Five-Hundred Word Challenge 509: I was at a Festival

Posted on December 9, 2018 by Stupidity Hole

Around four hours of sleep. Maybe more. Not sure. All I know is that right now I’m tired and awake and tired and awake and tired and awake and tired. And perhaps I am also awake.

Yesterday I was at a festival. Specifically Good Things. I was there as Culture Eater got the opportunity to both review and photograph the event. I was there to review. Pretty chuffed.

It was a big opportunity for us so of course I was going to take the opportunity to go.

Did the most walking I’ve done in a long time. Had a good time. Enjoyed it. Of course naturally there were some bands better than others, but I think overall it was a good festival.

However, I’ll write all about that on Culture Eater in a few days, so you’ll be able to check out my thoughts on the whole thing there when it goes up.

Well, hopefully in a few days. Depends on how much I do not procrastinate, of course.

For the time being, I’m here at home writing about something. I don’t quite know as to what I’m writing about and all of this feels rather aimless. Still, the need, the urge, the desire to write is all there. I can feel it and I need to spew this all out for some reason or another.

There was quite a lot of walking yesterday. There was also a lot of sun. I did get a bit of a burn because I decided to wait a few hours before applying sunscreen because for some reason I decided to be stupid about sun protection.

Remember slip slop slap. Also wrap. These are all key ingredients to sun safety. Better to be sun safe than sun sorry. Or something like that.

Anyway, it was a good festival. Wait. I’ve already said that.

It was a good festival full of music and people. There was also oxygen. A lot of dust. You get the idea.

It was also really easy to get to. You didn’t need a car to get there if you lived near a train line.

For me, it was just one train to Parramatta. Easy. Then a walk for about fifteen minutes. Maybe ten. Really easy.

I imagine that for others it was a bit more difficult, but still, the convenience is really important and something that I think was a real positive for the festival.

It was also a positive as getting home was rendered really easy, also.

The joys of commute that is easy.

Now I am here and my feet are far less sore and tired than they should be. All that standing and walking should have me in much more pain than I am currently feeling. The lack of great pain is something that I value highly at the moment.

Anyway, I think that I’ve reached the end of the ramblings that I can get out for this day, so this is where I have to stop.

The time it took to write five-hundred words: 06:55:46

I like that this one is a bit more grounded than others.
Probably because I’m too tired to write anything better.

Written in Redfern.

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Five-Hundred Word Challenge 508: So Many Summits

Posted on December 7, 2018 by Stupidity Hole

Sometimes you forget as to just how busy it gets around Christmas.

That is why I’m trying to race my way to success today. Well, there is no success to be had, but maybe I can write really fast and get to the end of it all within a good deal of time.

Man, I hope that the rest of the day does not drag out. I just want to sit here and do the things that I want to do, but there really isn’t enough time in the break!

I got nothing to write about. I got nothing. I got nothing but the will to desire and the power to believe, baby, and as that is what they say, were gonna hit the gas and rocket off from this here very town that we seem to think is treating us well.

Off and onto the road, away from the traffic. Gotta find a new horizon and a sunrise signifying a new dawn in which we’ll truly be able to thrive and get away from all the crime and desire that so wrings itself out of our necks as we look forward to another summit to summit.

So many summits, and yet the time that is available to me is always limited in which way to go, where to face, who to face.

gotta get away from all the crime. Need to start a new life. Need to find a life away from here.

Need to do one final job. Need to get out of the syndicate. The family’s been good to me, but it’s time to retire. Just need that one last job to get away from it all. The big paycheck. The final score. The one what will allow me to get free and get away from it all.

Leaving this place behind. Gonna get away, gonna fly away. Gonna look at another day, another face, a new life. A new job, a new island somewhere else.

Gotta find that somewhere. Gotta make sure that I get there. The car is hot but it should cool down with time. Into the winter and away from the summer. Need to drive away from this city. Need to get into the building. Pack only the necessities. The biggest job yet and the last for what will hopefully be the last of the times of the job doing.

Gonna make sure that there’;s enough fuel in the tank so that so long as I keep on driving and keep my cool on, I can get out of the sphere of influence and on my way to the freedom that I so desire.

The job, it wears you down, hardens you in ways that you don’t want to be hardened. You feel like you lose sight of your humanity as all that you’re doing is the same thing over and over again.

But I need to get out. Need to hold onto what little is left. Need to find my own way.

The time it took to write five-hundred words: 04:50:37

I started this as a serious piece and it derailed pretty quickly.

I’m happy with that.

Written at work.

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BIRUSHANAH: 灰ニナルマデ Review

Posted on December 5, 2018 by Stupidity Hole

This Review can also be found on Culture Eater.
Please check out the site and see what other people are contributing.

Anyway, here’s the review.

—–

Recently BIRUSHANAH put out a new album by the name of 灰ニナルマデ. I don’t know what that means, so if anyone is happy to enlighten me, then by all means do so.

灰ニナルマデ  is an album that sounds like the band sat down one day and said “We don’t have enough percussion”. I’m aware that BIRUSHANAH have been doing this for a while, but still, that’s how it sounds. What’s impressive about the whole affair is how well everything works together.

The additional percussion is pretty prominent and has a good chunk of the focus, but by no means is it there to steal the show. A great deal of work has gone into ensuring that the additional percussion doesn’t feel like a gimmick or a novelty. The additional percussion works hard to build on the rhythm of the songs. It also does a lot for texture and depth. There’s more to dig at and more to reach into. At some points it veers a little into excess, but otherwise it works really well.

Of course, the other elements of the music work just as well. The drums pulse and thump, and give the songs a lot of punch and flow. Despite sharing space with the additional percussion, it does not take a diminished role. Instead it sounds full and massive when it needs to and congeals well into the songs.

The guitar ranges from monolithic to small. It pulls back as necessary, chugs, drones and adds a great deal of width to the songs. It’s pretty sludgy, yet there’s still a great deal of clarity in notation. There’s an understanding of when to be tight and when to be loose, when to serve as a counterpoint and when to move along with the rhythm. Some of the guitar is overly familiar, but by no means is it ever dull. Like the other parts, there’s a lot of energy and enthusiasm in there, as well as intent and purpose.

The vocals sound like they take influence from choral, operatic music rather than anything closer to rock or metal. Many elongated notes take the helm and a great deal goes into the feel of the vocals. They’re expressive and dramatic in a way that suits the songs more than expected. The vocals don’t always follow the rhythm – not in a typical manner, anyway. However, when they move away from the standard following, they add another layer to dig into. Often the singer is happy to let the music speak for itself. As such, the vocals see use only when necessary. When used, it’s always to maximum effect.

All of the individual elements come together really well. The songs are, in many places, monolithic and heavy. However, they aren’t heavy for the sake of being heavy. They’re still quite expressive and, as in the individual components, as a whole there’s purpose. There’s reason for the heaviness to exist and it’s not for throwaway intentions.

The entirety of 灰ニナルマデ  sounds really massive. It has a lot to do with its percussive nature, but to say that that is the sole reason is to discredit BIRUSHANAH entirely. They’re a band interested in exploration iff they can make it work. Many interesting textures and sounds (including some outside of the guitar, vocals and percussion) permeate the album, and despite a few moments everything feels like it’s meant to be there. Odd tones and uncommon metres hold a place and sound natural rather than forced. What would have been the point of

All of this is to say that BIRUSHANAH are doing more to explore what is and isn’t heavy than many heavy bands. Not only is what they’ve crafted on 灰ニナルマデ  interesting; it’s also great. Music like this is rare. It’s also worthwhile.

BIRUSHANAH’s 灰ニナルマデ  is available here.

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Side by Side

Posted on December 4, 2018 by Stupidity Hole

Two watercraft, side by side, heading in the same direction, and so on.

I like the direct comparison between these two boats. You can directly see their difference in utility and design.

I also like the simplicity of the scene.

I hope you enjoy.

 

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Another Rant About Train Etiquette

Posted on December 4, 2018 by Stupidity Hole

Trains: They’re a thing.

I think that it’s safe to say that in this stage of my life, I’ve been on the train far more times than I can bother to try and count.

Trains are a great form of transport. Sure, they don’t always function as intended, but then again, what does?

I’ve been riding trains since I was a child. I’ve been on trains whilst crossing the Sydney Harbour Bridge at least a thousand times. I’ve been across the Sydney Harbour Bridge enough times to have its “splendour” wear off.

Trains are wonderful in many ways. They can get you across the landscape pretty fast iof necessary, but they only allow a small snapshot when they do have to move quickly.

Sometimes they’re spacious , sometimes they’re not.

They’re useful in how much they can carry and move in a set direction, and they’re just kind of fun to be on.
Well, sometimes they’re fun to be on. Not always.

Trains, like many, many other things out there, are pretty symbolic if someone wants to pull symbolism from them. They can only follow the tracks that are set out for them, even if there are opportunities for them to change tracks. The moment they leave, they are no  longer able to set forward and head off to other locations other than the one that they will reach and come to a sudden halt.

Of course, there is always the possibility that a train will be re-railed, but if they are derailed, then that usually is their end.

Well, their end as far as we know. Now that I think about it, there’s probably a few that are fine enough to assess, repair if necessary and then put back on the tracks.

Now, there is a reason as to why I’m writing this about trains at this hour of the morning. I enjoy trains, I enjoy being able to read on them, I enjoy being able to see scenery from out of their windows. I like trains. However, my like of trains is not the reason as to why I am writing about trains at this hour of the morning.

The reason as to why I’m writing about trains is that people find no end to being able to [piss me off when it comes to etiquette and basic forms of respect, especially when it comes to trains.

Like other forms of transport, people seem to be able to find many ways in which they can be selfish assholes and cause other people strife.

Maybe strife is a strong word here, but, well, you know. Dramatic effect.

These people I’m referring to, it’s not those that commit suicide or fall on the tracks by accident, people who get sick and cause delays, etc. etc. Those are far more serious and complex issues than what I’m going to rant about today.

So yeah. People on the trains are as bad as people on the busses. Maybe they’re not as bad. Maybe they’re worse. We’re going to say that they’re just as bad today.

And yes, I know that not everyone on the train is an asshole.

This morning whilst I was heading to work the lazy way (work is about a twenty, twenty-five minute walk from where I am at the moment, so I’ve no real excuse for catching the train, but I was lazy this morning, so that’s my excuse). I walked to the train station, headed to a platform that would soon have a train arriving. The train then arrived.

Riveting, I know.

So the train arrived and the cars in front of me were appearing to be full of passengers.

Quite a few of them got off, less than those that got off got on and then people decided that the best course of action was to huddle in the doorway instead of going up or downstairs, therefore blocking others from getting on. Because as we all know, the best course of action to take when you’re on public transport is to prevent people from getting on, even if there is space for them to get on.

I didn’t have a long wait for the next train, but this still annoys me.

We all use public transport. Why do this? Why make it harder for others because you don’t want to bother and maybe deal with the slight inconvenience of having to take a little longer to get off of the train when it arrives at your [platform?

I wonder if the people who do this are the same ones who push onto the train when people are getting off, slowing down the flow of traffic. I wonder if these are the same people who decide that running onto the train as the doors are shutting, thus risking delaying the train, thus risking delaying trains behind them? Yes, you may be running late but that doesn’t make you more important than everyone else on the train.

And why does your bag need a seat when there are people standing around you? Why do you think that your feet need a seat more than you do?

Why do people do these things? Why do they think that this is acceptable? Why be a shit?

Trains, and by extension other forms of public transport are there for everyone to use. To those who think that shitty behaviour is acceptable: It isn’t. One day someone might just decide to retaliate. They shouldn’t but it could happen and at the end of the day you have no one to blame but yourself.

I don’t understand why people do this kind of crap. It might not seem like much, but it affects people over time. It’s so much easier to not be an asshole about etiquette. It’s so easy to just, well… not be shit, but people seem to keep on taking the selfish route because they don’t want to have basic consideration for their fellow person.

I don’t know as to how it is in other countries, but I find it difficult to believe that those that preach the idea of mateship and behave poorly on public transport truly believe in those values. Well, believe in those values when it extends to something beyond them.

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Framework

Posted on December 3, 2018 by Stupidity Hole

More underside of the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

Another photo taken whilst walking around taking photos.

I think that this makes for an interesting pattern, with some nice detail.

You get a sense of the strength of the structure without it feeling overbearing.

This is my submission into the Lens-Artists Photo Challenge for this week.

The theme for this week is “Happiness is…“.

I think this photo fits partially due to the lines, lighting and pattern, and mainly due photography producing happiness as a byproduct.

This 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 week is hosted by Leya and next week’s will be hosted by Amy.

I suggest following and considering participating, but also seeing how other people have responded to the photo challenge from The Daily Post ending.

Anyway, I hope you  enjoy.

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Cloud Nothings: Last Building Burning Review

Posted on December 3, 2018 by Stupidity Hole

This Review can also be found on Culture Eater.
Please check out the site and see what other people are contributing.

Anyway, here’s the review.

—–

Last Building Burning commences by tipping its hand immediately. Outside of what you hear on “On an Edge”, there is little to chew on. Almost everything on the album is surface level, which is fine. However, the album is far too willing to announce it and then leave it at that.

On Last Building Burning Cloud Nothings express energy and are mostly loud and “noisy”. Dylan Baldi screams a fair bit. Sometimes he sings. There’s a lot of guitar, a lot of drums, a lot of bass. The songs have a solid groove to them and the band performance is decent. Overall Cloud Nothings do a good job of playing their songs.

Dylan Baldi’s vocals are worrisome. Often he sounds like he’s slurring or mumbling and too often he sounds like he’s going off key. In a sense hi delivery is more emotive, but it’s also distracting. It becomes more distracting when he nails everything.

On top of that, most of the time when Dyaln Baldi screams it doesn’t sound so much like he is screaming as it does he’s shredding his voice. Usually it is appropriate for this kind of music; here it’s kind of concerning because it sounds like he’s doing some really serious damage to his voice.

The following quote from Dylan Baldi regarding “Dissolution” expresses a large problem with Last Building Burning overall:

“Oh, well, this one I wanted to make essentially like a drone track but it was like, you can’t just make a drone song on our record. So I had to put some kind of song around it.”

In the interview the quote is from Dylan Baldi states that the song is not throwaway. The two individual parts of the song are not bad. They work, but the whole thing feels throwaway. The drone section is nice and kind of meditative. However, it’s compromised by the more direct sections being a part of the song; parts added because for some reason Cloud Nothings had to add them. It doesn’t feel natural. It feels forced and manufactured. The sections would have worked better as separate things, or the drone section leading into the direct section. As it stands, it’s two separate things kind of forced together.

The biggest issue with Last Bulding Burning is that it comes off as a knee-jerk reaction created to placate fans. I don’t think that that’s why the album was created. I think that it was an earnest, genuine attempt at creating some sort of counterpoint, but that is not how it comes off. The album doesn’t sound like it was what Cloud Nothings wanted to make. What could have been a solid set of songs ended up a set of songs that are enjoyable, but also throwaway and forgettable.

That aside, there are some really strong songs on Last Building Burning. “The Echo of the World” might just be one of the largest-sounding songs that have come from Cloud Nothings. The song has a real grit to it and a great sense of progression. It doesn’t linger on its opening riffs, builds in a very rhythmic, interesting way and, in closing, has a great, solid payoff. Everything just kind of ramps up without going over the top, or being too sudden. It has the right balance of abrasiveness and melody and sounds really lively.

“Leave Him Now” steps a bit further back than many of the songs. The “noise” factor is stripped back, allowing  the melody and pop sensibilities to shine through. The vocal performance is rough, but Cloud Nothings sound great, almost gliding through the song. “Leave Him Now” doesn’t quite fit with the rest of the album, but it still works as a nice, tight pop song.

Some of the other songs (such as “Dissolution”) show promise, but much of the music is underdeveloped. The energy and performance is there, but the album would have worked better as an EP.

In the promotional blurb for Last Building Burning, there’s a section that talks about how the current trend of indie rock is is clean, controlled and lacking chaos. Last Building Burning is loud and in a sense ragged, but so much of it comes off as forced and manufactured. There’s nothing really chaotic here and most of it is pretty predictable.

Cloud Nothings are a great, hard-working band. They’ve put out excellent music and they will likely continue to do so in the future. Last Building Burning has some great songs, but overall could have been better.

Cloud Nothings’ Last Building Burning is available here.

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Five-Hundred Word Challenge 507: A Rising in the Distance

Posted on December 2, 2018 by Stupidity Hole

A rising in the distance.

From within the fog, vague shapes rise and form to create something more concrete, something less discrete, something fart more real than real.

Or, at least that is what people think the fog thinks anyway.

Shapes coalesce, form, dissolve, create organisms that proceed to proceed forward, but they never reach the end and forever remain shapes that are only there to inspire menace, for as they move forward, so does the fog.

And yet, it never seem to ever reach those around. It is always at a safe distance, always approaching, always consuming, but it never gets close enough for those that are in the fog to reach out. It hangs there, striking uncertainty within the hearts of those around.

There is a vague details to it, and yet it is so specific, so present, so apparent that it is always there, There is less land today than there was yesterday, as the fog encroaches upon all, and yet it never ever gets more than people seem to think that it takes. It is always there, always consuming, but at the same time there is nothing that it consumes, for it always approaches but never reaches.

There is an uncertainty in all those who bear witness to the spectacle, there is fear, there is anxiety, but there is nothing out there that needs to be feared. There is nothing to fear at all. There are creatures there, or at least the impression of creatures, and they are menacing and intimidating, but no one knows as they never dare to approach it.

Had they approached they would see. They would see the truth, they would see the veil torn down. They would see the honesty for what is the fog and they would realise that there is nothing to fear as the truth was revealed to them and they were able to absorb and tear down the notions. They would be able to step forward, perhaps afraid, but confident in their stride. There would be able to know that once and for all that there was nothing to fear. It was a safe world for them to witness and embrace, but as far as everyone knew, there was all to fear. There was something to run from and be on the guard around, but they never approached and never knew. They just ran away as much as they could.

They only knew fear, and the fog was specifically ambiguous, but it was as it always was.

It was just there. It did not seem to follow the rules that people thought that it should. Then again, blinded by fear, they knew not what rules it should have been following.

They knew not what to expect and they knew not that the fog was just another thing and that all that it was and is was displaying little else than some images that were distorted due to refusing to perceive and see past their firmly ingrained fears.

The time it took to write five-hundred words: 05:58:78

I don’t think that this is as good as it could be.

I like the flow and the simplicity of it.
I think that it’s a little too aimless.

Written at work.

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A Pier, A Ship

Posted on December 1, 2018 by Stupidity Hole

A couple of days ago I was walking around The Rocks and so I took a number of photos as I wanted to talk photos whilst walking around The Rocks.

Here’s one of those photos.

I think that the clouds in the sky really help the boat and the buildings really stand out in this photo. there’s a nice contrast between them.

I like that the water in this shot is not vibrant in colour as I think it further creates a nice, if rough gradient from it to the sky.

I do wish that the pier was more prominent, but I do like that it’s not immediately obvious.

I also think that the pier does well to frame some of the buildings.

Leanne Cole begun a new photo challenge.

This week’s theme is “Piers“.

I suggest checking out Leanne’s photography, as well as checking out what other people submit into the challenge.

You can find the challenges here.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy.

 

 

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Five-Hundred Word Challenge 506: Some Stuff, then December

Posted on December 1, 2018 by Stupidity Hole

Well, I was going to write about National Novel Writing Month wrapping up, but I didn’t have anything of note to write about in relation to that, but then again, that’s not different from usual.

At work, blah blah blah. There’s a music blasting into my ears. I am perceiving the vibrations between the speakers and my ear bones.

I think I feel like relaxing. The warmth in my body is increasing to a heat and I am in meltdown. Well, not meltdown, but Goddamn I am warm on this very morning of mornings.

The inside of a cave with no window is where I reside. Soon It will grow to a cold that is untenable unless you  have a jacket with you, as apparently in this building no one understands how to use air conditioning.

There’s my rant for the morning in less than a large handful of sentences.

Sometimes… sometimes I’ve got nothing, but at least at the moment I have this desk. I have half a coffee, I have water, I have my timer, I have this desk. I have hands and those hands are busy working away at the present moment of the current point in time.

We are now firmly within the grasp of the month known as December. The month that denotes the final month of the year. The month that denotes December. It is known as December.

Amazing stuff, this.

For those that say that the year has flown by, well, I don’t know how it is fore you, but for me it has been a long, lengthy slog. I feel as though I’ve lived many, many lives.

As time goes on, it’s all meant to feel like it’s flying by faster and faster, or so I’m told. For me, this year feels like it has gotten longer.

The last few years actually have felt like they’ve been stretching out more and more. Time seems to be moving slower for me. That’s how I feel, anyway.

Maybe some people have time slow down for them the older they get, or something. I don’t know, I don’t know how these things work.

All I know is that it’s been a very long year, but a good one. Well, there have been some bad things, but a good one overall.

But I shouldn’t be writing about this right now as the year is yet to conclude. We are still in December, or at least the beginning of December. There’s still a lot of time to go before we reach the end of the year. Before the end of the year sees celebrations. There is still time to pass. Plenty of time to pass and plenty of things to do before the end of the year, I believe.

I should probably start doing my job soon. After all, I am currently at work and there are only a few minutes before the shit begins.

I wonder if it’s too late to call in sick.

Probably.

The time it took to write five-hundred words: 05:49:15

I think I’m a little drained regarding writing.

NaNoWriMo took a lot more than I anticipated it would.
That mostly has to do with being pretty lazy for the first few days, then playing catch up fore the rest of it.

Oh well.

Written at work.

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