

So far, so Hollywood… but like Gaumont, the Archers or Messrs Waters & Gilmour, Cunningham’s essential Englishness shows through, particularly in the flashes of Edwardian musical hall psychedelia: the barrelling rocker Timothy Martin’s Conditioning School is a prime example, as are Denim Eyes (a 'Wish You Were Here in Strawberry Fields' reverie complete with vintage mellotron), Good To Be Damned which, although rather worryingly ‘blues’ is filtered through a Spectoresque wall of reverb and is ornamented with impassioned vocal acrobatics scaling ecstatic peaks and plumbing soul searing lows, with touches of whimsical Arnold Laynery, McCartneyisms (and, my producer wanted me to say, a hint of Roobarb & Custard), and the “One of these days I’m going to cut you into Jimmy Page’ portentous-riffer Spook Racket, which exudes an air of Glam menace tailor-made for a 70s football hooliganism-based Play For Today.

Appropriately (or is that ironically) enough, To Shoot Another Day closes with The Premiere, another dramatic, cinematic Bond-flavoured epic shot through with snare-rolls and operatic tutti ‘stabs’ to accompany the rolling credits.

Or not, if you have the ‘directors cut’ CD rather than the download or vinyl: in which case you can stay in your seats to polish off the last of your Payne's Poppets and enjoy the bonus features of Return Of The Ellington, an urgent 6/8 evocation of the early, funnier work of the continental colossi van Leer and Akkerman and includes some very Jobson-like electric violin, and the playfully Lovin’ Spoonful-opening quirky Home, full of more of that particularly English fairground / vaudeville / music hall Edwardian whimsy..

Cunningham is ably backed by a cast of supporting artists (more of which later) and her co-producer, co-director, and co-wriiter on four of the ten (or five of the twelve, if you’d rather) tracks here, Rosco Wilson: who, beyond his normal Technicolor guitar skills, also shows his drumming chops on several tracks - a Renaissance man, no less. That being said, To Shoot Another Day appears to be very much one woman’s vision - as you’d expect from an auteuse - and her strikingly lithe, thrilling and vivacious vocal is the golden thread that binds it all together.

Rather impressively, the creation of To Shoot Another Day was entirely a two-hander production of independent British outfit, Mushy Room Studio, which, truth be told, is the duo’s home in Southend, Essex. So, it’s all credit to them that they have combined all the gloss and glamour of the Hollywood ‘big players’ with the intrigue and depth of Art House output, spiced with bags of English eccentricity for that unmistakeable stamp of authenticity.

To sum up then, To Shoot Another Day is the perfect entertainment for any discerning cineaste, and you can’t say fairer than that..”

To Shoot Another Day is released on Friday, November 1st 2024 and is available for download from Rosalie Cunningham’s Bandcamp site, here: https://rosaliecunningham.bandcamp.com/album/to-shoot-another-day

Also on the Bandcamp site are links to pre-order the CD and Vinyl versions of the album.

CREDITS: Rosalie Cunningham 

Songwriter, producer  / Vocals, guitars, bass, keyboards & percussion 

Rosco Wilson 

Co-producer / Co-writer of tracks 4, 5, 8 &10 / Guitar, drums on 6, additional drums on 7 

SUPPORTING CAST 

Raphael Mura: drums 

David Woodcock: piano on 1, 4, 5, 7 & 9; Hammond on 4 

Ian East: flute, clarinet and sax on 3; sax on 5 

Itamar Rubinger: drums on 1 

Barkley Woodcock: bark on 7 

Recorded & mixed at Mushy Room Studio by Rosalie & Rosco 

Drums and piano on track 1 recorded at SS2 Studios & engineered by Rees Broomfield 

Mastered by Jon Astley

Photography: Rob Blackham

* We know ‘girl’ might be considered dismissive when Rosalie is a fully-grown, independent, modern woman, but it scans better, and what’s more keeps the headline shorter, OK? Apologies if you’ve been offended, but it is 1974 after all…

[thisworldisablackhole]

Elias Rønnenfelt Heavy Glory

🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑

FFO: ICEAGE, ACOUSTIC GUITARS & ORCHESTRAL ARRANGEMENTS / LISTEN

Longtime Iceage fans may be reasonably fed up with Elias Rønnenfelt’s perpetual (some may even say insufferable) theatre kid melodrama at this point in his career. The way he allows his voice to crack, bend and drawl over musings like a drunken poet is arguably the defining factor of his talent, and his translations from Danish often give birth to a trove of unconventionally clever phrasings, but listening to him throughout the years has not been unlike watching your most charming friend ceaselessly and unwittingly repeat patterns of destruction. A lot can be said about the way we romanticize this turbulence, but there is something alluring about individuals who carry a sense of raw and unpolished ugliness with them. It’s real, and it’s hard not to feel their gravitational pull. Heavy Glory’s desire to shine a spotlight on this ugliness makes itself abundantly clear, you don’t even have to look further than the album cover, yet there is something oddly hypnotizing about it if you look close enough. I think Rønnenfelt states it best in the opening song;

“Plenty sweetness midst the turmoil was a fact, I’d say. Love and kind gestures in the disarray”

The last time we saw Rønnenfelt branch out from Iceage was almost a decade ago with the final Marching Church album, but whereas 2016’s Telling It Like It Is was still heavily ornamented by a full band laying down dark and dramatic grooves from the school of Nick Cave, Heavy Glory finds Rønnenfelt reaching for his acoustic guitar to focus more on grounded story telling. Electric guitars do make an appearance as well, but only when necessary to beef up the bravado. “Like Lovers Do” opens the album with simple acoustic chords and a sing-along melody that feels deeply rooted in folk traditions. It’s perhaps the most stripped back and bare version of Elias we’ve ever seen, and it results in some of his catchiest and most heartfelt lyrical hooks to date as he croons over a rhythm section that bobs to and fro like it was made for cowboy boots on hardwood floors. Fifth track “No One Else” follows suit with this motif and ends up being my favourite song on the whole album due to it’s wistful vulnerability and ability to convey regret. When Elias sings “I guess I could come knocking too but here I am not welcome anymore”, I feel it in the pit of my stomach, and it's not the only gut punch in the pipeline.

While there are some relatively upbeat and swayable rhythms on the album, a lot of Heavy Glory is coated in a disquieting muck of despair and desperation, however cryptic and sweet it is presented. “Stalker” especially stands out as one of the most uncomfortable songs on the album, as beneath it’s disguise as a melancholic piano ballad lies a disturbing story about a juvenile grocery boy who becomes obsessed with a pregnant girl, stages an injury to become involved in her life (platonically), and when the baby’s absent father returns to repeat patterns of abuse, the boy murders him and goes to prison. It’s the type of story where nobody gets a happy ending, and all along these dissonant violins linger in the air like an organic substitute for squealing feedback just to compound the unease. This is the only song on the album that approaches this type of superbly off-putting storytelling, but I felt it needed a bit of a disclaimer, as it might rub people the wrong way if they don't pay close enough attention (and even still). Regardless, the theme of our internal ugliness being reflected outward persists.

As per the artist, Heavy Glory was recorded in separate chapters across various locations over the span of a year, and it’s not hard to tell. Heavy Glory is definitely a mixed bag of production and songwriting techniques that may prove to be a point of divisiveness, but even with the Spaceman 3 and Townes Van Zandt covers that bookend the album, or tracks like “Another Round” and “Worm Grew A Spine” which stick out like a sore thumb with their casio-esque mechanical drum beats, the mix and track sequencing does a great job at tying everything together into what feels like a storybook of ideas—none too disparate. Continuing to work with producer Nis Bysted over the years definitely helps to make this album feel like it's part of the same sonic universe as Marching Church, albeit softer. Rønnenfelt reaches back into a familiar bag of orchestral instruments, but they are utilized in a much more subtle way this time around, adding atmosphere instead of taking center stage. Double bass, piano, harmonica, violin, cello, and other oddities come and go throughout the album, making each song feel distinct with its own rich undercoat of baroque textures. I especially love the way the cello and double bass transforms "Unarmed" into a huge back half highlight.

I’ve always felt like Elias sounds his best when he is in full creative control, and Heavy Glory feels like a shining declaration of independence that showcases the best of his abilities. I don’t care if we never get another Iceage album as long as Elias keeps plucking away on his own, it might even be better that way. There are a lot of subtle tone shifts and interesting lyrics to chew on here, and it takes more than a few listens to fully digest everything, but that’s the mark of a great album to me—one which is immediately enthralling, but without revealing all of it’s cards too soon. Luckily enough, almost all of these songs have a memorable hook and a deeply moving arrangement that makes the pill easy to swallow. Casual Iceage fans might not find enough raucous energy here to draw them over, but if you loved the last Marching Church album as much as I did, then this is just another excellent spotlight in Rønnenfelt’s bizarre theatre of loneliness. Come on in and take a seat.

[rayroa]

Hiss Golden Messenger Q&A for Creative Loafing Tampa Bay (2024)

Photo by Graham Tolbert/All Eyes Media

I'm gonna put some ear buds in here then it'll sound a whole lot better.

OK, and let me know if it sounds bad because sometimes it does sound bad on here. I've been listening to Pecker Power today, on your recommendation. 

Oh, really? Yeah, follow that. Follow that page?

Yeah, my buddy told me to follow it. And it's great because you forget that it's you. It's just like a picture of a record in your feed. And then you just make a decision for that  moment. ‘Yeah, alright. Let me find that, man.”

I love having that weird little Instagram account that's not trying to sell people anything—nothing. I'm just talking about dorky music stuff. It's kind of like my vibe right now. 

And you have The Kitchen Speculator, too. It's cool that you have these outlets to communicate. It's like a less cynical version of social media, or iteration…

That's right, man, I'm trying to keep it kind of keep it pure.

Hey, I know that fall is your favorite season, but I can imagine that the winter is kind of beautiful in the North Carolina Piedmont. And correct me if I'm wrong, but I remember listening to a podcast or something where you talked about your mom's felt Christmas ornaments with these bells on them. I was wondering, since we're in January, is yours the kind of family that has a tree still up? And do your kids know the sentimental value of the ornaments?

Do they know the sentimental value of the ornaments? Yes, definitely. I don't know if they see it as heavily as I do, but they definitely are aware which ornaments came from my mom. And no, we don't keep the tree up because I love the pageantry of the season—there's something very nostalgic and comforting about things like Christmas lights for me—but I also really appreciate the moving on of January and the feeling of a fresh start if you need it. I kind of think deep into the season and also I'm ready to move on, so I think we had our tree out of the house like just a few days after Christmas probably.

That's an aspirational thing for a lot of families, so it's cool to hear that you have your house in order to that degree.

It's really how I'm wired though. I'm a little bit of an OCD kind of person. So it kind of is in line with that.

Yeah, you gotta check these boxes. You gotta get through the day. I mean, it's kind of a less sexy version of getting a stone up a hill, you know, let me get this tree down first, and move on to the other stuff.

Yeah, kind of.

By the way, I realize there's no way we can like adequately talk about songs in 20 minutes, and I think a lot of people have said a lot of things about Jump For Joy already, so I'm just gonna let those songs kind of speak for themselves and maybe ask some kind of other questions around the band and whatnot.

You've mentioned that the songs are kind of like a long postcard between you and a younger, maybe teenage, version of yourself. And in a way the record's also kind of recalibration of your songwriting, and you're wearing hope, in a way, on this record, and I was thinking about that word "recalibration." And then I was thinking of the band and the fact that Hiss Golden Messenger doesn't do the same show twice—that's a lesson you learned from elders. I want to ask you about this live set. I know after that initial run, you said that the band is sounding good, and the shows are pretty uplifting for everyone. Especially now. Everything considered in the world. Simple question, and I'm sorry, I don't know the answer already. But who is in the band for this spring run coming to Tampa?

Yeah, the band is and has been for several years: Chris Boerner, playing electric guitar, Sam Fribush on organ and piano, Alex Bingham plays bass, and Nick Falk plays the drum kit.

Perfect, and the Hiss Mobile recording unit will be on tour as well. I'm wondering, to stay on that recalibration, Mike. I know that you unpack a tour after a run. How has that recalibration kind of manifested itself within the context of the band? Can you tell me a little bit about how the songs from Jump For Joy have already changed as the shows stack up? And what have these songs revealed to you about themselves in this context, and this run?

It's interesting to take a new record out on the road because we had played a lot of these songs a lot during 2023 before we recorded them, but not in the way that we have been over the past two or three months. The more times you play a new song, the more you learn about how it's working in that sort of heightened or amplified, emotional, state of a live show. And you also see how it's working for the audience. There might be a song that seems like a home run for the audience, and it just isn't like connecting the way that you thought it would and, and conversely, you're gonna find a song that you might have had a question mark about just in terms of how to present it—and it becomes its own.

A song like "Jesus Is Bored " on Jump For Joy. I love that song. I have a super-deep connection to that song; in a lot of ways it kind of feels like a thesis for the record, but it's not the loudest song, it's not the fastest song. I just didn't quite know what kind of quality it would take on live, and it's taken on a really beautiful thing that kind of unfurled really slowly and in a really extended fashion. That's not something I was anticipating at all, but it went there, and I was like, 'This is how we play this song for people.' That's one example of how stuff has started to exist off that record.

That's awesome, and I like hearing your talk about feeling the audience and being aware of it. I think some people would assume that some performers kind of blackout and I guess, to some degree they do on stage, but it's cool to hear that you still get to live in that moment of the live experience that you're creating in this space. 

It's a transcendental state for me. So my experience of it is, like I said, is heightened for sure—emotionally, physically. But at the same time, I can feel the energy in the room even if I'm not looking at the audience directly in the eyes, I can feel what the energy is. I would say I'm usually pretty on the money about what an audience wants, what an audience needs, what an audience can take. This is just stuff that, when you spent enough time on stages in front of people, you start to learn how—you can read it.

In that vein, and that kind of context, transcendental memory in that state, are you able to remember anything about geographic locations? Like can you remember, how crowds in Florida have made you feel or is it not like that?

Oh my god, that's a good question. I mean, I want to be diplomatic about it.

I mean, it's OK to be forgettable man.

I don't want to be that dude in the paper that's complaining about the place that he's playing. That's not a good look at all.

Listen, there's a lot to complain about in Florida from a legislative standpoint, historically there are some things...

You don't need more from me. OK, I'll put it this way. I'm fascinated with Florida. I'm not against Florida, you know what I mean? And the last time we played in Tampa, I think, was at a festival many years ago.

It was called Gasparilla Music Festival.

Yeah. And I had a fucking great time. I thought it was really cool. And I thought, 'Tampa seems cool. I'm into this place.' So if I had to talk specifically about my experience with Tampa, that's what it would be: I had a great time in Tampa.

And Tampa has changed a lot, I think as much in the same vein as it has up there with you guys as far as people's concerns about affordability and who matters and what voices get amplified and acknowledged and conversations from a civic standpoint, and things like that. So I think our regions have experienced similar growth. 

No doubt.

I want to ask you about November 27 Kitchen Table Speculator. You opened with poems from Diane di Prima and Joy Harjo. You talked about the possibility of a sunset on an empire and whatever this collective thing is that we're witnessing, but then you also talked about holding on to joy and pain and magic and fear all at once—you know, back to getting that stone up the hill. Sorry to kind of bring it down here, but I think I heard somewhere that in spite of all this narrative about joy and this album, in some ways, you're still like the same depressed guy, but you kind of alluded to how the band is bringing some joy and happiness. I'm wondering chemically, or in the inner wiring, how and in what fashion does it change you to play these "happier less cynical songs" every night? Or does it all stay up there, then you get back to the world when it's over.

I mean, this is a multi-part question. First of all, I wouldn't say that I'm the same old depressed guy. And I don't know that I ever would have described myself like that. I definitely struggle with depression and probably always will in some fashion, but also think of myself as a very fun, funny person that can be as light and easygoing or as heavy as the situation calls for. Probably, if you were to ask my bandmates, "Is Mike as heavy as some of the songs might make them feel?," they would say like, "Not at all." So that's that part.

I think that Jump For Joy, in so many ways, is totally consistent, thematically, with the music that I've made all throughout my life as Hiss Golden Messenger. I think that I was working really rhythmically and thinking a lot about tempo for Jump For Joy, and that was very intentional. But in terms of the way the songs exist, the chords that get used, the things that were troubling me, or bringing me joy and peace—that stuff on Jump For Joy feels like it's pretty consistent with the rest of my work. I feel like what people are reacting to when they think of this record as more joyful, which I would agree with, is just the musical feel of  the record, if that makes sense. 

No, it does. I think from the get go—even on your lo-fi recordings, which I spent some time listening to in the run up to this interview, and revisiting those—there is still this devotion to groove throughout the whole thing.

That's what I'm saying, man. Even the Hiss Golden Messenger songs that are at the slowest tempo, everything always grooves. That's always been almost the most important musical quality of what I do as Hiss, I think. Everything has to feel like it's in the pocket, it's in some kind of pocket, you know? That's really important to me.

Now that you're saying that kind of that out loud, I think of my first—you know, you only get one first time listening to a band—but those first few listens, I think, is interesting how Hiss music does kind of embed itself within whatever tempo you have going on in your life and sometimes Hiss music doesn't fit with whatever's going on in your day at the time, and you realize that, "Oh, this isn't the record for me right now. I gotta find something else." So I've always appreciated that about your music, for sure.

I want to ask you about mystery. I think you've talked about kind of craving mystery and this time of digital media, and endless access and over exposure in a way. What is your mind wandering and wandering about and around today?

I'm working on a lot of projects right now that are Hiss adjacent. I feel like I am just starting a quest—and who knows how long it's gonna last—to find my way back into not knowing, if that makes sense. I'm trying to find my way back to a feeling of mystery and magic. I want that to be the first feeling that I feel when I pick up an instrument. And I'm not saying that I don't feel that already, but it just occurs to me in this moment of our time, that that feels almost like the most important part of music, both as a listener and as a creator—the mystery. So I'm really honing in on that feeling whenever and wherever I can find it. I feel like certainly, part of this year for me is going to be about encountering the mystery, the not knowing, the freshness, the experimentation—encountering it wherever I can find it.

And it's such a wonderful excuse to really work on you're listening, too, whether it's physically listening with your ears or just body listening and emotionally trying to be quiet and tune in.

That's right, man. That's right.

By the way, I liked that you mentioned that you're probably funnier than people might think you are because when I found out that Johnny Fritz was in your “Nu-Grape” video, I immediately went to it because I think he's like, the funniest and best like songwriter with a replaced hip out there.

I mean, that guy is so fucking funny.

But you met the moment in that video. I feel like you two had good, parallel, complimentary performances that were rooted in humor.

Oh, dude. He made that video. I don't even really know Johnny that well, but I'm a fan. It feels like we know each other kind of well now. But before that video, as we were conceptualizing what it was going to be, who, all that stuff, I was like, "We're gonna get Johnny Fritz. It's really like the only way that this concept works, or someone like Johnny Fritz." But I couldn't think of anyone else. I love being with him because he's so funny, and has so many different characters, but he's also a super deep, super smart dude—he's not turned on like that all the time. He's also like a real deep cat.

The songs really mess you up when you're listening to him. He's got those records that like they'll kind of hit you on like the eighth or ninth kind of listen, and you're like, "What did he just say?" You thought it was a song about riding in a tour van,  then you realize that he kind of deconstructed this emotion inside of you about abandonment and things like that and it feels intentional once you kind of see it. know?

And I'm sure it is. He's an extremely astute person.

I know we're kind of getting short on time. Mike. I want to kind of go back to happy songs, sad songs, and I want to talk about how those emotions are kind of complex in their own way. Some would believe those emotions are complementary. I know that there is an art to finding the language to write songs about happiness. You mentioned you know, "Jesus Is Bored" as a song that's kind of transformed for you in the live setting, but do you feel like there are songs on Jump For Joy that include both happiness and sadness, in a way, and using language that you're pretty proud of? As far as being a songwriter and being a person?

I think every song on the record is a combination of both at the same time because I've always wanted that to be my mission as a songwriter: to be able to convey like the fullness of being a human—as grandiose or as lofty is that sounds—to convey the fullness of being a human in a song. Part of that, for me, feels like this idea that not everything is either happy or sad. My experience of the world as I walked through it is that everything is both of those at the same time. I mean, not everything, but you know what I mean? My experience mostly is that I'm feeling both at the same time. And I've really chased that ambiguity intentionally over the years with some very specific things that I do technically, from tuning a guitar in a certain way to like leaving the chords very undefined. So yeah, it's a little bit of a cop out answer, but I really think my best songs are songs that feel happy and sad at the same time.

That's a great answer, especially for at the end of a short interview, which I know we're at the end here, and I wanted to kind of leave with this question, maybe. You mentioned you know this mission for this year about encountering that mystery, that not knowing the freshness, that experimentation, and trying to touch it wherever you can find it. Can you maybe tell me—I don't know maybe from a mechanical standpoint or practice standpoint—what does getting small and quiet look like for you? Like, how do you get there?

Well, getting small and quiet isn't the same for me as encountering the mystery because I've actually been doing a lot of work with a lot of different musicians lately. It has been kind of cacophonous in a way. But to answer your question of what it means to get small and quiet, I mean, I think it means me going back to the room that I write in, with a guitar or whatever instruments, and a notebook and, seeing what happens. Sort of surrounding myself with the creative input that still fuels me. There's tons and tons of poetry in this house, there's tons of records, and this is just my place. There's tons of guitars and amplifiers. It's just my place to be sort of quiet and meditative, I guess.

Well, Tampa will be grateful when you get out of that place and come visit us for a few and I think we would all like to join you on the Kamayo Cruise but we'll let you eat cruise food for three days on your own there.

Cruise Food. That's a good name for a band.

It is a great name for a band—that should actually be the sequel to "Nu-Grape," just call it “Cruise Food.”

Haha, that's funny. OK, dude. Well, thank you so much. Thanks for the good questions, actually, they were great.

I really enjoyed talking to you. And thank you for making the time for me and thank you for all your music. It's, been great to have in my life. So I hope you have a great week.

Thank you, brother. Thank you, I appreciate that.

Of course. Bye.

[bradleymarshall]

I dreamed I was at school at Parkdale secondary.

I couldn’t eat the cake that was prepared that my dad had in fact prepared so I asked if I could instead buy some food from the shopping complex that I could tolerate.

Then I was trying to remember my combination lock, 21 32 18

Something like that and it opened.

It had been years.

My bad was all moulded.

On the speakers, Xavier was playing the electric guitar over the PA system. They were doing some kind of musical.

There was lightning and it was dark.

I was following Jackson Campbell.

The lightning was stunning against a backdrop of coloured thigh light sky and the neon lights ornamenting the school.

But my camera was shaking and I couldn’t capture the beauty in stillness.

[sinceileftyoublog]

Riot Fest 2023 Preview: 4 Reasons to Come Early, 1 to Stay Late

Just Mustard; Photo by Olof Grind

BY JORDAN MAINZER

Is it me, or is this the biggest Riot Fest yet? The independently run festival has managed to book bands that can fill arenas (Foo Fighters, The Cure), in-demand anniversary full album plays (Transatlanticism, Give Up, Last Splash), and previous headliners as sub-headliners (Queens of the Stone Age). As always, though, there are just as many highlights in the fine print as on the first row. Here are our top 5 picks: 4 reasons to show up before sunset, 1 to stay till the very end.

FRIDAY

Quasi; Photo by John Clark

Quasi, 1:25 PM, Roots Stage

A couple years ago, if you had asked me what band I thought would have a post-pandemic reunion, Quasi would have been at the bottom of my list. The duo of Sam Coomes and ex-Sleater-Kinney drummer Janet Weiss hadn't released a full-length since 2013, and in 2019, a car crashed into Weiss's car, which broke both of her legs and collarbone. As it turns out, during her recovery and COVID lockdown, Weiss, along with Coomes, used free time to bang out new songs in Quasi's practice space. The result is their Sub Pop debut and first album in 10 years, the awesomely titled Breaking the Balls of History, released earlier this year. The album is certainly of a time and place, riddled with references to pandemic-era isolation and the anti-science Neanderthals that have dominated discourse on the political right. But what stands out more is how revitalized these two sound to play music together, and Weiss in general. If her departure from Sleater-Kinney came after an album that minimized her role as a drummer, her meaty fills absolutely dominate "Last Long Laugh", "Queen of Ears", "Riots & Jokes", and "Nowheresville". In tandem with Coomes' fuzzed-out guitar and warped keyboards, Weiss' timekeeping creates an almost retrofuturist aesthetic, 60's pop harmonies rubbing elbows with distorted keys and drums on tracks like "Shitty Is Pretty". And The one I can't wait to hear most at the festival is "Doomscrollers", a surefire anthem for those crumbling under the weight of the world--or their phones--and even "everyone else just tryna get by / To stay alive or at least not die."

Screaming Females

Screaming Females, 4:50 PM, Rebel Stage

Desire Pathway (Don Giovanni), the first album in 5 years from the New Jersey punk greats, is a an album inspired by and about breakup and heartbreak. Thankfully, it doesn't sound down in the dumps. In fact, it's quite the contrary, the hardest rocking Screaming Females album yet, less snot-nosed punk and more mammoth metal. As much as Marissa Paternoster likens herself to "a freight train in the desert dragging chains," her theatrical vocal performances and limber axe wielding show a musician at the top of her class. The album starts unexpectedly, with feedback-heavy synths on "Brass Bell", but not before Paternoster and drummer Jarrett Dougherty enter with power riffs and snares akin to your favorite sludge band. Even a summertime sadness rave-up like "Ornament" yields the same sneering, anthemic quality as the best Screaming Females songs, Paternoster menacingly chanting, "An ornament / Your head hangs heavy on it." So as much as she offers a sense of humility on "Let Me Into Your Heart" and "Titan", don't get in her way on Friday.

Foo Fighters, 8:00 PM, Riot Stage

You know the story by now. In a short amount of time, Dave Grohl experienced two devastating losses: the passing of his mother Virginia and the tragic, sudden death of Foo Fighters' longtime drummer, Taylor Hawkins. Such periods of shock often cause massive shifts in life perspective, and perhaps, as a silver lining, it caused him to rethink things musically. Songs on recent Foo Fighters albums seemingly followed the tired formula of starting out quiet and melodic and building into an instrumental avalanche and full-throated screams. But Here We Are (Roswell/RCA), on which Grohl plays all the drums, instead recalls earlier Foo Fighters albums with confident and consistent paces and even explores new territory for the Rock and Roll Hall of Famers. It starts immediately raw and in shock on "Rescued", Grohl describing learning about Hawkins' death in clear terms: "It came in a flash / It came out of nowhere." Elsewhere, the wah wah guitars of an umptempo jam like "Under You" recall the talk box thrills of an older tune like "Generator", and the strutting drum and guitar interplay of "Nothing At All" ascends with a clatter like the band's early Aughts records.

As But Here We Are goes on, the band opts for the unexpected. On the self-reflexive "Show Me How", Grohl and his daughter Violet duet over shoegaze electric guitars and dream pop strumming, singing about his mom's passing, realizing the same thing will one day happen for Violet. The penultimate "The Teacher" is like a ten-minute question, Grohl wondering how to deal with grief and anxious about life and death, wincing, "Who's at the door now?" over scraped guitars and strings. The song slows down and rebuilds gradually with a chugging drum beat and chiming, dreamy guitars, ending with static. That sets up "Rest", on which Grohl repeats, "You can rest now." Such a statement seems like it's as much a mantra for himself as it is a directive to Hawkins and his mother. "Life is just a game of luck," he declares, "All this time escaping us, until our time is through." After the biggest explosion of guitar distortion on a major label radio rock record since "Hurt", Grohl ends the song, "In the warm Virginia sun, there I will meet you." That it's the name of the state in which he grew up and of his mother is not a coincidence, as he's using the memory of his mom, Hawkins--heck, even Kurt Cobain--for comfort.

With new drummer Josh Freese in tow, stay late and catch Foo Fighters performing songs from their best album since The Colour and the Shape.

SATURDAY

100 Gecs

100 Gecs, 7:00 PM, Radical Stage

When 100 Gecs released "mememe", the first single from what would be their long-awaited second album 10,000 Gecs (Dog Show/Atlantic), the first thing you noticed was that Laura Les' vocals were notably less pitch-shifted. A trans woman who had experienced voice dysphoria, Les was now taking voice lessons and deciding to reveal her voice unaffected. That, and her experience with gender transition surgeries and HRT treatments, informs some lines on songs on 10,000 Gecs. "I did science on my face," she sings on "Dumbest Girl Alive". "Everybody shuts the fuck up when I'm passing / You can see me on the fuckin' news, and I'm laughing," she sings presciently on "The Most Wanted Person in the United States", as a few days later, the notoriously anti-LGBTQ+ Fox News would go on to play 100 gecs on air due to anchor Greg Gutfield's fandom. This is the world in which 100 gecs thrive, appealing to all by feeling free to be themselves, refreshingly sans irony no matter how bonkers their juxtapositions. Ribbits nestle between guitar strums and harmonies on the ska-infused "Frog On The Floor". "One Million Dollars" creates a dance jam out of TikTok TTS voice, samples from anti-weed government propaganda, and Primus-level wiry breakdowns. "Hollywood Baby" and "Billy Knows Jamie" are respective tributes to pop punk and nu metal. And Les sings about everything from snack foods to her removed tooth like long lost loves. Even if they sound anything but, 100 gecs might just be the most earnest band around.

SUNDAY

Just Mustard, 1:15 PM, Riot Stage

You don't normally associate minimalism and ambiguity with bands playing Riot Fest, those with riffs and messages that hit you over the head and hooks and feelings sky-high. I bet Irish post-punk quintet Just Mustard wins over some festivalgoers looking for respite, whether from the sun or the distant cry of pop punk. Last year, they released their second album Heart Under (Partisan), and the first on which Katie Ball took full-time lead vocals. Their deliberate tempos and masterful control of dynamics should serve as hypnotic as it is beguiling.

[racingtoaredlight]

HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE

UGH.

***

You know the term “all hat and no cattle?”  You know the term “all bark and no bite?”  You’re looking at it.  This is what happens when you get your education entirely from YouTube and block out anything outside your own echo chamber that might give you valuable feedback.

This chick is just another faceless entry in an entire genre filled with amorphous blobs of shit edited and dressed up to look like they’re halfway decent.  It’s all a show, a screen hiding a complete lack of substance underneath.

I’ve talked a lot about right hand technique this week...largely because right hand technique has completely dominated my brain for the past two months.  In the video at the top, I want you to go to start at 1:03 and watch her right hand when it goes to the GoPro view a couple seconds after.

There’s all this two-handed garbage and tippity-tapping take might make you think “wow, this chick’s good,” but it’s all bullshit.  Contrast her right hand with what I posted this earlier this week.

Amps and effects are wonderful things.  They cover up a whole lot of mistakes and technical shortcomings because...when you don’t have to physically project the notes from the instrument yourself...you lose touch with the bigger picture.

***

Technique is invaluable (and extremely discounted by non-musicians) because it’s what you rely on in moments of panic and internal crisis.  The point of technique is it’s repeatable.  What that chick is doing is absolute dogshit garbage that probably took her dozens of takes to get right.  So much extraneous motion, so much wasted effort and inefficient playing...

Take away the effects, the amps, the mics, the preamps, the EQ...all that shit...and there’s nothing left.  I.e. there’s no substance.

I’m picking on her because this is a great example of everything I hate about the current generation of progressive musicians.  All this effort spent on weird parlor tricks, editing, customizing the finish of a guitar, getting to this weird location, the fucking outfit...it’s all hiding the fact that she can’t play for shit.

I just want you to stop and think about the SHEER ABSURDITY of her being “plugged into” an amp when there’s no way there could be an outlet within 100 feet of where they were.  Did Slash have to plug in his guitar during the November Rain solo?

...no he did not.

More importantly, you wouldn’t have noticed either way.  But if there’s this big black line in every shot going nowhere?  Yea, that’s fucking dumb.

And it’s a great metaphor for everything else going on in here.  Her guitar playing is ornamental at best.  It’s simplistic, static and (in my opinion) extremely dated and lame.  Why not play a Chapman Stick if you’re doing shit like this?  Because Tony Levin has been doing stuff way beyond this shit since the early 1980′s on one.

The drums are the foundation of this piece.  Worse...as the piece develops, the backing track’s guitar part is more of a fundatmental, essential piece than anything she’s playing.  She’s just comping.  Yet, it’s just her on her own in the video...playing backup to a backing track with the technique of a semi-talented 3rd grader who spends too much time online...in the middle of some urban decay.

Ugh.

***

These boys...and I mean boys...are the poster children...and I mean children...of this genre.  It’s the same thing as the above piece...

When you strip away all the parlor tricks, the trap beats, the video editing and image, what are you left with?  You’re left with a song that repeats the same four bars over and over for four minutes, all played with bad tone and an uncomfortable groove.

It’s just so fucking empty and lame.  And I’m not even talking about the truly abrasive personalities of this band, which makes them even worse.

Now these guys can all play.  Not my style, but these fuckers know what they’re doing...

Which makes it all the more depressing when you go through almost 7 minutes of technical flash and bombast only for you to realize there’s no groove, no bass presence and they’re in the same key the entire time.  Imagine being in a conversation with the Police Academy sound effects guy on PCP for seven minutes straight without being able to get a word in...that’s the substance we’re left with after we strip away all the glitter.

And that’s what bums me out big time about this current movement.

We have this technical-on-the-surface music dressed up in a modern equivalent of shred couture from the 1980′s without any of the substance or understanding.  Let me give you a great example...

***

The first vid is a guy doing a very academic version of Bach as cleanly and correctly as possible.  The second video is a 1980′s metal shredder who doesn’t give a flying fuck.

Here’s the difference...the shredder, Yngwie Malmsteen, literally spent his teenage years obsessed with Bach.  It doesn’t matter that he subbed a Fender Strat through screaming stacks of Marshall amps for a violin...make no mistake, this is 100% in the Baroque era vein.  The performance has life and dynamicism because the source material is intertwined with Yngwie’s DNA at this point.  It’s not an academic exercise or showing off chops for chops sake...it’s authentic.

And that authenticity is what’s missing in today’s crop of progressive musicians.  Yes they’re young, but that’s not an excuse.  Yngwie was fully formed in his early 20′s...you listen to his first three albums and they’re as much Bach as they are Deep Purple or Hendrix (his other main infulences).

Henkelsman’s is cleaner and has more refined technique, and make no mistake he’s an incredible musician, but who gives a shit when this overall performance is so lacking?

Back to technique...my biggest gripe with the first Bach example is how the technique breaks down.  Notice as the piece goes on, the string noise and pick clicking becomes more and more obvious to the point they’re annoying at the end.

Now go to 2:20-3:00 in the Yngwie example.  He is in perfect unison, not just with the violin section in the first part, but also with the cellos and basses in the next.  I mean, this is impressive, impressive stuff by a fat guy dressed like a pirate...regardless of what you think of Yngwie (personally, I think he’s a piece of shit, but that’s besides the point).

You could take away everything in Yngwie’s performance...the Strat, the amps...and there’s nothing to indicate that he wouldn’t give just as stellar a performance.  That’s because of his technique and authenticity in regards to the substance of the music.

***

That’s exactly what’s missing from the current generation.  Progressive rock, metal, fusion, jam bands, instrumental country...take your pick.

Flashy technique that looks impressive on the surface, but breaks down easily revealing little substance underneath.  Shit I remember some video of a bunch of YouTube influencers talking about how many takes it takes them to get what they’re putting on their channels...and I was kind of shocked.  Takes in the teens was the standard answer.

Just think about that.  Over 10 takes to get some basic stuff, typically not in context, down.  That’s awful.  That’s embarrassing.

But why is that?  Again...technique and not having the source material down.  I.e. not authentic.  Watch a lot of these transcription vids and notice how things break down after 30 seconds or so.  Which is natural given typical practice runs, but still...you can’t have the source material down (or have repeatable technique) if you’re running out of gas halfway through.

Because if it’s all just for show, there’s not much point in putting in the boring, laborious work.  And it’s easy to pull the wool over the eyes of the viewers using modern tricks like editing and adding in visual elements.  Damn shame if you ask me.

[independentartistbuzz]

Indie 5-0 with Emily + Shawn: Holiday Edition

For Brooklyn-based modern folk duo Emily + Shawn, the stuff in life that makes a difference requires heavy lifting, and careful attention to detail. Varied interests and a soulful sense of purpose imbue the pair’s adventurous spin on the folk tradition.

Their music is an authentic reflection of their lives. The pair are, in fact, a couple—but don’t expect sappy love songs—Emily Welch is an immigration lawyer, and Shawn Welch works in the renewable energy field. Emily + Shawn’s songs are informed by their ethics, their myriad of experiences and interests, and their day to day interactions ,which they characterize sweetly as “healthy clashes.”

We got to speak with both Emily and Shawn about their holiday traditions, their favorite holiday music, and their upcoming projects in this special holiday Indie 5-0.

So, let’s dive in:

What is your favorite holiday song and why?

E: I love Joni Mitchell’s River. It has such a nostalgic sound and captures the melancholy of the season so beautifully.

S: I hate to be predictable, but mine is definitely “The Christmas Song” by Nat King Cole. He has a signature voice that really takes me back to when I was younger.

What were the traditions around the holidays in your house growing up?

E: my family takes Christmas very seriously. I am the oldest of five kids, so we do a secret Santa between all of us which we open up on Christmas Eve. I love focusing on getting a larger gift that’s specific to that sibling as opposed to getting smaller things for all of them.

S: I was always in charge of creating the miniature snow village in our living room, and all of us kids then decorated the tree together a week before Christmas. My parents were in charge of sitting there and telling us when they didn’t like where we put a given ornament.

If you could record your dream holiday duet with anyone dead or alive what would it be?

E: Mariah is very intimidating as the #queenofChristmas but i feel like I can’t pass up an opportunity to sing with her!

S: Probably a duet with Bing Crosby on “I’ll Be Home for Christmas”

What is the first holiday track you ever learned?

E: Winter Song with Sara Bareilles and Ingrid Michaelson- one of my oldest friends and I were obsessed with them and recorded a version that may or may not still exist on the MySpace ethers…

S: I used to play music for holiday parties right when I learned my first few chords on guitar. I think my first song was “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” by Judy Garland.

What are you currently working on? What can you tell us about it?

We just released a new single, “Mama Told Me,” which is a funky soul pop song. Currently working on another song for release in early 2023, so be sure to follow us @emilyplusshawn to stay in the loop!

[chai-fi-rush]

I just got finished transcribing a 20 something part piece this morning for the sake of a joke so I hope I know how sheet music works. Anyways!

Yes, this work make sounds. "C" means common time, or 4/4, and all of the notation values match up with that math. The key signatures, chords and accidentals all match each other (most notable in the switch between Em/F and Em/F#). It's very simple music, and also pretty repetitive. Even though it does make sounds you might not be very impressed.

Someone else in the notes said that Chai would probably just be looking at the chords above the page, but this is definitely guitar sheet music. Though tabs are a much more common form of notation, sheets are also used. Guitarists who can read sheet and also know the notes for every fret sometimes prefer sheet over tabs because it leaves much less up to knowing how the song is "supposed to" go when it comes to timing. You can tell it's guitar music because of the tremolo ornament above measures one and three, and that "amp." Notation above the second half. I'm not as familiar with rock as I am with jazz, theater and classical, so I'm not sure exactly with this would mean notation wise, but judging from the fact that it has those little bars I'm guessing it has something to do with an effects pedal. There's also very few instruments that use "amp" In their vocabulary so that rules it in as guitar, unless Chai somehow got his hands on bass guitar music written in treble clef.

VERY curious to know:

has any hi-fi rush fan who can read/play music know (& just in general) know anything about the music written in this lil journal/book by the couch? is it legitimate sheet music that makes good sound? i gotta know

[mandoalorian]

Joel Miller headcanons

I’m in mourning. If anyone wants to send in some Joel drabble requests you may. 💓 oh and please reblog so more people can read these💕 thankyou. Xxx

Joel masterlist

Every night before bed, he’ll play his guitar. His voice is soft and soothing and rasp, but he can lull you to sleep so easily.

Nightmares aren’t uncommon during the apocalypse, so if you wake up in the middle of the night, he’ll pull you close and sleepily smooth out your hair. He assures you that he will always protect you, and as long as he’s around, he’ll always take care of you. You know you can believe him.

In his older years, during his time in Jackson, his confidence grows a little and he will enjoy playing his guitar and singing for audiences around the campfire. After all, it was always his dream, to be a singer.

He loves all animals, but especially horses and dogs. He makes little wooden ornaments of horses and displays them around his house, even giving them names.

He used to be a carpenter, pre-Apocolypse, so he’s the perfect man to have around whenever you need some DIY doing or if you need something fixed. He’ll jokingly tease you if you can’t do something, saying how it’s so easy and how you should be more like him.

When he loves, he loves hard. Everyone (Tess, Bill, even Tommy) always told him to not form attachments, especially during the apocalypse. They told him that he should only be looking out for himself, otherwise he’ll just get himself killed. Joel is stubborn though, and he doesn’t listen. He puts you and Ellie first, at all costs.

He adores 80s music and always has vinyls playing quietly around the house. We know he’s very keen on the song Take On Me by A-Ha.

He’s a hummer too. He’s always humming little tunes to himself as he potters around the house.

He loves going on long hikes and he can even skateboard, after practicing with Sarah when he was younger.

The apocalypse hardened him a lot, and he became known to be a brutal “crazy man” who had no shame in torturing and murdering anyone who crossed him the wrong way. But in his later years, he has grown to be more soft and gentle, much like the man he was back when he was only a father to Sarah.

He has a lot of trauma. There are no mirrors up in his home because he can’t bear to look at himself. He hates the man he’s become. He doesn’t feel like himself anymore.

Sometimes you catch him and Ellie reading comic-books. It’s their favourite bonding activity.

Joel loves history and science, and one of his favourite memories is taking Ellie out to learn about dinosaurs. He can string off random dinosaur facts and it’s so endearing to listen to.

He tends to stay away from alcohol because it can make him spiral. He smells like woodland and black coffee.

He always displays Ellie’s artwork and drawings, and beams about how proud he is of her to everyone in Jackson.

He hates having to lie but he’ll do it if it means protecting those who he loves. It’s hard for him to live with the guilt though.

He’s a feminist.

If Pride was still a thing, he’d take Ellie and cheer her on.

He often tells dad jokes that fall completely flat. Like, really terrible jokes. But it only makes your heart grow for him.

He’s a family-man at heart and if you weren’t living in the middle of an apocalypse, he’d love to have more children.

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