#mali blues rock

[nonenglishsongs]

Thursday's Covers Day | Songhoy Blues - Kashmir (Songhay)

[hazel-of-sodor]

What’s Lost is Found

Ch.2 Mali 

Other Chapters

Screech hummed to herself as she pulled into the passing loop at Draethell, the station served a small village, and more lucratively, the beach. It was summer, and beach-goers covered the shore. Enid joined Una on the line during peak season, the two tank engines working their way up and down the Llywn line and its shore-side stations. Screech had been sent to collect timber from the clean-up efforts but spent more time in passing loops than running. Gwyn and Freda climbed down to purchase drinks from the nearby refreshment stands while they waited.

The sun was warm and the sea breeze cool on her boiler, and Screech soon found herself dozing off. Or she would have if she hadn't been interrupted.

 'Little Thief is approaching.' The whisper lazily informed her.

Screech cracked open an Ice blue eye to see Mali approaching her nervously. The girl had her hair pulled back and was dressed for the beach, a white bathing suit almost glowing in the sunlight, a harsh contrast to the dark titan before her. She wrung a beach towel in her hands.

Screech sighed and fully opened her eyes, waiting for the young firelighter to approach. 

"I had thought you had gotten past your fear of me Little Thief?"

Mali huffed a laugh, "Anyone who isn't at least a little afraid of you is an idiot Miss Screech."

Screech gave a pleased chuckle, the sound reminiscent of thunder echoing off the mountains. Many on the beach looked nervously at the eldritch giant.

Mali hesitated, looking down. "...I came to ask a favor."

"Oh?"

Mali bit her lip before blurting out, "What do you know of Argol?"

Screech blinked at the unexpected turn and considered her memories thoughtfully. "Is it not past Uman? Avon mentioned it when I asked about the tracks beyond the yard."

Mali nodded, still looking at the ground before her. "The line didn't always end at Uman. Once upon a time, it ran further North before turning East to connect with the C&HR at Glain. Argol was the end city on an old branchline."

The young woman dejectedly kicked a rock, "after the war, the mines dried up and the branchline closed. But the city was still connected by road."

She looked up at Screech finally, "but then the other Railway took over and closed the line to Glain...and the town died almost overnight." Pain was visible in her eyes at the memory.

"It was important to you."

"It was my home."

Mali angrily wiped at her eyes, "I lost everyone. My friends all moved to different towns, and my parents lost their jobs when the town fell. They had to work hard to make ends meet, but by the time we were stable enough we could spend time together again...I felt like a stranger."

Screech gently reached out a tendril and flicked a tear away.

"That is why you fell in with the hooligans."

Mali gave a bitter laugh, "Not my best moment, I'm aware. But I wanted so badly to fit in, to feel like I belonged again..." She gritted her teeth against the memory. "...but they only wanted to see if I was an easy lay."

Screech locked a searching look on Mali. 

"Are they still bothering you?"

She hesitated, "Not often, and only when they think you're gone...but that's not what I wanted help with."

'Nonetheless, it will be corrected,' Screech thought, the whisper growling in agreement.

"What would you have my help with, Little Thief?"

"I want to go to Argol."

Screech blinked, "and you need my assistance?"

"Yes." Mali's frustration was palpable. "The roads were washed out years ago, and the rail line is overgrown. I might be able to find it by walking but that seems like a surefire way to get lost in the forest."

"Indeed."

Mali laid a hand on Screech's buffer, "it would take days or even weeks for a crew to clear the line to Argol, and the railway can't spare anyone that long even if the others wanted to help." 

She looked pleadingly up at Screech, as close to the engine's eyes as she dared. "I heard how you cleared this line and..." She trailed off uncertainly.

Screech considered the young woman, "What is it you hope to find at Argol?"

Mali wouldn't meet her gaze, "It's silly but....a toy that was left behind. A stuffed cat named Fluff." She snorted, "Original I know. It got left behind when we suddenly had to move and by the time I could have gone back for it..."

Gwyn and Freda returned and Mali fell silent. 

"Hello dear, enjoying your day off?" Freda asked.

"It's been ok Miss Freda." Mali demurred.

Freda frowned and opened her mouth to press the girl on what was bothering her, only for Screech to speak up.

"Freda, would you and Gwyn be willing to assist me Saturday?"

Freda was surprised by the request, but didn't hesitate in responding, "Of course Gwyllgi, what do you need?"

"We will be assisting our Little Thief in reaching the town of Argol to retrieve an item from her former home."

"Alright then." Freda glanced over to the teenager, who was staring at her engine with dawning hope. "We may not reach Argol in one day, but we'll go back if we have to."

"Really, you'll help?" Mali blurted.

Freda snorted, "Exploring an abandoned branchline? It'll make Gwyn's day, and even if it didn't, you asked for help, and that's enough for us."

She walked back towards the cab with a pat to Screech's running board, calling out to Gwyn that they had plans for the weekend.

"I expect you to be on your best behavior for the rest of the week little thief."

The whisper didn't bother to fake a sigh when Mali hugged her buffer.

[noloveforned]

okay, for real this time we're kicking off a new theme on tonight's show. tune into wlur at 8pm tonight to see what it'll be and then stick around for four hours of new music! if that doesn't work for you, you can always catch up with last week's show on mixcloud at your convenience, see below for tracklist.

finally a quick recap as we wrapped up our summer theme last week. for the past few months we've been starting the show off with music from the halifax, nova scotia scene of the 90s. we heard tracks from: sloan, jale, the super friendz, thrush hermit, plumtree, north of america, the hardship post, cool blue halo, the certain someones, les gluetones, and rebecca west.

no love for ned on wlur – august 4th, 2023 from 8-10pm

artist // track // album // label rebecca west // mystery bird // six more weeks of winter ep // cinnamon toast dippers // on the bend // clastic rock // goner honey radar // english costume (melting cricket) // english costume // (self-released) spirale parfait // j'care pas // (bandcamp mp3) // (unreleased) daddy's boy // family cat // great news! // drunken sailor pipe // backstroke // pipe // third uncle sheer mag // all lined up // playing favorites // third man charlie megira // fear and joy // charlie megira and the hefker girl // numero group current affairs // right time // off the tongue // tough love rocky // contents // rocky // lulus sonic disc club air miami // pucker // me. me. me. (deluxe edition) // 4ad lalitree darnielle // you are returning // (bandcamp mp3) // (unreleased) lia kohl // moon bean // too small to be a plain // florabelle self esteem // new york // new york digital single // fiction dawn richard and spencer zahn // sandstone // pigments // merge mali obomsawin // fractions // sweet tooth // out of your head asher gamedze // melancholia // turbulence and pulse // international anthem roman norfleet // cosmic forces // roman norfleet and be present art group // mississippi the art ensemble of chicago featuring moor mother // new coming // the sixth decade- from paris to paris (live at sons d’hiver) // rogueart yl and starker with dj skizz featuring adonis // sonny liston // smoke // tuff kong liv.e // reset! // girl in the half pearl // in real life travis scott featuring beyoncé // delresto (echoes) // utopia // epic dinner party featuring ant clemons // insane // enigmatic society // empire karin jones // last night in my dreams // under the influence of love // tidal waves maximum joy // stretch (7" version) // white and green place ep // lantern decisive pink // haffmilch holiday // ticket to fame // fire popular music // lifetime achievement // minor works // sanitarium sound the overcasts // community // aerie ep // mirror mūsica american grandma // hope loop // rare knives of light cassette // decade year

[coochiequeens]

In Morocco, young women are reclaiming the centuries old art of Gnaoua by bringing a new and inclusive energy to the spiritual musical repertoire that gained worldwide popularity after it was listed by UNESCO as intangible culture heritage in 2019.

"Tagnaouite has gained worldwide recognition with its UNESCO listing. Why shouldn't a woman play the guembri? Why shouldn't women be part of this dynamic? Women were at best simple members of Gnaoua groups, but never leaders. And the day I had the opportunity to play the guembri and succeeded in playing this instrument, I didn't hesitate for a second," shared Asma Hamzaoui, frontwoman of the all-female "Bnat Timbouktou".

The 26-year-old Casablanca native is one of the first women to perform Gnaoua, which blends African rhythms with spiritual chants and poetry. Her father, a Gnaoua master, initiated her into the art form at a young age. "I've accompanied him to his evening gatherings since I was seven years old," recounted the young woman, who in 2012 formed the group "Bnat Timbouktou", or The Girls of Timbuktu. "I gradually learned to play the guembri, a three-stringed lute made of camel skin. My father made sure that I learned as much as possible before I flew solo."

The all-female ensemble wowed the festival-goers -- with Hamzaoui on vocals and the guembri, and four musicians on qraqeb steel castanets.They played alongside the Amazones d'Afrique, another all-female group, from Mali. This young woman’s ambition empowered many others such as Hind Ennaira to explore their passion for the traditionally masculine art form, which blends African rhythms with spiritual chants and poetry. Gnanoua is also an ensemble that goes beyond just music, it also impacts clothes.

Feeds the spirit

"I started in 2016 and the idea of putting a group together was born in 2018. I put together a traditional ensemble made up of men with myself alone as the female leader, I tried to change the concept (of all-male Gnaoua groups)."

Originally practised by enslaved people and dating back at least to the 16th century, Gnaoua has gone from being practised largely in private gatherings, where therapeutic rituals accompanied the music, to public events such as concerts and festivals.

The Gnaoua festival held every summer in Essaouira has been promoting Gnaoua culture worldwide since 1997.

Jimi Hendrix StyleYousra Mansour, the frontwoman of the band Bab L'bluz ("The Blues Gate"), which fuses Gnaoua, rock and blues, also encountered challenges entering the music scene.

"There were two constraints for me: first, the fact that this field is usually reserved for men, but also how we interpret traditional music," explained the musician."It is not very accepted or even tolerated by some of the stricter individuals."We replaced the bass with the guembri and the guitar with the awisha (a small guembri) and created a kind of 'power trio' in the style of Jimi Hendrix with reimagined traditional instruments," explained Mansour.The 32-year-old vocalist passionately defends women's freedoms, saying that "as a woman, I have not had an easy life".

"There was a lack of women in this field. When I see Asma Hamzaoui or Hind Ennaira, they are magnificent," she said."It is not easy to evolve in a predominantly male universe, but we see changes emerging."

[dustedmagazine]

Tinariwen — Amatssou (WEDGE)

War has been more or less a constant backdrop for Tinariwen, a band that formed when its musicians met as trainees in Muammar Qaddafi’s Saharan army in the 1980s.  More recently Muslim extremists have taken over large swathes of the band’s homeland in Northern Mali. They’ve established a harsh Sharia law that bans all forms of artistic expression, including the “desert blues” which Tinariwen has done so much to globalize. Amatssou, Tinariwen’s tenth full length, turns repression into triumph with its side-swaying rhythms, incendiary guitar interplay and deep, rousing communal choruses. Its title translates as “Beyond the Fear,” and it testifies to the resilience of creativity.

As always, three guitarists make up the band’s core, Ibrahim Ag Alhabib, Abdallah Ag Alhousseyni and Alhassane Ag Touhami. Two other musicians—Eyodou Ag Leche and Elaga Ag Hamid—also play guitar, at least some of the time (Ag Leche also plays bass), and Daniel Lanois sits in on pedal steel on a couple of tracks. It is, as you might expect, a very guitar-heavy sound, with long-arcing tones and quick flurries of picking, beat-centric slashes and achingly introspective fills. There are always at least two or three different things going on, guitar-wise, and yet the sound never gets fussy or over decorated. It’s a primal aesthetic. Its drumbeats rumble on, like the slow progress of a caravan. Its sung melodies linger and dream and spread to the distance.

“Arajghiyine,” for instance, rocks gently on its handclapped, hand-drummed rhythm, as bright, trebly guitar flourishes erupt from the crevices. Ibrahim Ag Alhabib sings a dusky lead, met in response by a multi-voiced chorus, a simple but powerful narrative about men who betray their people and destroy their homelands. Daniel Lanois, who also produced Amatssou, plays a ghostly subtle pedal steel here. past Tinariwen albums have sometimes let Western guests play a disruptive role, but Lanois knows how to slip into the shadows.

“Arajghiyine” (or “Traitors”) is a dark one. “Kek Alghalm,” which opens the album, is more buoyant and joyful. Abdallah Ag Alhousseyni sings with a lilt and handclaps punctuate the upbeats. Though the subject matter is again quite serious—the calls the Tuareg people to arms—its melody has a little dance in it.

The sound of Amatssou will be no real surprise to long-time fans, but there are a couple of interesting departures. A one-minute interlude called “Imzad” features a rough kind of bowed stringed instrument, like a cello but woodier. “Tidjit” contraposes a bass-y staccato cadence with locomotive guitar riffs. And “Tinde,” at the end, floats a woman’s ululating tones over bare, echoing percussion. But mostly, Amatssou sounds exactly like you expect Tinariwen to sound, like its drifting to you over acres of sand, like it’s moving your bare feet to dance, and that is a very good thing.

Jennifer Kelly

[mairadube]

Green Tourmaline Quartz Jewelry - The Viridescent Gemstone

The beautiful Green Tourmaline Quartz shows the beauty of any green color shade. The shade of green can range from deep emerald to a lovely blue-green. Green Tourmaline, best known for its metaphysical properties, is the classic green gemstone; it's the stone of joy, glory, and wisdom. Green Tourmaline Jewelry is irresistible, as every piece of Jewelry looks fantastic on every skin tone. Green Tourmaline gives a sense of royalty. It is commonly found in white quartz, green needles, or rod-like structures. The term Tourmaline hails from the Sinhalese word "Tura Mali," which means stone of mixed colors. You can experience various green shades of rock, from mint green to emerald green, dark green, light green, and much more. The picturesque beauty of this gem lures jewelry enthusiasts to dive deep into its beauty.

[snackpointcharlie]

Snackpoint Charlie: music from foreign, obscure, and forgotten genres, as well as some not yet invented. Live Weds March 6 at 10pm on WGXC 90.7-FM in upstate New York, and streaming live online 24/7 at wgxc.org. It’s been a minute between last week’s show broadcast and the playlist being posted, but don’t think you’re getting off that easy, oh no

Snackpoint Charlie - Transmission 134 - 2024.03.06 https://wavefarm.org/radio/wgxc/schedule/8tnc5r [ ^ click for download ^ ]

PLAYLIST

1) Maria Mazzotta - “Sula Nu Puei Stare (feat. Bombino)” from ONDE https://mariamazzotta.bandcamp.com/album/onde

2) Ngozi Family - “I Wanna Know” from DAY OF JUDGEMENT https://ngozifamily.bandcamp.com/album/day-of-judgment

3) Panbers - “Haai” from THOSE SHOCKING SHAKING DAYS: INDONESIAN HARD, PSYCHEDELIC, PROGRESSIVE ROCK AND FUNK 1970-1978 https://nowagainrecords.bandcamp.com/album/va-those-shocking-shaking-days https://www.discogs.com/master/1052682-Panbers-Volume-1

(underbeds:) Pinchas Gurevich - “Trivia Owes me Money” and “Memory Temple Fragments”

4) Orchestre Maquis Original - “Angeluu” from ZANZIBARA / VOLUME Nº1 https://ouchrecords.bandcamp.com/album/zanzibara-volume-n-1

5) Khruangbin - “A Love International” from A LA SALA https://khruangbin.bandcamp.com/track/a-love-international

6) Cortége - “The Relentless Sun” from UNDER THE ENDLESS SKY https://cortege.bandcamp.com/album/under-the-endless-sky

7) La Lom - “Alacrán” from LA LOM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-mtmOvIRBo https://thelalom.com

8) Rail Band - “Sunanh” from FOLK RAIL SERIE 1 https://mississippirecords.bandcamp.com/album/rail-band

9) Alkibar Junior - “Soukabe Mali” from MUSIC FROM SAHARAN WHATSAPP 04 https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-alkibar-junior-bring-music-back-to-mali http://alkibar.bandcamp.com

10) Mdou Moctar - “Funeral for Justice” from FUNERAL FOR JUSTICE https://mdoumoctar.bandcamp.com/album/funeral-for-justice

11) Emahoy Tsege Mariam Gebru - “Clouds Moving on the Sky” from SOUVENIRS https://emahoytsegemariamgebru.bandcamp.com/album/souvenirs

12) Houssam Gania - “Moussa Barkiyo” from MOSAWI SWIRI https://houssamgania.bandcamp.com/album/mosawi-swiri

13) Mol Kamach & Baksey Cham Krong - “Adios Maman Chérie” from JE TE QUITTERAI https://akuphone.bandcamp.com/album/je-te-quitterai

14) Mecca Normal - “Malachi” from MALACHI / BLUE SKY AND BRANCHES https://thebusinessanacortes.com/shop/malachi-bw-blue-sky-and-branches-by-mecca-normal-45/ https://meccanormal.bandcamp.com/track/malachi-acoustic-free

including the last words of Aaron Bushnell https://www.teenvogue.com/story/aaron-bushnell-palestine-who-was-he

15) Tom Recchion - “The Final Fattening” from CHAOTICA https://www.discogs.com/release/207305-Tom-Recchion-Chaotica

16) Nurse with Wound - excerpts from THE MUSTY ODOUR OF PIERCED RECTUMS https://www.discogs.com/release/1329827-Nurse-With-Wound-The-Musty-Odour-Of-Pierced-Rectums-A-Collection-Of-Obsolete-Primitive-Variations https://nursewithwound1.bandcamp.com/album/the-musty-odour-of-pierced-rectums

17) Negativland - “Voice Inside My Head” from DISPEPSI https://negativland.com/products/017-negativland-dispepsi

18) Milo Silva w/Nina Violet - “Peace & Beauty (Be With Me)” from WILTING / PARTING https://soundcloud.com/johnny-style-1/sets/milo-silva-w-nina-violet

19) Hanky Family - “Forests of Nula” from STAR FINDER EP https://rrrs.bandcamp.com/album/star-finder-ep

20) Maya Shenfeld - “Analemma” from ANALEMMA https://mayashenfeld.bandcamp.com/album/under-the-sun

[ujuro]

Okay I don’t even really care about the website that I last reblogged I just felt like saying

-im assuming by 70s Germany is “weird” they mean someone’s trying to tell them about krautrock and boy it’s not just “weird” it’s some of the best music ever made like can’s damo suzuki run is impeccable Tago mago and ege bamyasi some of the greatest to exist etc etc basically listen to can rip damo

-mali is probably desert blues and tuareg rock which is also great and an example of an actual political movement in music

-cambodia has a bunch of psych rock

-that second reblog comment actually made me wanted to commit homicide cause imagine being so self-centered and American that you’re reaction to being told to maybe try listening to music that’s not in English is to be like “ewww I’m not listening to dumb kpop” like this post is probably 8000 years old by now and I still wanna tell that person to go fuck themselves but that seems a bit extreme so that’s why I put this shit in a different post and not the tags lmao

[beneathaugust]

Kindly grant me the opportunity to introduce myself as Sabine Malika, affectionately known as Bine or Mali by those around me. My preferred pronouns are she/her, and I have recently come of age. I identify as an INFP-T.

My languages include English, Indonesian, and German, with some basic French from high school. I also have a partial understanding of spoken Spanish, although I'm not entirely fluent in it.

I have a keen interest in anime; currently, my favorite series include Blue Lock, Fire Force, Bleach, and JJK. When it comes to movies and TV shows, I'm drawn to a mix of action with heartwarming stories, intriguing mysteries, and sometimes thrilling tales but also a bit of romance. I tend to avoid movies with heavy gore as they don't align with my sensitive side. Some of my favorite movies and TV shows are The Darjeeling Limited, Babyteeth, Reminiscence, Outer Banks, The Witcher, Baby Driver, Runaway, The Hunger Games, and many others.

I'm also a huge fan of soul, indie, pop-punk, and alt/rock music genres. Some of my favorite artists include Good Charlotte, Frank Ocean, The Stone Roses, Bring Me the Horizon, radiohead, The Panturas, Morfem, and many others. I'm also a massive fan of KHH/RNB and JP-rock/pop, and I enjoy creating Spotify playlists. We could also doing Spotify session sometimes. From hip-hop to metalcore to classic tunes, I appreciate a wide range of music. In the realm of K-Pop, my attention is captured by Sunwoo, The Boyz, Le Sserafim, and P1HARMONY.

As for fun facts, I enjoy watching FUNNY videos on either Tiktok or YouTube shorts and conspiracy videos—particularly those that explore global conspiracies and related theories. I'm also a huge Formula 1 fan, and my favorite driver is George Russell—he's also my kind of guy, by the way. Pardon my narcissistic ass.

That's pretty much the not-so-brief version of me. If you're contemplating follow each other's accounts, I would be delighted if you took a moment to see if we share any common interests.

[recentlyheardcom]

When tw o scientists went looking for fossil fuels beneath the ground of northeastern France, they did not expect to discover something which could supercharge the effort to tackle the climate crisis.Jacques Pironon and Phillipe De Donato, both directors of research at France’s National Centre of Scientific Research, were assessing the amount of methane in the subsoils of the Lorraine mining basin using a “world first” specialized probe, able to analyze gases dissolved in the water of rock formations deep underground.A couple of hundred meters down, the probe found low concentrations of hydrogen. “This was not a real surprise for us,” Pironon told CNN; it’s common to find small amounts near the surface of a borehole. But as the probe went deeper, the concentration ticked up. At 1,100 meters down it was 14%, at 1,250 meters it was 20%.This was surprising, Pironon said. It indicated the presence of a large reservoir of hydrogen beneath. They ran calculations and estimated the deposit could contain between 6 million and 250 million metric tons of hydrogen.That could make it one of the largest deposits of “white hydrogen” ever discovered, Pironon said. The find has helped fuel an already feverish interest in the gas.White hydrogen – also referred to as “natural,” “gold” or “geologic” hydrogen – is naturally produced or present in the Earth’s crust and has become something of a climate holy grail.Hydrogen produces only water when burned, making it very attractive as a potential clean energy source for industries like aviation, shipping and steel-making that need so much energy it’s almost impossible to meet through renewables such as solar and wind.But while hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe, it generally exists combined with other molecules. Currently, commercial hydrogen is produced in an energy-intensive process almost entirely powered by fossil fuels.A rainbow of colors is used as a shorthand for the different types of hydrogen. “Gray” is made from methane gas and “brown” from coal. “Blue” hydrogen is the same as gray, but the planet-heating pollution produced is captured before it goes into the atmosphere.The most promising from a climate perspective is “green” hydrogen, made using renewable energy to split water. Yet production remains small scale and expensive.That’s why interest in white hydrogen, a potentially abundant, untapped source of clean-burning energy, has ratcheted up over the last few years.‘We haven’t been looking in the right places’“If you had asked me four years ago what I thought about natural hydrogen, I would have told you ‘oh, it doesn’t exist,’” said Geoffrey Ellis, a geochemist with the US Geological Survey. “Hydrogen’s out there, we know it’s around,” he said, but scientists thought big accumulations weren’t possible.Then he found out about Mali. Arguably, the catalyst for the current interest in white hydrogen can be traced to this West African country.In 1987, in the village of Bourakébougou, a driller was left with burns after a water well unexpectedly exploded as he leaned over the edge of it while smoking a cigarette.The well was swiftly plugged and abandoned until 2011, when it was unplugged by an oil and gas company and reportedly found to be producing a gas that was 98% hydrogen. The hydrogen was used to power the village, and more than a decade later, it is still producing.When a study came out about the well in 2018, it caught the attention of the science community, including Ellis. His initial reaction was that there had to be something wrong with the research, “because we just know that this can’t happen.”Then the pandemic hit and he had time on his hands to start digging. The more he read, the more he realized “we just haven’t been looking for it, we haven’t been looking in the right places.”The recent discoveries are exciting for Ellis, who has been working as a petroleum geochemist since the 1980s. He witnessed the rapid growth of the shale gas industry in the US, which revolutionized the energy market.

 “Now,” he said, “here we are in what I think is probably a second revolution.”White hydrogen is “very promising,” agreed Isabelle Moretti, a scientific researcher at the University of Pau et des Pays de l’Adour and the University of Sorbonne and a white hydrogen expert.“Now the question is no longer about the resource… but where to find large economic reserves,” she told CNN.A slew of startupsDozens of processes generate white hydrogen but there is still some uncertainty about how large natural deposits form.Geologists have tended to focus on “serpentinization,” where water reacts with iron-rich rocks to produce hydrogen, and “radiolysis,” a radiation-driven breakdown of water molecules.White hydrogen deposits have been found throughout the world, including in the US, eastern Europe, Russia, Australia, Oman, as well as France and Mali.Some have been discovered by accident, others by hunting for clues like features in the landscapes sometimes referred to as “fairy circles” – shallow, elliptical depressions that can leak hydrogen.Ellis estimates globally there could be tens of billions of tons of white hydrogen. This would be vastly more than the 100 million tons a year of hydrogen that is currently produced and the 500 million tons predicted to be produced annually by 2050, he said.“Most of this is almost certainly going to be in very small accumulations or very far offshore, or just too deep to actually be economic to produce,” he said. But if just 1% can be found and produced, it would provide 500 million tons of hydrogen for 200 years, he added.It’s a tantalizing prospect for a slew of startups.Australia-based Gold Hydrogen is currently drilling in the Yorke Peninsula in South Australia. It targeted that spot after scouring the state’s archives and discovering that back in the 1920s, a number of boreholes had been drilled there which had very high concentrations of hydrogen. The prospectors, only interested in fossil fuels, abandoned them.“We’re very excited by what we’re seeing,” said managing director Neil McDonald. There is more testing and drilling to do but the company could get into early production possibly in late 2024, he told CNN.Some startups are seeing eye-popping investments. Koloma, a Denver-based white hydrogen start-up, has secured $91 million from investors, including the Bill Gates-founded investment firm Breakthrough Energy Ventures – although the company remains tight-lipped about exactly where in the US it is drilling and when it is aiming for commercialization.Another Denver-based company, Natural Hydrogen Energy, founded by geochemist Viacheslav Zgonnik, has completed an exploratory hydrogen borehole in Nebraska in 2019 and has plans for new wells. The world is “very close to the first commercial projects,” Zgonnik told CNN.“Natural hydrogen is a solution which will allow us to get get to speed” on climate action, he said.Aerial view of drilling operations by Natural Hydrogen Energy in Kansas. - Natural Hydrogen Energy LLCFrom hype to realityThe challenge for these businesses and for scientists will be translating hypothetical promise into a commercial reality.“There could be a period of decades where there’s a lot of trial and error and false starts,” Ellis said. But speed is vital. “If it’s going to take us 200 years to develop the resource, that’s not really going to be of much use.”But many of the startups are bullish. Some predict years, not decades, to commercialization. “We have all necessary technology we need, with some slight modifications,” Zgonnik said.Challenges remain. In some countries, regulations are an obstacle. Costs also need to be worked out. According to calculations based on the Mali well, white hydrogen could cost around $1 a kilogram to produce – compared to around $6 a kilogram for green hydrogen. But white hydrogen could quickly become more expensive if large deposits require deeper drilling.Back in the Lorraine basin, Pironon and De Donato’s next steps are to drill down to 3,000 meters to get a clearer idea of exactly how much white hydrogen there is.

There’s a long way to go, but it would be ironic if this region – once one of western Europe’s key coal producers – became an epicenter of a new white hydrogen industry.For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com

[moby-writing-and-stuff]

Team Skuls Newst Moroun (NSFW)

Hau smiled as he stepped through the door of the restaurant, feeling the humid air of Alola wash over him as he stepped outside, the 20-year-old’s arms wrapped around a large paper bag full of what he had just purchased.

“Money well spent,” he said with a grin as he dug through the bag, pulling out a confectionery coated in sugar. Without a second thought, he took a big bite out of it and started walking off into Malie City proper. “Right…what did grandpa say the next trial was?”

“Hey did you hear about what happened up at the Observatory?” he heard some passersby say, making him stop in his tracks and glance over, his curiosity getting the better of him.

“No, what did Sophocles do this time?” the other one groaned, shaking his head slightly “Did he attract another giant flock of Magnemite?”

“Heh, no,” the first one said with a small chuckle “Apparently that weird machine he made to attract the Totem went nuts and almost fried a bunch of Pokemon. The Totem stepped in at the last minute to stop it”

“That boy will do anything to avoid going outside  I swear” the other guy chuckled “Like, I’m pretty sure his trial would be easier for all involved if he just took the challengers down to where the Totem is”

“I know,” the first one said with a chuckle “Still, the challenger dealt with the Totem in record time!”

“Really? That’s impressive, Togedemaru is pretty damn tough!” the other guy said as they started walking away, moving out of Hau’s hearing range.

“Damn it, he beat me to it again!” Hau groaned, slapping his forehead with his flour and sugar-coated hand, leaving a bit of white print against his darker skin. “That’s the third time he’s done this! How is Elio so damn fast?! I saw him half an hour ago!”

This had been a pattern for the past few weeks for Hau. His new neighbor and friend Elio had started his challenge exactly the same day as Hau himself did and, despite him never having been a trainer before or not really knowing anything about Alola be it geography or who the Trial Captains were, he had been ahead of Hau from the start. The green-haired young man sighed and shook his head.

“No use complaining about it,” he said as he walked through the Johto-inspired streets of the city “Complaining will just slow me down more! I need to get up to that Observatory and catch up with him!”

With a big smile on his face, the young trainer took off toward the back of the town, leaving a small trail of sugar and flour as he ran. 

==================

“WAIT UP!” he shouted as he ran up the road leading out of the city. A few feet ahead of him was a large blue bus, the door slowly closing. He winced as he stepped on a rather sharp rock that became stuck in the soft rubber of his sandals, but he didn’t slow his rush. “I HAVE TO HEAD UP TO THE OBSERVATORY!” he screamed at the top of his lung as the bus’ engines began to roar to life. He smiled a little as he got close, close enough to touch the bus’ blue metal surface, but before he could do anything else, the pipe right in front of him trembled and with a roar from the engine a cloud of foul, acrid smelling smoke flew out and hit the young trainer in the face.

“GAH!” he shouted, wafting his arms in front of his face and coughing, the disgusting smoke entering his mouth as the engine roar began to fade away. “W-Wait!” Hau shouted as he waved away the exhaust, only to see the vehicle puttering away, already a reasonably good distance away from him as it began to worm its way up the curved road of Mount Hokulani, leaving him high and dry. 

“Balls!” he shouted, smacking himself on the forehead, sending another plume of sugary dust all around his head. Growling he wafted his hands through it and stepped on “Fine, if I can’t ride, I’ll walk”

“Pfft, yeah good luck with that!” came a rather gruff-sounding voice from his left. Frowning, Hau turned and saw a guy, maybe a year older than him, leaning against one of the many palm trees that lined Route 10. 

The guy was wearing a pair of old gym shorts, a bandana wrapped around his hair, and most of his face was covered by a handkerchief. Though what drew the eye was the slightly ill-fitting muscle shirt that seemed to be just a bit too tight on the guy’s muscular body. Hanging loosely off his neck was a large medallion with a stylized silvery white S. Hau frowned and crossed his arms

“If you’re looking for a fight, I’d turn around and leave” Hau said plainly “You're not the the first Skull to pick a fight with me”

“Heh, oh dat I believe” the guy chuckled as he looked at Hau with a strange gleam in his eye, sending shivers through the Islander’s body. “Thouh not sure how it all turned out for ya”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Hau asked, his frown deepening as he looked at the Grunt, who didn’t move from his lazy position leaning against the tree. Looking closer, Hau could see the guy didn’t even have any pokeballs on his belt.

“Well, ya won't beat the other guy, sall I’m saying” the grunt said with a shrug and Hau could swear he was smirking under that bandana.

“What the hell do you-”

“I mean, tha other guy just walked throug the other chumps like they weret even there” the grunt continued smoothly, like Hau had never uttered a single word. “But you? Heh, nah yove got no chance at all”

“What do you mean by that?” Hau hissed, his frown shifting into a hate-fueled glare, his hands turning into clenched fists

“Oh pleaze. Ya think we aint heard of ya?” the grunt said with a chuckle “The grandson of that old useless fart of a Kahuha who’s getting his tanned ass kicked by a newbie to the islands? I think every Skull in Alola knows your sorry ass!”

“S-Shut up!” Hau growled, his face glowing red

“What, don’ like hearing the truth?” he said, lifting an eyebrow “I mean, shit I’be heard from the guys over on the other island, how ya couldn’t beat him till that Kanto kid showed up and saved your hide”

“No he didn’t!” Hau shouted, wincing a little as his nails began to dig into his palms due to how tightly his fists were clenched.

“Oh yea? Ya willing to back tha up? Or are ya just gonna yap on without proofing nothing?”

“Screw you” Hau hissed, grabbing the strap of his backpack and turning to face the road asphalt road leading up to the observatory. Without giving the grunt another glance, he started marching up the road, a look of anger clear in his face with every step he took. The grunt meanwhile simply waited calmly by the tree as the Island Challenger stomped up the road and out of sight.

“Heh, fucking dumbass” he chuckled as he finally stood up straight, watching as Hau dissapeared behind the first turn of the road. “Insecure asshats wid too much to prove are so fucking easy to rile up” he muttered as he pulled out an old cell-phone from his pocket. It was a beat up old chunk of plastic that was most likely just as old as he was, but it worked and that’s all that mattered. “No one joins the Skulls for the gud pay…” he muttered as he typed in the number on the rather spongey buttons. 

A dull tone rang out as he put the thing to his hear, being replaced a second later with a slow, rather dull sounding voice.

“Yo, what’z up?”

“Yo” the grunt greeted back, smiling under his handkerchief “Ya got another dumb challenger on the way up. Dumbass missed the bus and took like two seconds to rile up”

“Heh, perfect!” came the response from the other end of the line “Want us ta jump him?”

“Hell yeah.” the grunt said with a big grin “Ya do have the Pokemon I gave for it?”

“Course I do, bro!” the other voice said, sounding as indignant as possible “I’m not that dumb”

“Perfect” the grunt smirked as he looked up the now empty road “He should be up there in a few, so get ready to do it quick”

“Heh, sounds gud bro! Dumbass will never know what hit him!” came the response before the line went dead. The grunt just kept the smirk on his face pocketing the phone and getting back into position laying against the tree, ready to antagonize the next guy to miss the bus.

==================

Hau grumbled as he climbed up the road, sweat pouring down his face as the sun beat down on him. 

“Stupid Skull grunt…” he mumbled as he stomped upwards, the dirt road turning into asphalt under his feet. The greenery of the hillside disappeared, replaced by reddish-brown stones and the occasional tuft of yellow grass poking in between the stones. There was still no trace of the bus coming back down, so he kept on walking. He shook his head and kept going up. 

“Why is there only one bus…” he mumbled, wiping sweat off his brow. 

“Cauze most trainers aren’t morons who miz it!” came a shout from the side of the road. Stopping in his tracks, Hau turned to look for the source of the voice, his hand going into his pocket and pulling out a Pokeball.

“Who said that?” Hau shouted, squinting his eyes and walking closer to the side of the road. The paved road beneath his sandals changed to gravely stone as he stepped off the road properly and stepped over the barrier. Spreading out in front of him was an expanse of tall, rather jagged rocks that made up most of Mount Hokulani. “Who’s there!?

“Fuk, no need to shout!” came the voice again, this time much closer. Looking around, Hau saw a familiar looking figure sitting on one of the larger stones, a pair of pokeballs in hand

“What the…. How did you get up so quick!?” Hau shouted, holding up his own pokeball and glaring “Why are you following me?!”

“Folloin you? Bro, I only just met your stupid ass” the grunt said with a scoff “Ya can’t tell one Grunt from another? An ya call us stupid”

“Well, you all wear the exact same clothes and cover your faces!” Hau said, gripping the pokeball tightly “It’s no wonder you all look the same!”

“Fuk, your dumb as rocks!” another, similar sounding voice said to Hau’s right. Eyes wide, he turned to see where it came from, to see another Grunt walk out from behind another large boulder, pokeball in hand and ready to battle if it came down to it. “There’s loads moar to our look than just bandanas and shirts!”

“Ya really expect some dumbass trial fucker to understand dat?” a third voice said. Hau gulped and looked over, seeing that a third grunt had come out of hiding

“Yeah fair point bro” the first one said as he hopped off the rock and walked closer to Hau. The green haired trainer frowned as he slightly loosened his grip on the pokeball. Even if Skulls weren’t that much of a threat, cornered in a place like this against three of them there wasn’t that much he could really do.

“Alright, what do you want?” the trainer asked, putting his pokeball back in his pocket.

“Heh, guez ya do have somethin between those ears” the first grunt said, seeing Hau pocket his ball. “Righ, well. We just wanna ask ya sumethin”

“Well, then ask” Hau said

“Right” the second one said with a chuckle “Our boss told us ta look out for trainers from Mellee Island….or sumethin like that…”

“Melemele, ya dumbass” the third grunt said with a roll of his eyes “So, are ya from there?”

“Wait, don’t you know who I am?” Hau asked, frowning “The guy at the bottom of the hill did”

“Yeah well, he’s a fucking smartass” the first grunt said “Look just answer the question”

“Ok…yeah I’m from Melemele Island…” Hau asked, blinking in confusion “Why do you-”

“Hey were askin the questions here!” the second grunt shouted “Keep ya trap shut till we ask!”

“Alright alright” Hau said, putting his hands up

“Righ, well we know yur doin that stupid challange….” the first grunt muttered “So, did ya get you're mons from that old fart Hala?”

Hau bristled at the term they used for his grandfather, but he nodded. Pissing them off won’t help right now… he thought

“Gud” the third grunt said with a nod as the three started walking around him in a circle. The green haired trainer gulped as he saw that, as they started moving closer to him.

“Right one last question” one of them said, thanks to them walking around he couldn’t tell which one anymore “Didya visit that big ugly chunk o’ plastic that’s floating in the sea couple of days ago?”

“Chunk of…. Do you mean Aether Paradise?” Hau asked

“Yeah that’s the place! So, did ya go?”

“Um… Yeah” Hau said with a nod “I was in Aether Paradise a few days ago…”

“Perfect!” all three grunts said and stopped walking, two of them standing in front of Hau, hands in their pockets and pokeballs nowhere to be seen.

“Right….” Hau said slowly, looking at the two grunts “So… what was that for?”

“Oh no reeson. Our boss just wantd us to ask those questions to any passing guy” the grunt on the left said

“Thanks for answering em” the one on the right said. Before he could answer, he felt something hard hit him in the back of the head.

“GAH!” he exclaimed as he fell to the floor, everything in his vision going blurry as he saw the third grunt, a rock in hand.

“Night nigh dumbass” the grunt said as he threw the rock over his shoulder “Talk to ya ral soon!”

Hau wanted to say something, but before he could, everything went black.

==================

Hau groaned as he opened his eyes, his entire head feeling like it was coated in cotton. The world around him was blurry and out of focus, but slowly improving. He groaned and tried to move, but he couldn’t. Not only did his limbs feel like they weighed a ton each, there was a strange pressure on his wrists and his ankles. Still, his body was moving, he just wasn’t doing it himself.

“Gud job ya frickin dumbass” he heard someone hiss “Ya probly broke him”

“Oh would ya relax?” another voice hissed back “I’ve got de things we need to patch him up right and quik”

“Yu sure that shit works?”

“Course it works! I’ve used it before ya frickin moron” the first voice hissed back

“Well lest that’s something” the second voice hissed

“Everythin else is ready?” 

“Course. Got the mon and everythin” the second voice hissed again “Right where here”

Hau grunted as he suddenly felt something very cold against his back, sending shivers down his spine. Before he could do more than that, a pair of hands grabbed his head and kept him still. He then felt something cold hit the back of his head and a sharp feeling running through his whole body. 

His vision returned to normal as the weird cold washed over his entire head. He groaned and blinked, looking up to see where exactly he was and whose voices he’d heard. 

“Well, Im impressed,” one of the voices said, a Skull. Hau frowned and tried to move his arms or legs again, again finding that he could not

“Told yah it was gud shit” the other voice said, again belonging to a Skull. 

Groaning a little, Hau lifted his head and looked around. Standing over him were two Skulls, staring at him, their eyes shimmering with what Hau thought was glee. Giving the two a scowl, he looked around to see exactly where he was. He was in what looked like a typical suburban neighborhood, but totally wrecked and vandalized. Every single house was caked in graffiti and the windows shattered and boarded up. The few cars around them were smashed and tagged, the tires all slashed or flat-out removed. 

“W-Where….” Hau mumbled, wincing a little as another wave of cold washed over his head from the spot he had been sprayed

“Po Town, ya fukin idiot” the grunt closest to him said, throwing an empty bottle to the floor. It shattered into a million pieces, and the stench of alcohol filled the space thereafter. “Geez I didnt tink you was this dumb. Youl fit right in, amigo.” 

“‘Fit right in’? What the hell are you talking about?!” Hau yelled, indignant, “Let me go!” The trainer struggled to move, but he couldn’t get away from them. His hands and feet wouldn’t move. He looked down and saw a thick, hard rope tied around his ankles, and he could feel one around his wrists as well. Hau was completely immobilized and at the mercy of his captors. 

“Oh wow, dat’s one so obvious even I ain’ walkin into it” 

“You’ll be sorry once my grandfather hears about this!” Hau shouted, trying to get up

“Playin’ da rich boy card, eh? Didn’t tak ya for ona those,” the grunt spat, “Ya grandpo ain gon do notin once we don withca.”

“Arcues  who taught you people to speak?” Hau groaned, “You make less sense than a Rotom on a short circuit.” 

“Why you littl!” one of the grunts punched him in the gut, causing Hau to gasp in pain. The youth winced, barely able to stay conscious as they dragged him towards the mansion at the end of the lane.

“Bro, chill” the other grunt said, grabbing the guy’s arm “Member what the boss said. He don’t want the guy hurt.”

“Yea yeah, gots ta keep the merchandise fresh, I spose.” the grunt admitted, “But wats a fu bruises, righ?”

“Merchandise?” the other grunt raised a brow, “when dya learn a big word like dat?” 

“Some movi wit a green alien talkin bout shorts.” he shrugged, “point is, wats the wors that can happen putin’ som marks on im?”

“Heh, makes im fit in moar, that’s for sure!” the other grunt chuckled as they reached the mansion and threw the doors open, dragging Hau inside.

The green haired young man groaned and tried to break free again, but he had no luck as he was dragged through the dilapidated and trashed entryway and towards one of the many side-rooms. The main foyer branched into two adjoining parlors. He was brought to the one on the right. The windows were boarded up, and the light fixture was just an incandescent bulb hanging from a wire. They threw him inside and closed the door behind them.

“Righ, ya got the mon?” one of them asked the other. At this point, they might as well be clones to Hau, they were so damn similar as he sat up and glared at them.

“Course I got the mon, ya dumbass” the other grunt said as he pulled out a pokeball from his pocket “Ain’t mah first time doin this. I did it to ya, didn’t I?”

“Oh yea…..fuk I forgot….” the first grunt said with a dumb chuckle as the first threw the ball to the ground. In a flash of light, a small pink pokemon was standing there, staring at Hau’s eyes.

“Sloooooow?” the psychic type chirped

“....seriously?” Hau asked, looking between the pokemon and its trainer, “A Slowpoke? That’s your plan? You couldn’t have gotten a, oh I don’t know, a Mismagius? A Gengar? A Xatu? A Mimikyu? Anything else? Hell a Wigglytuff would be better than a Slowpoke!” 

“...can Wigglytuff learn the move?” one of the grunts asked, only to get a smack in the back of the head 

“No ya moron! He has no clue what wer doin! He’s bluffin’.”

“Oh…” 

Hau groaned as he tried to move again, but he couldn’t break the ropes they had wrapped around his ankles and wrists. He was stuck.

“Look, we’re wastin time! Slowpoke, get closer to im” the grunt ordered.

“Slooooow!” the pokemon said, slowly moving towards Hau at the glacial speed expected for a Slowpoke.

“So, what’s your plan here?” Hau asked as he tried to wiggle free again “Have him annoy me until you get bored?”

“Pluase” the grunt said with a chuckle “What, ya think we’re that dumb? No tough guy. Ya are gonna join Team Skull!”

“Wait, this is your idea of a recruitment drive?!” Hau asked with an incredulous look on his face

“Think boss called it that once….” the other grunt said, only to get another smack

“Shut up ya dumbass” the first grunt said, turning back to Hau “What, ya think every single moron dat joined up quit on theyr own?”

“Wait, what are you-”

“Most of em are dumbasses like ya, who pissed off ol’ Guzma nough for him to want him to get the issue solved. An what better solution than turning an annoying Island Challange wannabe into a dumbass obedient grunt?”

“W-Wait, you don-”

“Slowpoke, Hypnosis!” the grunt shouted.

“Sloooooooooooooow!” the pokemon sang as pink energy flowed out of it’s eyes and into Hau. The green-haired trainer tried to close his eyes, but the energy penetrated clean through his eyelids and went straight into his brain. He groaned as his thoughts began to slow down, the Slowpoke’s singing drowning out every other noise around him as more and more psychic energy flowed into him. His eyes grew heavy, and his breathing slowed. The young trainer stopped struggling, not having enough energy to continue, all the while Slowpoke kept drilling its lazy power into his mind. 

After a minute, his thoughts had slowed to a complete stop. He was blankly staring ahead, his head empty of all thoughts, of all actions. Slowpoke stopped using Hypnosis and moved back a bit, but Hau kept staring at the spot were it was standing, unable to think of moving a muscle. The grunts waved their hands in front of the trainer’s eyes, confirming he was completely out of it. 

“Aight, cut da ropes. That’s the next step.” one of them whispered to the other. He quietly took out a pocket knife and cut the ropes that bound his arms and legs together. The rope fell to the floor, and his arms flopped down beside him, completely lifeless. 

“Damn, dude iz totally out of it!” the grunt chuckled as he put away the pocket knife and pulled out a small case with two wireless earbuds “Theze go in next, righ?”

The other grunt nodded as he returned Slowpoke to it’s ball

“Gotcha!” the grunt said with a smirk as he slipped them into Hau’s ears, making sure they were nice and snug inside so they wouldn’t slip out. He pulled out his phone and dialed, “Yo! Plumeria! Got da goods ready. Get da program goin.” 

“Ugh, you’re so lazy.” she spat on the other end of the line, “Alright, it’s playing now. Should be done in a few minutes. And, some advice you two. Try not to fuck the kid until after the hypnosis is done, m’kay?” With that, the line went dead before they could retort.

“Pfft, whadda we look like? Animals?” 

“She has no trust in us. Don know why de boss keeps her round, with that attitude o’ hers” the other Grunt said as he stepped back and let the earbuds do the work.

You are a Team Skull Grunt played the audio in Hau’s ears, penetrating like a sword through his frozen thoughts You have always been a Team Skull grunt. You were something before, but that person no longer matters. You are a Grunt. You have no name, Grunts are too dumb to have names. You are a Grunt

“W-Wha….” Hau mumbled, his eyes going hazy as the words assaulted his almost frozen brain brain “N-No…N-Name is…”

Grunt. You are Grunt

“G-Grunt…?” the young man repeated, the word coming into his mouth directly from the earbuds

Grunt. That is what you are. That is all you have ever been. A Grunt

“A…A Grunt….” he repeated as the words wormed their way through his brain matter and cemented itself “All….I’ve ever been….”

All that matters is Team Skull. All that matters is doing as your boss says to do. All that matters is doing what makes you feel good. Being dumb feels good, being smart feels bad

“Being dumb….feels good….being smart feels bad….” the newly minted Grunt repeated, a stupid smile forming on his lips as the words kept repeating themselves in his head, worming their way deeper and deeper into it. The intelligence behind his eyes began to dim. Not that he needed that intelligence. He shifted and moaned a little as his member hardened inside of his shorts, starting to tent.

Grunts don’t think for themselves. Grunts do what their bosses say

“G-Grunts don thinks for themselves….” he mumbled, blinking as his eyes became permanently unfocused and the light of intellect fully was leeched out of them. “Grunts do what Boss sais…”

Obeying the boss feels good. Feeling good makes you more obedient.

“O-Obeying boss feelz gud….” the former Island Challenger moaned, his erection growing harder and harder as the words seeped into his brain. The tent in his shorts began to strain as more arousal coursed through his mostly empty brain “Feelin gud makes me more bedient…..”

You only care about serving Team Skull. Team Skull is all that matters

“Tem Skull iz all that matters……” he mumbled with a moan and a low, stupid-sounding chuckle as his dick twitched with need inside its prison.

He sat there for hours after that, the words looping themselves over and over and over, molding and squeezing his brain to make sure that all that remained inside was what Team Skull wanted inside. Memories of his grandpa, of attending the nearby school when he was a kid, dreams of becoming the new Kahuna, of completing the island challenge. All of those were slowly worn down by the constant never-ending repetition of ‘being dumb feels good, feeling good makes you more obedient’. Any trace of Hau was wiped out from the new Grunt’s brain, and all that was missing was the final command.

Cum

The Grunt’s eyes went wide as he moaned and finally came, his rock-hard dick blasting out cum like a hose. The yellow shorts he was wearing tired to absorb the sudden barrage, but they couldn’t. A squirt blasted its way through, all the while the Grunt just sat there, giggling like an idiot as the earbuds finally fell out of his ears, no longer needed.

“Holy fuk tha was gyud!” he moaned as he slowly stood up, stumbling a bit as he looked at the other two grunts in the room, who were just staring at him.

“Shit……fuker was pent up….” the one further back muttered, only to a smack on the arm from his companion. Said companion walked closer to the green-haired one.

“Wha’s yur name?” he asked

“Grunt!” the green-haired one said with no hesitation and a stupid smile as his cum-coated shorts dripped some of the remains onto the floor “Im a Team Skull Grunt! Why are ya azkin such a dumb question?”

“Heh, just chekin sumethin’ for the boss” the other grunt said “And grunts do-”

“What de boss saiz!” the new one finished, biting his lip to stop himself from moaning “Righ, ask way!”

“Wats the most important thing eveh?”

“Team Skull and de bosz!” the Grunt that used to be Hau said with a stupid grin, his eyes wide and slightly unfocused showing the lack of intellect behind them.

“What bout stuff before Team Skull?”

“What stuff?” he answered, crossing his arms “Shit like that doznt matter. Team Skull is all that matterz!”

“Heh well fukin said!” his fellow grunts cheered and gave him a slap on the back “Now, lets git ya out of that shit and into sumethin a bit cooler”

“Huh?” he muttered, looking down at himself “Why am I waerin this crap?”

“I dunno, ya dumbass. Maybe ya lost you're clothes and swiped theze from some idiot challenger!”

“Pfft! Yeah, problably!” the green haired grunt said with a smile as he grabbed the hem of the shirt and ripped it off, not caring about it at all “Still, don’t need it anymore!”

“Not gonna those either” one of the other grunts said as he grabbed the shorts and, using a pocket knife, cut them off, along with any underwear that was underneath.

“Heh, thankz!” he said as he felt his nude body be free for all to see. Not that he really cared, his brain was too empty to even understand what shame was, much less have it. If he could he’d happily walk around naked. 

Though one of the other grunts threw a bundle of clothes at him.

“Bosz ain’t interested in seein’ yourr pecker without askin” the other grunt chuckled. The green haired one chuckled too as he quickly slipped on the clothes that almost every Grunt wore. Basketball shorts, cheap white sneakers, a sleeveless muscle-shirt that was just a bit too big, the big Skull medallion, bandana, and handkerchief around the mouth.

“There ya go!” the other grunt said, giving the green haired one a smack in the back “Now ya luk like a grunt!”

“But I am a grunt….so don I alwayz look like me?” the new green hair asked

“...I dunno” the other said with a shrug as they grabbed their new compatriot and led him through the slightly dilapidated halls of the Shady House. All round them, more Grunts, dressed identically to them, walked around. Some just talking, some getting in arguments, and others getting into fistfights. Despite how chaotic it was, the new Grunt didn’t see anything weird or wrong about this. To him, this was perfectly normal and had always been normal. 

They headed to Guzma’s room, where their boss was sitting on his large chair, fiddling around with his phone.

“Yo boss!” the one in front said, stepping closer “We did whatcha asked for! We got rid of that annoyin Island challenger fir ya!” he pointed at the grunt that used to be Hau, who just stood there, tilting his head in confusion at what the other Grunt was saying.

Guzma just looked up from his phone and frowned. “Is this some kinda stupid joke or something?”

“Heh? W-Whatcha mean boss?” the first grunt asked

“First, that moron right there could be any of you complete dumbasses!” Guzma said, standing up and walking closer to them. “Second, this is the fucking guy I wanted you to get rid off!” he shoved his phone in the face of the grunts.

The green haired one looked over and frowned. Something about the black haired, pale 18-year-old on the screen looked kinda familiar. But whatever that sensation was, evaporate when he head a loud THWACK ring across the room as Guzma smacked the grunt in the front on the head.

“Fucking dumbass… You two!” he pointed at the two who’d stayed closer to the entrance “Fuck off, I need some time with this moron on my own. Got it?”

“Yes boss!” both of them said with a nod and turned around to leave the room instantly. As soon as they were outside, the green haired one let out a sigh and looked at his fellow grunt

“Fuk, what he do to piss off the bosz so much?” he asked

“Fuk if I know” the other one responded with a shrug “Not our problem though!”

“Heh, fuk yeah. Ain’t our problem that dumbass is getting chewed out!” the grunt that used to be Hau laughed. He gave his fellow Skull a grin “Wanna go and gave som fun?”

“Oh fuk yeah!” the other grunt said as wrapped his arm around the green-hair. The two of them laughed and headed off to the Shady House’s dormitories, ready to have fun the way only stupid grunts knew how.

And that’s all the green-haired young man was now. A stupid grunt.

==================

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[nacapito]

Tinariwen is a collective of Tuareg musicians from the Sahara region of northern Mali. Considered pioneers of desert blues, the group's guitar-driven style combines traditional Tuareg and African music with Western rock music.

[dustedmagazine]

Lynn Drury — High Tide (Nolamericana)

Lynn Drury is a rodeo rider turned blues woman from New Orleans possessed of a sturdy belt, a crack band and a sophisticated turn of phrase.  High Tide, her 10th full length, kicks up a rowdy ruckus with a lot of heart, but never really breaks out of the mold. 

Drury is brash and confident in the roadhouse piano banger “Great Divide.”  Against a backdrop of shuddering bent notes and rampaging twang, she plants herself firmly at the foreground of the sonic mix.  “I’m just trying to stay centered in the great divide,” she wails, cracking wise about polarization.  The sound is classic country rock; the lyrics are a little more evolved. 

You don’t last long as a bad musician in New Orleans, so it’s no surprise that Drury’s supporting cast is uniformly excellent.  Doug Belote, who has played with Eric Clapton and Dr. John, holds down the rhythm section, alongside Rene Coman of the Iguanas.  Papa Mali, a New Orleans mainstay and Ruthie Foster producer, plays smart, unshowy blues guitar.  Amid all this proficiency, Drury does just fine, with a convincing growl, a huge belt and an emotionally charged mid-range. 

And yet, despite the demonstrable ability of everyone involved, the songs seem a little generic.  “Blue” with its slow-handed guitar riff, its ruminative pace, its long thoughtful arcs of slide is all pretty enough, a lament about a man who isn’t around as much as everyone would like.  There’s a nice curve up to the chorus, a subtle shift in momentum, but the song ultimately never takes off.  Or take the vamping “Fade,” with its shape shifting rock guitar flares and Drury’s world weary delivery.  It’s the kind of song that Lucinda Williams would light a fire under; here it only smolders a little. 

The material gets slower and dreamier as the album goes on, with some of the strongest songs near the end.  “Here Comes the Waiting” slouches gracefully through the embers of a botched romance (“Now you’ve gone and ruined a perfectly good friendship.”), stares into space disconsolately, then picks up again in a un deux trois count that almost audibly shakes it off.  “When It All Comes Down” is even better, with its surfy low notes and shuffling, skittering Latin rhythm.  It’s sleek and fluid and embellished with soft backing vocals, but also unflinching.  It’s like looking hard into the mirror at three in the morning and refusing to back down.  More of this, less of the faux hearty country rock, and we’ve got something. 

Jennifer Kelly

[ropeadope]

Cultural Identity

What’s in a name? For many of us it is taken for granted - our identity since birth, a direct connection to our heritage. Yet millions among us do not have this privilege; their names were taken and replaced with the names of the colonizers. As we navigate the uncertain waters of the 21st Century, we look to the past to identify, clarify, and narrate the true stories of our evolving culture. For this we need leaders - those who recall and share with us the heritage that has been written off. Music holds a central place in this process, as it cannot be removed from a culture in one generation. And so, we look to those that hold both the understanding and the rhythm of the past to inform our path.

Today we focus on the personal journey of a cultural anthropologist of the musical kind:

Multi-instrumentalist, producer and Chieftain and OBA of the Xodokan Nation of New Orleans, Chief Xian aTunde Adjuah announces the release of his fourteenth studio album and first under his reclaimed name as a distinguished tribal leader. Previously known to many as boundary-breaking jazz auteur Christian Scott, Chief Adjuah continues his legacy as a sonic architect and pioneer on Bark Out Thunder Roar Out Lightning, out July 28, presenting a stupendous body of work that aims to save the rock ‘n roll and blues of tomorrow via the excavation of their storied roots and past in New Orleans, the Diaspora, and West Africa. In a first offering from the album, Chief has shared standout single “Xodokan Iko – Hu Na Ney,” a familiar melody is re-imagined as a call to the emancipatory energies of the venerated ancestors and self-liberated leaders of the African Diaspora and maroon communities of the Americas. “Xodocan Iko – Hu Na Ney” inspires future leaders to continue to face off and rise against opponents of freedom. It is a revelatory acknowledgment of today’s valiant leaders that also honors those who fought for liberation before the Emancipation Proclamation and Juneteenth.

The culmination of over two decades of trailblazing 21st-century music, BOTROL is a riveting exhibition of genre blindness and a comprehensively sharpened ethnomusicological approach to limitless fusion. Make no mistake, this is not a jazz album but rather Chief Adjuah’s new vision of the future of music and a reflection on the past, centered around storytelling and song. On BOTROL, Chief replaces his trademark trumpet here with a new instrument of his own design—Chief Adjuah’s Bow, an electric double-sided N’goni/Kora/Harp. BOTROL bridges past and future by marrying New Orleans culture and the folklore, ceremonies and rituals of the maroon and Afro-Indigenous chiefdoms with his own innovation: Stretch Music. The result is a spellbinding exhibition of Afro-New Orleanian and West African expression where music, dance, and cultures unite.

“Everything from call and response to thunderous drums, music that lives with us in celebratory, proclamatory, preparatory, joyous, and determined moments of our journeys. It was without measure the amount of healing it did to sing the old songs the old way and the new, the new. The Album is a part of my journey into Chiefdom, the gathering of community, and the inspiration it created and continues to foster.  It is another kind of Ancestral Recall. Bark Out Thunder Roar Out Lightning was performed on Chief Adjuah’s Bow, a double-sided harp I created in 2021. It was built to serve as a bridge to the African forefather nations of the blues and its descendants, places like Mali, Senegal, Ghana, Benin, and Nigeria, and Instruments like the Ngoni, Ankoting, and Bolon. But now in a plugged-in, lightning in a VOX  and smokin’ pedals kinda way. Each record is sung and sewn with the song and story of the Xodokan Nation, and that of the Nations of my kin, ancestors, and predecessor Chieftain. My Grandfather who led many nations Big Chief Donald Harrison Sr. of the Guardians of the Flame and my uncle NEA Jazz Master Big Chief Donald Harrison Jr. of the Congo Square Nation. It’s that roaring sound of the Maroon Nations of New Orleans. Drums make thunder and boom, tamborines ring through time itself it seems. And other times it feels like it's hailing a future of Rock n Roll that's fully connected to all these skeleton keys, threads, and seeds. Each thread unites in possibility. Simultaneously centuries-old and focused forward—a Sankofa’n approach to Rock n Roll, Blues, and yeah Stretch Music.” (Chief Xian aTunde Adjuah)

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[wqbytop150]

WQBY

Top 100 for the week ending March 5. 2023

Back To You----Lost Frequencies, Elley Duhe, X Ambassadors -1

Unholy---Sam Smith, Kim Petreas, *Disclosure remix -3

Heaven---Niall Horan -4

Reborn---SIDEPIECE, *Kyle Walker remix -5

Dancing's Done----Ave Max -6

Afterparty----Loud Luxury, Hook N Sling -22

Left N Right----Ownboss, FAST BOY -21

Money On The Dash----Elley Duhe, Whethan -7

Red Lights----Lane 8, Emmit Fenn, *EMBRZ remix -8

Out Of My Mind----Little Image -20

Just The Kinda Feeling---Yotto, Lost Boy -78

Never Gonna Not Dance Again----Pink, *Sam Felt remix -9

Lovesick----Alan Walker, Sophie Simmons -2

Freeze----Kygo -19

Drifting Away----Audien, Joe Jury -24

Lay Low----Tiesto -10

When I Talk----Kx5 w/ Elderbrook -11

You Know What I Need-----PNAU -12

Gone (Da Da Da)-----Imanbek, Jay Sean -(re entry)

I Can't Wait----Tiesto, Solardo, Poppy Baskcomb -14

Sparks-----MEDUZA, DEL-30, Mali-Koa -13

Lennon----ESSEL -15

Flowers----Mylie Cyrus -16

10:35------Tiesto, Tate McRae -18

I'm Good----David Guetta, Bebe Rexha -17

Rely On Me----Sigala, Gabry Pointe, Alex Gaudino -27

Whistle-----Jax Jones, Calum Scott -65

Shut Up----Alan Walker, UPSAHL -23

Gimme That Bounce----Mau P -29

High Heels - Party Down Under-----Flo Rida, Walker Hayes, *Sam Felt remix -83

New Gold----Gorillaz, Tame Impala, Bootie Brown, * Dom Dolla remix -31

Solitude-----Snakechips, BIA, Lucky Daye -32

Tra Tra----HUGEL, BLOND:ISH, Nfasis -34

Different Kind Of Lonely----Camp Kubrick, Don Biablo -42

Good Life----Hayden James, Emie -33

How Many Tears----Kygo, Sam Felt, Emily Warren -37

No Love For You----Regard, Drop G -28

What A Life----John Summit, Guz, Stevie Appleton -35

Wings ( I Won't Let You Down)----Armin Van Helden, Karen Harding -40

High-----Neil Francis, PawPaw Rod -38

Bel Mercy-----Jengi -44

Show Me----John Summit, Hannah Boleyn -39

Sete----BLOND:ISH, Francis Mercier, Amadou & Mariam -45

Serotonin Moonbeams----The Blessed Madonna -36

Anything But Wet----I. O. Lights -46

Creepin' ------Metro Bloomin, The Weeknd, 21 Savage -43

Chasing Shadows----Alex Warren -47

Sing Your Lullaby---R3HAB, Mike Williams -54

Kill Me------Alok -55

It's Quiet Now----Honey Dijon, Dope Earth Alien -41

Pouring Rain----Guz, Camden Cox -56

Feel Alive----TELYKAST, Sky Blu -51

Need Me Right----Anabel Englund -57

Body Breathe-----LP Globbi, Monogem -52

I'm Not Dead Yet-----Mike Posner -26

Heartbeat-----James Arthur -50

Blood Upon The Snow-----Hozier, Bear McCreary -49

On My Mind----EDX -94

Makin Time----Sultan + Shepard, Julia Church -98

Be Right There-----Diplo, Sleepy Tom, *HUGEL remix -59

Anyway----CASH CASH w/ Ruth Anne -61

Pearls-----Jessie Ware -62

Stay Above-----Lukas Graham -63

The One----INJI -66

Pegasus----MEDUZA, Eli & Fur -67

Forget You-----FAST BOY, Topic -30

Ghost Again----Depeche Mode -73

Sleepwalking----Matt Sassari, Goodboys -75

Hurt That You Gave Me----Cheat Codes, Brett Young -76

If We Ever Broke Up-----Mae Stephens -82

Borderline----Tove Lo -79

Firewalk----Morgan Page, Lissie -80

If i Live Forever-----Vintage Culture, Izzy Biju -68

Shockwave---R3HAB, Afrojack -77

Nervous System-----JOSEPH -72

Tornado------Hi Lo, (Oliver Heldens) -84

How To Drive------Alexander 23 -70

Save Some Room----Shallou -25

Running Up That Hill----Betty Who -87

Heartbreak Feels So Good----Fall Out Boy -71

Break Up With That Guy----Virginia To Vegas -90

Here-----Tom Grennan -74

Nervous-----Joan -64

*Blue (Da Ba Dee---Eifel 65, *Gabry Pointe Ice Pop remix (re entry)

Heart Wants What It Wants-----Bebe Rexha -93

Can I Get It Back----Jordana Bryant, *R3HAB remix -92

***Helicopter----James Hype -(new entry)

***Bedroom Exile-----Giant Rocks -(new entry)

***Best Man----Mike -(new entry)

***Sweet Goodbye----Robin Schultz -(new entry)

Don't Make Me Have To Come Down There-----Dolly Parton -85

***Say Your Mine-----Paul Oakenfold, Nat Monday, Christina Novelli -(new entry)

***Do U Really?-----Lyn Lapid, Ruth B. -(new entry)

Koo Koo Fun----Major Lazer, Major League Djz, Tiwa Savage, DJ Maphorisa, *Diplo -48

Infinity----Dubdogs, Bhaskar -53

Where Do We Go From Here----Gareth Emery -58

Chasing Cars----Sofi Tukker -60

Something's Coming----Cheat Codes, Lady A -69

Gimme Back My Soul------Medium Build -86

Merchans-----Sans Soucis -88

7 Gone from this week are ; Who We Love----Sam Smith, Ed Sheeran You Only Love Me----Rita Ora Loop----Martin Garrix, DallasK, Sasha Alex Sloan Drugs From Amsterdam----Mau P Weekend On A Tuesday-----R3HAB, Laidback Luke Can't Change For You----Bandrol Hayden, Charlieonnafriday AJ All Falls Down----Alonestar, Jethro Sheeran, Ed Sheeran