SEIMS: 3 Review

Posted on November 27, 2017 by Stupidity Hole

3, the new album from Sydney band SEIMS, is really good. It might even be great.

3 is brief, and thankfully not a minute is wasted. There is no filler whatsoever as every part feels purposeful, regardless of how much instrumentation is being used. Every moment on the record sounds incredibly tight without sounding like it has been rehearsed to death, leading to a lively feel to each song.

The drums roll along with great precision, moving between fast, chaotic, and slow playing with ease whilst also moving in and around the beat as deemed necessary whilst the guitar, bass and synth all build on each other, following a flow and progression of sections that feels quite natural to each song. As well as some use of vocals, other instruments are heard throughout 3, coming and going as necessary in order to add a bit more texture and nuance to each moment in which they appear without feeling out of place, as well as enhancing the cinematic and at times expansive sound of the record.

Whilst each song is really solid, it should be noted that “Imperfect Black” is an amazing closer. It starts off fairly soft and delicate before exploding in sound, washing over you as the song sounds like it’s soaring freely before it softens as it comes to a close. The vocal performance is as strong, passionate and lively as the instruments, rising and falling with ease. With that being said, what really makes “Imperfect Black” amazing is how well it combines elements from each of the previous three songs without faltering in the slightest.

3 is a strong album that is more than the sum of its parts, as well as a testament to SEIMS’ ability to craft a creative, cohesive and lean record. It would have been easy for the album to sound like a mess, but it doesn’t. Instead of being a mess, 3 smoothly brings many elements together whilst refining SEIMS’ sound to form a natural-sounding and lively collection of songs.

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Cloudy Day at Darling Harbour

Posted on November 26, 2017 by Stupidity Hole

Clouds of various tones everywhere!
Unfortunately it is likely that the pelicans are statues.

I think that this shot does a decent job of showing the length of Pyrmont Bridge.

The drift and tone the clouds contrasts well with the rigid structure of the buildings.

I hope you enjoy.

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Five-Hundred Word Challenge 348: Slow day, Some Stuff

Posted on November 26, 2017 by Stupidity Hole

Terrible daylight is pouring in everywhere.

Watt will the train of thought for today be, I wonder?

I do not know. It is still a mystery that needs to be unraveled as quickly as possible.
I was once on a mountain. It was a tall mountain. I had to get down somehow, so going down is what I did.

It made for a fun climb.

Of course, in this case I may just very well be referring to Mount Fuji.

In fact, I am. I was on Mount Fuji and I went down it, which is something that I wrote about a while ago and will not write about again, for there are other things, such as the way the clouds are carrying themselves across the sky, allowing us to watch and relax for a little while.

Oh wait. I could talk about the party that I was involved in lat night.

Yesterday there was a party at my house and I had fun.

There we go. That is done. Easy. Finished.

It was very much a small party. I guess it was more like a small gathering.
There were people. There was laughter. There was cake. I am far more awake than I thought I would be, which is very much a good thing.

Parties can be pretty fun and enjoyable for a lot of reasons. Right now they aren’t enjoyable as one is not happening.

Well, there would be at some point in time in some place in the world. Even right now. However, I am not involved. Therefore the party is not exciting.

I don’t know as to what I’m going on about right now. I think I’,m just really worn out. I’ve partially finished with uni for the year and I’m just really tired and drained which is not fun as I still need to work on a lot of things before the end of the year. I need to keep on pushing on and get through a lot of things.

I want to go camping again. I want to find something a little more interesting to write.

I want to scale the mountains of the earth to appreciate the beauty and be firmly reminded of how small and insignificant I am, as well as how lucky I am to be born into this world and be able to see the natural landscape that I can get to when I have the ability.

I want to be among the waves, swimming, diving and exploring, fascinated by a place that we do not normally get to see and experience.

I would like to take my camera to places I haven’t been to for a while and take snapshots. I would like to explore Sydney a little more than I have in the last few cities.

I want to be able to do the things that I want to do as much as I can, but there are steps that I need to take to do those things.

The time it took to write five-hundred words: 06:35:90

This was much more of a struggle to write than I had anticipated.

I don’t know as to how much it contributes.

Probably very little.

Written at work.

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Rainbow on the Wake

Posted on November 25, 2017 by Stupidity Hole

This was taken whilst heading out for the whale watching in Huskisson.

It’s not often that you get to see a rainbow so close to you.

I like that the rainbow is quite visible, as well as the capturing of the expanse of water.

I also like that the spray is a little out of focus compared to everything else.

I hope you enjoy.

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Five-Hundred Word Challenge 347: Happy Little Plant

Posted on November 25, 2017 by Stupidity Hole

In a happy little pot there is a happy little plant that will grow to be some sort of stronger, larger version of itself one day in the near future.
It needs water and sun and with those two things, it shall surely grow as massive as it needs to be.

The type of plant is still yet to be determined, but it is understood that if may become a massive tree if it is removed from the pot and put into the earth.

From there, it will need less watering as, as it grows it will be able to find its own sources of water and will need it less constantly as it grows thick and large and reaches for the sky whilst spreading its branches and leaves outward and upward, creating a very small canopy.

As the plant grows it may attract various invertebrates and vertebrates. Perhaps it will create its own little ecosystem as various creatures inhabit its branches and the crevasses in its bark, whilst others inhabit the soil that the roots spread through.

It is possible that as it  spreads out, the happy little plant will meet other happy little plants and they will grow in unison with each other. If planted in the right area, perhaps the plant will become part of a forest that is far greater than it would ever be if it were to remain alone.

However, it is likely that it will remain in someone’s backyard, growing tall and mighty, creating shade on a small patch of earth and leaving a little spot in the backyard for people to relax, for it would be cool in that shade that the plant would create.

Perhaps none of this will happen at all. Perhaps the happy little plant will remain a small plant and become fruit-bearing throughout whichever season it is that it would bear fruit.

Of course this would attract various little creatures, but if whomever was growing the plant acted fast enough, then they would be able to get the fruit for themselves.

Maybe it will not be a fruit-bearing plant and instead be one that just produces flowers.

Bees would fly around, collecting pollen whilst cross-pollinating and the aroma of the flowers would enrich the area in which they would sit.

There would be a sense of vibrancy and at the same time calm that would be found within looking at the plant and its produce as the little creatures work around it, doing the things that they do, whatever those things may be.

Wherever it would end up, it would surely lift the mood of the place whenever someone were to look upon and appreciate its beauty.

Indeed, there is a great amount of potential for this happy little plant, regardless of what it becomes. All it needs at the moment is sun and water, and perhaps also a little bit of care and love in order for it to grow and help it reach its full potential.

The time it took to write five-hundred words: 08:02:06

I think this came about as I need to do a small amount of re-potting today.
I like this. It is nice and relaxed.

Written at home.

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Sophia: As we Make our way (the Live Recordings) Review

Posted on November 24, 2017 by Stupidity Hole

During their tour to support the release of As we Make our way (Unknown Harbours), Sophia recorded each (as far as I’m aware) live show which has now lead to the release of As we Make our way (the Live Recordings), their second live album released this year and their fourth live album overall.

The first ten tracks are the entirety of (Unknown Harbours). There are a number of deviations from the studio recordings, with some songs being further improved and some shifting sideways. It’s a bit of a mixed bag, but the songs all hold up well. “Resisting” becomes more raw, ragged and urgent whilst “Blame” becomes a more tender tune. “The Hustle” really benefits from sounding more guitar-driven, underpinning the vocals much better and “You say it’s Alright” sounds much more driven and rolling. Like “Resisting”, it too is quite raw and ragged.

“It’s Easy to be Lonely” is still quite a strong song. The way that it unfolds here lacks a bit of the depth compared to the studio version. However, this is compensated for in the guitar work which layers and builds upon itself without becoming a hot mess, and the uplifting feel of the song is retained allowing the song to remain a moving piece of music.

The rest of (Unknown Harbours) sounds good with the slight changes and overall the performance of the album is quite strong.

The remaining fifteen songs are from most of Sophia’s catalogue. It is a shame that nothing from Technology won’t Save us shows up as many of the songs from that album would have worked very well with the track list, but otherwise the chosen songs work well together.

Many of the remaining songs are also altered. “There are no Goodbyes” is a softer and more melancholic song, “The Desert Song No. 2” becomes more bottom-heavy whilst remaining as expansive and “Last Night I had a Dream” becomes a slower song that remains sombre whilst no longer sounding mired by its sombreness.

Some songs are a little more faithful to the studio recordings, such as “So Slow”, “Oh my Love” and “Darkness”. They all work well with the rest of the track list, sounding as tight and as lively as necessary.

One of the standout tracks here would have to be “Razorblades” which might just be the definitive version of the song. The vocals and instrumentation are much stronger than on the original and whilst the original has its own drama through the use of string instruments, this one sounds much better developed. The way that it flows and expands outward without losing its impact is impressive. The solo that has been included feels as emotive as the lyrics “But baby I can’t promise you anything, like anything will change” and carries the weight of the song through the passage in which it appears with ease. It is a fairly sad song but it is also a well-written one that needed an older voice to give it the strength that it needed.

This is now the fifth recording of “The River Song” that we’ve received and it still remains a very strong song. All the visceral bitterness and anger is still there as the song becomes louder and more intense as it progresses.

Also of note is the pairing of “Bad Man” and “Bastards”. “Bad man” is much noisier than its original incarnation, sounding almost like it is crashing in parts whilst not becoming overwhelmed, whereas “Bastards” starts off quiet and builds upon the noise of “Bad Man” into something much more angry, abrasive and gripping.

Overall, the performances captured here are all strong. There’s a lot of clarity in the record and when sounds meld together they don’t become muddy. Robin Proper-Sheppard sounds in fine vocal form throughout the entirety of the album, always matching lyrics and music appropriately without sounding as though there was any struggle to do so.

Sophia sound like a band that works hard which really pays off as, whilst these aren’t the most technically complex of songs, they would still be pretty easy to screw up. Not only does Sophia sound like a band that works hard, but they’re also a really consistent band and Robin Proper-Sheppard is a really consistent songwriter. Whilst the track list could have included some other songs, As we Make our Way (the Live Recordings) is an excellent capture of an excellent band.

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Five-Hundred Word Challenge 346: This Semester is Done

Posted on November 23, 2017 by Stupidity Hole

I’m free. I’m finally free.

What am I free from?

Why, it is the tyrannical grasp that was the second semester of university this year. I am finally free and now I can do whatever I like, such as become enslaved to everything else that I need to take care of at the moment.

Huzazah!

My last exam was today. It was just me and the course coordinator. We stared each other down, doing the things that we need to do.
Well, I actually just sat the exam and the course coordinator was there. What a champ he was.

Also, I curse thee, food poisoning. Curse thee for postponing the inevitable. I could have had this all done last week so my panic would have ended sooner as opposed to later. Oh well. That’s the way that the things go sometimes.

Well, now I am at work, typing away and finding myself feeling quite relieved, let me tell you.

I am so relieved that the sense of relief that I am feeling is relieving in and of  itself.

I don’t know what to do now.
Right now I am on a break for lunch, typing away and feeling relief.

Summer semester will start very shortly. That is not going to be much fun, but that’s the way the cookie crumbles, as they say.

Or do they?

I do not know what they say. Let us pretend that that is indeed what they say. It will make me feel a little bit better in this instant. That is a good thing, I think.

I cut through the branches that have blinded me.

I walk through the forest, at one with myself, seeking the ocean that lays somewhere in front of me. I crave the feeling of being under water for brief periods.
I crave the waves.

I look beyond the forest and only see within myself, toward a future unknown that sits over the hills, beyond the horizon blue that carries the wings of destiny upon themselves to another dawn that will always corral the brave toward it in order to bring the destiny forward unto the future respective of the left angle to the right.

Now I really have no idea as to what I am going on about.

It’s safe to say that I made that all up.

It is also safe to say that I’m feeling pretty happy about  how everything went.

I don’t want to fail and yet I’m not worried if I do, for it was an intense semester.
I probably should have done a lot more work than I did, but I didn’t. I still think that surviving working whilst doing four subjects is a minor victory of sorts.

There’s probably others out there that have it far worse than I did.

Well, with all of that being said, I guess I should get ready to get back to it.

For now, the future that is the sphere of pushing forward awaits my opening eyes.

The time it took to write five-hundred words: 06:08:25

The course coordinator for the course this exam relates to really is a champ.

Not the worst thing I’ve written, not the best either.

Written at work.

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The Station is Closed

Posted on November 23, 2017 by Stupidity Hole

Some of the monorail stations in Sydney are still around despite the monorail being closed down a few years ago.

They serve as a reminder of something that once was and may never be again.
They also serve as a representation of the “Transformation” of the area.

This is my submission into The Daily Post‘s photo challenge for this week.

I hope you enjoy.

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Rock Wall

Posted on November 23, 2017 by Stupidity Hole

A lucky photo taken in a moving car on the way back to Sydney.

You can see where the rock has been drilled into to remove chunks in order to build the freeway.

This almost seems like it could be a wave.

I like the change in texture on the top of the face and I also like how large this feels.

This is my submission into  Leanne Cole‘s Monochrome Madness for this week.

If you’re a fan of monochrome photography on any level, then I recommend checking out Monochrome Madness and I also recommend considering submitting if you do photography.

I also recommend checking out Leanne Cole’s work outside of Monochrome Madness.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy.

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From Darling Harbour

Posted on November 22, 2017 by Stupidity Hole

I think that this is one of the better cityscapes that I’ve taken.

I think that in this shot the buildings almost look as though they’ve been cut from another photo and pasted over this one.

I like that they are layered and have few colours to them.

I think that they way they interact with the sky leads to an image that is a little more striking than some of the stuff I put up here.

I like that the biggest cloud in the photo almost seems to be dancing.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy.

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