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mwexodusofficial · 1 month ago

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Chapter III: Euphoria

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(Music: "Gjeilo: Sanctus (London)", by Tenebrae)

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A small portion of the Argonaut's crew was gathered in the Divinity Chamber. It had to be rather spacious to account for the 500-something odd crewmates that volunteered, but it was entirely necessary for the Ritual. Every crewmate was kneeling in a full circle around a raised altar, where the body of Swansea, clothed in white robes, was gently laid upon the platform.

Disciples walked slowly up and down the small bridges that connected the platform to the outer ring, ritualistically spreading incense across the room. A large retinue of the crew was surprisingly skilled at singing, and were chosen as the choir for this Ritual. They sang in Latin, having fanatically practiced the verses for the last 10 months. Hawkes had absolutely no idea if half of this was even religiously correct since the only reliable records they had were from the early 2120s, the year right before the Terror struck; since most of the physical servers that stored the data were annihilated by widespread destruction.

Every crewmate was donned in clergy robewear- pure white silk robes draped over the body like white doves. Even Hawkes was not exempt from this dress code- nor Curly, who was staring uncomprehending at the Ritual taking place.

"Wuh the fuck is happening..." Curly muttered under his breath, completely disconnected from the atmosphere. Hawkes leaned over and lightly smacked the back of his head.

"Don't swear while we're in the Divinity Chamber. Clasp your hands together and pray for the revival of Swansea."

"...Wha...revival...? What..."

Hawkes groaned in frustration, trying to focus on prayer.

"Do I need to explain this for a fourth time?" Hawkes muttered in irritation. "Two months ago, the Era of Divinity began when a boy in Janma City was resurrected after the prayer of his mother for hours on end. This event was recorded on city cameras, which led to people across the galaxy replicating it. It became a widespread phenomenon, so the various nations sent out their scientists to study it. After several days, we discovered that revivification (as they called it) was an achievable outcome for most deaths that occur in the world, barring natural causes."

"However, revivification was, at the time we discovered it, a fairly, let's say, spotty chance of occurring more than once in the same year. That is, until we began incorporating more (generic) religious practices into our attempts of revivif- revifivi- re... I hate this word so much. Basically, the chance of resurrection is far greater the more religious rites, passages and practices we incorporate into the Ritual, as it has been termed. And it just so happens that we have the most historical records on this 'Christianity' one. Do you get it now? Haven't I made it simple?"

Curly could only stare unwittingly at me, then back at the Ritual site.

"What... who is that? What are they doing?"

Hawkes signed in resignation. Maybe it was better to stick to one word answers.

"It's Swansea."

"Swansea... that's... that's him?"

"Yeah."

"...."

He fell silent, but Hawkes could see tears emerge in his eyes.

"I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry, Swansea. I'm so fucking sorry!"

"I told you not to- ah, whatever..."

There were certain rules to be adhered to in the Divinity Chamber; but Hawkes couldn't find it in himself to chastise this broken man. This was a depressing sight, overall.

Staring back at the Ritual site, Hawkes still couldn't comprehend how this had come into reality. He was eternally grateful that this had become reality for him, but he couldn't wrap his head around it. Was God partial to any religion? Did He revive people who prayed in other religious formats at greater or lesser varying rates? Religion, as a whole, had largely died out during the 2170s after the Terror's incursion, but Christianity was one of the many religions that still possessed historical records of its origins. People had flocked to it after the Era of Divinity began.

It was so surreal...

The choir quieted for a moment, as the Arch Cardinal Jezarit (Jazz) stepped unto the platform, carrying a communion wafer and cup of wine. He began a short speech.

"We are gathered here, this day, to celebrate the return of life to a good man, husband, father and devoted laborer of engineering. Swansea Harold was an enigmatic figure who'd come from a rough upbringing and a rougher young adulthood. He turned his life around at the age of 28 to marry a beautiful wife who would go on to bear two children of his own. He was employed with Pony Express and spent a good portion of his adulthood working diligently in his role as the Chief Engineer of the Tulpar. He died a terrible death within the Tulpar, shot twice and desecrated."

The Arch Cardinal placed the wafer in Swansea's mouth, then poured a sizable amount of wine over the wafer, watching it cascade under the parted lips and down his throat. Jezarit then placed the goblet aside and knelt on his knees, clasping his hands together in prayer.

"Lord God Almighty, we humbly ask that this suffering soul be brought back from the Limbo Between Worlds, that his wondrous spirit be returned to his body and made anew, so that he may rejoice the love and mercy that The Lord shows us with his divine power."

He raised his hands as high as he could into the air, and chanted once.

"Lord God Almighty, only say the word and our souls shall be healed!"

The crew chanted in tandem with the preacher, and Curly looked around

"Lord God Almighty, ruler of Heaven and Earth, Father of Christ and man, King of Kings! O Lord, we pray for the resurrection of our brother in Christ, Our Lord, so that he may be cleansed of sin and made whole!"

"Amen!"

"Lord God Almighty, let us bear witness to the resurrection of our brother in Christ, Our Lord, Amen!"

"AMEN!"

Hawkes continued to chant with his eyes closed, but he wasn't sure if there was supposed to be a feeling of divinity coursing through him or not. He'd never done this before, so he had no idea of what expectation to have. As surreal as this was, the one thing he wanted to do was bring these people back.

"Please, God..." Hawkes pled under his breath. "I pray for his return."

Seeing Hawkes pray so fervently along with everyone else, Curly was sure he'd lost his sanity. What was going on? They were praying for Swansea's resurrection? This must be a cult, he thought. Surely, I have been abducted by a cult.

And yet, when he peered at the altar, seeing Swansea's body laid out over the altar, Curly couldn't help but break down sobbing. He knew he was responsible for what happened. He knew. It hurt too much for him to not know.

He wanted to turn back time. He wanted to redeem himself for his sheer stupidity and ignorance. That he could be so blind to the demon he called his 'friend'. That he turned a blind eye to Anya's rape. That he doomed his crew because of one bad choice.

"Please... please... let me see them again... just one last time... just for one more minute... Please, God, let me see them..." Curly sobbed, clenching his fists in total frustration at himself.

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Without skipping a beat, an otherworldly feeling coursed through every human in that room. Their eyes shot open, and they bore witness to the most ethereal event they'd ever seen in their lives.

Swansea's body began to rapidly reconstruct itself, as if time were rapidly reversing in a small halo around his body. His gunshot wounds dissipated; mummified skin turned to smooth, pink flesh; bereft eyes laden with moisture and clarity; bruises and welts evaporating entirely.

A man was being reborn, right before everyone's eyes.

And just as quickly as it had come about...

It left.

...

Swansea shot up from the altar, gazing around frantically.

"What the fuck? WHAT THE FUCK? WHAT THE FUCK?!"

Swansea was beside himself, cursing and screaming in terror as he fell off the altar, stumbled onto his feet and tried running away from the procession.

"WHERE AM I? WHAT? WHAT?! WHAT?!"

Hawkes was beyond words. He could hardly describe the feeling of seeing someone long-dead suddenly jump back to life. Holy shit. Holy shit.

God was real. God was... real. Resurrection was real. He had just witnessed a dead man come back to LIFE!

But whatever complex emotions Hawkes was feeling in that moment, was absolute dust compared to the mental shock Curly was going through.

He had just watched Swansea get up and start moving around. He had just watched someone he'd seen die, get up. He had... failed to comprehend what his lying eyes were showing him.

He couldn't speak. He couldn't think. He couldn't hear. He couldn't breathe. He was in abject horror that, if even for a half-second, he tried any of those things, he would lose the illusion of seeing Swansea alive again.

"This is just... amazing." Hawkes muttered with incredulity, beginning to tear up. "Curly, I told y- What the hell? Stop that, Curly, you idiot!"

Curly's face had turned blue from holding his breath for so long, so Hawkes punched him in the gut to bring him back to reality. Curly gasped for air, a bit of sanity restored from the pain.

"I..." Curly whispered, inconsolable by every measure. "I...."

"Alright, don't lose your shit again, bud." Hawkes said, tapping him on the shoulder. I need to go question Swansea for a minute, so start praying again, because Daisuke's up next."

"H-Huh...?"

Hawkes, who was completely tone-deaf to social environments, left a mentally-shattered Curly kneeling by himself, forced to try and comprehend the series of events that had just occurred.

"GET YOUR FUCKIN' HANDS OFF ME, SHITHEADS! WHAT THE FUCK IS HAPPENING?!"

"Swansea! I know you're a bit addled right now, but I- GRK!"

Swansea had wrestled out of the officers' hold on him and delivered a solid right hook to Hawkes' face, sending him careening to the floor. Swansea attempted to book it for the nearest exit but was promptly tackled and restrained by nearby officers. He continued to curse out his captors and shout incessantly in confusion and shock.

Hawkes got up from the floor, groaning in pain.

"That son of a bitch has a mean swing on him." Hawkes said in admiration. "Get him to Interrogation ASAP!"

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Swansea was roughly sat down in the chair and his hands were cuffed to the table. He resisted heavily against it at first, but over time his fury died down, and he was left glaring at Hawkes from across the table.

"Thanks for being so cooperative with us today, Mister Swansea!"

"EAT ME, FUCKNUGGET!" Swansea shouted back in a fit of desperation and madness.

"Uh huh. So, you're probably wondering how you got here-"

"Where the fuck am I? Where's Daisuke? Where's Anya?! Where's Curly?!?!"

His eyes suddenly glazed over, and an even more powerful rage possessed him.

"WHERE'S JIMMY?! WHERE'S THAT SELFISH PIECE OF SMEARED SHIT?!"

"Jimmy seems to be a popular guy amongst your crew. Would you like to know what is going on, or would you rather keep throwing fits?"

Swansea, though addled by so many different emotions and experiences at the moment, heard clearly the words of Hawkes. Grumbling threats and curses, he sat down begrudgingly at the table.

"Thank you. So. You've been resurrected."

"What the fuck are you rambling about?"

"Let me finish, okay? I'll give you a short synopsis."

Swansea stayed silent, electing instead to glare daggers at Hawkes.

"So," Hawkes started. "I'll just stick to chronology. Your ship crashed a year ago, on January 24th. Luckily for you and the crew of Tulpar, "Last Human-Manned Freighter for Pony Express Stranded in Remote Deepspace" was a very compelling headline. Your story gained intragalactic fame, and eventually our home nation, Canaris, who was the most closely-located to the crash site, volunteered to send out a vessel to retrieve the freighter and its crew. Eight months into the travel, we had deduced that the chances of your crew surviving after so long, what with the dwindling resources you had, that you would starve to death before we reached you."

Hawkes raised his hands sheepishly.

"Being as frank as possible, we were about to ditch you lot and head back home. Then..."

Hawkes did finger guns at Swansea, making the 'pew-pew' sounds as he did so. Swansea was entirely unamused.

"...In comes the Era of Divinity. To make a long story short, humanity discovered resurrection, and found out not only the existence of souls, but of God as well. We've been given the opportunity to bring back people who were wronged in life, back to life. The same goes for the guilty. The exact parameters would take a long time to explain, so that's the short-form summary."

Hawkes politely placed his hands on the table, signaling he was finished talking. Swansea stared at him for quite a while, and Hawkes was beginning to wonder if his brain was functioning.

"That's your explanation?" Swansea mumbled derisively.

"Yep. That's the history." Hawkes replied, almost sardonically. He was well aware it was a bizarre concept to wrap one's mind around, so he didn't necessarily want to be mean-spirited to someone who had gone through so much-

"You're a fuckin' idiot." Swansea replied in contempt.

"I beg your pardon?" Hawkes inquired as he leaned in performatively.

"I said you're a goddamn fuckin' idiot."

"Don't take the Lord's name in vain, please."

Swansea cupped one hand over his face, staring at the metal table in between his fingers.

"What the fuck? Was all that just a fuckin' nightmare? Was I hallucinating? I don't understand anything. It had to be an acid trip. Or a nightmare. Yeah. That's it."

"Don't try to overthink there, buddy." Hawkes replied mischievously.

"Shut the fuck up." Swansea replied, still holding that contempt in his voice. "You're not gonna indoctrinate me into your shitty cult based off a bad acid trip."

"From the looks of you, it seems like you need some discipline in your life, Swansea."

"That's rich, coming from the most pompous-looking prick I've ever glimpsed in my life. Do the fancy pauldrons make your dick feel bigger?"

"The only measurement contest you'd win would be waist size."

"You wanna talk athleticism, yet I clocked you earlier. I guess all that fitness doesn't increase your reaction time, does it?"

Hawkes cracked a grin. He liked this guy.

"Well..." He said, getting up from his chair and scooting it in most gracefully. "I suppose I don't have to convince you. I'll just head over to the Divinity Chamber to see Daisuke return-"

"DAISUKE?!" Swansea shouted in alarm. Hawkes turned his head, revealing a smirk.

"If you can tone down the cursing and sarcasm, accompany me to the Divinity Chamber. You'll get all the proof you need. But you'll have to pray with everything you have."

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As Swansea entered the Divinity Chamber with Hawkes, he immediately spotted Curly, and didn't comprehend it; he was so used to seeing Curly as a charred amputee, the sight of Curly simply did not compute in his head.

Curly, on the other hand, could only whimper and shiver in discomfort as he watched a living, breathing Swansea walk past him. His mind was still recovering from the agony of his former state, and now he had to grapple with the reality of resurrection.

It would take him a while to begin recovering mentally.

"So?" Swansea posed a question to Hawkes. "What the fuck were you talking about-"

"Please stop cursing when you enter this room."

Swansea was initially annoyed by Hawkes' rigid demand, but his cunning and curious nature diverted his response to a question.

"Why?"

Hawkes turned his head, his eyes searching Swansea's own.

"Because," Hawkes stated. "I'm gonna be quite plain with you. Cursing and sinning in a Holy Sanctuary can, quite literally, result in misfortune."

"Wh... What does that mean?"

"It means exactly as its said. If you want some personal examples, when were first constructing this chamber, one of our construction workers was smoking a cigarette and cursing like a sailor near some scaffolding. One of the support beams collapsed, and an activated plasma cutter fell down and cleaved through his lower arm. Five days after that, a maintenance engineer was boinking a female from Medical in this chamber, and within minutes an electrical wire snapped and electrocuted the f-... mess... out of them. Wasn't fatal, but they lost feeling in their -get this- sanitary areas, hehehahaha!"

Swansea did not share the same giddiness that Hawkes did, and instead stared at him like he was demented.

"You're fu-... you're sick in the head."

Hawkes sighed. "Give me a break, man. The last two months have changed my whole world. Same for everyone else. Anyways..."

He pointed to the altar, where Daisuke in blue robes was being laid upon. The crew was taking a quick break off their knees due to the aching, but the disciples continued their incense ceremony.

"Daisuke is up next for resurrection. Would you like to-"

"Daisuke... Daisuke! DAISUKE!!!"

Swansea was about to rush toward the altar, but Hawkes rigorously grabbed his shoulder and threw him to the ground. Swansea tumbled, getting back up on his feet in a rage.

"DO YOU WANT YOUR ASS WHOOPED?!"

"Listen!" Hawkes urged him. "You don't believe me and my supposed horsesh-...crap story about resurrection? All I'm asking is that you wait just a few minutes. Just a few minutes, Swansea. That's literally all I'm asking. Kneel, pray for Daisuke's resurrection, and just keep praying. Okay?"

Swansea seemed as if he were on the edge of throwing another punch at Hawkes' face. The veins in his neck and forehead were bulging in rage.

"I swear, on everything I am..." Swansea muttered maliciously. "If you're playing me for a fool... I'm going to murder you, right here and now."

"Well, I mean, there is a small chance that-.... alright, fine."

Swansea knelt in grumbling fury, though I noticed that he tried to avoid cursing as much as possible. He himself seemed almost as uncomprehending of the situation as much as Curly; who was still sitting in the corner of the room, staring at the floor without moving a muscle.

Swansea stared with a great depression and shell-shock at the body of Daisuke; as if horrified at himself. Hawkes became curious. Was Swansea the one who killed Daisuke? Based on Swansea's reaction to the name, Hawkes had to assume that Swansea genuinely cared about him.

So it WAS a mercy kill, Hawkes thought to himself. This made sense in hindsight; he'd observed the multiple lacerations to Daisuke's body, indicative of electricity burns and gashes caused by punctures. It was likely he was dying a slow death and Swansea didn't want to see him suffer like that.

For a moment, Hawkes felt a mound of guilt. The more Hawkes unraveled this story, the more tragic it revealed itself to be. These people went to such lengths for each other, feel such guilt and love and yearning for safety, for one another.

All... ruined... by... one... fucking... R-A-C-H-E-L.

He twisted his radio on with a fury lit in his stomach. There was no doubt in his mind now, who the culprit was. He just wanted to make sure the dots were connected.

"Caz."

"Yeah?"

"Keep Jimmy's corpse in confinement for now. We'll be resurrecting him separately. If he revives, drag him out of the Divinity Chamber straight to interrogation. Blindfold and gag him. Ensure he is chained up more than the Gauss Citadel."

"Roger that."

Hawkes switched the radio off, and continued praying. He glanced to his right to see Swansea silently sobbing, hunched over in misery and regret.

"Please, Daisuke... If this ridiculous idea is even remotely true... then come back, and live a full life... just come back.... please... I'll do anything..."

"Lord God Almighty," Jezarit preached relentlessly. "Daisuke Juarez was a young man who came from a loving and wealthy family, who loved him but wanted him to find ambition. He spent much of his young life partying, making friends, and most importantly discovering himself."

Say it, Swansea, I thought, with a great fire broiling in my veins. Say His Name. Say it.

"Lord God Almighty," Jezarit proclaimed proudly. "Daisuke was aimless when his parents sent him for an internship on the Tulpar. He spent much of his tenure under Swansea, the Chief Engineer, who guided him with a rough but intense affection, finding his youthful energy and charisma to be endearing and hopeful!"

Uh, how does Jazz know all this? Hawkes thought in utter confusion. Maybe divine knowledge? He couldn't doubt anything at this point.

"Lord God Almighty," Jezarit grieved with great sorrow and brevity, tears cascading down his eyes. "Daisuke tried to be of help to the crew, even when he was misled by a snake in the grass! He made a fatal mistake and suffered as grievously as those around him. He died to his mentor, who wanted to spare him the further suffering their circumstance provided in endless supply! O Lord, Almighty God, he has died a most tragic death, his soul restless for the yolk of life!"

"Please, Daisuke... you didn't deserve to die there... you didn't need to suffer like that... come back... come back to us... come back..." Swansea muttered, believing with everything he had in this bizarre ritual.

"Please, O Lord, Almighty Father!" The preacher cried out in desperation, falling to his knees and sobbing in unrelenting sorrow. "Please, bring us this lost soul once more, so that he may enjoy the fruits of life as it was intended! Let him bask in the beauty of this universe once more, so that he may depart from it many years from now, content and lived in joyous experience!"

| SAY HIS NAME, SWANSEA. |

"Please, God, bring Daisuke back to me..."

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There it was again. A divine energy- indescribably, inexplicable, yet undeniable in every sense of the word. It flowed through the room, timeless, undetectable yet felt completely, and swirled around the body of Daisuke.

It began once more. The lacerations, the bruises, the gashes, the infections, broken cartilage, bone, sinew, and brain matter- all restored as if nothing had touched the young man.

And then- it was gone.

...

"AAAAAHHH!!! AAAAHHH-!!!!"

Daisuke flailed around wildly while gripping his face, and fell face-flat on the hard ground below. He groaned loudly as his nose bled from the impact. He steadied himself on the altar and slowly stood on his two feet.

"What... Huh?"

He wiped his own face, seeing blood in his palm. Confusion was the first thought, followed by alarm at his surroundings, and finally abject shock as he felt a massive weight tackle him over the altar, crashing to the ground.

"WHAT IS GOING ON?!?!" He shouted in panic.

"DAIIIIISSSSUKKKKEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Swansea wailed uncontrollably as he bear-hugged Daisuke, who was still utterly in shock at his surroundings.

"Am I dead? I'm dead, right?!"

His frantic questions were drowned out by the unrelenting wails of relief and pure happiness emitting from Swansea's cries. The crew who were kneeling in prayer momentarily stood up and cheered raucously at the joyful reunion between the two.

Hawkes smiled, a warm feeling of hope surging through him like wildfire. This is exactly what he wanted to do. He wanted to bring people back, to unite them through time and space- to give them the happy ending the universe never gave them.

He would do it, no matter what. He would help bring humanity to the utopia they so deserve. No more suffering. No more monsters. No more cruelty. No more sadness. No more tragedy.

From now on, his goal was to save every life that could be saved.

And he would start by making this crew whole once again.

Minus 1 little shit-eating cunt.

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(Art below is credited to @rabstergabster on Twitter/X)

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(Swansea, Post-Revival)

#mouthwashing #swansea mouthwashing #oc #daisuke mouthwashing #daisuke mw #curly mouthwashing #daisuke #swansea #curlya #anya #captain curly #scifi #science fiction #fantasy #science fantasy

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maximuswolf · 3 months ago

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My Top 10 Dark Ambient releases of 2024 (with some hidden gems)

My Top 10 Dark Ambient releases of 2024 (with some hidden gems) 10 ) Richie Culver - Hostile EnvironmentsI’m a big sucker for spoken word mixed with ambient, so I really enjoyed this one.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZAdA-Tawhc9) Capricorni Pneumatici - Witchcraft (1989)It’s an old release that just got reissued, but I never heard of this project. Esoteric and eerie, reminds of Aghast at times.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYSZd2mta5E8) Apocryphos - AtrementiaOne of my favorite artist from the Cryo Chamber roster, and his new album has a great old-school production.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWnIotfWoBA7) Darkspace - -IIIf you dig spacey and a bit industrial-ish sound, you are in for a treat with this single track album from Darkspace.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5fACrQirZFw6) Lustmord - Much Unseen Is Also HereWhat can I say? Brian Williams, as a pioneer of the genre still hasn’t faded.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x09zGd9fYa05) Creation VI - ConfluenceTim Six is one of my favorites, everything he releases is interesting, especially under the Creation VI moniker. The bass tone is just fucking killer!https://youtube.com/watch?v=FyroKiprf2o4) KOKUM - Obscured Instinct and the pale FolkloreOne more great project from Hungary with great ritualistic and tribal vibes.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93qbNj2v65I3) Forest of Bones - Hymns of the ForsakenAnother underground gem, practically zero listeners, but I find it really good. Dark, droning, deep, everything I want from this genre.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=58J2jxp3FSc2) Old Crypt - Abandoned MonasteryThis project came out of nowhere and already put out an array of versatile releases, the debut is still the best yet.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UIqpABfnKxE1) Dronny Darko - Godless LandHonestly, this man is just the king of dystopian sounds. Despite the number of his releases, he keeps an amazing quality and this one is no exception.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d53rXbyu3JEWhat's YOUR list? Submitted December 04, 2024 at 12:59AM by handheldhomemadeporn https://ift.tt/qX8BpNT via /r/Music

#IFTTT #reddit

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dustedmagazine · 2 years ago

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Centipede—Septober Energy (Esoteric)

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In June of 1971, the impossible happened, or maybe it’s just impossible now. An aggregate residing under the rather misleading, or at least incomplete, moniker “big band” converged on Wessex Sound Studios in London and recorded, under the direction of Keith Tippett and for a major label, the diverse and ultimately indescribable music comprising Septober Energy. It was to be the only album by Centipede, performing Tippett’s variously organized compositions, and it has now been reissued from the original tapes in a package that should prove as definitive as the disparately fragmenting and congealing sound-energies swirling from the speakers.

Listing the musicians would be a fruitless task; just check out the album’s Wikipedia entry for full details. Suffice it to say here that core membership from King Crimson, Soft Machine and Nucleus forms the heart of the venture, which was also produced by Robert Fripp. While he doesn’t play, Brian Godding, guitarist from Blossom Toes (whose albums have also enjoyed recent deluxe Esoteric reissues) provides still underappreciated distorted riffage, especially on the second piece. Even to cite those three groups as the orchestra’s power nexus is far from complete, as the personnel list comprises many of the finest improvisers on the English scene at the time, including Paul Rutherford, Maggie Nicols, Mongezi Feza, Dudu Pukwana, Harry Miller and so many others. Their ensemble and individual contributions fuse all manner of transcultural classical, jazz and prog influence to form the four-part epic, each piece one side of the double album.

Yes, there was a previous CD version taken from the master tapes, but there’s something richer about the sonorities here, something full, dark and sparkling by turn, presenting all instrumental and vocal details with new depth and amazing perspective. What now emerges with the most stunning clarity are the dynamic extremes. Godding’s raunchy lines blast their way onto the soundstage as wasn’t even the case with the first vinyl issue, but the album’s opening moments ring forth with crystal percussive clarity. Ditto the third part’s inaugural minutes, the vocals floating over the silence in something conjoining icy serenity and anticipation, and then those sinewy and delicious percussion dialogues, courtesy of Robert Wyatt and John Marshall, thrum, rush and roar only to fade, making room for a fusion of military and circus as exciting as it is confounding, as if Charles Ives had contributed passages to King Crimson’s Lizard. Best of all is the droning sections bookending the first piece, somehow raw and delicate, a foundation of tone transformation supporting constantly changing color and ensemble size, the initial six-minute arc anticipating the kaleidoscopic freakout and ritualistic repetitions to follow. Equally poignant are Keith Tippett’s effortless piano arpeggiations and the meditative unisons of Nicols and Julie Tippetts voices as they buoy shimmering string harmonics later in the track.

The album is a minor miracle of constantly morphing acoustic space, and this must be a consequence of Fripp’s production, which can now be appreciated afresh. Even beyond that, it cries freedom, a communal salute to a point in time when the enthusiasm underpinning such multileveled cross-reference and the projects housing it was real and immediate, perhaps less defined but inimitably palpable. If excess occasionally looms large, it is always tempered by a chamber-music veracity as the never-murky waves and rivulets ebb, flow and trickle in majestic succession. Syd Smith’s superb liner notes set the stage and spin the narrative yarn in his typically engaging and inclusive fashion. Taken as a whole, the package speaks to a time and a musical environment in which anything seemed not only to be possible but in reach, nearly tangible, the proximate dawn of another day that cycles through Julie Tippetts’ lyrics manifest. The organization gave several concerts; were any of them preserved? Either way, with the exception of Carla Bley’s monumental Escalator Over the Hill, it is difficult to think of another album encapsulating so completely the diversity in unity occurring when so many talented musicians gather in creative celebration. The fact that it is now reissued with the care it deserves is heart-warming.

Marc Medwin

#centipede #septober energy #esoteric #marc medwin #albumreview #dusted magazine #king crimson #robert fripp #soft machine

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1albumaday · 4 years ago

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2020

The Chats - The Clap

Easy-peasy punk rock album

Loving - If I am only my thoughts

Charming sun-dappled folk-pop, clean, gentle melodies

Steve Spacek - Houses

iPhone/iPad recorded, latino and jazz accented dance/house beats

Ghali - DNA

Total Flop and failed expectations. Mishmash of bland and frivolous lyrics and arrangements.

King Krule - Man Alive!

Alienating, violent, romantic, anguishing, doomed, noir / jazz, post-punk, soul, dubstep, electronic, garage rock, hip-hop

Justin Bieber - Changes

Disappointing comeback - boring r&b with zero sex appeal and cheesy lyrics and all-the-same songs

Guided by voices - Surrender your poppy field

Unusual time signatures, song lengths, and baroque-prog structures - mature rock and sometimes pixie / 80s dreamy

Corrections - Simply Activities

80s new wave and post punk nostalgia - cheesy vocals at times - first half more solid than second

Swim Mountain- If

A lovely mix of indie and funktronica, synth pop, r&b

Caribou - Suddenly

Sly and sofishticated sound design flits between uk garage disco and more - some tracks way less strong than others

Grimes - Miss Anthropocene

Mix “Ethereal nu metal”, ambient, dance, electronic, drum’n’bass, country - is violent and dark but sexy, delicate and dreamy

Porridge Radio - Every Bad

A dissonant lush indie rock sometimes dreamy sometimes dark and ironic with mantra-litany dusky lyrics from peaceful to desperate

Four Tet - Sixteen oceans

Wind instruments, synths and drum patterns gradually fade to calming ambient sounds, intense and meditative but also danceable and powerful

Kamaiyah - Got it made

Short, stripped-down, bubbling keyboards and drum-machine handclaps. NO current rap trends. windows-down bass-rattle record of one person’s confidence in her own sound and charisma

Poolside - Low season

Funk percussions, retro synths, pop and disco influences + indie vocals

Morioh Sonder - Is this psychedelia?

Surf pop and psych rock, dreamy post punk influences, danceable and whimsical

KEYAH/BLU - Sorry, I forgot you were coming

Perfect blend of rap, rnb, experimental pop, dark rhythms textured electronics, intimate tales

TOPS - I feel alive

Pop, radiant and 80s romantic with a contemporary experimental palette

The Chats - High risk behaviour

Classic old-school pure punk / cheerily undemanding fun

NIN - Ghosts V: Together

Buzzy ambient, melodic hooks, emotional palette of sounds

NIN - Ghosts VI: Locusts

Together’s opposite, anxiety-inducing, despairing horns, breathing and devouring sounds.

Roger and Brian Eno - Mixing Colours

Feels like a balm for these anxious times

Fiona Apple - Fetch the bolt cutters

Handclaps, chants, makeshift percussion, echoes, whispers, screams, breathing, jokes, dog barks, rattling blues. Contains no conventional pop forms. freeing and powerful.

The Weeknd - After Hours

Satisfying collision of new wave, dream pop, R&B, synth-pop nostalgia

BC Camplight - Shortly After Takeoff

Jazzy eighties rock with some icy funk and electronic pop, painfully personal and uneasy but so self-deprecating it speaks like your best friend

Rone - Room with a view

Deft splicing of beats-based electronics and dance music with classical influences. 21st century baroque chords, snatches of conversations, speeches, children’s voices

Other Lives - For their love

Bluesy acid-rock, dreamy meditation sounds, eerie string-crescendos, music for the afterlife

Lil Uzi Vert - Eternal Atake

Drill-influenced rapping, melodic crooning, trends-aware hip-hop beats, untouchable pop sound production

Squarepusher - Be up a hello

Frantic breakbeats littered with echoes of classic jungle, hardcore, and drum’n’bass, ’90s drill’n’bass, glitchy 8-bit chaos

The Orielles - Disco Volador

Cosmic, playful, funky dreamy indie pop, shuffling organs, woozy guitar, shimmy-shimmy hand percussion

Portico Quartet - We welcome tomorrow

Perfect dreamy sequel of ‘Memory streams’

Charlie XCX - how i’m feeling now

Quarantine creation / 2020 romance manifesto of club-pop, trap, k-pop, video game sounds, fuzzy synths and crackling bass

Holy Fuck - Deleter

Trippy, psychedelic tapestry of euphoric escapism, ‘90s dance, glitchy beats, airy vocals, experimental electronics

Luge - Luge

Energetic and playful avant-garde and quirky math rock, zolo?

Good With Parents, Triple Stephens - Comments & Reflection

Playful indietronica synth pop + classical instruments

Wishing - None of this was your fault

Lo-fi indie, ambient, slowcore w/ fragile lyrics

Bibio - Sleep on the wing

Indie folk treated like ambient / a gorgeous soundscape of strings, guitars and flutes, feelings of loss, hope and escape. Perfect picture of tranquil countryside memories

Piotr Kurek - A Sacrifice Shall Be Made / All The Wicked Scenes

Electroacoustic experimental, meditative-ritualistic atmospheric music / conceived for theatrical performances

Military Genius - Deep Web

Meditative ambient, retro-futurist soundscapes / hypnagogic pop, dark, abstract and mysterious / early ‘70s folk interjecting jazz-brass sections

Jockstrap - Wicked City

Melancholy waltz and winsome ballads, fluttering strings, soft piano glissandi mixed with gnarly and distorted hip-hop beats, buzzing guitars and synths / cherubic vocals, pcmusic-style manipulated at times

Georgia - String Token

Experimental ambient electronic, minimal, melodic, futuristic, hypnotic and grim

EVOL - Madball Manners

Lingering experimental rave electronic, hardcore, techno

Upsammy - Zoom

Playful, sampling, abstract IDM, ambient techno, melodic and rhythmic, surreal, futuristic, sparkling synths and billowing pads

Tomasz Kunicki - Muzyka dla Świątyń

Playful and abstract IDM, glittering synths, obscure pads, glitchy and bleepy

Tomasz Kunicki - The sound is gone, where did it go, I have no idea

Very bassy and very dubby IDM, atmospheric ambient and loopy electronics

Kate NV - Room for the moon

80s new wave, progressive electronic, synth pop, cornucopia of melodies and genres. Wriggling synths, chirping flutes, warm baselines, jazzy sax, woodwinds, marimba. Russian girly vocals cartoon theme-song-like.

Khruangbin - Mordechai

Psychedelic / funk rock with some soul, dub, lounge, poolside disco - exotic and atmospheric

Dalai Lama - Inner world

Chanted mantras rhythmically woven into wafting new-age flutes, chimes, strings and free-form guitar picking.

K-Lone - Cape Cira

Tropical ambient house, warm, lush, soft. Zen yet bouncy rhythms. Digital and analogue recordings, at times feels like you’re underwater.

Arca - KiCk i

Experimental industrial club rhythms with reggaeton and folk influences

The Beths - Jump Rope Gazers

Sleek and personal indie rock, romantic ballads, more sentimental and slow than the previous album

J Lloyd - Kosmos

Tasteful soul and funk pop in 25 tiny tracks, charming low-key, rich textures, good vibes

Julek Polsk - Tesco

Dissonant, ominous, dense, post industrial ambient, noise, sound collage, deconstructed club music

Taylor Swift - folklore

Folk/chamber pop, indie folk, bittersweet, mellow, melancholic ballads

Bill Callahan - Gold Record

Contemporary folk, warm and deep vocals, pastoral, peaceful and melancholic

Mura Masa - R.Y.C.

Indietronica, post-punk revival, catchy indie/synth pop, early 2000 EMO, lots of hip collabs

Fontaines D.C. - A Hero's Death

Post-punk, indie rock, art punk, gothic rock, raw deadpan male vocals, darkish and melodic

RAMzi - cocon

Tribal House, ambient dub, balearic beats, downtempo, hypnotic and tropical

Auguste - Indust

Experimental ambient electronic + field recordings, glistening and splintered sounds

Paul Blackford - Betamax

Dreamy and hypnotic trip hop, downtempo, synth wave

A.G.Cook - 7G

49-track archival collection of sketches, cover versions, volatile lab experiments, divided into 7 discs. a glimpse at the whirring cogs beneath hyperpop’s pristine casing.

Clap clap - Liquid Portraits

Experimental musical tapestry and collage / high-energy concoction of unpredictable and wavy rhythms, exotic vocals and heavy, relentless bass and drums / UK Bass, ambient dub, footwork + far-flung field recordings

E.M.M.A. - Indigo Dream

Progressive electronic, ambient house / 80s melodic atmospheres, goosebump-inducing synths, whimsical melodies and classical leanings

Leif - Music for screen tests

Performed live @ Barbican as a 54min session ambient / drone film soundtrack (Andy Warhol's Screen Tests)

Crack Cloud - Pain Olympics

Post/art/dance punk, experimental rock - energetic, anxious, apocalyptic, dark, male vocals

Document - A Camera Wanders All Night

Post-punk, noise rock, past-hardcore, distorted and raw male vocals

Keisuke Matsuda - Clumsily Back Up

Experimental electronic with playful hummed vocals, lo-fi beats, melodic, youthful, dreamlike

Coi Leray - Now or Never

Gen-Z superstar, melodic flows, bouncy trap, energetic killer lyrics

The Ophelias - For Luck

Artful, string-laden indie-pop EP, grungy dream-pop, a quarantine remake and a Joni Mitchell cover

Romare - Home

Deep house, UK Bass, groovy and detailed sonic palette + soul and funk influences - dancefloor highs and after party wind-downs

Mulatu Astatke, Black Jesus Experience - To Know Without Knowing

Ethio-Jazz, Cuban, funk, reggae workout + rapid-fire rap or Afrobeat drums

Good Doom - Spider Temple Valley

Experimental psych-wave, gentle and peaceful lo-fi, dreamy and oozy with flute, sax and field recordings

Ralph Kinsella - Abstraction

Dark ambient experimental / instrumental electronic

IDLES - Ultra Mono

Post-punk, garage punk, hardcore, noise rock, raw male vocals, dense, energetic, angry, political

Mild Orange - Mild Orange

Alternative, Indie rock, dream pop,

Skinshape - Umoja

Experimental psychedelic rock - afro beats - afroswinig - funky - world music

Vulfpeck - The Joy of Music, The Job of Real Estate

Mixed bag of funk, jazz, soul, self-indulgent? classical reworks, progressive electronic, melodic and uplifting, groovy drums and bass lines

OPN - Magic OPN

Manipulated and sequenced archive radio and sounds collages as interludes, uncanny processed voices, poppish trope ballads, art pop, sentimental and surreal, dense, progressive hypnagogic electronic and more

Pa Salieu - Send them to coventry

Combined dancehall, Afrobeats, hip-hop and grime. Scattered drums, stop-start energy, handpicked words and rhymes. skips from trap trills to baile breakdowns.

Mama Ode - Tales & Patterns of the Maroons

Classic hip-hop album with jazz, funk, blues and reggae influences. Creole Sega Rap Roots music, afro-drum patterns and grooves

Tony Allen, Hugh Masekela - Rejoice

Live sessions of unique fusion of afrobeat and swing-jazz with lyrics in English, Yoruba and Zulu

Miley Cyrus - Plastic Hearts

Pop rock, 80s synth-rock, grit and freewheeling sense of fun, rough-hewn panache of vocal performance, bittersweet eclectic and sentimental / collabs with rock idols

2019

LCD Soundsystem - Electric lady sessions

Live recording with some new wavy covers

Harry Styles - Fine line

Not catchy / mediocre pop

Boothe - 8 or 9 Walled Room

10 minutes of playful electronic and soft vocals

Good with parents - Good with parents

Clever indietronica synth pop, fun + ironic + millennial + sax

Taylor Skye - Kode fine & sons

Synth, beats and pop vocals

Famous - England

Wonky pop punk mixed to electronic sounds and raw spoken vocals

Orville Peck - Pony

Simple pop rock Johnny Cash style ballads and 80s

Sassy 009 - Kill Sassy 009

Distorted electro pop with strong vocals + post-punk notes

J-Walk - Mediterranean Winds

Jazzy electronica with glassy synth pads cheesy and chilled out

Mattiel - Satis Factory

Punky garage rock strong female vocals

Ross Backenkeller - Come Around

Country dreamy and melancholy guitar and vocals

Legss - Writing Comedy

Art rock and a dark underbelly of post-punk + topnotch spoken track and electronic sounds

BEA1991 - The Lost Demo EP

Trip-hop with Bjork-style vocals

BEA1991 - Brand New Adult

Chamber folk and yacht rock meld with R&B and trip-hop

Matt Maltese - Krystal

Lo-fi flowy bedroom pop breakup album

Faye Webster - Atlanta Millionaires Club

Folk-pop, mellow and melancholy soul with an r&b tinge

Infinite Bisous- Period

Soothing and warm bedroom night album

Achille Lauro - 1969

Trap changed into rock with romanticised lyrics

Jerkcurb - Air Con Eden

Indie-psych and retro Americana, atmospheric, sensitive, wobbly

Octo Octa - Resonant Body

Breakbeats and house bangers

ALASKALASKA - The Dots

Jazz fusion, disco rhythms and high-gloss art rock

Orphan - Yijoda

Glitchy and sharp electronics + ambient-atmospheric sounds

Honeymoan - Body

Avant-garde pop tapestry of beats and synths with playful vocal

U-Bahn - U-Bahn

Traditional new wave DEVO-moulded, Hypnagogic pop, art-punk, some vaporwave synth sounds

Hail Conjurer - Erotic Hell

Obscure and raw Finnish black metal

Ride for revenge - Chapter of alchemy

Quality black metal with long and short tracks pretty smooth

Boys Age - Neverchanging, Neverending

Lo-fi, slow-tempo, soul, r&b, mellow tracks with sad very low vocals

MorMor - Some place else

Indie-pop with sweet synths and delicate vocals

Felicita - hej!

Overproduced pop dance hits broken down into harsh and jarring staccato melodies, hissing ambient and screams

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Ghosteen

Endlessly giving and complex meditation on mortality and our collective grief, scored by synths, pianos, and electronics

Portico Quartet - Memory Streams

Ethereal keyboards, hypnotic grooves, layered post-rock textures mixed with electronic, ambient and magnetic jazz build-ups

Charles Rumback + Ryley Walker - Little common twist

Mellow and pastoral folksy guitar melodies and soft drums + ambient tones, drone electronic

Shadowax - Nikolai Reptile

Effervescent techno and mutant bass jams

The Rhythm Method - How do you know I was lonely?

Ostensibly witty and warm pop songs from hip hop to indie and electronic about romance and millennial youth

Martin Dupont - Accident of Stars

80s kinda goth new wave full of electronics, guitars synths and clarinets

Raime - Planted

Latin American and Chicago footwork influences merged with alien sounds, half-heard voices, dark and rhythmic bass and percussions

Sunn 0))) - Pyroclasts

Sunn 0))) - Life Metal

Slow-motion drone feels like a religious ritual / pipe organ and cello, guitars webbing together the space between notes

Special Request - Vortex

Breakbeat barnstormers and house epics, with room for bleep, electro and gabber

Caterina Barbieri - Ecstatic Computation

Oscillating sequencers, rhythmic pulsations, cascades of synthesiser melodies echoing dance music/new age

Battles - Juice B Crypts

Playful electronic wizardry, dense array of beats, bleeps and squelches, loopy keyboards and guitars, ecstatic vocals

Haruomi Hosono - HOCHONO HOUSE

Home-recorded aesthetic, funk shaped into minimalist space-age lounge music

Florist - Emily Alone

Thoughtful, calming and melancholic, full of hushed, enveloping guitar sounds and gentle vocals

Spencer Radcliffe - Hot Spring

Alt-country, indie falk americana, very relaxed,pastoral and wry poetics

Ciamkam - Play-doh Dog

Noise ambient / screeching, dissonant, surreal, ominous

Equiknoxx - Eternal Children

UK soundsystem style, reggae groundings, earthy dancehall with a vast range of puzzling vocalists

Eh hahah - Fissure

Experimental deconstructed electronic, sound collage, glitches and post-club music

Upsammy - Wild Chamber

Lucid shades of IDM, bleep techno, perky synths and frazzling hi-hats, polyrhythmic drum patterns

Otik - Blasphemy

Fresh, vibrant, dark experimental club music, techno + dance + electronic

Shanti Celeste - Tangerine

Tech / ambient / deep house, breakbeat, rhythmic and mechanical yet dreamy

Bez - Banki Mydlane

Dream pop, shoegaze, noise pop, space rock, reverberated female vocals + spoken word

Yu Su - Roll with the punches

Ambient dub, downtempo, tribal ambient, sampling, mellow, atmospheric with female vocals

Drive45 - Dried up

Bitpop, Artpop, indietronica, quirky and playful, androgynous vocals

Lala &ce - Le son d’apres

French hip hop, trap, cloud rap, alternative b&b, dancehall / sparse dark and ominous, warm female vocals

Leif - Loom Dream

Tribal ambient / ambient techno + field recordings / pastoral, ethereal, atmospheric

deathcrash - Sundown (a collection of home recordings)

Slowcore, drone ambient, post-punk, fragile male vocals

FEET - What’s inside is more than just ham

Post-punk, indie-rock, dance-punk, sarcastic, playful, technical, male vocals

Coi Leray - EC2

Trap, hyphy, pop rap

Ariwo- Quasi

Dub techno, afro-cuban jazz, ambient techno, chants, programmed beats, pulsating relentless rhythms and percussions, loud sax

Floating Points - Crush

Strikingly melodic and elegant, cinematic, frantic and distorted rhythms, shuddered synths, vibrant breakbeats, sampling, UK garage nodding

Jacques Greene - Dawn Chorus

Bittersweet, sad but triumphant, mix of experimental electronic and lightweight techno + field recordings, hazy sampled textures, distorted drones + disco house + percussions + spoken word

Men I Trust - Oncle Jazz

Indie electronic, minimal, chillout downtempo, dreamy female vocals, jazzy

Raveena - Lucid

R&B, soul, experimental, pop, groovy, jazzy and dreamy, with some field and spoken words recordings

2018

Shit and Shine - Very high

Lazy hippie funk with slowed rnb vocals

Saloli - The deep end

New Age-inspired delicate only-synth music

Adrianne Lenker - abysskis

Guitar and sweet and warm vocals

Ever ending kicks - Ideas relayed

Sweet lo-fi similar to the previous two

Negative Gemini - Bad Baby

Solid synth pop with dreamy intimate vocals

Okay Kaya - Both

melancholy bedroom-pop sarcastic and harsh lyrics

Trust Fund - Bringing the Backline

Witty yet melancholy self-aware pop-rock

Jockstrap - Love is the key to the city

A fusion of Bossa Nova, 1930s Disney-esque orchestra, and coarse electronica

Noah Cyrus - Good Cry

Pop and rnb debut album with a bit of gospel and melancholy

Carla dal Forno - Top of the pops

Alternative indie electronic, subtle instrumental backdrops with plaintive vocals

Lala Lala - The lamb

Alternative/Indie rock with grunge tones and personal and warm vocals

Diamond Thug - Apastron

Progressive but dreamy pop, graceful vocals

Denh Izen - Storage Solutions

Dark and charming sounds with warm and distorted vocals, desperate but calm

Imperial Triumphant - Vile Luxury

New York Jazz mixed with top-notch black metal great for a sci-fi dystopian movie - especially Cosmopolis

Oliver Coates - Shelley’s on Zenn-La

Beat-oriented electronic music, sublime cello and synths

Dylan Carlson - Conquistador

drone-metal imaginary Western mostly solo electric guitar

Project Pablo - Come to Canada you will like it

Dozy laid back deep house with jazzy chords and subtly swinging drums

Ryley Walker - The Lillywhite Sessions

Dave Matthews Band tribute with proggy folk, primitive guitar, free improv, Chicago jazz-rock on darker tones

Grouper - Grid of Points

Empty room, piano and voice slip through your fingers like water

Kali malone - Cast of Mind

Glacial synth tones mapped to acoustic woodwind and brass

Likes - New Pedal

Short tracks of fun glitch / hypnagogic pop

Jake Tobin - Fifth Thought

Fun and whimsical take on classical sax sounds and guitars

Jake Tobin - 135

Avant-prog / jazz fusion / romanticism / off-kilter melodies / psychedelic chords with the emotion and aesthetic of bedroom pop

Twig Twig - Darkworld Gleaming

Experimental pop, whimsical instrumentation, lo-fi uplift, beats and loops

George Clanton - Slide

Cult 2020s electronic born from vaporware influences mixed with whispery chillwave and downtempo R&B, feels like a 90s rave in an open field, no irony

Good Doom - Mood Life

Unique, very chill, dreamy sound, incorporates world music, trip hop beats, lo fi bedroom pop, krautrock and noise

Ex:Re - Ex:Re

Husky and mellow ambient pop, dream pop? Lethargic and melancholic

Zaumne - Emo Dub

Minimalistic ominous and repetitive ambient house with ASMR-like spoken words

Ehh hahah - And the weather so breezy, man, why can’t life always be this easy?

Progressive experimental electronic, deconstructed club music, EDM, bubblegum bass, playful yet dark

Kate NV - для FOR

Progressive electronic, ambient, new age, minimalist, surreal, otherworldly and playful. wet, fleshy bleeps; bubbly, liquid noise

Leon Chang - re:treat

Mellow lo-fi hip hop, downtempo, electronic, future bass, sampling

Coi Leray - Everythingcoz

Pop rap, trap, hyphy tunes, powerful + well produced

Domenique Dumont - Miniatures de auto rhythm

Sophist-pop, balearic beat, chillwave, dreampopish, soft female vocals, lush, summery and rhythmic

Big Joanie - Sistahs

Pretty standard textbook indie-rock, post-punk with female vocals

Darto - Fundamental Slime

Haunting and spacious, deep male vocals, intriguing eerie melodies, dream state lullabies + sax and spoken word bit

Old Maybe - Piggity Pink

Chaotic post-punk, unusual time signatures, strong shouted female vocals

Brad Mehldau Trio - Seymour Reads the Constitution!

Elegant and melodic modal jazz - post-bop album, fragmented but coherent, ever changing time signature and tempo

2017

Ross Backenkeller - Bardo

Folk indie guitar melodies with honest and gentle vocals

Maruego - Tra Zenith e Nadir

Italian trap with disillusioned and ironic lyrics + cool collabs

Nervous Condition - Untitled

Forceful drums, wails of sax and commanding vocals - mix of experimental rock, post-punk, no wave, jazz

Powerplant - Dogs Sees Ghosts

Synth punk, garage punk fast and fun

Wool & The Pants - Wool & The Pants

Experimental r&b / soul / hiphop vibez pretty smooth and lo-fi

TOPS - Sugar at the gate

Soft rock tunes, vintage atmosphere, fuzzy, honey-dipped songs

Slothrust - Show me how you want it to be

Covers album with grungy sounds and good arrangements

Rone - Mirapolis

Misty synths and heavy bass lines, dreary and melancholic industrial electronics, packed with doomed vocals of all sorts of guests.

Ada Babar & Kasra Kurt - Nino Tomorrow

Weird pop and experimental DIY with MIDI keyboards and guitar, playful lyrics, video game menu music

Good Doom - New Shapes for you

Evocative, dreamy and atmospheric melodies, warm at times, chilly, spooky, grungy, dark at others, synth buzzes, glitchy drums

Phoebe Bridgers - Stranger in the alps

Atmospheric ballads for sad times, deeply personal stories of heartbreak and loss

Florist - If Blue Could Be Happiness

Indie folk, soft and atmospheric, pure gentle quiet and soft female vocals about understanding light and darkness. Swooping guitar, dots of piano notes, gentle beats that recall Simon and Garfunkel

Wishing - Heat Death

Ambient pop, lo-fi indie beats w/ soft vocals that make you feel things you haven’t felt in a while

Martyn Heyne - Electric Intervals

Ambient in the broadest sense, calm instrumental downtempo guitar-centric with electronic flourishes

Equiknoxx - Colón Man

Vivid and tactile masterful sound design, syncopated loops, wonky and scintillating rhythms

American Pleasure Club - I blew a dandelion and the whole world disappeared

Lo-fi acoustic guitar with raw male vocals

Andrea Laszlo De Simone - Uomo Donna

Progressive pop, baroque/psychedelic pop + field recordings / bittersweet and pastoral

Drive45 - Have you seen me?

Bitpop indietronic, glitch pop, sequencer, dance pop

Drive45 - System Format

Bitpop indietronic, playful video game sounds

Leon Chang - bird world

Bitpop electronic, sequencer, videogame music, future bass / uplifting mellow and playful

dynastic - SPACE/SUMMER

Glitch hop, electronic bubblegum, kawaii future bass, mellow and uptempo, cheesy sax, chaotic sounds + dance floor dnb

Darto - Human Giving

Spacey experimental electronic mixed with post-punk, warm tones, 80s synths, soft melodic vocals + spoken bits

Pregnant - Duct Tape

Indie/art/soft rock, electronic, brilliant pop tunes, dreamy yet rhythmic

2016

Ever Ending Kicks - Music World

DIY colourful dreamy hazy songs

Mild Eye Club - Skiptracing

Low-key folk dreamy with 60s 70s vintage links

Loving - Loving

Easy and dreamy pop melodies, wavy, warm and mellow

Lala Lala- Sleepyhead

Alternative/Indie rock with grunge tones and personal and warm vocals

Gruff Rhys - Set fire to the stars

Soundtrack to the homonym 2014 film set in the 50s - soft romance rock, jazz-inspired, elegant and familiar

Oliver Coates - Upstepping

Deep house, techno, footwork blended with sharp and experimental classical strings

Garden Center - Garden Center

Erratic pop music, fun and playful electronic sounds, silly vocals

Raime - Tooth

Ominus and gloomy sound of dub, electronic and post-rock / stripped down to the flesh

Amiina - Fantomas

Violin, cello, drums, percussion, metallophone, harp, ukulele and electronics fused in a contemporary classical post-rock gentle melody-focused experimentation

Jake Tobin - Sorta Upset

Short tracks of experimental rock, avant-prog - eclectic and dissonant, technical and manic

Jake Tobin - Accidentally on Purpose

Post-modern experimental pop, jazz influenced sounds, off-kilter saxophone, silly humour

Vanishing Twin - Choose your own adventure

Swathes of percussion, exotic drum beats and funky guitars merge into a cosmic blend of reverberating bleeps with jazz skits / heady voyage across sound influences

Good Doom - Hug

Good Doom - Naps

Both off-beat lo-fi with a rock twists, spacey, fuzzy, grainy sounds

Zeal & Ardor - Devil is fine

Top notch black metal merges African-American spiritual slave music and some electronic beats and sounds

Shield Patterns - Mirror Breathing

Haunting vocals and sensual cello, clarinet and piano, all wrapped up in ethereal synths

Ashley Henry - Ashley Henry’s 5ive

Complex and uplifting post-bop jazz, imaginative flare, delicate and soothing piano

Florist - The Birds Outside Sang

Lo-fi indie, ambient-dream pop,sparse, minimalist keyboard leads bordering on chilly drones + intimate and personal songwriting

CBMC - OOR

Acustic lo-fi bedroom pop with an airy tone and somber feel but still feels fresh and lighthearted

Told Slant - Going By

Slowcore indie pop/folksy emo, ‘intimate spaces in which small town kids write memories of touch, togetherness, loss, love, depersonalisation’

Kate NV - Binasu

Art pop, progressive electronic, sequencer, joyful grooves but also atmospheric and ethereal sounds, eclectic and dense, melodic female vocals

Zaumne - Przezycia

Minimal ambient techno with a couple of spoken word bits

Mauno - Rough Master

Enticingly and eclectic indie rock, smooth vocals, strings and moody guitars, delicate piano, powerful drums

Susso - Keira

Tribal house, tribal ambient, folktronica, Mande music, rhythmic and powerful chants

Phern - Cool Coma

Psychedelic pop, lo-fi, mellow and playful

Hellier Ulysses - Ulysses Hellier

Experimental rock, math rock, jangle pop mixed with post-punk, technical, lo-fi, uncommon time signatures

Brad Mehldau Trio - Blues and Ballads

Deceptively sweet-sounding jazz album, songs are played with variations and every phrase is a cliffhanger - gracefully executed + bonus of my fav song <3

2015

Adeodat Warfield - Pacific, Missouri

Synth pop with electronic beats, vaporware notes

Ross Backenkeller - Rare Please

Folk indie guitar melodies with honest and gentle vocals

Grimes - Art Angels

Immaculate and authentic, synthetic and unreal but also super pop, folk, and dance / POST-art pop?

Jake Tobin - Third and Fourth Thoughts

Short tracks of weird avant-prog where the vocals follow the melodies all the time

Florist - Holdly

Vocals move slowly and sweetly through gentle meditation sound and soft guitars

Starry Cat - Starry Cat

Indie pop, lo-fi indie, wavy and shaky, bitter-sweet and personal male vocals

CBMC - FOOTWEAR

Acustic lo-fi bedroom pop with a somber feel but still feels fresh and lighthearted nearly asmr-like vocals

Wishing - To Forget

Lo-fi indie slowcore, fuzzy synths + acoustic sounds mixed with short electronic tracks / lyrics are whispered and very intimate

Oren Ambarchi - Live Knots

Two very long live recorded tracks of propulsive drumming full of tensions and releases + droning notes, plucked strings and mournful guitar

Juxta Phona - we will not be silence

Ambient, electronic, minimal melodies over crisp, tactile beats

Khruangbin - The Universe Smiles Upon You

Psychedelic / Funk rock, rhythmic and jazzy, tropical warm and peaceful

Red Sea - In The Salon

Indie experimental rock, psychedelic pop, math rock, melodic yet uncommon time signatures

Eyeliner - Buy Now

Synth-pop/funk - vaporwave / instrumental, melodic, uplifting, lush, futuristic / great bass lines!

2014

Ricky Eat Acid - Three love songs

First half found sounds, experimental electronics, fuzzy piano loops. Second half IDM beats and keys, choir-like vocals / “might be the sound of music having a dream within a dream about music”

Jake Tobin - Torment

Jake Tobin - Life as a Clerical Error

Weird dissonant mix of avant-prog, art punk and jazz fusion but in an amazing way

Richard Dawson - Nothing Important

Brittle, crudely amplified nylon-string acoustic guitar, experimental drones, folk sketches, imitation field cries, and free jazz diversions

2013

Ever Ending Kicks - Weird priorities

Sentimental chill instrumental and colourful with gentle vocals

Gruff Rhys - American Interior

John Evans-themes concept album - witty folk oriented retro-futurist music

Michael Andrews - Spilling a rainbow

Well-crafted pop tunes, nostalgic and lighthearted memories of folk rock with a dash of avant-garde electronic haze

Pill Friends - Blessed Suffering

Lo-fi indie/emo noisy and raw with existential and stark male vocals

2012

Told Slant - Still Water

Lo-fi/bedroom-punk with folksy guitars and delicate vocals as if they could break down in tears at any moment

2010

Hype Williams - Find out what happens when people stop being polite and start gettin reel

Ypnagogic vortex of incredibly canny hard to pinpoint music with distorted spoken vocals

Zach Hill - FACE TAT

Constant restless drumming, squiggly melodic instrumental hooks, mosaics of disconnected noises, fuzzy sounds and vocals

2008

Amplifier Machine - her mouth is an outlaw

Half-improvised ambient - drone - experimental - electronic - post-rock

E. Bandel, Victory & Good Hunting - s/t

Classical, piano, folk, melancholic, haunting

2007

Seabear - The ghost that carried us away

Indie/folk multi-instrumental dynamic floating sound, warm melodies, calm and gentle vocals

HEALTH - HEALTH

A masterful noise/experimental rock with elements of post-punk, drone and electronic - disorienting rhythms, tempo-shifting, noisy outbursts

2005

The Darkness - One way ticket to hell

Hard / glam rock ballads and pop tunes

2004

The Emperor Machine - Aimee Tallulah is hypnotised

Mix of electro euro disco, post-punk, krautrock, sci-fi scores, jazz-funk. Thick dance rhythms and mind-altering synths

2002

ESG - Step Off

Sweet soul with a punk attitude, jazzy sassy vocals

Hella - Hold your horse is

Non-stop, indie-audio assault / Nintendo music / midi and electronic beats / head-spinning leading drums, very fast guitars

1998

Eels - Electro-Shock Blues

elegantly sad grief and death themed album, deeply personal, yet brilliant pop tunes, post-grunge, jazzy arrangement, archive sounds, electronics

Duster - Stratosphere

Bashful slowcore lo-fi experimental space/indie rock

1975

Bobbi Humphrey- Fancy Dancer

Funky jazz with forms of world music, soul, club music and pop

1973

Kevin Ayers - Bananamour

Progressive pop, art rock with mix of soul, r&b, reggae - choirs and country type ballads

1972

Kevin Ayers - Whatevershebringswesing

Experimental new age prog rock, semisweet tunes, lighthearted, skewed sounds

1970

Kevin Ayers - Shooting at the moon

Experimental, progressive, avant-garde, rock with jazz influences, sound recordings, excellent songwriting

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thesunlounge · 5 years ago

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Reviews 361: R_R_ (Reinis Ramans)

Very few things in music make me happier than when Growing Bin goes ambient, and the newest exploration of horizontal stylings released on the label–the Train of Thought LP by R_R_–is truly something special. R_R_, short for Reinis Ramans, is an alias of Reinis Semēvics, a multi-faceted artist, composer, and lecturer based in Riga, Latvia and working in music, soundtrack, and radio. As described by Patrick Ryder in the press note for the LP, and as suggested by the soothing liquid visage on the front cover, Train of Thought is “inspired by the rhythmic movement of water and how its rippled reflections bend our perception”–and the album sees a wide range of field recordings, samples, acoustic instruments, and synthesizers combining for a sonic experience that is as meditative as it is beguiling. Water, as a thematic centerpiece, is heard in many forms...sometimes cleansing and pure, other times corrosive and blended with noxious chemicals…and birds and insects sing while the sounds of seaside cities filter into the stereo field. Synthesizers, orchestral samples, and otherworldly electronics morph and mutate between billowing clouds of subsonic smoke, spaceage cascades of radiant tropicalia, progressive electronic and new age sequencer studies, and droning choral incantations while pianos and digitized mallet instruments alight on polychromatic dream explorations. Elsewhere, bouncing basslines, IDM drum fx, and hand percussions coalesce to sweep the body towards alien island paradises and at certain crucial moments, four-four kick drums emerge to lead muted and vaporous expanses of oceanic deep house. As well, the entire album is artfully arranged and segued, with the individual compositions seamlessly flowing into and out of one another, creating the effect of a delirium hallucination.

R_R_ - Train of Thought (Growing Bin Records, 2020) Synthesized dream sonics descend over effected wave crashes at the start of “Entering,” with the sonics evoking mirage-like visions of leaves falling from trees. The melodic temperament of the track soon changes however, as the feathery pad descents are replaced by pooling clouds of black smoke and boat engine drones, with a vibe not unlike the murky ambiance of II by Wilson & Tanner. The immersive and softly caustic waves of sound grow ever denser as smoldering bass currents swirl slowly…their sounds evoking the mutated arias of an extra-terrestrial druid choir while scraped metals and abstracted clacks fill the air. As the track progresses, the mind wanders along desolate beaches adjacent to abandoned industrial factories, as sea-horns blow from unseen sources and air brakes releasing at nearby bustops. The inky hazes of unsettled ambiance hovering above the horizon eventually fade away and at some point, all sense of melody or tonality disappears, leaving behind the sounds of a decaying seaside city and a thick, soul-swallowing buzz. And as the track ends, post-classical angel breaths are carried on fluttering echowaves, crickets sing their chirping serenades, and the field recordings of lapping water return, only this time free of fx, with a sound clean and pure. The heavenly organ-esque tones of “Opposite” are birthed from this liquid soundworld. Chiming pads intertwine with sleepy-eyed keyboard phrases to bring atmospheres of a cosmic lullaby and hypnagogic bass pulsations float the body and spirit while treble frequencies shimmer at the edges of the mix...like myriad insect wings vibrating in anticipation. Dreamscape synth leads mimic the refractions of sunlight on a rippling ocean surface and after a sudden fade to silence, phased and flanged reveries of post-classical romance swim around each other, resulting in a glorious sunrise ritual blurred by layers of alien filtering, wherein shadowy formations reference previously heard progressions.

Field recordings of water and insects are slowly brought into focus at the end of “Opposite,” from which emerge the lulling arps of “Luminosity”…like fantasy sequences of kankyō-ongaku-inspired innocence. Cymbals tap out breezy rhythms and FM-synth star clusters descend from the night sky as gently physical tom tom rhythms give the horizontal groove a soft tribal pulse. Bleary synth arpeggiations continue their sleep-inducing dance and at some point, the rhythms cut away, leaving bass notes to pound like currents of heavy air. Wailing streaks of muted brass synthesis work into the mix alongside vaporous rhythmic accents and as further melodic cascades fall onto the mix, they bring with them drunken dream energies and whooshing celestial winds. The barely-there rhythms are given further hypnotic momentum by soft shaker murmurations and certain drum hits fly out through liquid dub fx chains. Phase-shifting wisps of fragile keyboard magic blow in from the edge of the mix, chill-out tracers and minimalist synth cycles dance joyously overhead, and galactic chimes swim through star oceans as rimshots work against the rhythmic flow, though the effect is brief and the track eventually breaks apart. Segueing into “Opening Up (Improv Take),” echo fx comprised of either birdsong or drum detritus move backwards in time, with manic repetitions obscuring Ramans’ REM-cycle piano explorations. Eventually, the clicking delay tracers recede, leaving glowing piano incantations to work through clouds of sustain pedal resonance, which overlap to create slowly moving vortices of ivory ambiance. And increasingly these tales of piano sustain and decay are caught through delay and reverb machines, which morph the sounds towards aquaeous fogbanks and deep sea cloudforms even as the playing grows ever more intense and accelerated, with runs of joyous abandon struggling to be heard within a droning maelstrom.

A fade to near silence introduces “Deleting Doubts,” wherein the pianos of the preceding track briefly re-emerge, with clustered notes generating clouds of deep sea ambiance. A Berlin school sequence diffuses in while asymmetrical delay fx move in counterpoint, resulting in a dance of psychoacoustic splendor. A four-four kick enters alongside emotional bass slides and the whole thing evokes into a sort of hyperventilating slice of Yume Bitsu-style post rock, with dub fx ricocheting across the mix and further sequential synth patterns entering to harmonize with the percolating kosmische electronics. Gentle hisses and glitches intermingle with birdsong and isolated three note piano melodies beam in from an entirely different song while woodblocks and rimshots bounce around the mix. And as sequences fade through echo chambers while sonars ping across the sky, huge roaring swells wash the mix clean, until all the remains is birdsong. “Melodic Harmony” begins the B-side, with further birdsong samples being quickly disturbed by unsettling liquid gurgles and extra-terrestrial laser whistles. White noise atmospheres flow over emotional basslines while IDM electronics flash cross the mind and as the track progresses, the vibe grows increasingly tropical even as it pushes towards alien landscapes, with a sound not unlike the work of X.Y.R, especially on Big Chill. At some point, equatorial chords drop, bringing with them soothing balearic vibrations and a sense of seaside warmth, which is only enhanced as metalloid taps form into a hypnotizing horizontal groove…the effect like watching a cinematic sunset on some faraway exo-planet, where the horizon explodes in colors never before imagined. During an ambient breakdown, birds sing again over hovering solar wavefronts and braindance cymbal FX, out of which emerges a completely transcendent passage, wherein instruments evoking a marimbas made of human breath executes minimalist fairy dream dances in the style of The Swan and The Lake. And effortlessly, the strangely swaying island life groove resumes around the angelic idiophones and now features muted brass fanfares reaching towards a sunburst sky.

In “New Wind,” a choir sitting at the center of existence blows out waves of blackened radiance, through which swim psychotropic laser clusters. Angelic hazes diffuse through the darkness, bird chirps echo, and cooing brass synths bring rays of warming light as a four-four beat and bassline pulse through the shadows. Further beings from celestial skies breath wordless melodies and echoing toms beat in tribal anticipation while hi-hats shimmer before resolving into focus, with everything coming together like the lunar ocean new age and rainforest club experiments of Sign Libra. Imagine a dance party on the seafloor, only as if heard thousands of feet away on the water’s surface, with throbbing and blurry rhythms causing the heady and body to fully zone out. We move from open water to the seashore in “Step by Step,” as effected waves crash and crystalline keyboards dance in a spirit of tropical effervescence. Blurred piano chords land like gemstones as they anchor a developing groove, which is constructed from the ritualist pitter patter of hand drums and tom toms. Leads awash in vibes of new age and coastal jazz sparkle like diamonds in the sunlight, alternately descending down infinite scales or alighting on understated solo explorations. Melodic bubble cascades glow in hues of ruby, sapphire, and emerald and are given further shape by a smacked snare, which imbues the track with a sort of dubwise riddim flow, one bringing evocations of Gaussian Curve’s balearic bliss outs and the Growing Bin classic Overworld by A.r.t. Wilson. Synthesized FM sequences join the island sway as the melodic and rhythmic begin to blur, with additional ceremonial drum layers joining in and seagulls crying overhead. And the track seems to space out as it proceeds, growing airier and landing increasingly like a dream…like a tropical paradise only remembered, with the mental visage blurring around the edges as the mind flits between scenes both real and imagined. As for “Outro,” whooshing waves and descending dream energies are joined by swells of ethereal string synthesis…as if an eternal orchestra of ocean and sky is bidding the listen farewell.

(images from my personal copy)

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blessed-by-avarice · 6 years ago

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[P A S T] The Devil’s Dance

A solemnity hovered within the atmosphere of the sept as the ebony clad priests made their way down the only clear pathway leading toward the altar. The seven of them wandered so gracefully it looked as if they were hovering an inch or so from the ground but their majesty was hidden by the steep length of their robes. As they wandered haunting melodies fled their parting lips to bound off the high-rise ceiling winding into a dome above which left the large spans of glass overhead so as the sky could gaze down upon them. This was the holiest of places among the Estate grounds and the most beautiful. Thick alabaster pillars held it strong while decorative vines encroached among its pallid surface speckling it with hard gashes of green and spotted with vibrant pops of color from the foliage. It was all too fitting that he died on the longest day of the year to further torment her and too on the day the flowers bloomed their brightest. The longest day meant they would take further care in their preparations of his body.

They soaked his corpse in lavender water for most of the morning, one by one the priests entered to comb back his air and shave his beard, trim his nails, and polish him till he glowed and smelled of the life his once lead. His clothes were washed thrice and ironed and mended for he was to be presented as he was. Ottavia was there for all of it though at the behest of her grieving mother. If she were to close her eyes and cancel the prattle around her she could faintly hear the indistinct sobbing pouring down the corridors from her mother’s chamber. It was a sound that would linger within the estate hall for years after. That poignant humming from the priests rattled against the iron scones and structures adorning the massive hall and for a time it seemed as if their music’s were intentional as to allow the building to drink their dread in. How foolish of her to delve into such juvenile train of thoughts. Hadrian’s casket was just as extravagant as the halls he was to be settled within, how funny that most would claim a wooden box for their final bed yet there her father lay in riches and wealth just to have its interior sullied by his body dripping the vestiges of his earthly self. Perhaps there lie the irony. Shitting among our achievements. With a single heave he was set before the entirety of the house and guests with a lurid grind against the wood till all that remained was its fading echo. The silence of death replaced the priests hum. On occasion a child would shuffle their footing and another would gently clear their throat.

Ottavia wasn’t entirely sure as to how loved her father was and the numbers would predict he was unconditionally adored but such concepts never issued with her. She oft thought it was better to be hated than loved, one was certainly easier than the other. Adorning herself in black wasn’t uncommon, in fact she simply dressed herself in her habitual attire that no one cared or noticed---not even her mother who stood beside her gripping desperately to a wrinkled handkerchief which she so shakily held beneath her nose. On occasion her should shook mourning followed by an idle sidelong list so she could rest her head against her only daughter’s shoulder murmuring incoherencies. The Ritualists gaze swooped skyward to pay mind to the firmament as a man she barely knew began to speak fondly of her father and on all the matters he reigned successful in. This man knew nothing of the things he pontificated, he spewed venom when he thought himself spreading appealing fragrances. The fighting urge to render the chapel asunder roiled through the length of her veins till it nestled deep within the cage of her chest daring to erupt till the weight of something warm drew her attention from the glass ceiling. A hand settled to her shoulder succinctly followed by the gentle ebb of a bated breath. “You could.” Sihdiel whispered, “And you should…. but not now. Not here.” Ottavia’s gaze lingered long to her counterparts less than assuaging mien as if to challenge her authority---to a point she held none but with her hand set atop her mantle the aspect of her concern bled through the thickness of her attire and into her sinew. “Stifling myself wasn’t always my strongest suit.” The Ritualist murmured briefly only to halt at her mother’s hiccuped yawping. The man pontificating of her father ceased his words and swooped an upturned palm toward the crowd till his thick and calloused fingers pointed toward Ottavia. “---And now we welcome his heir—the Light of his days and core of his once beating heart. His daughter Ottavia.” The searing of a hundred eyes all snapped to her uniformly all save for a single pair who opted to look away with a gentle snort, masking her sneer with the back of her hand. “The people await.” Sihdiel chortled lowly. “I shan’t disappoint. “ ~-• -~ Mentions: @burdened-by-wrath (I found this on my PC from June of 2016! Figured I’d post it to add it to the H&F list! That and it’s the aftermath to ET SANGUIS SANGUINEM PT. 1. PT.2 Will be posted soon!)

#prose #hex and fable #past

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chinatea · 6 years ago

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Jikook AU #3. (WIP)

Tags: Supernatural AU, Prince Jimin, Innocent Jimin, Sand Master Jungkook, Sand, Lots of sand, Deserts and Dunes, Aesthetics, Dreamy, Stalking, Seduction of the Innocent, Dark Ending.

(Updates will be irregular and short, tbh, because this is a short fic, I dunno why I’m splitting it even further, but you gotta do what you gotta do sometimes. Will be posted on AO3 when done.)

(THIS IS A NON-PERSONA FIC, OKAY. YEAH, I WRITE THOSE, TOO.)

Part 1.

The king has been writing letters for as long as Jimin remembers.

Their kingdom is dying, but here, in the safety of the palace, it is but a muted echo, a whisper shared in secrecy between the serving folk.

Jimin was born in the palace, raised in the palace and is destined to die here, too. The outside world is as ephemeral to him as a dream, existing only in the meandering stories of his mentors. The stories of warm people and treacherous dead ends, hidden among the streets so narrow one could barely squeeze through. He wishes he could experience it all, if only for a day, breathe in the smoky spices of his people, drown in the daily hubbub of a bustling bazaar, but come next morning, that dream escapes through the cracks of the ancient walls somewhere Jimin could never possibly follow.

For he is the youngest prince - he belongs here. As moon belongs in the sky, as fish belongs in the sea.

(Here, in the world of sand and wind, the sea, of course, is nothing but another dream wisp.)

Being the youngest means to bring luck and good fortune into the family. That is his sacred duty. The reason he is alive. That is also why he is prohibited to ever leave the palace grounds. The moment his feet brush the stones that are not of the palace, his family is doomed. Or so the story goes - a mere legend but who would dare to disobey and taunt the Fate herself? People in power are most superstitious.

Fettered he may be, still, Jimin has been raised with kindness, his wishes indulged, his whims obeyed - all but one, of course. The affairs of the outside world have also been kept out of his concern. The king and his letters, the occasional visitors, his brother’s sudden disappearance and his mother’s tears - all of that existed in a different world from his. Might as well be another dream.

He has his own reality, instead - his routine devoted to studies. Music, dance and sacrilegious reading. Tending to his mind as well as his body. He is the soul of the palace and his beauty reflects the vitality of their dynasty that has been prospering for a thousand of years now. Truly, the gods have been gracious.

It’s not often he is called to the great hall, the heart of their palace, where the king holds his daily sittings. Oftentimes Jimin feels lost in such a vast open space, a tiny speck surrounded by massive columns that soar high and imperious as in a vain attempt to bring them closer to the sun - they say the titans build them, long before humans were even in the picture. That is why they’re so humongous. That is why every word uttered travels great distance before echoing off the stone, magnifying it in intensity.

It’s no coincidence that only the king is allowed to speak in full voice here, the rest of them resorting to humble whispers. And Jimin barely utters anything at all. He’s only ever invited to play an instrument - a lute or banjo. And Jimin loves doing it. It brings a smile onto the king’s face - his father’s face.

The day he’s summoned again makes his heartbeat quicken just so. As much as he’s removed from the matters of their kingdom, he is not completely oblivious. Not long ago, his ears have caught a whisper of a whisper - something is happening outside the walls. The City’s walls. Somewhere far away where only dreams dwell.

Spurred by his curiosity, he hurries out of his midday bath, giddy with excitement as his attendants wrap him into layers of gauzy fabric, their movements ritualistic and solem. As much as he’s impatient, he understands that the youngest prince is the soul of the palace, hence he must look impeccable, especially in the eyes of the outsiders.

The sight that greets him in the great hall upon his arrival, however, dampens his spirits. The king seems...Jimin can’t really ascribe an emotion to his face. Maybe it’s grief, although Jimin could never be sure - grief exists in a place beyond his comprehension. He only knows the occasional melancholy of things.

Wordless, Jimin bows and lowers himself on one of the pillows by the king’s elevated seat, reserved for the members of the royal family - they are the only people who can remain seated in the king’s presence, the rest of the court keeping their distance respectfully, their heads lowered.

As he picks up a light lute, ready to start on a melody that his father finds most pleasurable, he’s immediately hushed with a brisk wave of the king’s hand, his eyed lidded in deep thought. Jimin’s fingers stay still, barely touching the strings, as the silence becomes their only music.

“Bring him in.” The king’s tired voice is barely above whisper. It barely cuts through the heavy silence of the hall.

Jimin waits with bated breath as the thudding of marching footsteps reverberate through the space like thunderclaps. It’s sinister and Jimin has half a mind to slink back into his chamber - the comfort of his books and blankets, only his curiosity gets the better of him.

The man the guardsmen bring forth is not of this land, that much is certain. His clothes are well-traveled, dusty from sand and grime, his looks have a rough edge to him, which strangely only adds to his handsome allure. Jimin has never seen a foreigner before, let alone so striking, that he allows himself to just stare, agog, at the stranger, along with the rest of the court.

“What good a single man would do us?” the king mutters under his breath, as if musing to himself. “I asked - I begged - for an army. Is this how my brother owes his debts?”

The stranger smiles at him and it’s not a kind smile - it’s not an evil smile, either. But there is something wicked behind it, something ancient - the smile of a man who knows many secrets.

“I am the army.”

Spoken with the conviction that cannot be wavered. Jimin doesn’t doubt it for a second, but the king slams his fist on the armrest in fury as a round of gasps rolls through the crowd. The king never - never - shows anger.

“How dare you mock me.”

Unperturbed by the outburst, the stranger, then, brings up his hand and opens his palm - a handful of sand dust piled in the center of it. Jimin almost leans off his seat in order to get a better look; almost rolls off it, a silent gasp of surprise caught in his throat when the sand rises off the palm, shaping up into a miniature whirl, its enchanting dance leaving Jimin riveting with awe.

A wave of whispers disturbs their court. Even his mother, ever the serene matron, loses her composure for a moment, lips parting in wonderment.

The king, however, begs to differ.

“Am I supposed to be impressed with your parlor tricks?”

“Perhaps not,” the stranger admits. “But are you sure you are looking in the right direction, my king?”

He points, then, towards the murky horizon, many eyes following the smooth flow of his hand, as if enchanted - there are gasps. There are voices, murmurs of wonder.

Jimin rises on his knees to peer beyond the open balcony into the vastness of the desert, encroaching onto the city from all sides. There is always something predatory about the sands, the dunes holding them in their clutches, waiting for the day it could swallow them all. And today...

Jimin is startled to realize that it might not be as far-fetched a truth. The sight leaves him invigorated as he takes in the sand columns in the distance, streaming down from the skies, all of them mirroring the dance of the little whirl on the stranger’s palm. They are too far to cause any real damage to the city walls, but if they were to reach them, the city would be left in ruins, no doubt about that.

Jimin shivers, as the cold fingers of tangible fear grip at the base of his spine.

“Are you impressed now, my king?” his voice runs as smooth as the sand between his fingers the moment he lets his hand fall - the distant whirls dispersing just as effortlessly, evaporating into the thin air. “Or maybe you think it’s some kind of trick? An illusion? Maybe you want me to raise one in the middle of this hall?”

“No. I believe you.”

The king’s face is pale, hands gripping painfully at the armrests of his throne. He looks like a tired old man. “If you swear to protect my land, you can have any reward you want.”

“I’m sure we can arrange on a suitable price.” The stranger’s eyes find Jimin’s, for the first time, burning through him like incense - it leaves him breathless. “In due time.”

“What should we call you, magician?”

“Jeongguk.”

The name is carried through the hall in reverence - Jimin, too, can’t help but test it out on his lips, soundless to anyone but Jeongguk himself as his dark eyes burn through his very core, sparkling feelings that leave his limbs heavy, pinned to the ground - it frightens him.

He darts before he can change his mind, leaving his flute and his family behind - escaping while all eyes are on the newcomer. Once out of the Great Hall, he sprints all the way into his private quarters, uncaring if the guards see him run like their palace is on fire. His step is light and muted. He doesn’t look back even if he desperately wants to - even if he feels eyes on him. Many, many eyes watching him - the feeling doesn’t dissipate even in the safety of his own bedroom.

Somehow he doesn’t doubt for a moment, whomever this man may be, he’s here to stay.

---------------

And this is end of the only decently written part for now. Sighs.

#jikook au #very guilty pleasure #im sorry chimchim

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person-of-varying-obsessions · 3 years ago

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Improv Writing (A Night Under the Radiant Moon)

*hey it’s been a while; let me know what you think of this*

The ballroom had little light, casting the dancers in an ominous shadow. Violins cried out in their all-too perfect voices as the click-clack of heels moved in time with their song. People from various backgrounds, whether scandalous or luxurious, danced to the cursed rhythm of the night.

Women wore skirts that fluffed out past their arm’s length; men wore tailcoats that reached their ankles. Even the children weren’t spared, forced to play the part of the family’s dolls and dress and act accordingly. Some reveled in the attention their unique features brought them, while others shied away from the dance floor and party-goers in favor of either staying in the darkest of the shadows or finding a private area for illicit activities.

A lone human leans against the wall. Their mind is blocking out the siren’s song echoing through the chamber, sights set on nowhere in particular. A glass rests in their hand, their wrist rotating to idly swirl the dark red wine. If one were to look their way, they would swear the person was a corpse rather than a living being.

Someone cries out, their voice striking against the backdrop of music, but nobody pays the disturbance any mind. Nothing but sin and selfish desire fills the air. If anything happens, it is the victim’s responsibility for only this night.

The arrangement of such an event gives credit to one Fulress Swanson.

The human’s attention is brought over to a pair of people standing a few paces away from them. With their hands all over each other, it’s hard to avert one’s eyes when their purest, most unadulterated passion is put on display for all to see. They simply roll their eyes and revert back to their dazed state.

Apathy is the only thing flowing through their veins this night, as they were dragged here against their will. Favor for a friend, one may ask. Not quite. Rather, it was a promise made in blood and soul, a pact that could never be broken, no matter what dark magicks were employed upon it.

Most would envy such a bond, but the human loathes its creation, especially for this night alone. An immediate rite of passage for most; a damnation of suffering for others.

Violins shift their tone from light and suspenseful to outright screaming alongside the horns. Nothing boisterous, but still loud enough to be more present than before. It breeds excitement among the masses, as they all pair up and head towards the center circle of the ballroom. An air akin to jovial envelops the space and drags its puppets into a ritualistic dance. The window spanning above the floor allows fresh, unfiltered moonlight to illuminate the dance. In place of its natural pale white is a blend of blue and violet, the colors one of this calling would associate with premonition.

Figures of all kinds are spinning and tripping and jumping at the chance to bask in the light alongside another. A promise of unity, the legends say. Superstition at best, but history proves its merit - at least, to an extent.

Distinct heel-clicks interrupt the inner musings of the human. They look up to see a figure much taller than them approaching. A beautiful tanned face, eyes deep and dark as hellfire, hair blacker than the night outside. Something about him seems… ominous, in their eyes. Despite this suspicion, they force themselves off the wall and stand up straight to speak with their new acquaintance.

“Morei,” he says without prompting.

“Kel,” the human replies.

No other words are exchanged. Morei joins Kel against the wall, adopting the same dazed look they had before encountering one another.

Everyone is still dancing as before, though a faint impatience blends in seamlessly with the feather-light atmosphere of the ball. Murmurs arise to accompany the orchestra like an unplanned harmony that still works to bring out the melody. Nobody is sure of what will happen tonight.

Morei suddenly whips around to stand before Kel, hand outstretched in offering. Kel stares at it with suspicion. One glance into Morei’s eyes dispels any doubts, and they take his hand into their own.

Now suddenly brought into the limelight, all of the party-goers watch as these two wallflowers sweep each other off their feet in an elegant yet simple waltz. However, a few viewers notice how the steps lead into one another and now watch with disgust; the movements of the old ruling family were seemingly all rid of, but that now seemed to not be the case.

As he twirls Kel, Morei takes in the human’s features. Faint specks of light flit around their face and hair. His eyes narrow at each one, already suspecting foul play.

“Why hide yourself?” he asks beneath a whisper. No one hears but Kel, who does not react.

“Because what I am is not meant to be here tonight.”

“Come now. If you came here under oath, then you surely knew you would not be able to hide all night.” He caresses the space above their ear. Then he leans in and breathes, “Let them see you for who you truly are.”

Before they can react, Morei leads them into a deep dip, his left arm easily supporting their weight. He then jerks them up to stand and spins them twice, pushing them out during the last spin so they stand fully exposed. As they were thrown into this position, the sparkles hovering near their face and hair flew away, revealing a head of gorgeous, long-flowing blonde hair, vibrant green eyes, and distinctly pointed ears.

Morei pulls them flush to him, now caressing the pointed tip of Kel’s ear. “There. You are much more charming when you are yourself.”

Kel scoffs. “Flattery gets you nowhere in the world, Your Highness.”

A laugh slips past his lips. “So you knew who I was after all. Radiant and intelligent. How lucky could I be on a night such as this?” The world slows to a crawl as the moon’s beam of blue and violet light shines down on the elf and prince. High-pitch gasps and cries overtake the music as those who wished so desperately to be the present pair had their dreams become mere fantasy.

Despite the revelation of what this night had put into motion, Morei pulls Kel into another dance. They rotate around the center-most point of the dance floor, soon joined by others who grew bored of waiting for the pair to end their turn.

Somehow, through nothing but chance, a new narrative had been started.

#dark academia inspired #prince of darkness/light elf #improv writing #i need to sleep but inspiration gives me everything but insomnia #hey i'm back at it again #inspiration for those who need it maybe #in hindsight this is like that one episode from the beginning of SVTFOE

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discolemonaaade · 4 years ago

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1. What do you like daydreaming about?

J: Minecraft

M: I don't really daydream much, when I do it's usually about things I'm remembering that have happened.

D: going to bed

2. Tell me something about you that you think I might not know.

J: I can make my eyes go in two different directions.

M: I never match my socks, unless they're special themed socks.

D: I like musicals.

3. What have your friends been up to?

J: I don't know, I have no idea.

M: Working mostly.

D: working and quarantining

4. What's a memory that makes you happy?

J: having my first sleepover with Ethan.

M: when Shamus slept over for the summer "New Years Eve" and we had a dance party in my bedroom.

D: going to Pennsylvania for new years

5. What do you look forward to when you wake up?

J: it depends on what day it is- on Saturday, being able to play video games and going with James.

M: going back to sleep.

D: going back to bed

6. You're at the beach. What's the first thing you do?

J: slowly go into the water.

M: set up the beach blanket

D: jump into the water

7. What makes you feel brave?

J: when I'm home alone and there's noises going on and I tell them to shut up and go away.

M: going into dark places by myself when I'm home alone.

8. What makes you feel loved?

J: when somebody hugs me.

M: when people make things just for me!

D: my family

9. How do you show people you care?

J: sending them a thank you card.

M: making them things

D: doing good deeds without asking to be thanked

10. If you could give $100 to a charity, which would you choose?

J: I don't even know a single charity! St. Jude's charity! Is that even a charity?!

M: Almost Home Animal Shelter if that counts.

D: Cohen's children's hospital

11. How would you design a treehouse?

J: A nine foot wide and ten feet long wooden enclosed area with a ladder leading to an entrance. Also a balcony.

M: A ladder going to an enclosed house with windows and two floors!

D: make sure it has four walls and a roof

12. If you wrote a book, what would it be about?

J: the Entity.

M: maybe dragons and faeries and monsters?

D: memoir life of Dan E Danger and his time with Acid Bath Productions

13. If you designed clothes, what would they look like?

J: they would have the words "Entity" upright and upside down.

M: black and orange with chains and cool stuff!

D: loud and obnoxious

14. How do you best like helping others?

J: holding the door open

M: doing arts and crafts with them

D: generous favors, random acts of kindness

15. What makes you feel thankful?

J: food

M: when I get presents

D: my health

16. If you made a cave in the woods, what would be inside it?

J: a wifi hot spot, an electricity outlet, an Xbox, a ps4, a PC, a TV, video games, video game controllers, soda dispenser, and a frozen yogurt dispenser

M: bats and torches and ritualistic stones

D: a couch, some sort of cooling chamber

17. What makes you feel energized?

J: thinking about my ideas that I can do in Minecraft

M: stretching

D: caffeine

18. If you were in a play, what would your character be like?

J: Darth Vader

M: something fun and crazy

D: unbalanced

19. What makes your friends so awesome?

J: that they talk to me

M: they're kind and altruistic

D: they're generous and caring

20. What makes you so awesome?

J: I'm polite.

M: I can slam dunk the basketball when the hoop is lowered a lot!

D: nothing.

21. What are three things you want to do this summer?

J: go and see grandma, go to Splish Splash, and go to one more amusement park, maybe Six Flags or something like that.

M: go to Massachusetts, go camping, and go to Splishety Splashety.

D: go camping, go to Las Vegas, drive a monster truck

22. If you had friends all over the world, how would you keep in touch?

J: (laughing) phones!

M: group chats

D: Facebook

23. If you joined the circus, what would your circus act be?

J: I would never join the circus, because circuses suck. I guess I have to say something. My act would be destroying the circus. Because circuses suck.

M: trapeze artist

D: the human blockhead

24. If you were a teacher and could teach your students anything at all, what would you teach them?

J: "Well kids, today we're going to learn how to FIGHT SOMEBODY!"

M: how to live in harmony with the environment

D: to be kind and caring

25. If a friend asks you to keep a secret that you don’t feel comfortable keeping, what would you do?

J: it depends on what it is.

M: it depends on what secret it is- I might tell them that I have to tell somebody.

D: as long as it's not something that's harmful to anybody, I suppose I'd be honor bound to keep it

#survey #new years #new years survey #2020

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sinkingorswimming · 7 years ago

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congrats dommi!! for a prompt: how about some more fandom au? maybe a little social media part there? i'm a sucker for modern fics ;D

I’m assuming that fandom AU=cosplay AU right? Here we go!

It’s the Friday night before school starts in Loudoun County, so Yuuri is slightly less than 72 hours from his senior year. Per the request of Senior Class President and Close Personal Pal Yuuko Nishigori, Yuuri is at the party bridge with his compatriots.

Phichit is nearby with Seung Gil and Leo chatting about something or other related to Leo being voted Cross Country Captain. Seung Gil is on the team too, since it helps him come Lacrosse season in the Spring. His whole social circle met through the Anime Club, except Yuuko and Takeshi are friends from childhood and Phichit was in Yuuri’s art class in eighth grade.

Yuuri’s also in the Fashion Club because of cosplay and sewing. It’s fun, though, he loves it a lot. He was also made Co-Costume Count with Phichit for the Drama department. (They use royal titles for everything in Troupe 3564. It’s whatever.)

Phichit’s the Troupe President this year, to absolutely no one’s surprise. He’s wildly popular and he’s a valuable asset to the theater department.

Yuuri sips something the shade of NyQuil from a red SOLO cup, noting that it tastes like apple Jolly Ranchers. There’s talk of ritualistic diving off the bridge eventually which he thinks sounds like a Paralysis Party waiting to happen. Maybe not.

He sips more of the green thing. Maybe after a few more of these?

His phone chirps, and he unlocks it to see his Instagram has been tagged. It’s the artwork for the pair cosplay with Victor.

v-nikiforov: Coming Valentine’s Day weekend—a special project with katuski-yuu! ;) #clamp #x1999 #fummamonou #kamuishirou #manga #cosplay

Yuuri smiles. He likes the post and comments with the sunglasses wearing smiley. Victor replies to his smiley upping the ante with a blue heart and a kissy face.

Yuuri turns pink and gives a tiny laugh. It’s not flirting, it’s just Victor, he reminds himself, but his heart marks double-time just the same. He scrolls through Victor’s gallery, careful not to like anything older than a day or two per Phichit’s stridently enforced guidelines. There’s a new one of Makkachin that got lost in the shuffle, and Yuuri likes it.

“Yuuri! Yuuri oh my God Yuuri!” Phichit says. He looks like he might slap his phone out of his hand.

Yuuri looks at him with an unimpressed eyebrow raise. He sips the punch. “Yeah?”

“Stop doing your antisocial phone stare and come play!” Phichit orders. Yuuri is not given the ability to say no as he’s dragged back to the crowd. Guang Hong just arrived with giant sacks of McDonald’s paid for by the Senior Class Treasury, and Yuuri manages to grab a Big Mac and the world’s largest fries.

They all scarf the food and chat, including Yuuri. Jean-Jacques Leroy, Spartan Football QB, NHS President, Show Choir and Chamber Choir President, and as of this moment, Class Salutatorian, announces the arrivals of some kegs. His girlfriend, Field Hockey Captain, NHS Vice President, Key Club President, and Yuuri’s fun but abraisive friend in the Fashion Club, Isabella Yang, passes out more cups with a grin and a flash of her perfectly manicured maroon and gold nails.

Bella wears JJ’s letterman’s jacket when winter comes. JJ wears her class ring on a chain around his neck.

There’s this aura at the party of nothing will ever change and we’ll always be together, but Yuuri kind of feels that’s a lie. Before he can think too much, Phichit grabs him into a selfie, Phichit looking beautiful and Yuuri looking like a sacred deer staring at the end of a hunter’s bow.

phichit+chu First party of Senior Year! Best class beast class! #gospartans #brhs #partybridge #cornfieldhigh

He tags Yuuri’s handle too, uploading it immediately. Since it’s not quite dark, the photo’s somewhat pretty—sunset, the water as their backdrop, other kids milling about in the background.

Phichit takes more pics, filtering them and running edits in Snapsneed. His social media, for a high schooler, is really popular for his efforts in curating it. Music begins to blast from this guy Yuuri had in AP Bio last year named Altin’s phone.

Young hearts, out our minds,Runnin’ ‘til we outta time,Wild childs, lookin’ good,Livin’ hard just like we should!

Yuuri defies Phichit and checks IG. There’s a bunch of comments on their selfie…including one from Victor. He no idea Victor follows Phichit.

v-nikoforov: Seems like a great party! See you at AnimeUSA!

Yuuri gets a DM a moment later. It’s a text and emoji message from Victor.

The sunset makes you look incredible.

Yuuri bites his left thumb while staring at it. He’s heard of this, the whole sliding into someone’s DMs thing…but Victor is a college junior. He can’t mean that in a flirtatious way—Yuuri’s just a dime-a-dozen 12th grader who hangs with the theater kids and the Anime Club.

Thank you, he replies with shaking fingers.

You’re welcome. Wish I could see this in person! Victor responds with a wiking emoji.

Yuuri turns the same shade as the maroon of his school.

Oh wow…what if he does?

#cosplayer au #victuuri #yoi fic #victuuri fic #high school au now too i guess #specifically my high school #this got long #ah well #victor you naughty boy #hey guess what yurio goes to this high school too as does minami

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nofoodjustwax · 4 years ago

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Between - Dharana

Between – Dharana

Released in 1974 on Wergo Records Artist: Between Format: LP Style: Spiritual Folk, Psychedelic Chamber Music, Kosmische, New Age Vibe: Ritualistic, Religious (Hindu), Hypnotic, Spiritual, Tribal Musical Attributes Acoustic, Percussive, Raga-Influenced, Chants, Droney Instrumentation: Oboe, Acoustic Guitar, Congas, Keyboards, Bass Listen:

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kayawagner · 6 years ago

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Mini Quest #2: Silent Sacrifices

Publisher: Quest Chests

Key Features

FREE

5th Edition Compatible

3-4 Hours of Memorable Gameplay

Intended for 3-5 Players of Level 1

PDF & Interactive Version Included

Original Map Design

15 Pages

Story Description

Yellin jabbed a crooked stick into the fading embers of the campfire and glared at the small tent where Barbran slept. He hated being a carriage driver. He hated how the long journeys took him away from his precious wife and daughters, but he especially hated the old dwarf who’d hired him. Because of her, he wouldn’t see them for at least two weeks. He turned his mind to more pleasant thoughts and recalled the conversation he’d had with his wife that morning.

“You be safe now, you hear me?” she’d said. “I always worry about you on these longer trips.”

Yellin chuckled softly. “You always worry,” he said as he kissed her forehead. “I’ll see you in two weeks.”

Yellin smiled as he thought back on that moment. It was the last thing he remembered before the grimlock crept out of the shadows and smashed its club down on his head.

A blind evil scrambles just beneath the surface. Grimlocks, a twisted, cannibalistic race of humanoids, have come up from their underground lair to collect sacrifices for their mind-controlling masters who dwell miles below in the deepest crevices of the earth. Under cover of darkness, these degenerates clamber out of their cave to steal unsuspecting travelers and nearby townsfolk. After being beaten unconscious with fists and clubs, the victims are dragged back to the grimlocks’ lair where they are trapped in simple but very effective cages their masters helped them construct. For days the prisoners are left without food until the grimlocks are ordered by their masters to conduct a gruesome, ritualistic offering. When the call is made, the grimlocks pull their captives from their pits and devour every bit of flesh and organ save for the heads. Once nothing but a skeleton remains, the head is pried off and hurled down a massive pit which leads directly to the lair of the Grimlocks’ tyrants who gorge themselves upon the freshly offered brains.

Last night, these very grimlocks crept into the adventurers' camp and attacked without warning, bludgeoning them into unconsciousness as they slept. The adventurers were then dragged back to the grimlocks’ caves, stripped of their gear, and tossed into cages. Now, trapped with no recollection of what happened, they must navigate the dark caverns riddled with dead-ends, bottomless pits, and helpless prisoners if they hope to survive. However, they will quickly learn that each breath, whisper, and footstep attracts the wretched creatures lurking around every corner.

Unique Features

Perfectly take on the role of this adventure’s three primary and entirely unique NPCs with thoroughly developed character profiles.

Quickly show your players exactly where they are without revealing secret chambers, hidden treasures, or upcoming encounters with “Player Safe” map images.

View the adventure’s full-sized map at any time, on any page, with quick reference pop-up images.

Surprise your PCs with strange and quirky trinkets spread throughout the caves with a Random Trinkets table made just for this adventure.

Keep your players on the edge of their seat with random encounters designed specifically for this adventure.

Create a sense of terror, horror, and suspense for your players with this adventure’s pre-built music playlist.

MAKE SURE TO CLICK ON THE HYPERLINK IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING THE COVER PAGE TO ACCESS THESE FEATURES.

Price: $0.00 Mini Quest #2: Silent Sacrifices published first on https://supergalaxyrom.tumblr.com

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nnjzz · 8 years ago

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MSHR + MAX EILBACHER / DUNCAN MOORE + AQUA DENTATA + BAŁWAN /

- - - - LUNDI 29/05/2017 - - - - -

MSHR /us MAX EILBACHER / DUNCAN MOORE / us AQUA DENTATA /uk BAŁWAN / pl fr

EASF 44 rue Bouret 75019 M° Jaurès

ATTENTION ! early show = 19-22h !

19 portes 19:30 1er live 22:30 =fin lives

venez tôt /

P.A.F. libre + idoine M E R c I /

=======================================================

MSHR /us portland, or

We build and explore systems to reveal pathways toward ecstatic sensory experience. We work at the intersection of digital sculpture, analog circuitry and ceremonial performance. Our physical projects revolve around analog light-audio feedback systems built from macro-arrangements of our sculptural synthesizers. On the virtual side, we weave computer generated portraits of inter-dimensional entities and psychedelic realms.

Issu du collectif Oregon Painting Society en 2011, MSHR est un "projet sensoriel", composé de Brenna Murphy & Brad Cooper, Improvisant avec des instruments électroniques faits maison, créant des dispositifs spatialisés & immersifs, installations et performances - parfois - interactives. Leurs performances évoluent autour d'un système son et lumière unique réagissant à la manipulation de leurs synthétiseurs. Le duo s’insère dans le système ainsi créé, en déplaçant des capteurs sculpturaux pour diriger les trames de la réaction du système afin d'explorer les hyper paysages d'une cérémonie transhumaniste.

"Pour ses travaux solo, Brenna Murphy utilise la vidéo, l'image générée par ordinateur et le collage sonore pour élaborer des « cyber-tapisseries » connectées à des interfaces réseau. Birch Cooper produit une musique expérimentale synthétique en utilisant des technologies bio-électroniques qu'il conçoit lui-même." (Les Presses du Réel)

Invités du Festival EXIT à Créteil en 2014, avec leur installation "Ceremonial Chamber", sur le site d'Arte on pouvait lire à leur propos : "Le duo américain formé par Brenna Murphy et Birch Cooper s'est donné un nom plastique qui sent bon les champignons : MSHR.

Un acronyme, à l'image de leur art, qui n'impose rien mais peut tout. Enfants du monde connecté, Brenna et Birch naviguent dans les eaux hybrides de la création allant de la performance musicale à la sculpture digitale. Ils s'autorisent tous les supports, tous les voyages et souhaitent nous faire monter à bord à leurs côtés. Pour l'exposition Micro Macro, ils présentent leur installation "Ceremonial Chamber" : un environnement numérique et organique inspiré des crépuscules de bord de mer. Deux consoles aux motifs fantastiques nous invitent à jouer avec des joysticks qui provoquent sons et lumières. Autour, coquillages et bois échoués cohabitent avec des formes graphiques modélisées puis imprimées en 3D. MSHR nous montre la voie. Pour pénétrer dans cette chambre cérémonielle, ils commencent par se déchausser. Face à face, les pieds dans le sable blanc étoilé de LED, les deux artistes s'effleurent et se touchent. C'est alors que, grâce à des capteurs enfouis sous la plage artificielle, les contacts peau à peau invoquent une composition musicale singulière…"

(Festival EXIT)

“MSHR’s stage is one giant musical instrument, a sculpture made of mirrors and fluorescent plastic. It’s laser-cut into latices of glyphs connected by wires, with plates curving into square, kaleidoscope shapes and lasers cutting through the fog.” – Marina Galperina, Animal New York

“At the heart of MSHR is an array of sculptural instruments designed and built by the artists. Light sensors inside 3D printed translucent cases control oscillators that in turn control the lights to create feedback, resulting in a synaesthetic experience that is kinetic and ritualistic in a way that contemporary noise artists seldom achieve. MSHR performances stimulate an audiovisual overload, using time, space, light, and bodies in motion as raw materials to occasion a very distinctive sort of transcendence.” – Emily Pothast, Decoder

http://www.mshr.info/

https://vimeo.com/149066148

https://vimeo.com/82142998

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXNLsSbltn8 http://www.redefinemag.com/2014/mshr-artist-collective-interview-pathways/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6p4HUJB_k_w

MAX EILBACHER / DUNCAN MOORE / us baltimore Quand il ne tient pas la basse chez les troublions math-rockeux de HORSE LORDS, Max Eilbacher fait de l'electronica nourrie au MEGO et au GRM.

Le Non_Jazz l'avait accueilli il y a moins de deux ans et il revient cette fois-ci en compagnie d'un autre artiste sonore originaire de la même ville pour une performance sans doute désopilante & tendue.

Max Eilbacher and Duncan Moore are Baltimore-based sound and performance artists. Situated somewhere between abstract acoustic-electric composition, butoh and office power point lectures, their live pieces merge traditions of deep listening avant-garde music with gestural and physical choreography. Moore has recently completed a month-long residency at Otion Front Studio, an avant-garde dance and movement space in New York City. Eilbacher has completed a residency at the INA-GRM and previously studied computer music with the music supervisor of the Cunningham Dance Company. The two strive to invoke a unique atmosphere of sonic and physical expression that challenges and expands the definitions and boundaries of both.

Max Eilbacher: https://thump.vice.com/en_us/track/max-eilbacher-and-die-riehes-nna-tapes-stream

http://nnatapes.com/available-releases/max-eilbacher-schizophrenia-as-architecture/

Duncan Moore: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S438QMGDujQ&t=2m14s

https://soundcloud.com/ars-media-solutions/headband-butterfly-feat-jessica-ashley-rachel

SEF III (Current collaborative project with Alex Moskos of Drainolith):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZkDqMWrP-cs

AQUA DENTATA / uk london Derrière ce nom - le Londonien Eddie Nuttal développant un travail sonore aussi bien avec des dispositifs électroniques qu'acoustiques, souvent "faits maison".

S'ensuit une série de "tableaux sonores" abstraits, évoluant lentement, calmement et mystérieusement.

The Aqua Dentata back catalogue is a slow growing coral of exceptional beauty. A seemingly restricted palette of (home constructed) synth drones and unplaceable metal-on-metal skittering is used to create abstract expressionist work of such depth and subtlety that the hold it commands has an almost occult power

(...)“No-one in what this blog lovingly refers to as the ‘no-audience underground’ is producing work as consistently brilliant as Eddie Nuttall. The back catalogue of his project Aqua Dentata – growing with the alien beauty and frustrating slowness of a coral reef – contains not a wasted moment.

His work – quiet, long-form dronetronics with metallic punctuation – is executed with the patience and discipline of a zen monk watching a spider construct a cobweb.” – Radio Free Midwich

Working primarily with electronic and acoustic devices, Nuttall creates a dense tapestry of hypnotic drones and surreal textures, employing a refined and considered approach within a DIY framework.(Café OTO)

https://soundcloud.com/aquadentata

BAŁWAN / pl fr paris

Nappes forestières polo-nez traitées avec soin par divers logiciels occidentaux modernes, fragments de disques moches et enregistrements en extérieur transformés agrémentant nouvelle prestation de boudin des Carpates

https://soundcloud.com/balwan/sets/balwan-ich-sehe-dich-wenn-du

Fly :: CL

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