"Ritual" by Jon Hopkins

Simply extraordinary music... "Ritual" by Jon Hopkins, his new release.

His website says:
"By turns devotional, empowering and nurturing, Jon Hopkins’ forthcoming RITUAL is a 41-minute ceremonial epic built from cavernous subs, hypnotic drumming and transcendent melodic interplay.. Tense, immersive and ultimately triumphant, it is a culmination of themes explored throughout his 22-year career, and acts as the kinetic counterpart to 2021’s Music For Psychedelic Therapy.

A single piece unfolding over eight chapters, RITUAL is personified by depth and contrast. Taking ceremony, spiritual liberation and the hero's journey as inspiration, it taps into an ancient and primal energy."

Clear vinyl copies of this album are available for order on his website!
https://www.jonhopkins.co.uk/

"Remedy" by Durante feat. Running Touch

Ah, this is how I like my dance music...sopping with melancholy and emotion. Here is the yearning, tugging symphonic swirl of "Remedy" by Durante with breathy, tender vocals by Running Touch.

"Some day soon..."

https://durantemusic.com/

To The Point

Text-based collage art by JEF

I Refuse To Be Hardened

MADAME PRESIDENT

VOTE HARRIS WALZ!

https://kamalaharris.com/

Freedom 2024

Pete: "I believe in a better politics, one that finds us at our most decent and open and brave. The kind of politics that Kamala Harris and Tim Walz are offering. And as you have felt these many days, that kind of politics also just feels better to be part of. There is joy in it as well as power."

Oprah says, "Freedom isn't free. America is an ongoing project, it requires commitment, it requires being open to the hard work and the heart work of democracy. And every now and then it requires standing up to life's bullies."

And this from our next Vice President, Tim Walz: "When we Democrats talk about freedom, we mean the freedom to make a better life for yourself and the people that you love. Freedom to make your own healthcare decisions. And yeah, your kids' freedom to go to school without worrying about being shot dead in the hall."

VOTE HARRIS WALZ!

https://kamalaharris.com/

Do something! VOTE!

Do something!

VOTE!

VOTE HARRIS WALZ!

https://kamalaharris.com/

We Fight, We Win. For The People. For Our Future.

We're not just electing a President, we are uplifting our nation.

"We are moving forward!"

"LOCK HIM UP!"

"The lie and the logic of January 6th is a sickness. It is a kind of cancer...Donald Trump is a plague on the American conscience."

THANK YOU, JOE!

VOTE HARRIS WALZ!

https://kamalaharris.com/

Blue Moon

"FLY" by Mura Masa feat. Cherish

"FLY" by Mura Masa (the nom de musique of producer and songwriter Alexander Crossan) with vocals by Cherish.

Oh, by the way, did I ever tell you I can fly?

https://www.instagram.com/the_mura_masa

"Goodnight, Farewell" by Palace

Wow. Another incredible, cosmic song from Palace (previously here). Here is "Goodnight, Farewell."

Think I want it, a different life
I'm too sentimental, for friends of mine
So please surround me, in a milk cocoon
Insurrection in a shuttered room
Tilt my head, towards the sun
The brothers both said, to the middle one
"Just remember, your inner child"
"Just remember, it's who you are"

Orange peel, kitchen sink
Late night love for my medicine
Belly turned to guts like a barrel eye
She bore witness to a precious life
Precious life, precious life

I'll never forget who you were, I'll never forget
I'll never forget who you were, I'll never forget
I'll never forget who you were
Never forget, never forget
Never forget, never forget
Forget

https://www.wearepalace.com/

If By "Liberal" You Mean...

Considering the upcoming election, this is worth a repost:

Address of John F. Kennedy upon Accepting the Liberal Party Nomination for President, New York, New York, September 14, 1960:

"What do our opponents mean when they apply to us the label, 'Liberal'? If by 'Liberal' they mean, as they want people to believe, someone who is soft in his policies abroad, who is against local government, and who is unconcerned with the taxpayer's dollar, then the record of this party and its members demonstrate that we are not that kind of 'Liberal.' But, if by a 'Liberal,' they mean someone who looks ahead and not behind, someone who welcomes new ideas without rigid reactions, someone who cares about the welfare of the people - their health, their housing, their schools, their jobs, their civil rights, and their civil liberties - someone who believes that we can break through the stalemate and suspicions that grip us in our policies abroad, if that is what they mean by a 'Liberal,' then I'm proud to say that I'm a 'Liberal.' [Applause.]

But first, I would like to say what I understand the word, 'Liberal,' to mean and explain in the process why I consider myself to be a 'Liberal,' and what it means in the presidential election of 1960.

In short, having set forth my views - I hope for all time - 2 nights ago in Houston, on the proper relationship between church and state, I want to take this opportunity to set forth my views on the proper relationship between the state and the citizen. This is my political credo:

I believe in human dignity as the source of national purpose, in human liberty as the source of national action, and the human heart as the source of national compassion, and in the human mind as the source of our invention and our ideas. It is, I believe, this faith in our fellow citizens as individuals and as people that lies at the heart of the liberal faith, for liberalism is not so much a party creed or a set of fixed platform promises as it is an attitude of mind and heart, a faith in man's ability through the experiences of his reason and judgment to increase for himself and his fellow men the amount of Justice and freedom and brotherhood which all human life deserves. [Applause.]

I believe also in the United States of America, in the promise that it contains and has contained throughout our history of producing a society so abundant and creative and so free and responsible that it cannot only fulfill the aspirations of its citizens, but serve equally well as a beacon for all mankind. I do not believe in a super state. I see no magic to tax dollars which are sent to Washington and then returned. I abhor the waste and incompetence of large-scale Federal bureaucracies in this administration, as well as in others. I do not favor state compulsion when voluntary individual effort can do the job and do it well. But I believe in a government which acts, which exercises its full powers and its full responsibilities. Government is an art and a precious obligation; and when it has a job to do, I believe it should do it. And this requires not only great ends but that we propose concrete means of achieving them.

Our responsibility is not discharged by an announcement of virtuous ends. Our responsibility is to achieve these objectives with social invention, with political skill, and executive vigor. I believe for these reasons, that liberalism is our best and our only hope in the world today. [Applause.] For the liberal society is a free society, and it is at the same time and for that reason a strong society. Its strength is drawn from the will of free people committed to great ends and peacefully striving to meet them. Only liberalism, in short, can repair our national power, restore our national purpose, and liberate our national energies. And the only basic issue in the 1960 presidential campaign is whether our Government will fall in a conservative rut and die there, or whether we will move ahead in the liberal spirit of daring, of breaking new ground, of doing in our generation what Woodrow Wilson and Franklin Roosevelt and Harry Truman and Adlai Stevenson did in their time of influence and responsibility."

For the complete speech, follow this link to the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum:
https://www.jfklibrary.org/Research/Research-Aids/JFK-Speeches/Liberal-Party-Nomination-NYC_19600914.aspx

Happy World Elephant Day 2024!

Today is the twelfth anniversary of World Elephant Day!

On August 12, 2012, the inaugural World Elephant Day was launched to bring attention to the urgent plight of Asian and African elephants. The elephant is loved, revered and respected by people and cultures around the world, yet we balance on the brink of seeing the last of this magnificent creature.

The escalation of poaching, habitat loss, human-elephant conflict and mistreatment in captivity are just some of the threats to both African and Asian elephants. Working towards better protection for wild elephants, improving enforcement policies to prevent the illegal poaching and trade of ivory, conserving elephant habitats, better treatment for captive elephants and, when appropriate, reintroducing captive elephants into natural, protected sanctuaries are the goals that numerous elephant conservation organizations are focusing on around the world.

World Elephant Day asks you to experience elephants in non-exploitive and sustainable environments where elephants can thrive under care and protection. On World Elephant Day, August 12, express your concern, share your knowledge and support solutions for the better care of captive and wild elephants alike.

Support World Elephant Day so that we can continue to be a collective voice speaking out on behalf of elephants!

Elephant numbers have dropped by 62% over the last decade, and they could be mostly extinct by the end of the next decade. An estimated 100 African elephants are killed each day by poachers seeking ivory, meat and body parts, leaving only 400,000 remaining. An insatiable lust for ivory products in the Asian market makes the illegal ivory trade extremely profitable, and has led to the slaughter of tens of thousands of African elephants. Between 2010 and 2014, the price of ivory in China tripled, driving illicit poaching through the roof. If the elephants are to survive, the demand for ivory must be stopped . As of 2011, the world is losing more elephants than the population can reproduce, threatening the future of African elephants across the continent. Bull elephants with big tusks are the main targets and their numbers have been diminished to less than half of the females. Female African elephants have tusks and are also killed, which has a terrible effect on the stability of elephant societies, leaving an increasing number of orphaned baby elephants. There are still more African elephants being killed for ivory than are being born . . . elephant populations continue to decline.

Elephant Facts
*Elephants ‘rumble’ or purr like cats as a means of communication.
*The elephant is the largest land mammal and can weigh up to 10 tons!
*African elephants care for wounded individuals in the herd and can even identify the bones of deceased members.
*When an older male wants to spar with a younger male, they will often get down on their knees, which is a great example of elephant empathy. Elephants also appear to express grief, compassion, self-awareness, altruism and play.
*When an elephant calf is not feeding, it might suck its trunk for comfort, just as a human baby would suck its thumb. If a baby elephant is distressed, the entire family will rumble and go over to touch and caress it.
*Elephants eat constantly throughout the day and night and can consume up to 5% of their body mass.
*An elephant’s trunk serves as a nose, a hand, an extra foot, a signaling device, a tool for gathering food, siphoning water, dusting & digging and much more.
*The elephant brain is the largest of all land mammals with a mass of over 5kg. It is similar in structure to the human brain.
*Observations suggest that elephants are able to recognize themselves in a mirror. Self-recognition indicates a very high level of awareness, restricted only to few species.

The World Elephant Day website has partnered with many organizations to help protect elephants. Visit their site to learn more and to help.
https://worldelephantday.org/

BEAUTY: Mixed Media--Glen Martin Taylor

These wonderfully whimsical recycled/upcycled art pieces by painter-artist Glen Martin Taylor speak to mental health issues and challenges...with a leap toward resiliency.

It is easy to see that the artist has a gentle, thoughtful soul from the work but his current project from his website offers even more proof:
"Current Project: I am currently creating works with broken pottery recovered from the destroyed homes and schools of Ukraine for a traveling exhibition (2024-2026) that will begin in the USA and then Europe, ending in Kiev, Ukraine. The purpose of the project involves awareness, fundraising for relief, and international engagement about the human tragedy of the Ukrainian War."

To purchase one of his pieces, visit his website!
https://glenmartintaylor.com/

"Rain Can't Reach Us" by Yannis & the Yaw

The cavalcade of interesting music continues with this incredibly powerful track, "Rain Can't Reach Us" by Yannis (frontman for Foals) & the Yaw. Powerful musically, but also visually with a mad flight through London turning into an horrendous apocalypse.

This touching press release explains the who and how:

Yannis & The Yaw
16 Apr 2024
Yannis has teamed up with the late great drummer Tony Allen (best known for his work with Fela Kuti) for the ‘Lagos Paris London’ EP which will be released on 30th August via Transgressive Records.

Yannis & The Yaw is definitively not the start of a solo career: the “yaw” of the name references the nature of a project that emerged entirely organically during a specific period of time; a distinct musical excursion that Yannis expects will resurface episodically when events, environment and musical collaborators all fall fortuitously into place.

That’s precisely how ‘Lagos Paris London’ emerged. Yannis had been a fan of Tony for years, so when a mutual friend offered Yannis the opportunity to work with Tony in 2016 he took the opportunity to head to Paris. The studio turned out to be exactly how you’d imagine a Fela Kuti session to look like circa 1972: African percussion instruments and analogue equipment at every turn, the glare of wall-to-wall mirrors only glazed by the thick-fog of chain-smoking.

Joined by Tony’s regular collaborators Vincent Taeger (percussion, marimba), Vincent Taurelle (keys) and Ludovic Bruni (bass, guitar), the drummer’s initially “pleasantly dismissive” reception of Yannis evolved into an “undeniable connection through generations, through cultures, through experiences” as their two-day session yielded an EP’s worth of material, which was further developed over a handful of subsequent sessions. But between scheduling conflicts and Covid restrictions, actually completing their ideas proved to be frustratingly elusive. Naturally, when Tony passed away in April 2020 aged 79, Yannis felt compelled to bring the project to fruition.

Yannis comments: “There was an imperative to finish it in a way that I had never felt with another record. There was a deep duty to do it, to finish it as well as possible, and to pay respect to him by getting it out there. Going through some of the drum takes was a moving experience because those recordings were some of the last pieces of music he ever worked on. There’s an eternal quality to these drum tracks, and you feel a continuity of his life and energy through them. He wanted people to hear this, and it’s good to be able to do it for him - but of course it’s slightly bittersweet.”

As for the near future? Yannis hopes to take the EP’s high-spirited, loose-grooved exuberance to select shows in the UK, France and perhaps beyond. He also plans to return to Yannis & The Yaw in the future for further collaborations with inspiring musicians from across the globe.

https://yannisandtheyaw.com/

"Killing Floor" by Mondo Cozmo

It seems there is a slew of new music coming at us right now and this new track, "Killing Floor" by Mondo Cozmo (the nom de musique of singer-songwriter and record producer Josh Ostrander) is arresting...his music has been described as "chorus-heavy folk-rock" and the epic quality of this track highlights that.

(I hear you calling me, and I’m coming back to you)

She was singer in a punk band when she came for me
You found stability a redeeming thing
I remember when we left that party at that actor's house
You said sometimes the edges will not meet up
Something in their eyes when they walk away
Something in their eyes when you wait

Every little breath that you take is God
Every single smile that you made was yours
Everybody wants what they can't afford
Everybody dies on the killing floor
Everybody dies on the killing floor

(I hear you calling me, and I’m coming back to you)

You are the sunlight on a perfect day
You love the love songs that I won't sing
I remember when you said scatter me across the streets
On the Lower East Side of mansions and time machines
Something in your eyes when you walked away
Something in their eyes now when you wait

Every little breath that you take is God
Every single smile that you made was yours
Everybody wants what they can't afford
Everybody dies on the killing floor
Everybody dies on the killing floor

(I hear you calling me, and I’m coming back to you)

https://www.mondocozmo.com/

robrobrob

I have just discovered the music of robrobrob (the nom de musique of Robert Taylor) and I am smitten. Regular readers know I have a soft spot for dreamy electronic music that has a glitchy sense, with choppy snippets of woozy vocals that seem to be reaching out, yearning to be understood...

Here is "Bystander."

"Still Alive" has a joyous build...

And "Close Behind" has a sort of rushing...a buoyancy that feels exhilarating.

Amazing work robrobrob. Keep 'em coming, please!

https://www.instagram.com/robrobrobmusic/

Harris Walz 2024

https://kamalaharris.com/

Touch Everything

“When you touch one thing with deep awareness, you touch everything.”
--Lao Tzu

Le Satyre dans le Bois de Boulogne by Felix Vallotton

“The great lesson from the true mystics…that the sacred is in the ordinary, that it is to be found in one’s daily life, in one’s neighbors, friends, and family, in one’s backyard, and that travel may be a flight from confronting the sacred—this lesson can be easily lost. To be looking elsewhere for miracles is to me a sure sign of ignorance that everything is miraculous.”
--Abraham Maslow, "The Farther Reaches of Human Nature" (1971)

"The Flow" by Vancouver Sleep Clinic

Mmmm, soft gauzy vocal pop akin to Zero 7...here  is the lovely track "The Flow" by Vancouver Sleep Clinic (the nom de musique of Australian singer-songwriter and record producer Tim Bettinson).

https://www.vancouversleepclinic.org/

"Ruby Church" by X

No, it's not nostalgia...it's a new song, "Ruby Church" from legendary punk band X, in their original line-up! Taken from their new --and final-- record "Smoke & Fiction," it has the same urgent edge of their original material. I recall very well hearing for the first time their incredible 1980 debut album titled "Los Angeles." The sound was punk but had elements that no other band of the time had: the compellingly off-kilter harmony between lead singers John Doe (with his smooth, almost-lounge voice) and Exene Cervenka (with her amazing deranged, flat tone), a truly startling literary sense in the lyrics, and despite their "punk" allegiance and association, a pure, crystalline guitar and drum sound that was quite sophisticated and verged into Rockabilly-adjacent territory. I was lucky enough to see them in 1981 on their "Wild Gift" tour and it's hard to explain how revolutionary and powerful their sound was at the time...after you hear "Ruby Church," take a listen to "Los Angeles" here and be ready for the explosion of the first track "Your Phone's Off The Hook, But You're Not."

X  | Photo by Gilbert Trejo

X is currently on their farewell tour. Visit their website for locations and dates.
https://www.xtheband.com/