#verse; raise the black (v2)

[unicornondeck]

From (x) @avastyetwats

He leaned against a nearby barrel, arms crossed as he watched his reaction. Alone on the deck, just the two of them. Curious as to how he would react to such a thing. He tried to read him, but Flint was such a hard man to read. To Izzy, he did notice a specific curiosity as to the meaning of his words, but he was certain whatever he was thinking was the opposite of what Flint thought. He remembered how Bonnet reacted to a similar jest, but he was curious given their relations with one another, how he would respond to it. Curiosity would get him in this case. "Mean it too, never seen nor heard of a man get mutinied on so many times and still be Captain. Remarkable really," he said, completely teasing him about it. He showed a specific glint in his eye when saying it to him.

[unicornondeck]

Maybe then I'll ....share more with you. It was rare to see the Captain Flint this vulnerable. Izzy could not say it was wholly Flint that made the situation complicated. He had also chosen this after all, making it partly his fault for causing it to become complex between them. It was not his intention when joining his crew, never thinking in a thousand years he would be in a position like this. He listened to him intently as he spoke, eyes glued to his as he put the hand on his jaw. There was nothing else in the world at that moment, just the two of them.

"True," he interjects lightly on the piracy comment. His gaze focused on him for the entire duration of his words, attentive to each he spoke. "Fuck yeah we can." Izzy raised a brow when he spoke about where it could go. He nearly opened his mouth to say something and then was stopped by the kiss, eagerly kissing him in return. Sure, Izzy had a lot of... thoughts about venturing into a relationship, but it was not something he really wanted to think on just yet. He was far more interested in kissing James Flint.

"I do." What with him once sailing with the infamous Blackbeard, as his loyal First Mate. Their relationship was complicated, to say the least. Quite the understatement, really, and the last thing Flint wanted was to make this one complicated, as well. Izzy had been through enough in his life and he didn't want him to feel uncomfortable in any way, nor hurt, and at least the feelings between them were known and they were mutual. He knew some of his life with Blackbeard - things he figured out on his own, heard from others or from Izzy himself - and he'd make damn sure that man never hurt him again. He just wanted Izzy happy here. And safe. "You don't deserve any more complications in your life but if it helps, I'm willing to do what I can to... uncomplicate it. You know more about me than most others and I'll share more." Which he didn't do with just anyone. Only those he really trusted. And he wanted Izzy to trust him in return, to know him in return.

"Then again," his voice is lower now, softer, as he raises one hand to gently touch Izzy's jaw. "We're pirates. Enemies of the world," that's how they were viewed, anyway. "Life is complicated because of that alone." He chuckles, softly stroking his jaw, up to his cheek. But they enjoyed what they could in this life, they made the most of it, did their damn hardest to live free and happy. His lips stretch into a smile hearing Izzy's words, relief shining in his eyes, and he nods. "Probably not but I think we've agreed nothing in this life is easy. But we'll figure it out." He tells him, eyes gazing into his before dropping to his lips, now smirking. "I know where it could go in this current moment," What that same smirk, Flint then leans in to finally kiss Izzy. Fuck, how he missed this. Missed him.

[wyldlittledog]

The Verses / The Wants

Current verses on the blog:

Canon, Canon-ish, and Ancient Rome/Syria Verses:

Canon: RPs that fit within the canon verse. (tag)

Canon divergent/AU: RPs that diverge from canon, but take place within the canon universe. (tag)

Batiatus AU: Nasir/Tiberius’ Dominus went into debt and Nasir was sold off after watching his villa crumble and empty of slaves. He winds up on the same slave cart Batiatus purchased in entirety in S1, and is thrust into Pietros’ former position as assistant to the Doctore. (tag)

Gladiator AU: Nasir grew up in Syria, and his father ran one of the most powerful citizens militias left after most were wiped out years before. When he was twenty, Nasir took over when his father was killed. A year later, he was captured by Romans and sold to a ludus. (More detail on this verse here.) (tag)

Fucking Syrian AU: Same backstory as the Gladiator AU, except Nasir was never sold to a ludus. How and why he ends up in Rome may vary. (tag)

Other:

Modern AU: V1. Nasir Azmeh was orphaned a young age with his little brother. In some versions, he grows up with said brother, and others he is separated by adoption at a young age. Either way, he has a rough childhood. He struggles in school, gets into fights more often than he should, and uses drugs occasionally. He began to heal through creating art, starting in his teens. In college versions of his modern AU, he studies painting and psychology, and wants to become a successful painter. (tag)

Modern AU (V2): AKA Sex Worker Verse, a closer to canon version. Nasir Azmeh was severely neglected as a child until he met an older man  who took him in and actually cared for him, not recognizing the man as an abuser at such a tender age. This man, Quint–short for Quintus Batiatus, for my Spartacus peeps–eventually manipulated Nasir into sex work in his teens*, which he was unable to break free of until his early 20s. He has very little formal education, but he’s smart and is good at reading people. He is a skilled artist and painter, and generally a gentle soul once he lets you in. However, if he is still immersed in the world he shares with Quint when you meet him, he will resist intimacy strongly, and may lash out if he feels vulnerable. In this verse, he usually lashes out more with words than fists. (*In spite of headcanon, mun does NOT write underage sex/rape.) Let me know if you specifically want this verse! (tag)

Daddy AUs: A collection of several verses with @provemyselfalone and @nothornlessroses. Nasir has either “adopted” a reincarnated version of Duro as a son after the war, is actually reincarnated Duro’s biological father due to unusual circumstances, or helped raise Gwyn (daughter of Sibyl and Gannicus) after the war. I am open to other daddy AUs, if chemistry is right. Nasir loves to be a dad.

Single Daddy AU: (This verse is highly selective, and available to only those I’ve established strong ships with, romantic or platonic.) Having no strong role models and not knowing any openly gay men, Nasir stayed closeted in his teens. He had a couple girlfriends, and wound up getting one pregnant. The mother didn’t want to keep the baby, and Nasir wound up a single dad at 18. He struggled to clean up his act (reigning in his temper and getting away from his occasional drug use). Instead of pursuing fine arts in school, he pursued graphic design, and later got a job as a web designer to support himself and his little girl, Kalila.

Reincarnation AU: A variation on modern verse, where Nasir often dreams of being a wild, little warrior dog. He also has a fascination with the ancient Roman slave rebellions, but won’t tell you why, lest you think him crazy.

Vampire AU: Info. (tag)

Zombie Apocalypse AU: Either generic, or I can play in some specific verses (I’m behind on TWD and Z Nation, but catching up on the latter). (tag)

Crossover: The Originals: Variation of his main vampire AU. He’s 900-something years old and his abilities fit the TO verse. (tag)

More verses and crossovers available, just ask.

Wanted Interactions:

Spartacus: Castus, Chadara, Crixus, Kore, Lugo, Laeta, Oenomaus, or any, really! (I have only listed muses that Nasir does not already have an active version of them who wants to write with him.)

Muses From: The 100, Criminal Minds, Doctor Who, Jessica Jones, the MCU*, The Originals**, Orphan Black, Star Wars, Stranger Things, Supernatural, The Walking Dead***, Z Nation, and So. Many. More. Just ask!

And ALWAYS looking for good OCs. :)

[*I’m just getting into the MCU 900 years too late, so be patient with me.  **No Klauses need apply; I’m exclusive with one already. ***I’ve seen through S6, and know some major S7 spoilers.

[divanquotes]

Gibb, A History of Ottoman Poetry v2, 1902

Page 24: Mehemmed II organized likewise the civil and military administration. As constituted by him, the Divan, what we should now call the Cabinet, consisted of nine members, namely, four Vezis, the chief of whom was called the Grand Vezir and was President of the Divan and Prime Minister of the Empire, two Qázi-Askers, who controlled all matters connected with the ulema, the one in Rumelia, the other in Anatolia; two Defterdars or Treasurers; and one Nishanji or Chancellor. ….. Footnote: The word 'Diwan' ought in strictness to be transliterated 'Diwán', as it is spelt and pronounced exactly in the same way as the name given to the collected lyric works of a poet, but for the sake of distinction I shall use the popular form 'Divan' where the Ottoman cabinet is meant, and reserve the more correct ‘Diwán' for the other and more technical sense of the word.

Page 25: Footnote: This continued to be the constitution of the Divan till the time of Suleymdn I, who added several new members to the original nine.

Page 64: Elsewise 'tis as bright Zelikhá with her golden orange shown.' Nay, the truth is this: the Sun to view the King's Divan hath oped There a ruby window whence to look that gilded dome upon. …….. Footnote: In this couplet the poet passes to the praise of the Sultan (Mehemmed II). He says, 'no, all these pictures I have been presenting are mere fancies; the real truth about the sun is, not that it is a king or a ship or a peacock, but that it is a celestial being who is looking through a round window of ruby (i. e. itself), which it has opened in the dome of heaven in order to look down on this far more magnificent dome of the Divan-chamber of the Sultan'. It will be noticed here again that the sun is presented at once as the window and as the looker through the window.

Page 96: The accession of Bayezfd II, which took place in 886 (1481), was duly celebrated by Nejatf; and when in the same year Prince Abdullah, the eldest son of Bayezid, but still a mere lad, was made governor of Qaraman in place of his uncle Prince Jem, the poet was appointed to his service with the position of Secretary of Divan. In the Ramazan of 888 (Oct. 1483) Prince Abdullah died at his seat of government, and Nejátí returned to Constantinople, where he presented the Sultan with a beautiful elegy he had composed on his late master.

Footnote: 'Secretary of Divan' (Kátib-i Díwán, or, Díwán Efendisi) was the title of the official secretary of a vezir or other high functionary.

Page 99: and this quatrain: —

'Nejati, though thou'st blackened the leaves of thy Dfwan, 'Dost hope the book wherein thy deeds are writ will white appear?   'Unless, may be, the living do forget not from their prayers 'Those who are gone and who of such remembrance worthy are.'

Footnote: i. e. though thou hast covered the white pages with black writing, i. e. though thou hast composed a whole Díwán of poems.

Page 104: The literary work of Nejati is therefore practically confined to his Díwán; and this volume has been sufficient to win for him a distinguished position in Ottoman literature. It is true that Nejati is not inspired in the sense that Nesimi was; he is an extremely self-conscious writer, he never for a moment forgets himself in his subject. None the less he is, judged by the standards of his school, the greatest Turkish poet that has yet appeared. He is more artistic, more subtle, more original than any of his predecessors. Although he is a follower in the footsteps of Ahmed, his work is not, like that of the pioneer, a mere collection of translations or adaptations; and if his verses lack somewhat of the virility of Jem's, they are infinitely more studied and refined. The Prince's poetry owes such originality as it has to the fact that the author put into it something of his own personality; the originality of Nejati's work, on the other hand, is due to the imaginative ingenuity of the poet. His verses abound in graceful metaphors, which, though always conceived in the Persian spirit and presented after the Persian fashion, are not simply transferred from some Persian díwán, but are the result of the observation and the applicative skill of the author himself.

Page 135: Mihri, though the most distinguished, was not the only Ottoman poetess of those old times. The biographers speak of another lady, Zeyneb by name, whom also they credit with the production of a Diwan, and who, according to Sehi, was moreover skilled in music. But this Zeyneb is an even more shadowy figure than Mihri. Latifi claims her for his own city of Qastamuni, and says that she was the daughter of a learned man of that place, who, perceiving her innate talent, had her carefully educated in the different branches of knowledge, and caused her to study the Persian diwans and the Arabic qasidas, the result being that she herself composed a Diwan of Turkish and Persian poems which she dedicated to Sultan Mehemmed II.

Page 227: Ashiq is the only one of the biographers to give us any particulars concerning Mesihi's history. From what he says it is evident that the future poet must in early life have found his way to Constantinople. He appears to have begun his career as a softa, that is, a student of the Law; but he soon turned his attention to calligraphy, in which he took great pleasure, and which he practiced with much success. His skill in this art won for him the good graces of the illustrious vezir Ali Pasha, one of the greatest contemporary patrons of men of talent, who honoured him with his friendship and appointed him to be his divan secretary. But Mesfhí was, unfortunately for himself, of a careless and pleasure-loving disposition, and failed to take due advantage of his opportunities. A certain Ali Chelebi, another of the vezir's proteges, who had been Mesfhí’s boon-companion, told the biographer Ashiq that that 'city lad', as the Pasha used to call the poet, was never at hand when wanted to draw up a letter or other document, and used invariably to be found by the porters sent to seek him, either in the disreputable quarter of Under-Castle, or in the taverns, or in the pleasure-gardens with his favourites. The Pasha was not unnaturally annoyed at this conduct, and so put off promoting his secretary or raising his salary till he should mend his ways. But before this happened Ali Pasha was killed, in the First Rebí 917 (June 1511), in battle against the Shíi rebels of Tekke, and Mesfhí found himself without a patron and without the means of livelihood. His first necessity was of course to discover another protector, but this was far from easy.

Page 230: Hasan proceeds on the same lines, but is as usual more bombastic in his strain; thus he says, ‘It is fitting he should be famed under the pen-name of Mesihi, for Messiah-like he revivified the dead of speech and through the channel of his musky-figuring reed made the Water of Life to flow.' 'In subtlety of fancy and in grace and delicacy of diction he is without peer, and it is meet he should be called the Third of the Trinity of the poets of Rum.' 'His eloquent poems are world-renounced as the sun in the ethereal heaven.' 'It were no figure of speech to say that the hosts of fancies mustered in his eloquent Diwan have never before been assembled at any divan, and that the stars of imagination that shine in the heaven of his pages have never before been gathered together in a single place.'

Page 264: Jafer's first appointment was the Muderrisate or Principalship of the College of Mahmud Pasha in Constantinople. But Sultan Bayezid, who highly appreciated the young man's talent, and who doubtless felt a special interest in him on account of the old Amasiya days, soon found for him another and far more exalted post. The official who held the position of Nishanji or Chancellor of the Divan having been promoted to the vezirate, it became necessary to appoint someone else to the vacant office. It so happened that there was no one among the government clerks, from whose ranks the selection would regularly have been made, who was deemed competent adequately to discharge the functions of this important and responsible post. The Sultan therefore ordered the vezirs to select from among the ulema some man whose proved ability and literary skill were sufficient guarantee of his efficiency. The vezirs, who probably knew something of the wishes of their Imperial master, made choice of Jafer Chelebi; and Bayed, who was greatly pleased, at once began to shower favours on his old friend. Till this time the Defterdars or Treasurers of the Divan had always taken precedence of the Nishanji; they used to sit above him on the bench in the council-chamber, and to stand above him when, drawn up in line, the members of the Divan saluted the Sultan as he passed. Bayezid changed this arrangement; he gave the Nishanji precedence over the Defterdars, a step somewhat keenly resented by the latter officials. He further conferred, for the first time, the rank and title of Pasha on the Nishanji; and so Jafer became generally known among the people as the Nishanji Pasha, or, as we might say, the Lord Chancellor.

Page 303: Footnote: Here Lámii, Ahi, and Wálí introduce a long digression concerning the way in which, before their flight is finally decided on, Melody entertains Heart and fans his passion. The King, who hears that the Prince is amusing himself in this fashion, has Heart's minstrels arrested and brought before his divan. Here Melody, along with the three minstrels, Harp, Tabor, and Flute, are questioned concerning themselves, and a long colloquy ensues. Eventually they charm the whole divan, and King and courtiers give themselves up to merry-making. At length the King is brought to himself by the remonstrances of a sheikh called Inspiration (Ilhám), whereupon he imprisons all the minstrels. All this, like most of the other additions which occur in the Turkish versions, and which in no way affect the course of the story, is doubtless the invention of Lámií.

Page 348: The vezier was in the field, on some expedition or another. One day he held a divan or levee at which the young man was present, probably as a member of his suite. Among the officers who attended was Evrenos-oghli Ahmed Bey, the representative of a famous aristocratic family and one of the great military chiefs of the Empire. When this brilliant officer arrived he went forward and seated himself above all the other warriors and emirs present. While the youth was still admiring the gallant bearing of the noble, there entered the court a poor-looking man meanly dressed in a shabby suit of the clothes peculiar to the learned profession, who without a moment's hesitation advanced and seated himself above the resplendent son of Evrenos, while the latter, far from resenting the intrusion, at once made way for the new-comer, treating him, as did all the other emirs, with the utmost deference and respect. Kemal-Pasha-zade, amazed at the sight, turned to someone who was standing near and asked what it might mean. He was answered that the poor-looking man was Monla Lutfi of Toqat, at present principal of the Philippopolis college with a daily salary of thirty aspers, and that the deference shown him was because of the honour in which learning and its representatives were held by all men howsoever great. Then and there the young man determined to abandon the career of arms in favour of that of learning: 'for,' said he to himself, 'it is impossible I should ever attain the rank of the Son of Evrenos, but I may well achieve a higher than Monla Lutfi's.'

Page 366: We have seen how the court of Prince ‘Abdu’lláh and afterwards that of Prince Mahmúd were graced by the presence of Nejáti: [Footnote: Nejáti was Prince Mahmud's nishanji or chancellor, Suni (Nejáti's pupil) was the Prince's secretary of divan, and Tálíi (another poet) was his defterdar or treasurer.

[stormyrecords-blog]

new arrivals and happy easter!

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Lady Wray makes an appearance on the cover of Method Man's hit, 'All I Need', lending her vocal prowess to what gave the Wu one of their biggest hits of all time. Interspersed throughout the record are some original interludes that are like the 'rug that ties the room together,' giving Return To The 37th Chamber a cinematic narrative that makes it a proper El Michels Affair record and not just a collection of covers. From the music to the presentation, this album is a perfect example of what can only be achieved through diversity. The end result is as much a kaleidoscope of influences and multiculturalism as the city it was recorded in. El Michels Affair is once again, 'sounding out the city' that raised them, pulling elements of art and culture from across the country and around the globe to create an album truly unique in its own right." CALE & TERRY RILEY, JOHNChurch Of AnthraxLP  $24.992017 repress. Terry Riley (piano, organ, soprano saxophone) & John Cale (bass, harpsichord, piano, guitar, viola, organ) collaborated on this one-off album, released in 1970. At this time, rock music was a serious movement, removed from the joke it once was, quite unaware of the joke it would eventually become, and things like this sometimes happened. Cale, classically trained on the viola, must have been pretty pleased to get a shot to record with the '60s king of minimalist pulse, Terry Riley. The album features 4 collaborative tracks between the two; while maybe not earth-shattering, they are quite fine for horizontal home listening pleasure at just about any hour of the day. Instrumental jams, mixing the styles of the two players pretty evenly (if you're vaguely awake, you can imagine this easily). The fifth track is a psychedelic pop masterpiece by Cale, "The Soul of Patrick Lee." 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This 19-cut deep album is ridiculously dope, in a bizarro Ol' Dirty Bastard kind of way. Doom sounds either high or drunk on most of the tracks, his self-produced beats are gritty, and his rhyme styles are almost indecipherable. On arguably the best track, 'Rhymes Like Dimes,' Doom weaves some pointed lyrics through his abstract wordplay, spitting 'only in America could you find a way to earn a healthy buck / And still keep your attitude on self-destruct.' 'Who You Think I Am?' features DOOM's crew M.onster I.sland C.zars, while on '?' he trades hot verses with former Columbia artist Kurious Jorge. Doom's avant-garde ghetto-rhyme philosophies take even more intentionally weird twists on 'Tick, Tick...' where he and guest MC MF Grimm's flows warble over a rhythm track whose tempo speeds up and slows down continually. The comic-book themed skits, will help take you deep into the mind of an MC who is as otherworldly as they come. And in today's bland commercial rap universe, Operation: Doomsday's left-of-center beats and rhymes are the perfect remedy." VA: Music from Saharan Cellphones  LP $19.992017 repress, originally released in 2012. "A compilation of the most popular music circulating the Sahara desert on the unofficial network of cellphones -- where mp3s are stored, played, and traded in very literal peer to peer bluetooth transfers. The contemporary West African sound from the new school of DIY production with little or no commercial release outside of their locales, from spaced out Tuareg autotune, Ivorian club jams, Mauritanian synth, and Malian hip hop electro. Collected from memory cards by and released on cassette, the vinyl comes after over a year of tracking down the composers." Includes cardstock insert with liner notes. VA: Music From Saharan Cellphones V2 LP $18.992017 repress. "Contemporary pop music from the Sahara desert, where songs are stored on cellphones. Collected in Northern Mali in 2010 (since taken over by extremists who've banned music on cellphones) the second volume expands into new sonic territory - from dreamy Niger guitar ballads, Bamako club juke, and hi energy Moroccan child Raï - with a focus on the Autotuned DIY creations circulating the desert." Includes insert with liner notes. PALESTINE, CHARLEMAGNEStrumming MusicLP $29.99The classic minimal music album, available again on vinyl for the first time since the '70s. Primed with a glass of cognac, Charlemagne Palestine sits at the keyboard of a Bösendorfer Imperial grand piano. One foot firmly holds down the sustain pedal while both hands perform an insistent strum-like alternation on the keys. Soon Palestine and his Bösendorfer are enveloped in sound and bathed in a shimmering haze of multi-colored overtones. For 45 minutes, this rich pulsating music swells and intensifies, filling the air. When Strumming Music first appeared on the adventurous French label Shandar during the mid-1970s, it seemed a straightforward matter to place Charlemagne Palestine in the so-called minimalist company of La Monte Young, Terry Riley, Steve Reich, and Philip Glass, whose work also featured in the Shandar catalog. Palestine too used a deliberately restricted range of materials and a repetitive technique, but as he has often pointed out in more recent times, the opulent fullness of his music would more accurately be described as maximalist. Strumming Music, recorded in Palestine's own loft in Manhattan, has no written score. In an age of recorded sound he still feels no need for traditional notation. The surging energy of this particular recording stands comparison with the improvising of jazz visionaries who impressed and inspired him while living in New York as a young man. 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As the supportive creative family that primarily played home to French vampire/horrortica director Jean Rollin, both Nathalie and Jean-Noël, his brother Jean-Philippe Delamarre and a small team of other fans of oblique media would be responsible for a vibrant micro-culture that awkwardly flourished on the outskirts on the Parisian new wave - combining comic book culture, Lettrism, sexual liberation, psychedelic rock, graphic design, and, with this record as prime example, free jazz and avant-garde music. What previously might have been regarded as an unlikely coupling, with the benefit of half a century of archival hindsight, this release documents the essential cosmic collision of two fantastic planets. Available here for the first time ever and licensed from producer and director Jean-Noël Delamarre himself. I-LP-O In Dub: Capital Dub LP  $23.99I-LP-O In Dub is the solo project of Pan Sonic member Ilpo Väisänen. Capital Dub Chapter 1 follows the 2015 debut Communist Dub (EMEGO 203LP) - a year marked by further descent into economic crisis and instability. The usual business cycles of production/distribution/consumption, running alongside macro cycles of boom and bust, have been replaced by ossification, austerity, the machine seizing up. Ilpo's "circular riddims" complement the ebb-and-flow of the circulation of money + commodities and are mirrored by his field recordings of Barcelona rain -- the final phase of the cyclical movement of water. But of course the smooth running of "Paradise Capital" is unsustainable. Destroyed techno and open spaces contend with sinister swarming atmospheres. A cash machine flickers. Zeros and ones displace another factory. Dub as decay -- the ghostly remains of tracks eroded by time and technology. The "Invisible Hand" of the market spasms with tremors. Ferocious textural feedback as music for stock exchange crashes. The soundtrack to heaps of money hoarded by the hidden class. Capital is value in motion, but there is nowhere to go. After the collapse, picturesque ruins. Capital Dub Chapter 1 simply asks the question: what next? Influenced by the first part of Karl Marx's Capital (1867). Recorded anytime in there, rain & 808 at Pallars152, Poblenou, Barceloba; Mixed at Juniper & Stone, Kartula, Finland; Mastered at Dubplates & Mastering. ANJOU Epithymia CD  $15.99LP  $27.99"The culmination of four years writing and editing, Anjou marks the first collaboration between Labradford's Robert Donne and Mark Nelson since the release of that group's fixed:context LP. Combining modular synthesis, Max/MSP programming and live instrumentation, Anjou deftly weaves noise with gentle ambience and melody with texture. Guitar, bass and Steven Hess' (Locrian, Fennesz, Pan American) live percussion give the eight pieces an immediacy and create a framework for the more abstract sounds of digital and analog synth programming. The product of twenty plus years of friendship, Anjou is refined and challenging. An extension of the Labradford sound-world but no mere victory lap, Anjou represents Donne and Nelson stepping out and forward, their eyes firmly focusing on the future." BOSS HOG Brood X LP $19.99Boss Hog returns from the wild with their most subversive record — this is the seductive soundtrack for the second coming of militant rock’n’roll, and the groove has never been stronger. Brood X — emerging from the dirty streets of New York City after seventeen years of gestation — is a futuristic brew of 21st Century blues, toxic punk rock beat music, and hyper-focused, outer-space psycho assaults. Thermonuclear chanteuse Cristina Martinez blisters the hypocrites, the haters, the heartless, and the clueless hangers-on with a full-tilt microphone attack. A sex-bomb salvo for troubled times, Martinez gives voice to America’s pain while pulling no punches. This band does not negotiate. This is scorched earth rock’n’roll for the resistance, barbed-wire blues battling for the future of the planet. Recorded and mixed at the fabled Key Club, using Sly Stone’s legendary There’s A Riot Goin’ On console, the album channels the subversive mojo of the underground and brings next-level sonics to save your very soul. BREEDERS Pod LP $26.99180 gram vinyl. "Though ostensibly a side project of The Pixies' Kim Deal and Throwing Muses' Tanya Donelly, The Breeders' 1990 debut, Pod, has held up as a classic of late '80s/early '90s off-kilter alternative pop, surpassing the contemporaneous work of their main bands. Though Deal would really hit the big time 3 years later with the Breeders' follow-up, Last Splash, and Donelly would do the same with her next band, Belly, Pod is the band's finest, most coherent, album and perhaps the high point in both their careers. Engineered by the legendary Steve Albini." CRAMPS Smell Of Female $19.992016 repress. "Released in 1983 after a lengthy court battle with IRS Records, Smell Of Female originally contained just the first six songs. These, plus out-of-control ad-lib freakouts 'Beautiful Gardens' and 'She Said' (previously omitted due to legal restrictions) were recorded live at New Yorkʼs famous Peppermint Lounge. There is nothing like the sound of The Cramps, and this set distills that cross of swamp water, moonshine and nitro down to a dangerous and unstable musical substance, captured live like a crazed animal. They rocked like few others could. Additional bonus track 'Surfinʼ Dead' was recorded at A&M Studios in Hollywood and originally appeared on the 1984 soundtrack for Return Of The Living Dead -- when asked to write a 'pop song' for the movie, The Cramps (by then a three-piece) threw into their cauldron a mix of Link Wray, Jan & Dean, Davie Allen, The Righteous Brothers, bongos, Phil Spector and eye of newt." DALTON, KAREN In My Own Time LP $27.99"180-gram vinyl; Audio remastered from the original tapes; old school tip-on jacket. Remastered from the original master tapes. Liner notes by Lenny Kaye (Nuggets, Patti Smith), Devendra Banhart, and Nick Cave. The late Karen Dalton has been the muse for countless folk rock geniuses, from Bob Dylan to Devendra Banhart, from Lucinda Williams to Joanna Newsom. Recorded over a six month period in 1970/71 at Bearsville, In My Own Time was Dalton's only fully planned and realized studio album. The material was carefully selected and crafted for her by producer/musician Harvey Brooks, the Renaissance man of rock-jazz who played bass on Dylan's Highway 61 Revisited and Miles' Bitches Brew. It features ten songs that reflected Dalton's incredible ability to break just about anybody's heart -- from her spectral evocation of Joe Tate's 'One Night of Love,' to the dark tragedy of the traditional 'Katie Cruel.'" DOCKSTADER, TOD Eight Electronic Pieces $26.99"Originally self-released in 1961 and later issued by Folkways, Tod Dockstader's Eight Electronic Pieces is a foundational document of American electronic music and a stunning first work from this revolutionary composer. Refused access to the resources and funding of the academy and without any interest from the record industry, Dockstader assembled his debut album through three years of his own private labor -- recording after-hours at the New York radio station where he worked. Dockstader's approach was informed by the laboratory experiments of his European contemporaries Edgar Varèse and Pierre Schaefer as well as by the aleatory compositional techniques and neo-dadaist aesthetics of John Cage. While Dockstader famously described his music as 'organized sound,' Eight Electronic Pieces is not pure musique concrète. Oscillators pulse and clash with fragments of incidental tape music, leaving collages of sound as tuneful and memorable as they are otherworldly. A visionary debut that presages the abstract ambience of modern IDM and an essential addition to any collection of early electronic music. Limited edition of 500 numbered copies on clear vinyl." FLYING SAUCER ATTACK Distance $22.99First ever US vinyl of the second album by Bristol’s Flying Saucer Attack. This edition of the LP is produced in full collaboration with FSA / Dave Pearce. Originally released on VHF as a compact disc at the end of 1994, this was the second FSA album, compiling five tracks from impossible-to-get seven-inches with twenty minutes of previously unreleased (and good) material. Similar in blend to the band’s first LP (also newly issued in the USA on deluxe vinyl), the songs hang together as a collection that improves on the individual singles. The two proper singles that make up half of Distance — “Soaring High” / ”Standing Stone” and “Crystal Shade” / ”Distance” were instant collectables upon their release, so this album was compiled to make the songs permanently available. “Soaring High” and “Crystal Shade” are jagged bits of fuzzed-out pop genius; tracks like the mutant concrete “techno” of “Distance” and the two lengthy glissando workouts on “Oceans” and “Oceans II” offset the more conventional tunes, upping the overall impact as a whole album. FLYING SAUCER ATTACK S/t $22.99"First-ever US vinyl of the debut album by Bristol's Flying Saucer Attack, and first vinyl edition of any kind since 1993! This edition of the album is produced in full collaboration with FSA/Dave Pearce. Aka Rural Psychedelia, Flying Saucer Attack's first album was released in 1993 after a couple of instantly sold-out singles. Released at the height of the shoegaze boom, the album is a blend of memorable fuzzed out songs and far-out instrumental doodles, sidestepping the rock bombast of many contemporaries in favor of a home-made aesthetic. FSA's blend of razor-edged static, softly sung melody, and echoing atmospherics builds a dour beauty that sustains itself over the course of the entire program. 'My Dreaming Hill,' 'Wish,' and 'The Season Is Ours' are couched in fuzz and whispery reverb, but are beautiful and accessible tunes, able to stand on their own in any context. 'Popol Vuh 1' and 'Popol Vuh 2' are straight up tributes to the now much better known German masters, steeped in the hushed atmosphere of the best Vuh records (if not exactly the sound)." KONAMI KUKEIHA CLUB Castlevania 3: Dracula's Curse DOUBLE LP $39.99Mondo is proud to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Castlevania franchise with the premiere vinyl release of the original soundtrack to the 1989 Famicom / Nintendo Entertainment System Three-quel / Prequel: Dracula's Curse. Dracula's Curse is a dark horse for most beloved of the original NES / FAMICOM trilogy, as it was a happy marriage of the linear elements of the first Castlevania and the more exploratory elements of Simon's Quest—a union that led to the introduction of multiple playable characters, multiple paths and multiple endings - that remain franchise staples even today. The story follows Trevor Belmont, Simon's ancestor and his battles with the prince of darkness, along side three other warriors: Grant Danasty the Pirate, Sypha Belnades the Mystic, and Alucard, Dracula's Son, who makes series debut here, and will play a more pivotal role in the games to come. The soundtrack to Dracula's Curse is important as well. Not only for fan favorite track 'Beginning,' a track you'd be nary to find excluded from any future Castlevania game, but for the dynamic audio introduced on the Japanese version of the game. The VRC6 Audio chip contained in the Japanese version allowed for a wider array of sound channels, producing a brighter, fuller soundtrack than on the cartridge released in the US. The Nintendo Entertainment System could not process this level of audio, so the version released in the US needed to have the audio scaled back. Despite this audio handicap the US version is still terrific, and the superiority of the which version best is still a matter of debate to this day. No need to choose though, since Mondo's vinyl re-issue contains both, spread across two 12" LPs, housed in a gatefold jacket featuring amazing new artwork by Sachin Teng. O'NEIL, TARA JANE S/t LP $22.99At the invitation and by the design of Mark Greenberg (The Coctails), half of this record was recorded mostly live at Wilco’s Loft Studio in Chicago with a band that included James Elkington, Gerald Dowd, Nick Macri, and Greenberg himself. Another half was made in TJO’s home studio in California with Devin Hoff, Wilder Zoby, Walt McClements and string supervisor Jim James. This album also features the voices of Chris Cohen, Carolyn Pennypacker-Riggs and Joan Shelley. Tara Jane ONeil plays guitar, bass, keyboards and percussion. SADIER, LAETITIA SOURCE Find Me Finding You CD $15.99LP $22.99Another New Year, and new shapes are forming—if only we are fortunate enough to notice them! As we spin through this world, we are witness to all manner of combinations unfolding before us—familiar arcs and breaking waves alike, upon all of which it is our choice, our chance and our challenge, to possibly ride. Find Me Finding You, the new album from the new organization called the LAETITIA SADIER SOURCE ENSEMBLE, manages to strike new chords while touching familiar keys in the song of life. From its percolating opening beat, Find Me Finding You locates new systems within the sound-universe of Laetitia Sadier. This in itself isn’t a surprise—Laetitia has relentlessly followed her music through different dynamics and into a variety of dimensions over the course of four solo albums since 2010 (not to forget her three albums with MONADE and the long era of STEREOLAB)—but the nature of the construction here stands distinctly apart from her recent albums. Laetitia was inspired by a mind’s-eye envisaging of geometric forms and their possible permutations. As she sought to replicate the shapes in music, this guided the process of assembly for the album. Features longtime collaborators EMMANUEL MARIO and XAVI MUNOZ, keyboard and flutes from DAVID THAYER (LITTLE TORNADOS), keys, synths and electronics from PHIL M FU, and guitar from MASON LE LONG. Includes a guest appearance from HOT CHIP's ALEXIS TAYLOR, as well as cornet work from ROB MAZUREK. V/A Bloodstains Across Virginia LP  $19.99A collection of rare and classic Virginia punk circa 1978-1983. Features tracks from ZITS, PREVARICATORS, LAMOUR, NOYS, BARRIERS, BEEX, INSINUATIONS, NAROS, CHUMPS, CITIZEN 23, RATICLES, NEXT OF KIN, and RICKY AND THE WHITE BOYS. Fifteen cuts in all. V/A Highlights Of Vortex LP $26.99The brainchild of visual artist Jordan Belson and electronics polymath Henry Jacobs, the Vortex Experiments ran from 1957 to 1960, first at San Francisco’s Morrison Planetarium and later at the SF Museum of Art. The very name of these events announced their aim: a swirling totality of sensory experience. Around Belson’s richly-colored visuals – making use of the planetarium’s entire dome and featuring luminous, sharply geometric imagery projected through an array of devices – Jacobs ringed a system of roughly 40 multidirectional loudspeakers, each of which could be precisely controlled to produce, in the words of one reviewer, “a living theater of sound and light.” A landmark recording in the history of electronic tape music and an engrossing artifact of proto-psychedelia, Highlights Of Vortex gathers recordings designed for the Vortex system by Jacobs and collaborators David Talcott, William Loughborough, and Gordon Longfellow. Source material including free improvisation, field recording,classical Indian instrumentation, West African polyrhythms and musique concrète is transmogrified through tape manipulation, atomizing swathes of reverb and delay, and other live and recorded effects, making dramatic use of the monumental Vortex soundsystem. An unprecedented marriage of image and sound, Vortex Experiments exercised immeasurable impact on the imagination and practice of countless experimental visual and sonic artists so this album is a must for fans of such visionaries as Stan Brakhage, Tony Conrad, and Jack Smith. Limited edition of 500 numbered copies on clear vinyl. WALTER, JUSTIN Unseen Forces CD  $15.99 LP  $22.99Michigan trumpeter Justin Walter’s solo work centers on evocative, intuitive explorations of the EVI (Electronic Valve Instrument), a rare wind-controlled analog synthesizer from the 1970s. Its unique, smeared tonality allows for an expressive range of glassy, jazz-like textures, which Walter loops and layers with hushed electronics and twilit trumpet, painting opaque landscapes of resonant beauty. Walter’s 2013 debut, Lullabies & Nightmares, included a handful of collaborations with percussionist Quin Kirchner, but Unseen Forces finds him fully solo, refining the project to its essence: shape-shifting watercolors of pastel haze, lit by the soft synthetic glow of electric breath. It’s a sound both modern and timeless, fusing emotion and technology, gauze and melody, force and fragility.

[unicornondeck]

Flint was unpredictable which in a way he was familiar with, but this was also an incredibly specific brand of it, he thought to himself. Their interactions are tumultuous as of late. He believed he could continue, trying to learn his patterns, to little avail thus far. After everything that had happened lately from the storm that he made them sail through to everything else, Izzy felt like he needed around two weeks' worth of sleep, which he knew he would never receive in this line of work. Izzy's feelings had been even more mixed as they began sailing again. The late nights, exchanging somewhat flirtatious glances with the Captain. Izzy knew what he himself felt, but it would be incredibly difficult to navigate.

These feelings were exceedingly difficult for him. The man had given similar looks, which only made it more difficult. With any other person, he felt like he could handle it out in the open. However, this time he was not so sure. He was up on deck as the evening had begun to close in on them. As he was assisting with the rigging, he caught Flint's eye as he turned around, gaze focused on him as he approached. He invited Izzy to his cabin to speak and Izzy would of course oblige his request.

It was around thirty minutes later that Izzy made his way to the cabin, a feeling of uncertainty clenching his stomach. He walked in slowly, closing the door behind him. Then, he turned, regarding him as he walked closer. As he viewed Flint sitting behind his desk, Izzy put a hand on his baldric as he began to speak. "You wanted to talk with me, Captain?"

@avastyetwats

[unicornondeck]

"Like to think that raid went pretty fucking well, if I do say so myself, Captain," he says with a smirk, joining Flint on deck. Truth be told, it did go well. No men were lost and they got the prize, which was what mattered in this case. Most of the men had gone below deck due to the hour. He presents him with a drink. Flint didn't have to take it, it was just an offer after all.

@avastyetwats

[unicornondeck]

From (x) @avastyetwats

"A gash that'll heal," he attempted to correct. Izzy knew he had definitely taken on worse injuries in his life, ones that he had survived. He also knew that he would survive this one. Seeing James Flint nervous about his injuries was still something that he was not entirely sure he could get used to. Every time something like that happened, it still felt familiar to him. It was not a thing he could really explain, not in the slightest. The man continued to be a puzzle to him, one that he thought he had attempted to piece together.

Hearing his full name come from his lips as opposed to Iz never stopped making him feel a certain way. Izzy did not move, Flint coming closer to clean the wound a tad. He closed his eyes as he dabbed the handkerchief on the bloodied gash. "Fucking right it does," he remarked on getting hit in the head. It wasn't the first time and it would not be the last time. "If it needs it it needs it, I'll let Howell know. Let him look at it, see if it actually needs it."

[unicornondeck]

“What would he do if he found us out?“ (Flint)

"What do you mean what would he do?" Izzy asked, crossing his arms as he looked at Flint. He then crossed his legs, letting them rest on the desk. His back slumped just slightly against the chair, mostly straight. "Not really much he can do, I do what I fucking want you know. My life after all. Planned on telling him when we run into him, we just haven't yet. Sure it'll be an interesting talk."

[unicornondeck]

❝ Strange pairs… They can achieve the most unexpected things. ❞ from Flint

Izzy Hands did not say anything at first. He was not entirely sure what brought that on. It had been a few minutes of silence between them since the last word. He brought up the bottle from his side, downing a good bit before sighing. Before speaking, he cracked a smile as he turned his gaze to Flint. "Suppose you're right. Can either achieve the most unexpected things or ... make shit worse in the right context, right?"

@avastyetwats

[unicornondeck]

"You must be tired, because you've been running through my mind all day." From Flint (canon)

"---You didn't just fucking say that."

[unicornondeck]

" what are you working on ? " from Flint

"I know I said I wasn't going to." Izzy shrugged, standing there with hands on his hips. "Saw some shit that needed organized, it fucking pained me for it not to be so I just went to work on doing it. Couldn't resist. Could've bullied them into the job I suppose but, oh well. Here we are."

@avastyetwats

[unicornondeck]

“What the hell just happened?” From Flint

He pursed his lips slightly and folded his arms tightly across his chest, somewhat glaring towards the others. He swore, never knew what was going to happen on this damn ship. "Good fucking question," Izzy says, his eyes turning back to the Captain. The look of annoyance was prominent on his features. "Who fucking knows, was like this when I walked out here. I'd be asking them if it was me."

@avastyetwats

[unicornondeck]

❝ i don't like most people, but you're an exception. ❞ from Flint

Izzy did not say anything at first but he did raise a brow in response. His arms were crossed. Although he felt like it was sincere, he couldn't help but react a certain way. A few seconds pass before he laughs. "That so? Of course I'm a fucking exception," he says, then gesturing to himself broadly. "See? Look at me, I'm an absolute joy. to be around." He then put his hands on his hips, laughing again. In the distance, he could hear Billy sighing which only made him want to laugh again.

@avastyetwats

[unicornondeck]

“I can confirm, anon, that he is.” (Flint)

"Didn't realize there was that much fucking discourse on it. Thought it was pretty obvious."

[unicornondeck]

☀ from Flint

send me ☀ if your muse finds mine attractive

He had an all-knowing grin plastered across his features. It was full of confidence, one of self-assurance. Given their recent interactions with one another, he was not entirely surprised to learn that what he now knew as fact. "Don't I fucking know it," Izzy said in response, laughing.

@avastyetwats