#folklike

[sunriseverse]

pretty pretty pretty lavinia…………….

[shalomniscient]

listening to hold on tight by aespa and wow this is so kafka coded…. i’m having VISIONS like imagine being kafka’s stellaron hunter partner. before silver wolf, before sam and before blade it was just you and her, flitting from galaxy to galaxy to carry out elio’s enigmatic will. and you, frankly, can’t fucking stand her.

cocky, smug, arrogant, and worst of all—she had the damned skills to back all of it up. it also absolutely did not help that she was also one of the most beautiful women you’ve ever laid your eyes on. you really would kill elio for pairing both of you up, were it not for the fact that the schemer of a man had something you need. and, it seems, something that kafka needs too. not that you particularly care, of course.

nsft utc—

just like how you totally don’t care as kafka cozies up to your target of the day, the strobe lights of the club casting tempting shadows across her elegant face, those cherry-red lips upturned in a coy, dangerous smile. you watch from across the bar over the rim of your glass—the strongest shit this fucking bar had to offer—and when she flashes you a look from beneath long, fluttering lashes you nearly crack the damn glass in your grip. kafka’s eyes glitter like rubies in the low light, and you grit your teeth so hard you distantly fear they may crack.

seconds, minutes or hours later she finally stands, leading the target away from the bar by the hand. her web has been spun—all that was left for to tangle this foolish, stupid, unwitting fly in her threads. you follow from a distance, hands shoved in your pockets, curling around knives you’re just itching to use at this point. in the background, you faintly register a new song being played; almost folklike in its melody were it not for the electro groove overlaid above it and the dark, fantastic vocals.

baby you and me are a twisted fantasy—

you find kafka and the target in a private room in the back. she’s sat across from him now, grinning from ear to ear. the hunt was over; now, it was time for the kill. he barely gets the chance to squeal before your knife teases the exposed flesh of his throat, and kafka laughs. at your impatience or the man’s crippling, immobilising fear of her, you don’t know. that relaxed, insufferable smirk remains on her lips even as you drag your knife through muscle and sinew and spill the target’s blood all over the lush cushions. it’s red, just like her lips. over the speakers, the music continues.

bodies running on a dream, up all night—

“you’re tense, partner,” she drawls, crossing her legs as she watches you wipe your knife clean. “the job was successful. relax.”

you grind your teeth together as you sheathe your knives back into their holsters. “you wasted my time with that pointless… game of yours.“

“it’s called having fun,” she hums in response, rising from her seat, and taking slow steps towards you, “you should try it.”

“we are not here to have fun,” you growl. “the script is clear—“

kafka cuts you off with a sigh and a roll of her eyes. “bo-ring.” distantly, you hear the music swell.

wired differently, a chaotic energy—

oh, you’ve had enough.

quick as a flash, you pin kafka to the wall, your arm against her throat while the other hand wraps tight around her wrists. her eyes widen by a mere fraction, before her cherry lips part wide in a grin that’s more a flash of teeth than anything else.

“one more fucking word out of you and i swear—“

“you’ll what?” kafka challenges. “punish me?”

“shut. up.”

she sneers. “make me.”

and you do, by crashing your lips against hers in a fervent, chaotic kiss. kafka twitches beneath you ever so slightly, but then she’s returning your fervor, her teeth worrying your lower lip. you growl and probe your tongue against the seam of her lips, forcing your way into her mouth and tasting the residuals of whatever drink she had with that man, his blood now trickling down onto the floor.

kafka groans as you slot your leg between hers, her muscled thighs immediately bearing down on your leg. you move the arm against her throat lower, your hand squeezing at the ample flesh of her breast through her shirt, and the pleased hum that reverberates out of her theoat sounds far, far better to you than her smug chirping. when you pull away, your shoulders tremble from the heavy breaths you draw in.

kafka, meanwhile, retains that damned smirk on her face, her eyes half-lidded and knowing. as if she planned all this right from the start.

“perhaps we should take this somewhere more private, hm?” she suggests, trailing a hand down your front as she rolls her hips against your leg. you stifle the full-body shudder that threatens to course through you, and step away from her.

“fine.”

the grip you have on her wrist is tight, but kafka doesn’t pull away. she only giggles airily, and you know without looking that her expression is definitely one of a cat that got the cream. as you leave the club, the song finally concludes.

buckle up and take a seat, hold on tight…

[thewtpdemon]

Okay so obviously I'm pissed Sweden won too, like awesome next year its happening in Sweden on ABBAS 50th win of the anniversary win but they should've had a better song.

I'm convinced Sweden won cause it was constantly played on the radio

Which isn't fair, they barely if at all played any of the other songs. Either play them all equally or not at all.

Finland deserved better.

But like, why didn't Spain do better? Not gonna lie I got way too invested and I genuinely thought Spain would at least do decent in televoting and seeing it get 5 points from the televote kinda hurt a bit.

Like, isn't it a cultural song sung in its native language with modern elements and very folklike too? It's flamenco which is traditional in Spain, especially the more southern area, specifically Andalisia, ITS NOT A BALLAD. The clapping is actually part of flamenco and often is an instrument too in a way.

Why wasn't it more popular?

Like genuinely, I'm curious about why people didn't vote for it? (Like please, feel free to tell me, I'm curious and aware I'm wearing a bit of a nostalgia goggle as I grew up with flamenco)

Is it cause its not typically western in the ways people dislike? Is it cause its one of the big 5 which makes people prefer not to vote on it? Is it because people liked moldova, czechia or others more and voting is expensive (fair honestly, I get it just sad about it)? Was it a strategic choice? Is it cause people don't realize how hard flamenco is to sing? Or how important the clapping was?

Please, I want to know. Sometimes I struggle with getting something when I'm too invested and I often end up with black and white thinking. I'm curious why people didn't resonate with something that had so much meaning and love for me.

[imichelle-l-rigby]

Reflections: Cillian Murphy’s Limited Edition

Season 3, episode 8

✨it’s almost Thanksgiving but I’m finally in the November episodes✨

———————————————————————

*I am a music prof (predominantly classical vocalist), and I LOVE listening to Cillian’s music choices! That being said, sometimes I won’t like a song simply because of a vocalist (it’s a professional hazard - sorry!) 👩‍🏫

** The following are my own observations/opinions. We may not agree, and that’s ok! That’s what makes music fun! 😊

*** I wouldn’t say I’m well-versed in Cillian’s music preferences, but I do enjoy them (for the most part). I always wind up adding to my own playlists after listening to Cillian’s recommendations.

———————————————————————

*snuggles up in my blanket with my tea* alright. Let’s do this 😎

🎵Set 1 (Kick in the Eye - Teenage Wildlife)

Kick in the Eye: 😎 what a cool way to start the show!

Teenage Wildlife: FINALLY some Bowie! I’m honestly impressed that he was able to wait this long to get a Bowie song in 😂. Bowie is a love/hate relationship for me. I like his music and LOVE covers, I just don’t like listening to Bowie’s voice. 😕 it actually makes me sad I don’t like him more, but I just can’t do it.

🎤Talking Break

Woo November!

Ooh uninteresting facts again!

“So delicious and dull”

“Nap for 13-15 hours at a time” - cries in tired teacher 😭😭😭😭

Cillian. Howwwww do you sleep with the light on?!?!?! HOW?????

I can see how it reflects a little of “Heroes”

I love his Moog synthesizer talk! THANK YOU FOR THAT, CILL!

🎵Set 2 (Good Listening - Générique)

Good Listening: ah yes, the swing/big band jazz days! I love it! ❤️

Ohh… an ident! Is this Duke??? Sounds like him.

I’m Beginning to See the Light: Duke is amazing. Hands down! And I loooooove the plunger mute - such a fun timbre! I love how he sounds so classy and raucous all at once. But who’s the vocalist??? The track list doesn’t tell me 😢

Générique: Miles! 😍 so Cool…. No words, just vibing.

🎤Talking Break

Ooh a soundtrack track! And of course they just improvised…

And yes - it was Duke!

Blues accordion. I am intrigued!

🎵Set 3 (Trouble in Mind - Slippin’ Into Darkness)

Trouble in Mind: yes. It is blues accordion. Why does this work??? 😅👍

Slippin’ Into Darkness: it’s got such a mix of styles! It’s gospel-like, rock, Motown, all sorts of stuff! I like! 😎

🎤Talking Break

An exclusive!

A reading from a memoir!

🎵Set 4 (Superstar -

Superstar: kinda cool how it starts with low bass and higher guitar melody. And the vocals sound like they’re in a cave. Fun cover!

Deep Blue Day: nice and atmospheric ☺️

Left Hand Path: this is like the previous 2 songs had a baby. I like it, but it just fits SO WELL in this set! 😂

🎤Talking Break

Lots of covers!!! Why are covers so good???

Irish music!

I’m glad he pronounced all that 😅

🎵Set 5 (The Trees They Do Grow High - Travel Size)

The Trees They Do Grow High: I must say this sad/angsty feel fits the folk song so well, but it’s also quite jarring if you know the song well!

Travel Size: ooooh this is so pretty! I like that this embraces treble for so long! Very few songs will do that today. Then halfway through it gets intense and mysterious! And of course a random sax 🎷 because why not??? ✨might be my fave for this episode✨

🎤Talking Break

“Brand new tunage”

Yay! More new music!

🎵Set 6 (Vampire Empire)

Vampire Empire: monotone, but so fun! Even though it’s new, it sounds like ‘70s music! And I like the upward leap on “chills” - great touch 👍

🎤Talking Break

Controversy over Yorkshire Man!

I love that the best guess is “idk” 😂

🎵Set 7 (Farewell, Farewell - I’ll Keep It With Mine)

Farewell, Farewell: beautiful vocals! I like this a lot. I always do appreciate folklike undulating melodies

I’ll Keep It With Mine: same group, but this time it’s got a Joan Baez vocal quality. ❤️

✨These 2 are awesome✨

🎤Talking Break

“Lots of covers on the show tonight, which I wasn’t prepared for, but I can handle, I think, just about”

🎵Set 8 (Everything - Barcelona)

Everything: yes - awesome jazz! I do love newer, experimental jazz styles. 👍

Barcelona: absolutely beautiful, but I am genuinely confused as to why he’s got an Italian lyric in a song about a Spanish city. So confused, in fact, that I googled! If what I found is correct, that makes this song even more poignant and meaningful. It is speculated that the Italian comes from Verdi’s opera Macbeth. Makes much more sense now.

🎤Talking Break

Gotta love how he’s obsessed with music from the beginning of his career

🎵Set 9 (Atmosphere - Toast)

Atmosphere: no, I don’t think I like this. 😳

If I Fall Under: this is more groovy!

Toast: … this is not what I expected 😅😂 I don’t even know how to explain it! 😂😂

🎤Talking Break:

“That was good, wasn’t it? That was… energetic” - no Cill. No. 😂

Ask a reasonable question!

Dude. That’s a lot of posters! 🙀

🎵Set 10 (Timing, Forget the Timing - Bukom Mashie)

Timing, Forget the Timing: this is a fun disco/synth track! 💃 🕺 🪩

Got to Get Your Own: oh yes - I honestly kinda am sad that the flute was only heard in ‘60s pop/jazz and didn’t really go further. It’s so iconic, it honestly needs to come back into mainstream (course maybe that’s what Lizzo is trying to do?)

Bukom Mashie: ok now this is fun! Awesome bass and percussion, but the brass feels so jazz! JAZZ FLUTE. YES. ✨fave jazzy piece of the evening✨

🎤Talking Break

The end! 😢

Improv one-take pieces. Yes, please!

“Mind yourselves”

🎵Set 11 (Marginalia #59 - Copenhagen One)

Marginalia #59: this reminds me of Olivier Messiaen. He was famous for using bird call as inspiration, even transcribing bird calls and writing them into his compositions.

Chant: I can kinda see how this is like a chant. It’s not got a defined meter or beat, and it centers around one predominant tone. Interesting!

Copenhagen One: super atmospheric - perfect for sleepy time. It reminds me of something in particular, but I can’t think of what. Could certainly be used as film score.

———————————————————————

Thank you so much for reading! If it’s Thanksgiving for you this week, eat plenty and enjoy the day with loved ones! 🥰

Tag list:

@iammrsrogers @deliciousnutcomputer @mariamoonie @brownskinsugarplum76 @look-at-the-soul @kj-davis @neverroad @teapothollow @thepurplearmyposts @possessedmarshmallow

[camerongrn]

folklore - taylor swift

this album surprise dropped after the initial covid19 outbreak in 2020 and follows a completely new side of taylor swift, away from her established roots in pop music. 'folklore' is her 8th studio album and takes on a much more chill, indie, folklike energy, in a similar yet different way to her early country music. 'folklore' consists of these low energy ballads driven by beautiful acoustic instrumentals. this album is a narrative driven album through and through.

with folklore, taylor explores these ideas of nostalgia and romanticism; almost in a similar vein to her albums fearless and speak now. however, here she takes on a much more mature lens by discussing themes such as infidelity, suicide, and alcoholism. this is by far one of her most vulnerable albums, some of the tracks feel uncomfortably intimate at times; feeling like im listening to someone's sob filled journal entries. escapism, however, is the album's main theme; being fuelled by the pandemic, empathy and loss come through in the haunting vocals and instrumentals. it's crazy how private this album is.

the record additionally follows fictional narratives and arcs based in a love triangle between 3 teenagers. i LOVE when artists do this and transport us into a whole new world unique to an album. moreover, this fictional narrative is extremely realistic and relatable; in a sense being semi autobiographical to swift herself. the story of this album is by far its shining feature.

my favourite track would have to be 'betty'. this song is told from the perspective of the fictional character james, who is apologising to betty after cheating on her. i love this, swift's ability to delve into this persona and to still create such a personal feeling song is crazy. this song takes clear inspiration from her earlier country music and its honestly sort of comforting; listening to this teenage boy beg for forgiveness over an americana inspired instrumental. i do have to give 'august' and 'the 1' shoutouts here as they are extremely personal songs to myself; lyric-wise.

overall, 'folklore' is by far one of taylor's best albums. escaping into this fictional world in the trees on a late august's day, swift manages to delve back to her roots and explore a softer sound. she manages to reinvent her artistry on this record, and i doubt she'll ever be able to produce a body of work as intimate as this.

favourite track: betty

least favourite track: epiphany

spotify link: folklore - Album by Taylor Swift | Spotify

★★★★★ 5/5

[fourthoverfifth]

The Tale of Loftborough

Trying a little creative writing exercise. I can't remember the last time I did any non-technical writing, so this was something new for me.

-There's a gimmick/constraint I'm working with - the word choices (and the tag, but don't look until the end!) should give away what it is.

-This is not wholly original - it's an attempt to write a backstory for an existing work by a certain well-known creator.

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

Our tale begins by a hamlet of yore, in a hollow where the townsfolk dug deep for iron ore. A man saw a spark, something bright in the dark, a blue glow of wellspring unknown. His brethren sheared out the rubble and unearthed the stone, when it rose to the air, aloft on its own. They brought it to town, showing all what they found, where the townsfolk were awed by this gem of strength unbound. Aeledstone made even the heaviest things featherlight beyond any kindlore known.

The fathomless strength of aeled was tamed by caretakers and shared alike, bringing happiness, gleaming, glowing, to most, following a weirding tale by a man who once said, “Share land and godmade wonders – keep all else made by one’s own hand.”

All the townsfolk put this witching to work, making wondrous tools and crafts of all sorts. Biggest of all was the sky island—a means of lifting whole towns upward. They crafted a great heart of aeledstone and buried it deep within the king’s stronghold, linking it to stour spinning blades beneath the settling itself. And so Loftborough was born, a whole fleet of skybound buildings which followed fair weather, good trade, and wealth.

But though the sky islands were Loftborough’s biggest craft, its greatest was another. Hewn from ruddy tinbrass and iron, from the teamwork of lodesmiths and witcrafters, were the Wroughtminds. In vast bloomeries, the lodesmiths first shaped ore into folklike beings. Then the witcrafters breathed soul into them with carefully cut aeledstone, inbedded into their hearts. Awakened hence, the Wroughtminds befriended and bestood all the Loftfolk in their strivings.

Endless lightwork, borne from the Earth, lifting townsfolk to the heavens above — in time, few remembered the old world of dearth.

But a time came when that wondrous flowing ran drier and drier. The shimmer of aeledstone dimmed from the old orehollows, day by day. The folk of Loftborough carved and cut through the earth, creeping and seeking hollows yet untouched, grasping anywhere to find more of the blessed stone. As gemhoards dwindled and the drought worsened, crafts and crops alike began to wither, and barren times began to grip the towns of Loftborough.

In time, the anger of wantsome folk spilled over, first to squabbling, and then to fighting. Their kinship ended, some folk of the floating towns forsook their islands, coming home to mother Earth, leaving their old homes behind, emptied, frozen in time. Others met more bitter ends, wielding frightful aeledborne weapons against one another, firing floods of blinding, searing, skyborne glimmer, until each island crumbled and crashed to the ground. Torn apart by their greed, the kinship of Loftborough was left scattered, broken, and dead.

One island was left, but its townsfolk had long gone, leaving behind a waning flock of Wroughtminds. They worked on through the end of their crafters—in time, all but one would shut down. The last of them was the gardener’s helper, a rugged yet friendly old soul. But the Wroughtgardener was not distraught, for he always believed his friend would come back someday. Besides—there was much to do at home, he thought. The songbirds were hatching, the sunblooms were sprouting, and the gate needed another dusting.

The world of Loftborough became but a dream, forgotten to all but a few elders. The kingly kinfolk of Loftborough kept but one token of their yore—a dearworthy aeledstone hanging from a string, inbedded with spells of many yesteryears. Truths became stories, and stories became folklore. Only one tale of old lived on among Loftborough’s kingkin, a tale told something like so:

“Swirling and swirling amidst the churn, a beacon stands bright, its gaze true and stern. Casting a light beyond angry storms, beyond bitter seas, across the bight to burn. Godborne dreams of dawns anew, to the ends of Earth they swiftly flew. Loftborough awaits—speak the right words, and make haste. Wend your way by this stone’s glistening hew; come forth, come hither, and bring frith to the lost kingdom anew.”

[artg310-blog]

Proof 3

For the third proof, there was very little to experiment with and change. We both took a closer look at the magazine and noticed small details like bordering lines around the body text, and a folklike logo throughout the articles. I advised Liz to try implementing these elements. Lastly, we agreed to try and create titles for the articles instead of it being one long article throughout all the spreads. Otherwise, Liz followed all advise from the previous week and it turned out great.

[forageworkshop]

So sometimes I post an item and it sells out super quick and people ask “When will there be more?!?!” So I make more and I put up a post with a cringeworthy “act fast or you’ll miss it!” sort of spin AND.... nobody buys it 🤦‍♀️ that’ll teach me to get all cheesy car commercial on News 12 style on ya. Anyways long story short, this beautiful ring dish is still around. I’m sure she’ll find her forever home when the time is right. . . . . . .. #forageworkshop #liveauthentic #treeobsession #plantmoretrees #woodturned #ringdish #ringholder #botanicalpickmeup #natureinthehome #touchofnature #treeoflife #folklike #forestfolk #forest_of_twinkling_fireflies #treeofinstagram #treestagram #treelove #tree_magic #🌳 https://www.instagram.com/p/Bt89NjGAtSM/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=8dz11j0zochv

[daloy-politsey]

[Images ID: An 18 part Twitter thread by Michael W. Twitty (@KosherSoul) that reads the following:

1) How does someone like me experience #Antisemitism? Anti-Jewish sentiments and behavior can reflect the different variants of people expressing their displeasure with Jews as a people, sub-ethnicities and as a sect of religious practices of cultural or social stances.

2) Wearing a kippa, having a beard or wearing tzitzit...or fringes intended to remind me to observe the commandments often signify my Jewishness but that's not the only way people might identify me as a Jew and treat me differently in a negative way.

3) I was slapped in a grocery store by a man who grinned as he said "oh sorry didn't see you there..." and my kippa fell off. I was so shocked I didn't know what to do.

4) A white woman called me a "kike" in a parking lot dispute and when I called her out on it, the cops threatened me with arrest for "escalating," for calling her anti-Semitic. They were Black and no help to a fellow brotha.

5) A former landlord demanded I let workers in and around on Saturday and demanded that I be there to let them in even though I reminded her it was Shabbat. The city gvt of Rockville. Md didn't care.

6) I was attacked on the metro by a large group of fundamentalist Christians and their children mocked me and attempted to spit on me and my prayerbook. They preached about how awful Jews were...over they figured out I wasn't Muslim. Nobody intervened.

7) People might think I am Muslim if I wear an African or Asian style kippa which might resemble the kuffi. I desperately needed to charge my phone at Union Station & a very rude older white man who worked there demanded to know what I was doing & he told me to get me "fuckn terrorist ass" out

8) Getting my ID for research at the library of congress...the woman taking care of me demanded to know why I was Jewish. She then said, "I bet you're a damn Republicans too..." and shook her head with pursed lips.

9) The first and last time I prayed at a station with my tefillin I had more than one person with a walkie talkie come up to me and ask what I "thought" I was doing and why I had strange things on me and if they were dangerous.

like you would you even bother to ask...

10) I mentioned during a presentation for the Folklike festival that the folks in my synagogue made the same dish but with different ingredients and context & the curator for food ripped the mic out of my hands & told the crowd they were misinformed & that it had nothing to do with the Jews

11) Antisemitic and Anti-Jewish in my world is having a cop pull us over on Tisha B'Av & hold a gun to my head, its being told not to "bring up that Jewish angle" or having an editor turn down The Cooking Gene because I mentioned I was Jewish & them telling me "America wasn't ready"

12) Its being harassed and questioned on the train about why I am not a Christian or people hoping that I'm really "Messianic." Or ppl thinking they are funny at work calling em "Little Amish boy."

13) Its having another landlord threaten you over building a Sukkah. Its having a kippa off and being perceived as just Black while some white dude talks about the "the fnn Jews..." are the problem behind everything...

14) Its being asked "Do you have to wear that here?" (Kippa)

Its people seeing this beard and a headcovering and experiencing intersectinal isht at an airport...

Its people questioning my Jewish identity because they only frame Jewish identity as one identifiable type.

15) Its saying "I'm Jewish," and having people burst out laughing.

That one...

They can't hide the fact that bc I'm not a caricature that they think I am ridiculous in my current incarnation as a complex and nuanced American.

It hurts really bad.

16) Its people coming into my social media saying "I heard you were a Zionist. Are you a Zionist? Explain yourself." I never said a word about the matsav but I say Jewish and they say that.

17) Its people assuming that Jewishness takes me out of my consciousness as a person of color. Its people assuming real Black ppl can be Christian or Muslim but not Jews. Its people trying to tell me what Jewishness is about to justify de-centering me as a Jew.

18) I 'm going to close it here. Shver tzu tzayn a Yid.

/end ID]

[mogaiclown]

seashantic!!

a musicagender related to sea shanties! may be an inherently hearty and folklike gender all while having that solemn undertone, but not necessarily.

couple optional pronouns:

sea/seas/seaself

song/songs/songself

sing/sings/singself

shanty/shantys/shantyself

wave/waves/waveself

ocean/oceans/oceanself

pirat/pirate/pirates/pirates/pirateself

ship/ships/shipself

[honeyyoni]

Spook did not want to wait until Halloween to meet Spock again. But he was not well prepared.

You say you are the spirit of Blues, Sir? I am sorry, but your knowledge of classical Blues instruments is deficient. This is not a Saxophone, but a Bugle.

Maybe we can play together something more folklike... um... Sir... this is not the correct method...

O.k., I suggest I play and you listen.

[morganbahrmusic]

Today was acoustic guitar day with one of our clients at Moonlight Audio. Their song is in the folk genre, so acoustic guitar is the most important texture while recording. There ended up being about 8 different layers of acoustic guitar, some doubled of various lines. To help give some life and variety of space and sound to the a few of these layers, we used this giant bass drum as a sort of reverb chamber.

During the chord progression tracks of the song, The client sat in front of the bass drum while the Audio-Technica 5047 for the immediate sound, and the two 013 Soyuz tube microphones to capture the reverb inside the drum. We put the two tube mics on either side of the drum, right where a small hole was. The placement of the holes fortunately did not cause any phase issues between the two mics.

When balanced and mixed, the reverb chamber allowed for basic acoustic part to have a wider and warmer sound. This not only set the mood and vibe of the folklike song, but allowed room for other acoustic such as melody and harmony to shine through in upper layers and be closer to the listener in terms of sonic space. 

[audreysmusicaljourney]

Album #424: Beck “Odelay” (1996)

Beck is a super talented musician. Some of the songs from this album are timeless, but I don’t know that I have ever listened to it all the way through. That changes now!

“Devil’s Haircut” is a quintessential ‘90s rock song with a steady cadence and a catchy hook all while showcasing Beck’s talent as a multi-instrumentalist. Beyond vocals, Beck contributes to the sound of this track by playing a bass guitar, an electric guitar, an organ, and the harmonica. Despite the number of times I have listened to track, I never realized how much Beck sounds like the Eels or Cake on this track. In other words, this is a fairly pure ‘90s alternative rock song. The outro of “Hotwax” is a little weird, but I do think my life is a little better just by having been introduced to “the enchanting wizard of rhythm.” The track “Lord Only Knows” has a fairly predominant acoustic tone it, but the slide guitar pops its head in for a minute to give this song a distinct blues sound as well.

“The New Pollution” is a really good track that proves that it doesn’t take much more than a guitar, drums, an organ, and Beck’s confident lyrical delivery to make a song really work. Beck sounds a bit like the Beastie Boys on the track “Novacane.” It’s crazy how he can so effortlessly transition from gritty rap delivery to softer lyrical delivery on this album. Case-in-point, the track “Jack-Ass” has a softer, almost folklike sound to it that is complimented well by the re-appearance of the harmonica.  

Perhaps a bit of the revolution (pun-intended) in this album comes from Beck’s genius, effective, and novel use of the turntables to create his distinct sound. “Where It’s At” is a tribute to the production of this album. The Dust Brothers are the ones contributing to the sound of the turntables and drum machines on this album. The track “Minus” has a bit of a grunge rock vibe to it. I love the manipulation of the tempo as Beck slows it down before picking the verse back up. “High 5″ has a heavy noise rock sound dominated by electronic instrumentation and percussive sounds. Becks wraps it up with the beautiful melodic track “Ramshackle.”

Rating: 8.5/10

How I Listened: Vinyl

Takeaway: Seems like just yesterday that Kanye was dissing Beck at the 2015 Grammys. I remember seeing posts after that incident that talked about how much of a hand Beck had in the production of his Grammy-winning album, ranging from the vocals and instrumentation to the actual production of it. Seems like that is something he has been doing for well over 20 years now. 

[queen-scribbles]

Five More Minutes

@pillarspromptsweekly​ Fill 9: To the Rescue. 

Tavi cursed as snow dropped down the back of her boot for the fifth time in the past hour. “Why is it always the same fuckin’ boot?!” she groused under her breath as her right sock got just a little wetter. Again.

“I told you to lace your boots tighter,” Sagani said from behind her. An amused smile tugged her lips as Tavi’s scowl deepened. “C’mon, Tav, I did warn you.”

“Not helping,” Tavi growled. “I was makin’ sure I didn’t cut off blood flow an’ tryin’ to account for my fuckin’ socks.”

Sagani shrugged as the wind whipped at her hair. “It was your choice, Tav, all I’m sayin’.”

Unable to come up with a better reply, Tavi just rolled her eyes and kept walking. The faster they got down the damn mountain, the faster it wouldn’t be an issue. Stalwart lay hours behind them, and if the weather didn’t get too bad, they could probably make it to the bottom by night.

As if summoned by her wishing for the opposite, the wind picked up again, throwing snow in their faces. One especially strong gust unbalanced her and sent her teetering toward a snowdrift. Oh, shit, seriously-

“Careful!” Aloth’s hand closed around her arm and he pulled her back upright.

“Thanks,” Tavi smiled breathlessly, linking her hand with his once she had her balance back. “I swear the weather has it in for me.”

“And what makes you think that?”

“Aside from tryin’ to knock me into the fuckin’ snow? It waited until I figured out an estimate on travel time to reach the bottom that was dependent on good weather, and then it started doin’ this shit.” She reached over and flicked chunky snowflakes out of his hair. “Guess Ondra’s pissed at me.”

Aloth chuckled. “Well, you did just survive drowning by the skin of your teeth and return the Eyeless to Abydon, thus undoing what was probably centuries worth of effort on her part.”

Tavi snorted. “Still. Tryin’ to knock me in a snowbank? That shit’s fuckin’ petty.”

Aloth opened his mouth to reply, but she shushed him, frowing at the snowy expanse to their right. “Didja hear that?”

“What?” he asked in a whisper, as she was clearly still listening for something.

“Sounded like a kid,” Tavi muttered, tightening her grip on his hand as she leaned toward the elusive sound.

“We’re hours from the nearest civilization,” Aloth frowned, expression deepening when he heard the next soft wail. “It’s probably just wind through the rocks.”

“That would make more sense...”

“You still want to go look, don’t you?” he said knowingly. When she nodded, he squeezed her hand. “I’ll come with you.”

Tavi shook her head. “Those snowdrifts are gonna be waist-high at least on us. No reason for both of us to get soaked, especially on what’s likely a wild goose chase.” She looked back at the rest of the party. “Kana! Come help me with something for a minute!”

“What do you need?” Kana asked cheerfully as he approached. 

“Listen,” Tavi instructed, waiting until she saw recognition dawn in his eyes. “I wanna go see what that is. Just in case it’s something more than wind through rocks. An’ since you’re the biggest, I figure you’ll have the easiest time walkin’ off the beaten path with me.”

“Of course,” Kana nodded gamely. “Let’s be off.”

Tavi grinned at his enthusiasm, giving Aloth a quick kiss on the cheek as she released his hand. “Be right back.”

“I’ll hold you to that,” she heard Aloth mutter as she and Kana headed off in the rough direction of the lingering sound.

>O<

They walked for almost half an hour in silence, both trying to pinpoint the cry, before Kana sighed.

“I don’t see anything but rocks and snow, Tavi,” he admitted. “And I find it hard to believe a chld’s lungs could be this strong, especially out in the cold.”

Tavi nodded reluctantly. “You’re right, and it was probably just wind through rocks like Aloth said anyway.” She huffed a breath, watched it cloud the air. “Can we just go five more minutes before we turn back? To be safe?”

“Whatever you want,” Kana said, shooting her a curious look as he picked up her tone. “May I ask why this is so important to you?”

“That’s fair,” Tavi muttered, then sighed again. “When I was, oh....  fifteen, I think, my brother got lost in the woods. He was about six. Took two days for one of the search groups my father organized to find him. They’d... talked about turning back and decided to go five more minutes. We were five minutes from never findin’ him. Five minutes from him likely dyin’ out there. If they hadn’t pushed on, hadn’t gone far enough to hear him singin’ to himself....” She shook her head as she pushed through a deep drift of snow. “So now I’m extra paranoid about checkin’ thoroughly.”

“I can understand that,” Kana nodded. He cocked his head, listening. “Ah! I do believe I’ve found our culprit.” He pointed off to their left, at a tall rock spine pierced with a trio of holes. When the wind blew through, their varying sizes combined to create an all-too-folklike cry. “See, just rocks.”

Tavi’s shoulders sagged slightly in relief, only to re-hunch at a blast of snowy air. “Thank Hylea. Aloth was right. I really didn’t want it to be a lost kid. We woulda had to take ‘em back to Stalwart, an’ that would be a pain.”

Kana chuckled as he turned around. “At least it’s safe to turn back now.”

She laughed. “Y’don’t hafta hint, Kana. We can go.”

The two of them started retracing the path they’d made getting where they were. An occasional gust of wind pushed Tavi sideways, and she’d have to course-correct back to the track behind Kana. Most of the time it was only a step or two’s deviation, but one particularly nasty blast shoved her a good five steps to her right in an attempt to keep her balance.

It didn’t work. Mostly because her last step crunched down on ice over air buried under three feet of snow rather than rock.

“Motherfuc-!” It came out as part yelp, part growl while she was still pitching forward.

“Tavi!” She heard Kana yell her name, the crunch of his boots through the snow, felt his fingers brush hers as she fell, but it was too late.

He head bounced off the side of the crevasse and stars flashed across her vision. She hit both sides several times on her way down, finally landing hard on one shoulder. It gave with a pop that hurt almost enough to make her cry out. She probably would have anyway, if her landing didn’t also conk her head against the ground hard enough to knock her senseless.

>O<

She came to in the almost-dark of a fifteen foot deep crevasse, with no idea how long she’d been unconscious. Before she even tried sitting up, Tavi wiggled her toes inside her boots, and then her fingers. They all worked with no hesitation, except for her left hand. She sat up slowly, not putting any weight on that arm.

“Hylea’s fuckin’ tits,” she groaned, sucking in a pained breath between her teeth. Focusing on the narrow strip of light above her made her head pound like an Engwithan war drum. “Kana?!”

There was no answer from above, just her own whimper echoing back to her as her ribs protested the deep breath.

“Gods...” Breathing hard, she shifted position so she could sit leaning against the wall. She gingerly felt at her left shoulder, gritting her teeth against another whimper. “Nnngh...”

That’s fuckin’ dislocated, she confirmed mentally, using her right hand to rest her left arm across her lap. I really hope Kana’s gone because he went to the others for help...

The truth of the matter was, even with the high likelihood she was right, there was no way to know how long Kana had been gone. And no way of marking time other than sitting there and counting the seconds, which was a thoroughly unappealing thought. So Tavi settled in to wait, inventorying her injuries to pass the time and stay awake.

>O<

Fortunately, aside from the dislocated shoulder, a couple bruised ribs, and a nice goose egg above her left ear, there didn’t seem to be anything serious. And fifteen feet of rock overhead did offer a good bit of protection from the elements. Even more fortunately, she didn’t have to wait long before she heard someone calling her name, muted and distant thanks to the wind.

“Still here!” she hollered back, loudly as she dared with her ribs aching at deep breaths.

“Tavi?!” That was definitely closer, and definitely not Kana.

“I’m fine, city slicker!” Tavi called up. Relatively speaking... She gritted her teeth as she stood. “Just want fuckin’ out of here!”

There was a note of amused relief in Aloth’s voice as he called back,  “Understandable. We’re working on it.”

“Don’t s’ppose we have any rope left, do we?” she suggested. That would be too easy... 

“Unfortunately, no,” Aloth said regretfully, his silhouette visible as he leaned over the crevasse. “The last one broke after the Battery tower.”

“Don’t you dare be sorry about that, Corfiser!” Tavi hollered, indignant and not caring if it hurt her ribs. “This is fuckin’ leagues better than lettin’ anyone-” you especially, her mind whispered- “plummet to their deaths. I’m fine, I swear.”

“What are you considering fine, Tavi?”

Dammit. He knows me too fuckin’ well. “Oh, y’know... scrapes, bumps, bruises, dislocated shoulder...”

“Tavi!!” He sounded offended on her behalf that she was downplaying her on injuries.

“I’ve had worse and you know it!” she pointed out.

“Don’t remind me!” Aloth called down.

A smaller silhouette appeared next to his and Sagani chipped in, “Y’know, we can just kick him down there if you’d rather have a conversation at a normal volume level, Tav.”

Tavi laughed and then yelped. “Rather you got me up, ‘Gani.”

“We’re working on it,” Sagani promised. “Give us five more minutes.”

“Okay.” Tavi leaned her head back against the rock and muttered to herself,  “Literal minutes, or metaphorical ones?”

Growing up, whenever she or her brothers had asked for five more minutes to play or read whatever, they almost never literally meant five minutes. They were hoping their mother would lose track of time and they would get ten or fifteen.

>O<

“Five more minutes,” Khellin begged, eyes on paw prints that spiraled out into the woods.

“Five more minutes,” Casius pleaded, sprawled sideways in a chair with a book propped against his knees.

“Five more minutes,” Malachi said, flopped on his back with the neighbors’ cat curled up on his stomach as he hummed to himself.

“Five more minutes,” Tavi wheedled, perched precariously halfway up a tree.

“Oh, fine,” conceded Mom with a smile, time and time again, invariably giving her children far more than they asked for.

>O< 

“Tavi? Are you alright?” There was a note of concern in Aloth’s voice and she realized how long she’d been quiet. 

“Still fine, Aloth,” she reassured, the ache in her chest fading with the memories.  “Just thinkin’.”

“You must have hit your head rather hard...” he teased.

Tavi growled even as she grinned. “I’ll hit your head, city slicker.”

“I’ll let you,” he said, low enough she wasn’t sure she was supposed to hear it.

“Aloth, I swear I’m fine!” she promised. “I’m not bleedin’ to death, I don’t have any grievous  injuries, Hylea, the only reason I haven’t fixed my shoulder myself is ‘cause it’s a damn sight easier with help.”

“I’ll still feel better when we get you out of there...”

“I know, city slicker. Me, too. Shit, you think I like it down here? First of all, it’s still cold. Second, it’s hard and un-fuckin’-comfortable, and third, I’m away from you.” And I cannot believe I fuckin’ said that out loud...

“However will you survive?” Aloth deadpanned, most of the nerves gone from his voice.

“We’ll just have to wait and see, won’t we?” Tavi retorted. “In all seriousness, Aloth, I’m not sleepy or anything, so you don’t hafta keep talkin’ to me.”

“Maybe not for your sake...” he said with a shaky, sheepish laugh. “But perhaps I need the reminder.”

“Well, then in the interest of not distactin’ the planners, let’s just sit here. Whenever you get nervous just call my name and I promise I’ll answer.” Hylea’s tits, she hated being stuck down here. She hated not being able to do anything, she hated that she couldn’t reach Aloth to squeeze his hand or give him a hug. Of course, if you could we wouldn’t be in a situation where he was worryin’ about you, would we?

“That... will have to do,” Aloth conceded reluctantly. And so they did for the remainder of the five minutes.

Finally Sagani popped her head back over the edge, knocking down small clumps of snow as she did, and called, “Okay, I think we worked something out. We tied the rope that broke in the Battery back together with about six different knots-”

“We still have that?!” Tavi asked incredulously as she got to her feet.

“C’mon, Watcher, you know I’m a hoarder.” The teasing note was clear in Hiravias’ voice, even distorted by the wind.

“This is the first time I’ve wanted to kiss you for it, though,” she retorted.

“Pass,” he chuckled. “You can kiss Aloth instead.”

“Deal!” Tavi laughed. “Sorry, ‘Gani. You can finish now.”

“Just that I think the rope should hold your weight long enough to get you out,” Sagani concluded. “This isn’t that deep, an’ it’s a pretty straight shot.”

“Worth a try,” Tavi concurred. “Just tie a loop in the end you lower down. I only have one workin’ arm right now, so I ain’t gonna be able to climb it. You’ll hafta pull me out.”

“Got it. Just a second.” Sagani disappeared from view for a minute, then her head popped back over the edge. “Okay, ready?”

“More than,” Tavi called back. She looked away from the brightly lit crack so her eyes would be adjusted  when the rope reached her level and waited. A few seconds later she heard the quiet but distinctive smack of rope against rock and picked out the pale brown line against the dark grey rock backdrop. As promised, the end was tied in a big enough loop to fit over her head. Tavi settled it around her waist--hopefully low enough it wouldn’t bother her ribs--and gave it a tug with her good hand. “Ready!”

In response, the rope went taut and she started moving upward, using her feet to keep from hitting the walls. When she was within arm’s reach of the edge, Tavi let go of the rope and grapped rock instead. Almost immediately, a large hand closed around her wrist and Kana pulled her the rest of the way out and set her on her feet.

“Tavi!” Aloth winced when she turned to look at him, which she barely caught as her eyes adjusted to the change in light.

“What?” she frowned. He reached over and brushed his fingers just above her eyebrow. They came away sticky with mostly-dry blood. “Pretty sure that’s nothin’ serious,” she said reassuringly, reaching up to push her hair back so he could see. “You know how head wounds are. They bleed like fuckin’ crazy.”

“Clearly,” he said dryly, even as his finger found the small cut along her hairline. “This one’s covered nearly a third of your face.”

“Well, guess we better get me cleaned up,” Tavi said glibly. “So I don’t look like a nightmare.” She reached down and scooped up a handful of snow--almost losing her balance in the process--to rub against the bloody part of her face.

“Here,” Aloth offered. He wiped the mess off her face with his sleeve, despite her protests, and gave her a tentative kiss on the cheek.

“And now I know nothin’ in my face is broken,” she joked. “Can we fix my fuckin’ shoulder?”

“Actually...” Sagani hesitated briefly. “If you think you can stand it just a little longer, Keya’s been settin’ up camp in a cave we found back near the path. If you can wait ‘til we get there, we can take off some layers, which should make things easier. Also, there’s food.”

“Ooh, one of my favorite sentences. I think I can manage.”

>O<

In the end she only made it five minutes before all the stubbornness in the world couldn’t keep her going and Kana had to carry her the rest of the way.

Keya had done quite a good job setting up camp for the time she’d had. She arched an eyebrow at seeing Tavi carried in. “What have you done to yourself now, Watcher?”

“First of all, I didn’t do this to myself,” Tavi protested as Kana set her down.  “Second, it’s not as bad as it looks. Just pop my shoulder back in an’ I’ll be fuckin’ fine.”

Keya didn’t look entirely convinced, so Tavi just started trying to undo the fastening on her coat one-handed.

“Let me help,” Aloth offered quietly as the others scattered to tend their own business. His fingers deftly  separated the toggles and loops.

“Thanks,” Tavi whispered, fighting the urge to lean against him in her exhaustion, since it would make his task harder. “And since you’re bein’ nice, I won’t make a crack about finally reachin’ a point in our relationship where you’re undressin’ me.”

He smirked rather than blush, and briefly leaned his forehead against hers.  “You’re better than such low-hanging fruit, anyway.”

Tavi snorted, shrugging out of the coat with her good shoulder as the last fastener parted. “City slicker, I’m all about the fuckin’ low-hangin’ fruit. It’s like you don’t know me at al-”

He kissed her. Tavi felt her own pleased hum answered by his as she reached to cup his jaw with her good hand.

I take it back, something inside her smirked. He knows me really fuckin’ well. Aloth grazed her bad shoulder as he moved to copy her action, and Tavi broke the kiss with a yelp.

“Gods, Tavi, I’m sorry,” he said in consternation.

“S’alright,” she managed, resting her head against his shoulder briefly. “It’s a good reminder I should get that fixed before we make out, anyway.”

“Very true.” Aloth helped her the rst of the way out of her coat, gingerly around the dislocated joint, and then repeated the process with the heavier of the two shirts she wore. He sat next to her and held her hand while Keya popped her shoulder back into joint. Let her squeeze --encouraged it, really-- until Tavi was worried she’d break bone or something.

>O<

Once Tavi as all put back together, they sat by the fire, loosely wrapped in a shared blanket, and watched Sagani and Hiravias prepare dinner.

“I’m sorry we didn’t make all the progress you wanted today,” Aloth murmured, thumb rubbing the back of her hand.

“It’s okay,” Tavi replied, giving his hand a much gentler squeeze than she had earlier. “Caves are good for our relationship.”

He laughed quietly, nodding concession of the point. “They have been something of a good luck charm for us, haven’t they?” He turned slightly to kiss her on the temple. “And shouldn’t you be lying down? I seem to recall Keya telling you to rest.”

“This is restful,” Tavi countered, snuggling closer.

“Tavi. You know what she meant.”

“Fine. Five more minutes?” she cajoled, tilting her chin up for a kiss.

Aloth sighed, smiling slightly as he caved to both the spoken request and the unspoken. “Five more minutes.”

Neither of them were terribly surprised when that stretched to twenty. 

[auskultu]

Records: The San Francisco Sound

uncredited writer, Time, 30 June 1967

What storms out of Western dance palaces these days is mostly thunder and lightning: hard rock, heavy with electronics and accompanied by flashing lights. But there are some 300 groups playing in the San Francisco area, and the only thing they actually have in common is their address. Their recordings, although frenzied in spots, are varied and even sometimes gentle and folklike:

JEFFERSON AIRPLANE TAKES OFF was the first album of San Francisco’s best-known group, but their current bestseller is their second, Surrealistic Pillow (RCA Victor). The lyrics are often explicitly about drugs, but the Airplane’s popularity comes not from what they say but how they say it: their artful musical ellipses, the easy blend of voices and instruments, and above all the singing of Newcomer Grace Slick. Grace controls the sound with dramatic urgency in “While Rabbit”, her own song about the wonder drugs of Alice’s Wonderland (“Feed your head! Feed your head!”) and her fervent evangelism for a more universal proposition: “Don’t you want somebody to love?”

THE GRATEFUL DEAD (Warner Bros.) make no bones about what they are up to: “We play loud music for dancing, stealing it from a lot of places—old blues, new blues, jug band, classical licks and jazz.” Their album swings to a breathless but controlled climax in the ten-minute “Viola Lee Blues.”

THE DOORS (Elektra) are actually from Los Angeles, but they have successfully played the San Francisco dance halls. They are a versatile quartet, equally at home in Kurt Weill’s Alabama Song and the rhythm-and-bluesy “Back Door Man”. The electric organ kindles as much excitement as the incendiary lyrics in “Light My Fire”, their biggest single hit to date.

COUNTRY JOE & THE FiSH call their album Electric Music for the Mind & Body (Vanguard). They have an agreeable melodic approach with many songs in the folk genre, especially “Porpoise Mouth,” which was written by Country Joe McDonald but sounds like an old English ballad.

MOBY GRAPE has just been pressed by Columbia on five singles and an LP. The year-old quintet creates a rather bland mash—no screaming lyrics, no electronic blasts. They are O.K. for grandma—well, some grandmas. “A good mussing makes you feel so fine/A good mussing with Elderberry wine,” they suggest jovially in “Hey Grandma.”

[reviewmonkeyreview]

Moby-Play Review

·         Honey-8/10: An absolute bop with a lovely gospel sample and a banging piano line. The funk guitars are pretty cool.

·         Find My Baby-5.5/10: A bold move, basically making the same song but not as good for the second song on the album. Yeah, the sample is more of a groove/introspective sound, but Moby still tries to couple it with this grandiose string-based banger, and it just doesn’t work as well. Still nice, but not great.

·         Porcelain-9/10: More of a New Age song with Moby’s hushed, dreaming lyrics, that string loop, the soft piano hits, and the aethereal exhortations of the sampled voice.

·         Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad?-8/10: He somehow manages to make a bittersweet banger that bops pretty hard while also maintaining the doubtful, hurt melancholy of the original samples.

·         Southside-6.5/10: This is the most energized and straightforward pop that Moby really gets on the album, but his underwhelming singing just dropkicks the power of those guitars and the dark lyrics.

·         Rushing-5/10: It’s pretty, but at this point, the main Moby formula (gospel sample, strings, piano line, techno beat) is beginning to wear thin. The lack of investment really drags this one down.

·         Bodyrock-6/10: Another big banger. The Spoonie Gee/Treacherous Three sample gets pretty irritating as it loops ad nauseam, but it’s still a pretty well-constructed party jam.

·         Natural Blues-8.5/10: A great gospel sample sets this song a cut above the rest, and Moby sets up another banger.

·         Machete-7/10: The most techno-y track on the album. It’s a bit jarring in the larger context of the album, and the lulling vocals don’t really work, but when Moby starts hollering, the song really comes together.

·         7- 2/10: Just some random guitar wails and a loping backbeat.

·         Run On-7.5/10: Despite Acme Moby being pretty old at this point in the album, the lovely piano lines and that quartet sample gives the song some freshness.

·         Down Slow-3.5/10: A repetitive ambient quickie.

·         If Things Were Perfect-6/10: There’s something evocative about the sample, and the bassline is okay. The monologue is a bore.Right about here, Moby’s really and truly morphing from a pop/techno album with the Moby hallmarks omnipresent to a downtempo album.

·         Everloving-7/10: Some gorgeous, solemnly folklike guitar strums move the soul through another ambience

·         Inside-5.5/10: It sounds like something you would play in a vaporwave lite café.

·         Guitar Flute & String-7/10: The minimalism of this piece lets the beauty of Moby’s composition stand out, with only the title instruments playing, and the strings entering after the one-minute mark.

·         The Sky Is Broken-5/10: One of Moby’s most repetitive beats and a dreaming monologue.

·         My Weakness-6.5/10: It’s a great choral sample, and there’s a lot of melancholy, but nothing is really going on.

 Overall: 6.5/10

 Moby definitely overindulged himself with this album, but he made some great songs along the way. The peaks of this album were magnificent bangers filled with longing and beauty, while the nadirs were blips that nonetheless bored the listener. A slightly more judicious editing process may have led to Moby spreading out his most Moby™ tracks and dropping some of the dead weight, but there’s not a lot to complain about.