#lyrics pulled from one of the many songs I associate with them via my four hour+ playlist. shinedown my beloved | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

uncoveringproject-judith · 2 years

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Music for Ideological Warfare

Image via Public Image PR at https://www.publicimagepr.com/and-he-wore-a-mask-staysafe-stayhome-staythefuckhome-devo-punkrock-wearamask-wearahat/ New wave band DEVO—one of the musical inspirations for the world

A weirdly narrow-minded aspect of Project: JUDITH is its music scene. Its co-creator and I have some favorite genres and wanted to represent that in our world, but by segmenting such a diverse artform, we are presented with the task of giving music an important purpose without undermining the world’s scope.

To solve this problem in a uniquely questionable way, we kept the world's music scene highly centralized and interdependent. This means that all four of our bands exist in a commentary "bubble". Whether they know it or not, many of their songs commentate on each other and the people behind them. Most characters involved have personal reasons to contribute to this musical dialogue, but regardless, centralizing most musical expression in this way leads to what I can unprofessionally say is some messy exploitation of mass communications. In other words, this is where the ideological warfare part of the title comes in. If one were to piece together every one of the four bands' exploits, they could map out the motives of multiple characters, their evolving relationships with each other, and the clashing views on a fictional religion that radiated into the most backwards dystopia ever.

Real-Life References

Now that I’ve discussed how music in Project: JUDITH works, I’d like to share some of the real-life references we used as inspiration for our musically-inclined storytelling. A word of warning: these songs serve as elements to an ideological framework that we have connected through narratives. Without this context, the following are going to feel like some wacky selections. 1) Whip It — DEVO

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What do a hot-headed wannabe preacher and his brother, overzealous chemist, disillusioned family man, and and a tough-skinned orphan boy have in common? They were inspired by Whip It. The way the song was marketed begs a lot of question. Depending on who you ask, the undertones of the music video either contradict or complement the theme of the song. The problem Whip It and its music video present, the intersection between thought stopping and sexual desire, plays a big part in one of Project: JUDITH’s bands, the New Traditionalists. They were built upon the bass player’s false interpretations of an ancient god and his hopes that achieving unimaginable power would blind him to his own faults and bring those he’d distanced himself from back to him. 2) Channel Z — The B-52′s

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An intentional reference within this song to another band I liked lead this song to inspire the decade-long dialogue between two childhood friends of my fictional world. While one of the characters was pulled into the New Traditionalists, the other reformed a band that was in need of a new drummer. The former was forced to play lead guitar to whatever the most prominent band members wanted to put out while the latter poured his feelings into writing songs with a sci-fi inspiration, much like this one. For years, they referenced each other in song lyrics and stage performances until one of them struck a chord with the other.

3) The Passenger — Wall of Voodoo

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Sometimes you close your eyes while listening to a song, letting it unravel into a story as it goes along. There’s something captivating about this one for me; it sounds almost otherworldly. While modern sensibilities might lead us to associate its lyrics with the 9/11 terrorist attacks, I had a much more romanticized vision of what the song could be about at first. I combined both my original interpretations and how I came about it to create the guitarist of Project: JUDITH’s third band. He’s just a guy. One who runs away from the problems he doesn’t want to fix and thinks he can be selective about what he addresses by romanticizing the possibilities. That approach is all well and good for him until it becomes a matter of life or death.

4) On the Outside — Oingo Boingo

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I’m saving the most absurdist plotline for the bottom of the list. This one calls for some of the most obvious parody in Project: JUDITH—we have to have some fun. it directly references the origins of the band. Before it was called Oingo Boingo, it had the much longer title of The Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo. Call us opportunists, but we added to the world’s trend of using media to tell stories in order to commentate on the nature of late 20th-century fads. Our Band #4, simply dubbed The Mystic Knights as a reference, breathed life into a group of tabletop role players at a company’s IT department. Their counterparts from a swords-and-sorcery world saw short-lived but notable fame, releasing some albums and even a forgettable cartoon series. On the Outside works well as a reference point to this since it discusses the fast-paced and often cryptic and fleeting nature of popular culture for those...well...on the outside.

#devo #b52s #oingo boingo #wall of voodoo

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aion-rsa · 3 years

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Bo Burnham: Inside Songs Ranked from Worst to Best

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The musical of the summer was supposed to be a life-affirming celebration of one of New York’s most vibrant neighborhoods, full of color, romance, and big group dance numbers. Instead for many viewers, the musical of the moment was filmed and performed by one man, alone in isolation from the comfort (or discomfort, really) of his own home, with songs centered on techno paranoia, mental health, and the fear of aging. Maybe after a year stuck in their homes, audiences could relate to the existential dread and general anxiety on display in Bo Burnham: Inside more than a conventional movie musical.

Billed as a stand-up special, Burnham’s latest musical comedy endeavor finds the former wunderkind holed up and feeling more uncomfortable than ever. Writing, editing, directing, and performing from a claustrophobic studio, Burnham’s stand-up special skews more toward being a straight-up musical, and not because the special is light on jokes and missing an audience. Rather this has all the hallmarks of a musical narrative and plays closer to experimental cinema than sketch comedy.

Burnham expresses his characters’ inner-thoughts, fears, and desires via song throughout a contained narrative, in this case the narrative being one man trying to occupy himself during a pandemic. It has ballads, charm songs, comedy numbers, “I Am” and “I Want” songs, and a big reprise. By capturing his personal pandemic experience and putting the whole affair to song, Burnham has created one of the most compelling (and catchy!) accounts of life during 2020.

To celebrate the musical that we all needed after a year in our homes, we’ve decided to rank every song from Bo Burnham: Inside. You can stream along via the Inside (The Songs) album on the streaming platform of your choice.

20. I Don’t Wanna Know

Merely an interlude, “I Don’t Wanna Know” doesn’t quite work outside of watching the special itself. However, it is a clever way to address the fact that modern audiences do not have the attention span to sit through a film at home without checking their phone or complaining about a runtime.

19. Bezos II

While certainly meant to poke fun at the real-life Lex Luthor, it’s not that fun to listen to Bezos’ name repeated. Stil, Burnham does elicit a few laughs with his over-the-top mock congratulations. “You did it!”

18. Any Day Now

A Sesame Street-like mantra that plays over the credits, “Any Day Now” suggests this could all end either hopefully soon or on a depressingly vague far-off date that will never come. We’d like to think it’s the former, but it’s safe to assume what Bo thinks.

17. All Time Low

While this number gets docked points for its short runtime, it absolutely packs a punch with its four-line, single verse. After Bo admits that his mental health is rapidly deteriorating, he describes what it’s like to have a panic attack set to a chipper ‘80s dance backbeat. Unfortunately, we don’t get to ride the wave long enough, and judging lyrics, that’s probably a good thing for Bo.

16. Content

This strong opening number musically sets the vibe for Inside, letting us know that we’re in for some synth-heavy throwback beats that would be best listened to underneath a disco ball. Also incorporating silly backing vocals, a hallmark of many of Inside’s best tracks, Burnham declares he’s back with some sweet, sweet content. “Daddy made you your favorite,” he sings, and he ain’t wrong.

15. Bezos I

Unlike the reprise in “Bezos II,” “Bezos I” gets by off its increasingly deranged energy, with Burnham roasting fellow tech billionaires and working himself up into a manic frenzy by song’s end. Musically, it sounds like the soundtrack to an intense boss battle on a Sega Genesis game before ending with a sick little synth solo and Burnham hilarious squawking. It’s arguably the only acceptable thing that Bezos has ever been associated with.

14. Unpaid Intern

While “Unpaid Intern” is one of Inside’s shortest tracks, it absolutely makes the most of its time. The jazzy tune scorches the exploitative nature of unpaid internships before Burnham breaks out into a laugh-out-loud worthy scat routine. It unfortunately ends too soon.

13. Shit

Inside’s funkiest jam sounds like Burnham wrote the lyrics for a new Janelle Moane album cut. Bo show’s off his vocal dexterity and plumbs the depths of his depression in a surprisingly danceable fashion. Throwing in a little faux crowd interaction helps bring home the fact that we have all felt like this at one point or another during the pandemic.

12. Sexting

This slow-jam details the complications of sexting, throwing out hilariously too-true punchlines like “the flash makes my dick look frightened.” “Sexting” feels like one of a few songs that could most easily appear on previous Burnham specials. Proving that Inside’s musical textures do not come exclusively from ’80s synth pop, the outro of the song expertly mirrors modern pop trends by throwing in some trap-influenced “yahs” at the end of Bo’s lines.

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11. How the World Works

Influenced by comedian Hans Teeuwen and children’s entertainment in general, “How the World Works” finds Burnham going back to the well by playing the ignorant, smarmy white guy who is oblivious of the real issues plaguing nonwhite Americans. What’s even better though is Socko calling Burnham out on forcing others to educate him for his own self-actualization instead of doing the work on his own for the betterment of others.

Socko pointedly asks “Why do you rich f—— white people insist on seeing every socio-political conflict through the myopic lens of your own self-actualization?” Not to keep things too heavy, the song ends with an absurdist bit where Burnham returns Socko to the nether place that he goes when he’s not attached to Burnham’s hand. Scathing and bizarre, it’s a great piece of social commentary.

10. FaceTime With My Mom

While most of the music of Inside feels directly transported from the 1980s, “FaceTime With My Mom” seems only inspired by the past decade’s musical trends, updating the sounds in much of the same way that the Weeknd and Dua Lipa have. This is Bo Burnham as a hitmaker, and his attempt is convincing. “FaceTime With My Mom” earns easy laughs by getting to the seemingly specific, yet universal things that all our moms do over video chat.

9. Goodbye

Every good musical needs a good closing track, and Burnham nails it with “Goodbye,” pulling off a reprise that weaves in many of the special’s signature musical moments and touches on the special’s core themes. A forlorn piano ballad before it soars through Inside’s best motifs, “Goodbye” caps a triumphant musical achievement, coming back to “Look Who’s Inside Again” just to punch you in the gut one last time.

8. Problematic

Addressing his past work and some aspects that have not aged well, while also skewering celebrity apologies, “Problematic” is self-aware critique by way of an ‘80s workout bop. From the specific Aladdin confession to the overall apology for being “vaguely shitty,” Bo has never made accountability sound so good.

7. That Funny Feeling

This is Bo Burnham’s version of Father John Misty’s “Holy Shit,” a laundry list of all the stupid things that are signaling the fall of culture and civilization as we know it. If Misty hadn’t gotten there first, we may have had this one ranked higher. Still, Burnham manages to come up with a sticky chorus that you’ll be humming the next time something makes you feel like you’re living in the uncanny valley.

6. White Woman’s Instagram

Perhaps the special’s most playful moment, “White Woman’s Instagram” uses the musical cues of an inspiring empowerment anthem to poke fun at the predictably, perfectly curated feed of a “girl boss” Instagram. The song is greatly enhanced by the accompanying visuals, which find Bo recreating the meticulously staged and glamorous portraits that women pass off as their everyday lives.

However, Bo always likes to sneak in some sentimentality, and imagines a genuinely heartfelt post to his white woman character’s deceased mother. Don’t worry, the emotional moment doesn’t overstay its welcome, and we’re soon back to laughing at horribly derivative political street art.

5. All Eyes on Me

The droning synth and pitch-down vocals make “All Eyes On Me” oddly hypnotic and beautiful. The song seems to be addressing Bo’s depression along with his need for validation and attention, a juxtaposition that many performers deal with. It becomes clear that Burnham isn’t addressing an invisible audience, but himself, trying to will himself up and out of his dreary mental state.

4. Look Who’s Inside Again

A classic “I Am” musical song, “Look Who’s Inside Again” just may be Inside’s most emotionally resonant track that seems to hit closest to who Bo Burnham was and who he is today. This is the song that I will most likely regret the most for ranking so low.

“Well, well, look who’s inside again. Went out to look for a reason to hide again,” perfectly describes the cycle of depression and will, for me, be the special’s most lasting moment. The downbeat ending “come out with your hands up, we’ve got you surrounded” is heartbreaking enough to send a shudder down your spine.

3. Comedy

The special’s real first number is absolutely packed with hooks, from the “Call me and I’ll tell you a joke” bridge to the “Should I be joking at a time like this?” change-up. This is Bo really flexing how far he’s come as a musician, expertly utilizing autotune and a key change (us “stupid motherf***ers” can’t resist them).

“Comedy” also finds Bo comfortably in the lane that we’re most used to seeing him in, playing the egomaniacal white messiah with a wink. “Comedy” is the tone-setter and it’s so good that it lets you know that you’re in good hands for the next hour plus.

2. 30

Either I’m ranking this song too highly due to its personally relatable nature or the fact that I haven’t been able to get “All my stupid friends are having stupid children” out of my head, but I really don’t care. “30” is Inside’s biggest earworm and addresses the existential terror that comes with no longer getting pats on the back for being a young wunderkind.

“30” also examines generational differences, showing how 30 year-old people are more infantile than ever. However, at the end of the day it all comes back to those shimmering keys and that irresistible refrain. Apologies to my friends with children.

1. Welcome to the Internet

No matter how deep and emotionally rich some of Inside’s other tracks may be, “Welcome to the Internet” is the one that will live on the longest. If this were a traditional musical, this would the antagonists’ showstopper; a vaudevillian romp through the alluring chaos that is the internet. Speeding up and slowing down the pace to mirror the manic, addictive nature of surfing the net, Burnham pitches the negative aspects of online culture as they are: a feature, not a bug. Promising “a little bit of everything all of the time,” “Welcome to the Internet” is almost as enticing as the dark tool itself.

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pandoraimperatrix · 4 years

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Four Names for Love

Gotham | BatCat | BabyFic | Multi-chapter | Read on AO3

Summary: When Bruce parted ways with Gotham he was leaving behind more than he thought. Meanwhile Selina is trying to find a way to herself after being abandoned again and on top of that she finds out she was left with a lot more than a heartbreak.

Eros part I

The following sections of the story are missing moments from the 5th season.

(eros)

I love you against a wall, your teeth grazing my inner thigh my fingers wrapped in your hair. — one, two, three, four - a.j. (via ibuzoo)

‘Whachadoin?’

‘Good lord! Selina! You scared me!’

She burst into a fit of giggles pleased with herself, Bruce couldn’t help but smile too, despite his racing heart, a while ago he thought he would never see her laughing like that again. Selina fell heavily next to him on the bed where he was sitting against the headboard, no regards for personal space at all.

‘Shouldn’t you be resting?’

She furrowed her brows, annoyed.

‘I’ve already told you. I’m done with resting. I went to the Sirens, couldn’t go around wearing that weird hospital gown forever. Got my whip back too, wanna see?’

They shared a look, his eyes drinking in each leather-covered part of her, almost in an indecent way, and further than a slight red glow on her smiling cheeks, she didn’t seem to be offend with his attentions at all, she actually looked even more pleased and mellow, leaning into his side just a little bit more.

‘No. This room is really small, and I’m sure I’ll have the opportunity to see you put it in action soon enough.’

‘Your loss, then.’ But she didn’t seem upset at that either. So much of Selina’s words didn’t match her actions. It used to drive Bruce crazy when they were younger, but now, it was one of the things that made her so appealing to him. Like she was a mystery for him to solve, and as much as frustrating it was always being dragged to square one when he thinks he finally has her figured out, it was also that what made he come back for more every time.

‘Hey, dance with me?’

She snorted and gave him that look in which he could see in her face the amounts of silly she found him to be. It was a lot. No offense taken, he actually liked when she patronized him, it was endearing.

‘There is no music, dumdum.’

He stood up from the bed, Selina got caught by surprise with his sudden move and almost slid down to a lying position without his body to support. Bruce walked around the bed and unstuck a pair of earbuds and an mp3 player from his pocket; he offered a bud to Selina.

‘Come.’

‘But you said there was no batteries anymore.’

‘I’ve found one working. Come.’ He offered again.

‘Okay…’ She said unsurely, but got up and pushed her curls away to put the earbud. He took her wrists and urged her to step in closer to him putting her arms around his neck, and then he pressed play.

Selina frowned when she listened some old timey piano, then she had to lower her head against his chest to laugh.

‘This is what you have on your super modern rich boy device? Some sad old man song? Why am I not surprised?’

‘Shh, pay attention to the lyrics.’

‘This is so stupid, and you are such a sap.’

His hands around her waist pressed her just a little firmer against him for that, but she didn’t protest when he slowly started moving their bodies together, instead, she rested her head on his shoulder and let her eyes fall shut. They stood like that for short moment until Bruce started to sing along off-key followed by her muffled giggles against his neck.

‘You can say that you're leading me on But it's just what I want you to do Don't you notice how hopelessly I'm lost That's why I'm following you’

‘You are so lucky you’re already filthy rich, kid, because if you had to sing for your supper you’d starve. No, scratch that, I’d personally end your misery by killing you if I had to share a street corner with you.’

With a smile on his face, and spinning them both around the tiny room despite the slow cadence of the music, Bruce followed the last part loudly ignoring Selina laughs and protests.

‘On my own Would I wander through this wonderland alone Never knowing my right foot from my left My hat from my glove I'm too misty and too much in love

Look at me’

She did. And instead of keep making fun of him, Selina slid her hands from to his neck to his face bringing him down for a kiss. The first was chaste, didn’t last much. Sighing, Bruce ended it, letting his forehead fall against hers.

‘I almost lost you.’

Her thumbs rubbed his cheekbones lovingly, his eyes were closed, but hers were open studying the shadows of is dark eyelashes on his fair skin. She loved those moments in which she could just look at him without being seen, when there was no judgement, not even her own.

‘I’m here now.’ She whispered. ‘I’m here whenever you need me.’

He looked at her, she swallowed hard when faced with the intensity of the feelings in his eyes.

Selina carefully took the earbud from herself then from Bruce. She put the device safely away, then she slowly took off her gloves, then her jacket, well aware of his unbreakable gaze. She gave him a half smile before pulling him closer by his own jacket. She kissed his chin, then the corner of his lips.

‘Selina what are you doing?’

‘What does it looks like?’

‘But you are recovering.’

‘I’m fine, Bruce, really.’

‘But…’

‘If you don’t want to just say it, I’ll go.’ But by the way she said it, it was clear to both of them that she wasn’t going anywhere. She smiled coyly and helped him take off his own jacket, as her hands worked, Bruce dipped his head in the curve of her neck, taking in her smell hungrily. She smelled of antiseptic soap, old leather, and something salty and rich that he learned to associate with her and Gotham streets when it was dark but the moonlight hit the cobblestones just right. Selina and Gotham. There couldn’t be one without the other to Bruce, and in the last days he felt both of them slipping through his fingers. It was maddening. When he felt the last of the leather slip off from his arms hitting the floor, he led his hands to her waist, pushing the fabric of her shit up just a bit so he could touch skin, she shivered.

‘Are you cold?’ He whispered on her ear, a wave of pride hitting him south when she purred softly.

‘No.’

He pushed her hair away, kissing her from the ear to her eyes, her nose, then finally her lips. This time it was far from a chaste kiss. He felt her fisting the fabric covering his back when he tipped his tongue between the seam of her lips, and she let him in. It was a messy kiss that one. Teeth clicking awkwardly, and misplaced tongues until they fell in a more comfortable rhythm.

Selina was panting when they broke up.

‘Take…’ She inhaled. ‘That that stupid thing off.’ She ordered tugging his jumper.

He chuckled but obeyed, his hair sticking up in odd places, ruining the dangerous look he tried to give in and denouncing how young he actually was. Then he focused on her own shirt, lifting it slowly and without breaking eye contact whit her, those huge green pools, so expressive, often filled with mirth or distrust, now darkened with lust.

‘Eyes up here, Bruce.’ She said after he threw her shirt on the bed and couldn’t help but admire the swell of her breasts held by the lacy black fabric.

He gave her a boyish smile, then became very serious.

‘Have you done this before?’

A hit of pain crossed her face and she looked away, he wanted to kick himself.

‘Not properly, but you have, haven’t you?’

He sighed and touched her tenderly, the back of his fingers on her neck and collarbone, he had no many freckles he wanted to connect them all and give their constellation names.

‘It’s different.’

She looked back at him, confused.

‘It’s you.’ He explained.

She felt like the breath was stolen from her lungs.

Selina kissed him again. ‘Just don’t hurt me.’ She said between kisses. ‘Never.’ He promised husky.

He pushed her to the bed, lying her down. The bed gave in a little to his weight when Bruce put one knee between Selina’s legs, one hand supporting him as he hovered over her, and the other caressing one side of her body accompanied for this lips on the other side. He took his time cupping her breast over the lace, rubbing the most sensitive part with his thumb, smiled at her nipple as it hardened under his kiss. But he kept downwards, kneading her waist, kissing her belly until he reached the waistband of her jeans. He looked up silently requesting permission.

‘Come here.’

He did. She grabbed the back of his head firmly, Bruce moaned with the ferocity of her kiss. Selina flipped them over, straddling him. She thrusted her hips against him and Bruce moaned one more time, so she it again, and again feeling him swell under her without stop kissing him once. His hands got caught in the tangle of her hair and they finally had break a little, giggling, to free him. His hands fell then to her hips and she rubbed her centre against him one more time feeling all the pleasure the delicious fiction brought to them both. Bruce’s hands slid upwards to her back and Selina arched a little to help him as he undid her bra. His gaze was meticulous as he followed the fabric sliding through her skin revealing one more piece of her that he had never explored before.

He held a hand to her face.

‘You are so beautiful.’

She rolled her eyes playfully but couldn’t resist the smile curving her lips, hating herself a little for how those cliché words made her feel.

But her answer was to undo his crotch button.

Despite wanting to write about them dancing to Misty by Johnny Mathis since forever (I’m not an old man, I swear, I’m just a 26 years old woman with weird taste in music) Bruce singing badly to Selina is something inspired buy my currently favourite fic THE DANGERS OF KNITTING by deaddennis, go read it!

For the next post you will get a little more of sweet sweet romance until we go back to reality.

#batcat #baby batcat #gotham #selina kyle #bruce wayne #catwoman #batman #my fic #Four Names for Love #this fic is getting like zero notes here and that's bumming me a lot #but I'll keep posting because I have nothing better to do

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futuresandpasts · 5 years

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Futures & Pasts | MRR #426

So you’ve probably heard by now that Maximum Rocknroll is going to be ceasing its print publication very soon (there’s two more issues left as of this month). Thirty-seven straight years of putting out an all-volunteer-staffed, internationally distributed punk zine EVERY MONTH is completely mind-boggling & I feel genuinely honored to have been a small part of that history for the past four years. They’ve given me a really important platform to write about all kinds of weird & obscure music on the fringes of DIY from all points in time, where I had a page or two in every issue to slip in feverish praise for forgotten Messthetics geniuses and early ‘80s one-single femme-punk wonders and contemporary mutant disco tape freaks in the midst of interviews with, say, any number of D-beat bands.

I'm hoping that if you’ve ever read my column, you’re not among the (many, many) people who dismissively say things about how they haven’t picked up an issue of MRR in years, or like to argue that MRR doesn’t cover anything interesting or relevant anymore, etc. If by chance you are, I’d like to recommend throwing MRR a couple of bucks for their final print issues as a small acknowledgement of the fact that I’ve made all of my columns available to read online free of charge, without you ever having to touch the smudged newsprint pages of an actual copy of the magazine. You can also still pick up back issues, including #426 (November 2018), where this particular column first appeared.

I was struggling a little bit to figure out what truly new (as opposed to newly reissued) music to write about this month, but I got an email completely by chance from my friend Aubrey in LITHICS as they were passing through the UK on their European tour, and she recommended that I check out this band called HANDLE that they had just played with in Manchester. Totally serendipitous, because their six-song demo collection Demonstrations is so completely my thing—all sharp, clanging incantations built from bass, drums, keyboard, and voice, with rhythm at the forefront even as everything else is collapsing around it. “Rubber Necks” and “Step By Step” both lock into propulsive grooves from mutant disco beats and harsh metallic percussion that intersect with a deep, menacing bass throb and urgently yelped and chanted vocals to skirt the line between the deconstructed danceability of early ‘80s New York groups like LIQUID LIQUID or BUSH TETRAS, and the more abrasive, confrontational scratch and scrape of their No Wave cohorts in DNA or THEORETICAL GIRLS. HANDLE somehow manage to be disjointed and tightly-wound at the same time (think of the delicate balance that TRASH KIT and SHOPPING pull off, if you’re looking for reference points from the 21st century), crafting truly anxious sounds for uncertain futures. Can’t wait for them to take the steps toward a proper physical release, because it will absolutely set things on fire when they do. (Absolute Fiction, absolutefiction.bandcamp.com)

After a handful of cassettes that appeared over the last few years, Canadian oddballs TOUGH CUSTOMER recently made their vinyl debut with the four-song Darlene EP on Sweet Rot, in the “slightly less new by the time y’all read this” category. Their austere-yet-playful, bass-driven vibe recalls the effortlessly cool minimalism of early ‘80s art-schooled heroines like OH-OK and Y PANTS, with flashes of KLEENEX-esque free-associated absurdism—“Mash” seems to follow a fairly standard post-punk combination of needling guitar, steady bass pulse, and kinetic drumming, until you start to wrap your head around the fact that lyrics are basically all about potatoes. Each song ends up subtly bending itself into similarly unexpected forms and sometimes more than once, whether it’s via the band hopscotching through the sneaky, shifting rhythms of “Drum Farm”, or the structure provided by the significant negative spaces between sparsely struck notes in “Clean and Clear” (the highlight of their 2015 debut tape The Worst, presented here in an even more tightened up version), or when a legitimately wailing guitar solo in “Soul Patch” breaks up the otherwise taut push/pull that’s been constructed. I can’t really think of many other modern post-punk adjacent bands who are this deep into their own self-defined and uncurbed musical universe, and that’s definitely to TOUGH CUSTOMER’s credit. (Sweet Rot, actualtoughcustomer.bandcamp.com)

The one-off 1979 single from the HAND GRENADES was self-released and packaged in a minimalist sleeve with no personnel credits or identifying information, which posed all sorts of questions as to who was behind the record and where exactly they had come from. Going strictly from audio cues, both sides of the 7” showcased a ramshackle post-punk sensibility in line with the DESPERATE BICYCLES, the HOMOSEXUALS, or SWELL MAPS (not to mention some nasal and vaguely British-accented vocals that sounded kind of like a bedroom-recorded Peter Perrett of the ONLY ONES), which lead many people to understandably reach the conclusion that the HAND GRENADES must have been a product of the same “it was easy, it was cheap, go and do it” school of late ‘70s UK DIY. In reality, they were actually from Long Island, and by the early ‘80s, they’d transformed into the new wave/power-pop group the SPONSORS, abandoning any hint of scratchy Messthetics aesthetics to write songs with skinny-tied titles like “In and Out of Love” and “Love I Can’t Wait”. Truth is stranger than fiction, but despite geography, the lone HAND GRENADES record has rightfully been regarded as a touchstone of UK-minded shambolic late ‘70s/early ‘80s art-punk and also one that unfortunately tends to fetch collector scum prices these days, so praise be onto Last Laugh Records, who just reissued the single as a 12” EP (Demos to London) with the addition of two previously unreleased tracks. “Demo to London” and “Coma Dos” from the original 7” tick off seemingly every box on the UK DIY checklist—charmingly fidelity-challenged, treble to the extreme, shaky single-note guitar, BUZZCOCKS hooks thrown slightly off-kilter, plenty of FALL-worthy repetition. On the unreleased side, the scrappy pop of “Cocoon” could almost pass for the TELEVISION PERSONALITIES stripped of their more psychedelically mod leanings, while “Murder” repeatedly cycles through the phrase “murder in the U.S.” over some wiry econo-punk to a biting and almost RONDOS/early EX-ish effect. Beyond mandatory! (Last Laugh, almostreadyrecords.com)

With each new vinyl reissue sourced from the first half decade or so Flying Nun’s back catalog, I’ve been holding out hope that Auckland’s darkly angular post-punk poster children THIS SPORTING LIFE would be the next in line to have their long out-of-print records brought back into circulation. And this summer, at long last, it finally happened… well, sort of. We’ll have to settle for the new Alms for Children CD anthology, which collects the group’s two proper Flying Nun releases (1982’s Show Me to the Bellrope LP and 1983’s In Limbo EP), the debut 7” from 1981 that was issued under their original name of ALMS FOR CHILDREN, and a number of previously unreleased live tracks—digital is definitely better than nothing at all in this case. Along with Stratford’s NOCTURNAL PROJECTIONS and Christchurch’s the GORDONS, THIS SPORTING LIFE were a part of the early ‘80s New Zealand underground faction that fell more in line with the serrated nihilism of bands like the FALL and JOY DIVISION, in contrast to their jangly, SYD BARRETT/VELVET UNDERGROUND-worshipping peers. The FALL influence is particularly apparent in the tracks drawn from their mid-period, like “Wasting My Time,” where a rickety keyboard line fights for space on top the sort of stripped-down and flipped-out rockabilly rhythm that Mark E. Smith and company continuously revisited for a good forty years or so, with Gary Charlton’s vocals wavering between deadpan and desperate in equal measure. Other highlights of an already stacked compilation: the otherwise-unreleased “Suspicious of You,” with cavernous, razor-edged bass heightening the paranoid tension suggested by the title and lyrical content, and the frenetic, jagged pop sensibility of “Total Loss,” which features some unexpectedly chiming acoustic guitar that almost adheres to the general conception of the whole “Flying Nun sound”. I don’t think I’ve ever recommended a CD-only release in over three years of doing this column, but there’s a first time for everything. (Failsafe Records, almsforchildrenthissportinglife.bandcamp.com)

#handle #tough customer #hand grenades #this sporting life #futures & pasts #maximum rocknroll

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doomedandstoned · 5 years

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French Occultists Hua†a Deliver Cryptic Final Masterwork

~Doomed & Stoned Debuts~

Review by Billy Goate

Think you've heard it all and you're confident about closing the books on 2018 and putting out your best-of lists? I advise you to hold your horses, my friends, because you haven't heard this yet. Get ready for what is without doubt the grandest album of 2018. Guttural rumblings of bass collide with sublime organ tones, shooting holes through the dank chamber like laser rays of radiant sunlight. Soon this feast of sound will be joined by damning riffs and strangely majestic voices that layer melodies in shifting keys, one upon the other, until a spire is created like an ancient ziggurat.

The latest offering by French occultic doomers and Roadburn Festival alumni HUATA is like none other. The band, which recently made an appearance on our 'Doomed & Stoned in France' (2018) compilation, often configures as a five-piece. However, the consistent heartbeat of the project has been founding member, Ronan Grail, and long-time bassist Benjamin Morea -- both of whom constitute the backbone of the now 12-year old act that hails from Rennes.

Long renowned for their stirring live rituals, Hua†a have two extended-plays, two splits, and one previous full-length to their name already, the brilliant 'Atavist of Mann' (2011). However, nothing prepared me for the power of their crowning achievement, 'Lux Initiatrix Terrae’ (2018).

I find myself struggling for points of comparison to entice the reader to become a listener. Shall I draw parallels to the imposing architecture of Ufomammut, the sweeping compositional vision of Slomatics, the ardor of Inter Arma, the airy psychedelic soundscapes of Pink Floyd, the sanguine tenor of Pallbearer, or the harmonic resplendence of Chrome Ghost? At the risk of losing some of the faithful doomers, the most fitting association to the size, scope, and most importantly spirit of Lux Initiatrix Terrae comes not from the realm of metal, but from the world of classical music. I'm thinking of one ambitious work, in particular: Ferruccio Busoni's massive Piano Concerto in C Major, Opus 39 -- one of the most ambitious works ever written in its genre class. Like Hua†a, Busoni laced his work with cryptic references to the occult, ancient orders, and esoteric knowledge.

I hasten to add that Hua†a's magnum opus is not symphonic metal, though "symphonic" seems a most fitting adjective for it. Let's think of it as a rhapsodic fantasy marrying epic and gothic doom to atmospheric, surreal heaviness, whilst subtly flirting with spaced-out domain of psychedelic and occult rock. Some tracks ("The Golden Hordes Of Kailash," for instance) usher in surreal scales and unusual chord progressions that remind me of the creepy grandeur of the mutant worship service in Beneath The Planet of the Apes (1970).

This modern day Tower of Babel aspires to reach the heavens with a power, elegance, and resolute will encountered so rarely in the realm of metal or, for that matter, anything else across the many genres of contemporary music. During its exalting 70-minute run-time, I felt I was bearing witness some incredible modern cantata. This was more than my usual audit of a new promo; this was an all-absorbing listen and an altogether moving experience.

After hearing this record, I'm convinced that Hua†a have definitely given Batushka a run for their money at Psycho Las Vegas over the summer. No Vinyl Stage for these guys, though. Take them straight to The Joint, fellas! A sounds this large is worthy of the same immense theater that brought us Enslaved, SUNN O))), Godflesh, and Indian this year; Candlemass, Yob, Electric Wizard, and Sleep in the years prior.

I've been avoiding using well-tread power words like epic in much of my reviewing this year, but it's time to pull this one off the shelf. This is a special occasion, for Lux Initiatrix Terrae is the band's final work as Hua†a -- an emphatic punctuation to a long and fruitful career. You'll not encounter a band as fascinating as Hua†a or an album quite as majestic as the one before us this year, perhaps not even this decade. Make no mistake, Hua†a's strange, bold chef d'oeuvre will be discovered in this crowded year of excellent releases and, with any luck, reach wide appreciation. At the risk of sounding orgasmic, this record is a triumph.

Right now, you can sample two singles from the album -- its opener, "The Mystical Beast of Revelations" and the third track, "The Solar Work." Both will make you hungry to hear this regal heptad of hymns in all its fullness. On November 23rd, Hua†a's Lux Initiatrix Terrae will see a physical release on a very limited run of 200 cassettes via Sludgelord Records and Seeing Red Records, with vinyl available via French label Music Fear Satan.

To satiate the appetite while we wait, Doomed & Stoned is pleased to bring you the record’s finale, "Third Eye Nation." Though belying in the trippy ambience of its opening moments, the 16-minute monolith soon overtakes the soul.

Give ear...

Lux Initiatrix Terrae by Huata

Interview by Shawn Gibson

with additional question by Billy Goate

Recently, I sent away for Hua†a's new cassette and can't wait to get it! I already have 'Open the Gates of Shambhala' (2010) and 'Atavist Of Mann' (2011), but 'Lux Initiatrix Terrae' (2018) is my first preorder. I must have listened to album's opening track, "The Mystical Beast Of Revelations," four of five times in one sitting already. I play it as loud as I can during my daily commute. It's an amazing song that takes me to places not of this earth! The vocals sound different than the first two albums. The music sounds more sharpened and honed, though still very much the Hua†a we know and love. The organs add to the uniqueness and mesh well with the heavy, doomy vibe of multi-faceted gem of doom, ritual, occult, and psych metal. It was high time we interviewed the band, I thought. Following is my recent exchange of words with , in which they take us behind the veil of secrecy for a rare look at the musical minds that make up Hua†a. (Shawn)

☿

I used to have a radio show and played "Diving In The Swamp" and "The Imperial Wizard," which I absolutely love. Your new album comes out on November 23rd, which happens to coincide with a full moon. That's a great time to release an album, intentional I would imagine. I'll make sure to listen to 'Lux Initiatrix Terrae' under the light of the full moon and be transcended!

Ben: Thank you for those kind words. We like "Thee Imperial Wizard," too. It was a good song to play live, really deep and slow, as we enjoy.

Who is presently in the band?

Ben: I play bass in Hua†a and also guitars on Lux Initiatrix Terrae, plus fx and synths. I am responsible for a lot of the musical arrangements and composed both the music and lyrics with Ronan.

Ronan: Currently, Ben and I remain in the band, but the last album was recorded with David Barbe on drums and Gurvan Coulon on organ. At this point, we must say it's hard to hold Hua†a alive. We've had a lot of lineup changes. As the founder and last remaining from among the original members, I played with dozens of guys. I don't feel proud of it at all and I can't deny the help and devotion we had from many of the former members. I just wish I had not to deal with these lineup changes.

"At this point, we must tell the truth. There won't be Hua†a anymore."

So Hua†a is now a two-piece? What does that bode for the band's future?

Ronan: At this point, we must tell the truth: there won't be Hua†a anymore. This album will come as a posthumous album. This is due to musical disagreement and I now realize why many bands used the same argument and how it's difficult to explain! I personally don't want to stop playing music like Hua†a, because it's a strong thing I need to do in my life. Like, making it real, see? The thing is, Benjamin is at least as much in Hua†a as me and I can't deny it. So what I want to do now is make music again and all the ideas that could help me to make music like Hua†a did would be welcome.

Ben: As Ronan says, we weren't on the same page, musically and emotionally speaking, anymore after 10 years of doom worshiping to continue this project. We started to write this album in 2013, record it in 2015, and release it in 2018. This lapse of time weighted on us very much, in terms of how we wanted to continue this band. Our wills, visions, and expectations have changed throughout this hiatus and this split is for the best. Now I'm focusing on my other project, Fange, which grew up fast and good, as well as a new experimental hip-hop act called Bienveillance.

Lux Initiatrix Terrae by Huata

Who did the artwork for Lux Initiatrix Terrae?

Ronan: Ben has done all the artwork in Hua†a, from our first release onward. He did all the T-shirts, too, all of Hua†a's imagery remains his vision.

Related to that, when you’re not making music what do you like to do?

Ben: Creating visuals, having nice drinks and meals with friends, playing board games, watching the NBA, and listening to music, obviously.

Ronan: I am currently training for adults undergoing kite to become a Cook. I had a lot of jobs before. I'm like a regular guy; I like to eat, to drink. I like those good things we can take in this world, as I tend to be epicurean. For example, I like to drink and discover a lot of IPAs.

What's a damn good book you've read?

Ronan: I am now reading, again and again, 'The Morning of The Magicians' (1960) from Bergier and Pauwels, and I can tell that the power of this book remains in the themes it tackles. Hörbigers’s Welteislehre, especially, retains my fascination.

Ben: 'The Morning of the Magicians' is definitely inspiring and so is 'The Secret Doctrine' (1888) from Helena Blavatsky. A few books from Robert Charroux were also big inspirations for us in the writing of Hua†a's lyrics and philosophy. Otherwise, ‘2001, A Space Odyssey’ (1968) from Arthur C. Clarke is brilliant, as is the Kubrick's movie adaptation, my favorite of all.

What makes you laugh?

Ben: Monty Python, The IT Crowd, Black Books, Ricky Gervais, etcetera. English humor is the very best. Ace Ventura is also one of my favorites, along with Les Visiteurs.

Ronan: Monty Python! I love the absurd humor.

I love to cook and eat. What are some good French foods you love?

Ben: All of it, man. Don't mess with French people about food. This is more than a cultural institution here; it's a freakin' religion! (laughs) French gastronomy is a masterpiece -- from meats, cheeses, and wines, to fishes and seafood, to even offal, snails, and frogs. All are great, without mentioning the quality of our pastry. But if I had to choose one stuff it would be the bread. Everywhere else's bread is shit.

Ronan: (laughs) Well, I'm actually learning a lot about this topic, as a future Cook. I'm now attending to make a "Poulet vallée d'Auge," a chicken flamed with calvados -- yummy! -- cooked with onions, fresh cream from Isigny, mushrooms, cider, and all of this with roasted potatoes and a good Merlot from our many varieties of wine grapes.

What are your influences musically?

Ben: The first bands I ever listened to as a child were Magma, Frank Zappa, Pink Floyd, and a lot of '70s rock, thanks to my father, so these records really influenced my musical approach. Black Sabbath is the obvious one, because I'm devoted to the art of the riff. Also John Coltrane, Karlheinz Stockhausen, John Zorn, and Trent Reznor are some composers I really admire, among many others. But for Hua†a, my influences were much more from the '70s psychedelic era than the doom-stoner one.

Ronan: I hear from my childhood rock, blues, folk and pop music. I'm not that much into metal music; I mean, not all of it. I'm now exploring some progressive rock music.

Hua†a is from Rennes, so I'm curious about some of the bands from area that you guys dig?

Ronan: I love Eat Roses. What they did was so deep and beautiful. Totorro also does good music. I'm not that much into thrash or death metal, but Hexecutor or Cadaveric Fumes are doing an excellent stuff. And the wave of garage rock bands -- I'm from Rennes -- is quite cool too, I even found Le druide du Gué Charette, which is from this wave and also wear monk robes like we did!

Ben: Eat Roses was the best, but DEAD and You, Vicious! are also quite good in the post-punk scene in Rennes, along with my mate, folk singer Dany von Del Baüt of Malaad Roy, and Straw Hair, who play hip-hop.

How is the metal scene in Rennes?

Ronan: There are the Roazhon Underground productions, Black Karma's new festival, and of course the "Tendresse et passion" scene. A lot of foreign bands visit the Mondo Bizarro or Terminus bars.

Ben: There was a big hardcore scene in Rennes in the late-'90s 'til the mid-2000s, but the metal scene didn't really grow up here. Can't say that there are obvious bands or venues, except the Mondo Bizarro, to really federate everyone, but some promoters are doing a good job to make it live.

What has been an awkward moment as a band?

Ben: Too much to remember, but most of them were more funny than weird moments, which makes good anecdotes, at least!

Ronan: There are so many I can't tell!

Your music has always had religious overtones, thematically and especially instrumentally -- namely through the use of organ. Do any of you have background in Christianity and Catholicism? I'm imagining, perhaps, the music of the cathedrals of your childhood, the grandiosity of the organ music there.

Some of us have been baptized and/or followed catechism class as children, but this has nothing to do with our reason for using an organ in our music, even if we are very impressed and enjoyed by organs in churches. There is nothing about religion in Hua†a, but there is spirituality and the will to cite many cults and convergences between ancient beliefs and occultism throughout history.

For this recording, what did you work with, organ-wise? It sounds like one of those incredible, elaborately piped church organs.

We would have loved to record a proper piped church organ, such as the one you can see on the alternative cover of Lux Initiatrix Terrae, but as with previous albums, we just recorded with a 1961 Hammond Organ -- which actually was used in a church in Brittany, back in the day. We chose to add an organ to our music because of our '70s musical background, but you're not completely wrong by saying that the majestic tones and serenity brought by the organ tones fit well with our musical purpose!

I'd love to probe the depths of each song, because I'm sure there are all kinds of fascinating details there our readers would love to know about. That said, I can understand if the band desires to preserve some mystery and leave it to the prerogative of the listener to search these things out. Certainly there are many rabbit trails to explore, not the least of which is the band's name.

Our lyrics and universe are very deep, indeed, and we do like to let our audience get into this if they want to. There is a big part of our work which remains hidden -- that's the purpose of the occult. To be honest, only a few really dug the lyrics, which are written in an ancient German code in our records, so you have to unscramble them in the graph way and by their meaning and references.

That is truly fascinating. Also, I noticed there were quite a number of contributing artists credited on the record.

We have had so many musicians throughout the years that it might be difficult to follow, I admit! We recorded Lux Initiatrix Terrae with a proper line-up, but summoned several extra-musicians to help us in expanding our musical palette. Their collaborations were even very mysterious, as we didn't meet in person with any of them -- except Laetitia, whom Ronan knows. They all recorded their own parts. We've only reached out to them with ideas of what we wanted and they managed to write what we were expecting.

I imagine there was a deliberate rationale for this?

Nothing extravagant, I'm afraid. They were just living in different areas of Brittany and the recording process took place in several spots over a two-year period. But it definitely fits the purpose not knowing who they are and having no interactions with them.

Not to end on a sour note, but I’m saddened to hear this is perhaps Hua†a's last album!

The decision to split apart was quit recent, but we were already in a hiatus for three years and no ceremonial activities in four years. As you may have gathered, we're a bit outside all these preoccupations we had back in the days, but it's always interesting and a pleasure to picture the whole frame of Hua†a with new disciples!

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#D&S Debuts #Huata #Rennes #France #Doom #Metal #Atmospheric Doom #Occult #Seeing Red Records #Sludgelord Records #Music Fear Satan #D&S Interviews #Shawn Gibson #HeavyBest18 #D&S Reviews #Doomed & Stoned

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jazzworldquest-blog · 6 years

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CANADA/TURKEY: Homeless Melody: Minor Empire Uses Psychedelic Guitars and Traditional Turkish Melodies to Paint a Portrait of Migrant Heartache on Uprooted

Homeless Melody: Minor Empire Uses Psychedelic Guitars and Traditional Turkish Melodies to Paint a Portrait of Migrant Heartache on Uprooted

Minor Empire’s Ozgu Ozman and Ozan Boz felt a visceral loss as the movement that started in Istanbul’s Gezi Park was crushed by the Turkish government. They felt a similar loss at the dispersal of the Standing Rock protests as indigenous people were silenced. Then they felt this same loss’s echoes in Ontario, where they least expected it.

Though they had lived in Canada for years, they watched their sense of home evaporate before their eyes.

“It was a living hell for us, watching these young hopeful people die in protests, watching governments cave to corporations and destructive goals. It is hard to convey how angry we were. I wanted to bring the world down on the heads of these politicians,” recalls Ozman, the group’s poignant vocalist and lyricist. “It was a powerful feeling of total injustice, of homelessness, when home had had such potential and such promise. It’s a feeling people are grappling with everywhere.”

The Toronto-based group harnesses lithe folk-inspired melodies, lush guitar, and stunning percussion to convey the disorientation, the grief, and the remaining embers of hope on Uprooted, a progressive testament to the heartache of alienation. “It was like an avalanche. The country changed from that moment,” Boz recounts. “We couldn't go back to Turkey and be comfortable. I suddenly felt homeless, that I don't’ belong there anymore with my ideas or lifestyle. I really felt uprooted, roots pulled up and thrown into the sea. It broke my heart.”

From this pain flowed a beautiful, boundary-pushing suite of songs that artfully juxtapose the raw yearning of regional traditions with sophisticated, multi-layered arrangements hinting at ambient and psychedelic explorations. The combination, supported by some of Toronto’s strongest musicians, has won the group acclaim in Canada. Now Minor Empire is bringing its latest recording and live repertoire to the US for an early autumn tour.

It all began with Ozman humming and murmuring folk songs. The duo, who had migrated to Canada at the same time, had been away from their native country for three or four years. Yet suddenly, Ozman was haunted by snatches of song that she kept revisiting under her breath.

The duo realized that in that humming, a new artistic direction lay. “The idea did not come from the void,” says Boz. “In Turkey, Turkish music is everywhere; it’s the soundtrack of your life. You hear it in a cab, a restaurant, your friend's house, you hear it even when you really don’t want to. But you don’t hear it at all here. This silence cleansed our ears and we started missing what we remembered.”

Minor Empire evolved quickly from that realization, as Ozman and Boz had already been collaborating musically for some time. “We wanted to reflect our needs, to address what we needed to express, a true expression of ourselves,” reflects Ozman. “Because at the time we were ready to record this trip-hop/art-pop project, but we decided we had to shelve that.”

Their approach to working with the traditional melodies they remembered from their youth departed from that of other artists, be they Western musicians dialoguing with Turkish forms or Turkish bands tackling Western pop or rock. A talented and exploratory guitarist, Boz heard something completely different underpinning Ozman’s gorgeous vocals.

“I don’t play a traditional instrument, I play electric guitar,” he explains. “What I listened to was psychedelic rock music, not traditional Turkish songs. Our music had to sound like who and what we are, which is a very defined combination of things. We tried to keep it that way without molding Turkish music into Western forms, or vice versa. We wanted the elements to coexist, not be forced together.” This approach bears bold fruit on original tracks like the “Yurtsuz” and the sweeping album opener, “Dunya.”

The group draws on more than folk melodies and lyrics, however. Ozman often turns to the rhythmic feels associated with Turkey’s regions. She felt especially drawn to the particular pulse of her coastal home province of Mersin, with its mellower, more laid-back rhythms. “My hometown is on the southern coastline and has a very different pace. The folk songs are almost reggae-like, very happy,” she says. “I realized I loved that feel, so I started listening to a lot of music from my hometown and to sing and internalize them. They had a lot of joyfulness, offering some solace amid my troubles.”

Ozman’s renditions of traditional songs boldly hold their own, not bending to fit the sensibilities of Boz’s instrumental arrangements on tracks like “Iki Keklik,” even when going head-to-head with electronic beats and trip-hop vibes. (“Mendilimin Yesili”) Boz’s sometimes slinky, sometimes ethereal, sometimes bluesy guitar forms a bridge between the vocal melodies and the soundscapes they float over, especially on the Saharan blues-inspired “Gunes Turkusu.”

Boz’s stylistic freedom translates into a broad instrumental palette as well. Taiko drums and timbales join traditional Turkish instruments like the qanun (zither) and bendir (frame drum), if the song’s emotional narrative is enriched by that sound. (“Tutam Yar Elinden”) At the same time, he balances the epic moments and crescendos with atmospheric interludes, a way for listeners to catch their breath amid the intensity.

“By the time you finish the third track, there has been so much to absorb, so many peaks and valleys,” Boz notes. “We like to include ambient tracks and begin crafting tracklists as we write songs. The connecting pieces are not random. They are composed to walk a listener from one tune to the next.”

The complexity and careful structure serve first and foremost to communicate the urgency of the feelings that the events of 2013 sparked in Minor Empire’s core duo. Though years have passed, the urgency and resonance remain. “The feeling of homelessness is a constant struggle,” Ozman says. “I had this energy in me, running and running but didn’t know what I would find at the end. I lost my home country and didn’t feel like there was any point in continuing to try. I felt directionless.”

Yet through it all, Ozman and Boz see moments of hope, a small light that may inspire other migrants, exiles, and refugees. “You struggle to create your own space, your own home, your own oasis,” Ozman muses. “I always thought you carry your home with you, that I could live anywhere, I just needed to be at peace with myself. That’s still there, even though I feel this bitterness.”

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