#Jon Tye

[alyallow]

Album Art for Jean-Jacques Perrey & Luke Vibert's record MOOG ACID was created and photographed by Dan McPharlin.

[ichooseviolence]

Are you a jonsa?

Hmmmmm. Not necessarily. I like the idea of it if I'm being honest, but I ship Sansa more with Willas or Garlan (even though he's married, I'm sorry.) Basically, I just want Sansa to be with someone who will love her and actually take care of her for her. Jon would be one of those people so I make an acception hehe. I know people see it as a yucky incest ship, which I find understandable. And a lot of tye Jonsas I follow have come up with some convincing theories to back up their ship, so I can see it happening. Not saying it will for a certainty, but if it did, I would be happy with it.

[vintagewarhol]

[postguiltypleasures]

My Peak TV Journey *American Auto*

Last season I said I would not mind if it wasn’t renewed the second season was much more enjoyable and now I am bummed that there will not be a third. Like Grand Crew, it had a season finale that works as a series finale. But I also want to see more of these 

First I’m going to discuss why I think the second season was better than the first. Then I’m going to discuss the regular cast and how I appreciate them.

Some of what it was this was after a crisis management while the first season was all about getting into the crisis. The absurdity was still dark, but didn’t feel like it was all doom and gloom. It’s is also that as with all good sitcoms, it played around with how various characters in the ensemble played off each other and got some interesting results. 

The cast was led by Ana Gasteyer as Katherine Hastings who I have enjoyed since her SNL days. This is really the first time I have seen her as a lead. I am not sure that’s a great fit for her, but as her character also is a bad fit for the company, Payne Automotive, there was room to work with that. She didn’t like cars, (which I relate to) but pushed full speed ahead with ideas that did not have. Her signature project is the Pika, a very inexpensive car that no one who likes cars can see the appeal of. 

Harriet Dyer played her most frequent ally and uncomfortable appeaser. I had never heard of her before. Over the first season I sometimes thought of her as the lead like the series was about her handling Katherine and how that complicated her romance. That perception was probably a sign of how the show needed rebalancing? But also means that i would like to see Dyer as a lead. 

Michael B Washington played Cyrus Knight, the chief engineer and the coworker most profoundly frustrated by Katherine’s ignorance of cars. He’s my favorite character. His schemes and disdain for most of his coworkers should have belied his likability but didn’t.  

Jon Barinholtz played Wesley Payne, one of the heirs to the company’s founder. I was familiar with him from Superstore where he played Adam. I didn’t realize that he and Ike Barinholtz were brothers until Ike appeared here as his brother/antagonist.  I never realized they looked a lot until I saw them side by side. Wesley was entitled, thinking he shone  to a point he can’t tell he’s a punchline. But his entitlements does come with a real enthusiasm for his family’s legacy. Better developed raport’s in the second season especially the sweet goofy one with Dori. 

Sadie’s love interest, Jack, was played by Tye White. Jack the character with the most implausible CV, and he knows it. Has an appealing modestly in response to being frequently objectified and very lucky.

I never heard of X Mayo before seeing her here as Dori. She is delightful, playing well off of her costars. I especially liked seeing Dori and Cyrus compete over creating fake Twitter followers for Katherine. and her a Wesley brainstorm cost cutting ideas. I was always disappointed when she wasn’t on every episode.

Humphrey Ker as Elliot also was not in every episode, but I didn’t miss him as much. I think it was a strong performance, if more familiar than the characters who excited me more. I think I also associated him too strongly with the dark and not fun aspects of season one. There was a scene where he was on the phone with a family member in England trying to save them from a possibly defective car without saying that it was possibly defective that I think of as an example of the first season being too dark to be funny. I really enjoyed the episode where he did not realize that the “woman” he was talking to was an AI.

[suchananewsblog]

Stream It Or Skip It: ‘American Auto’ Season 2 On NBC, Where The Team At Payne Motors Deal With A Recall, A Brush Fire, And An Angry Seth Meyers

Season 1 of American Auto wasn’t an enormous, Abbott Elementary-style hit for NBC, however its first season confirmed that it was a stable if unspectacular office comedy with a well-oiled solid. Usually exhibits like this enhance of their second seasons, and the second season of American Auto exhibits the gang at Payne Motors smack in the course of the disaster launched on the finish of Season…

[nightmarebunnyking]

Ep 10 tye magnus protocol

So I think Jon has gone fill Entity, at the end we hear a tape recorder click and then a deep breath, it is like Jon is not just connected to the computer but now to his old tape recorders, Jon can pull out statements without reading any more, like in other episodes.

I don't know about Martin though,he could be connected to the eyes and Jon,or something else

This episode was excellent and exciting,I finally got some good horror 👏,having a clown really scary me,I love his theme.

[randomvarious]

Today's compilation:

Freezone 3/5 1996 Deep House / Downtempo / Trip Hop

Really living up to my own name here with something a little bit random today: a mid-90s 12-inch from an ambient and chill series called Freezone that was released by Belgian label SSR. Originally launched in 1994, Freezone ended up spawning seven total volumes that explored the bounds of ambient music—as well as the many adjacent and hybrid genres that it combined itself with too—and did so with nothing but exclusive tracks that were contributed by some of electronic and alternative music's biggest names.

So this little four-song record here represents a slice of Freezone's third installment, which was subtitled as Horizontal Dancing. Issued in multiple formats, Horizontal Dancing could be acquired as either a double-disc, a quintuple-vinyl, or, sort of oddly, as five separate 12-inches that made up that quintuple-vinyl version itself, all of which could be purchased individually. And, well, today I have one of those separate 12-inches for you all—the third one 😅.

Now, obviously, there are two sides to this record, but in my estimation, one of them is great and the other one is good. And the great one is the A-side, which consists of a sweet banger from Chicago deep house legend Glenn Underground and a spacious downtempo and trip hop wanderer from short-lived UK duo 2 Player.

Glenn Underground's track is called "Tribe of Benjamin," and while it takes a little bit of time to really start to find its footing, when it eventually does, it's pretty fantastic. You kinda feel like Glenn's decided to settle on this little plateau in the early going with a somewhat meager combination of these little stabby string synths, a phat and fuzzy bassline, and a popping bit of percussion that smacks of this little piece from Andrea True Connection's disco classic, "More, More, More"—which would then later be sampled by Canadian alternative rap group Len for their all-time summer classic, "Steal My Sunshine"—but what you're not ready for is all the breathy flute that unexpectedly comes and cinches it all together 😌. And then following that section, the song proceeds to flow and grow into a fuller track, allowing for some chilly keyboard chords and squealy strings to be added into the mix as well. Sleekly premium mid-90s Windy City deep house groove there 👍.

And then for that 2 Player joint, we have "Arizona," an excellently chill and Middle Eastern-tinted vibe with blowing wind, rattling rattlesnake tails, and a whole lot of varied synth work that more or less speaks to the expertise of both of the duo's own members. In '95, they debuted with a 12-inch on UK electronic powerhouse Ninja Tune, then in' 96, they made this exclusive for Freezone 3, and since then, Daniel Pemberton has gone on to become a renowned composer for film, TV, and videogames, with his biggest claims to fame being his scorings of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-verse, its sequel, and Ocean's 8; and Jon Tye would further grow his own leftfield electronic label, Lo Recordings, which has been able to boast a catalog that consists of Aphex Twin, Susumu Yokota, Squarepusher, Red Snapper, Fischerspooner, Blur, Grimes, Luke Vibert, Jean Jacques Perrey, Rothko, Four Tet, and Thurston Moore 😯. Quite a varied set of talented folks there!

So a couple dope and exclusive 90s electronic gems on this Belgian 12-inch that happens to form one-fifth of a much larger compilation. Like I said, the flipside of this record is good too—a solid deep house cut from Matthew Herbert aka Doctor Rockit aka Wishmountain and a downtempo/ambient tune from longtime Scottish trip hopper Howie B.—but I don't think that either of those offerings are really as enjoyable as what's on the A-side here.

Highlights:

Glenn Underground - "Tribe of Benjamin" 2 Player - "Arizona"

[aristocratslog]

"How To Make A Ghost" Short Film from jared hogan on Vimeo.

Cast

Starring

Damian Young Samuel Goergen Jordan Duffy Jayden Fontaine

Gas Station Background Sara Kopkin Stranger Cantey Hammond Stranger Dakota Brock Stuntman Patrick Chu

Crew

Producer Brian Tetsuro Ivie Producer Gregory Daniel King

Executive Producer Jon Muedder Executive Producer Thom Blackburn Head of Production Michelle Wheeler Production Coordinator Michael Wine

Director Jared Hogan Producer Henry Reed Production Manager Allah Samson 1st AD Al G Sillah 2nd AD Alberto Cantu Key PA Nandi Dawson Set PA Jarren Mapp Set PA Tye Ashton Forbes Set PA Joshua "Jody" Lynch Set PA Ronnald "Ron" Baskin Truck PA Ed Austin

Cinematographer Dustin Lane 1st Camera Assistant James Teninty 2nd Camera Assistant / Loader Lia Guzman Utility Kelsey Ianuzzi BTS Photo Nicole Hernandez Gaffer Haley Manning Gaffer Ben Wallace Key Grip Bryan Tan Best Grip Isaac McCord Swing Harrison Shook

Sound Mixer Joe Batiste Boom Op Winston Johnson

Art Director Lauren Adams Jones Leadperson Grace Brass Animal Wrangler Greg Aldridge

Costume Designer Janie Driggers SPFX Makeup Becky Watson

Casting Director Jordan Brown Child Labor Coordinator Dan Murray Location Manager JT Calloway

Postproduction Supervisor Bree Doehring Edited by Jared Hogan Visual Effects by Foreign Xchange Supervising Sound Editor Matt Yocum Sound Effects Editor Kai Paquin Re-Recording Mixer Matt Yocum Colorist Jacob McKee

Original Music by Michael A. Muller Produced, Recorded and Mixed by Michael A. Muller at Elyria Sound, Los Angeles Trumpet Luis Cardenas Casillas Mezzo-Soprano Lisa McGee Tuba Bradley Möller Contrabass Sam Pankey Percussion Jeff Olson Cello Dylan Rick

Songs

"Gospod Vocarisja Prokimen" Metropolitan Choir of the Russian Cathedral in Paris 2007, Public Domain

"Mogoletie" Metropolitan Choir of the Russian Cathedral in Paris 2007, Public Domain

"Tebe Poem" Russian Patriarchate Choir of Moscow 2005, Public Domain

"Trezvon" Savino-Storozhevsky Monastery Choir 2005, Public Domain

Kebrado Caravan

[twistedsoulmusic]

Floating World Pictures and Ocean Moon’s collaboration is a transcendent journey. The duo, keyboardist Chestnutt, visual artist Raimund Wong, and producer Jon “Ocean Moon” Tye, deliver a hypnotic successor to FWP’s debut.

[ulkaralakbarova]

JR is a fatherless boy growing up in the glow of a bar where the bartender, his Uncle Charlie, is the sharpest and most colorful of an assortment of quirky and demonstrative father figures. As the boy’s determined mother struggles to provide her son with opportunities denied to her — and leave the dilapidated home of her outrageous if begrudgingly supportive father — JR begins to gamely, if not always gracefully, pursue his romantic and professional dreams, with one foot persistently placed in Uncle Charlie’s bar. Credits: TheMovieDb. Film Cast: Charlie Maguire: Ben Affleck JR Maguire: Tye Sheridan Young JR Maguire: Daniel Ranieri Dorothy Maguire: Lily Rabe Grandpa Maguire: Christopher Lloyd The Voice, JR’s father: Max Martini Wesley: Rhenzy Feliz Sidney: Briana Middleton Chief: Max Casella Grandma Maguire: Sondra James Bobo: Michael Braun Joey D: Matthew Delamater Jimmy: Ivan Leung Aunt Ruth: Danielle Ranieri Kathy: Kate Avallone Sidney’s Dad: Mark Boyett Sidney’s Mom: Quincy Tyler Bernstine Professor Van Dyke: Ezra Knight School Psychologist: David Carl Pat: Shannon Collis Kathy’s Daughter: Keira Jo Lassor Mrs. Williams: Jennifer C. Johnson NYT Editor: Michael Steven Costello NYT Personnel Woman: Kate Middleton NYT Copyboy: Jackson Damon NYT Copygirl: Caroline Bergwall Officer James: Daniel Washington Chief’s Wife: Jenny Eagan Other Customer: Steve Gagliastro Aunt Ruth’s Kid #1: Annabella Valle Aunt Ruth’s Kid #2: Clara Kelly Aunt Ruth’s Kid #3: Meara Mahoney Gross Future JR Maguire (voice only): Ron Livingston Kid in Classroom (uncredited): Jack Baumrind Dickens Bar Regular (uncredited): Julia Bechler Yale Student (uncredited): Keith R Beck Dickens Bar Patron (uncredited): Alissa Bourne Film Crew: Producer: George Clooney Producer: Grant Heslov Producer: Ted Hope Original Music Composer: Dara Taylor Music Supervisor: Linda Cohen Screenplay: William Monahan Book: J.R. Moehringer Editor: Tanya Swerling Director of Photography: Martin Ruhe Production Design: Kalina Ivanov Art Direction: Bryan Felty Set Decoration: Melissa M. Levander Makeup Department Head: Trish Seeney Visual Effects Supervisor: Matt Kasmir Sound Re-Recording Mixer: Todd Beckett Supervising Sound Editor: Nancy Nugent Supervising Sound Editor: Julian Slater Sound Designer: Jon Title Costume Supervisor: Dana Pacheco Executive Producer: Barbara A. Hall Costume Design: Jenny Eagan Casting: Rachel Tenner Movie Reviews: r96sk: So very plain. To be honest: I found ‘The Tender Bar’ to be a bore. I felt like I had seen this film before, such is the predictable and monotonous nature of the story. It almost felt like a (poorer) rerun of 2020’s ‘Hillbilly Elegy‘. I will say, though, that Ben Affleck gives a very good performance in this, to the point that I actually would’ve liked to have seen a story revolving around him and his character – as opposed to who this 2021 flick is about. Aside from Affleck, I didn’t care for any of the other performances and therefore any of the other characters. It’s not even a bad film, it’s just so, so boring – for me, anyway. CinemaSerf: It’s not often I find myself writing this, but Ben Affleck is comfortably the best thing about this otherwise rather lacklustre adaptation of JR Moehringer’s autobiographical coming of age tale. It depicts the story of his childhood – through the eyes of the engaging young Daniel Ranieri – before he heads to Yale in the guise of Tye Sheridan. The first half hour, maybe, is quite entertaining. This young lad living with his mother (his selfish father is estranged from them, living the mobile life of a late night radio talk show host) in the home of his mildly eccentric grandfather (Christopher Lloyd) and their home is a lively, buzzing environment in which the youngster thrives. Chief amongst the residents is his charismatic, worldly-wise uncle “Charlie” (Affleck) who runs a local bar populated with a decent, working-class clientele who take to the young man and encourage his obvious academic talents. That half hour peters out, ...

[730spitz]

Who do I specifically like? And follow in sports

---------------------------------------------

F1 Teams

Ferrari

Aston Martin

Number one fav

Sergio Perez 11

F1 Drivers

SP11

FA14

GR63

LL40

FC12

LS18

CS55

Retired F1 drivers

SV5

JB22

KR7

Passed away f1 driver

AS27

---------------------------------------------

Indycar teams

Arrow McLaren

Lanigan racing

Juncos racing

Andretti global

Andretti global w/ curb-agajanian

Number one fav

Pato O'ward

Colton herta

Indycar drivers

Callum Ilott

Pato o'ward

Romain grosjean

Pietro fittipaldi

Kyle Kirkwood

David malukas

Colton herta

---------------------------------------------

WWE

Number one fav wrestlers

La knight

Seth Rollins

Damian priest

Kane

RVD

Cody Rhodes

Damian priest

Dominick Mysterio

Seth Rollins

Grayson Waller

Judgement day

LA Knight

The Miz

Bray Wyatt

Alexa bliss

Asuka

Rhea Ripley

Andrade

Kane

Randy Orton

RVD

Cm punk

---------------------------------------------

Aew

Number one fav

Jon moxley

Kenny Omega

Will ospreay

Jay white

Bullet club gold

Darby allin

MJF

Hangman Adam page

Will ospreay

Hook

Toni storm

Orange Cassidy

Ricky starks

Adam Copeland

House of black

Mercedes Mone

Kenny Omega

Konosuke takeshita

Jon moxley

---------------------------------------------

Hockey teams

Vancouver Canucks

New Jersey devils

Tampa Bay lightning

Hockey players

Haydn Fleury

Jack Hughes

Ethan Edwards

Quinn Hughes

Tye kartye

Vince Dunn

Dawson Mercer

Jeremy swayman

Mathew barzal

Mitch marner

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Miscellaneous interest

Detroit become human

Sonic

Pokemon

Hellaverse

Jjk

Demon slayer

Studio Ghibli verse

Musicals (Hamilton, heathers, anything from star kid, ect....)

True crime

Disney (I like Pixar primarily)

Delicious in dungeon

Criminal minds

So much music (ask who I listen to and I'll say some people)

Dinosaurs

Dnd

Soulsgames

Bloodborne

Soul eater

The quarry

JJBA

Trigun/trigun stampede

Cowboy bebop

I watch a lot of yts and such ask and I'll talk about them

Legend of Zelda series

Smash bros

Honkai star rail

Wuthering waves

---------------------------------------------

[josephrasch]

Love on a Train – Jon Tye, Jeremy Leahy

[subtlesolitude-tailoredtaste]

Art21 proudly presents an artist segment, featuring Theaster Gates, from the "Chicago" episode in the ninth season of the "Art in the Twenty-First Century" series.

"Chicago " premiered in September 2016 on PBS. Watch now on PBS and the PBS Video app: https://www.pbs.org/video/art-21-chic...

Theaster Gates first encountered creativity in the music of Black churches on his journey to becoming an urban planner, potter, and artist. Gates creates sculptures out of clay, tar, and renovated buildings, transforming the raw material of the South Side into radically reimagined vessels of opportunity for the community.

Establishing a virtuous circle between fine art and social progress, Gates strips dilapidated buildings of their components, transforming those elements into sculptures that act as bonds or investments, the proceeds of which are used to finance the rehabilitation of entire city blocks. Many of the artist’s works evoke his African-American identity and the broader struggle for civil rights, from sculptures incorporating fire hoses, to events organized around soul food, and choral performances by the experimental musical ensemble Black Monks of Mississippi, led by Gates himself.

Learn more about the artists at:

https://art21.org/artist/theaster-gates/

CREDITS | Executive Producer: Eve Moros Ortega. Host: Claire Danes. Director: Stanley Nelson. Producer & Production Manager: Nick Ravich. Editor: Aljernon Tunsil. Art21 Executive Director: Tina Kukielski. Curator: Wesley Miller. Associate Producer: Ian Forster. Structure Consultant: Véronique Bernard. Director of Photography: Keith Walker. Additional Photography: Don Argott, Brian Ashby, Steve Delahoyde, Jeremy Dulac, Damon Hennessey, Sam Henriques, Ben Kolak, Christoph Lerch, Stephan Mazurek, Andrew Miller, Christopher Morrison, Leslie Morrison, Murat Ötünç, Logan Siegel, Stephen Smith, & Jamin Townsley. Assistant Camera: Kyle Adcock, Joe Buhnerkempe, Alex Klein, Ian McAvoy, Sean Prange, & Liz Sung. Sound: Sean Demers, Alex Inglizian, Hayden Jackson, İlkin Kitapçı, Joe Leo, Matt Mayer, John Murphy, Richard K. Pooler, & Grant Tye. Production Assistant: Hamid Bendaas, Emmanuel Camacho, Chad Fisher, Elliot Rosen, Stanley Sievers, Chris Thurston, & Steven Walsh.

Title/Motion Design: Afternoon Inc. Composer: Joel Pickard. Online Editor: Don Wyllie. Re-Recording Mix: Tony Pipitone. Sound Edit: Neil Cedar & Jay Fisher. Artwork Animation: Anita H.M. Yu. Assistant Editor: Maria Habib, Leana Siochi, Christina Stiles, & Bahron Thomas.

Host Introduction | Creative Consultant: Tucker Gates. Director of Photography: Pete Konczal. Second Camera: Jon Cooper. Key Grip: Chris Wiesehahn. Gaffer: Jesse Newton. First Assistant Camera: Sara Boardman & Shane Duckworth. Sound: James Tate. Set Dresser: Jess Coles. Hair: Peter Butler. Makeup: Matin. Production Assistant: Agatha Lewandowski & Melanie McLean. Editor: Ilya Chaiken.

Artworks Courtesy of: Nick Cave; Theaster Gates; Barbara Kasten; Chris Ware; BAM Hamm Archives; Bortolami Gallery; Cranbrook Art Museum; Margaret Jenkins Dance Company; The New Yorker magazine and Condé Nast; James Prinz Photography; Jack Shainman Gallery; Sara Linnie Slocum; Chris Strong Photography; & White Cube. Acquired Photography: Sara Pooley; The Art Channel/Bobbin Productions; & University Art Museum, California State University Long Beach.

Special Thanks: The Art21 Board of Trustees; 900/910 Lake Shore Drive Condominium Association; Michael Aglion; Ellen Hartwell Alderman; Adam Baumgold Gallery; Naomi Beckwith; Biba Bell; Stefania Bortolami; Kate Bowen; Pat Casteel; Chicago Embassy Church; Coachman Antique Mall; Maria J. Coltharp; John Corbett; Department of Theatre & Dance, Wayne State University; Detroit School of Arts; Christina Faist; Bob Faust; Martina Feurstein; Julie Fracker; William Gill; Graham Foundation; Jen Grygiel; Sarah Herda; Jennon Bell Hoffmann; Sheree Hovsepian; Institute of Contemporary Art at the University of Pennsylvania; Istanbul Biennial; Nicola Jeffs; Jenette Kahn; Jill Katz; Alex Klein; Kunsthaus Bregenz; Jon Lowe; Sheila Lynch; Mana Contemporary Chicago; Christine Messineo; Laura Mott; Deborah Payne; Bishop Ed Peecher; Lisa Pooler; Rebuild Foundation; Diana Salier; Tim Samuelson; Amy Schachman; Zeynep Seyhun; Keith Shapiro; Alexandra Small; Jacqueline Stewart; Hamza Walker; Clara Ware; Marnie Ware; & Steve Wylie.

Additional Art21 Staff: Maggie Albert; Lindsey Davis; Joe Fusaro; Jessica Hamlin; Jonathan Munar; Bruno Nouril; Pauline Noyes; Kerri Schlottman; & Diane Vivona.

Public Relations: Cultural Counsel. Station Relations: De Shields Associates, Inc. Legal Counsel: Albert Gottesman.

Dedicated To: Susan Sollins, Art21 Founder.

Major support for Season 8 is provided by National Endowment for the Arts, PBS, Lambent Foundation, Agnes Gund, The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, and The Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Foundation.

©2016 Art21, Inc.

[thesunlounge]

Reviews 300: Private Agenda

Throughout 2019, Private Agenda have been crafting imagined landscapes…these dream renderings of paradise islands surrounded by boundless oceans, with sparkling blue waters crashing against white sand shores, coconut trees blowing in a warm seabreeze, and exotic flowers releasing strange perfumes that push the mind towards bliss. Having graced Lo Recordings’ Spaciousness compilation last year, the duo of Sean Phillips and Martin Aggrowe have united again with the label for an ambitious project of sonic fantasy, which started this summer with the Aura EP, a digitally released collection comprising four pitch-perfect pop numbers, a couple of which now rank among my very favorite Private Agenda tracks (which is saying something considerable). The EP sees the duo’s lyrical and production work hitting an apex, with their vocalizations touching on the sensual and the futuristic as gentle layers of sci-fi studio trickery caress every turn of phrase. And musically, we are treated to etheric synth-pop starscapes, krautrock hypno-glides, and neon new wave propulsions that exude an irresistible sense of melancholia...a brief yet masterful pop adventure and a high point for both Aggrowe and Phillips. But beyond this, the EP serves another purpose: as an opening chapter to an immersive story called Île de Rêve, which is a less a traditional album and more so a “series of transcendental reminiscences surrounding the cult of islands.”

Private Agenda are no strangers to balearic ambiance and touches of mystical seaside magic kiss most of their work, most specifically the (almost) beatless ethereality of their Primary Colours EP from 2017. But even given these tendencies towards new age textures and floating atmospherics, I am still blown away by Île de Rêve’s total dedication to surreal environments of cosmic aquatic wonder. The duo’s well-honed pop sensibilities are completely subsumed, with Phillips and Aggrowe instead using synthesizers, pianos, and the barest semblance of voice to transport the listener to the titular island of dreams. At times it feels like we are on land, pushing toes through warm sand as seabirds fly overhead, gazing over the horizon during a summer storm, or exploring the interior of the island…its gemstone caverns, crystalline streams, and flower fields exuding atmospheres of pastoral prog romance. Other times we are swimming in the waters off shore, joining in with the fluid movements of dolphins or exploring the mysteries of coral reef universes. In the album’s liner notes, Private Agenda talk about the peculiar paradox of growing up on an island…”a sense of isolation tempered by a strong sense of place.” And so it goes with the music: the introspective ambient sonics pull the spirit inward and invite reflection while simultaneously carrying the imagination towards a well-defined location…a tropical island in an ocean of dreams.

By August, I had spent several weeks with Aura and Île de Rêve and was preparing to write a piece on both when, much to my surprise, Private Agenda dropped The Space Between Swells, a digitally released remix EP featuring seaside sound masters Max Essa and Mark Barrott. Essa takes on the title track from Aura, and flips what is already a pop masterpiece into a stunning adventure of beachside dance ecstasy, one that proceeds across an extended vocal take and a heady dub disco fever dream. Then there’s Barrott, who elongates and transforms Île de Rêve’s “Sea Life” into a utopic slice of balearic beat…an early morning nature dance anthem built from deep dub atmospheres, underwater bass bubbles, liquid guitar textures, aqueous synthwaves, and angelic vocal repetitions (which is then backed by a dub and a narcotic accapella version that revels in the spirituality of silence). When I first learned Essa and Barrott were the remixers, I was as excited as I was unsurprised, for the two are natural choices to take on the narcotic pop and ambient vibrations of Private Agenda. But as ever with Aggrowe and Phillips, there is a deeper reason behind the choices, one that was recently revealed in an interview over at Vehlinggo, for you see, both Essa and Barrott have lived most of their lives on various islands (UK, Japan, Ibiza), giving them a unique perspective on Private Agenda’s overarching investigation of sacred ocean spaces.

Private Agenda - Aura (Lo Recordings, 2019) “Aura” starts with futuristic boogie rhythms, which set the stage for sweeping synthetic melodies, heavenly doo-wop choirs, and Chic-adelic funk guitars. As we drop into the verse, Phillips sings sensual lyricisms, with his fragile voice occasionally accompanied by soulful backing harmonies. During the chorus, gemstone synthesizers rise towards the sky and the singing erupts into some fantasy amalgam of MJ, Romanthony, and Jónsi as Phillips calls out: “and then when I wake up / I’ll hold you back,” with each “hold you back” refrain trailed by backing vocal ethereality. After a passage of percussive fireworks, with toms and snares splattering across the spectrum and tambourines jangling, we move into an instrumental variant of the chorus, wherein backing vocal cloudforms and tropical synthesis generate a balearic dreamscape before Phillips returns for one more round of vocal pop perfection. Then in “Grapple,” atmospheric swells phase between ocean and starlight while a hypno-rhythm soars through the cosmos. Looped voices pulsated and tubular bass sequences dance while pitch shifting leads descending upon the mix, sounding as if audial streaks of silver are mutating as they echo star-to-star. A clap introduces the verse, with octave basslines grooving and Phillips singing dystopic futurisms concerning nuclear fusion and chemical cocktails raining from the sky. And as the phrase “I tried to resit it / I can’t I can’t go on” trails into wordless ether, we hit an ultra-kosmkische glide, with echoing sequences and neon arpeggiations racing through galactic expanses. Another clap brings back the vocals, only during the second measure, a key change sweeps the soul towards realms of paradise perfection. And then comes a moment that never fails to bring tears…a passage so powerfully transcendent, with angel choir pulsations washing over the soul, layers of interstellar magic bringing LSD dream visions, and kosmische grooves working the body into space age synth-pop hypnosis. 

“Kingfisher” sees dreampop guitars ringing out through pink and purple synth hazes as an airy trip-hop beatscape emerges. The vocals are so narcotizing and mysterious, with Phillips singing “everybody knows your name / blend into the background” in a way evoking the romantic spiritualisms of Air, all while spy movie guitars bring parallel evocations of Chris Isaak, Portishead, and Angelo Badalamenti. Elsewhere, arpeggiations swirl at hyperspeed while a baritone guitar decays through a noir nightscape, with the track’s title being whispered and percussion moving in and out of silence. There’s a brief moment that sees the mix reducing to a sea-foam fog as lonely guitars sit beneath birdsong field recordings, but the ambiance soon cuts away in favor of dramatic percussion passages, which then lead back to the narcotizing guitar pop magic, all liquid slides, desert hazes, ethereal arps, and soloing synth psychotropia intertwining while the stuttering percussion leads a softly anthemic body groove. Aura ends on “Lighthouse” and its themes of synthetic brass fluttering on clouds while seascape guitar chords disperse above kick drums, snares, whispering hi-hats, and growling funk bass riffs. The singing during the verse flits above sparse rhythms while six-string chords evoke shimmering harps and there’s a dirgey sort of chorus, with voices in each ear harmonizing and swooning together through paradise motions, creating atmospheres of soulful wonderment as backing vocals add touches of shadowy drama. Later, we break down into futuristic synth psychedelia, with electronic tracers circling wildly before progressing into alien madness…all while a breathy voices speaks “lighthouse” above chugging bass riffs and a kick drum heart pulse. Blasts of interstellar synthesis arc across the stereo field as the track erupts again into the all-encompassing chorus, with the heart swept higher and higher until an arresting minor key voice transition…an unexpected touch of prog drama leading to mutating voice coda.

Private Agenda - Île de Rêve (Lo Recordings, 2019) In “Bounty,” mermaid choirs hover beneath stabbing synths and swooning chord progressions are carried upon ethereal swells while aquatracers diffuse through the mix…these neon squiggles echoing through infinite oceans. Brass chords quiver before exploding with energy, which brings a touch of funk sensualism to the beauteous flow, and sequences constructed from glass move through dazzling patterns and rainbow colorations. And later, sea sirens sing radiant songs and layers of comforting hiss immerse the body as the spirit drifts towards Private Agenda’s island paradise. White light synthesis swells in from the void in “Sea Life,” bringing with it crystalline melodies that waver like a mirage. Downtempo drum pulsations are constructed from thudding kicks, electro-toms, and interspersed tambourines while funk-colored bass motions support yearning repetitions of “sea life”…the voice hauntingly beautiful and child-like, with etheric wavefronts swelling in support. There are soft transitions into ocean prog majesty, with basslines carrying the soul and synthesizers flowing outwards before reversing into mist. Then, as we return to the melodious vocal incantations, multiple layers flow in round while coral colored key strokes dance on sunbeams. “Wave Motion” follows with orgasmic pads surrounding the body…the vibe warm and womb-like. There are touches of 70s style mellotronic prog breaking through the dense layers of sea-fog while overhead, fragile piano melodies wander freely…the sound close mic’d and intimate, with squeaky hammers hitting dusty strings and bench creaks and soft breaths heard amidst the bucolic keystrokes. The ambient layers reduce to black smoke at some point before slowly filtering back into an oceanic haze and eventually, the pianos mutate through zany delay runs.

The epic length “Ultramarine” revels in dreamworld pads that vibrate with ecstatic energy. White noise percussion skips across an alien sea…these filtering snare rolls buried beneath layers of deep sea growth and sometimes morphing into whip cracks…while sparkling leads dance through an underwater wonderland. At some point, the wispy drum noises and dreamy melodies drop away, leaving atmospheric synths to waver like the reflections of sunlight off water, with evolving oscillations almost overtaking the mix before fading into nothingness. And as the rhythms return, they are joined by squelching synthfunk riffs and sub-sonic bass currents, with everything locking in for a beatless stretch of ambient house euphoria…like Larry Heard soundtracking a coral reef dreamworld. In “Monsoon,” thick polysynth riffs execute a paradise waltz while starshine echoes flow in counterpoint. This is the only other vocal track on the album and the lyrics are spellbinding, with Phillips working through soft variations of the phrase “in darkness / I sit and watch the rain fall” while his voice subtly mutates…as if a kiss of vocoder has been added to further enhance the futuristic dream aura. Psychosonic static textures crawl into the mix before sweeping it all away into a romantic filterscape, wherein crystalline leads ping like sonars, orgasmic synthesizers flow through warm distortions, and psychedelic wah-wah motions flutter above heartbeat kick taps. Once we rush back into the pounding polysynth riffs and echoing arp lines, the synth swells from the midsection remain, adding a strange yet comforting touch of alien orchestral magic. Towards the end, the vocals reprise their swoon-song spiritualisms as the mix begins fading away and eventually, a lone voice is left calling out over polychrome synthwave minimalism.

A golden-toned piano swims through the sky in “Solitude,” its lilting chords intermingling with gentle arpeggiations. Aggrowe’s playing is expressive…sometimes radiating primal power while at other times backing down into a whisper…and here and there, a screaming siren sweeps upwards with the piano for moments of stunning emotional power. Elsewhere, as the ivories settle back into a melancholic meditation, laser fire sequences weave neon patterns through the air and subsonic bass currents underly everything, their sounds evoking a contrabass bowing through layers of darkness. And during breathtaking climaxes, the dam bursts and waves ethereal atmosphere wash over the soul, melting the heart as the spirit ascends towards some star kingdom at the center of a deep sea universe. Next is “Melani,” with oscillations hypnotizing and hovering…as if time is standing still. Melodies sound sourced from a piano, but slowly morph and mutate into synthetic mesmerism…these golden hazes and lush romantic decay trails swelling in strength then dispersing. There are touches of kankyō-ongaku shining through, with my mind going to the work of Yoshimura and Hirose, as well as Hosono’s closed eyed synth journeys...the track seeing Aggrowe and Phillips similarly subsume melody in favor of spacious silence and atmospheric sound design. Cricket chirps diffuse in before fading away as the mix devolves into nothingness…a false ending that leads to a post-rock ceremonial for the sunrise. Later, black clouds of bass ambiance float the soul while ecclesiastical synthesizer leads rain down from the heavens and as the pianos resume their echoing ocean dances, we find ourselves in a world of modernistic new age wonderment...the vibe at once enchanting and deeply hallucinatory.

There’s a touch of Pachelbel’s “Canon” to the blissed out pads of “Dependency,” which are supported by soloing church organs…the two elements creating an instrumental hymn for the sky, though sometimes the synths distort into a garbled mess. The electronic textures are eventually swapped out for piano, with chord patterns falling like rain. Yearning space leads progressively modulate through alien tremolo weirdness and drunken arps careen across the mix, with wild filter formations moving in and out of time. It’s a world of contrast, with pianos growing ever more transcendent as the electronic elements are destroyed by ring modulation and outer-dimensional vibrato. After a climax awash in disorientation, we back down into the Pachelbel drift, with the church organs contorting into insectoid noise, synths filtering into warm wet brass, and flutey electronics transmuting into feedback. Closer “P.S.R.” begins with billowing waves of fuzzform synthesis creating a sunset panorama, with melodies reaching deep into the heart even as they are smothered in static and shadow. Aqueous stands of light escape from the murky atmospherics, their bright curlicues wrapping around the mind while slow filter movements stoke psychedelic hypnosis. Everything is in motion…though slowly, with progressions moving at the speed of universal evolution. Waves crash in against white sand beaches and are rendered in a soft-focus blur…like a paradise beach visited on a cloudy day. Delay-soaked pianos rain down from a grey sky and evoke the minimalist dreamscapes of Jordan de la Sierra, while subdued fusion textures swim in the background. And swells of church organ bass support it all, creating currents of soulful magic as the ivory incantations carry the mind away.

Private Agenda / Max Essa / Mark Barrott - The Space Between Swells (Lo Recordings, 2019) Max Essa’s extended vocal mix of “Aura” sets things to a muscular disco beat awash in conga and bongo tropicalisms, with voices echoing and blissful pads surrounding a romantic synthbass dub groove. Pianos trace out vague remembrances of the original track’s melodic themes, spaceguitars flow through deep sea phaser fx, and a synthetic brass section pulses on etherwaves over ultra-tight wah guitar accents…all until swirling electro-tracers bring in Private Agenda’s cinematic synthesizer themes. Basslines slip and slide through buttery distortions, even evoking fretless fusion sensuality, and there’s a tight shuffle on the hats that is oh-so-irrestible, with everything setting the stage for the vocals, which here swim through layers of tremolo atmospherics. The chorus is similar to the original, with Phillips erupting through soulful intensity while layers of backing vocal radiance cause the heart to swoon and sway. Elsewhere, we rush upwards on pulsating keyboards as the drums break down into a Latin funk stutter, with anthemic anticipation building as voices and synthesizers coalesce into sunset magic. Arps glisten before fading into air and dreamhouse pianos tease ecstatic riffs while Essa’s typically liquid guitar psychedelics flow ear-to-ear. And above it all, Phillips’ sexual hooks are repurposed into soulful dream textures. Essa and Private Agenda also present a dub mix of “Aura,” wherein hand drums sit beneath aquatic echos as the bass is given a boost of dub disco strength. In lieu of vocal leads, the balearic groovescapes are colored by saucer-eyed pads, piano explorations, and oceanic electronics that stretch towards the horizon and at times, coral-hued fusion leads soar through the mix…their dueling harmonies bringing airs of laser prog majesty. Near the end, angel hazes flutter thorough sea-foam and tripped out wah guitars converse with mermaid murmurs while up above, schools of fish reflect rainbow panoramas as they swim across the spectrum.

Mark Barrott’s take on “Sea Life” begins in the natural world, as crickets converse over deep earth oscillations. Hi-hats and hand drums build a groove amidst kosmische synthesis and Phillips’ “Sea Life” refrain is even more gaseous as it loops and echoes over itself. A subtle key change brings airs of hope before the kick drum hits and then, following a brief rhythmic breakdown, the beats rush back in alongside subsonic bubble pulses…these alien bass textures sitting somewhere between synthesis and percussion. The vocal refrain flows in and out of the mix according to Barrott’s mysterious dream logic and laser light oscillations smolder before rocketing towards the celestial sphere, while later, guitars morph through crystalline feedback glows and chiming echo hypnotics…like Floydian space rock intertwining with Roy Montgomery’s experimental ambiance. There’s a brief moment of rest near the middle where insect chirps move through the mix like a mirage while melodic bass sequences bop untethered, but soon the heady hi-hat patterns return us to tropical slow dance ecstasy, with the “sea life” hook wrapping the spirit in cooing sensuality. And eventually, the groove gives way to a beatless coda where organs transmuting into whale song amidst a haze of soundbath spirituality. In addition to the vocal mix, Barrott presents two further takes on “Sea Life,” the first of which strips the vocals away and thus allows the cosmic atmospherics to take over…creating an even more zoned out ritual for starlight nature dancing. And in a total flip, Barrott also includes an accapella mix, which gives full view into his vocal production sorcery. Pre-delays and reverberations cut in and out unexpectedly as Phillips’ hooks ping pong and smear into ether while elsewhere, humming pulses and looping voices morph into birdsong, psychosonic filter movements pull things in and out of focus, and unexpected temporal shifts lead to overlapping resonances and alien dissonances. 

(images from my personal copy and Private Agenda’s Bandcamp)

[call-of-the-ocean]

Daisy can dye her hair, as a treat

(also some comfort because she doesn't get enough of that)