More "Somnum" by HÆLOS

In 2021, the phenomenal band HÆLOS created a work they called "Somnum" to reflect where they were at the time: "When the whole world is asleep and it feels like it’s just you, on your own, it can be wonderfully calm or horribly isolating. Although the band have been in different locations this year, they have often found themselves in the same sleepless state. Lotti navigating the early days of motherhood, Dom struggling with tinnitus and Daniel working nocturnal hours. In this twilight search they began exploring white noise and sharing ambient albums, gathering a palette of sounds that would form the basis of 'Somnum'."

Well, thankfully the band have revisited this musical sleep project, adding new tracks which build on the original ambient sound by introducing a cinematic quality and intriguing sampled sounds. And the visuals in the following videos are subtle but effective. They appear to be AI generated which give them an unsettling feeling, unmoored from reality. Taking place at night, naturally, the urban images of distant skylines, underground tunnels and roads, fire escapes, metal catwalks, skyscrapers, car parks, street lights, tower blocks, lighted advertising signs, bare roof tops, and overhead pipes and wires, all bathed in blue fluorescent or neon orange are inexplicably endless. Incongruous ballerinas, hip-hop dancers, and parkour freerunners are caught in mid-leap, sporting three arms or three legs as they flicker, shimmer, and dissolve. This is how I dream. Everything is based on reality but everything shifts. Something about where I am is just not right. Eerie. Uncanny. Even a little frightening. And the music reflects all of that.

Here is "Quietus," "Caligo," "Momenta," and "Coram Tempestate."

https://haelos.com/home

"Somnum" by HÆLOS

I am just blown away by the lovely new release from British band HÆLOS (previously here) called "Somnum." They say:

"When the whole world is asleep and it feels like it’s just you, on your own, it can be wonderfully calm or horribly isolating. Although the band have been in different locations this year, they have often found themselves in the same sleepless state. Lotti navigating the early days of motherhood, Dom struggling with tinnitus and Daniel working nocturnal hours.

In this twilight search they began exploring white noise and sharing ambient albums, gathering a palette of sounds that would form the basis of Somnum. Creating a standalone piece of music to coincide with World Sleep Day, Somnum is a mostly instrumental offering from HÆLOS. The band maintain their trademark cinematic soundscape whilst employing a more improvisational tone where the individual sounds are laid bare."

Here are the complete tracks from this extended release:
"Noctis"
"Somnum"
"Luna"
"Aurora"

https://haelos.com/

The Dreamery, NYC

Mattress makers Casper have opened up The Dreamery, a delightful concept space where one can book a 45 minute nap for $25. Located in New York City, they are open Monday through Saturday from 11 to 8 and Sunday from 11 to 6. If you find yourself lagging during the day and in need of a brief bit of shut eye, visit them at their Soho location on Mercer Street. You can book appointments through their website linked below. (I wonder if one can book two appointments back to back for a longer snooze?)

Yes, I know it is a sly marketing gimmick on the part of Casper to get you to test their product, but I just love the idea of a public place to go where people can sleep and dream in their own cozy little pod. Once you enter the star-lit tunnel and check-in, The Dreamery also offers complimentary beverages, pajamas with a constellation pattern, eye masks, earplugs (or if you don't want to use earplugs they offer"sleepcasts" by Headspace), and for when you wake refreshed, a face cleanser and a toothbrush kit to be used in one of the Refresh Rooms (last photo at the bottom)!

https://dreamerybycasper.com/

BEAUTY: Soft Sculpture--Maryam Ashkanian

Persian painter and sculptor Maryam Ashkanian embroidered portraits of sleepers onto pillows in her ghostly Sleep series. Enchanting.

http://www.maryamashkanian.com/

"Sleep" by 'fō

Here is a fantastic live version of "Sleep" by 'fō (the talented Josh Cooke), previously here.
Sounding and looking excellent, my friend!

http://www.hereliesfo.com/

"'fō" by 'fō

A few weeks ago, I wrote about the music of singer-songwriter-musician 'fō (Josh Cooke) (here). The two songs I posted, "North" and "Sleep," are little gems. Since then, his debut album was released (on November 10, 2015) and now that I have had a chance to listen to it in its entirety, I am even more amazed and smitten.

Using a palette of guitars with a restrained sprinkling of bass, piano, and violin, 'fō has managed to create a soundscape that is, on the surface, something akin to folk music. But not trendy "indie folk:" upon closer inspection, the simplicity of the music is actually hiding a sensibility that reflects a great deal of emotion and import. A seething sense of foreboding blankets this collection of ten songs--under the folksy veneer is something waiting to happen...something waiting for you. And this is achieved not only with his smooth voice (which is heavy with inflection and meaning--his acting experience clearly helps with this) but with the sparse yet incredibly effective orchestrations. The result is a spooky, chilling anxiety. These songs let the wind blow through them, making a gentle, howling sound. They are mournful but not impotent with sorrow, far from it--there remains a sense that these songs could reach out and grab you with a cold hand. They, and he, mean business. "Pay attention," they whisper to you, "...or else..."

In a collection of goose bump moments, there are a few which really stand out. The album opens with a seemingly innocent song called "String:" as 'fō sings, "You've got somebody to love/you've got it all/...You've got the world on a string/you've got it all/You've got the world on a string/you've got the man by the balls," random piano notes meander under the guitar until a glorious but brief string section blooms forth. The effect is startling and electrifying.

A keening violin and bass are anchored by the somber, faraway explosion of a bass drum in "Blue Room."

"North" seems like a swinging little ditty until it is punctured by eerie, skittering strings (a genius touch).

There is some delicious tension in "Chase" with a controlled but fed-up outburst: "Wanna go to sleep/give it all a rest/but you wanna change the world/wanna be the best...and you smile like a crook/smash the window out/and you're just out of reach/oh yes, you're worth your weight in gold/it'll be great, just great, really great."

"Faded" features arresting, insidious percussion and breathtaking vocal work, particularly some swoon-worthy, off-kilter harmony near the end of the song.

Comparisons to Nick Drake are inevitable and while I love Drake and the sadly small catalog he left behind (only three albums before his untimely death in 1974, either by accidental overdose of anti-depressants or deliberate suicide), the music on 'fō's eponymous debut is what I always yearned for Drake's music to be: immediate, commanding, dire, and understanding not only of melancholy, but of what lies beyond it and what it means to be able to "go there" and return, at will.

Here, again, is the stealthy, crafty "North."

And the hypnotizing "Sleep."

The album is available on iTunes. Visit 'fō's official website for more information:

http://www.hereliesfo.com/

'fō

I am absolutely entranced by the darkly beautiful music of 'fō (Josh Cooke). His debut release comes out in a few weeks, on November 10, 2015. Take a listen to these songs from his eponymously titled album and marvel at not only his smooth voice but at the mysterious, chilling music itself. At first, all seems innocent but soon the familiar guitar sound gives way to skittering strings, and a mournful, lamenting bass. A folksy sense morphs into deeper, more somber layers of meaning.

The official video for "North" contains enigmatic images that perfectly support the eerie disquiet.

And here is the arresting, spooky "Sleep."

I can't wait until the 10th when I can hear the entire release.

http://www.hereliesfo.com/

UPDATE: 11/24/15 I have reviewed 'fō's entire album. Follow the link below.
http://ohbythewayblog.blogspot.com/2015/11/fo-by-fo.html

I Always Do...

Fluffy Friends

If it were acceptable for adults--all of us--to take our stuffed animals and toys with us in our daily lives, to work, to school, to the grocery store, I can't help but think that the world would be a much better place.

Even the animals need a furry friend...

Goodnight...

“Dreams do not lack reality. They are real patterns of information.”

--Richard Doyle

“Our life is composed greatly from dreams, from the unconscious, and they must be brought into connection with action. They must be woven together.”
--Anaïs Nin

“Judge of your natural character by what you do in your dreams.”
--Ralph Waldo Emerson

“We do not make dreams, they come of their own accord.”
--C.G. Jung

The Goal of Wakefulness and Dreams

“Our aim is wakefulness. Our enemy is dreamless sleep.”
--The Temple ov Psychick Youth


Image by photographer Julia Fullerton-Batten

That Place