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canyonroads · 3 months

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100 Albums // 2024

One of my resolutions for 2024 was to sit down and listen to more albums (mostly) uninterrupted from beginning to end. Here is where I'm compiling those albums + my thoughts on them as I go.

How I'm choosing the albums: most of these are "I randomly found one song off this album, I've been meaning to listen to more". But some are just iconic, genre-defining albums that I know I'm doing myself a disservice by not listening to yet. Some are also suggestions!

How I'm rating them: this is PERSONAL TASTE ONLYYYYYY. Some albums I acknowledge will be impossible to rate this way, but for the most part I am JUST rating based on MY taste. I'm trying to be open minded to any and all genre's but I'm aware my tastes lean indie.

1. Self-Titled - Bon Iver (2011)

If you see this (which you might because Im pinning it for ease of access), you should reply or send me a message with your favorite album. I just may give it a listen! Thanks!!

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Rating: 4/10

Fav Songs: Holocene, Towers, Wash

Notes: I like a handful of Bon Iver songs but I haven't really listened to his stuff, much. I REALLY wanted this whole album to be like "Holocene" but overall it's pretty... Meh, save a few songs. The bits I enjoyed were experimental aspects that remind me of my favorite song of his off another album, "33 God". I will listen to that album at some point. I haven't given up on Bon Iver anyway.

2. Get to Heaven (Deluxe) - Everything Everything (2015)

Rating: 8/10

Fav Songs: The Wheel (is turning now), Only As Good as my God, Blast Doors

Notes: I LOVE this album. A friend of mine put "Only As Good As My God" on a playlist for me a few years ago, I've been obsessed with it ever since, and most of the album is just as good if not better. I really enjoy the religious imagery and overall messaging. Not every song totally landed, though, which is why it's only an 8/10.

3. Nearer My God - Foxing (2018)

Rating: 6/10

Fav Songs: Nearer My God, Five Cups, Lambert

Notes: I listened to this album on a rainy Sunday morning while finishing up a book, and I'd say that's the perfect way to listen to it. Solid mellow vibes and sweeping, yet gentle instrumentals- nothing that really stands out or knocked my socks off, either.

4. The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess - Chappell Roan (2023)

Rating: 9/10

Fav Songs: Pink Pony Club, HOT TO GO!, Red Wine Supernova

Notes: I love "Pink Pony Club" so much and the rest of the album does not disapoint. High points are danceable, low songs still catchy as fuck. One part Madonna, part Lemon Demon?? Its just great. However, I think the opening song 'FEMININOMENON' is awful. I couldn't even finish it. Only thing keeping this album from a 10/10.

5. Born in the U.S.A. - Bruce Springsteen (1984)

Rating: 🫡/10

Fav Songs: Downbound Train, No Surrender, Dancing in the Dark

Notes: I won't even try to rate this album because it's so classic and contextual. I really love it though- especially with an eye on the way Springsteen satirizes, critiques, yet appreciates masculinity. It's crazy to me that people really listen and take him at face value- True Patriotic Americanism- ignoring any obvious commentary on war, the working class, racism... Anyway, he's good! I already knew it but this really gave me a deeper appreciation.

6. Fine Line - Harry Styles (2019)

Rating: 4/10

Fav Songs: Cherry, Fine Line, Adore You

Notes: Another tame background listen. A few bangers but the rest is very meh. Also included my second song skip on this list so far (Canyon Moon) which is never great. I will probably not listen to any more Harry, but maybe.

7. Mystére - La Femme (2016)

Rating: 7/10

Fav Songs: Ou ve la Monde, Sphynx, Mycose

Notes: First foreign language AND rec album for an artist that I'd never listened to! Really cool stuff here, very experimental- some of it is more straightforward electronica, some of it almost 60s sounding Halloween beats, some psychedelic rock- but I enjoyed almost all of it!!

8. Put Yourself Back Together - Real Friends (2013)

Rating: 3/10

Fav Songs: Skin Deep, I've Given Up On You

Notes: Chose a short one to end January on 8 albums, but I found this album tremendously disappointing. All in a row like this, the whininess of Real Friends REALLY starts to grate after about 3 songs. And its way beyond your usual pop punk whininess, too. By the albums end I was so grateful it was over. I've Given Up On You still goes hard, though.

9. Self-Titled - Vagabon (2019)

Rating: 7/10

Fav Songs: Flood, Full Moon in Gemini, Water Me Down

Notes: This album is objectively good, but the best songs are unfortunately the ones I had already stumbled on. That isn't to say there wasn't some treasures to be found- and on continued listens I think "In A Bind" could grow higher in my tastes. Overall, pretty damn good!

10. The Slow Rush - Tame Impala (2020)

Rating: 9/10

Fav Songs: Borderline, Breathe Deeper, On Track

Notes: GREAT album. I used to really not understand the draw of Tame Impala, then one day I heard Eventually and it clicked. This album does not disapoint. Even the songs that don't stand out are so fucking funky, it's impossible to not vibe. I listened to this while cleaning the kitchen at work and I was half-dancing through parts of it. Great stuff. I'll listen to Currents at some point, too.

11. Pin-Up Daddy - Rett Madison (2021)

Rating: 10/10

Fav Songs: Pin-Up Daddy, God is a Woman, Emily

Notes: Finally... a 10/10 album. Pin-Up Daddy is a song that impacted me very deeply upon first listen, and the rest of this is just as emotionally gutting. First album of this list to bring me to tears. Definately not a listen-in-the-background album, Rett demands involvement in the stories she is painting you.

12. You Are All I See - Active Child (2011)

Rating: 7.5/10

Fav Songs: Hanging On, High Priestess, You Are All I See

Notes: A friend recommended 'Hanging On' to me an eternity ago and it's been a go-to "in my feels" song since. This album is really good- mixing R&B flawlessly with 80s synth, and add this mans beautiful, Bon Iver-esque falsetto, its a dream. However, the worst bits of this album are definately where he's trying to... *Sound* more black than he is. Lol. There's really no nice way to say it. Also! This album led me to Ellie Gouldings cover of "Hanging On", and this next bomb of an album...

13. Halcyon - Ellie Goulding (2012)

Rating: 1/10

Fav Songs: Hanging On

Notes: think I've avoided this album subconsciously. "Lights" is a 10/10 album for me, but this albums single track "Anything Can Happen" is probably one of my most hated songs of the 2010s. Its awful. And I'm sorry to report that the rest of this album is just as bad- giving "overproduced" a new standard, in the meantime losing every appealing and unique thing about Ellie Gouldings ARTISTRY in "Lights". The dubstep beat running through the background of every GD song is SO grating and was actually starting to piss me off. "Joy" is my third skip of this list, it's so intolerably corny. The gem keeping this album from a total 0 is her cover of "Hanging On", which is very different from the original but seems to be the only song that she put even an OUNCE of Pussy into.

14. Miss Universe - Nilüfer Yanya (2019)

Rating: 7.5/10

Fav Songs: Heavyweight Champion of the Year, Baby Blu, Safety Net

Notes: Great album that I listened to while deep-cleaning at work. Its high energy makes it good for cleaning, and I really enjoyed the pacing/content of the album breaks. Really atmospheric. Her vocal range is just INSANE too and you can really feel the impact of Turkish music on her sound.

15. Self-Titled - Elliott Smith (1995)

Rating: 7/10

Fav Songs: Good to Go, Needle in the Hay, The Biggest Lie

Notes: Another great album for Doing Tasks at work! I've been meaning to get to some Elliott Smith forever- he is, after all, SO influential and an iconic Portland figure. I was really vibing to his stuff- but nothing on this album really jumped to stand out to me. That said- it's amazing how you can feel his influence on many other artists- Phoebe Bridgers, Frank Ocean, Bright Eyes... I especially felt that he was similar in tone to Sufjan, whom I just adore. Another great rec!

16. Self-Titled - Tracy Chapman (1988)

Rating: 💧/10

Fav Songs: Fast Car, Mountain O' Things, Talkin' Bout a Revolution

Notes: I LOVE Fast Car, so I gave this album a listen and I was not disapointed. I don't know why I wasn't expecting it to be SO political when, in my opinion, Fast Car is VERY political. But Tracy has a lot to say about being black, being poor, being a woman- not even to mention being gay! In the 80s!! This was trangressive and inspiring stuff then, and I can't possibly rate it now- except to say that this album is excellent, worth a listen, and contains so much more than just Fast Car can offer.

17. Fantastic Planet - Failure (1996)

Rating: 5/10

Fav Songs: Dirty Blue Balloons, Saturday Savior

Notes: This was another blind suggestion for a band I've never even heard of! Overall, it was very cool and super different from my usual stuff. As it is, I'm a bit more into softer grunge/shoegaze, myself- but that said, this album has a lot to offer musically, and I even watched a biographical video on Failure afterwards, because I was so interested in their production process. This album also REALLY made me want to listen to a full Tool album, so...

18. Lateralus- TOOL (2001)

Rating: 8/10

Fav Songs: Schism, The Grudge, Reflection

Notes: This album rules. I got stoned as hell and listened to it while doing a mindless task (filling my queue) and it feels like I really heard all the instruments and vocal depth of Tool for the first time. Not every song captured me, but considering Tool is known for their LONG songs, I'm surprised it's as engaging as it is.

19. Crimes of Passion - Pat Benetar (1980)

Rating: 4/10

Fav Songs: Wuthering Heights, Hit Me With Your Best Shot, I'm Gonna Follow You

Notes: This album is certified mid. Her cover of Wuthering Heights is inspired and obviously HMWYBS is iconic, but this album offers little else besides a few decent guitar riffs. Any given song had really clunky lyrics and this is just not as refined as I know Pat Benetar can be.

20. Caught in Still Life - VAULTS (2016)

Rating: 8.5/10

Fav Songs: One Last Night, Cry No More, Hurricane

Notes: Ive been really enjoying 'One Last Night' for years now, so I was more than happy to give this a listen and it didn't disappoint. Vaults basically encapsulates my favorite musical themes; electronic percussion mixed with some pure instrumentals like strings, piano, harps, or chimes, plus clear, lovely vocals... It's just excellent. 8 just because not every song totally landed.

21. Currents - Tame Impala (2015)

Rating: 9/10

Fav Songs: Eventually, Disciples, The Less I Know the Better

Notes: Told you I'd listen to Currents too! I liked this album a tiny bit more than The Slow Rush, I just feel like it was better put together and the flow between songs is perfect. It's just really good.

22. Modus Vivendi - 070 Shake (2020)

Rating: 7/10

Fav Songs: Morrow, Rocketship, The Pines

Notes: I think this is my first hiphop album of this project, which is insane because I love a good hiphop album. This album is a good example of how the flow between songs can really make or break it. I didn't love too many specific, individual songs off this album, but I loved the album structure as a whole which can carry a lot. I also just teally enjoy 070 Shake. Her voice is so pleasant, like bubble wrap to the brain.

23. Proof of Life - Joy Oladokun (2023)

Rating: 8/10

Fav Songs: Changes, Somehow, Friends

Notes: Another album from someone I'd never heard of, and it's great! Joy was recommended to me as someone who likes Taylor Swifts 'Folklore' album. I would not say it's very much like Folklore, but it was still wonderful. She has a voice like velvet and a folky way with words. 'Changes' could have been my pandemic anthem.

24. 3.15.20 - Childish Gambino (2020)

Rating: 2/10

Fav Songs: 42.26, 35.31

Notes: Upon lamenting that I needed more hiphop, my partner reminded me of this album. Starting it, I wondered to myself "this has been out for 4 years. Why haven't I heard any songs from it out in the wild??" And the answer is; because they're bad. Like, really bad and not even in a fun way. Songs listed are listenable but I don't forsee myself revisiting them. I like experimental stuff but this one is not for me!

25. Strange Trails - Lord Huron (2015)

Rating: 7.5/10

Fav Songs: Meet Me In The Woods, The Night We Met, Fool for Love

Notes: After that last one, I wanted an album I knew would be decent at LEAST, so I went with Strange Trails as I'm already familiar with a handful of songs. It's great! I feel that Johnny Cash would really appreciate Lord Huron, and I like the way he tells stories. Redacted points for putting both 'Love Like Ghosts' and 'Meet Me In The Woods' on there, though. In theory, the idea of the same instrumentals with different lyrics is interesting, but in practice just feels like LLG is the rough, first draft of MMITW and shouldnt have been included? That's a very small beef.

26. Unheard - Hozier (2024) (EP)

Rating: 8/10

Fav Songs: Empire Now, Too Sweet

Notes: Trying to avoid EPs for this project, but I really wanted to listen to this and I didn't want to discount it either. And it's great! 'Fare Well' is a bit of a weak ender, but oh well.

27. Saved - Now, Now (2018)

Rating: 8/10

Fav Songs: SGL, Powder, MJ

Notes: This album is one of the original that inspired this project, so I'm not sure why it took me so long to get to it. Now, Now has a truly unique sound that I struggle to classify, and I simply just love it. Catchy, yet complex and dreamy. Not every song landed but I'll be coming back to this one for sure.

28. Sahar - Tamino (2022)

Rating: 7/10

Fav songs: The First Disciple, The Longing, Fascination

Notes: Gave this album a listen at my partners bequest, and she totally loves it, so... Pressure! Overall, I think I like his album Amir a bit more. This ones still great, though, especially to throw on in the background while you're doing stuff. His music is so layered and rich, truly unique sounding. That said, I REALLY don't like "Sunflower". I've heard it a few times now and I like it less every time. Something about it feels... Off, for a Tamino song.

29. Spirituals - Santigold (2022)

Rating: 6/10

Fav Songs: No Paradise, Fall First, Ain't Ready

Notes: This one was a coworker recommendation (and my coworkers have officially heard about this project so I imagine I'll be good on recommendations for a while). Its just okay! I appreciate how unique and difficult to genre-fy Santigold is, but I prefer some of her older stuff. This album still has some great flow and a few total gems, though.

30. Beauty Pagent - The Bobby Lees (2018)

Rating: 9/10

Fav Songs: Radiator, Mad Moth, Bobby Lee

Notes: Another coworker rec and I LOVE this album. The old-punk feel is so visceral, you could close your eyes and be in an 80s basement show. I couldn't BELIEVE how new this is. Not a casual listen for sure (I mean- it's punk), but worth a quick dive if you feel like going hard.

31. Чёрный альбом - Kino (1990)

Rating: 🎸/10

Fav Songs: N/A

Notes: This was a bestie-rec but I've listened to enough Kino in the past to know it probably... Wasn't gonna be my vibe! And sure enough, it wasn't really. I enjoyed it well enough, though most of the songs just blended together for me, and I spent a good chunk of time reading about Kino afterwards. They were so influential to Russian rock that I dont feel its fair to give them a number rating, but I don't see myself returning to Kinos black album!

32. Older - Lizzy McAlpine (2024)

Rating: 8/10

Fav Songs: Drunk Running, Staying, Broken Glass

Notes: Lizzy's album before this, 'ten seconds flat', isn't just a 10/10 album for me- it CONSUMED my entire Spotify wrapped last year. I was cautious about this album and I'm glad for it, because it's VERY different. I still enjoyed it a lot, but to compare the two would be weird. This is a melancholy album with very few highs, a jazz-feel throughout, and features Lizzys voice on full display. A few songs bored me to tears musically, though- so just an 8/10. Not a bad follow up at all, Lizzy!

33. Apocalypse Whenever (deluxe version) - Bad Suns - 2022

Rating: 3/10

Fav Songs: Maybe You Saved Me, When the World was Mine

Notes: This was my first truly disappointing album listen :^( I love the Bad Suns, and 'Disapear Here' is an album I just absolutely BLEED for. This album lacks in comparison, and the culprit is obvious. I'm not sure if the singer is trying to do it more healthily or something, but his voice just totally lacks that indescribable *thing* he does. The special sauce, if you will. As a result every song sounds really low-energy? A few years ago a Bad Suns/PVRIS collab would have slayed me but I'm so underwhelmed now.

34. Fade to Bluegrass (a Bluegrass tribute to Metallica) - Iron Horse (2003)

Rating: 7/10

Fav Songs: Nothing Else Matters, Unforgiven, Wherever I May Roam

Notes: Another coworker recommendation, but I pushed it to the top of my list because the concept intrigued me. I don't even like Metallica but I am familiar enough with them to admit these songs went hard. A few of these songs I even feel like lend themselves better to the Bluegrass genre?? A really interesting listen!

35. The Tortured Poets Department (ANTHOLOGY) - Taylor Swift (2024)

Rating: 4/10

Fav Songs: I Look in People's Windows, Down Bad, The Black Dog

Notes: Certifiably mid. Does not justify being 31 songs long. Most sound indistinguishable from one another and one is such an offensive dupe of 'Cardigan' I think it should have been cut completely. Every song is so densely packed with lyrics I wish she would just write a fucking novel or something. And this low energy 'talk-singing' thing she does now sounds awful and bores you to tears by the end. But because you can't throw 31 rocks without hitting SOMETHING, I found some enjoyable songs. Hilarious that the best song is also the shortest. World's most long winded pop star /neg.

#100 albums #mine #this is up to date as of end of march i am still going strong #just btw

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moni-logues · 1 year

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I was tagged by @amethystwritesbts ty bb!

Name: Uh... 'Moni'??? 😂😂

Sign: Pisces

Height: 5'9

Time: 17:44

Birthday: 29th February

Favourite band/artist: My Chemical Romance

Last movie: I'm honestly not even sure (eta: I remembered; it's Glass Onion)

Last show: Currently watching It's Always Sunny.

When I created this blog: lmao a month ago?

What I post: BTS fic, BTS other shit and occasional miscellany

Other blogs: none atm but I think I'm going to make a personal sideblog

Do I get asks: not atm but I started posting on this blog what, yesterday? 😅

Followers: 193 loyal hoes 😎

Average hours of sleep: I try to be in bed so I'll get 8

Instruments: I can sort of play guitar and piano but I haven't had guitar lessons for 15 years and I was self-taught at piano anyway so I'm not good at either. I want to get back into piano but can't afford a keyboard lmao

What am I wearing: trackies, vest, hoodie

Dream job: I DO NOT DREAM OF LABOUR. I dream of an easy life doing art shit (drawing and painting but also sewing and writing and learning to sculpt and do pottery and knitting and shit) and looking after animals on a little homestead.

Dream trip: I'm actually going on it in the spring! South Korea babyyyyy: four weeks, Seoul/Gyeongju/Busan/Gwangju/Jeju.

Favourite songs: Holocene - Bon Iver; There Is Something - DeYarmond Edison; Everywhere - Fleetwood Mac; Drowning Lessons - My Chemical Romance; Moon - BTS; etc. etc.

idk who's been tagged already??|

@here2bbtstrash @goodsoop @sarah-217 @hybetshirt

but feel free to do it if you see it!!!!

#moni logs #tag games

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draftpink · 2 years

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100 gecs' The Secret Tour Live at Holocene, Portland, OR (10/28/2019)

01. Stupid Horse

02. 745 Sticky

03. Came to My Show

04. Small Pipe

05. Gecgecgec

06. Ringtone

07. Toothless

08. Hand Crushed by a Mallet

09. Money Machine

10. Instrumental Break

11. 800db Cloud

12. Encore: Bloodstains

Download link

Recorded by MONKSHOE on iPhone XR

#100 gecs live #100 gecs

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flanneljammies · 3 months

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2023 Best Post-Rock/Fugue State

Outstanding

Shipwreck Karpathos - Being Human (A Thousand Arms) Pummeling crescendo-core from St. Louis.

Facs - Still Life In Decay (Trouble In Mind) Slow-burn Fugue State Rock from the masters of the genre.

Big Brave - Nature Morte (Thrill Jockey) Delicate and crushing maximal minimalism from Toronto.

Very Good

Sugar Horse - Truth Or Consequences, New Mexico (Fat Dracula) Post-rock interludes between all-consuming doom from Bristol.

The Ocean - Holocene (Instrumental) (Pelagic) The omission of vocals allow these post-metal masterpieces to shine.

Lavoro - Lavoro (Cooked Raw) Weirdo noisy Fugue State from Toronto.

Jaye Jayle - Don't Let Your Love Life Get You Down (Pelagic) Ex-Young Widows frontman channels some spooky Nick Cave vibes.

Also Good (but probably only for genre diehards and true fans)

Sadness - so many splits... By my count Sadness did at least 11 split releases last year. They're all great but all kinda end up sounding the same.

Nyos - Waterfall Cave Fantasy, Forever (Pelagic) Weirdo mathy post-rock from Finland.

Hand Model - Will Life Reign Supreme Even In Death (The Flenser) Experimental anything-goes chaos.

#music #best-of #post-rock #fugue state #aoty #crescendo-core

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narnie · 3 years

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like Kaz Brekker, I make good of my threats. BEHOLD, the lyrics to “Dreaming Again, Dreaming of Her” sung by Matthias Helvar, with Nina Zenik dueting at the song’s dramatic end

visit my post about Six of Crows: The Musical to read my unfinished list of songs and the lyrics of “Kaz Brekker Didn’t Need A Reason” sung by Inej Ghafa ft. the City of Ketterdam

Six of Crows: The Musical | Dreaming Again, Dreaming of Her

A ballad. Matthias Helvar ft. Nina Zenik and Kaz Brekker’s cane.

Context: When Kaz, Inej, Nina, and Jesper break Matthias out of Hellgate. Matthias is passed out from his injuries and dreams of Nina like he always does.

Verse 1

Betrayal

That’s what I wish I think of first when I think of Nina

Zenik, I used to call her, a name I’ve grown to hate

More than I did before

Not of this world

With powers I’ve learned to understand

Is dangerous which nevertheless kept us safe out in the cold, many nights ago

And yet I can’t deny my heart has betrayed my soul

For when I close my eyes at night, I find myself

Chorus

Dreaming again, dreaming of her

Dreaming of all the things we were before she left me

Left me to die in this place, Djelforesaken

With words that used to make me laugh,

gave me up as a slave trader just like that

The water hears and understands

but the ice does not forgive

Verse 2

Fire

Burning through my chest when I dream of Nina

Is it blasphemy to say I miss her warmth

when the ice is all I’ve ever known before

And still I think of the night we shared a common goal

to stay alive despite all the lies we’ve been told

But now I see the only lie that had a hold on me

was thinking we could ever be together

And still, when I close my eyes I find myself

Chorus

Dreaming again, dreaming of her

Dreaming of all the things we were before she left me

Left me with a cold and frozen ache of deep longing

I still recall the feel of skin on skin

Is it a sin to think the worse of everything

is not who she is or what she did

but how she makes me feel even now

The water hears and understands

but the ice does not forgive

Verse 3

Death

That’s what I wish for her or me when I think of Nina

Yet somewhere hidden in my depths I know

that the reason I really want to go

Is to see her once again but I don’t know

If I would kiss or embrace her as a welcome

or choke down my love to let the hate run

Oh what I’d give to see her now

But since I can’t, instead I shall hunt her in my sleep and remain

Chorus

Dreaming again, dreaming of her

Dreaming of all the things we were before she left me

Left me to dream this sick fantasy that she’s here right beside me

Just like the night she made me keep us warm

I held her safely in my arms, but she couldn’t save me from falling for her kind

The water hears and understands

but the ice does not forgive

Verse 4, Nina rouses Matthias

[ Nina / Matthias / Both / slash means they’re singing simultaneously ]

Matthias

I hear her calling my name, the lovely Nina

She is crying yet joy is the only thing I feel when I see him/her finally

Traitor, witch, abomination / Drüskelle, zealot, barbarian

These are the words I’d first have chosen but

Matthias Helvar / A beautiful, charming, little red bird

Is all I see tonight

Matthias / in my dream of–

“Nina?”

“Oh, Saints, Matthias. Please, wake up.”

“Nina,” he growls.

Matthias pushes Nina to the ground and fastens his hands tight around her throat.

“Witch,” he hisses. “Beg me. Beg me for your life.”

Kaz Brekker whacks Matthias with his cane, with an accompanying DUN instrumental sound of abrupt violin and drums.

- END SCENE -

let’s pretend that little rod in the left corner of the gif is Kaz’s cane coming to bonk Matthias to save Nina from asphyxiation

@sisters-and-crows @f-r-o-p @alinaleksanders @gilbertscarrot @zeromournerszerofunerals @joyfulsongbird @mournersandfunerals @darlingdregs @lavenderlemonrose @guindalf @slytherinprongs-toomanyfandoms @holocene-days thank you sm for your support for my crazy soc musical idea and/or my blog in general!!💞

@mure-sauvage’s demo my instrumental demo

#i can’t believe i’ve done this #if anyone wants to compose the musical numbers pls feel free I have not the talent #six of crows the musical #dreaming again dreaming of her #six of crows #helnik #matthias helvar #nina zenik #kaz brekker #follow for more #sksksk #crooked kingdom #shadow and bone #narnie writes

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jgthirlwell · 3 years

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2020 Year In Review

This year once again I invited some friends and colleagues to reflect on 2020

JG Thirlwell

Composer

Foetus Xordox Manorexia Steroid Maximus Venture Bros Archer

www.foetus.org

2020 was a troubling and disturbing year. I created a lot of music and experienced a lot of nights waking at 5am in a panic. I deeply missed the sacred experience of being able to see live music. In its absence of that I listened to a lot of music. It was difficult to whittle down this list but here are a lot of albums I enjoyed in 2020, in no particular order.

Le Grand Sbam Furvent (Dur Et Doux) John Elmquist’s HardArt Group I Own an Ion (900 Nurses) Roly Porter Kistvaen (Subtext) Liturgy Origin Of The Alimonies (YLYLCYN) Clark Kiri Variations (Throttle) Dai Kaht Dai Kaht I & II (Soleil Zeuhl) Chromb Le livre des merveilles (Dur Et Doux) Horse Lords The Common Task (Northern Spy) Ecker & Meultzer Carbon (Subtext) Insane Warrior Tendrils (RJ’s Electrical Connections) Jeff Parker Suite For Max Brown (International Anthem) Jacob Kirkegaard Opus Mors (Topos) Tristan Perich Drift Multiply (Nonesuch) Bec Plexus Sticklip (New Amsterdam) Vak Budo (Soleil Zeuhl) Merlin Nova BOO! (Bandcamp) The The Muscle OST (Cineola) Zombi 2020 (Relapse) Regis Hidden In This Is The Light That You Miss (Downwards) Rival Consoles Articulation (Erased Tapes) Sarah Davachi Cantus, Descant (L.A.T.E.) Sufjan Stevens The Ascension (Asthmatic Kitty) Idles Ultra Mono (Partisan) Daedelus The Bittereindeers (Brainfeeder) Boris No (Bandcamp) Aksak Maboul Figures / Un peu de l’ame des bandits / Onze Danses Pour Cobattre La Migraine (Crammed) Noveller Arrow (Ba Da Bing) Felicia Atkinson Everything Evaporate (Shelter Press) Ital Tek Dream Boundary (Planet Mu) Author and Punisher Beastland (Relapse) Sparks A Steady Drip Drip Drip (BMG) Corima Amatarasu (Soleil Zeuhl) Code Orange Underneath (Roadrunner) Deerhoof Future Teenage Cave Artists /Silly Symphonies / To Be Surrounded../ Love Lore(Joyful Noise) Sote Moscels (Opal Tapes) Run The Jewels RTJ4 (Jewel Runners) Oranssi Pazuzu Mestarin Kynsi (Nuclear Blast) Master Boot Record Floppy Disk Overdrive (Metal Blade) Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith The Mosaic Of Transformation (Ghostly International) / Ears (Western Vinyl) Michael Gordon Acquanetta (Cantelope) Neom Arkana Temporis (Soleil Zeuhl) Rian Treanor Ataxia / File Under UK Metaplasm (Planet Mu) Helm Saturnalia (Alter) Ivvvo doG (Halcyon Veil) Robert Normandeau Figures (Empreintes Digitales) Ben Vida Reducing The Tempo To Zero (Shelter Press) Beatrice Dillon Workaround (Pan) Dan Deacon Mystic Familiar (Domino) Sea Oleena Weaving A Basket (Higher Plain Music) Elysian Fields Transience Of Life (Ojet) Rhapsody Symphony Of Enchanted Lands II - The Dark Secret (Magic Circle) Duma Duma (Nyege Nyege) Ulla Strauss Tumbling Towards a Wall / Seed (Bandcamp)

Honorable mentions Carl Stone Stolen Car (Unseen Worlds) Nazar Guerilla (Hyperdub) Iwo Zaluski with the Children of Park Lane Primary School, Wembley The Remarkable Earth Making Machine (Trunk) Nahash Flowers Of The Revolution (SVBKVLT) Cindy Lee Whats Tonight To Eternity (Bandcamp) Insect Ark The Vanishing (Profound Lore) 33EMYBW Arthropods (SVBKVLT) Declan McKenna Zeroes (Tomplicated) Layma Azur Zeii (Bandcamp)

FILM TV Succession ZeroZeroZero Escape at Dannemora 1917 Small Axe : Five films by Steve McQueen Pirhanas Monos The Hater Better Call Saul

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Drew Daniel

Matmos, The Soft Pink Truth

an alphabet of 2020 recordings

Arca “KiCk i” BFTT “Intrusive / Obtrusive” clipping. “Visions of Bodies Being Burned” Duma “Duma” Eilbacher, Max “Metabolist Meter (Foster, Cottin, Caetani and a Fly)” Forbidden Colors “La Yeguada” GILA “Energy Demonstration” HiedraH Club de Baile “Bichote-K Bailable Vol. 2” Ian Power “Maintenance Hums” Jeff Carey “Index[off]” Kassel Jaeger “Meith” Laurie Anderson “Songs From the Bardo” Mukqs “Water Levels” Negativland “The World Will Decide” O’Rourke, Jim “Shutting Down Here” Perlesvaus “These Things Below with Those Above” Quicksails “Blue Rise” Rian Treanor “File Under UK Metaplasm” Slikback “///” Terminal Nation “Holocene Extinction” Ulcerate “Stare Into Death and Be Still” Various Artists “HAUS of ALTR” William Tyler “New Vanitas” Xyla “Ways” Y A S H A “Summations” :zoviet-france: “Châsse 2ᵉ”

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Sarah Lipstate (Noveller)

With all live performances canceled, this was truly the year of demo videos and home studio recording for me. These are 10 pieces of gear that came out in 2020 that helped keep me feeling creative and inspired during lockdown. In no particular order:

EHX Oceans 12 Dual Stereo Reverb - The Oceans 12 ticks all the boxes for what I’m looking for in a great soundscaping reverb. I used the Shimmer and Reverse algorithms in conjunction a lot when I was composing music for a film score.

Chase Bliss Audio Blooper - While I don’t actually own a Blooper, I had the pleasure of borrowing one from Mike of Baranik Guitars after NAMM this year. He made an incredible Blooper-inspired guitar and I was completely charmed by them both. Chase Bliss always delivers pedals that push me creatively and the Blooper truly hits the mark.

Cooper FX Arcades - I love everything Cooper FX has released to-date so the opportunity to access those sounds in one pedal via plug-in cartridges is just awesome.

SolidGoldFX NU-33 - I was asked to do a demo of this pedal for its release and ended up being really charmed by this box’s approach to lo-fi nostalgia. I’ve used it a lot for film scoring and highly recommend adding it to your collection.

Demedash Effects T-120 DLX V2 - I LOVE a good tape echo and the T-120 Deluxe V2 ranks up there with the best I’ve tried. This pedal made its way to me this Christmas and I look forward to making some beautiful sounds with it in the new year.

Hologram Electronics Microcosm - The Microcosm is one of those pedals where you should fully read the manual before diving in but once you put in that initial effort you’ve got a massively powerful tool on your hands. It does glitch like no other. Definitely worth the homework

Azzam Bells MP019 - I discovered this unique instrument through a post on Reverb’s IG page and immediately looked it up and ordered one. These experimental percussion instruments are hand-made in Italy and they’re as beautiful visually as they are sonically. I used it for bowed cymbal and daxophone sounds on a film score and it was absolutely haunting.

Echopark Dual Harmonic Boost 2 - I love the control you have over dialing in the perfect amount of grit with these dual boost circuits. I use it a lot as a textural tool when I’m laying down drones or bringing in big distorted swells. It’s one of the most versatile overdrives in my collection and I love that.

Fender Parallel Universe Series Volume II Maverick Dorado - I was smitten with the Maverick Dorado when I first saw it at NAMM. It has a lot of the specs that I look for in a guitar and the body shape with the Mystic Pine finish just blew me away. I hope that I get to use it live soon.

Polyeffects Beebo - The Beebo is one of those pedals that I genuinely feel is smarter than I am. It’s like an entire computer in one small touchscreen box. I can’t claim to have mastered using it yet but the sounds that I have managed to get out of it so far have been brilliant. I’m looking forward to spending more time with this box in 2021

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HELM 2020 REVIEW

Let's get the bad stuff out the way first, 2020 was undoubtedly an awful year. I'm still not sure how to really respond to seeing a global pandemic bring the capital to its knees and everything I love and hold dear to a grinding halt. Our government fucked it's response, putting profit before people and killing tens of thousands. The Labour Party descended into farce with the newly elected leader Sir Keith revealing himself as a bland centrist with no opposition or ideas. On a personal level it sucked not being able to travel or see my friends in different parts of the world - or even the same country - who I am starting to miss a lot. However, I was fortunate enough to get through the year with my sanity intact. Music, art and culture once again being my main positive. I think I listened to more music than I have in any year ever. I read more books than I have done since I was a teenager probably. I also re-discovered the joys of walking long distances and am extremely thankful for living near a lot of incredible green spaces: Epping Forest, Walthamstow Wetlands, Walthamstow Marshes, Wanstead Park, Wanstead Flats...

Music. My favourite albums of the year.

Oranssi Pazuzu - Mestarin kynsi Wetware - Flail Raspberry Bulbs - Before The Age Of Mirrors Necrot - Mortal Rope Sect - The Great Flood Private World - Aleph Oneohtrix Point Never - Magic Oneohtrix Point Never Pyrrhon - Abcess Time CS+Kreme - Snoopy Speaker Music - Black Nationalist Sonic Weaponry Drew McDowall - Agalma Regis - Hidden In This Is The Light That You Miss Nazar - Guerilla Zoviet France - Russian Heterodoxical Songs (and all the ZF reissues!!) Triple Negative - God Bless the Death Drive Permission - Organised People Suffer Actress - Karma & Desire Acolytes - Stress II The Gerogerigegege - >(decrescendo) Chubby & The Gang - Speed Kills Flora Yin-Wong - Holy Palm Eiko Ishibashi - Hyakki Yagyo The The - See Without Being Seen Prurient - Casablanca Flamethrower Henning Christiansen - L’essere Umano Errabando La Voce Errabando Subdued - Over The Hills And Far Away Rian Treanor - File Under UK Metaplasm Komare - The Sense Of Hearing Shredded Nerve - Acts Of Betrayal Jesu - Terminus Autechre - SIGN Hey Colossus - Dances / Curses Sparkle Division - To Feel Embraced Mark Harwood - A Perfect Punctual Paradise Under My Own Name Still House Plants - Fast Edit The Bug & Dis Fig - In Blue Kommand - Terrorscape Haus Arafna - Asche Khthoniik Cerviiks - Æequiizoiikum Worm - Gloomlord Kraus - A Golden Brain Faceless Burial - Speciation

A shout-out to Jon Abby's AMPLIFY series on Bandcamp / Facebook, which I contributed a new piece of music to.

A shout out to the labels where most of the music I listened to seemed to come from:

The Trilogy Tapes Iron Bonehead Penultimate Press Dais La Vida Es Un Mus

Gigs. Despite live music being destroyed in 2020 I still saw a few unforgettable performances at the beginning of the year.

Graham Lambkin @ The ICA, London Puce Mary / JFK @ The Glove That Fits, London Demilich @ Finnfest, The Garage, London Container / PC World / National Unrest @ Venue MOT, London S.H.I.T / Asid / Chubby & The Gang @ Static Shock Festival, ExFed, London

Books I enjoyed. Most not published this year, but all read in 2020.

Joe Kennedy - Authentocrats David Balzer - Curationism Tom Mills - BBC: The Myth Of A Public Service Simon Morris - Consumer Guide: Special Edition Luke Turner - Out Of The Woods Various - Bad News For Labour Mike Wendling - Alt-Right Baited Area issues 1 & 2.

Film. Three good films I saw this year which I hadn't before.

Suspiria (Remake) Midsommar Cannibal Holocaust

Podcasts. I listened to a lot of these whilst walking.

We Don't Talk About The Weather Novara Media Tysky Sour & Novara FM Grounded with Louis Theroux System of Systems Red Scare loveline episodes Suite 212 NOISEXTRA Social Discipline CONTAIN

TV.

Didn't watch a huge amount and what I did was mostly trash. For some reason I rewatched both series' of This Life, a British drama from the late 90's about a group of young professionals house sharing and navigating their careers. Very cringey and has aged terribly, but it was perversely fascinating to revisit something from that time in the age of the pandemic. Following on from this I binge watched the entire series of Industry which was entertaining enough. A programme about a bunch of horny bankers with what felt like a confused ideology behind it. It seemed stuck between trying to criticise and glorify the culture around the industry, but also protect the industry itself from outside criticism by portraying anyone who may oppose as an insufferable wanker. Currently halfway through Succession which is OK. The Murdoch documentaries on the BBC were excellent and a rare respite from their descent into client journalism.

Thanks to anyone who listened to my music this year also. Best wishes to you all for 2021.

Luke Younger

http://hhelmm.com | http://alter.bandcamp.com

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Elliott Sharp

composer

1. My Nr. 1 lesson: patience. Whether it's bouncing through 30 seconds of severe turbulence at 39000 feet or slogging through 30 minutes of a interminable piece of concert music, one attribute I've tried to develop is the ability to see past the discrete and awaited ending, the exact framing of the immediate process, but put it into the context of a larger time frame. I've found that this year more than all others has demanded it. Breathing helps...

2. Books: revisiting old favorites from the realm of Thomas Pynchon and Philip K. Dick (both especially relevant), digging into John Lomax's portrait of Jelly Roll Morton, the works of Colson Whitehead, random things off of the shelf…

3. Composing: with touring off the table, I focused on that which needed to be written, some requested and commissioned, some spontaneously springing forth. Composing requires that one open the windows wide to the world, which at this moment brought in grief, terror, uncertainty, anxiety, visions of plague and pestilence and incipient fascism. Okay, now shut the window and get to work! How to process, translate, transform? The work can be a comfortable and obsessive cocoon once one learns to handle the radioactive materials and put them into the creativity reactor.

4. Beans! We have long been a fan in our house of the wide world of legumes but this year brought two stars to the front: the black bean and the red lentil. The black bean commands the lofty peaks but the seemingly infinite variations of dal surround it. Ginger, garlic, turmeric, smoked paprika, cayenne, onions, and olive oil form the basis then imagination builds.

5. Online teaching substituted for my canceled conduction of workshops in the Pyrenees Mountains of France. Between the participants and myself, we built a temporary but very congenial space online to share concepts and music. In addition, private lessons brought conversation and music with new friends in Germany, Italy, California, Australia, Illinois, Denmark, Pennsylvania, Spain, Florida, Brazil.

6. What started out as "stress baking" (before I even had heard of the term) soon became a frequent practice that yielded very edible results. The twins preferred the sweeter forays into banana bread and chocolate cake. I tried to find a balance between tried-and-true techniques and experiments in texture and taste with yeasted pumpernickels, multi-grains, and seed breads.

7. While not the same as performing 'live ', online gigs proved that it was possible to generate a surprising amount of adrenaline even without the pheromonal handshaking of a room filled with receptive ears. As a corollary, online recording collaborations with friends worldwide proved to be inspiring and a suitable substrate for sonic experimentation, exploration of new instruments, tunings, effects programming, structures. In these realms, shout-outs to Helene Breschand, Mike Cooper, Henry Kaiser, Tracie Morris, Mikel Banks, Dougie Bowne, Payton McDonald, Billy Martin, Colin Stetson, Jim O'Rourke, Scott Amendola, Roberto Zorzi, Jason Hoopes, Eric Mingus, Melanie Dyer, Dave Hofstra, Don McKenzie, Sergio Sorrentino, Veniero Rizzardi, Taylor Ho Bynum, Scott Fields, Bachir Attar, Karl Bruckmaier, Robbie Lee, Matthew Evan Taylor, Matteo Liberatore, Al Kaatz, David Barratt, Jessica Hallock, Kolin Zeinikov, Robbie Lee, Jeremy Nesse, James Ilgenfritz, Sergio Armaroli, Steve Piccolo, Sandy Ewen, David Weinstein, Jim Whittemore, Chris Vine, Werner Puntigam, William Schimmel.

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Daniel O’Sullivan

(Grumbling Fur, Guapo, Miasma & the Carousel of Headless Horses, Ulver, Sunn O))), Æthenor, Laniakea, Miracle, Mothlite, and This Is Not This Heat.)

Music Richard Youngs - Ein Klein Nein Alabaster DePlume - Instrumentals Hildegard von Bingen - O Nobilissima Viriditas Francisco de Penalosa - Missa Ave Maria Peregrina Carlo Gesualdo - Responsoria 1611 Dirty Projectors - Five EPs Sonic Boom - All Things Being Equal Brother Peter Broderick - Blackberry Richard Horowitz - Eros Of Arabia Duncan Trussell Family Hour Cocteau Twins in the bath

Books/comics Alexander Tucker - Entity Reunion II Derek Jarman - Chroma Stephen Harrod Buhner - Plant Intelligence and the Imaginal Realm The Penguin Book Of Irish Poetry - edited by Patrick Crotty The Gospel Of Ramakrishna - translated by Swami Nikhilananda Lucretius - De Rerum Natura Plotinus - Enneads Ram Dass - Grist For The Mill Lisa Brown - Phantom Twin

Other Fasting / meditation / macrodosing Walks in freshly coppiced woodland (for the smell mainly). Plants / Foraging / Growing Traditional ferments Douglas Sirk movies Mandolorian Writing songs on the piano Rediscovery of Kenneth Graham via my kids

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Karl O’Connor (Regis)

01.Wolfgang Press - Unremembered, Remembered 02. Klara Lewis - Ingrid Live at Fylkingen 03. Jesu - Terminus 04. Dave Ball - Leeds Poly Demos 1979 05. Edwin Pouncey - Rated Sav X (the Savage Pencil Skratchbook) 06. The Bug - In Blue 07. New Order - Power,Corruption and Lies ( Writing Sessions ) 08. JG Thirlwell and Simon Steensland - Oscillospira 09. FM Einheit and Andreas Ammer - Hammerschlag 10. Thurston Moore - By The Fire 11. Body Stuff - Body Stuff 3 12. Ann M Hogan - Honeysuckle Burials 13. Rob Halford - Confess (Autobiography)

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Caleb Braaten (Sacred Bones Records)

Shirley Collins Hearts Ease Dehd Flowers Of Devotion Duma Duma Bob Dylan Rough and Rowdy Ways Green-House Six Songs for Invisible Gardens John Jeffery Passage Drew McDowall Agalma Sweeping Promises Hunger For a Way Out Colter Wall Western Swing & Waltzes and Other Punchy Songs Woods Strange to Explain

My Favorite 90’s Nostalgia Movie Rewatches

Colors Ghost Dog Menace II Society The Player Rounders Safe Starship Troopers Trees Lounge Vampires Waiting For Guffman

Most Culturally Bankrupt Year : 1997

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Charlie Looker

(composer, Psalm Zero, Extra Life, Seaven Teares)

Ten Things That Didn’t Happen in 2020

1. I didn’t write a ton of new music. Don’t get me wrong, I wrote some. I always do. But mostly I focused on my new YouTube channel, essays, and on getting old recordings released. I haven’t even been working a day-job so I thought I was going to write my next Ring Cycle, but I really didn’t find Covid inspiring.

2. Trump wasn’t re-elected. Cool.

3. I didn’t lose anyone to Covid. I am, of course, profoundly grateful for this. But I feel pretty embarrassed remembering group-texting ten friends in March, “We are all going to see a loved one die. Every single one of us. Don’t kid yourselves”. I can get hysterical, and that was somewhat irresponsible of me.

4. No revolution happened. I don’t mean to be smug or cynical, or to belittle anyone’s participation in the protests. But, as far as I can tell, nothing happened in 2020 that promises to reduce police brutality or human suffering of any kind. We’ll see. That burning Minneapolis police station was exciting to watch at the time, if only on an aesthetic level.

5. I have a stack of unread books I bought this year, just staring at me, with nary a crease among them. These include:

Adorno and Horkheimer, The Dialectic of Enlightenment (looks amazing, but I haven’t touched it) Marx, Grundrisse (it’s 1000 pages for fuck’s sake. Amazon also accidentally sent me two copies, and its double presence in the stack is just comical) Reza Negarestani, Intelligence and Spirit (the first 15 pages blew my mind, then my mind blew it off)

6. I didn’t settle into living in LA. I moved here six months before Covid and I was just starting to cultivate some friendships and play shows. This was quashed and I still feel like I still live in New York. I still barely know the layout of the city here.

7. No brand-new buzzy musical artists burst onto the scene, that I can recall. No new hyped micro-genre of the moment. There was just no way for there to be a hot new trend. I’d say that was refreshing, but it wasn’t.

8. Tyson’s return was not awesome. Two minute rounds, ended in a draw. I’ve been getting way into boxing this past year. This fight was a bummer. I’m looking forward to Mayweather vs Logan Paul (LOL) because we know it’s comedy ahead of time.

9. For three weeks in July, I didn’t do a single thing other than watch street fight compilations on YouTube and Worldstar. That’s just grim.

10. There were no school shootings in March. Apparently, this was the first March with no school shootings since 2002. Not a single 7th grader got a hand job in March either. I cannot begin to imagine what it’s like to be a kid now.

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Chuck Bettis

https://chuckbettis.com

Other People's Music released this year:

Coil "Musick to Play in the Dark" (Dais)

Duma "s/t" (Nyege Nyege Tapes) Twig Harper "External Boundless Prison/ in 4 parts EP" (self-release) I.P.Y. (Ikue Mori, Phew, YoshimiO) "I.P.Y." (Tzadik) Kill Alters "A2B2 Live Stream 11/13/2020" (self-release) Krallice "Mass Cathexis" (self-release) Lust$ickPuppy "Cosmic Brownie" (self-release) Doug McKechnie "San Francisco Moog: 1968-72" (VG+ Records) Merlin Nova "Boo!" (self-release) Omrb "Milandthriust, The Graths of Mersh" (self-release) Akio Suzuki & Aki Onda "gi n ga" (self-release) Yoth Iria "Under His Sway" (Repulsive Echo) Wetware "Flail" (Dais)

My own music released this year:

collaborations

Chatter Blip "Microcosmopolitan" (Contour Editions) Matmos "The Consuming Flame: Open Exercises in Group Form" (Thrill Jockey) Reverse Bullets "Dreampop Dsyphoria" (self-release) Snake Union "live at Roulette" (self-release) Snake Union w/ Hisham Bharoocha, Bonnie Jones, Heejin Jang, Matthew Regula "Three Arrows" (Rat Route) Thomas Dimuzio "Balance" (Gench Music) YoshimiO & Chuck Bettis "Live at the Stone" (Living Myth)

solo Chuck Bettis "Arc of Enlghtenment" (Living Myth) Chuck Bettis "Motion Parallax" (Living Myth)

compilation Various Artist "Polished Turds Vol.1" (Granpa)

Music Books read this year

"Intermediary Spaces" by Eliane Radigue/Julia Eckhardt (Umland) "Ennio Morricone In His Own Words" by Ennio Morricone/Alessandro De Rosa (Oxford University Press) "Free Jazz In Japan: A Personal History" by Soejima Teruto (Public Bath Press) "Rumors of Noizu: Hijokaidan and the Road to 2nd Damascus" by Kato David Hopkins (Public Bath Press)

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Maya Hardinge

(musician / artist)

list of things i liked this year

first ever solo road trip through new mexico and Texas right before lockdown experiencing manhattan with no cars on the road . having a car to escape in to nature. (which i craved so much) walks and bike rides with friends… FRIENDS! The web site ‘workaway’ that helped me feel that there were options for escape. playing games weekly on zoom during lock down teaching yoga weekly on zoom. Witnessing and being part of the BLM protests. witnessing and being part of the demise of T sitting on my couch at 6am drinking a cup of tea, appreciating my apt. making time to meditate. halloween without tourists .

some music I’ve bought and/or enjoyed this year Elvis Perkins-Black Coat Daughter Patricia Kokett -Soi soi Henning Christiansen - OP201 Bryce Hackford- Safe Svitlana Nianio and Oleksander - Snayesh yak? rozkazhy Brannten schnure - Sommer im Pfirsichhain Killing Joke - Nighttime David Shea - Tower of mirrors Shakey - Shakey Woodford halse tapes Coil - Musick to play in the dark

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BJ Nilsen

sound artist / composer

Work 2020

Despite Covid 19 lots of things actually did happen.

In Feburary I visited the only active nuclear plant in The Nederlands as part of my "Expanded Field Recording” project together with SML. In March revisited the Acousmonium at the Elevate Festival in Graz with an additional trip deep inside the Schlossberg recording old mining trains. In March and April I did two daily recording projects “Pending and Auditory Scenes” - both of Amsterdam during lockdown. In May did my first Zoom field recording workshop with the CAMP project. In June & July two research trips in Waldviertel, Austria with Franz Pomassl. In August recorded bells and organs in 10 different churches around Amsterdam for Jacob Lekkerkerker. In September recorded Kali Malone at the Orgelpark in Amsterdam. Performed at Heart of Noise Festival in Innsbruck and A4 in Bratislava. Also went ice-skating for first time in 20? Years. In November and December I travelled to Jeju island to record field recordings for a project by Femke Herregraven for the Gwangju Biennale, commissioned for 2021. Did lots of gardening, released two tapes “Call it Philips, Eindoven” and “Zomer 2020” with Sigtryggur Berg Sigmarsson. NOW! Looking forward to 2021.

http://bjnilsen.info https://soundcloud.com/bjnilsen/sets/auditory-scenes-amsterdam

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Vicki Bennett

(People Like Us)

Negativland - True False https://negativland.com/products/truefalse-cd (this came out last year but is so THIS year) Bob Dylan - Rough and Rowdy Ways https://www.bobdylan.com/albums/rough-and-rowdy-ways/ The Soft Pink Truth - We from Shall We Go On Sinning So That Grace May Increase https://thesoftpinktruth.bandcamp.com/album/shall-we-go-on-sinning-so-that-grace-may-increase Carl Stone - Stolen Car https://unseenworlds.bandcamp.com/album/stolen-car Porest - Sedimental Gurney https://porest.bandcamp.com/album/sedimental-gurney Matmos - The Consuming Flame: Open Exercises in Group Form https://matmos.bandcamp.com/album/the-consuming-flame-open-exercises-in-group-form Domenique Dumont - Miniatures De Auto Rhythm https://antinoterecordings.bandcamp.com/album/atn044-domenique-dumont-miniatures-de-auto-rhythm The The - See Without Being Seen https://www.thethe.com/product/see-without-being-seen-cd/ Ciggy de la Noche - Hold Tight HMRC https://soundcloud.com/ciggydelanoche/hold-tight-hmrc Neil Cicierega - Mouth Dreams http://www.neilcic.com/mouthdreams/

and my details: http://peoplelikeus.org/ https://peoplelikeus-vickibennett.bandcamp.com/ pic: http://peoplelikeus.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Welcome-Abroad-promo3-2-scaled.jpg

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DJ Food

Music - Type 303 - Sticky Disco / Analogue Acidbath 7" (45 Live) The British Space Group - The Ley of the Land CD (Wyrd Britain) Squarepusher - Be Up A Hello LP / Warp 10 NTS mix (Warp) dgoHn - Undesignated Proximate (Modern Love) LF58 - Alterazione LP (Astral Industries) Robert Fripp - Music For Quiet Moments series (DGM) Run The Jewels - RTJ4 (BMG) Simf Onyx - Magenta Skyline / The Unresolved 7" (Delights) Luke Vibert - Modern Rave LP (Hypercolour) JG Thirlwell & Simon Steensland - Oscillospira (Ipecac) Aural Design - Looking & Seeing 7" / DL (Russian Library) Luke Vibert - Rave Hop (Hypercolour) Clipping. with Christopher Fleeger - Double Live (Sub Pop) APAT - Terry Riley's 'In C' performed on Modular Synthesizer (YouTube) Field Lines Cartographer - The Spectral Isle LP (Castles In Space) Jane Weaver - The Revolution of Super Visions single (Fire Records) King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - K.G. LP (Flightless) Humanoid - Hed-Set - forthcoming on (De:tuned)

Film / TV - Inside No.9 (BBC) What We Do In The Shadows Season 2 (Netflix) Tales From The Loop (Amazon) Keith Haring - Street Art Boy (BBC) John Was Trying To Contact Aliens (Netflix) The Social Dilemma (Netflix) The Mandalorian (Season 2) (Disney+) Long Hot Summers - The Style Council documentary (Sky Arts) Zappa (Alex Winter)

Books / Comics / Magazines Confessions of a Bookseller - Shaun Bythell (Profile books) The Often Wrong - Farel Dalrymple (Image Comics) Edwin Pouncey - Rated SavX (Strange Attractor Press) Jeffrey Lewis - Fuff (all issues - really late to the party on this one) Rian Hughes - XX - A Novel, Graphic (Picador) Cosey Fanni Tutti - Art, Sex, Music (Faber) Caza - Kris Kool (Passenger Press) Dan Lish - Egostrip Vol.1 Electronic Sound magazine Decorum - Jonathan Hickman & Mike Huddleston (Image) John Higgs - Stranger Than We Can Imagine Simon Halfon - Cover To Cover (Nemperor)

Very few exhibitions or shows this year for obvious reasons

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33 notes · View notes

harshr · 3 years

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20 records I enjoyed very much in 2020

EDDINGTON AGAIN - Damani6 Soul/pop; the hook from the chorus in "!ndica" was stuck in my head for weeks. AUSTRA - Hirudin Synth/pop; I actually didn't like this record very much when I first heard it, but it grew on me immensely. I've been a fan of Austra forever and it's great to hear her expand her sonic palette. TYLER CHILDERS - Long Violent History Appalachin country/folk/bluegrass; I remain steadfastly ignorant of Tyler's standard pop/country material, but this EP of (mostly) instrumental fiddle music is fantastic, even without the social commentary context that elevates it even further. CINDER WELL - No Summer Irish/PNW dark folk; eternally grateful I got a chance to see this material performed live last fall. CRYSTAL GEOMETRY - Senestre Hard techno/industrial; I rarely expect a full-length album in this genre to be so good, but CG delivers. DEAD LORD - Surrender Straight-up Thin Lizzy worship; it doesn't make sense, but this band is way better than they have any right to be. MAENAD VEYL - Reassessment Dark techno/industrial; emotionally complex and satisfying in a way that most techno is not. MAJESTOLUXE - Secondary Sanctions Synth/industrial; heavy, dark, and brooding in the best possible way. MORWAN - Zola-Zemlya Slavic post-punk; this is what I always hoped Molchat Doma would sound like. HATARI - Neyslutrans Icelandic industrial; honestly, the full album is kind of a mess overall, but the good songs are GREAT. HOUSE OF HARM - Vicious Pastimes New romantic/synth; total goth comfort food with hooks for days. GWENIFER RAYMOND - Strange Lights Over Garth Mountain Welsh goth does American Primitive solo guitar ala John Fahey. Her first album was superb, but she shows far more range on this one, working solely with her own original material. SANGRE DE MUERDAGO - Xuntas Galician folk; a new Sangre de Muerdago album is pretty much guaranteed to make my year-end list. SAULT - Rise / Black Is Soul/pop/everything; the two definitive albums of 2020. SEVDALIZA - Shabrang Pop/experimental; this record goes places. Also, some of the more inventive use of autotune I've heard in a long while. SIXTH JUNE - Trust Synth/goth/pop; my spouse asks "Is this Enya?" every time I put this on and I consider that to be extremely high praise. STATUES - Holocene Norrland indierock. There were a few other quality indie/noiserock releases this year (Bully, Spunsugar, Radula), but my friends Statues earn top status. UNCONSCIOUS - Regnum Novum Techno/EBM/industrial; much like the Maenad Veyl record, there's an emotional depth here that I find absent in other similar works. VEDAN KOLOD - Wild Games Russian folk; the cover art got my attention and then the actual music blew me away. Vedan Kolod's brooding dark folk is precisely my thing. ZALIVA-D - Immorality Mutant techno from Beijing; there is nothing else in the world that sounds like Zaliva-D and I love it.

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spacetimewithstuartgary · 3 years

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Scientists develop new molecular tool to detect alien life The press release and accompanying multimedia are available online on ASU News here While scientists know the discovery of alien life would be a game-changing, interstellar event for humanity, the search to date has been unsuccessful. But now, they have a new tool capable of identifying molecular biosignatures that will allow them to look for life in the universe ----no matter what form it takes. In a new paper recently published in Nature Communications, a team of scientists describes a universal approach to life detection including a system that could easily be flown on a space probe to find life in our solar system. The key innovation enabling these advances is the application of a new theory called assembly theory, developed by Professor Lee Cronin and his team at the University of Glasgow, with a team of scientists from ASU collaborating on the theory development. Assembly theory applied to molecules identifies molecules as biosignatures because of what life does, not what life is. “Our system is the first falsifiable hypothesis for life detection and is based on the idea that only living systems can produce complex molecules that could not form randomly in any abundance, and this allows us to sidestep the problem of defining life,” said Professor Lee Cronin, Regius Professor of Chemistry at the University of Glasgow. Their team developed an algorithm that could assign a complexity score to a given molecule, which they call the molecular assembly (MA) number. The MA number is based on the number of bonds needed to make the molecule. Simply put, large biogenic molecules would have a bigger MA number than smaller molecules or large molecules that aren’t biogenic. This one is the first complexity measure that is experimentally measurable. And that makes the algorithm especially powerful because it could be proven and tested in the lab by instruments that could be incorporated on future space missions. “The method enables identifying life without the need for any prior knowledge of its biochemistry,” says study co-author Sara Imari Walker of Arizona State University’s School of Earth and Space Exploration. “It can therefore be used to search for alien life in future NASA missions, and it is informing an entire new experimental and theoretical approach to finally reveal the nature of what life is in the universe, and how it can emerge from lifeless chemicals” In their experiments, the team used their method to assign MA numbers to a database containing about 2.5 million molecules. Next, they used a sample subset of about 100 small molecules and small protein fragments (peptides) to experimentally verify the expected correlation between the MA number and the number of fragments generated by a widely-used lab instrument that verifies the structure of molecules, called a mass spectrometer. Mass spectrometers ionize a sample, breaking the molecule into bits, and then counts the number of unique parts. The larger the number of unique parts, the larger the MA number. Collaboration with NASA, ASU and the Glasgow team led by Cronin reveals that the system works with samples from all over the earth and extra-terrestrial samples. The samples included a bit of the Murchison meteorite (not of biological origin) and fossil-containing lake sediments samples from the Holocene (30,000 years ago) and the mid-Miocene (14 million years ago). The team was able to show that life is the only process that can make molecules with high MA numbers. And there is a MA threshold that they were able to demonstrate, which once crossed, indicates that life was necessary to produce the molecule. “Living and non-living systems are set apart by the degree to which they can reliably, and in detectable abundances, assemble highly complex molecular structures,” said Doug Moore, post-doctoral research associate at the Beyond Center at ASU and co-author of the study. “We set out to show that this is the case and propose a biosignature that is both biochemically agnostic and practically useful.” Beyond detecting aliens, the theoretical framework the team has developed is one of the first techniques that can quantify the consequences of information processing – a fundamental attribute of life - in chemical systems, and it can be experimentally measured. “We think this will enable an entirely new approach to understanding the origin of living systems on Earth, other worlds, and hopefully to identifying de novo living systems in lab experiments,” says ASU alumni Cole Mathis, post-doctoral researcher at the University of Glasgow and co-author. “From a really practical perspective, if we can understand how living systems are able to self-organize and produce complex molecules, we can use those insights to design and manufacture new drugs and new materials.” A life detection instrument based on this method could be deployed on missions to extra-terrestrial locations to detect biosignatures or detect the emergence of de novo artificial life in the lab. This is important because “developing an approach that cannot produce false positives is vital for the discovery of life beyond Earth, an event that will only happen once in human history.” The research was supported by funding from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), The John Templeton Foundation and the European Research Council (ERC). Additional authors of this study include Stuart Marshall, Graham Keenan, Geoffrey J.T. Cooper, Matthew Craven, Piotr S. Gromski of the University of Glasgow, and Heather Graham, Astrobiology Analytical Laboratory, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. IMAGE....Chemical space. Artist credit: Naomi Johnson, Lee Cronin

#space #science #Astronomy #physics #news #astrobiology

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meikodenji · 3 years

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Patrick Watson -- Je te laisserai des mots

Bryan Adams -- Nothing I’ve Ever Known (instrumental)

Sleeping At Last -- Saturn

Bon Iver -- Holocene

M83 -- Wait

Pixies -- Where Is My Mind (instrumental)

#song #song recs #playlist #audio #youtube #patrick watson #bryan adams #sleeping at last #bon iver #m83 #pixies #recommendations

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juniperpublishersoceanography · 3 years

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New Records of Sea Level Changes in the Fiji Islands- Juniper Publishers

Abstract

New sea level records from the Yasawa Islands in Fiji are presented. Beachrock occurs frequently on the beaches in the zone between mean and high tide levels on most of the islands. They date to the last 4200 years. The present sea level has produced distinct shore marks in the form of under-cut notches, rock-cut platforms and sea-caves in the bedrock, as well as sand accumulations with a clear mean high tide level (HTL). The fieldwork was concentrated in 10 sites. Elevation was measured with a high-precision instrument with respect to HTL. Ages were determined by 17 C14-dates. A +70cm higher sea level was observed, sampled and dated at AD 1530-1673. It was followed by a significant regression of about 1.7-1.8m, killing coral reefs and cutting a new rock-cut platform some 20-30cm above present mean low tide level (LTL). Then sea level rose again to its present position, or slightly above, a level, which remained fairly constant over the last 150200 years. In the last 60 years corals were killed due to a sea level lowering or a severe bleaching episode. After that very stable sea level conditions must have prevailed for the last decades, forcing corals at several sites to grow laterally into microatolls.

Keywords: Relative sea level changes; Regional eustasy; Rotational eustasy; Yasawa Islands; Fiji

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Introduction

Before addressing our research project, it seems appropriate to review the regional background with respect to plate tectonics, regional geography, the interaction of changes in land and sea levels, and especially previous research achievements in Fiji with respect to sea level changes. It seems surprising to note that all previous work has been addressed to interglacial and Holocene sea level change older than the last millennium, because it is the sea level of the last 500-1000 years that have the potential to act as a key to our understanding of what is actually going in present time.

Plate tectonic setting

Fiji is positioned between plates of complex geodynamic force and motion (Figure 1). According to the Fijian Ministry of Land and Mineral Resources [1], the Lau-Colville Ridge and Fiji represent an old dormant island arc ridge (Figure 2). However, this area is still seismically active [2-4]. For example, Suva experienced a M 6.8 earthquake in 1953 and a M 7.1 earthquake in 2009. In the Yasawa Islands area, the subject of this paper, a M 6.8 earthquake occurred in 1902 and a M 6.1 earthquake in 1984 [2].

Geography of the Fiji Islands

The nation of Fiji consists of about 330 separate islands (Figure 3). The main island is Viti Levu with Vanua Levu the second largest. The sea level changes and archaeology of Viti Levu have been studied by [5,6]. The eastern island group known as the Vanuabalavu Islands have been investigated by [7]. Kadavu Island has been studied by [8]. The Yasawa Islands were the target of our own investigations with respect to sea level changes. The Mamanuca Islands have been studied by [9,10].

Changes in land and sea levels

The tide-gauges at Lautoka and Suva on Viti Levu (Figure 3) provide records of the relative sea level changes since 1992 and 1972, respectively. In the vicinity of the tide-gauge stations there are GPS stations measuring the changes in crustal level. Both tide-gauge stations seem very unfortunately placed on heavy harbour constructions resting on soft marine sediments susceptible to significant compaction, and can hardly be used to decipher the present trend of sea level changes [11].

Several authors have tried to apply a seismotectonic zonation of the Fiji Islands (e.g. [12-16]). According to [16] only the Ovalau-Moturiki Islands (just east of Viti Levu) represent stable tectonic conditions, however.

Previous sea level research

As far as we know, there have been no studies of sea level changes conducted in the Yasawa Islands, except for a few notes (e.g. [14]). In this case our investigation brings forward new material. On Viti Levu, the Ovalau-Moturiki Islands, the Vanuabalavu Islands, the Karavu Island and the Mamanucas Islands, there are previous investigations to consider. Before addressing those papers, there are a few general problems to consider.

Radiocarbon dates of marine material need to be calibrated with the so-called reservoir effect satisfactorily well determined. Petchey et al. [17] reports the ages of four modern shell and coral samples. The reservoir ages were around 450 years, a value we adopted and used as 450±30 years in our marine radiocarbon calibration via OxCalv4.2.4 [18]. This makes direct comparisons complicated as, for example, [5] used a reservoir value of 370 years and an old calibration curve [19], and [7] used 438 years and an older calibration technique [20].

The use of datum level is another subject of great difference. Both [5,7] use the lowest astronomical tide (LAT) as their zero- level. This is quite surprising as this level is a theoretic level [21,22] not recognizable in the field. The unfortunate choice of LAT as their zero-level generates problems with respect to the identification of past sea level index points.

Past sea level data can only be referred to MSL (usually more or less arbitrary, however), HTL (morphological features like notches, sea caves, rock-cut platforms and some beach structures) or LTL (microatolls). This implies that sea level graphs with a datum set at LAT become misleading as they show data points above the chosen LAT-datum, which in fact may not represent any higher sea level position.

It seems natural that the nautical charts are referenced to the low-tide level. But geological and biological associations to shore structures, corals in situ or marine shells and corals in shore deposits are all much better related to the high-tide level, which in most cases is very easily identifiable. Therefore the HTL was selected as the ideal datum. The mean-tide level is usually also easy to identify on a beach, as a minor break in slope and concentration of larger particles like coarse sand and gravel [23].

The present tidal range is given as 1.30m by NOAA [21] and maximum 1.84 for Suva and 1.82 for Nadi according to [24]. In the field, a tidal range of 1.51m was measured. The conversion to LAT is not obvious (and we have no information of what value previous authors have used), but it seems that LTL should be about +30cm, MTL about +100cm and HTL about +170cm with respect to the LAT-datum [25].

Finally, it is interesting to note that all the previous papers are devoted to Mid and Late Holocene sea level data, and that there is a general lack of data for the last millennium. This is why the study, being focused on the last 500-600 years' field evidence on sea level changes, will fill a gap in the sea level history of the Fiji Islands [26-27].

Viti Levu: Nunn & Peltier [16] listed 32 C14-dated samples from 11 sites on Viti Levu. Additional dates come from [9,28,29], and our dates from Maui Bay (below). The data are plotted in Figure 4.

From Rove Peninsula (SW Viti Levu), [28,29] have reposted a stratigraphical record spanning the entire Holocene. At around 8000cal.yrs BP marine influence is recorded at the -3m (MSL) level. At 8000 BP, global eustatic sea level was at about -10m [30], suggesting that the Rove Peninsula has been uplifted by about 7m since 8000 BP; i.e. at a mean rate of 0.875mm/yr. Therefore, there are good reasons to dismiss their maximum sea level of about +2.1m dated 4055±575cal.yrs BP (suggesting a mean uplift of 0.525mm/yr).

From Vuda Point, between Nadi & Lautoka, [9] describes microatolls of Porites sp. at 16cm below MTL dated at 6460±70 and 6350±60cal.yrs BP, which corresponds to a sea level position at about +0.8-1.0m. If eustatic sea level at that time was at about -2.0m, the Vuda Point area is likely to have gone up by 2.0m; i.e., at a mean rate of 0.312mm/yr.

Bloom [31] reports the finding of a submarine peat-bed in a drowned valley tributary to the Rewa River east of Suva dated at a depth of -4.5m with a C14-age of 5500±110 BP, corresponding to 6295±111cal.yrs BP. If we assume a eustatic position at that time of about -1.5m, the site would have gone down by 3.0m or at a mean rate of 0.476mm/yr, which seems reasonable for a delta area. Wood at -0.2m in the Rewa River delta has been dated at 4165±245cal.yrs BP. Even this date is likely to represent subsidence, and has therefore been ignored in the sea level graph of Figure 4.

Obviously, there must be differential tectonics involved; uplift of Rove Point, uplift of Vuda Point and subsidence of the Rewa River delta. All the other sites seem to provide a reasonably congruent picture (i.e. stability); viz. sea level at about +0.3m from 5600 to 4900cal.yrs BP, at about±0.0m 4150-3950cal.yrs BP, at about +0.3m around 3350cal.yrs BP and at about -0.5m from 2900 to 1500cal.yrs BP (as illustrated in Figure 4).

Ash [5] investigated three sites along the northeast coast of Viti Levu and had 7 samples radiocarbon dated. He concluded that sea level rose to about +0.45m by 5300 BP and "has since declined at a constant rate". He also claimed: "sea level has not been significantly raised since 1630±250 years BP". The last statement is seriously contradicted by the present findings in the Yasawa Islands, however (below).

The earliest inhabitants of the Fiji Islands were the Lapita people. Kumar et al. [6] reported the finding of charcoal dated at 2583±233cal. BP. Nunn [32] gives an age of the Lapita settlement of "approximately 1350-750BC" (i.e., 3300-2700BP). This is in good agreement with the general Lapita immigration according to [33] and the stratigraphic records from Tavua Island, west of Nadi, by [10].

We investigated a section at Maui Bay on the south-coast including a piece of pottery and shells dated at 4019±103cal. yrs BP (below), suggesting that people might have been present significantly earlier, however

The Ovalau-Moturiki Islands: The Ovalau Island lies just east of Vitu Levi with Moturiki Island close by. They were studied by [34]. According to [34] the islands "have been subsiding very slowly for most of the past few thousand years". According to [16], however, these islands represent stable tectonic conditions, and would hence record regional eustatic changes in sea level.

There are 10 C 14-dates from Ovalau Island and 7 from Moturiki Island [16]. When plotted against time, the data suggest that sea level was at around +0.5m (MSL) in the period 6500-4500cal.yrs BP and at about +0.4 to +0.7m (MSL) in the period 3500-2900cal.yrs BP. Two dates from +1.6m (LAT) of about 5700cal.yrs BP and from +1.5m (LAT) of about 3700cal. yrs BP are problematic [34].

The Vanuabalavu Islands: Nunn et al. [7] undertook an extensive survey of past Holocene and Pleistocene sea levels as recorded by shore notches and marine deposits. The story is backed up by 4 C 14-dates of Holocene deposits (below recalibrated according to the methods used) and 3 Th/U-dates of Last Interglacial material. As mentioned before, they use a theoretical LAT as their zero-datum, which poses problems with respect to the identification of morphological sea level criteria, according to [7] here "typically marked by shore platforms, notches, marine caves and, less commonly, fossil corals and beach deposits". In the text they often talk about elevation with respect to "its modern analogue" (which is to be recommended) and some drawings give elevation with respect to mean sea level (which implies a new zero level about 70cm above LAT).

Nunn et al. [7] observed 3 different shorelines in the Vanuabalavu Islands; an upper +9-10m level of unknown Pleistocene age, a +5m Last Interglacial Level, and a +1-2m Holocene level. Their records have been combined into a shoreline diagram in Figure 5, and supplied with some additional information. The Last Interglacial level (red) seems to go through all sites at a fairly uniform level of about +5m above MTL. The Holocene level (blue) is by no means uniform, varying between around +1m and +2m. Because of the uniform Last Interglacial level, the Holocene irregularities cannot be interpreted in terms of differential tectonics, but have to be from field interpretation; the +2-3m levels on Mago Island are far from clear, on Kaibu Island there are no such levels recorded, on Yacata Island the +2-3m levels are unclear, and this is also the case with the +2m level of Vatuvara Island. Much better and more conclusive are the +1m levels of Vanuabalavu and Namalata Islands. The data presented suggest an elevation of +0.9m to +1.3m and an age of 3540±170cal.yrs BP to 3959±180cal. BP (overlapping at 3745±69 years). Therefore, a +1.1±0.2m level with an age of about 3750cal.yrs. BP is proposed. The microatoll (Porites) at +0.2m on Avea Island is indicative of sea level stability around 4178±180cal.yrs BP at about +0.6m.

On the south tip of the Vanuabalavu Island, there is a big cave named the Qaranilaca Cave. Its floor is given as "approximately 2.1-2.5m above mean low-water spring tide" [35]. This datum is not very useful, but corresponds to 0.8-1.2m above HTL and 1.5-1.8m above MTL. The stratigraphy is interesting [7,35,36]. The top 70cm is a bed indicating human habitation. According to Nunn et al. [7], it represents a significant regression at about 300BP (AD 1788±114cal. yrs). Then follows a 7cm marine bed (with sharp boundaries below and above) at +0.25-0.30cm above HTL. Below that are two beds with human habitation material dated at AD cal. 660 to 1160. At the base, 50cm below HTL and 10cm above MTL, there is a second marine bed of sand and beachrock.

Kadavu Island: Nunn & Omura [8] studied the Quaternary sea level changes on Kadavu Island. Their tectonic interpretation seems hardly tenable. The structural observations, on the other hand, seem quite straightforward; a "reef limestone" reaching +7.1m and dated to the Penultima Interglacial around 210Ka BP (3 Th/U-dates given), an undated "predominant erosional bench" at +2.6-3.4m of assumed Last Interglacial age, and an absence of emerged Holocene levels. This is illustrated in Figure 6.

There is a clear difference in elevation of the three shorelines in Figure 4 (Vanuabalavu) and Figure 6 (Kadavu): The Penultima Interglacial level of +7.5-8.0m on Kadavu seems to correspond to the +9-10m shoreline (green) on Vanuabalavu, The Last Interglacial level at +3m corresponds to the +5m level in Vanuabalavu (red), and the absence of emerged Holocene levels on Kadavu correspond to the +1m level in Vanabalavu (blue). A Penultima Interglacial sea level at +7.5m calls for some tectonic uplift. At the same time, however, the Last Interglacial and Holocene sea levels are indicative of predominant stability. Therefore, it seems to represent an episodic uplift of at least 5m in pre-Last Interglacial time.

Mamanucas Islands: Morrison et al. [10], studied nine cay islands of the Mamanucas Islands, located between Vita Levu and the Yasawa Islands. Cay islands are small sandy islands of low elevation formed on top of coral reefs by the erosional debris of corals, mixed with other marine organisms. They reported C14-ages from 3 cay sand islands. The subsurface ages go back to about 2200cal.yrs BP. All the surface dates belong to the last 600 years. The study has little to contribute to sea level changes. It just supports the notion that sea level had changed from a general rise to a general stability (or fall as proposed by [16]) well before 2200BP.

Morrison et al. [10] studied Tuvua Island in the same island group with respect to sediment stratigraphy and archaeological material. Coral fragments without morphological relation to any beach structure were dated; one at +1.9m (MSL) at 2816±20BP and one at 1.75(MSL) at 3294±21BP, suggesting that sea level was at about the present level, or even somewhat higher. The archaeological remains have ages in full agreement with the age of Lapita immigration according to [32].

Methods

Before going to Fiji, we carefully scanned suitable coastal segments of the Yasawa Islands as recorded on Google Earth images. After that we selected our spots and formulated our fieldwork program. Sometimes, this was not easy because we were not sure how to arrange local transport. In the field, we investigated the morphological characteristics and decided about how to work with respect to levelling, photo documentation and sampling for C14-dating.

We used the mean high-tide level (HTL) as our datum because it was morphologically easily identified. This level is about 70cm above mean-tide level (MTL) or mean sea level (MSL), and about 170m above the lowest astronomical tidal level (LAT). Levelling was performed with a high-precision Kern instrument, implying a measurement accuracy of better than 1.0cm. Microatolls were observed and their upper top surface was measured with respect to the sea level at low tide to the minute of its lowest position. The photo documentation includes several hundreds of images taken by different cameras, including one under-water camera.

Radiocarbon AMS dates were performed by Professor Goran Possnert at the Ångström Laboratory at Uppsala University. The marine calibration was done according to OxCal v4.2.4, with a reservoir effect of 450±30 years applied [36].

Results from Fiji Island

Because the Fiji Islands were going to be the center piece at the UN conference in June 2017 [37] and at the COP23 conference in Bonn in November 2017 [38], there suddenly became an urgent need of a careful sea level investigation in Fiji with respect to present trends and recent to sub-recent changes in sea level. Therefore, we initiated a new sea level project in the Fiji [26]. After studies of coastal segments on Google Earth, we selected the Yasawa Islands as our main target.

Our field studies spanned 3 weeks in March 2017. The locations of our investigation sites are shown in Figure 7, and include four sites on Viti Levu (coastal observations at Denarau west of Nadi and at Maui Bay east of Sigatoka, and the locations of the tide-gauge stations Lautoka and Suva). However, our main investigation concentrated on 10 sites in the Yasawa Islands.

Studies on Viti Levu

The investigations on Viti Levu will be described as shorter notes under this section. The main report on our results from the Yasawa Islands will follow below.

The Lautoka and Suva tide-gauge stations

The study of the two tide-gauge stations at Lautoka and Suva has already been reported on [11]. Our main conclusion was: "Any application of mean trends would produce meaningless values rather misguiding than assisting in the handling of estimation of on-going absolute sea level changes".

This is important, and implies that we must seek other means of establishing the present trend in regional ocean level changes. Consequently, this was our main target in our fieldwork in the Yasawa Islands, besides recording sub-recent to Late Holocene sea level changes.

The Denerau Site

Our first contact with the shores of the Fiji Islands occurred at Denarau. The first observation was that there are absolutely no indications of the shore advancing inland due to sea level rise, on the contrary sea level seems to remain quite stable (Figure 8).

A second observation was that there was an upper limit of dead Patella shells, and a lower limit of living Patella shells (Figure 9). The difference in elevation is 10-20cm, and may suggest that there has been a lowering of sea level in sub-recent time.

The Maui Bay site

At Maui Bay Public Park, on the south coast some 21km east of Sigatoka, the accidental find of an interesting site of past sea level changes led to some important discoveries. There is a thick beachrock deposit outcropping in the intertidal zone of the present beach. Also, there is clear evidence of a somewhat higher sea level. In an erosional depression of a small brook, we found a stratigraphic section, documented in Figure 10. Three generations of shore deposits can be distinguished.

An extensive beachrock deposit has its surface planed into a rock-cut platform (RCP). The high water level was found in direct association only 5cm higher (HTL). The present beach sand deposition, unit III, goes up 110cm above HTL (zero in Figure 10). An older over-grown sand unit (II) goes up 90cm above the top of unit I, indicating that sea level at one time must have been higher than today by about 90cm or a bit less.

Underneath these sand units, there is a third unit (I). It has a 30cm-deep soil at its top, indicating considerable age. A piece of pottery was found at a depth of 10cm (sample 20 in Figure 10), indicating that the soil and sand unit has to be of Late Holocene age. Shells and corals at a depth of 20cm (sample 19) were C14- dated at 4244±26 BP, or 4345±100cal.yrs. BP. A 10cm thick bed of flint-hard beachrock occurs close by. Corals from this bed (sample 17) were C14 dated at 4005±26 BP, or 4019±103cal.yrs. BP. This means that shore unit I has an age of about 4182cal. yrs BP (the mean of the two samples). Obviously, sea level had reached the present level, but hardly above this level (at least not more than 0.5m).

A sea level at about ±0.0m at about 4200 BP is in minor contrast to the results of [5], who has a Holocene sea level maximum at +0.45m at 5300cal.yrs BP. Ash and Ash [39] demonstrated that a proposed +1.6m Holocene maximum [40], in fact, was only at a +0.48m level (MTL). A sea level at about +0.4-0.5m would agree with all three records, however, but strongly contradict a +2m level as suggested by [16].

The piece of pottery found in the soil (sample 20) with a date of 4019±105cal.yrs. BP implies that Lapita people are likely to have already arrived on Fiji by 4000 BP. As this is earlier than considered before (e.g. [10,33,35], it seems necessary to show the piece of pottery (Figure 11).

Results from the Yasawa Islands

The Yasawa Islands is a chain of six main islands and numerous smaller islets spanning 80km in a SW-NE direction (Figure 12). The islands were not charted until 1840. All islands consist of volcanic bedrock (Figure 13). Erosional products generate coastal sand beaches. We undertook detailed sea level studies in 10 separate places. In addition, we made important observations of the coast from the ferryboat as well as the small boats we used for local transportation. As part of our planning for this investigation, we studied all of the islands on Google Earth images.

At Viwa Island 25km to the west of the main Yasawa Islands, three coral samples have been Th/U-dated at the Last Interglacial [8], viz. 126±7ka BP from +2.1m, 128.7±1.6ka BP from 2.85m, and 136±12ka BP from +3.1m. According to [14] "no relatively emerged features of certain Holocene age are known from the Yasawa and Mamanuca Islands". This statement seems valid even today (except for the +70cm level described below).

The present shore forms a distinct line all around the islands of rock-notches, sea-caves and rock-cut platforms, as well as sandy beaches (Figure 14). These morphological elements are closely tied to mean HTL, and therefore constitute an ideal datum for our investigations. Levelling was undertaken with a high-precision Kern instrument with rod-readings of up to 0.51.0cm accuracy.

General coastal observations

All the way from Kuata Island in the south to Bukama Village in the north, we observed very distinct shore morphological elements indicating the HTL; i.e., bedrock notches, under-cut notches, rock-cut platforms, and sandy shore HTL marks.

A few examples of the distinct high-tide shore markers are given in Figure 15a-c. At some coastal segments it seems evident that the coastal sand is also graded to a somewhat higher level (+1m or less), now overgrown and not reached by the waves at the present sea level. This seems to indicate that there was, in sub-recent time, a higher sea level on the order of +0.5 to +1.0m (Figure 16a-b).

There seems to be a general lack of higher shore marks, either from a Late Holocene sea level maximum (as proposed by [16]) or from a Last Interglacial level (as found on Viwa Island to the west).

Bukama Village

We spotted the coast at Bukama Village on the Google Earth images and were attracted by sandy beaches disappearing against rock cliffs and a tombolo spit (Figure 17), both structures of which had a potential for recording changes in present sea level. We accessed the site via a 25km long boat ride from Nabua lodge. This ride provided excellent coastal views of distinct shore morphological features indicating the HTL (under-cut notches and sea caves) and sand beaches with the present HTL clearly visible and an older, overgrown, higher surface from a somewhat higher sea level at about +0.5-1.0m.

An extensive beachrock at point 1 (Figure 18) was C14-dated at AD 611±82cal.yrs. This implies that sea level at that time was at about the same level as today. Judging from the Qaranilaca Cave section on Vanuabalavu Island (section 1.4.2, above), this level was followed by a lower level lasting from about AD 660 to 1160 [35].

The tombolo spit is built out between the mainland and a small island (Figure 17). Figure 19 gives a view from the bedrock hill seawards. The tombolo is built out from the north to the south by converging long-shore drift. The crest, the washing (swash) limit (WL), and the HTL on both sides were leveled with our high-precision instrument (Figure 19 & 20). The vegetated part is no longer reached by normal waves, and was partly formed at a somewhat higher sea level. The crest is successively falling off to the south and there is a total lack of any signs of present rise in sea level, on the contrary stability is evident. At the foot of the rock hill, there is an old, inactive under-cut notch, now filled by sand (Figure 21a). It must have been cut at a former sea level somewhat higher than today. The leveling indicates that the former sea level must have been about 70cm higher than today (Figure 20). Besides the +70cm notch, there are erosional marks in the bedrock at +2.4-2.6m and at +5.5m (Figure 21b). Those marks perhaps represent former sea level notches. We are not sure how to classify them, and leave the question open by assigning them "possible higher sea level notches". No other site with higher notches was observed between Naisisili and Bukama (Figure 22). At Naisisili, there might be one (Figure 31).

Nabua Lodge and Naisisili Village

This site was selected because the Google Earth image showed a long coastalspur (Figure 23), which by precise leveling might provide insight into the present trend of sea level; whether rising, stable or falling. Naisisili Village lies on a sandy flat between the sea and a small brook running parallel to the shore for about 600m. Today, the area of the village is not reached by the normal waves. The sandy ground of the village represents littoral swash deposits at a former sea level in the order of 0.5- 1. 0m higher than today's sea level. The shore spur to the south is graded to a lower level. The situation is illustrated in Figure 24.

The shore spur (spit) was subjected to precise levelling with 7 sections crossing the spit, identifying the present HTL, the sand/vegetation limit, the crest on the seaside, and the lagoonal HTL both the inner side and the foot of the back-side escarpments (Figure 26).

Figure 26 gives the main levels identified along and across the shore spur. The crest falls off from around +2m in the north to +1.5m in the south. The shore spur is 155m long. A C14-date of shells 30cm below surface gave an age of 532±23BP, which in calendar years is AD cal. 1866±82. Assuming an age of about 150 years for the spur to form, it would have been built out to the south at a speed of about 1.0m per year, which seems quite reasonable.

It has taken quite some time and checking of photos at both high- and low-tide to decipher the genetic origin of the red, purple and light blue levels in Figure 26. The foot of the undercut notches (red crosses) forming a perfectly straight level (Figure 26) are neither cut at present HTL nor MTL, but at HTL of a former sea level lower that the present one. In the field, we noted that there was a wide rock-cut platform 20-30cm above low tide level (LTL). Subsequent observations at White Sandy Beach (below) revealed a similar rock-cut episode at a low-stand prior to the building out of the shore spur here discussed.

Figures 27&28 give the sequence of under-cut notches along the bedrock just south of the shore spur and the brook outlet. Present HTL corresponds to the top of the notch, where the flat or concave surface starts to bend out again (yellow line in Figure 28). The leveled base of the notches (red crosses) in Figure 27 corresponds to a former HTL (present MTL lies above).

In summary, we document a former, lower sea level with its HTL about 100cm below the present HTL (Figure 26). The foot of the cliff (Figure 29) and the notches (Figure 27) goes over into an extensive rock-cut platform extending about 20-30cm above present LTL. This former, lower sea level must have preceded the formation of the shore spur. The shore spur, on the other hand, seems to have been built out during a more or less constant sea level during the last 150, maybe 200, years. Therefore, it seems likely that the low sea level stage belongs to the 18th century. This story is built on the observational facts observed at Naisisili, but the full interpretation is admittedly influenced by observations and C14-dates to be discussed later in this paper (especially sections Goat Island, and White Sandy Beach).

Comparing pictures taken at low-tide and high-tide respectively, clearly indicate that present day HTL lies well above the major sea level marks in the form of the foot of cliffs, the base of notches, the floor of sea caves and the top of rock-cut platforms (Figure 30). At Bukama Village, we had some bedrock structures that might represent sea notches at +2.6m and + 5.5m (Figure 21). For the rest of the 25km between Bukama and Naisisili no such levels were recorded, however (Figure 22). At the southeastern tip of the peninsula south of Naisisili Village (Figure 31), there is a very clear bedrock bench that might represent a former sea level at about +2-3m (Figure 31). At Wiva Island, [8] reviewed three coral samples collected at elevations ranging from +2.1 to +3.1m and dated at the Last Interglacial. Our Figure 23 notch may therefore represent a Last Interglacial sea level position at about +2-3m; i.e. the same level as recorded on Wiva Island and Kadawa Island (Figure 6), but about 2m lower than recorded on the Vanuabalavu Islands (Figure 5) Figure 31.

At Nabua lodge, an extensive layer of beachrock occurs all along the shore between MTL and HTL. Shells from the beachrock just outside Nabua lodge (Figure 32; with + marking sample) were sampled and C14-dated at 2799±25BP or 2501±101cal. yrs BP. Beachrock is usually formed just above MTL (but may occasionally even form below mean sea level). Therefore, the age obtained indicates that sea level at about 2500cal.yrs BP was at about the same position as today.

Nanuya Lailai Lodge

A coral reef just off the coast was investigated. A coral colony measured as 130x140cm consists of four minor units. All of those have reached a level so close to LTL that they are now growing laterally instead of upwards; i.e. they are "microatolls", with dead centres. The central part of one of the miniatolls (20x35cm wide) was sampled and C14-dated as "younger than 1955" (i.e., after the bomb effect, and hence not dateable).

Close by, there were two corals grown into columnar "chimneys"; one had a flat surface and was dead, while the other was still alive and growing. The difference in elevation between the top of the dead column and the living column was only 5 cm, indicating the very high sensitivity to depth below LTL. The occurrence of microatolls indicates present sea level stability.

Navutu Stars Resort

At this site, the under-cut notches and rock-cut platforms are closely tied to HTL, as evidenced by Figures 33 & 34.

Beachrock deposits occur at several places around the islands (viz. at Navutu, Yageta, Goat Island and Long Sandy Beach). The beachrock on the shore of Navutu Stars consist of a lower sandy beachrock with occasional shells covered by a conglomeratic gravel unit (Figure 35). Shells from the lower unit were dated at 4331±60 BP or 4479±180 cal.yrs BP (2529±180cal.yrs BC).

Yageta Village

The shore of Yageta Village has been heavily eroded over the past ten years. This has nothing to do with sea level changes, but is the effect of the removal of thousands of sea cucumbers as further discussed in [41].

The village is located on a flat sand plane, which seems to represent littoral deposits from a time when sea level was about 0.5-1.0m higher than today. A sandy beachrock with shells occurs on the present shore (between MTL and HTL). A sample of shells was collected but not dated.

Goat Island

This site was chosen because of its easy access to the strait between Goat Island and Long Sandy Beach. Here Google Earth images showed strong currents and re-deposition of sand, which might record the trend in present sea level; whether rising, falling or remaining virtually stable (Figure 36).

Most of the coast consists of bedrock with a distinct HTL marked by notches and sea caves, which, on a straight line, grade over into the HTL along the sandy shores (Figure 37). In the northeast, the shore projects a sand wedge into the sea. Here, the present beach has a clearly identified HTL and washing limit (WL) as illustrated in Figure 38. We rapidly made two important discoveries, viz. the presence of a former (fossil) shore 30m inland, and the occurrence of a coral microatoll off the shore.

The old shoreline found inland has morphology almost identical to that of the present shore (Figure 38). There is a difference of 70cm between the present and old WL levels (68cm measured), as well as between the present HTL level and the old HTL limit (71cm measured). Therefore, it was safely assume that a +70cm former sea level was documented.

Corals from the old +70cm beach were collected and C14- dated at 815±26BP or cal. AD 1601±143. This implies a time within the period of the Little Ice Age climatic conditions. A high level at that time might, therefore, be surprising. It fits very well, however, with the findings in the Indian Ocean with a +50-60cm higher sea level within the period AD 1550-1700 followed by a low level in the 18th century [42].

Within the big sea cave in Figure 37, it seems that there, in fact, are two levels; the present level in full agreement with surrounding shore marks, and an older level at a higher and deeper level in the cave, which is now overgrown and hence inactive and "fossil" (Figure 39).

In the strait adjacent to the leveled section, we observed a large coral microatoll when passing over it by boat (Figure 40). From Navutu Stars lodge, we had the time of the next low-tide the following morning within a 1-minute precision. Despite thunderstorms and heavy rain we were at the site just in time for the LTL. The distance between the top of the microatoll and the sea level at low tide was measured at 40cm (Figure 41). This is, of course, a very critical depth, preventing vertical coral growth and forcing it to grow horizontally into a microatoll (Figure 42).

We returned the next day, photographed the microatoll under water (Figure 42), measured it, sampled it and tied it into the leveled section (Figure 41). The coral has grown like a pinnacle with a height of about 2m and a diameter of 110x130cm. The surface of the dead coral in the centre of the microatoll was sampled and C14-dated at "106.4±0.3pmC", implying that it was too young to be dated; i.e. AD<1955.

This seems to imply that the coral had been growing upward in columnar form until, in the mid-to-late 20th century, came so close to the low-tide level that it was forced to change growth habit, growing laterally rather than vertically, thus becoming a "microatoll" with a dead centre. This gives evidence of a stable sea level during the last 50-70 years.

The death of the coral top and centre may be an effect of the 1998 coral bleaching event, or a sub-recent lowering in sea level (cf. Figure 9). At any rate, the occurrence of microatolls at Goat Island provides strong indication of a stable sea level over the last decades to half a century. Microatolls were also observed NW of Goat Island.

Long Sandy Beach Lodge

A part of the shore at Long Sandy Beach is subjected to coastal erosion. The erosion has nothing to do with changes in sea level, but is an effect of misplaced seawall and jetties, as further discussed in [43].

Gunu Village

The Google Earth image of the coast at Gunu Village documents a sea level history of 3-4 steps, and a present shore with the building out of double shore spurs (Figure 43). The spurs were subjected to precise leveling in order to see if there were any changes in sea level to be documented (Figure 44).

Both shore spurs were leveled, in eight crossing sections. Figure 44 shows the HTL, used as local zero level, the MTL and the level of the crest of spur-1 and spur 2. The HTL keeps a constant level across the profile. The MTL level lies about 60cm below, which agrees well with the half tidal amplitude at Suva tide-gauge station on Viti Levu. The levels of the crests of spur-1 and spur-2 are almost identical, showing that the change from one level to the other is related entirely to shore dynamics, and not to any change in sea level. The crest of spur-2 is slowly rising from +32cm at 47m to +56cm at 138m. This might be interpreted as a slowly rising sea level trend. The last 15m are characterized by a distinct lowering in the crest level (the leveling reads 19cm). Under no circumstances, however, is there any indications of a current trend for sea level rise.

Shells were collected in a pit dug at the crest of spur-1 at a depth of 40-50cm below the surface. They were C14-dated at 434±23BP or AD cal. 1910±40. This seems to suggest that the spur system has built out during the last century, at a mean speed of about 1to 1.5m per year

Gunu Village itself is located on littoral sand sediments originating from a time when sea level was 0.5-1.0 m higher than today (marked 3a on Figure 43). On Google Earth images there seems to be two additional sea level positions further inland (marked as shores 1 and 2 on Figure 43). They are likely to represent the +0.3m sea level peaks recorded in Viti Levu at about 5300 and 3350cal.yrs BP (Figure 4). The submarine part may perhaps record an additional low sea level (marked 4? in Figure 43). It might be the remains of the 18th century low level, recorded in White Sandy Beach (below).

White Sandy Beach Lodge

White Sandy Beach turned out to become one of our key sites (Figure 45). A short overview report has been presented (Mörner et al., 2017). The various observations will be described below with references to points 1-8 in Figure 45. The present HTL is very well expressed as under-cut bedrock notches and rock-cut platforms at points 1, 3, 4 and 8. The HTL is also well expressed along the sandy shores. The HTL level was used as our zero level. MTL is well expressed in a break in slope of the shore profile, and the accumulation of coarser sand grains and fine gravel grains.

The LTL is marked by the emergence of an extensive shore flat (tan colour in Figure 45), in its outer zone consisting of dead corals. It represents a former rock/reef-cut platform at about 20cm above present LTL. Outside the LTL the depth increases (blue colour in Figure 45) and corals occur, including microatolls with its top 40cm below LTL.

At points 1-4 and at point 8 (Figure 44), there are extensive rocks-cut platforms and under-cut notches, which are closely tied to present HTL and merge over into the active HTL of the long sandy beach. At point 8, this is especially clear (Figure 46). Because of the clear relationship between present HTL and the shore morphology (under-cut notches and rock-cut platforms at the rocky coasts, the HTL marks on the sandy beaches, and the observed tidal cycle), we chose the HTL as our zero level.

Inside the present-day sandy shore, there is a somewhat higher level of littoral sand, upon which the present houses are constructed. These elevated littoral deposits must represent a former sea level position higher than the present one. At points 1 and 3, we found bedrock notches above the present HTL. At point 3, the notch was leveled at 70cm above present HTL (Figure 47).

A former HTL, now 70cm above the present HTL, is identical to the records at Goat Island (Figure 41). In association with the +70cm notch, there is an accumulation of corals, now partly covered by downfallen blocks (Figure 48). A C14-date of a coral dug out from a position under a big block gave 847±24BP or AD cal. 1576±71. This is very close to the age of the +70cm beach on Goat Island dated at AD 1601±143. We may therefore, assume that sea level was 70cm higher than at present within the period AD 1500-1700, without specifying the beginning and end of this period. This fits well with a higher littoral level inside the calls for a corresponding sea level, at least, 25cm higher than present sandy beach in sub-recent time (Figure 48). today when the coral lived (Figure 51).

The episode of downfallen blocks must post-date the age of the corals underneath; i.e., 1601±143cal. yrs AD. It seems likely that the block-fall was triggered by an earthquake. At many sites along the shores of the Yasawa Islands, we observed faults, fractures and collapsed block indicative of seismic activity.

At point 1, there are remains of an old rock-cut platform with under-cut blocks and pillar at an elevation of about 20cm above LTL (Figure 49, Figure 50).

The low sea level following the +70cm high level at about 1500-1700, also trimmed the coral reef and littoral deposits off White Sandy Beach (point 6 in Figure 45) into a rock-cut platform to just above present LTL, with some coral remains emerging 15cm above LTL (Figure 50). A sample from a dead coral now at +15cm above LTL was C14-dated at 388±23BP or AD cal. 1901±29. Another sample 15cm below LTL (Figure 51) was C14 dated at AD <1955 (107.0±0.3pmC). This implies that the dead corals at present LTL are only about 100 and 50 years old, respectively. This seems surprisingly young with respect to the fact that the corals need a minimum depth of 40-60cm. This would fit well with the +70cm sea level. The C14-dates are younger, however. Because present day contamination could not be excluded, a second sample of the -15cm coral was dated. The date 105.1±0.7pmC confirmed the recent date, however. This calls for a corresponding sea level, at least, 25cm higher than today when the coral lived (Figure 51).

The rock-cut platform at present LTL is likely to have been cut at a former HTL when sea level was 110-130cm lower than today. The edge of the dead coral reef is steep, erosive and rapidly falls off to several meters depth. Coral rubble covers the trenches and sea floor outside (Figure 52). This is indicative of erosion at a former lower sea level. Despite available C14-dates, it seems reasonable that this low level occurred in the 18th century.

The main reef body consists of dead corals (Figure 50). Today, it also contains some living corals at depths exceeding 50cm below present LTL. We also observed a number of corals grown into microatolls (Figure 53). The depth at LTL to the surface of the microatoll was measured at 40cm (Figure 50). Samples from the centre of dead corals in two microatolls were C14-dated as <1955 AD (105.4±0.3pmC and 106±0.3pmC). This implies that the coral centra died within the last 60 years, and that the microatoll growth is less than 60 years old and has occurred under stable sea level conditions.

The death of the corals may be due to a sea level lowering or a severe coral bleaching episode (like the one in 1998). The re-establishment of new corals, and the sea level forcing some of them to grow into microatolls (Figure 53) is indicative of stable sea level conditions for, at least, the last 15-20 years.

Figure 53, [42] summarises the records of latest Holocene sea level changes at White Sandy Beach:

I. A +70cm dated at about AD 1500-1700.

II. A low sea level in the 18th century its HTL 20cm above present LTL, and

III. A rise to a sea level position at around the present one, which quite stable sea level conditions (formation of miniatolls) during the last 15-20 years.

Older beachrock deposits occur at points 3, 5 and 7 (Figure 45). They usually occur in the zone between MTL and HTL. The beachrock at point 7 has its surface cut into a rock-cut platform at present HTL. The beachrock at point 5 is a typical intertidal deposit. The beachrock at point 3 is a strongly cemented deposit including large coral fragments (Figure 55). It was C14-dated at 3030±25BP or 2765±82cal.yrs BP. This implies that sea level was at or closely below present sea level at about 2700cal.yrsBP.

Discussion

In the previous section all the field data were presented. Below follow a discussion and synthesis of those data.

General views

The study of sea level changes must be performed in nature itself. This may be a painstaking work, but this is how it must be done. Tempting shortcuts must be avoided. All observations and samples must be referred to a specific benchmark. In our case, we used the present HTL, which was easy to identify in the field. All our elevation values were obtained with a high-precision leveling instrument. Our studies were geographically spread over ten sites in the Yasawa Islands (with a few additional sites on Viti Levu). Chronology was obtained by 17 radiocarbon dates (Table 1).

The mode of sea level changes

The sea level change may follow main long-term trend as suggested by Nunn & Peltier (16), or occur in an oscillatory trend (like observed in the Maldives by [44], and in Goa, India, by [42]). When evaluating and systemising the field observations, one should start from scratch and try to build up the most accurate interpretation, regardless of any outside models.

Evaluating and systemising the field observations

It is well-accepted that sea level was successively rising from the Last Glaciation Maximum low level at about 24ka ago. By about 5500 sea level had reached the present position (Figure 4) . Minor sea level peaks seem to have occurred at 5300 (+0.300.45m), 4100 (±0.0m) and 3350 (+0.30m) cal.yrs BP (Figure 4).

Our records include five sites of pre-historical sea level changes. The Maui Bay site (p. 5-6) records a former sea level position at about ±0.0m, dated at about 4182±163cal. BP. This seems to represent a minor sea level peak (Figure 4). This is in good agreement with the Avea Island date of 4178±180cal.yrs BP and in reasonable agreement with the age of the elevated shoreline by [7] on the Vanuabalavu Islands (above). The beachrock at Navutu Star was C14 dated at 4479±180cal.yrs BP (p. 11). This age is close to the age of the beachrock at Maui Bay on Viti Levu of 4345±100 cal.yrs BP. At White Sandy Beach and Nabua there are beachrock deposits dated at 2765±82cal.yrs BP, and 2501±101cal.yrs BP, respectively. Both dates are indicative of a sea level at or shortly below the present level in the period 2500-2750cal.yrs BP, which fits well with a sea level at about -0.5m as given in Figure 4. At Bukama, there is a beachrock dated at 1339±82cal.yrs BP (AD cal. 611±82). It implies that sea level was at about its present position or shortly below at that time. It seems to have been followed by a regression, judging from the chronostratigraphy of the Qaranilaca Cave on Vanuabalavu Island [35] dating a habitation layer at about present sea level at AD cal. 660-1160. In Figure 56, the dates of the beachrock deposits are plotted with respect to the graph of proposed sea level changes. They all represent periods when sea level was slightly below present sea level. The former shores 1 and 2 at Gunu Village (Figure 43) are likely to represent the 5300 and 3350cal.yrs BP sea level peaks in Figure 56.

Our main sea level story from Yasawa Islands refers to the last 500 years, including

a. A +70cm higher sea level dated at the 16th and 17th centuries,

b. A sea level lowering in the 18th century by about 180200cm (i.e., at -110-130cm),

c. A sea level rise to about its present position during the last 200 years,

d. Some coral environmental changes in the last 60 years, and

e. Quite stable sea level in the last 15-20 years (with formation of microatolls).

The +70cm level is defined with high precision on Goat Island (Figure 39) and at White Sandy Beach (Figure 46). At Goat Island, we have a date of 1530-1673, and at White Sandy Beach of 1501-1646. At Bukama (Figure 20 & 21), there is an old undercut notch at +70cm. At Maui Bay (Figure 10) sand unit II goes 90cm higher than the corresponding sand unit of the present beach. At Nabula, Yageta, Gunu, White sandy Beach and others sites observed from the sea, we noted littoral deposits at a former higher level, estimated between +0.5 and +1.0m.

The subsequent regression is well documented at White Sandy Beach in a rock-cut platform (Figure 50) and under-cut rocks (Figure 49) now about 20cm above the LTL. At Naisisili, there is a similar rock-cut platform 20-30cm above present LTL and very prominent under-cut notches (Figures 28-30), located 100cm below present HTL (Figure 26). Obviously, it is correlating to the layer in the Qaranilaca Cave section, which according to [7] represents a significant regression at about 300BP or with our calibration ADcal. 1788±114 (above).

The subsequent sea level rise brought sea level up to about its present position. At Naisisili there is a 155m long shore spur, which we leveled in details (Figure 25). The building out of the spur is continual for about 150 years (dated at ADcal. 1866±82 at the beginning of the spur). The crest is about 30cm higher in the first part. This might suggest a somewhat higher sea level at the beginning. This might perhaps be relevant in view of the uppermost marine layer in the Qaranilaca Cave section located 0.25-0.30cm above the present HTL (above). At Gunu Village, there is a double shore spur (Figure 43 & 44), built out in quite stable coastal conditions, with a date from the inner spur of AD cal. 1910±40.

Microatolls were recorded and sampled at Nanuya Lailai, Goat Island (Figure 41 & 42) and White Sandy Beach (Figure 53). They were sampled in their dead centre. The C 14-dates are all too young to be dated; i.e., <1955AD. This implies that the corals died in the last 60 years due to a sea level lowering or an extensive coral bleaching episode. A 15-20cm sea level lowering might perhaps be recorded in the Kings Wharf old tide-gauge in the late 1970s [11]. It may be significant that at Denarau (Figure 9) we recorded a 10-20cm sea level lowering in sub-recent time. A major coral bleaching episode occurred at the ENSO event in 1998, and it might, at least theoretically, have generated extensive coral death, too. The present growing microatolls with their surfaces 40cm below present LTL indicate quite stable sea level conditions during the last 15-20 years. This is also indicated by several under-cut notches and rock-cut platforms that exhibit stable morphological conditions.

Summary

The data are combined and summarized in a general sea level curve of the last 7000 years (Figure 56) and a specific sea level curve of the last 500 years (Figure 57), which compiles our findings from the Yasawa Islands. It should be noted that the sea level changes of last 500 years have not been covered by any previous investigations (which were all confined to the Mid and Late Holocene data).

In the graph of sea level change during the last 7000 years (Figure 56) we compare our beachrock data with the new sea level curve of Viti Levu (Figure 4). The dates from White Sandy Beach and Nabua of 2500-2975cal.yrs BP fall in the sea level low of about -0.5m in Viti Levu. The sea level regression at around 3000cal.yrs BP exposed sandy material and led to ground water lowering, both factors of which may have led to beach-rock formation. The date from Bukama of 1340cal.yrs BP also falls within a period where the Vitu Levu data suggest a sea level at around -0.5m.

Figure 56 suggests that sea level peaked at around 5300cal. yrs BP at +0.3m or +0.45 as suggested by Ash [5] with later peats at about 4100cal.yrs BP at ±0.0m and at about 3350cal.yrs BP at +0.3m. This is quite different from the graphs by [9,10,16]. Undoubtedly, the Fiji Islands have suffered partly episodic differential tectonics (e.g., the level of the Penultima Interglacial level on Kadavu Island, Figure 6, is indicative of uplift), and partly differential tectonics within the main island of Viti Levu (Figure 4).

Our main findings are the sea level records of the last 500 years in the Yasawa Islands (Figure 57). This curve seems to apply also for most of the others islands of the Fiji nation. We propose it as a new sea level curve of Fiji, and believe that is predominantly recording the regional changes in eustatic sea level. It is composed of 6 elements:

a. A +70 cm level in the 16th and 17th centuries

b. A -100 cm low level in the 18th century

c. A +30 cm peak in early 19th century

d. Stable sea level condition during the last 150 years

e. Coral death in the late 20th century, due to a 10-20 cm sea level lowering or maybe due to severe coral bleaching at the 1998 ENSO event

f. Quite stable sea level conditions in, at least, the last 1520 years with forced coral growth into microatolls

This implies that high sea levels are recorded at grand solar minima with Little Ice Age climatic conditions, and low sea level at the grand solar maximum in the 18th century. This might be surprising as it is opposite to what one would expect from a glacial eustatic point of view. The sea level fluctuations documented (Figure 57) are very similar to those recorded in the Indian Ocean [42,43], which were driven by changes in Earth's rate of rotation [45]; speeding-up during grand solar minima and slowing-down at grand solar maxima thereby forcing water masses to move in a N-S pattern [27,46]. Now, this process is also documented in the Fiji Islands (which came as a surprise to us). The term applied to this factor is "rotational eustasy" [27] (Table 1).

Conclusion

Our findings are condensed and summarized in Figures 56 &57. From 5500 to 1500cal.yrs BP sea level seems to have oscillated between about +0.5 and -0.5m, with minor peaks at 5300 (+0.3 to 0.45m), 4100 (±0.0m) and 3350 (+0.3m). In the last 500 years, we record high-amplitude change: high-low-high- stable (Figure 57). Those changes were driven by rotational eustasy, not glacial eustasy. In the last 60 years coral reefs died due to a sea level lowering of about 10-20cm or due to severe coral bleaching at the 1998 ENSO event. After that, very stable sea level conditions must have prevailed forcing corals at several sites to grow laterally into microatolls.

This documentation (Figure 57) implies that there is a total lack of signs indicating a present rise in sea level; on the contrary, our results are indicative of quite stable sea level conditions. Consequently, our records may be taken as reassurance for low- laying coasts and islands that potential for flooding in the near future is unlikely.

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