Sententia Pulmentum

I saw something today that filled me with a need to vent my uninformed, poorly constructed arguments against media, politics, student life, and everything therein or around. Lets be clear: nothing I say holds any claim to truth. I don't really believe there is any such thing as truth, firstly, in anything concerning the movement and behaviour of people, and especially the media, and secondly, in a more abstract sense, in anything at all in the sphere of experience. Ultimately, what I say is, in itself, unimportant, as is everything anyone says, but we must receive antidotes for each and every piece of propaganda that Big Brother gives us. How else will we reach that Brave New World? So, please, read this, and when you're done, go and read something else to help you forget the text ever existed. Our opinions will spiral on and on until nothing at all is left to say about such things that is in any way useful.

The SU bar is showing campaign videos for the Sab elections. They're actually rather good. By which I mean so overproduced and glittery that you don't really care what the candidates are saying, because you're distracted by the musical introduction and the lovely border around their name. A name which you promptly forgot. The candidates are being carefully groomed for a life of meaningless dressage for the purpose of proving that they are better than everyone else. Their personalities will be pruned away, until all that is left is a quivering In almost all respects these videos resemble real campaign videos, from, you know, election where the results actually mean someth.... oh wait, no...

But seriously, bitter remarks aside, what happened to a simple mission statement on a leaflet, a soapbox and a hustings? I mean, sure those things still exist, but now they're overshadowed by huge loudspeakers spewing out hypnotic music, some of which I actually like, by faces on televisions, made up to look pretty and interesting, surrounded by lights and borders in an aspirational vacuum. I would like to see what would happen if the media took a backseat in elections. Would only those who cared enough to research the candidates and the issues bother to vote? There seems to be a consensus that if you get everyone to vote, you'll end up with the best candidate for everyone. But that discount the fact that otherwise intelligent and thoughtful people become idiotic morons when they join in large enough groups, zombies whose brain will are consumed by the powerful and who must then seek out something to fill it, from any source close to hand. If people were not assaulted with the need to vote and battered with the iron notion that not voting means you are not a real person, not fit to be part of society, perhaps the sheep would give up and go voice their unfortunate bleating to each other. I know I would.

This train of though led me to realise that it isn't politics per se that I dislike, it's the way it's all been turned into a reality TV spectacle that I hate. At least of politicians didn't have to justify what they did, it would either all turn out well in, or all go tits up and they'd be burned at the metaphorical (or, in some places, real) stake.

So I realised, there is one huge difference between the SU elections and the general elections, other than the fact that some of these poor misguided fools still believe they can change things from inside the nonsensical system. In the general election, the parties give promises which are completely idealistic, exactly what the public wants, completely unrealistic to hope for, and which they have no intention of keeping. Instead, they replace those promises with policies that most of don't understand, and which may or may not be necessary, not that we'd ever know, for the amount of real dialogue that occurs, outside of rampant opinion wars. In the SU elections, however, the candidates genuinely believe in what they promise, genuinely intend to deliver it, and in many cases succeed in giving the student body exactly what it wants.

I honestly don't know which prospect is scarier. Huxley, eat your heart out.

妖怪なしで心

As a crushing headache kept me drowsing until I was nearly meant to finish work today, I figured going in was a little pointless. And since they hadn't called me to ask where I was, they clearly weren't immensely fussed by my absence. So, instead I decided to apologise tomorrow and instead spend the time browsing the net.

I found this.

Now I love Charlie Brooker's commentary. His sarcastic attacks on everyone and everything know no bound: not even he himself is safe. I don't approve of his views a lot of time, but his phrasing is always funny to behold, and this is no exception. Furthermore, I actually can't stand the concept of the Twilight saga enough to ever want to watch or read it. Perhaps I'm massively misjudging it, but I think the sound of millions of fangirls squealing are more than proof enough for me that I don't need to bother. Brooker does nothing to endear me to the series, to be sure, but I don't want to continue with the Twilight-bashing: the intellectual gang-rape has become as tiresome as the fandom itself.

One question did arise from the article though: why do otherwise intelligent and well-thought out people stand on the "mindless monster" hardline? Personally, in complete contrast to Brooker, I find zombies the dullest monster ever. I don't to see walking corpses shuffling around looking for a meal. That's just... boring. They have no motivation, no choice, no goal. I know that's the point, but it really does absolutely nothing at all to excite or terrify me. The truly terrifying things in the world are not mindless: they are people. People who think, and feel, and have goals, and hide their intent, and commit hideous acts that would be far less terrifying could we not somehow imagine ourselves doing exactly the same thing, in whatever far fetched version of our life might be required.

So, while Brooker may lament the loss of "real" monsters, instead, I celebrate the addition of humanity to what would otherwise be carnivorous furniture. The only vampires I've ever found interesting (and yes, I've watched Hellsing, and read Dracula, and seen Interview with a Vampire, and even played World of Darkness' Vampire games) are the ones in Being Human and in True Blood. There are other reasons why the vampires in WoD hold little allure for me, since they too share the quality that is found in Being Human and True Blood: they are people who have been afflicted with a curse so horrid and terrible that we can scarcely imagine it. And their actions, given their predicament, are completely understandable, if not agreeable. They are people, with more power and less humanity.

There is certainly a place for inhuman monsters, but they should, I think, always be in contrast to our own potential to become monsters ourselves. How else are we to explore the darker sides of our own psyche if we cannot realise that these monsters are just metaphors for exactly that: the darkness in ourselves? Deprive them of their humanity and you lose the essence of what they really are.

Déplacement d'esprit

I recently, thanks to one of the most inspirational individuals I've met, got hold of the new Rome EP, L'Assassin. It's so spectacular that I want to devote entire paragraphs to each song. I'll start with the covers, since, with most bands, new releases of old songs is hardly something to shout about. However, when it comes to artists as accomplished as Rome, I'll give them the space to prove worthy. And, they don't dissapoint. With the addition of Nikos Mavridis to the project, Rome have taken a vigorous shine to strings. As such, their "Stringed Version" releases of Der Brandtaucher and Der Erscheinungen Flucht are suitably superb.

Thanks to the addition of an introduction and the subtlest of accentuation of the rhythm with strings, Der Brandtaucher feels very different to the Masse Mensch Material release. The energy added by the violins nudges the whole piece a step or two lighter than the original version, and the song progresses, the effect expands to beautifully counterpoint the dark and ponderous lyrics. The percussion keeps itself almost identical, illustrating wonderfully how adding a single line of music (albeit played by more than one instrument at times) can alter the entire feel of a song and take to unforeseen heights. The whole thing is capped off with a perfect dual violin "solo". All in all, I still prefer the original release, but there's definitely something to be said for this version.

Der Erscheinungen Flucht, in contrast, drops the energy in favour of a more sedate song. The piano chords underlying the guitar are cut entirely, as is the reverb on Reuter's voice. To parrot several other blogs floating the net, I must. of course, point out the cunning change of lyrics from:

"This is a warning, we fall, as servants fall, in stone gardens."

to

"This is a warning, we fall, as stock markets fall, in stone gardens."

Also, I love how the music draws greater attention to perhaps the most meaningful lyrics Reuter has ever sung, which, even at the end of the song, are accompanied only by guitar and gentle strings:

"Your pride should be a lighter thing: an easy thing, a cheerful thing."

Interestingly, the strings jump in full on, at 2:11, but their addition does nothing to reinject the energy lost by cutting the piano, but rather, develops further the mournful sound that begun the song. This song, I feel seriously contends with its original form for the superfluous title of "best".

But, of course, no matter how good a re-release may be, what you really want to hear when you stick on the EP are the new tracks.

So, on to One Flesh, which reeks of the old pre-Flowers Rome in a most magnificent way, and yet, somehow plasters to it the new, lighter sound, giving the whole thing a complex and pleasing sound. The cello walks a potent path across the whole song, cutting deeply into the mind, paving the way for the gorgeous lyrics to glide freely into the part of you that wants not to critique, nor compare, but simply to admire.

"For one flesh we are
and shall be still.
No man hates his own kind
while he's alive
For one flesh we are
and shall be still
And I shall never tire
of loving you."

And, finally, the title track. The first line seems to epitomise the entire shift Rome have taken in their last two releases:

"Banks and tanks have lost their charm"

Further lines continue the comparison to their older work, with

"Lambs dressed as lions,
relief in reverse,
the trappings of worldly lions,
amidst the rite of words"

Which rings so clearly of Der Brandstifter:

"You admire the lions,
you despise old sheep,
but following lions,
creates nothing but sheep."

All this, combined with the fact that both their re-releases are from Masse Mench Material, leads me to believe the release of this EP was in many ways an attempt by the band to acknowledge the success of that great album, while at the same time signalling their breaking free from the legacy it created.

And now, since never in my life have I been able to listen to Rome without wanting to write, sing and play, I'll leave and do exactly that. I hope you may find in their music all that I do, perhaps even more.

Le voci degli dei

I was stumbling around Youtube today, when I found something stunning.

A Cappella Metal.

Sounds like a cheesy gimmick, doesn't it? Well, the same could be said of metal on cellos, yet we have Apocalyptica, of mixing flamenco with rock and metal, yet we have Rodrigo y Gabriela, of mixing jazz and death metal, yet we have Opeth . So, put aside your instincts, and listen:

ปล่อย

I haven't written much for a while, but I've been prompted to add something by recent events. I want you all to think about you life, and about the people in it. All the people that matter to you, that influence your life one way or another. How do they affect you? Don't think about the details of what they do, just how it affects you.

Now focus on the people that have a an affect you label as negative. Think about them and the feeling they generate in you.

People do this all the time in reality, when someone has annoyed them, they think about it, they focus on the feeling and let it build up. To avoid insulting each other, to keep up appearances. Letting out anger, pain frustration, or any other negative emotion can lead to horrendous upheaval, unbalancing the status quo, and so we hold the feelings in. But sooner or later, the great wall we build between the feelings and the world begins to crack and some that energy damned up behind it leaks out and hurts us, or other people.

And of course, everyone knows this. We're told from childhood, "don't bottle up your feelings." But the truth is, as soon as the energy is out, we patch up the wall, you apologise for our negligence in maintaining necessary repairs, and the tenuous balance returns. The grinding passage of everyday traffic continues past the scene of the accident and you forget it ever happened. It's so much easier to just hold it all in and keep on walking.

Except you don't and it isn't. The wall is forever weakened, and the emotions continue to build up. The cracks become more frequent, and more apparent.

Even those people of whom we think, "they speak their mind", the kind that always has an opinion. always wants to tell you what that opinion is, that will not "suffer fools gladly", even they cannot avoid this cycle. Their wall is even bigger than other people's, for those opinions come from behind it, thrown into the world to attack it, to show how they are better than it.

This is, again, something we all do. We all care deeply about something or another, and so we have a wall, however big or small around it. If someone threatens it, you spring to defend it, to throw thoughts and opinions at the world until it stops threatening. There is much written on this, and indeed, on everything I say here, and this particular mechanism, though nuanced a thousand ways, and completely central to what I would say, is not something to dwell on deeply at the moment.

Instead, think again of that person or group that so riles you. Focus on the feeling, let it coalesce and amplify.Focus on it so deeply that it is no longer attached to any individual, but is a being of its very own. Now you are afflicted by feelings made by your own mind without cause. Now do something to release them. Shout (though not at anyone, or even at the energy itself, just release the energy through your voice), sing, play music, draw, write, paint, run, do whatever it is that helps you release energy. But be sure to release it completely. Expend your thoughts and focus on that one task. If any energy remains, keep going.

When you are done, spent, come back and read ono. Go, now!



So, you're back. You've released all that energy, and you're now relaxed? Good. Now, play the video above and close your eyes to listen. You needn't listen to it all, but make sure the peace has filled you, that you feel relaxed and free of tension. If that sounds doesn't help, find another, one that does. Or if you prefer silence, use that. Whatever you use, just absorb it for a while, let it fill you, flow through you, for a good long time.

Now, it's probably several hours, at least, since you started reading the post. The person you originally thought of should be long gone from your mind. They're back now, aren't they? How do you feel about them now? Do they annoy you as much? Do they annoy you at all?

Perhaps, but I hope you feel a little calmer about the whole thing. I hope now you can judge the situation for what it is: a collection of people sitting behind walls, gazing down on the world, you included. I hope this insight helps you see where the problems really lie, and deal with them as they need to be dealt with, not as your ego would tell you they ought to be dealt with.

I don't claim this is a definitively answer to your problems, I don't claim to be any kind of psychologist or guru. And I'm well aware the similar techniques may be exhaled or vilified by different traditions around the world. But try it. If it works, then you'll have clarity. If it doesn't, never mind. Try something else. And if you're worried that releasing your anger might destroy you, well, that's something only you can solve, but I would suggest that as long as you take care to release it in the right place and time, you'll do anything but destroy yourself.