#this is somewhat of a play on those spinning ballerina music boxes

[chestersbraincell]

Glass figurine

Is it friendship if we do the things friends do,

Is it friendship even if I refuse to call it so?

Are the walls I’ve build no walls at all

No matter how I’ve toiled and severed,

And grinded up my heart into dust to

mix into cement

it was crushed into sand

And burnt into the most brittle glass.

Stupidly brittle glass, that you peered through

and perceived me.

And opened this Pandora’s box

But what if I’m cursed?

Cursed to loop and circle

The same cursed song on repeat?

What if the twisted mirror my mother is

Is made of the same glass that i am?

What if my father’s brittle glass

I try so hard not to break,

And then walk around like eggshells,

Is also mine to bear?

No, to impose on everyone else?

What if, like glass, my very nature is to break?

I’m scared you’ll shatter me, because you will.

No matter how careful you are, glass gets dropped eventually.

And when you bend down to collect the shards,

It cuts your fingers before you can even decide,

Whether to toss the remains

Or to melt and mold it into tempered glass.

So will you watch, will you play with the figurine,

Who’s battery burns with every recharge,

slowly withering away?

Will you stand by a flickering flame knowing

Knowing it’s bound to burn out?

Or is the pit growing in my stomach

Instead a seed, growing the faintest of hope

Hope that this glass can be tempered

Tempered enough to withstand itself

[shemakesmusic-uk]

Singer-songwriter/producer Noga Erez has released a video for ‘Cipi,’ directed by Omri Rozi. Shot in Berlin with a fierce crew of dancers, it is another example of Noga and ROUSSO's inimitable talent and creative artistry. “It’s a song about coping with mental weakness while being in an environment where drugs and pills and medication are constantly offered as a way to cope,” Noga explains.“It can be hard to say no when all you want is something to numb the pain. The 'Cipi' video is a visualisation of the mind during that time.. .and the multiple voices inside of it. It’s a depiction of what you think the drugs might do before you do it, cleaning up the chaos in your head. I have many that are close to me whose lives have been saved by getting proper medical help. It’s a very personal decision, but for me I know I did the right thing the times I've said no, and am scared by what might have happened if I hadn’t. This song comes from my own personal experience in dealing with this.”

To celebrate the release of her newest EP Limbo Cherry, LAUREL is sharing the video for ‘Wild Side’, directed by Elliot Arndt. “The video for ‘Wild Side’ is an analog take on pop,” LAUREL explains. “A refined version of myself shown in a new light, yet replicative of my early dreams of Britney Spears, dancing in my bedroom at the age of 4 years old, when I first realized I wanted to sing. Directed by Elliott Arndt, we played on the theme of self obsession present in the modern world. The wild side of a psychosis that is often expressed alongside love when it comes to love between egos rather than love between hearts. Limbo Cherry is the second part to my recent EP Petrol Bloom,” she adds. “Whilst Petrol Bloom evoked the energy of fire and adrenaline, Limbo Cherry is representative of water, love, longing and naivety. It explores the space in my mid twenties where I find myself on a journey to becoming a woman, yet still feeling somewhat like a child learning the world. Everyday blossoming further into a new version of myself, through continuous change and repeated states of limbo between youth and maturity.” [via DIY]

Fresh off of her hypnotic ‘Hotel Room Drama’ series, Parisian newcomer Crystal Murray is sharing her latest slice of sizzling R&B with new track ‘Like It Nasty’. Blending elements of rap, French House and neo-soul into the mesmerising new song, Crystal previously told DIY, “One thing I want people to feel when I sing is my emotion, I sing my pain away, my joy and my love.” [via DIY]

Hotly tipped UK-based alt-pop/electronic artist Salt Ashes has released her highly-anticipated and eagerly-awaited new video for her single 'Too Many Times'; the latest product of her mission to bring a refreshing and dark edge to the world of dance music. Featuring gorgeous, self-styled choreography with her signature sinister edge, the video tackles a childhood belief that she harbored as a young girl that grew into adult struggles with mental health. “The instrumentation of ‘Too Many Times’ reminded me of one of those musical jewelry boxes with a spinning ballerina inside, which is what inspired the doll idea for me,” Salt Ashes explains about the percolating pop of the instantly-captivating single. “When I was little, I used to imagine those ballerinas had real people stuck inside of them, which got me thinking that that’s what I feel when I’m suffering from intense anxiety… like I’m trapped inside my own head and can’t get out. The reality is that it’s only me that’s trapping myself!” Segueing that adolescent fantasy to adulthood and the psychological trappings that come with growing up, Salt Ashes adapted that idea and transposed it into her Twilight Zone-esque video. “This was one of those videos that I really put guts, blood and tears in,” she recalls. “Considering the song is about my anxiety and the moments when I sometimes feel pretty rubbish about myself, I thought this would be a great moment to prove (to myself) that I’m not rubbish and I can achieve great things when I just push and don’t give up. So I ended up writing, directing, producing, choreographing and styling the video plus making the doll wig… There were a few tears along the way, but I did it and I’m really proud.” [via Nyrdcast]

Hiatus Kaiyote are sharing the video for the 'Get Sun'. Featuring Verocai, the tune came together during a session in Australia’s Byron Bay, though Nai Palm had largely written the song before the band formed in 2011. The video, an absurdist sci-fi trip, matches the buoyant energy of the track. Director Grey Ghost (Jeremy Koren) notes about the concept behind the video: "The 'Get Sun' video is a wild and wonky space journey inspired by Red Dwarf, The Young Ones, Mighty Boosh & Le Voyage dans la Lune. The band came to me with a huge idea that featured them attempting to get to the sun by various DIY methods, so we met up to chat over the concept and next minute we had a goddamn giant beast to create...I wanted it to look shitty and beautiful all in one, to be stoopid and breathtaking and to take you on a strange journey into the warped imagination of one of the dopest living bands." Nai Palm added about filming 'Get Sun', "I have never laughed more on set, ever. I’m usually pretty camera shy, but everything about this video was a joy to make. Jeremy was the ultimate legend, and all hands on deck were super loverly and creative. Can’t wait to share it and make more weird nerd art visuals for people to see. Also, it’s not everyday you get to ride a velociraptor in space."

Alicia Walter is best known for fronting the Chicago art rock Oshwa, but now she's going solo with her debut LP I Am Alicia, due September 17 via Sooper Records. Alicia co-produced the album with Devin Greenwood (who's also worked with Sufjan Stevens, Mirah, Half Waif, and others), and the first single is 'Prelude,' which is a mathy, maximalist art pop song that's just as ambitious as her former band. "I wrote my album I Am Alicia sequentially, starting with 'Prelude,'" Alicia says. "This song kicks off a wild journey exploring my identity, consciousness, and everything that makes me tick. 'Prelude' is about letting go of any inhibitions holding me back from evolving into who I want to be and remembering that sometimes real wisdom lies in not knowing, rather than assuming I do." [via Brooklyn Vegan]

Behind every successful star is a story filled with big dreams and determination. Vocalising this age-old tale is the LA-based duo ill peach with their pop meets punk track 'GUM'. Range is key when it comes to the vocals that feature angelic melodies, and moody monologues give life to the existential contemplations lacing the track’s playful lyrics. Listeners can also enjoy the steady strum of an electric guitar and layered vocals washed over with a hazy filter as Jess Corazza and Pat Morrissey’s angsty pop anthem plays out. “‘GUM’ is about two kids in a diner, who go there to dream big. It was inspired by Hard Times Cafe in Minneapolis. A legendary 24-hour diner. Life is like a piece of gum. Once it loses its flavour you spit it out and pop in a new piece,” the duo candidly explains. Award-nominated fever dream visuals accompany the track as we see miniature sets and scenes of mind-numbing boredom, similar to that of lockdown 1, add to the narrative of big dreams and small beginnings.  And, with the pair having made their starts as cowgirls and tap dancers before venturing into songwriting for the likes of SZA, it is clear they have a wild story tell. So, indulge in the sweet sounds of 'GUM' and gear up for tales and tunes galore as the duo’s debut project Excuse Us While We Find Our Minds looks towards a summer release. [via Wonderland]

The bassist of NYC’s Bodega and The Wants, Heather Elle is now introducing her brand new solo project Flossing with hypnotic debut single ‘Switch’. The first taste of her forthcoming EP Queen Of The Mall due in September, Heather says of ‘Switch’, “In its dual moods, the song represents the complexities of coinciding grieving processes — my mother passing suddenly before tour, ending a five-year relationship, leaving a band, and learning that my city and industry would be on an indefinite hold.” [via DIY]

Doja Cat has shared the music video for ‘You Right’, her collaboration with The Weeknd, coinciding with the release of new album Planet Her. The Quentin Deronzier-directed visuals open with Doja pacing through a majestic, otherworldly palace filled with Libran symbology – the singer’s zodiac sign. The Weeknd and Doja then both appear together out in the galaxy, in line with the cosmic aesthetic of the latter’s new album. [via NME]

Big Freedia has released a brand new dance single, 'Betty Bussit,' in celebration of LGBTQ Pride. “This song was inspired by Betty Boop and Baby Esther (the cartoon character + performer),” the Queen of Bounce said of the track. “Those queens were the original Divas! They were curvy and sexy and captivating performers.” In keeping with the theme, the music video for 'Betty Bussit' shows Big Freedia and a cadre of flapper girls dancing in a club. They’re joined by the song’s two guests, Soaky Siren and Tank and the Bangas. [via Rolling Stone]

[ratkingdnd]

Chapter Thirty - Tie me kangaroo down sport

“Looks like you’ve had a bit of a rough and tumble” says the troll, inspecting each member of the group quickly. He stands up, straightens his back and says “I’m honest John and THIS is my stuff for sale” as he rips the blanket off of the cart showing a myriad of items and knick knacks stored. The group walk over to the cart as Honest John explains his ware. “Right here, we have some arrows. Raaaanger” he says pointing at Buffalo. Buffalo shows a little more intrigue. “I have Moss Arrows, great for hitting the floor with. Pop one out ya bow, lands on that noisy floorboard. Now that floorboard ain’t making a sound mate”. “I also have water arrows!” he says lifting up another arrow, this one with a small globule of a shimmery see through liquid on it. “Fire that needs to be extinguished? This is your arrow!” John says. “What about this beauty!” John exclaims, holding up an arrow with barb’s facing the base of the arrow. “If this goes into someone or something, you bet they’re going to have an even worse time getting it out hahaha” Honest John says laughing. “Those don’t tickle your fancy, well mate, this one is a doozy”, John holds up another arrow that has a Y shape on the end instead of an arrow head. The inside of the Y glints in the sun, showing a razors edge. “This is a rope cutter arrow, Fighting on a rope bridge that needs to be cut from afar? This is the rope for you” says John. “Arrows isn’t all I got though! What about something for the dragonborn, perhaps a pretty little music box” Honest John pulls out a music box and opens the lid. Inside is a ballerina spinning as a sweet little melody plays out of the base. “Like that, do you mate” says Honest John to Scaly with a smile on his face. “I guess so” says Scaly staring at the ballerina and then back at Honest John with a confused look on his face.

Honest John starts listing the rest of the stuff in his cart, pointing at each item as he names it, “Bag of flour, bag ‘o beans, some bells, perfume, parchment, aarakocra arrow storm spell scroll and an egg scroll”. “Did you say you have an egg roll?” asks Ned, “No an egg scroll” answers John. Ned looked confused. Meanwhile, Buffalo takes a hard look at the items in the cart and certain things start to have an ever so slight glow to them - particularly the bag 'o beans and the two scrolls. Buffalo looks up at Honest John, “I’ll take a couple of all the arrows and the bag 'o beans”, “Right!” says John as he grabs the items and pops hands them over to Buffalo. A huge smile on his face, revealing a glint from a silver tooth, Honest John says “Honest John is always honest!” before popping the sheath back over the cart. Buffalo opens the bag 'o beans and see’s only six inside, they were quite large though. He grabs one out and quickly buries it, Scaly uses his decanter and pours a little water over the top. Within a second or two a tiny sprout pops up. The tiny sprout seems to almost dance for a little before bursting into blue flames and suddenly turning into a wonderfully warm campfire. The group, shocked by the magic beans ability to create a campfire, sit down around it, calling over Honest John as they take it easy for a little, getting out some rations and having lunch. Honest John tells stories of thing’s he had found in the forest, whilst the heroes recount their trip recently to the Shadowfell. After a couple of hours, John gets up, dusting himself off and says “Well, I better be off, this stuff ain’t gonna sell itself!”. He grabs his things and starts walking away, but not before turning around and handing over a small wooden whistle. He motions to Buffalo “Here take this, if you ever need my stuff just blow this whistle. I’ll be there in a few hours” he winks and turns around once again, waving as he walks away and whistling to himself. Raish follows after him, quickly looking at Scaly and asking for a couple of gold. “Hold on!” she yells chasing after John. The group watch as Raish has a conversation with Honest John, “No worries love, have to help” says John, “See you soon!” as Raish walks back to the group with a smile on her face. “Alright, so as I said before, this forest has got me all confused, and isn’t how I left it before going to the Shadowfell. Something’s wrong, but I just got some parchment and a quill from Honest John, so give me a few minutes and I’ll draw out a map for us”.

10-15 minutes pass as the group sit around the blue campfire, Raish with a look of concentration on her face. She puts the quill down, “Done!” she exclaims as the rest of the group walk over to her and look over her shoulder at the newly drawn map. “Okay, so, these are the place I remember, and from where we’re positioned” she points at the anthole on the map “We should head right and that will lead us out of the forest”. “What are these other things?” asks Buffalo. “Elmdew Pond is a Wellspring that has incredible healing powers, the Cemetery Mound is just that, the crashed airship is a goblin zeppelin that’s been there for a while there - I think they’ve kind of set up there. The alchemists keep is an old keep that’s been there for eons, not sure if anything’s there now, the Feywild statues are statues of the two courts and the Wickerman Village is a group of wicker boys that are mastercrafts men of wood”. The heroes all look at each other, impressed by Raish’s confidence in the locales. “Well, we need money” says Buffalo “And the cemetery mound seems like a place that perhaps hidden gold or something like that may be. Gems or more. Who’s up to go to the cemetery mound?” Buffalo says raising his hand in the air. The group agree and they set off in the early afternoon.

The heroes arrive at the cemetery mound not much later, the mound was big, but not as big as Raish had made it out to be. It was roughly 10ft high by about 30ft in diameter, and was literally what it was called. A large mound of dirt, in the middle of nowhere with a bunch of unmarked gravestones  peppered all over it. Buffalo is quick to notice a bunch of burnt grain circling the mound. The heroes explore the mound for a while, looking for anything out of place or not quite right, but as far as they could tell it was pretty standard. It was starting to get dark and Scaly was getting antsy. “Let’s dig it up” Scaly said with excitement, “I was just thinking that” said Buffalo. “I’m not having any part of it” said Dolgan, his death domain showing, “You guys do what you need to do, but I’ll sit this one out”. Ned gets out his everburn torch and holds it over the first grave that Buffalo and Scaly start digging. It was well buried and required them a few hours until they hit something hard with their hands. They had hit an unmarked coffin. Scaly gets out his crowbar and jimmy’s open the lid. Inside was a skeleton. It’s clothes had deteriorated into rags, but it had a nice necklace and ring on. Scaly pulls them out and pops them on, “Nice” says Buffalo as they walk to the next grave. Dolgan meanwhile, still not okay with what was happening, decides to investigate the gravestones a little further. Using his dwarven knowledge of stone, he places his hands upon a gravestone, attempting to remove all outside distractions and only feel what the cold hard stone had to tell him. 

Dolgan sees a rush of images in his head as soon as he touches the stone. Fairies and Pixies dancing around the cemetery mound, it was a place of worship. A giant moon beam shines down onto the graveyard and Dolgan see’s a single fairy floating in the middle. Dolgan shakes his head and quickly pulls out of his visions, explaining them to the group.  Ned, whilst hearing this says “I was just holding the torch, I’m not really part of this” as Buffalo and Scaly quickly return the jewels and replacing everything to how it was previously. Buffalo get’s down on his knees and says a quick prayer, repenting his misdeeds. Scaly collects flowers, leaving them at the base of the mound, as an offering. The heroes walk away from the cemetery mound and find a small area to sleep for the night. It was already morning by the time they went to bed, as they had spent most of the night digging in the mound.

By the time they woke, the same morning, they had only had about 4-5 hours sleep, but even those few hours didn’t help as they had all had restless sleeps. The bugs in this part of the forest were relentless and had been munching on the heroes all night. Except Scaly, he ate them all in his sleep. The heroes continued their walk through the forest, enjoying the greenery and beauty of the area. They walked, almost aimlessly for a little bit until they stepped into somewhat of a clearing. It was a wide area of open space, but had tree’s making lines of a star inside the open space. Dolgan looked uneasy staring at a tree in the center “This is elvish shit” he says, Raish nodding and slowly spinning in a circle looking at the lines of trees. “I don’t feel good about this at all” says Dolgan, gulping as a large lump travels down his throat.

“We need to leave” says Raish, starting to walk over to the the trees on the outskirt. Buffalo looks over at Raish and starts to move, but before he can even take a step he feels three slashes in his back in quick succession. “Arrrgh” he yells out as the rest of the group turn around, but no one had seen the attack. “What?” yells Ned as Buffalo turns around to reveal three orange-y slashes across his back. “Oh shit” says Scaly. Buffalo looks at Ned, feeling an immense rage fuel a fire in his heart as he pulls back on his bow, ready to shoot the stupid barbarian in his face, but as soon as it arrives, the feeling disappears and Buff lowers his bow. Ned watches with confusion as his friend pulls back on the attack he almost made on him. Dolgan runs over to Buffalo and slams his hammer into the ground, his amulet on the back of his hand and raised in the sky. An aura appears around Buffalo. Dolgan was using some of his magic on him again. Buffalo knew this magic and quickly eats some goodberries, healing his wounds up, then yelling to the group to form. Ned walks to the middle of the clearing, right next to the centre tree and yells “Please leave us alone, if you don’t we’ll burn everything down”, Scaly stands next to him, puffing himself up, and forming a small fireball in his hand looking wildly around the clearing. “Please, let’s leave” says Raish, motioning the group to move back into the forest. Buffalo stands still, looking around warily, trying to catch a glimpse of whatever was attacking them. A searing pain in his back tells him that he’s been attacked again. He yells out to the group, gurgling and falling unconscious onto the ground.

Dolgan meanwhile, standing near Buffalo, feels an intense hatred in his heart, a fire that grew immensely strong within a matter of seconds. Dolgan raises his hammer and runs at Ned, using the entire weight of his body to bring the hammer head down on him. Ned reacts quickly, catching the hilt of the hammer in his hand shouting “What are you doing?!”. Ned then attempts to rip the hammer out of Dolgan’s hand, but Dolgan was strong, using his shorter stature to give himself a weight advantage over Ned. Scaly runs past Buffalo, grabbing him as he goes and pulling Buffalo into the trees and out of the clearing. Raish follows after them, turning around and yelling “Vinea” as a bunch of vines and branches burst out of the ground in a small area. As she does, a reddish/orange humanoid looking creature extends her waist out of the central tree, like a ghost coming out of a wall. Her arm turns into a sword and she hacks at the vines in front of her created by Raish. Dolgan wrestles his hammer back from Ned and runs at Scaly, raising his hammer in the air, preparing to attack Scaly, but as he brings it down, he trips over one of the vines created by Raish and falls over, losing his hammer as it flies across the forest floor.

Ned runs over to Buffalo, seeing him still incapacitated on the ground and gets him up, giving him a little slap in the face at the same time. Scaly readies a flame in his hand and throws it towards the centre tree, setting it on fire immediately. As the tree burns, Scaly feels a the ground beneath him loosen and looks down to see the forest floor acting like quicksand, he attempts to keep his balance, but cannot maintain stability and falls over hurting himself in the loose rocks and mud. Raish walks forward into the middle of the forest clearing once more and yells “STOP! What do you want”, the heroes hear what sounds like whispering all around them, travelling in the wind at high speeds, but not in a language they knew. Dolgan shakes his head, the hatred removed from his heart and turns around to the group “Sorry guys, Big D is back!”. Buffalo raises his bow, equipping it with an oil arrow and takes aim just slightly to the right of the tree set on fire by Scaly. The arrow fly’s out of his bow, licking the flames as it goes past the burning tree and slamming into the tree’s behind it, setting a couple of them on fire too. Ned grabs his everburn torch and starts running to each individual tree, attempting to burn it at its base. By this time, the heroes had managed to get themselves to the edge of the clearing. Raish runs back towards them, from the centre yelling “This is not a fight we need to have, RUN!” as the heroes turn around and start to leg it. Raish turns around just before they exit the clearing and puts her hand to her mouth, then blowing outwards at the trees on fire. A giant gush of air fly’s out of her mouth, putting out the trees. The heroes run together for a few hundred metres until they were well clear of the now charred trees. Raish looks at Buffalo and says “They were only after you, that’s what she said when I spoke to her, she want’s you”.

The group continue to walk on in, decided that they’d like to head to Elmdew Pond to rest for a little. Raish’s map turns out to be correct once again and they get there in no time. They come to what seems like a wall of hedges, as Raish whispers “We’re here”, pushing through the hedges and entering the area. The first thing the heroes notice is the change of air, it was almost a delight to breathe in, it was so pure. There were animals everywhere, eating berries and nuts, some playing with each other. The pond in the middle was quite large, about 100ft in diameter. There were animals drinking from it and hundreds of fish swimming. The heroes feel an incredible sense of calm looking around them. “Lets rest here” said Raish, the group run directly into the pond. The water was extremely cooling to their skin, serene and beautiful. After swimming for a small while, Ned notices one of the bigger fishing swimming around him, doing figure 8’s between his legs and rubbing up against his shins. Ned picks up the fish and gives it a kiss, then says “Hello, little fish” and the fish respond “Welcome, my name is Yan, I hope you enjoy your stay. The one rule of Elmdew Sanctuary is to not kill any animals”, “No worries” says Ned “Can we do anything to help you, or help out the sanctuary?” the fish responds “There is a bear, that has been coming in and killing some of our fish”. “We can take care of that” says Ned, “No violence though” responds Yan “We just want it to leave”, “Don’t worry about that, we’ll get it sorted” says Ned. The heroes continue to muck around in the fresh pond, before growing tired and resting on the banks of the water. Shortly before nightfall, Ned is awakened by a rustling in the hedge that lined the sanctuary. It was the bear. Ned quickly slid into the water, quietly, picking up Dolgan’s bag of devourment to the Shadowfell. As he swims closer to the bear, he leaps out of the water attempting to catch the bear inside of it, but is not nearly quiet enough as the bear runs away just as Ned gets to him. Ned comes up with another plan though, he says “Hello?” to the bear, and the bear responds with a grunt. “There’s food in here” says Ned and the bear gives him a small look of joy, “All you have to do is get in” the bear walks over cautiously and puts his head in. As soon as the bag is over the bears neck, Ned pulls it over the bears entire body, closing the draw strings. The bear had been sent to the Shadowfell. The heroes decide to take a nights rest and sleep on the banks. There was no need for a bed roll, the ground was amazingly comfortable. They didn’t even need blankets as the temperature was perfect. They slept like babies.

The heroes awake the next morning to a nice ray of sunshine, warming their bodies. Yan the fish yells out from the pond “Hey! Hello!?” the heroes walk over as the Yan says “Thank you, for helping us with the bear, we would like to offer you payment” and as he’s talking 3 turtles walk out of the water with little dishes on their backs. The dishes were filled with gold pieces. “Humans come and pay tribute to this pond all the time, but we have no need for this gold, so you may have it. Thank you again” says Yan as Scaly places the gold into his rucksack.