Function 42

Converging Swarm Transformation

Quivering Ground

Certainly

Glowing Amber Jelly

The Fall Harvest

Auroral Flush

Szhoo 'N Doo

Mechanical Confetti

Nowhere Quickly

These tracks are from a songwriting group I'm in called Bullet Lodge, which is a Minneapolis-based branch of the Immersion Composition Society, or ICS.

The main activity in ICS is the "day album", a songwriting game in which each person writes and records six songs in one day. In Bullet Lodge, we added the option to "marathon", which means you can keep going after the initial twenty-four hours, as long as you complete one additional song every subsequent four hours you're able to stay awake. The rules aren't really strict, they're just meant to keep the purpose of the game in mind.

This process has been extremely helpful and productive for me musically and creatively. Playing along with the game is a fun motivator, and setting an intention to make music all day lets you indulge in creative play to the fullest extent possible, which is great for the spirit and mind. The element of time constraint prevents excessive deliberation, which sharpens instincts and allows surprises to happen. You can also scratch the itch of experimentation and try things you've thought about doing before, but maybe felt weren't "important" enough to give time to. The material benefit is you get six new songs each time! It can be frustrating at times, but it's mostly fun — and super rewarding.

Function 42

Eclipsicle