#get a rEAL INSTRUMENT LEWIS

[here4tripitaka]

Ch 59: Yum cha, fire and literal bubble tea

This chapter was just all-round beautiful. Atmospheric, poetic, visually vivid and full of music - although sometimes also uncomfortably realistic (unnaturally hot weather; mountain fires).

The red mountain made me think of landscapes I’ve seen. The idea of drums and bugles saving people from the sound of the sizzling sun sinking into the sea made me think of the din of musical instruments at Chinese New Year. The dragons in the streams and the paulownia trees were simply beautiful.

And the music! There is so much music. Yu’s footnotes say that three of the poems are set to pre-existing Chinese tunes. I tried to dig them up. They’re at the bottom of this post, for anyone interested.

Well, let’s begin. As we know, the travellers come upon a strangely sweltering part of the landscape. Bajie thinks they must be at the Edge of Heaven, but Wukong points out they can’t possibly have travelled that far. They approach the house of a local man, introduced to us through the ‘Not Quite’ poem.

I loved this poem. It reminded me a little of the Phantom Tollbooth or of Lewis Carroll. (Of course, that may well be because I don’t know much, if any, non-western poetry or literature with which to compare it. Do let me know if you know any Tollbooth-esque literature or poetry from other cultures.)

He tells them they’re at the foot of the Mountain of Flames.

I didn’t realise the flaming mountains were a real land feature in China - minus the pyrotechnics. Apparently travellers along the Silk Road avoided them. The soil temperature has been estimated at 66.8°C (152.2°F). (Thanks Wikipedia.)

Tripitaka is overwhelmed at the mere thought of the heat. He turns pale and falls silent - right back to his old ways:

Wukong, being the ADHD kid that he is, gets distracted by a vendor with a cart, and goes to buy rice pudding with a hair-turned-copper-coin.

I don’t know which kind of rice pudding this means, but it sounds delicious. Maybe this?

Or this?

But really I’m just thinking of this - which has nothing to do with rice or pudding, but everything to do with me getting excited when a Chinese food cart rolls around:

Wukong calls bullshit on the place being hot all year round. He figures if they can make rice flour for rice pudding, there have to be both hot and cool seasons.

And so they find out about Immortal/Princess Iron Fan, whose fan can extinguish the fires and even bring rain.

Cut to the woodcutter on Jade Cloud Mountain, who has a real chip on his shoulder about calling her ‘immortal’:

The 'Raksasi' thing may or may not be a jerk move, because apparently it just means ‘female demon’:

Wukong gets nervous about having to confront another angry relative of Red Boy, and the woodcutter schools him on how he should never be nervous as a Buddhist:

Even when Wukong explains his bind, the woodcutter stands by it:

I somehow love the total lack of strategy here. “Okay. You have every reason to think that this demon will refuse to give you what you want. Just disregard that entirely, and go in there confidently.”

Wukong finds Iron Fan, gets his ass kicked by her, and takes back some of the condescending thoughts he’d had about her as a woman fighter. We go from this:

To this:

He’s bailed out by Bodhisattva Lingji, who conveniently has a Wind-Arresting Elixir. Wukong returns to unwarranted pride in his manhood in no time:

I mean, the only reason he can withstand the wind is that a woman was nice and gave him an elixir. So I'm not sure what it has to do with him being a man.

He sneaks into Iron Fan’s stomach via her tea:

In the ultimate Trojan Horse move, he prods her insides til it hurts. I must not have been the only one thinking of yum cha when the rice pudding came up, because the dim sum theme continues:

Iron-Fan puts on a good pretence of panicking and surrendering, but keeps her cool. She gives Wukong a fake iron fan. He doesn’t realise until he’s dragged the whole of Team Tripitaka up the Mountain of Flames and made the fire worse.

Tripitaka cries.

Ah, dear Tripitaka. He wants those scriptures. He wants them SO MUCH. And if he can’t get them, his heart is going to break.

Meanwhile, Bajie is just laughing his ass off because Wukong lost all the hair from his thighs in the fire.

The guys are at a bit of a loss. The only way to the west is to pass the Mountain of Fire, but nobody really knows what to do next. Clearly Wukong is no longer feeling so confident about kicking Iron Fan’s ass, cos he’s not even talking about trying a third time.

While they’re kicking around, they’re approached by a mysterious man, who turns out to be the spirit of the Mountain of Flames. He tips them off about what to do next.

And that’s it for this week. I’m excited for the next chapter, because I came across some ceramic art online that gave me some possible hints about next week. I’ll refrain from posting it, but we’ll see next week.

Music

As promised! The music for the three poems.

#1 To the tune of the Wind in the Pines

《風入松歌》 Feng Ru Song Ge

Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOr1-ZeVGvM

About the music: https://silkqin.com/02qnpu/10tgyy/tg28frsg.htm

#2 To the tune of Barbarian Bodhisattvas

Probably this music? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1jmF5zg9yI

#3 To the tune of Moon Over West River

Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGMkxd8RW5o

@journeythroughjourneytothewest

—

Image credits: The usual spiel. The images above are either AI, or random pictures from the web, or a Frankenstein of both; some modified, some not. They are not original. The pre-existing images should turn up with reverse googling or have links embedded, but feel free to ask and I’ll dig up sources.

[soracities]

I’m coming to you because you seem very intelligent - not only in what you post/your taste, but also in your responses. Do you have any advice for integrating contradictory and conflicting parts of your personality? I want to be authentic, but I seem to resonate with very opposing things. I feel a split. Thank you so much ❤️

I've had this ask in the back of my mind for a long, long time and I'm sorry to only be getting to it now.

In all honesty, I don't think that "authenticity" is about eliminating contradiction—I don't believe that's even possible: human consciousness is....profoundly complicated and to even attempt to do so is essentially futile; we are as murky to ourselves as we are to others, and others are to us. I don't believe there is a fixed and final self that awaits us, either at the end of whatever journey we feel ourselves to be on, or at any given moment in our lives. It's not a linear thing to me (it isn't even a thing, to be honest), but more like a rhizome--a kind of constant branching and growing and moving. It is a series of responses that differ year by year, month by month, even hour by hour. The world happens to you, and you happen to it and this happening is constantly shifting. As it should! The real conflict, I think, is to try and surrender to the idea of a finished self that is coherent and complete because to do so A) potentially alienates you from experiencing yourself as you are at any given moment because you are tied up in what you should be, and B) can leave you stranded from the world around you because you're seeking finality in an existence where such a concept, literally, cannot exist.

Contradiction is not inherently a bad thing; we tend to assume that it equates to insincerity or, worse, deception but that is not always the case. I don't know exactly what your "opposing things" consist of, but I do believe it helps sometimes to consider that whatever authenticity you're looking for is not so much found in the opposing things themselves, or in the process of reconciling them to each other, but rather within the response that they evoke in you. The things don't matter as much as the interplay that happens between them and you, because it is in that interplay that you are actually present, or rather a distinct portion of you. There's a beautiful quote by C.S. Lewis where he talks about friendship and how there is a version of you that exists, and can only exist in the way it does, because of how it emerges when you are in the company of a particular person. Who you are with your close friend A may be subtly different to who you are with your close friend B, who may differ again from who you are with your friend C, and vice versa. But none of those relationships are insincere because of those differences and we would never think to dismiss them as such, either. Each of those friends is a different person, who responds to you, and to whom you respond in turn according to their distinctness. They are not contradictory but simply amplify different parts of who you are, in different ways, the same as how a piece of quartz reflects and refracts light differently depending on how you turn it, depending on where exactly that light hits. But no matter the angle, it is still the same stone.

The things that resonate with you are like that, I think; it's not a single instrument at work but rather a small symphony with different movements at different times. And the only real contradiction, the only thing-- at least in my view--that possibly will cause a split, is the belief that you need to force any part of yourself to cohere to a mythical, singular, state of being, which does not--which cannot--exist. Because honestly, it's all our multitudes that allow us to fully engage with the world as it finds us, that actually widen our awareness and give us a capacity for empathy and to accept the distinct otherness of other people and creatures: even more, it allows space for humility in our approach to the world because it accepts that there is so much more beyond the boundaries of what we know or think we know. It allows space for truths rather than A Truth and we've all seen (and are seeing) what happens when you build your entire view of the world, and yourself, on the notion that only one thing can be true at all times.

I think integrating is not always the right word--I think it's more about acceptance, because these opposing things in themselves are not really defining you; they're just the medium through which some part of you (it doesn't even have to be a part of you--it could be a question, an idea, even a passing curiosity) is finding an expression in the world, but this is not the whole and entirety of who you are and it does not need to be either. I've seen it a lot online, especially when it comes to fitting your interests into an aesthetic or neat category to list in your bio and it saddens and infuriates me in equal measure because it is far more limiting than it is freeing. Categorizing like this is about consumability, which is about whittling down all difference and variation (which, honestly, is where the truly exciting stuff happens). Not everything must be categorizable or listable to be valid. You are allowed to like the things you like without feeling as though you must corral them all into a coherent assessment of your entire being.

It is a lot more exhausting trying to harmonize all the conflicting and opposing facets of your personality than to accept them for what they are: different responses to different stimuli, environments, or events, that arise at different times, in different ways. They are not necessarily set in stone; they do not always need to make sense to each other, only to you. Do these things genuinely interest you? Do they excite you? You are no less you for liking one thing and then its polar opposite--you're simply coming into contact with a different part of yourself , or perhaps even just another side of a question you did not realise you were asking, which is always an incredibly exciting and intriguing experience because it means the potential within yourself, this vast playing-field of interests and questions, is never-ending-- it's a growing and responding with and to the world beyond you! It shows you that you are bigger and wider than you thought yourself to be! How exhilarating is that? (On top of that it is also a profound relief to know you are not obligated to be the same person at all times, in all times--you're a customizable character in an, admittedly absurd, but gloriously varied video game that requires literally nothing from you--you are free to show up however you want and add to the absurdity without needing to justify any of it).

I've said it before but as far as I'm concerned the self is not a destination; it's cultivation, like a garden. It's uncovering and recovering and discovering. It's not about the endgame because a garden does not have one; it's just filling time in with fragments of life, in various forms and stages. And I think that's all any of us can really do for as long as we're here--we fill our time in with life as we accumulate it, life that is filtered down to us through the lens of so many relationships and experiences with the world that to even attempt to try and quantify it and explain it all into neat concepts would cost us a significant chunk of the little time we have. I'm not saying that there aren't facets of yourself that it would be useful to question or try to understand, nor am I saying that all contradictions are positive and don't require change (if change is the healthiest thing for you). All I'm saying is that human beings cannot be easily defined and boxed away, and we do ourselves a huge disservice (not to mention immense violence, metaphorically and literally) when we move through life assuming we can, or should be.

At the end of the day, and if I'm completely honest, I'm not a fan of the word "authentic". I've always found it to be uncomfortably loaded--it's a word where the active meaning of it rests not with you but with other people's perceptions of you (it also seems to suggest a binary that I find far too reductive for something as messy and expansive as human thought and feeling). Whatever it is meant to represent is, to me, not some external construct that you fit yourself into; it's simply openness, honesty, and curiosity: about your own limitations, your interests, no matter how varied, the unpredictability that is part and parcel of existing in a world where nothing is guaranteed or certain, no matter how many ideologies we cook up.

All the different versions of yourself that have existed so far--the yous that are, either entirely or marginally, you no longer because you have grown and changed in accordance with the things that have happened to you--the things you have seen, learnt, read, the people you've met, or moved on from--are no less sincere for having been grown out of than the version of you that exists now, which will also be no less sincere than the you that will emerge 5 years or 5 months from now. And even some imprint of those versions--their thoughts, ideas, fears, passions etc., still remain: some louder and some fainter than others, some disappearing for decades and emerging out of the blue, some fading bit by bit, and then entirely. There is no towering and ultimate Self that unites all of these; our being here is a brief, beautiful palimpsest that just keeps going and growing and growing. The best thing we can do, I think, as we go about our small and often confusing lives, is accept and acknowledge them as such, and hold, perhaps, a small space in gratitude that we, tiny as we are, get to be part of this kind of expansiveness.

[lordvonbunnyv]

List of things that were supposed to happen in my scrapped countryhumans talent show fanfic

-Hawaii does an Elvis impersonation and performs blue suede shoes

-Hungary spends the entire show trying to solve a Rubik’s cube. When his five minutes on stage ended, they just moved him off to the side so he can continue. He doesn’t solve it

-Poland and Vatican’s talent was performing Exorcisms, and brought a possessed woman on stage to exorcise, but got kicked off immediately by UN. So they begrudgingly decided to perform their exorcism in the boys bathroom, which got stopped halfway through by both UN and ASEAN who understandably did not want a demon running around on the Asian country’s section of the building. Oh yeah, in my ch AU, Poland was a priest and was trained in demonology by Vatican and is certified to perform exorcisms.

-Northern Ireland and England dressed as their secret drag queen personas, along with Wales who dressed in her drag king persona, and they all “danced” (it was mostly them doing uncoordinated dance moves like the worm, the running man, and the epileptic octopus.) to Scotland’s bagpipe playing. And then they all jumped onto each other’s shoulders and fell over.

-Serbia’s performance of a Diss song that she composed that mostly made up of her playing an accordion and dissing all of the countries that have wronged her, or she hates, both past and present. The big finale was when she started insulting Ottoman empire and calling him names, when both Turkey and Ottoman Empire jumped up and chased her around the auditorium while she continued to hurl insults at them, both EU and UN had to chase after the trio to get them to stop.

- a few of the African countries put on “Africa” by Toto.

-America’s western states do a crummy half hearted line dance to “finally Friday”, the northern states perform “Blame Canada”, and New York performs a Broadway number (unfortunately… his song of choice was “springtime for Hitler”) they were all supposed to do a group number, but split due to creative differences.

-Mexico played a quiet folk song on his guitar which was well received.

-Austria played a classical piano piece with Germany as the page turner, Germany fumbles with the pages causing the pages to fall onto the floor, Austria playing the same measure over and over in a panic as Germany struggled to collect all of the pages before giving up, and running off stage in embarrassment.

-France and a few of her states perform “do you hear the people sing?” While Normandy performs “bring him home”

-Austria-Hungary with help from German empire performs a classical music piece, but then gets interrupted by someone’s phone.

-Italy sings a song and then ends it with a sudden cart wheel.

-India, Brazil, Kenya, and Australia bring a VERY VERY DANGEROUS AND HIGHLY VENOMOUS BLACK MAMBA ON STAGE to demonstrate their venomous snake handling skills, they tried to get someone to come on stage to HOLD THE SNAKE. But that got nixed real quickly.

-Mauritius does a dance with his cloned dodo bird, Captain Lewis, which then walked off stage and fell into the audience.

-Britain gets introduced on stage as “performing a nice number by Bach”, he has his suit on, a top hat, and everyone thinks, “oh, he’s going to play the number on his violin”. Nope, he lowers his tie, tucks his pants inside his big, tall, platform boots, and unbuttons his collar to reveal the spiked collar underneath, and whips out his old electric guitar and plays friggin’ toccata and fugue in D minor like a legend.

- Norway, Denmark, Finland, Sweden, and Estonia try to do a Black Death metal performance with their band, “Estonia and the Nordics”. It was just them screaming, banging on their instruments, and smashing their guitars while Estonia, the lead singer, gets a bout of anxiety and stands awkwardly on the stage looking at her feet unable to sing.

-Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, and China tried to perform the dance of the little swans (Russia’s idea, no one else wanted to) but only Russia practiced and China was a last minute edition as Kazakhstan quit that day, and not even one second into the music, the whole thing dissolved into a massive fight and Belarus running offstage to go snitch to Soviet Union.

[ourshadowstallerthanoursoul]

Interview to JPJ

(by Steven Rosen, Guitar Player - July 1977, Chicago)

It was shared on ultimate-guitar.com by Steven Rosen himself (link). I suggest going to read the introduction because there's a bit of angry JPJ which is quite surprising (to me at least). Enjoy!

What was the impetus behind becoming a bass player?

I used to play piano when I was younger, and there was a rock and roll band forming at school when I was fourteen, but they didn't want a piano player, all they wanted was drums or bass. I thought, I can't get the drums on the bus, bass looked easy, four strings, no chords, easy so I took it up. And it was easy; it wasn't too bad at all. I took it up before guitar, which I suppose is sort of interesting. Before I got a real 4-string, my father had a ukulele banjo, a little one, and I had that strung up like a bass, but it didn't quite have the bottom that was required. Actually my father didn't want to have to sign a guarant or to back me in the payments for a bass. He said, ‘Don't bother with it; take up the tenor saxophone. In two years the bass guitar will never be heard of again.’ I said, ‘No Dad, I really want one, there's work for me.’ He said, ‘Ah, there's work?’ And I got a bass right away.

What was your first bass?

Oh, it was a pig; it had a neck like a tree trunk. It was a solid body Dallas bass guitar with a single cutaway. It sounded all right though, and it was good for me because I developed very strong fingers. I had no idea about setting instruments up then, so I just took it home from the shop. I had an amplifier with a 10 speaker... Oh, it was awful. It made all kinds of farting noises. And then I had a converted television; you know one of those big old stand-up televisions with the amp in the bottom and a speaker where the screen should be. I ended up giving myself double hernias. Bass players always had the hardest time because they always had to cope with the biggest piece of equipment. It never occurred to me when I was deciding between that and drums that I'd had to lug a bass amp.

What kind of music were you playing in that first band?

Shadows, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis stuff. I started doubling on piano. We didn't have a drummer at first, because we never could find one. That happened to another bass player, Larry Graham, Sly Stone's bass player. He started off in a band with no drummer, which is how he got that percussive style. You've got a lot to make up for once the lead guitar takes a solo because there's only you left. You've got to make a lot of noise. We got a drummer after a while whom I taught, would you believe. I've never played drums in my life.

That must have definitely had an influence on your playing.

I suppose it must have. I don't like bass players that go boppity boppity bop all over the neck; you should stay around the bottom and provide the end of the group. I work very closely with the drummer; it's very important.

How long did that first band last?

Not very long. I found a band with a drummer. This band also came along with really nice looking guitars, and I thought, ‘Oh, they must be great!’ They had Burns guitars so I got myself one, too. The one with the three pickups and a Tru-Voice amplifier. We all had purple band jackets and white shoes, and I thought, ‘This is it, this is the big time.’ But as soon as I got out of school I played at American Air Force bases, which was good training, plus they always had great records in the jukebox. That was my introduction to the black music scene, when very heavy gentlemen would come up insisting on Night Train eight times an hour.

What was the first really professional band you were in?

It was with Jet Harris and Tony Meehan (bassist and drummer with The Shadows). That was when I was seventeen, I suppose. And those were the days when they used to scream all the way through the show. It was just like now, really, where you have to make a dash for the limos at the end of the night make a sort of terrible gauntlet. In the days before roadies, you'd have to drag around your own gear, so we all invested in a roadie. We thought we owed it to ourselves, and this bloke was marvelous. He did everything, he drove the wagon, he lugged the gear, he did the lights... the whole thing.

What kind of bass were you using with Harris and Meehan?

Oh, I got my first Fender then. I lusted after this Jazz bass in Lewisham, and it cost me about $250, I think. It was the new one. They'd just changed the controls, and I used that bass up until last (1975) tour, and then she had to go. She was getting unreliable and rattling a lot, and I just had to leave her home this time.

What followed your working with that band?

I got into sessions. I thought, ‘I've had enough of the road’, bought myself a dog and didn't work for six months. Then I did start up again. I played in other silly bands. I remember that Jet Harris and Tony Meehan band, John McLaughlin joined on rhythm guitar. It was the first time I'd met him and it was hilarious. Here he was sitting there all night going Dm to G to Am. That was my first introduction to jazz when he came along, because we'd all get to the gig early and have a blow. Oh, that was something, first meeting him. And then I joined a couple of other bands with him for a while, rhythm and blues bands.

Do you remember the first session that you ever did?

No, I don't think so; it was in Decca Number 2 (studio in London). I was late, and I suddenly realized how bad my reading was. There was another bass player there, a stand-up bass, and I was just there to provide the click. It was nearly my last session.

Who were some of the people you were doing sessions with?

All kinds of silly people: used to do calls with Tom Jones, Cathy Kirby, Dusty Springfield.

The Rolling Stones and Donovan, too, didn't you?

I only did one Stones session, really. I just did the strings, they already had the track down. It was ‘She's A Rainbow’. And then the first Donovan session was a shambles, it was awful. It was ‘Sunshine Superman’ and the arranger had got it all wrong, so I thought, being the opportunist that I was, ‘I can do better than that’ and actually went up to the producer. He came around and said, ‘Is there anything we can do to sort of save the session?’ And I piped up, ‘Well, look how about if I play it straight?’ because I had a part which went sort of ooowooooo (imitates a slide up the neck) every now and again, and the other bass player sort of did wooooo (imitates downwards slide) down below, and then there was some funny congas that were in and out of time. And I said, ‘How about if we just sort of play it straight; get the drummer to do this and that?’

How did the session go?

The session came off, and I was immediately hired as the arranger by Mickie Most whom I loved working with; he was a clever man. I used to do Herman's Hermits and all that. I mean they were never there; you could do a whole album in a day. And it was great fun and a lot of laughs. I did all of Lulu's stuff and all his artists. I did one Jeff Beck single, and he's never spoken to me since. It was ‘Hi Ho Silver Lining’. I did the arrangement for it and I played bass. Then we had ‘Mellow Yellow’ for Donovan, which we argued about for hours because they didn't like my arrangement at all, not at all. Mickie stood by me. He said, ‘I like the arrangement, I think it's good’. It wasn't Donovan. He didn't mind either but he had so many people around him saying, ‘Hey, this isn't you.’ But he sold a couple of a million on it, didn't he?

Was the Hurdy Gurdy Man session when you first met Jimmy Page?

No. I'd met Jimmy on sessions before. It was always Big Jim and little Jim. Big Jim Sullivan and little Jim and myself and the drummer. Apart from group sessions where he'd play solos and stuff like that, Page always ended up on rhythm guitar because he couldn't read too well. He could read chord symbols and stuff, but he'd have to do anything they'd ask when he walked into a session. But I used to see a lot of him just sitting there with an acoustic guitar sort of raking out chords. I always thought the bass player's life was much more interesting in those days, because nobody knew how to write for bass, so they used to say, ‘We'll give you the chord sheet and get on with it.’ So even on the worst sessions you could have a little runaround. But that was good; I would have hated to have sat there on acoustic guitar.

How long did you do sessions?

Three or four years, on and off. Then I thought I was going to get into arranging because it seemed that sessions and running about was much too silly. I started running about and arranging about forty or fifty things a month. I ended up just putting a blank piece of score paper in front of me and just sitting there and staring at it. Then I joined Led Zeppelin, I suppose, after my missus said to me, ‘Will you stop moping around the house; why don't you join a band or something?’ And I said, ‘There are no bands I want to join, what are you talking about?’ And she said, ‘Well, look, I think it was in Disc, Jimmy Page is forming a group’, he'd just left the Yardbirds ‘why don't you give him a ring?’ So I rang him up and said, ‘Jim, how you doing? Have you got a group yet?’ He said, ‘I haven't got anybody yet.’ And I said, ‘Well, if you want a bass player, give me a ring.’ And he said, ‘All right, I'm going up to see this singer Terry Reid told me about, and he might know a drummer as well. I'll call you when I've seen what they're like.’ He went up there, saw Robert Plant, and said, ‘This guy is really something.’ We started under the name the New Yardbirds because nobody would book us under anything else. We rehearsed an act, an album, and a tour in about three weeks, and it took off. The first time, we all met in this little room just to see if we could even stand each other. It was wall-to-wall amplifiers and terrible, all old. Robert (Plant) had heard I was a session man, and he was wondering what was going to turn up some old bloke with a pipe? So Jimmy said, ‘We're all here, what are we going to play?’ And I said, ‘I don't know, what do you know?’ And Jimmy said, ‘Do you know a number called, The Train Kept A Rollin'?’ I told him, ‘No.’ And he said, ‘It's easy, just G to A.’ he counted it out, and the room just exploded, and we said, ‘Right. We're on, this is it, this is going to work!’ And we just sort of built it up from there. ‘Dazed And Confused’ came in because Jimmy knew that, but I could never get the sequence right for years; it kept changing all the time with different parts, and I was never used to that. I used to having the music there, could never remember. In fact, I'm still the worst in the band remembering anything. And the group jokes about it, ‘Jonesy always gets the titles wrong and the sequences wrong.’ Even now I have a piece of paper I stuck on top of the Mellotron which says: ‘Kashmir remember the coda!’

What were some of your early amplifiers?

I've used everything from a lousy made-up job, to a great huge top valve (tube) amp. We started off in a deal with Rickenbacker where we had these awful Rickenbacker amps; they were so bad. Our first tour was a shambles. For about a year I never even heard the bass. They said, ‘We've designed this speaker cabinet for you’, and I said, ‘Let me see it, what's it got in it?’ It had one 30 speaker! I said, ‘All right, stand it up there alongside whatever else I've got, and I'll use it.’ I plugged it in, and in a matter of five seconds it blew up. I thought the bloke was having me on; I said, ‘There's no such thing as a 30 speaker!’ And I had to take the back off because I couldn't believe it. Then we met the guy from Univox, and he came up with a bass stack, which unfortunately didn't last the night. But while it was going, it was the most unbelievable sound I've ever heard. It was at the Nassau Coliseum in New York, I remember, and the bass filled the hall. It was so big, it couldn't have lasted. I don't think I'll come across anything that sounded like that. But as I said, three numbers and wheel the Acoustics out again. I used two or three 360 standard Acoustics for quite a long time. They served me well.

You used the Jazz bass until just recently?

Yeah. Oh, I got a hold of a very nice Gibson violin bass (pictured in the little cut out wheel on the cover of Led Zeppelin III). That was nice, too, it's not stage worthy, but it gives a beautiful warm sound. I don't like Gibson basses generally because they feel all rubbery; I like something you can get your teeth into. But the violin bass was the only Gibson that was as heavy as a Fender to play, but still had that fine Gibson sound. I used it on Led Zeppelin III, and I've used it every now and again, usually when I'm tracking a bass after I've done keyboards for the main track. The one I have went through Little Richard's band and then through James Brown's band, and it arrived in England. In fact, I saw it in an old movie clip of Little Richard. It was probably about a '48 or '50 or something like that; it was the original one. Actually, I've also got an old '52 Telecaster bass. I used that on stage for a while, for ‘Black Dog’ and things like that.

Do you ever use a pick when you play?

Yes, when the situation demands it; on the 8-string it's awful messy with your fingers. On ‘The Song Remains The Same’ I use a pick to get that snap out of the instrument. It's fun, you play different. If I was just playing straight bass, I'd use fingers. When I first started I always used my fingers.

How has playing with Jimmy Page for the last nine years styled your playing?

That's hard. I play a lot looser than I used to. For instance somebody like John Entwistle is more of a lead instrument man than I am. I tend to work closer with Bonzo I think. But then again I don't play that much bass on-stage anymore, what with the pianos and the Mellotron. I'll always say I'm a bass player, though.

How do you develop a bass part?

You put in what's correct and what's necessary. I always did like a good tune in the bass. For example, listen to’ What Is And What Should Never Be’ (on Led Zeppelin II). The role of a bassist is hard to define. You can't play chords so you have a harmonic role; picking and timing notes. You'll suggest a melodic or harmonic pattern, but I seem to be changing anyway toward more of a lead style. The Alembic bass is doing it; I play differently on it. But I try to never forget my role as a bass player: to play the bass and not mess around too much up at the top all the time. You've got to have somebody down there, and that's the most important thing. The numbers must sound right, they must work right, they must be balanced.

You just picked a track from the second album, but there was something so gloriously unique about the first Zep record.

I know what people mean when they say the first Zeppelin album was the best. It was the first. I don't know what it was; we could never recreate those conditions it was recorded in. It was done in about thirty hours, recorded and mastered. There was a lot of energy in those days. But I liked (Physical Graffiti). I liked most of them actually. The funny thing was about the first album, when we got to about the third album (Led Zeppelin III) and started using acoustics everyone was saying, ‘Ahhh, Led Zeppelin has gone acoustic. They've changed their style.’ What everybody forgets is there were two acoustic numbers on the first album. Right? ‘Babe I'm Gonna Leave You’ and ‘Black Mountain Side’. The funny thing is people try to pigeon-hole you with all that heavy metal stuff. And if they ever listened to the fucking albums they'd realize it was never riff after riff after riff. It never was like that, you know? Peculiar... oh, well.

Do you practice?

In a word, no. I fool around on piano, but bass I never practice. Although again, with the Alembic, I'm beginning to feel, ‘Wouldn't it be nice to have it in the room?’ It really makes you want to play more, which is fantastic.

The band has always had a strange relationship with the press.

There is an amount of professionalism which must be retained. You can't go around canceling gigs and things like that. After Robert's accident there were rumors of, ‘Oh, they're afraid to come out’ and this and that which was really hard on us because we've always tried to be as professional as possible. And we take a pride in this. We've tried to turn up on time but it gets hard moving this amount of people. And that sort of thing hurts. Robert was in a wheelchair and we had to wait until he was healed. And then we were all ready to go and he got tonsillitis on this '77 tour. And he must have felt so bad. I tell you if this band ever drops from favor with the public, a load of people are going to come down on our asses so fucking hard. They're just waiting for us to drop. I don't know why, I honestly don't know. I always remember the first review of our first album in Rolling Stone and the bloke dismissed it out of hand. I don't even think he would listen to it and said as much. Then they dismissed us as hype.

Who do you listen to?

I don't. I used to listen to a lot of jazz bass players once, but jazz has changed so much now, it's hardly recognizable. I listened to a lot of tenor sax players: Sonny Rollins, John Coltrane and all those people. Bass players? Scott La Faro, who died. He used to be with (jazz pianist) Paul Chambers. Ray Brown and Charlie Mingus, of course. I'm not too keen on the lead bass style of some players. Paul McCartney, I've always respected; he puts the notes in the right place at the right time. He knows what he's about.

Who don't you listen to?

Ian [Anderson] is a pain in the ass. We toured with Jethro Dull [sic] once and I think he probably spoke three words to Jimmy or I at any one time. The band was nice but he was such a funny fucker. His music bores the pants off me, it's awful. Page came up with the greatest line about them. He had a title for a live album when Jethro was playing in Los Angeles: ‘Bore 'Em at The Forum’. (Ritchie) Blackmore is another guy I don't like. He was supposed to have been a big session man but he must have done demos because he was never a regular session man. I'm getting out all my pet hates.

There's nothing you'd like to do outside of Zeppelin in an instrumental context?

I always get the feeling I'd like to write a symphony. I like all music. I like classical music a lot. Ravel, Bach, of course, Mozart I could never stand, though to play it on the piano is great fun. If Bach had ever come across the bass guitar, he would have loved it. Rock and roll is the only music left where you can improvise. I don't really know what's happened to jazz; it has really disappointed me. I guess they started playing rock and roll.

So you're able to continually experiment in Zeppelin and expand your playing?

Yes, absolutely. I wouldn't be without Zeppelin for the world. What's it like being in Led Zeppelin? I don't know. It is a peculiar feeling; it intrigues me.

[zodoods]

What kind of music do you imagine them playing for your singer au? Ive always pictured them being into dad rock akdhfbfkebdi but I wanna know what your vision is!!!

hiii dagger thank u for asking me this because I could talk ab it for hours . in my mind they’re kind of at that intersection between indie pop and rock? like I see pop stars like Olivia Rodrigo, Britney Spears and groups like little Mix influencing ladybugs music but she also takes from like the Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Jagged Stone so you get kind of a mix in her work?

for chat noir in my mind his freshman album was heavy on acoustics and like strong on the instrumental side bc in this au he was originally a classical pianist, but again I see a lot of that pop influence in his work —think real life artists like DPR Ian, Conan Gray and Matt Maeson. i also think his selling pt is his ballads (influences like Lewis Capaldi and Tom Odell) and he leans towards that pop r&b side kind of (Dj Bubbler adds a rap verse onto his song passion fruit later in the au)

anyways . thanks for the ask I love talking ab them !!!!

[thenameswinter99]

Get to know me!

Many thanks for the tag @whitedarkmoonflower and sorry for the late reply, but the university took almost of my free time!

Nickname: TheNamesWinter, Winter, WinterStorm

Sign: Pisces

Height: 160 cm

The last thing I googled: "House of the dragon 2 trailer" (I was so in hype lol)

Amount of sleep: Between 4-5 hours when I have to travel by train and go to university, generally 7-9 hours.

Dream job: I'm a cinephile, a film lover and a theatre lover. My dream job is to become an actress. I know it is silly, but I’ve been acting since high school and I used to do school recitals when I was a little girl. I do have a plan B, though. I'm a design student, I'm finishing my university studies and I think I'll study to become a VFX Artist and work in the field of special effects at the cinema, or become a video game developer.

Favorite song: I have several favourite songs, but in this period I'm obsessed with "Cinnamon Girl" by Lana del Rey.

Movie/Book that Summarises Me: Book: I don't know, honestly... Maybe Mrs Dalloway by Virgina Woolf. Movie: La La Land by Damien Chazelle

Favorite instrument: I can't play, but I love piano and guitar.

Aesthetic: I am not a fashionista, I rather prefer simple and comfortable clothes. I love purple and black things, as they are my two favourite colors. I also love Medieval, Norse and Viking aesthetics.

Favorite authors: J. R. R. Tolkien, J. K. Rowling, Isabel Allende, Suzanne Collins, Oscar Wilde, Friedrich Nietzsche, Luigi Pirandello, Alda Merini, C. S. Lewis, Licia Troisi, and many others.

Random fun fact: I'm obsessed with dragons. Please, look for a way to create real dragons, I would adopt one right away!

Tag: @sihtricsafin @verenahx

[mywifeleftme]

211: Erkin Koray // Arap Saçı

Arap Saçı Erkin Koray 2021, Pharaway Sounds

Pharaway Sounds’ Arap Saçı (Arab Hair) collects 24 Erkin Koray tracks originally issued as singles between 1968 and 1976. Koray is best known in the West for his groundbreaking fusion of Anatolian/Arabic folk and classical with crunching psychedelic rock on his 1974 debut LP Elektronik Türküler. However, as Angela Sawyer’s tart liner notes observe, Turkey was predominantly a singles market at the time, and back home Koray did most of his damage on 7”. The limitations of the format, and the preferences of Koray’s record company, preclude the kind of long-form acid voyages he undertook on Elektronik Türküler, but he's able to generate plenty of smoke on these “pop” singles.

Highlights abound. Arap Saçı kicks off with 1973’s “Mesafaler” (“Distances”), a scorching psych banger complete with cowbell that only stops rocking to periodically gawp and stare fixedly into space for 20 or 30 seconds at a time before shaking itself awake to get back to business. (Is there footage of a Turkish TV performance featuring liquid light art? You bet your hairy ass there is.)

The waltzing, organ and hand drum-led “Komşu Kızı” (“Girl Nextdoor”) is a classic melancholy Middle Eastern ballad that hides a wild, surprising drop two-thirds of the way through; Koray freaks “Aşka İnanmıyorum” (“I Do Not Believe in Love”) with his insinuating croon and serpentine guitar licks; “Istemem” (“I Do Not Want”) mixes a light-stepping folk beat with some stinging solos that aren’t too far off what Uli Jon Roth would get up to in Germany with Scorpions a few years later. There really isn’t a bum track to be found.

This new compilation covers much of the same ground as the ‘70s Erkin Koray (AKA Mesafaler) and Erkin Koray 2 (AKA Şaşkın) singles compilations, and Pharaway Sounds opts to follow their track sequencing as closely as possible—a good choice, as they had a great flow, though a bit frustrating for those hoping to track Koray’s musical development chronologically. Regardless, we know that Koray was exposed to Western music as a young age, learning Occidental classical music on the piano as a child and discovering rock ‘n’ roll as a teen. According to the liners, Koray was performing songs by Elvis, Fats Domino, and Jerry Lee Lewis in the late ‘50s, and by the late ‘60s, when he began to emerge as a recording artist, he’d clearly imbibed industrial quantities of Hendrix, Cream, and the other usual psychonauts.

In a previous review, I briefly contrasted Koray with Egypt’s Omar Khorshid, a fellow guitar god and contemporary pioneer in electrified Arabic music. Khorshid had some familiarity with Western pop music, but he was working with the top stars in Arab folk and classical, using electric instruments to push traditional Eastern music forward rather than to fuse it with rock. Koray on the other hand was a long-haired freak who claims to have fought in the streets with a knife and joined Anglo-American-inspired combos with names like Mustard (Hardal) and Sweat (Ter). By the late ‘60s rock had become popular in Turkey, as had Arabesk music, which Sawyer describes as “a purposely uncouth… appropriation of Arabic pop and folk, popular with rural or marginalized folks who were suddenly encountering pockets of urbanized Europe in their backyard.” Koray intuitively crossbred the invasive genre (rock) with the reactionary one (Arabesk) and found himself one of the fathers of a powerful new mongrel breed of psych music.

By reissuing both Elektronik Türküler and these essential singles, Pharaway Sounds has done a real service to psych and non-Western rock aficionados. Koray makes a great gateway to the other masters of ‘70s Anatolian folk-rock, including Selda, Moğollar, and Barış Manço, a loose affiliation of artists that has been one of my most prized discoveries of recent years.

211/365

[findafight]

here is the spotify link to Robin and Steve's Epic Platonic Soulmate Mixtape (vol.1) I'm going to say they made this version in the early spring of 1985. fic link

track list and explanations under the cut!!

Side A--the queer side

Total Eclipse of the Heart by Bonnie Tyler: I'm gonna take a wild guess and say y'all know why this is here

Rainbow Connection by Kermit: also self explanatory. and a bop. AND about rainbows. what more could you want?

Bangkok/One Night in Bangkok by Murray Head (Original Chess Recording version): 1) a banger. 2) from a whole musical written by the Bs of ABBA 3) Steve likes to listen to musical while vacuuming his pool :) 4) queer vibes. "the queens we use would not excite you" "i get my kicks above the waistline, sunshine" also to note they DID probably shave off the first minute of instrumental, but not all of it. I used this version and not the radio edit because in my heart of hearts I believe Steve picked up the Chess concept album in the fall of 1984, vibed with it, (I've answered an ask about stobin and the musical chess where I talk more) and that's the version he has.

Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy by Queen: tbh always sounded gay to me, and it's such a fun song, I think they'd vibe with it and agreed it's a silly little nod to steve's previous rep.

Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard by Paul Simon: GAY GAY VERY GAY SONG "it's against the law...what their mama saw/it was against the law" HMM also it's catchy and has so much potential to be an angsty queer ballad too. (also Robin's dad is 100% a Simon and Garfunkle stan that's just. a fact to me.)

I'm Coiming Out by Diana Ross: iconic song claimed by the gays. for the obvious reasons. bit on the nose but this is for THEM.

Sunshine (Go Away Today) by Jonathan Edwards: About not letting someone control your life. It's catchy and heartfelt, dreams about the future. Steve's Vecna Song for me.

You Can't Hurry Love by The Supremes: stobin are losers in the love department, and it's a great and hopeful song about not rushing into things. The Supremes Version because Robin is influenced by her former Hippie parents, and Steve by his Aunt Evelyn and her love of 50's and 60's music. They have appreciation for the Oldie Goldies.

Lady Marmalade by LaBelle: Disco baby. I also feel this was a song for us queer folk. maybe because I'm queer and I like it. it's great, and robin loves hearing women sing about having sex.

Holding Out for a Hero by Bonnie Tyler: throwback to the first song on the mixtape Steve gave Robin at the very beginning! now with the Upside Down between them it means more too. it's also SO FUN to belt in the car. frantic and with a good beat. I don't think I need to justify this one haha

Believe it or Not (theme from Greatest American Hero) by Joey Scarbury: Robin LOVES this stupid show about a cringe fail teacher with his cringe fail life getting a super suit from aliens and then losing the instruction manual. It just feels like a show she'd like even though it's so silly. The theme song is actually great tho. I think it'd really tickle the part of Robin that feels overly average and a bit trapped in Hawkins, but feels those confines lessen when she's with Steve and getting to feel like there's more out there for her. Personally, I first heard it on cassette of top 100 tv themes (along with MASH, Law and Order, Hawaii Five-oh, Andy Griffith etc) sitting in a booster seat in the front seat of my family's motor home on a long summer road trip in the early 2000's, as my dad drove and told me what show each song was from. (Steve buddy I understand your dream so much ok. There's nothing quite like being a kid and going on a roadtrip with your family. magical.)

Side B--The Besties side

You're My Best Friend by Queen: Love song for your best friend me thinks yes :)

Stuck With You by Huey Lewis and the News: the only anachronistic song on the playlist, but I couldn't NOT put it on. lavender marriage stobin REAL. They're stuck with each other :) also look at Steve. He is a guy who listens to Huey Lewis. We know this. He heard this song a year before it came out and was like robin :') it's us....I'm stuck with you...I'm so Happy about it :))

Stoned Soul Picnic by The 5th Dimension: Robin's parents are former hippies. This song is fantastic. Pure vibes. Steve and Robin are going to get rescue cats that are bonded together and name them Sassafras and Moonshine for this song.

Video Killed the Radio Star by The Buggles: Bop and a half. Sing along song.

Both Sides Now by Judy Collins: 1)gorgeous song originally by Joni Mitchel but this version is a bit faster 2) Robin's former Hippie parents influencing her taste strike AGAIN 3) she tries to convince Steve it's about being "queer like him" and he doesn't buy it but "I've looked at love from both sides now/.../I really don't know love at all" and "Oh, but now old friends they're acting strange/ And they shake their heads and they tell me that I've changed/ Well something's lost, but something's gained" hit different for him

Only the Good Die Young by Billy Joel: I chose this billy joel song because it's 1) catchy as all hell 2) about having sex 3) mentions dying and stobin are like We didn't die!! hell yeah! Steve's a pianist and tbh he loves billy joel. who doesn't. it was between this one and piano man i guess, tho i love many Billy Joel songs that are "deeper cuts" ha. and "I'd rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints/the sinners are much more fun" line is like. what are they gonna do. not be an emotional queer teen about it?

Raspberry Beret by Prince: it's catchy, and whilst originally I had put La La Love You By Don McLean here, I like this one better. Robin is definitely a Prince fan. and a beret fan. happy coincidink. and its a fun song! about loosing your virginity to a hot girl in a barn!

Indiana Wants Me by R. Dean Taylor: okay originally I'll admit I put this on the masterplaylist because. obviously post-s4 Eddie running away angst song even if it's more folk-rock than metal. I think Steve and Robin would listen to it and really vibe with wanting to go home but not being able to. even if it's not literally. also they live in Indiana and like. you've gotta respect a song about where you live. ALSO the cop sounds in it. so good.

Born in the USA by Bruce Springsteen: a song? about being disillusioned with the American dream after seeing the institutional failures of the government??? very Steve. the whole album is great, and I know I've reblogged a post about Steve and the album (My Hometown hits different). It's angry, frustrated, passionate. Being queer in a small town where the government covers up it's human experimentation and alternate dimensions probably makes you feel a lot of things. All with the veneer of Americana.

Where Do You Go To (My Lovely) by Peter Starstedt: purely self indulgent of me. I adore this song. I think Steve heard it, and thought of Robin. The remembering, the deep knowledge of another person, the longing. When he told Robin that it's a song he always associates with her she tears up a bit, because it's so tender and loving, and a bit silly. Like. Steve knows she'll be amazing and can't comprehend anyone not seeing it. It's sooo tender.

Thank You for Being a Friend by Andrew Gold: Golden Girls didn't air their first episode until fall 1985, and obviously when it does Stobin are loyal viewers, (Steve is in love with Bea Arthur. as is right) but this song came out in the 70's. It's fun and cute and catchy! They love each other and are so, incomprehensibly grateful that they found each other.

[queenlucythevaliant]

Hello! 🧡 I'm curious how you balance viewing scripture as infallible while also not taking parts of it (Genesis in particular, to reference your recent post) literally. I've heard some people say that Genesis is meant to be a poetic version of creation and therefore not entirely truthful: sort of like a kids' story, how some details could be fudged without losing The Point. I get why God wouldn't give us all the details, and it's not like this is necessarily a core doctrine issue, but I guess what I'm asking is if scripture is infallible, why would it give an incorrect account?

Hey Anna! I'd love to talk about this! It's one of my favorite issues in the world, actually, so please be prepared for a whole lot of passion from me 😆

So the bottom line, like I said in my previous post, is that I believe that all Scripture is true and infallible, but that it ought not be read literalistically. This is not the same as saying that some Scripture is less true by virtue of using poetic language, nor that I believe that details have been fudged. For me (and others who interpret Scripture as I do), it comes down to analysis of Biblical language, style, and genre.

So okay, let me start by defining my terms:

History = A text detailing true events that actually happened. These accounts may use symbolic, metaphorical, or otherwise figurative language in the service of conveying these events. A history is also not necessarily complete in its detail or exact in its chronology unless the text itself makes those claims (ie it's possible for histories to backtrack and tell events again from another point of view; this is pretty common actually.)

Biblical figurative language can take a variety of forms depending on the genre of the text we're discussing, however in general it is used to express truths that cannot be expressed in other ways. I'm gonna quote Lewis again here, as I think his discussion of Biblical symbolism in Mere Christianity is really great and relevant. This is from book three, chapter 10 (Hope):

There is no need to be worried by facetious people who try to make the Christian hope of "Heaven" ridiculous by saying they do not want "to spend eternity playing harps." The answer to such people is that if they cannot understand books written for grown-ups, they should not talk about them. All the scriptural imagery (harps, crowns, gold, etc.) is, of course, a merely symbolical attempt to express the inexpressible. Musical instruments are mentioned because for many people (not all) music is the thing known in the present life which most strongly suggests ecstasy and infinity.

Crowns are mentioned to suggest the fact that those who are united with God in eternity share His splendour and power and joy. Gold is mentioned to suggest the timelessness of Heaven (gold does not rust) and the preciousness of it. People who take these symbols literally might as well think that when Christ told us to be like doves, He meant that we were to lay eggs.

Figurative language is used throughout the entire Bible. It's in discussions of heaven, like Jack illustrates here, but it's also frequently used in the Epistles ("I have been crucified with Christ") and, in the Gospels ("You must be born again.") It's heavily employed in the prophetic books, Psalms, and the wisdom literature (not even gonna pick an example, it's everywhere). It's used frequently throughout the Pentateuch (God "bore [the Israelites] up on eagle's wings"). It is used in Biblical histories ("[Samson's] soul was vexed to death"), though not to the extent that I believe it's used in Genesis 1-11. Sometimes the text telegraphs that figurative language is about to be used, but certainly not always.

None of these things are any less true than the things described in what we might call "plain" language. Rather, imagery is a tool that helps us understand the deeper truth of a thing; it "expresses the inexpressible" without causing us to doubt that the images are about something real. Sometimes, the language even tells us something that occured spiritually/from God's perspective, but which did not literally happen in the physical world (again, "I have been crucified with Christ.") I think it's clearly a mistake to conclude that the presence of figurative language means that the story is merely figurative or that it's incorrect.

So I read the Genesis 1-2 creation account as a largely figurative account of historical events, and I think it's written that way in order to convey God's perspective of creation. Certainly a human perspective on creation would be (a) theologically un-useful and (b) impossible for an ancient person to understand.

To expound on point (b) a little bit: even a modern person, with all the geological, paleontological, chemical, and genetic evidence that we have, simply cannot comprehend the expanse of what we call "deep time." Modern scientists must communicate these things in metaphors: they use 24-hour clocks in which each minute is thirty thousand years and football fields with geological epochs marked off at the various yard lines in order to try to express that which the human mind is fundamentally not equipped to grasp. The Bible should and must tell the story of creation from God's perspective, and to do that it must use figurative language.

Thus, "Days" are figurative days, but as such they convey greater truths about the way that creation appeared to God: it was gradual and periodic and God was patient, yet it did not seem to take eons to him. It was like a week of diligent work that produced good results.

Likewise, when the text says that God speaks light and land and life into existence, we can read that as a statement of God's incredible, beautiful power over creation. The moon likely formed in the "Big Splat," when another planet collided with proto-Earth and flung debris into space (I'm not even gonna touch the formation of the sun-- waaaaaay outside my wheelhouse). To God, these things were as simple as saying, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night" and then making them. The complex natural processes involved were simple before the Almighty God.

Likewise, the billions of years that are took for life to evolve, from self-replicating auto-catalytic molecules to microbes to multicellular life that arose from endosymbiosis and horizontal gene transfer, and then all the way down the epochs of history: the beautiful Cambrian Explosion, trilobites and the first chordates, then Tiktaalik propping itself up in shallow water and its tetrapod descendants stepping onto land for the first time; those strange, fascinating club-moss forests of the Carboniferous, dinosaurs and archaeopteryx taking to the skies, the K-T extinction event and then mammals picking up the torch and growing larger, whales returning to the seas and their vestigial legs disappearing, life, life life... All of that, to God, was two days of creation in which he spoke and natural processes produced the glorious array of life that existed when Adam and Eve came to be. He had authority over all of it. He said "Let the earth bring forth living creatures," and it did! God made them as surely as if he had sculpted them from clay with his hands, as miraculously as if He had spoken a word and they had existed in a split-second.

It's all true! All truth is God's truth! Every word of Genesis is God's truth, not despite the fact that it's written using figurative language, but because it is. We can understand truths that science alone can't account for - that in all the vastness of protein sequence space, God formed rubisco and ATP synthase: not by random chance, but through loving providence using randomness as a tool. We can see deep time as God sees it, not as a yawning abyss that we can't begin to properly conceptualize, but as a week in the mind of our great God who transcends time.

(My concluding paragraph is going to be somewhat harsh toward YE Creationists, but it cuts to the core of why I feel so strongly about how we read Genesis. I'm going to put it under the cut so that no one has to read it unless they want to; I'm not trying to attack anyone. I hope you know that I say all these things out of a place of deep, deep love.)

Returning to what Jack said: "If [people] cannot understand books written for grown-ups, they should not talk about them." YE Creationists would have us read Genesis without allowing for any figurative language; they would disregard the scientific method in order to do so. To my thinking, if a creation in seven 24-hour days were the intended meaning of the text- if we were, like children, meant to take everything in it entirely literally- then God would be a liar, because then he would have created a world in which the speed of light and geologic strata and the fossil record and even the evidence of our own DNA and physiology are all lying to us about how we were created. I could not love such a God.

But because I, like Jack, like millions of other Christians, can read the text of Scripture and interpret the figurative language it uses, I can instead marvel at the wonder and glory of our Creator-God, to whom epochs are like days, who can speak natural processes into existence. Scripture is history and it's poetry and it's all true. All truth is God's truth.

[hootenanie]

tagged by charlotte @charlottan to spell my url in song titles! tyyyyy my friend

H-hung up on a dream by the zombies. this is maybe my favorite zombies song. beautiful barque pop instruments. beautiful harmonies. beautiful homoerotism. what more can be said? it's the zombies, I've only ever met one person who didn't love them and she was later exposed for abusing her boyfriend.

O-oh death by kaleidoscope I really like this folk song! it feels so much like a fake traditional ballad someone would make up to put in their bad horror movie trailer lmao, so I'm glad it's real. the kaleidoscope version is... fine. kaleidoscope in general is kind of just fine, but I'm including their version because of how much I like their album art and because I don't wanna go through the trouble of finding a better version rn. sorry

O-one of our submarines by thomas dolby. Thomas Dolby is pretty hit or miss for me, but when he hits he really hits. I love his atmospheric synth songs, and I love how they're equally suggestive of a bleak after-the-end future and an analogue world wartime past. this is I think one of his best songs special thanks to @psygull for introducing me

T-train song by the pentangle. this is from basket of light, which is one of my favorite vinyls I own! it always cheers me up, it's so warm and friendly sounding, quite a bit of uk folk from that period is. I don't really have any special thoughts on the pentangle, only that they where very good, remarkably technically skilled, and I'm glad John Renbourn and Bert Jansch went on to release collaborative albums together after the group broke up. you know, it's nice when people seem to be friends

E- è tornato sabata, hai chiuso un'altra volta! by marcello giombini. I love themes with lyrics that explain the premise of the movie SO much. every film should have one. and this one is so good, it's really catchy, it's sung in English which is good because that's the only language I can understand, it explains who our protagonist is ("sabata, fastest gun in the west. nine-fingered man, four barrel dillinger, he's the only invincible man in the country side") what the stakes are ("if you want money, if you wanna get rich, you gotta be a son of a...") it's got a goofy singer whose elongating vouls like crazy. again: every movie should have this

N-(the) night has a thousand eyes by gary lewis & the playboys. I've got a weakspot for early 60s bubblegum pop, and for unintentionally unnerving stuff from the same era, which you can probably tell from the title this also is lol. I also think this album is just really solid. this isn't one of the best songs on it, but it's one I listen to more than most. anyway, I reccomond it, or at very least opening track This Diamond Ring to fans of the Beatles' early work

A- america by allen gingsberg. not a song? fuck you it's on spotify. that's where the songs live. america I feel sentential about the wobblies

N-no love lost by tucker zimmerman. I found tucker zimmerman by chance while looking for something else, and I'm really glad I did. he's got a gentle voice and a simple & emotionally open lyrical style I find really nice. this album, songpoet, in particular is a real gem of a find and I'd say more about it if I wasn't getting really tired

actually y'know what I'm so tired I'm just gonna list the last two without commentary

I-I'll follow the sun by the beatles.

Eastern Spell by t. rex.

tagging @chymical @itsonofthem @psygull @lindaloring @chaumas-deactivated20230115 @bluecheer @lew-basnight @bill-blake-fans-anonymous

[newtonian-tragedy]

This is the greater danger for our species, to try to pretend that we are another kind of animal, that we do not need to satisfy our curiosity, that we can get along somehow without inquiry and exploration and experimentation, and that the human mind can rise above its ignorance by simply asserting that there are things it has no need to know. This, to my way of thinking, is the real hubris, and it carries danger for us all.

Lewis Thomas, The Medusa and the Snail

These I mention, that I may excite the World to enquire a little farther into the improvement of Sciences, and not think that either they or their predecessors have attained the utmost perfections of any one part of knowledge, and to throw off that lazy and pernicious principle, of being contented to know as much as their Fathers, Grandfathers, or great Grandfathers ever did, and to think they know enough, because they know somewhat more than the generality of the World besides: . . . Let us see what the improvement of Instruments can produce.

Robert Hooke, Animadversions on the Machina Coelestis of Johannes Hevelius, 1674

[art-of-manliness]

Sunday Firesides: Through Disappointment to the Stars

When the video game Rock Band became popular, kids flocked to music lessons, inspired to learn how to really play the songs they’d been jamming out to with instrument-like controllers.  But, they quit as quickly as they’d started, disappointed to find that mastering an actual instrument was a lot harder than smashing buttons on a plastic toy. As C.S. Lewis observed, this kind of disappointment “occurs on the threshold of every human endeavor. It occurs when the boy who has been enchanted . . .  by Stories of the Odyssey buckles down to really learning Greek. It occurs when lovers have got married and begin the real task of learning to live together. In every department of life it marks the transition from dreaming aspiration to laborious doing.” Amidst this transition, two things collide.  The first is an idealized vision of what an endeavor will be like, made up of the highlights of the process (buying a new guitar; sinking three-pointers; getting into the flow of writing) and the consummate outcome (slaying a solo; wearing a championship ring; seeing your novel become a bestseller).  The second is the reality of all the daily, tedious, frustrating work that comes in between those far rarer moments.  When the ideal runs into reality, most people turn back in dismay. Focused on the realization that the road to their aim is much steeper and rockier than anticipated, they forget the fact that the glory of the destination remains unchanged. Used to describe the journey to greatness, the Latin phrase per aspera ad astra is often translated as “through hardships to the stars.” It is well to remember, however, that regardless of how much outright adversity you may face on the path to the heavens, there is always one surprisingly strenuous portal to be passed through first: that of garden-variety, workaday disappointment. The post Sunday Firesides: Through Disappointment to the Stars appeared first on The Art of Manliness. http://dlvr.it/Sp0q1y

[legion1227]

Ranking Every Album I listened to in 2024!

130. Alec Benjamin- 12 Notes.

Alec Benjamin presents ideas in his songwriting that have been done before a million times in a million different ways. From vocals to instrumentals, everything about this was quite grating to me.

129. Sia- Reasonable Woman.

Sia has had better songs in the past, and while there's some decent messaging with some tracks, I find the project unbearable.

128. Lil Uzi Vert- Eternal Atake 2.

As a fan of Cartoon Network and professional wrestling, I like that Uzi references Bobby Lashley and shows like Ben 10 and Ed, Edd, n Eddy in some songs. But that's all I like here.

127. Bon Jovi- Forever.

An infuriatingly dull listen when you consider the classics he's made like Living on a Prayer or Shot Through the Heart.

126. Adult Jazz- So Sorry So Slow.

The final track on the album is mellow enough that it works quite well. I don't think they should use autotune again, though.

125. Kanye West and Ty Dolla $ign- Vultures 2.

By far Kanye's worst album ever, just awful. I do like Sky City though.

124. Katy Perry- 143.

Katy Perry has been washed for a long time now, hasn't she?

123. Zayn- Room under the Stars.

Not terrible, but it's a pretty uninteresting listen.

122. Autumn!- You Never Was Mine.

The production is alright, but lyrically and vocally, Autumn! as an artist feels generic and unmemorable to me.

121. Taylor Swift- The Tortured Poets Department.

The album has no business being as long as it is. She has better albums than this.

120. $not- Viceroy.

$not is quite aggressive on the album, but it doesn't work for me. As a plus, I like the instrumentals of the song '2005'.

119. Ice Spice- Y2K.

She is excessive with references to poop, farts, and ass. How unfortunate she has fallen off.

118. Kanye West and Ty Dolla $ign- Vultures 1.

This album wasn't very good either, but at least Ty carries his parts really well. It's brought down way more by Ye himself, however.

117. James Arthur- Bitter Sweet Love.

Sometimes, he sounds like Lewis Capaldi. I do not like Lewis Capaldi.

116. Static X- Project Regeneration Vol 2.

Not crazy about the vocals, but the instrumentals are pretty decent.

115. Gracie Abrams- The Secret of Us.

I sorta like 'I Love You, I'm Sorry,' but otherwise, this is very generic.

114. 42 Dugg- 4eva Us Neva Them.

While it's interesting in some parts lyrically, it's too bloated and would benefit from some trimming of the tracks.

113. Dream Evil- Metal Gods

Decent vocals, but the storytelling here really bores me.

112. Tinashe- Quantum Baby.

A majority of the songs on the project are middling. But Nasty is by far the most fun and best song of the eight tracks.

111. Rich The Kid- Life's A Gamble.

It doesn't move me, but it's a fine trap album, in my opinion.

110. Maggie Lindemann- HEADSPLIT.

I think there was potential here for this to be better. Maggie has a great voice, but the songwriting needs work.

109. Camilia Cabello- C, XOXO.

Camilia starts the album horribly with the track 'I luv it.' It gets a little better after the opening track, but not by a lot.

108. Glass Animals- I Love You So Fucking Much.

I struggle to say any track is good, but I think some of the songs here do have decent moments.

107. Magic!- inner Love Energy.

Magic! goes a little above the others as it coasts along on a vibe. But it's just fine.

106. Imagine Dragons- Loom.

Instrumentals aren't too bad at times! But this band doesn't move me the same way they did ten years ago.

105. American Authors- Call Your Mother.

In 2023, they released a pop album that I found quite disappointing. In 2024, they dropped a folk album that's a bit more fitting for them.

104. Justin Timberlake- Everything I Thought It Was.

Justin performs okay here, but the Tobe Nwigwe feature is the real standout here.

103. Lil Dicky- Penith.

This collection of songs from Dicky's TV show DAVE works better within the context of the show.

102. Kraftwerk- Trans-Europe Express.

The classic electronic album turned 47 years old this past year. While I respect the influence it has passed onto others, I find that while it's in no way bad, it just doesn't compel me.

101. Levitation Room- Strange Weather.

Another fine album. I do like some of the love odes and its chill, lo-fi vibe, however.

100. Usher- Coming Home.

Usher's voice is still phenomenal, even if some of the songs here don't quite reach the heights of his more classic songs.

99. Ad Infinitum- Abyss.

As we now enter the territory of albums that are merely okay, this is peak mid.

98. Angie McMahon- Light Sides.

Vocally not, lyrically not bad, all around not too shabby.

97. Coldplay- Moon Music.

It's cool that they bring in guitars, synths, and pianos and they sound swell in some tracks. Some.

96. Pet Shop Boys- Nonetheless.

Eh. This one is okay but they dropped a better project this year.

95. Jennifer Lopez- This is Me...Now.

Sometimes Jennifer hits notes well, but she ain't hitting like she used to.

94. Meghan Trainor- Timeless.

Pop girlie doing okay here, but not as well as some of her other peers in the pop genre.

93. OneRepublic- Artificial Paradise.

Some okay songs here, but it feels somewhat telling that there are two instrumental tracks on here and I like those more than the majority where singing occurs.

92. Mannequin Pussy- I Got Heaven.

Besides instrumentals, my favorite aspect of the band is their name.

91. Cage the Elephant- Neon Pill.

Some decent songs, but nothing as notable as their big hit 'Ain't No Rest For The Wicked.'

90. The Decemberists- As It Ever Was, So It Will Be Again.

Another okay album with some decent moments in its vocals and instrumentals.

89. Ken Carson- A Great Chaos (Deluxe Edition).

I like how silly it can be. Like with the Sydney Sweeny song.

88. Linkin Park- From Zero.

There was an honest attempt to do something here, which I can respect. But Chester Bennington's lack of presence is felt so hard.

87. Kings of Leon- Can We Please Have Fun.

The album works on a lowkey vibe, and the track Rainbow Ball engages me the most.

86. The Cure- Songs of A Lost World.

This is my first impression of the highly lauded band. And while the lyricism is impressive, the album doesn't move me overall that much.

85. Pixies- The Night The Zombies Came.

No bad songs here, but nothing I like more than "Where is My Mind."

84. Poppy- Negative Spaces.

Poppy leans heavily into metal here, but when she strays into rock or EDM territory, I like it more.

83. Leon Bridges- Leon.

Very smooth vocals, not too bad Leon.

82. G Herbo- Big Swerv.

The first track, 'Strike You' is my favorite and it's a shame I don't like the rest of the songs as much as that one.

81. Tom Petty- Hypnotic Eye.

This album turned ten years old, and as a sendoff to the legendary artist, I guess it's okay. It's also the first Tom Petty album I've ever heard so it's hard to have a measuring point with his discography.

80. Sheryl Crow- Evolution.

Speaking of sendoff albums for beloved artists that are okay, I like Sheryl Crow's one a little more than Tom Petty's.

79. Eminem- The Death of Slim Shady.

His flow and wordplay can still be impressive, for sure. But this is far from some of Eminem's best work.

78. Glorilla- Glorious.

Another okay album, but also pretty fun to listen to! Surprisingly, when she turns to God on tracks like 'Rain Down on Me' and 'Glo's Prayer' it hooks me and works really well.

77. Foster The People- Paradise State of Mind.

I was never big on their song 'Pumped Up Kicks.' Luckily, the songs on this project I like way more.

76. Nelly Furtado- 7.

Nothing as big as a bop as 'Promiscuous,' but there are some decent lyrics and many features that perform solidly.

75. $uicideboys- New World Depression.

Pleasantly surprised with what the project delivers. Another okay one, but production helps bring it as high as it is.

74. Aurora- What Happened to The Heart?

Some pretty intriguing messaging regarding love and heartbreak, though I do wish it ran more with the upbeat EDM-esque run it goes on toward the end of the album.

73. Don Toliver- Hardstone Psycho.

Some catchy hooks and instrumentals here. Probably could've done without a few songs from the album.

72. Jesse McCartney- All's Well.

An okay EP, with the most entertaining romp coming from his song with Yung Gravy.

71. Alestorm- Voyage of The Dead Marauder.

I dig the pirate, sea shanty vibe, it's okay.

70. MGMT- Loss of Life.

I dig the song 'Dancing in Babylon,' otherwise, everything else is decent.

69. Maggie Rogers- Don't Forget Me.

Some enticing subject matter here with a focus on love and loss.

68. Ariana Grande- Eternal Sunshine.

Some really good vocals, but if anything, I'm more impressed by Ariana's songs in Wicked than I am here.

67. Twenty-One Pilots- Clancy.

Not my favorite of their projects, but I like it more than their previous one, Scaled and Icy.

66. Sum 41- Heaven :x: Hell.

I'm quite endeared to some of their earlier work, and while some of the songs here aren't as up to snuff, there are still some songs here worth listening to.

65. Billie Eilish- Hit Me Hard and Soft.

I liked Happier Than Ever more.

64. Kacy Hill- BUG.

With decent instrumentals and vocals, Kacy Hill has a solid album.

63. Yelawolf- War Story.

Yelawolf's strongest suit, in my opinion, is his storytelling. He falters within some songs lyrically or with instrumentals, but on a few tracks, he tells a good story.

62. Tierra Whack- World Wide Whack.

The album wavers a little in the middle of the run, but the last 5 tracks really stand out.

61. Lyrical Lemonade- All is Yellow.

Interesting collection of artists on this project. Also, the Eminem song on here is better than his songs on Death of Slim Shady.

60. Green Day- Saviors.

What I said for Sum 41 can literally apply to Green Day as well.

59. Glaive- I care so much I don't care at all.

Now, we transition from albums I thought were okay to albums that I thought were pretty good. This 2023 release is raw and passionate, and while I don't fully relate to the material, I find it pretty fascinating.

58. Tenille Arts- To Be Honest.

Some of the country twang doesn't move me too much, but when it's mellow, I find that it really grips me.

57. Kacey Musgraves- Deeper Well.

'Anime Eyes' is a terrible track, but the album also has 'The Architect,' which is one of my faves of the album.

56. Pearl Jam- Dark Matter.

First ever Pearl Jam album I've heard, and suddenly the jokes about lead singer Eddie Vedder's voice make sense to me now. I still really do like it though! :)

55. House of Protection- Galore.

It's giving Hollywood Undead vibes, but better.

54. Dua Lipa- Radical Optimism.

It starts a little weak but gets better as it goes along.

53. Khalid- Sincere.

With such a soothing voice, Khalid helps craft a pretty engaging and reflective listen.

52. MOTHICA- Kissing Death

Sad girl core done well.

51. Snow Patrol- The Forest is The Path.

It loses a little bit of steam halfway, but the first few tracks of this are quite strong.

50. Cigarettes After Sex- X's.

I like when artists aim for certain lowkey vibes and hit them well.

49. Bishop Briggs- Tell My Therapist I'm Fine.

With a powerful voice, Bishop Briggs can hold a tune.

48. Oasis- Definitely Maybe.

With Oasis reuniting and going on tour, and this album turning 30, it made sense to listen for the first time. Quite a respectable album.

47. A$AP Ferg- Darold.

When Ferg dives into emotional raps and acts vulnerable, it really moves me.

46. Seal- Seal.

Another album turning 30 after this year. Some good songs here, but nothing obviously touching 'Kiss from A Rose.'

45. Logic- Ultra 85.

A pretty cool concept album, even if Logic is doing too much with the skits in some areas.

44. Hammerfall- Avenge The Fallen.

One of the stronger power rock albums I've heard as of late.

43. MAX- LOVE IN STEREO.

This is gleefully endearing and heartwarming with some songs.

42. Pet Shop Boys- Furthermore.

Of the two Pet Shop Boys projects I listened to this year, I liked this EP much more.

41. Paris Paloma- Cacophony.

I think a few songs could've been trimmed, but with some decent lyricism, Paris made a really good album here.

40. Ghostface Killah- Set The Tone (Guns & Roses).

I don't like his sex jams, but I thoroughly enjoy it when he's braggadocious. The features help elevate the material too.

39. Sasha Alex Sloan- Me Again.

Her somber, soft voice works so well on this project.

38. Empress Of- For Your Consideration.

I love some of the Hispanic fusion and the Rina Sawayama feature here.

37. Conan-Gray- Found Heaven.

The synth-pop 80s tribute to icons like David Bowie is pretty incredible here.

36. Tommy Richman- COYOTE.

After the success of 'Million Dollar Baby,' Tommy Richman capitalized with follow-up songs well. My favorite track comes from 'Whitney.'

35. Rhapsody of Fire- Challenge The Wind.

A power rock metal album that tells an epic story and builds up to a battle between two brothers. Pretty fun!

34. Glass Bleach- Plastic Death.

Sometimes, the lead vocalist mumbles and moans in a way I don't like, but there's still a pretty mesmerizing sound to be found here, honestly!

33. Polo G- Hood Poet.

I never listened to much Polo G before, and this genuinely surprised and impressed me.

32. Stefflon Don- island 54.

Stefflon isn't bad a rapper, but I really like it more when she sings.

31. Finneas- For Cryin' Out Loud!

I shouldn't sleep on Billie Eilish's brother too much. He's pretty good.

30. Amy Winehouse- Back To Black.

Turning 18 years old, it's a shame that Amy Winehouse isn't around these days to deliver more powerful music.

29. Normani- Dopamine.

Strong album. Her track 'Big Boy' has been stuck in my head for months.

28. Killer Mike- Michael & The Mighty Midnight Revival.

My faith doesn't run as deep as Killer Mike's, but even if it doesn't, this is still really entertaining. I like it even more than his last album.

27. Vampire Weekend- Only God Was Above Us.

A little spotty in the first half, but picks up more steam and moves me more in the second.

26. Halsey- The Great Impersonator.

I like a lot of the influence she uses throughout the album, especially Evanescence.

25. Beyonce- Cowboy Carter.

Country is my least favorite genre, but I like Beyonce. And she kills it here.

24. Rich Homie Quan- Rich In Spirit.

Rich Homie Quan was taken from this world too soon. In his honor, I listened to his only solo album from 2018. It may be a bit formulaic at times, but it really worked with him.

23. King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard- Flight b741.

As an introduction to the band for me, this really makes me want to check out their earlier works.

22. Gary Clark Jr- JPEG RAW.

The infusion of soulful R&B and rock is stellar here.

21. Ab-Soul- Soul Burger.

Ab-Soul is a lyrical powerhouse

20. Evanescence- Fallen

Peak emo rock.

19. Blondie- Parallel Lines.

This power pop rock album is a classic for good reason. Peep the story in the track '11:59' among others.

18. Charli XCX- Brat.

The fluctuating tracks that alternate between her being vulnerable or being on her hot girl shit move me. One of the best pop records of the year.

17. The Offspring- SUPERCHARGED

Raw instrumentals and vocals work for me, The Offspring COOKED.

16. Deep Purple- Machine Head.

This album is the same one to supply the legendary 'Smoke on the water.' For that alone, it has to go this high.

15. Denzel Curry- King of The Mischevious South Vol 2.

Grimy, compelling, a truly fun listen by Denzel. I wish there were fewer skits on this and more room for BARS if anything.

14. Lupe Fiasco- Samurai.

The fact that Lupe supposedly does this album from the perspective of an alternative outlook of Amy Winehouse sounds like a stretch. But dammit, this man flows tremendously across this production.

13. Freddie Gibbs- You Only Die 1nce.

Gibbs' diving into relationships with women, life, or the death of young rappers is stellar.

12. IDK- Bravado + Intimo.

This one really wowed me! IDK switching between braggadocious or intimate, proving that he can sing and rap, he's a tour de force lowkey.

11. Beebadoobee- This Is How Tomorrow Moves.

The mixture of sad girl core, rock elements, and a somber tone work swimmingly for her.

10. Schoolboy Q- Blue Lips.

The high-octane energy is phenomenal here.

9. Laufey- Bewitched: The Goddess Edition.

The jazz fusion, the vocals, the love and heartbreak, ugh. Sometimes, an album just enraptures you and moves you.

8. Jay-Z- The Blueprint.

Okay, now I understand why some people would say this is his best album.

7. Benny The Butcher- Everything Can't Go.

Not his best work, and arguably, one could say it's too high. But dammit, it's MY list and Benny is my favorite Griselda member for a good reason. He does drug rap extraordinarily well.

6. LL Cool J- The Force.

I appreciate Boom Bap sound. And here it's rich, concise, and the legendary rapper performs well in the new age with the many artists with him.

5. Prince- Purple Rain.

Another iconic album that turned 40 years old in 2024! Rest in peace to the icon. Just filled with classics from 'Purple Rain' to 'Let's get crazy' to 'When Doves Cry.'

4. Steely Dan- Pretzel Logic.

Last classic album for the list I promise. Crazy three track run from 'Rikki don't lose that number' to 'night by night' to 'Any Major Dude Will Tell you.'

3. Sabrina Carpenter- Short N' Sweet.

Of all the pop girlies and the pop albums dropped, this is my fave. This is the most catchy to me.

2. Tyler, The Creator- Chromakopia.

Hasn't left the rotation. 'Like Him' is powerful. 'Thought I was Dead' makes me want to run through a wall. It gets me GOING. Would've been my AOTY if one man didn't have a spectacular 2024…

Kendrick Lamar- GNX

I can't NOT put him at my top spot. After carefully dissecting Drake, Kendrick drops an amazing, energetic, crazy, scary, spooky, hilarious album and its FANTASTIC. Pure and simple.

[reddyanna798]

Unveiling the Secrets of Success in Reddy Anna’s Guide to Cricket

Official website- https://reddyannaa-id.in/

Contact no.- 8527891985

Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/reddyannabook_id/

 Overview of Reddy Anna: A Leading Cricket Platform

Set up with modern features and a simple-to- Reddy Anna is a leading cricket website that aims to give cricket fans an easy and general experience. Another feature of the platform is the Reddy Anna Online Book Exchange Cricket ID, so viewers can safely and instantly get estimated deals, raising their passion and connection with the game.

Harry Brook challenges Australia's 14-match winning streak that dates back to the 2023 World Cup by breaking Alastair Cook's historic record.

Tuesday heard Harry Brook create a new English record as he helped the team in ending Australia's amazing ODI winning run. In the third rain-affected come across of the match against Australia, England's acting captain, Harry Brook, made his first century in an ODI and led his team to a significant Duckworth-Lewis- (DLS) win by 46 runs. Australia's lead over the five-match series fell to 2-1 thanks to Brook's stunning knock.  Jos Buttler is healing from a right calf injury, so Brook, who is leading the team in his place, became the youngest England captain to score an ODI century at the age of 25 years and 215 days. As Brook came at the edge, England were losing at 11-2 during a 305-run chase. He attacked back with a hit. With 13 boundaries and two sixes in his 94-ball 110, he beat his previous ODI best of 80. With a 156-run tie for the third wicket with Will Jacks, who made a major 84 off 82 balls, Brook worked to tip the vote in favor of England.

Growing Fame: The Cricket World's Role in the History of Reddy Anna Book

The Reddy Anna Book quickly went up to fame as an up-to-date instrument in cricket, changing the way fans, players, and experts discuss the sport. The Reddy Anna Book Exchange Cricket ID feature adds even more value that allows fans to take part in current forecasts and gives an edge to the watch experience. In the cricket space, Reddy Anna Book is making a name by being an honest company that speaks to both casual fans as well as experts.

Conclusion: Why Reddy Anna Is Vital for Every Cricket Fan in 2024

Fans must continue to be associated with the game more than ever in 2024 as cricket expands, and Reddy Anna is the best platform to provide these requirements. Cricket fans can now submerge themselves in the game like never before thanks to real-time updates, in-depth analysis, and the comprehensive Reddy Anna Book. Reddy Anna offers a complete solution that includes whether you're watching live scores, looking at player analytics, or making predictions with the cutting-edge Exchange Cricket ID application.

[valcat--online]

CARPET AIRLINES!!! (https://www.instagram.com/carpet___airlines/)

okay, okay, I loved playing for this party!!!! so I'll have a lot to remember!

some (very long) reflections on some topics:

THE MUSIC / THE SET

-I've been wanting for a long while to get more into gear and now I feel like i'm arriving at that place, or im on the journey towards it. this set was the most out-of-the-box (out of DAW) I've been able to get so far. the only thing that was going through abelton was my vocals and the instrumentals for the few tracks I did only vocals live for. I got an elektron rhythm this winter, and spent a few weeks rabbit-hole deep in spread sheets to organize all my samples and rebuild DAW-based tracks into the rhythm. I learned so soooo much during this time and I must say, one of the reasons im so dedicated to music is how nerdy I get to be with it. ngl I love taking notes, reading manuals, and watching lessons online, etc. Josh Cowgirl (https://www.instagram.com/jcow____/) came round to mine to show me some sneaky tricks with the rhythm and explain how he uses it in his live sets. giiiiant shout out and tysm to him for taking the time to do that!

-regarding actually doing the live set... I had so much more fun with this set/the performance than previous ones because I actually go to play more of the music live, rather than having 30 sec chunks to press play between in a DAW. the elektron rhythm is my new bestie fr! even muting drums in and out, so simple, SO much fun.

-after my set I realized, in a final click kinda way, that there's a weird sense of dysphoria I always get after playing, where I realize that a) everyone on the other side of the decks had a different experience at the set than I did, because they listened while I played, and b) I'll never get to experience a set of mine from that outsiders perspective. which is kinda weird and hard to wrap my head around. when people ask me how my set went, im like idk, ask the people who were there!

-given the last reflection, it's clear that feedback is suuuper important to me to understand how the set went. I love when people tell me about their experiences at my gigs and I live through their stories and use those words to decide how I'll go about the next sets. I guess something about me makes people want to tell me as well. lots of people come to me after my gigs to tell me about the experiences they had whilst listening/dancing. I loooove this, i encourage this! one example that was :) was that after my set this time, lewis (whose mixing down my album w me at the moment) came behind the decks, real coach-like, and gave me a run down of how it went. v sweet. i feel so grateful for him and other music makers in our community for giving me such endless support (https://www.instagram.com/tamtam_pda/).

-soooo some other feedback from others that I'm holding onto :) i got some really nice words from friends and strangers who were at the set. I think the thing that came back most often was that people felt the absolute freedom to listen how they wanted to. some people danced. some people lay down in the back and closed their eyes. mikhela said she had a full flash of yellow while she was getting a (?)cranial massage(?) during "dancing in the breeze." I was told by most of the people I talked to about it that carpet air was the perfect party to experience my music at, because of the sense of coziness and freedom to experience the music, the party, the people, in whatever way you wanted. :D from a personal standpoint, it's my fav gig I've done so far in terms of the vibe. the low lighting, the cozy carpets, the alien-y deco. im so grateful. and now i'm out here, like, begging telepathically (and now digitally, and very publicly lol) for carpet air to plllllls book me again!

THE PARTY / VENUE

-I don't think i can even convey enough how in love with the Carpet Airlines vibe i am. most/all of my previous gigs have been somehow linked to exhibitions. the reason is simple - i organize exhibitions. ive loved playing these gigy but I admit i was super grateful and excited for the opportunity to play at a *partiiii*. Anita and Linda (https://www.instagram.com/goofy_cult/) make suuuch a coool vibe with carpet air. they got to the venue at 6am to start set up. WILD! as a fellow installation artist, I must give mad respect to the effort. a big club and a pill aren't enough for most of the people in my community these days. we don't want to go to parties just to get fucked up. we want to engage with our friends, with the music. we want sensory experience. carpet air had masseuses and board games and couches and a dance floor. there were multiple meals available. nothing was too expensive. putting this party on my #insp list. so grateful to have been involved.

-s/o to the studio d.b team for being so fucking cool. after the party ended, I think we hung around for another 3 hours or so, chillling, playing music, etc. the slow descent back down to reality was much needed for me and I'm glad we got to loiter together and steep in the vibes of the day for a weee bit longer.

-also s/o to the studio d.b speaker system, fr! there was a moment during "bounce in the body" where I could feel that the subs were ON. given that "bounce in the body" is an incredibly dubby bassy track, I was on cloud nine hearing it hit the room. punch to the gut type vibes. bless. bruce mentioned this moment to me as well, and said it was as if it was the first time that whole day that the subs were really subbing. woooooooo!

FINNALLLY wanna give a big shout out to my colleagues in the cockpit https://www.instagram.com/bru.glu/ https://www.instagram.com/amanitaa__/ https://www.instagram.com/born_slip_e/ https://www.instagram.com/der_opium__queen/ https://www.instagram.com/buteninanna/

fire tunes. thanks a million!

shutting up now <3

[sunsetcurveauto]

tagged by @spacegirlsgang thanks mall ❤️

Last song: That's So True by Gracie Abrams

Favorite color: pink! 💗

Last book: Fifty Beasts to Break Your Heart by GennaRose Nethercott

Last movie: Beauty and the Beast (live action)

Last show: i don't know to be honest but i AM watching a 12 hour youtube video recapping glee. so i'll count that

Sweet/spicy/savory: sweet!

Relationship status: single ✌️

Last thing I googled: simon lewis mortal instruments

Current obsession: Dead Boy Detectives obsession still going strong 💪

Looking forward to: seeing my friends, finishing my thesis, leaving the town where i go to school, getting a real job lmao, and reading more books!

tagging: @likemmmcookies @pallases @beetlejuse and viewers like you :)

Ten people I'd like to get to know better

Tagged by @marshmallow--shark Thanks for the tag!

Last song: Intro/Chamber The Cartridge by Rise Against

Favourite colour: Orange!

Last book: A Brief History of Intelligence by Max Bennett

Last movie: That Christmas (it was kinda weird and we didn't finish it)

Last show: Jentry Chau vs. the Underworld

Sweet/spicy/savoury: I don't have much of a sweet tooth anymore, but I used to. Savoury!

Relationship status: Happily single

Last thing I googled: "quality" synonym

Current obsession: Star Trek: Enterprise. This is my fallback obsession. Close behind is Jentry Chau as a very recent one.

Looking forward to: Seeing a concert and a musical next year!

Tagging: @ionamalachite @peculiarreality @thetachapel02 @deadheaddaisy @papercranesong @talshiargirlfriend @glitter-and-metal @dragons-in-spaceee @pearlypairings @strze-lec