Catchy melodies in the chorus here!!! The contrast of your voices is awesome!

Ein starkes Stück, Axel – intensiv und mitreißend. Die Kombination deiner Stimme mit Sarahs bringt die Story richtig gut rüber und macht den Song besonders eindrucksvoll 🎶❤️🎶

How Cool Axel !!! Wonderful Composition, Performance  & Production !! This Song needs a Stage !!!! :-)

eure Stimmen passen ganz toll hier zusammen

Late to this party!!! Beautiful song!!!❤️‍🔥You sang it perfectly! Sarah’s voice in particular is a big middle finger to all the AI voices flooding SoundCloud!!! Amazing! 😻

Well worthy of being a piece for a top musical show

Shock the Algorithm

This song is a new one written this year and it's about how we've all become Broken Mirrors in some way. All of us, we were a loving people, not a cruel people, we were a caring people, not a hateful people, we were a hard working and strong people but also a very fragile people and I feel we've become a little bit more shattered in recent years. Our beliefs and hopes have diminished somewhat and this song reflects that broken mirror in us all. It's harder and harder to stay positive in this crazy hateful world today. I sang this one since Charlie was not available. I think the mix was too loud but I'm having problems with my computer and couldn't adjust the sound in my film editor like I usually do. 

VIDEO - https://youtu.be/CUpzZLL-xJc

I worked hard on the video and tried to follow the lyrics as close as possible. It will drop on August 1st on YouTube. It's about our lack of empathy as of late and this constant hatred for other people that I now sense in this great country of ours!.  So I asked myself, how did we get here? When a country starts depriving its citizens of basic needs like healthcare and not helping our senior citizens and ignoring the less fortunate among us and stop assistance for veterans (like me) that risked our lives for this country, then we're on a road to destruction and our government has failed us.  All I can do is write songs, so songs I shall write. I still believe in love, love is always the answer!  Take care & God bless!🙏😎✌🏼

“BROKEN MIRRORS"

WE LIVE INSIDE OUR CASTLES,
WE HIDE BEHIND OUR WALLS,
WARM AND SECURE, NEVER ENDURE,  
HARDSHIPS THAT BEFALL,             
THE CRESTFALLEN AMONG US,
THE ONES THAT WE IGNORE,      

PRETEND THEY DON’T EXIST,
PERHAPS THEY’LL MELT AWAY, 
THEY’LL DISAPPEAR, ALONG WITH FEARS, 
WE MAY BE THEM ONE DAY,
THEY REALLY NEVER MATTERED,
THE WRETCHED WE DEPLORE, 

BROKEN MIRRORS, BROKEN MINDS,
SOMETIMES WE CHOOSE TO BE BLIND,
CONVINCE OURSELVES, WE’RE MILES ABOVE,  
THOSE THAT BEG AND CRAWL,
 BROKEN MIRROR ALWAYS REFLECT, 
 WHAT’S BROKEN IN US ALL,

MAN IS A STRANGE CREATURE,
SO CRUEL BUT YET SO KIND, 
OUR TAPESTRY IS OUR ARTISTRY,
OUR HEART SOMETIMES SUBLIME,    
YET SOME HAVE A DARKER SIDE,
THEY LURK BEHIND SATAN'S DOOR,  

     BROKEN MIRRORS, BROKEN MINDS,
     SOMETIMES WE CHOOSE TO BE BLIND,
     CONVINCE OURSELVES, WE’RE MILES ABOVE,  
     THOSE THAT BEG AND CRAWL,
     BROKEN MIRROR ALWAYS REFLECT, 
     WHAT’S BROKEN IN US ALL.

 BY JIM VALDES © 2025

"BROKEN MIRRORS" (Video - https://youtu.be/CUpzZLL-xJc)

Another try at a more electronic vibe for this month’s song. I’ve actually mixed this one with headphones in mind. If you get a chance to listen in this way you might hear more of the more subtle effects I’ve worked into the song. I’m trying something different here from the last few songs so I always welcome  your feedback on how successful I’ve been. 

Hooked

Smoke & Mirrors

Meditation Vibration

v1:  in the dark night, does it feels right, when there's no light.

       in the dark night, does it feel right, when there's no light.

chorus:  she is the queen of shadows, living in the dark.
              she is the queen of shadows, don' let her steal your heart,
                                                                                                                     
v2:  can you feel the fear, as she draws near, you wont hear.

        can you feel the fear, as she draws near, you wont hear.

v3:  in the darkest hour, she has the power, to devour.

in the darkest hour, she has the power, to devour,

v4:   can you feel the fire, her desire, your funeral pyre.

        can you feel the fire, her desire, your funeral pyre.

She is the queen of shadows.

Way overdue for something new but I've been living in exile without the usual, albeit modest, setup I'm used to. So this might be pretty rough. And it's full of the usual horror at political realities and way full of schmaltzy velveeta. 

Guitarist note:  I don't have amps at present and was struggling to find a decent direct sound. There is a *free* VST plugin by Neural Amp DSP and online libraries of tone prints, also free, that came to the rescue. Highly recommended.

it's alright for you as long as it's alright
you don't mind what they do in the broad daylight

it never could be you

but you don't see the way you're blinded
they'll never drag you down to the places meant for those

do you feel the color of your soul
when you live with love suspended hiding in a hole
the moment is yours but you don't believe 
you won't believe what lies there ripening 
growing in your mind without you knowing

now it could be you

and as you feel the weight of the binding
you know they're dragging you down to the places meant for those

to liberate the light of every heart and mind
you can say it never paying any price

there's a little part of everyone that knows 
we're only playing separate lives 
till true faith arrives

if there's every gonna be a change 
let it start right here

you know it could be you

It Could Be You

LYRIC VIDEO  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yukpFvbhX-Y
So ~ I wasn't really intending on writing / recording another new song at the moment since I'm attempting to finish a number of other songs for my current project ~~but This One came to me one day in July & I felt compelled & decided to kind of drop everything  & record it, as I was hearing it as the possible song I may tag on as the Final Song of my new project once it is complete to close it out ~~
Would Love to hear any thoughts on it at all ! :-)
©2025 Donna Dior

THE LAVENDER

Hello everyone,
this is the second part – or rather, another chapter – of my musical theater project.
For this song, I’m lucky enough to be joined by Sarah Paradise-Brown, whose incredible voice gives this piece a very special depth.

"Blood" is a song about a seemingly hopeless love between a woman and a vampire. It tells a story of longing, danger, and the bittersweet realization that this love can never be fulfilled. Between attraction and pain, both struggle with the desire that binds them and the necessity of letting go so they won’t destroy each other. 

Video now on YouTube: https://youtu.be/wrYE7F06mwU



Blood

Your scent is moonlight on the wind
A promise wrapped in trembling skin
I hold you close, but not too near
For what I want is what you fear

You breathe like fire beneath restraint
Your touch is warm, your world is faint
And though your lips could steal my soul
I’d give you all, and not feel cold

You shine where I can never go
But still I linger in your glow
If love means letting go of fire
Then let us rise above desire

Blood is calling from below
Blood is more than I should know
Blood would turn the night to me
But love… wants more than destiny
Blood is silence wrapped in sound
But love is where we won’t be bound

I've tasted death in every shade
But nothing made me feel this way
You made the world turn soft and slow
And showed me things I’ll never know

You gave me truth without disguise
A world of pain beneath your eyes
But I can't live with what you are
Even love can’t cross that scar

I want you…
I know...
I need you…
But we can’t...
So hold me once, then let me go
Don’t drink the love we’ve come to know

Blood is beating like a drum
Blood is where we both came from
Blood could bind me to your name
But love is not a thing to tame
Blood may sing, may plead, may flood…
But not tonight, not with blood

If I must live without your flame
Then I will carry still your name
If I must walk into the day
I’ll dream you home some other way
Some love survives, 
survives in broken light
But not tonight…

Not with blood!


_______________________________
Credits:
Vocals: Sarah Paradise-Brown &  Axel Menningen
Music: Axel Menningen
_______________________________

Blood

No one knows what they’re doing
Don’t believe everything you think
Some things aren’t worth pursuing
Don’t believe everything you think
Feelings aren’t facts
They’re weapons of mass distraction
Holding on won’t change the past
You can win the game by not playing
Complaining won’t change the past
You can win the game by not playing
Don’t believe everything you think
No one knows what they’re doing
Don’t believe everything you think
Some things aren’t worth pursuing
Don’t believe everything you think
If everything around you is darkness, you may be the light
If everything around you is darkness, you may be the light
If everything around you is darkness, you may be the light

Don't Believe Everything You Think

Dream Bubble

Original by B:B: King

Little Man : Drums, bass & mix
PdB Orchestra : All other instruments & vocal

Everybody's Had The Blues

Brand New track on the Rocks! Summer 2025 and let it roll with my brand new track called "I Keep Protecting my Soul".

Purchase it digitally via #bandcamp: https://shockthealgorithm.bandcamp.com/track/i-keep-protecting-my-soul

(p) & (c) 2025, STA.

lyrics:
I keep protecting my soul
There's nothing more sacred than my soul
I keep protecting my soul
The body dies, it's eternal the soul

Clear is conscience, i am free i am alive
Sleeping in peace not with fear with opened one eye
I never harmed anyone, don't owe a dime
i am keep paving with gold this road so up high.

I Keep Protecting my Soul

SUCH IS LIFE
Written, Performed & Produced
by Andrew Borderick Copyright 2025 AB Music

V1
IT'S ANOTHER ECLIPSE OF THE CITY
SOUNDS LIKE YOU'VE BEEN AWAY
S S SAILING AWAY
WHEN I FLOTE INTO YOUR EYE'S
LOOK'S LIKE YOUR FAR AWAY
THERE TO STAY
(CHORUS)
IT'S ALRIGHT, YOU'LL BE FINE
GET OFF THE GROUND, TO TAKE MY HAND
AND FALL AGAIN, TO FALL AGAIN
WE CAN HIDE AND TRY TO DEFINE
SUCH IS LIFE
V2
WE ALL LIVE IN THE CRIME OF THE FUTURE
FEELS LIKE THE END OF TIME
REALING AWAY
NOW YOU'VE SLID INTO THIS STYLE
IT'S NOT THAT YOU HAD TO STAY
I'M HERE TO SAY
(CHORUS)
IT'S ALRIGHT, YOU'LL BE FINE
GET OFF THE GROUND, TO TAKE MY HAND
AND FALL AGAIN, TO FALL AGAIN
WE CAN HIDE AND TRY TO DEFINE
SUCH IS LIFE
(BREAK)
(CHORUS)
END

SUCH IS LIFE

This song may seem like a step backwards, no DAW, just acoustic, quite simple, vocals and a guitalele as accompaniment. Are you familiar with this instrument? I didn't know it existed until I met someone on the train who had one with him, the GL1 from Yamaha. It's kind of a full-fledged mini guitar. It's rather inexpensive considering the quality, costing less than 100 euros including the case. It's a beautiful instrument, and you can easily take it with you anywhere. You can play it like a normal guitar, you just have to get used to the small frets on the fretboard. But I don't wish to advertise here...anyway, I am really happy with it.
I found that song on my phone, one of my very first songs, like „Giants“. I wasn't very good at playing at the time, so the accompaniment consisted mainly of 1 or 2 notes on the electric guitar, hardly any chords. When I rediscovered it, I thought it sounded so embarrassing (the guitar playing) that I wanted to delete it. But then I listened to the complete song and finally liked it a lot. I've taken over some of the minimal guitar playing here in the guitalele version, but play also full chords. So please don't expect a complex song here. Maybe if this is the first song you will hear from me, you perhaps better skip it and listen to another one first.

Get out of my Head

sea-creatures.mp3

“Tome of Stars” is a 100 sonnet journey, equal parts art, therapy journal, and exorcism, both a celebration and an elegy, a single narrative arc tracing the birth and death of a relationship. All poetry by Stargazer. The verse and accompanying synthetic art and music are public domain, CC0, with no restrictions on use. Nothing is monetized. See below for links on how to access the print, PDF, audio, ePub, video, and music files. 
Website: https://www.tomeofstars.net/

The sixth and final section of “Tome of Stars”, “Scripture”, leaves narrative behind to consecrate the poet’s enduring, unrequited love as sacred text. Comprising nine sonnets, it transforms the terminal condition of quixotosis (a delusional devotion stripped of belief in reciprocity) into liturgy, adopting the voice and cadence of timeless religious writing.

“Polaris” identifies the figure of the Stargirl with the North Star as a symbol of enduring guidance, divine presence, and unyielding love in a chaotic and unworthy creation. The sonnet intertwines celestial imagery with human yearning, portraying her as both the origin and salvation of existence. The poem laments humanity’s hubris and the suffering it brings, contrasting it with the gentle, unerring constancy of the Stargirl, who guides, nurtures, and redeems. Two themes intertwine, the despair over humanity’s failings and the hope and solace offered by a higher, transcendent force.

***********
Lyrics

She lingers in the silent folds of thought,
Deep voice, a distant dream beneath our sleep.
Her absence is the agony we’ve bought;
We lurch and grasp at joys that only weep.

The cosmos, birthed within her endless womb,
Betrays her love, yet still she sweetly sings.
In every age, she gestates stars to bloom
And calls us from our winter to her spring.

On rare nights, when our venomed hubris dims,
And glories of the galaxies glow bright,
Her silhouette of starlight shines like hymns—
A beacon guiding exiles from their plight.

Soft sacred sight, a favored few will find;
Her kiss unmakes the madness of mankind.

***********
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3dMNga3PaxcmTfrYH3OSfM
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/stargazer-elentirmo/1842303474

Internet Archive
Book of sonnets:
https://archive.org/details/tome-of-stars/

Music:
Item 1, Anthesis: https://archive.org/details/Anthesis/
Item 2, Senescence: https://archive.org/details/senescence_tomeofstars
Item 3, Sporogenesis: https://archive.org/details/Sporogenesis_TomeOfStars/
Item 4, Anemochory: https://archive.org/details/Anemochory_TomeOfStars
Item 5, Quixotosis: https://archive.org/details/Quixotosis_TomeOfStars
Item 6, Scripture: https://archive.org/details/Scripture_TomeOfStars

Bandcamp:

Item 1, Anthesis: https://stargazer-elentirmo.bandcamp.com/album/anthesis-item-1-of-tome-of-stars
Item 2, Senescence: https://stargazer-elentirmo.bandcamp.com/album/senescence-item-2-of-tome-of-stars
Item 3, Sporogenesis: https://stargazer-elentirmo.bandcamp.com/album/sporogenesis-item-3-of-tome-of-stars
Item 4, Anemochory: https://stargazer-elentirmo.bandcamp.com/album/anemochory-item-4-of-tome-of-stars
Item 5, Quixotosis: https://stargazer-elentirmo.bandcamp.com/album/quixotosis-item-5-of-tome-of-stars
Item 6, Scripture: https://stargazer-elentirmo.bandcamp.com/album/scripture-item-6-of-tome-of-stars

Polaris

Heavy Punk Rock 'n' Roll band turns into Synthwave nowadays! Brand NEW album "Ultraviolet Cosmos" available NOW!
https://shockthealgorithm.bandcamp.com/album/ultraviolet-cosmos

Hi, I’m Axel.
After a longer musical hibernation, I started making music again about three years ago – and honestly, it feels amazing! I’ve been hanging around on SoundCloud for about two years now, and I’m constantly blown away by the creativity, variety, and real talent to be found here.

Music is just a hobby for me – which is exactly why I have zero ambitions to make money with it. I’m here simply because it’s fun. So, a small request: Dear annoying promoters with your shady offers – please save us both the trouble, I’m not your guy. I’m not chasing follower counts, click records, or streaming millions. Sure, I’m happy when people listen – but what I value most is connecting with a few honest musicians who feel the same way I do. Quality over quantity, you know?

One thing I do find kind of sad: there’s so much AI-generated music floating around on SoundCloud, often without being labeled. Come on, folks – if a robot wrote your track, at least give R2-D2 the credits.

I play keyboards and have already had the pleasure of creating songs together with some wonderful musicians I met right here on SoundCloud – something I’d love to keep doing. For me, collaboration and exchange are a huge part of what makes music so exciting.

Tech corner, anyone? All my tracks are produced in Cubase 13 Pro. Over time, more and more VST instruments have snuck into my setup – from Spitfire and Native Instruments to Spectrasonics and more. My go-to drum sounds usually come from Toontrack, which have become the rhythmic backbone of many of my tracks. I’ll admit it: I’ve caught a bit of a collecting bug here. Sadly, it’s eating both my wallet and my hard drive space. Will it ever stop? Probably not. 🙄

Style-wise, I love exploring different genres with no limits. For me, the goal is simple: have fun, stay inspired, and keep growing creatively. And every time I stumble upon a track here on SoundCloud that really moves me – the kind of song you’d probably never hear on the radio – it feels like discovering a hidden treasure.

I’m really glad you found my channel – and I hope my music brings you as much joy as it brings me when I create it.

Visit me also on Youtube:
 https://youtube.com/@axelmenningen?si=c01MyCiAEs39qZPZ

On Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/axel_menningen_music/




Blood

Axel Menningen

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