Cult of Luna: A Dawn to Fear Review

Posted on January 9, 2020 by Stupidity Hole

This took far too long to write and I think it shows.

There was a lot of moving things around, re-writing, adding, removing, and so on and so forth, spread over too much time. In the end I don’t think I covered as much as I’d have liked. This is a review where I was hoping I’d go more in-depth, but in the end I don’t feel as though I could keep working on it and as such made it as good as I could.

I think I could have done better. Oh well.

Most of my review and interview work is now 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. One of the things we’ve set up is a podcast with each episode coming out fortnightly to every three weeks. Please consider supporting, or at least sharing the Patreon page with others.

Please also check out what our wonderful contributors are contributing.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy.

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On A Dawn to Fear Cult of Luna sound thick and sludgy in a way they haven’t for a while. A lot of the songs have heavy layering, leading to a rather full sound. However there’s also a great deal of clarity. The weight of each section comes though crisp, leaving Cult of Luna free to maximise impact before moving on.

The album is quite dramatic, almost as though Cult of Luna were pushing for something more grandiose this time around. The approach works for some tracks (such as “The Silent Man” and “We Feel the End”), but only some.

For a band so often willing to embrace the idea of dynamics, on A Dawn to Fear Cult of Luna sound hesitant to do so. The songs mostly range from sounding massive to really massive; Smaller, quiet sections appear, but they’re more often suggested than actualised.

It becomes an issue as whilst the album holds some of Cult of Luna’s finest use of mood and sound, as well as some great ideas, after a while (as a collective) the songs don’t quite justify the approach. The album ends up meeting a wall and flattening out rather than getting through and expanding. It’s clear as to where holding back and going for a diminished, quieter approach would’ve helped.

That said, the approach allows for “We Feel the End” to stand out. Comparatively it’s a quiet song that seemingly functions as a breather. It holds the same sense of weight and heaviness in the rest of the album does, but carries it in a much more overt, non-aggressive manner. It also helps that the song provides much needed space before A Dawn to Fear‘s two closing tracks; the form-fitting “Inland Rain” which gives the album a strong close, and “The Fall”, which is interesting until it drags out a big rock ending.

A Dawn to Fear sounds as though the songs had too much rehearsal from a band looking to hit certain points; not in the way that they wanted to hit certain bits, but in that they had to by dint of expected formula. The end result is that the album feels a little too constructed, a little too piecemeal. It’s possible that A Dawn to Fear had a live, rather than piecemeal recording, but that isn’t how it feels.

This shouldn’t be an issue as Cult of Luna often sound like a methodical band. They often employ a sense of precision that is part of what makes their music theirs. This does come through on A Dawn to Fear, which isn’t a bad album. It’s coherent and carries a form-fitting aggression, and holds some excellent collective performances. On their own, many sections and songs on their own stand out as great pieces of music. It’s just that A Dawn to Fear sounds a little too formulated in some places and a little too overt in others. The music is great, but the album is tiring.

A Dawn to Fear is available here.

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About the Fires Currently in Australia

Posted on January 4, 2020 by Stupidity Hole

Well, it is once more a day at work and it’s looking as though it is going to be a fairly quiet one. This is what I’m hoping as there are things to do and there are concerns to address, though as I’m no firefighter, I have no way of addressing said concerns… at the moment, of course. I don’t quite know as to what will happen down the track, but at the moment the idea of being able to tackle what I feel needs the greatest amount of attention is out of my reach.

I’m sure that there are other ways of which I can bring attention to the current situation that part of Australia finds itself in, but I’m not sure if I am the person who can do that. I can always, try, however. Trying is better than doing nothing at all, and I’d rather do something rather than nothing. It might not necessarily be happening in my backyard (so to speak), but It is happening to people in a country of which I am a part and I feel that most, if not all, hold some responsibility when it comes to trying to make this a better place for everyone and not just some.

Whilst I’m not sure as to how widespread the news of party of Australia being on fire is, I feel as though it needs mentioning:

Part of Australia is currently on fire. The fires are more severe than usual.

This is not something that most would consider desirable. It is fair to say that a lot of people out there would prefer to not be experiencing this. A lot of people are in rather dire situations. A lot of animals are suffering, a lot of insects are likely to be dying off. The fires aren’t just about the impact on people it has, but other organisms too.

There’s a good chance that after all of the fires go out, all the released CO2 is going to cause further knock-on effects. I could be wrong here, but as far as I’m aware, it’s not going to instantly disappear. It will take time to be contained once more.

I feel as though I’m getting away from the topic at hand.

I’m trying to think of what people can do other than provide donations for those fighting the fires and rescuing who and what they can. That is important. Providing both financial and other assistance to them, as well as those who are losing their homes and their lives is really important. I don’t think that can be stressed enough. A lot of that would go a long way.

However, I think that spreading awareness is also important.

If one can do both, then that is fantastic. If unable to do one, then please do the other. Making sure as many people are aware of the issue at hand means a greater likelihood of support for those who at the moment are in need.

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Leaves in the street

Posted on January 3, 2020 by Stupidity Hole

Taken on the last day of work last year.

Probably could use more leaves.

I stepped out of work and could smell smoke in the air.

There was an intermittent breeze that was carrying leaves around. Something about it appealed to me and so I decided to take a photo.

I don’t think I did a good job of capturing the breeze, but I do like the sense of distance as a result of the street’s design.

I also like the positioning of the trees and differing architectural styles. It all feels a bit like a clash that somehow works.

I hope you enjoy.

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Five-Hundred Word Challenge 615: Sleep Comes First

Posted on January 3, 2020 by Stupidity Hole

So early on in the year and it already feels like it’s been a bit of a drag. Three days of being alive and three days stretched out across the continuum of time and space, seeming to go off in all directions, yet never seeming to reach some sort of end. It all just keeps on going on where it can and where it can go is everywhere, which of course means that it all overlaps on itself and creates layers far thicker than anyone could ever hope to achieve through regular means; as such, many of us have been hornswaggled and we’re not that far into the year.

I’m not sure as to how far that should go, but to be honest, it has been a long and short three days.

The best part of it was doing nothing, and also sitting at a pond at The Royal Botanic Gardens (Sydney edition), trying to get a photo of fish as they leapt out of the water for a reason that I’m not sure of, but am still concerned nonetheless.

That didn’t turn out as I had hoped, but I did get a bunch of photos of splashes, and that’s pretty alright by me. Well, at this point it is as I haven’t been getting out enough with the camera; something that I hope to turn around this year as I push to do more photography of both the recreational and professional varieties.

Perhaps that will be a thing that happens. Perhaps it will not It is far too early to tell and there are other things that I need to worry about at the moment, such as finishing off all of the reviews I need to finish off that are sitting in my backlog. Hopefully I’ll be able to get through them all before the end of January. There is a chance that that will not happen, but there is also a chance that that will be what happens and I will be set for February. It is a little too early to tell at this stage.

I imagine that if I work on getting more sleep I’ll be able to put myself into a position of rest and thus a position of a more functional mind. That is the hope, at least.

So, I guess sleep comes first, then work. Perhaps that is the order in which I should have been doing everything in the first place. Perhaps. Not entirely sure. Seems a little suspect to me.

This year is going to be a year. Not much has changed by the numbers changing as far as I’m aware. Of course, other than a bunch of expected things I’m aware of, this could be a position of ignorance. Still, this is the way I need to treat it at the moment as there isn’t much of an excuse for me to not work hard.

Well, unless I decide that it is, in which case, I still should work hard.

The time it took to write five-hundred words: 07:59:01

Got a bit fantastic, then brought it back down to earth.

Wasn’t feeling too whimsical. Perhaps it is the lack of sleep.

Written at home.

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Hair Down

Posted on January 1, 2020 by Stupidity Hole

This show was taken whilst shooting Wolves in the Throne Room’s performance at Crow Bar for Culture Eater.

I’m not sure as to what it is about this photo, but it appeals to me.

I think that it’s mostly okay, but has striking features. I think.

Perhaps it’s the lack of clarity. It’s difficult to tell what the musician is doing in this shot. It seems almost as though they are still.

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.

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The End of 2019

Posted on December 31, 2019 by Stupidity Hole

It’s late in the evening and I was hoping to be in bed by this point, but sometimes I do have reasons to stay awake. For once it is not procrastination.

Last year, whilst walking to the train station with a friend after finishing work for the day, I said that this year was going to be one in which we were going to work hard. I think that in some ways we did.

There was another gig played. That one was a bit noisier and more “experimental” than the first one last year. Neither myself nor my friend were satisfied with how it went and we’ve both agreed to play again and do a better job once I’ve finished piecing another collection of music together.

Speaking of which, recording a whole lot of stuff to sift through was satisfying. The prospect of sifting through it doesn’t feel like it will be satisfying, but it will be worthwhile in some manner.

Finishing my undergrad science degree probably should feel like more of an achievement than it currently does. Mostly I’m glad that it’s over.

Being able to do more photography in a more “professional” capacity was great. Weaving around a bunch of other photographers at various gigs whilst trying to get acceptable photos is a challenge I’ve been enjoying.

Even though it’s happening slowly, working on Culture Eater and getting a podcast running in conjunction with the other aspects of the site as it slowly grows is something I’ve been enjoying in some manner. It’s another challenge I enjoy.

Moving once more into a more permanent location has led to a greater amount of peace in my life whilst also allowing for a greater deal of trying to be creative.

The move meant that I was able to start growing plants once more. Having a bunch of different plants growing has been quite enjoyable.

That said, some things haven’t been too pleasant, such as falling out with my best friend, dealing with stuff at work that no one should have to deal with, and the bushfires which are a much greater problem than the prior two, but due to my location, far less personal. This is both a good and a bad thing, I think. The fire’s are at a distance so it can sometimes be easy to forget the threat they pose, but quite often I’m thinking about them.

I feel as though I’ve lived almost every day of 2019. It’s been quite long. Even today’s morning feels as though it happened quite a while ago. I’m not sure if this is due to a perceived notion of hardship, or some other reason.

I feel as though I’ve been bragging whilst writing this and maybe it comes off that way. Sometimes I’m not sure why I write these closing posts, but I feel as though it would be odd to not have them.

In any event, tomorrow is an arbitrary marker for a new period of time. I’m not sure what the new year will bring, but I do know that once more I’ll be looking to work hard on that which I want to develop, build and enjoy.

2020? Bring it on.

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Sirius Direct

Posted on December 31, 2019 by Stupidity Hole

Named so for what I feel is a mostly flat shot.

I’m rather relieved to see that The Sirius Building still stands.

A few months ago it was sold, which is a shame, but the word is that they’ll need to keep the external structure intact.

I haven’t seen anything development-wise as of yet, which also comes as a relief to me. At the same time, I’m curious as to see what does happen to this wonderful structure.

This shot is somewhat-similar to the second of these two.

I think that this one doesn’t give as good of an idea of its size, but better shows its structural pattern, and fills toe frame a bit better.

I hope you enjoy.

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Five-Hundred Word Challenge 614: Engulfed Everything

Posted on December 31, 2019 by Stupidity Hole

Over the hills and far away it seemed as though there was no end in sight, but of course that was due to the view being obstructed by the hills which were over the view.

On those hills were trees. Not all of the hills had trees, but many of them did. The trees spread across and none of that really mattered. What mattered was the yawning mouth of the rising sun as it engulfed everything in shadow and cast as much of its harsh light across the landscape, leading to a view that many would consider beautiful, but in this instance beautiful it did not feel.

Well, not to all. Some really did consider it beautiful, and they cast their critical eye across the scenery in order to try and add some meaning to it through the medium of words, but always falling short in these endeavours, for as beautiful and delicious as the land was, nature was as elusive as it was prominent and mere words were not enough to do it justice, no matter how loaded with meaning and intent they just so happened to be.

Still, it was difficult to fault them for trying, for sometimes something so overwhelming so as to become difficult to comprehend still needs some form of base in order to build a collective upon, and this is of course what those using their critical eye were doing their best to do. They were able to give a description and an idea, but the only way to truly experience and understand the whole thing was to be present rather than absent.

Perhaps in this instance being present may not have been the best idea, for the light seemed to be brighter than usual and it was almost too much to handle. Clouds seemed to be getting pushed away and evaporated into nothingness as the molecules that comprised their being broke down and were unable to reform back into what they were meant to reform.

It seemed as though even the grass was trying to shy away. The ocean nearby, of course, stood steadfast. Not much more evaporation than usual was occurring at its surface and it was oblivious to the brightness. However, that obliviousness was a chance at the ocean’s downfall, for it too would need to do something in order to cope with the inevitable.

This was all temporary, however, as eventually the gaping darkness would swallow the sun and, after enough passes, the sun would be far less powerful than it happened to be on that morning. Of course this too was temporary, for the cycle would continue. The sun didn’t want to break routine and people using their critical eye didn’t want to stop trying to describe the scene.

The sun would slowly alternate in its brightness and the night would continue to come and clean its aftermath.

It all kept on moving forward and turning, and little else changed other than the speed at which the treadmill moved.

The time it took to write five-hundred words: 08:14:83

So I think it’s fair to say that the current state that New South Wales is in is influencing my writing a lot more than I’d like to admit.

I feel as though this is a bit more of a description than a narrative, if that makes sense.

Moved around a little too much.

Not great, not terrible. Kind of so-so.

Written at work.

 

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Another Resting Cat

Posted on December 30, 2019 by Stupidity Hole

A shot I took whilst at a friend’s parent’s place.

This cat was temporarily resting in the sun. It wasn’t long before it got up and wandered off elsewhere.

I think I could’ve framed this better, but I think the idea of the cat gets across pretty well.

It looks rather relaxed, and indeed it was.

This is my submission into the seventy-seventh Lens-Artists Photo Challenge.

The theme for this one is “Favorite Photos of 2019“.

I’m not certain if I have favourite photos from this year. However, I do know that among others, this is one I like quite a lot.

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

This one is hosted by Patti. The next will be hosted by Leya.

I recommend checking out the challenge to see how people interpret each theme.
I also recommend giving it a go.

I hope you enjoy.

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Five-Hundred Word Challenge 613: Rather Warm Day

Posted on December 30, 2019 by Stupidity Hole

And so it was once more a rather warm day, but not the warmest one of the week, for that was still to come. Probably not the best day approaching, but it could have been worse, although it always can be worse when using foresight.

The only thing that could e done at this stage was hide from the sun and hope for the best. It passed on by behind a haze of smoke and of course this only served to intensify its glorious nature, much to the consternation of many of those who had to be underneath its body in some nature.

It meant that going outside seemed risky at worst, and unpleasant at best, so those who could avoid going outside would avoid going outside, as the creeping heat finding its way within buildings was significantly less unpleasant than being outside in a sun that was burning.

It seemed as though this was an issue that could have been dealt with months and months ago, but alas, those with the ability to do something for most were unwilling to heed the warnings and thus the predicament many found themselves in was the resultant consequence.

It was too damn hot. It was too damn hot to do anything. Too hot to function, too hot to sleep. Too hot to drink, too hot to eat. The sweat was bursting forth and pouring down everyone’s faces, providing themselves their own showers only to leave them with the feeling of having immersed themselves within dirty water.

Still, at lest the shower was free; well, it was if you were to discount the cost of having to replenish on a regular basis.

And those in the city were the lucky ones. Those out  in the bush, near the fires that took advantage of the situation to strike  were not so fortunate. They were in far less a state to feel concrete about the future than those in the city. In the city all they had to worry about was getting to the end of the season. Those in the bush had the same worry, but it was more about surviving with as little damaged as possible before the season’s end.

And yet, still, those in the position to be able to make decisions that could lead to some great benefit wouldn’t lift a finger until strong-armed into doing so. It was a frustrating situation for many involved. There was information readily available, and yet it was continually ignored. These were the people responsible for the safety of many, and then some, and they were too busy pretending that this was something that could not have been diminished in impact.

But of course, this was something that seemed to go on in a loop. Nothing seemed like it would change, other than the severity of the fires and thus the danger, and the sun would, for months at a time, sit in the sky, behind a veil of smoke, slowly scorching the world beneath.

The time it took to write five-hundred words: 08:18:14

This is one of those things that has a little too much applicable context, I think.

Feels like a bit of a whinge.

Maybe it is.

Written at home.

 

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