I like this photo, but I’m not sure if it was worth the risk, but anyway.
I like the pattern in the rock, as well as how it appears in contrast to the valley. The light on the rock is strong and helps to draw attention to it, whereas the light in the valley appears softer. It might have something to do with where the focus in the image lies too, but I think the contrasts work here.
I hope you enjoy.
Here is a scene of which I recently saw.
A patch of clear water among water covered in what could be green algae, but I’m not certain. Regardless, I feel concerned about how the pond appeared when I saw it, though at the same time I liked the shape the clear water created.
I like the way the shadow appears on the water surface, as well as how the ducks and patches of land appear against the covered bits of water.
I hope you enjoy.
Well, it’s as cold day once again, but today I’m not really going to write about that. At the very least I’m going to try and keep it out of my writing here as much as possible, but only for now. Right now I’m rather agitated and so I don’t want to think too much about the cold, but at the same time it might just be important to this bit of writing. Who knows. Maybe nothing about this bit of writing will indicate any sort of importance, but I’m waffling on a bit and was looking to try and focus on the subject of which I want to discuss.
Science: It is a thing. It is a thing that is a far greater part of people’s lives than they may realise. It informs many things through its process of research in order to learn, though of course learning is not the sole reason as to why research is undertaken.
I can’t speak for all fields of science, or even some fields of science. There are only a select few of which I can speak, and only one general field I feel confident in speaking for, but I am going to speak anyway.
Being a scientist and doing research is awesome. Sure, there’s a lot of dry stuff that might not seem fun, but it’s still awesome. Being an active part of helping understand the world better is amazing and humbling. You’re actually engaging in helping grow the collective knowledge of humanity through engaging in something that helps show just how little we know, even if we do know a lot. It’s just wonderful.
Being a scientist is also a stressful, and sometimes harmful thing. Of course we can talk about the impacts of science on the environment, but here I am referring specifically to the scientists themselves. There is so much shit you cop for providing information and trying to get it out there. You have to deal with antagonism and hostility due to people refusing to engage in a healthy way. It’s an idealised thing, but it certainly isn’t a glamorous thing. The public can be your ally just as much as they can be your enemy.
I think I’ve harped on about this before, but the thing is people seem to be fine with science until they find it an inconvenience. Not all people of course, but plenty. Some people react with exceptional hostility toward scientists of certain fields and I can’t be entirely certain as to why, but if I were to hazard a guess, it would be that they don’t like the idea of change. They might also not like the idea of being slightly inconvenienced. Maybe they don’t want to accept that there’s a problem and many of us bear responsibility.
I’m writing this as, whilst I sit here I can’t help but feel frustrated by how much some fields of science can feel like screaming into a void that occasionally retaliates. If the results of science become inconvenient for some reason, then learn from those results and try to better yourself, those around you and the environment. Don’t push it aside because of the potential inconvenience. There are far worse things out there than being better.
End rant.
Just a tree in a field.
I feel like the tree has a certain grab to it, which might have to do with its shape. It almost looks like something blooming. Maybe it’s that appearance and how it contrasts with the desolate feel of the area that makes it grabbing.
This is my submission into Leanne Cole‘s “Monochrome Madness” for this week.
I suggest checking out Leanne’s photography, as well as checking out what other people submit.
A lot of what people are submitting will likely end up here.
I hope you enjoy.
At least, I think that is what this poem is about.
I wrote it very, very quickly.
Didn’t think too hard about it; just knocked it out.
I hope you enjoy.
—
As I scramble
To find the words
To create some meaning
I find myself
Forgoing focus upon
Other things
Sometimes it is
Easy to lose myself
Within a series of thoughts
That seem disconnected
But at least they provide
Something
I need to write something now as if I don’t, then I won’t do anything for the rest of the evening and I don’t want to leave this to the last minute again. I’ve done that a little too much recently and so I need to get back to trying to get things done in the morning.
It is not quite late yet, but soon it will be. It is dark outside and I am inside and it is warm, but it is not warm by my doing. It is warm by the act of somehow warming the room somehow.
So anyway, I sit here and I write this and I think to myself about what it is that I am writing and how much of it is worth the time and effort it takes to churn out. Still, I persist as that is what I do and so I will continue to do the thing that I do as I want to keep on going and see where this all takes me.
Maybe I’ll go hopping and skipping down the road and then once that is done, look toward the directions of which I don’t normally pursue. If I do that, then the land of discovery shall lay ahead, but only if I make sure to continue on with what it is that I am intending to do and all of that other stuff that I cannot squeeze within such a stringent frame of time. I think, however, that if I do what it is that is required of me in order to continue on with the thing and all that other stuff, then surely there will be the continuing and there will be no more breaks of which I would take and all that other stuff, so yeah.
So anyway, now that I have all of that out of the way, it is time to make sure that somehow all of this makes sense, but instead of doing that I will rebel against myself and make sure that it makes even less sense, though I don’t know if I can do that unless I go back and rewrite the whole thing which, to be honest, is something that I don’t want to do, so therefore I will try and recover this wreckage and just let the words at the end of the whole thing trail off into the distance and eventually fade from the view that is behind me as I continue to move forward in circular patterns that have no need to be as they are, but sometimes that is the way that things go and so I will just keep on going with it and then see the whole thing at the end. Once I am there I will have one look, then continue with the walking as there are other things out there that I am looking forward to chasing and all that, but first I need to find the words to wrap this up.
The time it took to write five-hundred words: 04:44:06
More inane rambling.
Written at home.
This was longer than I’d hoped. Oh well.
I wrote most of this yesterday and spent a good chunk of today editing in a lazy way. There was a fair bit I cut out as a few things I felt I couldn’t justify.
Most of my interview and review work now appears on Culture Eater.
My colleague and I set up a Patreon to further develop Culture Eater as a source of good quality arts coverage from both ourselves and our contributors.
We’re looking at what we can give to supporters as we don’t want to set up a one way relationship, so suggestions are welcome. Podcast Eater is one of the things we’ve got going and (aside from the next few weeks) new episodes are available through there first.
Please consider supporting, or at least sharing the Patreon page with others. Please also check out what our wonderful contributors are contributing.
I hope you enjoy.
—
Alright, so you’re Genghis Tron and you release Board Up The House, an album much-vaunted for its blending of electronics and extreme guitar music. It’s an interesting relation to be in, what with it considered as definitive of your sound. Maybe you feel it’s not your peak; There’s satisfaction with the work but maybe you feel there’s plenty more room for growth.
After a tour you go into hiatus for a while. Eventually you return and, with a change in lineup, announce that you’re working on new stuff. Eventually you announce the upcoming release of Dream Weapon, and to give people a taste, you release one of the songs, which in this case is *checks notes* “Dream Weapon”. It’s different, but it’s still familiar enough to acclimatise listeners before they hear the rest of the album. Sure it’s less aggressive, but it’s still Genghis Tron.
So Dream Weapon begins with an introduction. Surprising I know. “Exit Perfect Mind” is rather easing, dreamy and welcoming, but not so much as to lull into a false sense of security. It should make it apparent that the album is both different and familiar to Genghis Tron’s previous work. If it doesn’t, then “Pyrocene” casts aside any lingering doubt.
Things go up a few notches. There’s more energy and a big beat. Synth implying some sort of menace. Vocals come in, sort of stop-start-like and then what is likely an approximation of a chorus comes and the song kind of glides. It’s much more melodic and less menacing than initial implications. Very electronic and very live in feel; also very calculated. The vocals sound detached and ready to drift away whilst the instruments congeal together and push the song forward; It’s not menacing, but it feels grimly mournful.
“Dream Weapon” follows and it’s this furious, almost blistering song with vague, terse lyrics that hint at something likely ominous. It shifts gears for its mid-section, whilst retaining the same sensations from earlier. Genghis Tron lock down on the groove they’ve got going, slowly letting it unfurl whilst percussion gradually gets busier. Eventually they break out and step out for the obligatory big ending, though that sells it short as it feels quite earned and fitting. Having enough familiarity whilst being firmly looking forward makes it a welcome inclusion, but over repeat listens it feels a bit like a compromise.
After “Dream Weapon” “Desert Stairs” feels like a reprieve of sorts. Like “Exit Perfect Mind” it eases things up a bit, is dreamy and welcoming. However, it’s more warm and gently washes over and around; more peaceful in a sense.
What comes next is “Alone In The Heart Of The Light”. This one sees Genghis Tron moving more firmly into the electronic side of things. It starts with a beep signalling something of into space; it’s not long before the floaty vocals and punchy, steady percussion enter. Eventually the song sort of shifts through a few different phases, perhaps as though it’s trying to be some sort of low-key cosmic thing whilst retaining a sense of the grand. Various lyrics softly appear throughout like a brief flash of detail left behind as the song moves forward. Eventually, after all the building pomp and bigness the song pulls back, leaving focus on the last few words of a chant that had been running through roughly half the song. It grabs attention in a way that feels like a scramble to catch important, yet fleeting words.
“Ritual Circle” is sort of more of the same, though feeling more grounded and arid. In a sense it’s also a bit more hesitant. For a good part of the song Genghis Tron do the “This is the cool, quietish build thing before we throw the cool, louder stuff at you”. As if on queue, that’s what happens and this sort of dark, stained-glass counterpoint bursts through with all the dramatic light it creates. It’s a really tense, ominous section that hits hard. For a moment it seems the song is going to end in an explosive assault, though it doesn’t and instead the aftermath comes in and this rocking beat comes through. It feels like a long, slow and enclosed jam; Whilst unexpected, it remains familiar and in a way makes the song feel more like its name.
“Single Black Point” brings more guitar in, but as more of a percussive sound. Once more there’s a sense of jamming, but it’s much more pointed. The way the song builds is as though looking to solidify a dark period of time. Eventually sounds start to pull back and the song ends in a way that feels like it’s disintegration. It’s a moment that feels ruminative, and starkly despondent.
“Great Mother”, provides a towering, monolithic conclusion to Dream Weapon. It’s sort of in the vein of some prior tracks, but it’s slower, more menacing and much more bleak and harrowing. It ebbs and flows really well, and has this kind of “off” groove so to speak. Once the song ends on its last grim moment, it shimmers off into space before blinking out entirely.
At times Dream Weapon feels like testament to aesthetic as a way of expressing in a whole form. Just about everything has a synth tinge to it and many of the songs have this detached, yet utterly close feel going on. The vocals often feel like a distant sound more than they do a voice; Words come through, but not always with clarity. Considering its name it would be easy to describe the album as dreamy, but it’s more of a suggestion of a vague drift.
I’ve read that Dream Weapon is a rumination on human life and its impacts. Many of the lyrics hint toward this, but the vagueness can make it unclear. In that regard, maybe the way the album sounds and feels references getting trying to get information across and its reception as it often feels like Genghis Tron are, with a sense of urgency, trying to meaningfully reach out.
Dream Weapon is available here.
This is a review that was started late last year and finished over the past few days.
I don’t know why I sat on the initial draft for so long, but it probably was due to burnout.
I don’t think this is a good enough writing. I ended up re-writing a significant amount which I do think did a lot to improve upon what I initially had.
Most of my interview and review work now appears on Culture Eater.
My colleague and I set up a Patreon to further develop Culture Eater as a source of good quality arts coverage from both ourselves and our contributors.
We’re looking at what we can give to supporters as we don’t want to set up a one way relationship, so suggestions are welcome. Podcast Eater is one of the things we’ve got going and (aside from the next few weeks) new episodes are available through there first.
Please consider supporting, or at least sharing the Patreon page with others. Please also check out what our wonderful contributors are contributing.
I hope you enjoy.
—
Lonely, sad trumpet kicks off Crippled Black Phoenix’s Ellengæst, then suddenly! A violent barrage; almost a cacophony, then something slower, rolling and brooding. Things regarding fateful tales about losing control. Almost a procession of sorts, though maybe it’s more of a passionate, fatalistic dance.
Eventually there’s a stop of sorts and “House Of Fools” shifts into something quieter, yet no less dramatic. Samples come in and paint a scene, a massive climax that feels more hopeful than the rest of the song. It’s a sharp contrast, though still fitting.
It’s a highly dramatic way to open Ellengæst, but considering the rest of the album it makes for a rather definitive statement of intent. More drama, “mood”, samples carefully chosen and placed, grandiosity, a lot of reverb, and a good number of interesting passages follow.
“Lost” continues the album with a bit more punch and drive behind it whilst sticking to a less variable flow. Through the lyrics delivered in various vocal shifts a sense of impending grimness comes forward; the music underneath retains a sense of opposition toward said grimness. “In The Night” begins with a dry, matter-of-fact recounting of past behaviour before slipping into a noirish, dusty and slow song. It’s low-key for a while, though eventually it becomes bigger in sound whilst revealing itself as an uplifting piece.
On an album full of moving songs, “Cry Of Love” might just be the most. Its driving beat anchors the instrumentation and helps the “quiet” / loud thrust of the song flow without a hitch; the vocals, whilst almost too much, build on the mood and atmosphere well enough. They also help enforce the song feeling like a throwback to a previous era of music. “Cry Of Love” is a passionate and emotionally charged song about cats; it feels both mournful and celebratory, as well as honest and pure.
“Everything I Say” returns to something more noirish and brooding, but it’s also a bit meaner in sound than Ellengæst‘s other songs. It knows when to cut loose but it still feels controlled. “(-)” functions as both an interlude and its own thing. Whilst it’s easy to let it blend into itself, when listening to its words, the emotional weight of the piece becomes quite apparent.
“The Invisible Past” starts slow and quiet and remains as such for a good chunk of its run. Just at the right time it brings in its first climax and only lets up a little after before building up again near the end. It’s beautiful, affecting, all that stuff.
Ellengæst closes with a cover of “She’s In Parties”, which is fine enough, but it feels like filler. “The Invisible Past” closes the album really well; It’s fitting in its climactic sound and wraps the whole thing up neatly. “She’s In Parties” sounds like the other tracks; It feels like it belongs elsewhere. Maybe Crippled Black Phoenix felt the album needed to end on something less emotionally heavy. If so, then fair call, but the song still ends up feeling like a screwed opportunity.
In places Ellengæst provides richly beautiful music, strong in expression and quite moving. However, whilst the songs often feel earned in terms of their emotional content, the whole thing is so overtly, relentlessly dramatic that at times it becomes saccharine and feels very surface. Not helping this is how heavy the reverb is for the songs, which seems to be for helping to impose a dark and brooding atmosphere. It works well for “Cry Of Love”, “The Invisible Past” and “She’s In Parties”; the others feel more like a band playing in a big echoing room. It creates too much distance and flattens things out.
Stripping back a bit of the reverb and holding back a bit on the grandiosity would’ve helped a lot. Crippled Black Phoenix are a dramatic band, but on Ellengæst they go for excess a little too much. That said, these are worthwhile songs. To an extent they are engaging, and feel much like a worthwhile journey. They just needed more restraint.
Ellengæst is available here.
Probably should’ve framed the scene different, but I’m happy with the result.
I like the sense of shifting light, as well as how the storm appears to be pushing away the lower clouds.
There’s a colour shift here that I also like. The closest cliff has a bit more green in it than the valley and cliffs behind it, and (in part due to other colouring) it feels warmer.
This is my submission into the one hundred-and-fifty-seventh Lens-Artists Photo Challenge.
The theme for this one is “Getting Away“.
I feel this one fits as it’s away from where I live. Not too far away, but far away enough to feel like somewhere completely different.
The challenge is hosted by four people and cycles weekly:
Week 1 – Patti
Week 2 – Ann-Christine aka Leya
Week 3 – Amy
Week 4 – Tina
However, for July each challenge is guest-curated, and each theme has been announced.
Rusha Sams of Oh The Places We See is curating this one.
On July 3rd John Steiner of Journeys With Johnbo curated with the theme of “On the Water“.
On July 10th Anne Sandler of Slow Shutter Speed curated with the theme of “Black and White“.
The rest for July are as follows:
July 24th – Beth Smith of Wandering Dawgs: “Along Back Country Roads”
July 31st – Ana Campo of Anvica’s Gallery: “Postcards”
I recommend participating in the challenges. They’re enjoyable and allow room for interpretation of the theme without straying too far. If you don’t participate, then I recommend that you at least check out what others of the Lens-Artists community are submitting.
I hope you enjoy.
A quiet photo with lighting that feels odd.
A bit dry. Rust, signifying age. Tracks leading somewhere and clouds that appear fine close up, but off in the distance, seem to indicate a bit of rain.
I hope you enjoy.
Stupidity Hole 