#elf power

[ohc-and-the-music-tapes-archive]

Ad and note in "Threats & Promises - Music News and Gossip" column in Flagpole., 1 October 2008 about Elephant 6 Holiday Surprise with "Major Organ and the Adding Machine" premiere

[ad source] [note source]

transcript:

Ad:

THE ELEPHANT SIX HOLIDAY SURPRISE Ciné Tue. October 7 The show will begin at 9:30 $12 advance, $15 at the door the orchestra will perform songs by the Music Tapes, the Circulatory System, Pipes You See/Pipes You Don’t, the Gerbils, Scott E. Spillane, the Olivia Tremor Control, Elf Power, Nesey Gallons, Nana Grizol and more! premiering MAJOR ORGAN and the ADDING MACHINE THE MOVIE and THE ELEPHANT SIX ORCHESTRA

Note:

Major Premiere: After years of waiting, people will finally be able to catch the premiere of Major Organ and the Adding Machine. The film, which has been under production for the better part of a decade, is the work of Joey Foreman and Eric Harris. The film features theatrical and musical contributions from such players as W. Cullen Hart, Julian Koster, Kevin Barnes, Dixie Blood Mustache, Andrew Reiger and Jeff Mangum. Its debut coincides with the kickoff show of the Holiday Surprise Tour which will be a month-long traveling show featuring the Elephant 6 Orchestra. Featured performers include Bill Doss, John Fernandes, Nesey Gallons, Laura Carter, Scott Spillane, Robbie Cucchiarro, Theodore Hilton, Pete Erchick and the aforementioned Harris, Hart, Koster and Reiger. The bunch will be performing the songs of The Music Tapes, Circulatory System, Gerbils, Olivia Tremor Control, Nana Grizol, Pipes You See/Pipes You Don’t and more. It’s seriously an Elephant 6 fan’s dream happening. The whole thing kicks off in Athens at Ciné on Tuesday, Oct. 7. The film will show at 9:30 p.m. and the music begins at 10:30 p.m. Tickets are $12 in advance and $15 at the door.

[bandcampsnoop]

3/8/24.

"Hilarie Sidney and Per Ole Bratset of The High Water Marks and of 6612 Tapes decided to put together a compilation cassette to help raise funds for Justice Democrats." Their webpage states that the Justice Democrat’s mission: “We need a Democratic Party that fights for its voters, not big corporate donors."

So begins the write-up on the 6612 Tapes (Møre og Romsdal, Norway) page announcing the pre-sale of this amazing release. Of course The High Water Marks are here but so are Mikal Cronin, Rose Melburg, Honey Radar, Dressy Bessy, Elf Power and The Ladybug Transistor. And there are enough bands I've never heard of to make this an incredibly well-rounded compilation.

And you get great artwork from Per Ole Bratset. Really, he has some of the coolest art - reminds me of Hamish Kilgour or David Mitchell.

[sm-selenographer]

Elf Power at Cine, Athens, Georgia, April 7, 2023 | SM Piotrowski

Our first actual “post”-pandemic big social event was attending the premiere of the Elephant 6 Recording Co. documentary last month. I didn’t bring my good camera because I was fully expecting us to bolt after the movie -- we are both introverts, knew it was going to be an ~emotional~ experience, and Everyone Was Going to Be There! But then (probably thx in part to liquid courage) we ended up staying for a couple Elf Power songs afterward, and once the music started it only took a few seconds for me to feel absolutely overwhelmed by the need to be photographing! I LOVE THAT FEELING. It’s been a while!!! Here are a couple smartphone pictures to preserve the moment (featuring my local concert photographer archnemesis (/s) who gets to be up front and all up in my composition with the nice camera)

[gr4cel4nd2]

HOW DID I NOT KNOW THERE WAS AN ELEPHANT SIX DOCUMENTARY?

[dustedmagazine]

Elf Power — Artificial Countrysides (Yep Roc)

Photo by Jason Thrasher

It’s hard to overstate just how significant Elephant Six became in the late 1990s and early aughts, as Neutral Milk Hotel’s raw, jangling poetry and Olivia Tremor Control’s lo-fi pop symphonies redefined what could be done with very little equipment in the service of art. Later, Apples in Stereo staked out the twee, adorable corner (“If You Want to Wear a Hat”) of the Southern bedroom pop universe, and Miles Kurosky’s Beulah found its sexiest drawl. Somewhere in the mix, Elf Power made deftly wistful, folk-poppy tunes, surreal but personal, fanciful but grounded in recognizable human experience. All of those bands but one have been defunct for ages, and you don’t hear much about Elephant Six anymore (though earlier this year Adam Clair published a well-regarded history on the movement, titled Endless Endless: A Lo-Fi History of the Elephant 6 Mystery). Still, Elf Power’s Andrew Rieger continues to soldier on, recording to date 14 albums, all while running the Orange Twin label with Elf Power bandmate Laura Carter.

Artificial Countrysides, recorded during the pandemic, is a graceful, thoughtful, utterly modest triumph, wrapping its twisty modal melodies in layers of fuzz and convening a junk shop orchestra of synths, drums, keyboards and, occasionally, harpsichord to fill out their fragile contours. Like all good pop, the songs have an emotional ambiguity. They seem to cavort, as gay as a carnival, while also remaining a little sad. They are second cousins to Robert Pollard’s distortion-crusted tunes, but softer, more pensive, swirling with organ and keyboard and a bit less blasted through by power chords. 

As the album title suggests, these songs take as their subject matter the convergence of natural and manufactured environments. Elf Power records from amidst an expansive natural preserve known as the Orange Twin Conservation Community, but they are close enough to Athens’ suburban sprawl to observe in the title track, landscapes “that never rot and don’t decay, growing faster all the time, spreading further every day.” 

Yet Rieger’s real preoccupation is not with the damage to the land, but the dislocation it brings to human beings. The first three songs all reference barriers—mental, spiritual, who knows—that his narrators can’t cross. “Clean Clothes” considers the exposure that living digitally brings (“the world outside discovering every place that you hide”). “Undigested Parts” pokes at consciousness and its shifting, morphing impermanence. But all of these tunes describe a moment when transcendence is close but ultimately unreachable. In “Undigested Parts” the verse goes, “Distant life inside the bubble, filtered out, run through the funnel, never solved the mystery, plagued for all eternity.” 

It's possible I’m reading in these existential considerations. Rieger’s lyrics suggest, rather than spell out, whatever it is he’s talking about. And yet, there’s a sense of immanence in these cuts, as if the soft trash underfoot, the complicated rush of eating before work, the insidiousness of online life is always about to fall away, for something real and spiritual to emerge. The clean grace of the melodies evokes lucid certainty, the jangling arrangements slick them over with the noise of life. “Constantly touching from the flower to the roots, no separating from the ever-binding glue,” sings Rieger in “Constantly Touching,” an image of gnostic one-ness trapped in the slacker ramble of his tune. 

And that, after all, is very much in line with the Elephant Six aesthetic, where rough production and giddy folk rock made the deepest questions of human life sound like a party. Elf Power’s 14th album is fanciful, surreal, buoyant, but engaged in a philosopher’s dialogue.

Jennifer Kelly

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

Dog Meshi.

[lymphomalass]

Here’s hoping you’ve had a really good festive season so far…

I’ve had a lot of cooking, a bit of social media down-time, some family time, too much to eat and my usual Christmas migraine, …and I’ve had to call British Gas out when our heating boiler broke… so a fairly usual Christmas, …but I’ve now got some rather nice news to share!

My watercolour painting “Santa Splash on Derwentwater” has inspired a poem!

The wonderful Linda Alice Fowler was prompted to write her piece “Derwentwater Santas” after seeing my picture, and you can read her poem here:

The comments people have left under Linda’s poem are just lovely!

My A4 (29.7cm x 21cm) unframed original watercolour is available for £75 including UK postage. Please just private message me to arrange your purchase. It's also available in a mix of different types and sizes of prints, and printed on all sorts of lovely things (like accessories, apparel, homewares, gift items, etc) at:

and Redbubble are currently offering 25% off everything site wide!

Thanks!

Sam aka LymphomaLass xx

[yandere-writer-momo]

Yandere Head Canons:

Past the Point of No Return

Yandere Fae Enemy General x Healer Fem Reader

TW: Yandere themes, yearning, delusional behavior, etc.

Corvin Fausto it was never one to believe in fate. He truly believed he’d never find his destined one since he lived a life of war. He was the young general of the fae army and lead them to numerous victories against the invading humans… but their elven brethren that turned their backs on the fae and began to help the humans. Which made this war suddenly shift against the fae. A betrayal the fae could not forgive the once peaceful elves for.

He was able to hold the enemy forces back long enough to escape, but they had damaged his wings beyond immediate repair. He’d likely have to go into hiding for a few months until he’d recover… but how? He was being relentlessly hunted by humans.

Corvin hid himself in a small cave, hopeful he could rest here for a while without getting caught… but his hopes were dashed when he saw the form of a young woman tilt her head at him in curiosity.

“Hello? Is someone there?” Corvin didn’t dare speak when a young elf appeared before him. Her beauty was unparalleled, but her ears were much smaller than most elves… she was a half elf.

(Your name) gasped at his wounds in shock. She quickly reached into her satchel to pull out various salves to put on his wounds.

Corvin made an attempt to try to push her away, but he was so weak from blood loss. The last thing he saw was her smiling face as she reassured him with her soft words, “it’s okay. You’re safe now.”

When Corvin came to, he was shocked to find himself in a warm cabin rather than in the forest. His eyes were wild as he searched around but he quickly winced when he shifted his wings too sharply. Corvin was surprised to be patched up and cleaned… where was his armor?

“Oh! You’re awake!” Corvin whipped his head around to spot (your name) leave her bedroom, a soft smile on her lips. “Are you hungry? I have some soup over the fire-“

“I’m your enemy.” Corvin told her with a glare. “You should have left me to die-“

Corvin was shocked when (your name) shook her head and gave him a smile. “That doesn’t matter. You still needed help and it’s my job as a healer to help the wounded.”

Corvin was surprised when she went over to the hot cauldron to pour him a bowl of soup. The half elf placed the bowl beside him. “You can recuperate here for the time being. I’m helping you simply because I want to.”

“My name is Corvin Fausto. What’s your name?”

“I’m (your name).” She gave him a gentle smile that reminded him of spring. And for the first time in Corbin’s long life, he felt his heart flutter.

Corvin hesitantly drank the soup before he smiled softly to himself. He’s never received such care before… did he truly deserve her kindness?

As the days melted into months, Corvin grew attached to (your name). She was kind yet she was stern. Her care never had ulterior motives yet she also didn’t allow him to disrespect her because of her race. She fascinated him. For the first time in his life, Corvin was enthralled.

Corvin found himself helping her around the humble abode. He’d clean, gather herbs with her, fetch firewood, or help her cook. It was such a domestic life together that Corvin slowly began to wonder if she’d want to continue to live a life like this with him. Would she want an idyllic life?

“It’s been really nice having you around, Corvin.” (Your name) beamed at the fae who blushed. His hands itched to intertwine with hers. “I think you have a week left until you’re fully healed!”

Corvin felt his blood run cold with the words. A week… did she want him to leave? He thought they had a special relationship. No. He wouldn’t let her go! (Your name) was his destined mate. The one he’s waited his whole life for… and he’d be damned if she rejected him.

“If you ever get injured again, my door is always open-“ (your name) is surprised when she’s suddenly pulled into his arms in a tight embrace. “Corvin?”

“Come back with me… no.” Corvin thought for a moment. His people would terrorize her if he brought her back, they could hurt her. He could abandon them right? The fae would understand… a destined one was a rule they all abided by. “Let’s just stay together here, in your cabin.”

(Your name) raised a brow. “What do you mean, Corvin?”

(Your name) felt her blood run cold at the crazed look in Corbin’s eyes. “We can live together here in your cabin, far from everyone… far from the war.”

Corvin glanced around the cabin with eagerness. “I think there’s space for two little ones… we can start our life here!”

(Your name) tried to pull herself away from his grip, but Corvin was latched on like a tick. “Corvin, you’re scaring me.”

“You’re my destined one.” Corvin replied in a breathy whisper. “That’s why you saved me despite me being your enemy… you saved me because you knew we were meant to be.”

[withamessyhead]

Andrew Rieger (Elf Power)

[ohc-and-the-music-tapes-archive]

"The Arrow Flies Close" by Elf Power, performed at The Elephant 6 Holiday Surprise Tour, 16 October 2008, The Student Center at SUNY Purchase, New York.

[sioboi]

merry yaoimas season everyone

[theeverlastingshade]

A few weeks ago Elf Power released their 14th LP, Artificial Countryside, and it's a breezy psych-pop record that finds the band continuing to age gracefully with their sense of whimsy and wide-eyed wonder well-intact. Highlight "Flood" is a midtempo cut propelled by a strutting, snare heavy beat, fuzz-lined guitars, and lush harmonium lines. The music throughout AC is more propulsive (check the succinct, but striking fuzz guitar solo midway through "Flood") and a little more off-kilter than most of their records, but it's still a perfect blend of psychedelia, bubblegum pop, and indie rock even as the electronic instrumentation creeps further to the forefront.

On "Flood" they couch their multi-faceted ruminations on climate collapse and information overload "Floods pouring out from the edges of the dream landscape/Wetting the minds of good friends and complete strangers" in one of frontman Andrew Rieger's brightest vocal melodies to date. Even as the apocalypse continues to loom larger over the collective consciousness Elf Power keep a light touch, rendering the music more interesting than if it was a one note trudge through misery without shying away from addressing those existential concerns. On AC Elf Power's blend of the playful and profound is still at an equilibrium, and they sound as tight, tuneful, and engaged as ever.

[master-muffinn]

Lord of the rings X druid!reader headcanons

Legolas x reader, Thranduil x reader, Gandalf x reader (platonic), Merry/Pippin x reader (platonic), Elanor x reader.

Legolas

🧚‍♀️ Legolas is very curious and excited! He wants to know EVERYTHING about you and what you can do!

🧚‍♀️ But he finds the fact that you can turn to different kinds of animals the most interesting, and asks you a lot of questions about every animal you can transform too.

“Y/n what is that for an odd creature?”

“It’s a seastar”

“A STAR!??” 🤩

🧚‍♀️ Asks you if he can touch you in your animal forms. He lights up with happiness when you say ‘yes’ and touches you with utmost care and curiosity.

🧚‍♀️ Loves carrying you around in your smaller forms. If you turn to a snake he’ll put you around his neck like a necklace, a bird on his head or any other animal that can be on his shoulders.

🧚‍♀️ When the fellowship was in the snowy mountains and while the others had to walk in the deep snow, you were a little mouse in Legolas warm pocket. Not needing to do anything and Legolas didn’t need to worry about your safety. Win-win.

Thranduil

“I thought the druids died out for 4000 years ago, guess i was wrong”

🍷 Like Legolas he is very much interested but in a more calmer and quieter way. He also likes the animal shapes more. 

🍷 He likes when you turn to a little bird and sit on his shoulder whenever he goes to different places.

🍷 LOVES when he sits on his throne and you turn to a smaller animal and sit on his large hand and put your tiny paws on his fingers- the king has heart eyes. 😍 (yes you are his pet now lol) And he totally would feed you grapes too.

🍷 Other than that he also likes your plant and flower abilities. He has left the garden's beauty to you and it is shining more beautifully than it ever has since you came into his life- or perhaps it is just (amazing) you who has grown beautiful and colorful flowers in his heart❤.

🍷 And of course he will try out some of your abilities in the bedroom 😉

Gandalf

🧙‍♂️ Sorry Frodo, Sorry Bilbo, y/n is his number one favorite friend now!

🧙‍♂️ He is very fascinated over your elemental abilities. Wind, water, fire, plants/trees? “What can you do?” 

🧙‍♂️ Gandalf would try (hard) to not sound too eager and excited when you show him. But he can’t help but smile and laugh when you make a phoenix appear out of the fire.

🧙‍♂️ Might show you his ‘magic’ if you ask nicely and you will inspire one another. 

🧙‍♂️ If you have any difficulties with your training and elemental controlling he will give you advice and guidance with what he knows.

🧙‍♂️ Gandalf wouldn't mind if you join him for a while on his journey. He greatly enjoys your company.

Merry/Pippin

🤡 Oh no! OH NOOO! Gandalf will pray to god ... .PLEASE DON’T LET THE WORLD END!!

🤡 When they learn what you are, they will storm you with questions. They will drag you with them for every little prank and misery they are planning.

“Y/n, can you turn to bird and poop on someone's hea-” (pippin)

“No!”

“Can you poop in someones drin-”

“No!”

“Can you-”

“ENOUGH WITH THESE POOP REQUESTS!!!!”

🤡 If you meet on the ring quest, they will ask you to turn to a larger and fluffy animal, like a bear so they can sleep with (on) you on cold nights (like the bear in jungle book? Yes!) Boromir will get jealous because you stole his children. 😢

Elanor Brandyfoot

🐌 The others don't trust you and don't want you around until you show them how quickly you can turn seeds to flowers.

🐌 Elanor will try to calm them down and talk to them so they don’t ‘use’ you for their ‘food greed’.

🐌 You two will have a contest of who is quickest to fill a bucket with berries, buuut of course Elanor wins. 

“Looks like ya powers weren't able to outmatch me!” 

🐌 She loves to see your abilities and is very happy that others like you too and have accepted you to the group, but she gets a little jealous when you get too much attention because she wants to be alone with you too! 

🐌 She loves the evenings when things have been calming down and laying under the stars with her head on your (larger) animal form. Petting you is very calming for her and she mostly falls asleep like that with you. 

Thank you for reading! I hope you like it! 💖

Post made by me, @master-muffinn