This is an ever-changing playlist of my favorite songs and/or artists peppered all over the SCloud at a given moment. 

The list is loosely sequenced in order of favorites, but every single one of these tracks and artists generates within me a tremendous and equal amount of aural joy, keeping me (mostly) sane whether at home or work.   :D

Current faves found thru SCloud that I can't stop replaying...

Concealed

four track cassette recording, sped up and thinned out.  all musics and stuffs by andrew salvner (aka lil' spaceman)

speedbump

danger, spaceman

“Icarus (It’s Not Fair)”

If I was never meant to fly
Why do I desire heights?
Oh don’t burn my pride
If I wasn’t born to touch the sky
Why do I wanna try?
Why oh why oh why

Oh see how birds dance in sunlight
Oh so why not me?
It’s not fair
Oh see how clouds shape the sunlight
Oh so why not me?
It’s not fair

If I wasn’t born to aim so high
Why can’t I bend my eye?
	Oh don’t choke my pride
If I wasn’t meant for a lofty life
Why do I wanna rise?
Why oh why oh why

Oh see how birds dance in sunlight
Oh so why not me?
It’s not fair
Oh see how clouds shape the sunlight
Oh so why not me?
It’s not fair

O my father, let me soar!

Oh look how I dance in sunlight
Oh it’s so me
I’m so fair
Oh look how I shape the sunlight
Oh it’s all me
I’m so fair

O my father, see me go!
---
Music by Corey Ball
Lyrics by August Lysy

Icarus (It's Not Fair)

they eat your legs first

This song is best ingested in conjunction with its symbiotic Music Video as part of a complete breakfast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02yvaKW0YiM

"My oh my" is what You say
when the strifes of life at last give way
to a moment with a slow decay
where freedom sings its soft hooray

This song was inspired by a journey I took, a process of discovery and healing, of hope and vigilance, of pain and sweet empowerment, and of freedom! The journey never ends (it goes on and on and on and on!! hehehe)

The song is dedicated to my Myo guide, Jessica, who inspired me, educated me, aided me, and encouraged me with tenacious tact and outstanding optimism. Thank You so so much Jessica! :) This video contains a few servings of my current levels of joy and liberation thanks to You hahahah

Within the lyrics are many wink-winks and nudge-nudges for any Myologists out there, or any fellow Myofunctional journeyers and tongue-tied alums. ;)

Let this also be a gentle advocation for myofunctional therapy for anyone who it may benefit, and a solid recommendation to contact Jessica at https://www.opusom.com/ if You do decide to tread that path.

A few production notes, the drum kit is entirely comprised of samples I recorded of my own mouth-sounds, a tedious process, but I've always wanted to try it and this song presented the perfect thematic opportunity!
For longtime fans, the video features some old familiar faces, Loveman (from the 'Let Me Love You' video) and Funkman (from 'In A Funk' fame), they were more than pleased to join me in singing and dancing to this track!
And lastly, this has been my first attempt at such sneaky video editing techniques, it was quite marvellously fun and edifying to spend some time and effort creating and learning new techniques :D

Thank You to family, friends, fans, and all who support and encourage my creativity,

May this song represent a morsel of my(o) Love for You

<3

Lyrics:

//

For anybody feeling weak, (So damn tired)
Getting tired of losing sleep, (We've tried)
There's no use in grinded teeth, (Go take five)
Lets put our tongues up in our cheeks (For a while)

My oh my
say goodbye
to all ties
That been holdin us down
Myo Myo My
We could float into the sky
Make our way where the birds fly
Bound for the unbound
myoymyoymyoymyoo
clip the string on the yoyo
let it spin let it go for a roll
From the floor to the rooftop
mymymymymomyomoymoyoo
Open up and let the tongue grow
Big smile let the gum show
yeah, that hits the spot

We're losing air far from our peaks, (Deprived)
But I heard about a cave where we can breathe (Let's get inside)
Right beneath our nose, too close to speak it (We a little shy)
We seal our lips closed like it's our little secret (And we smile)

Myo Myo My,
Say Goodbye,
To all ties
From the floor to the rooftop
Myo Myo My,
We could float into the sky,
Make our way where the birds fly,
Yeah, that's the spot.

We climb high finding the sweet-eet-eet spot
We fly by smiling at used rooftops

//

xoxo

Official Music Video

Myo Myo

"A vagrant with a feckless heart
Preparing to depart again
Eyes are strained upon the dark
Ever searching out the stars

This darkling world a wilderness
And we are doomed to wander it

Stumbling listless, roaming blind
By a legend ill defined
The firmament that separates
Is firmer than his trust so desolate

This darkling world a wilderness
And we are doomed to wander it"

wander

“Silas”

Silas
While you were sleeping last night
I had a vision
So real I shook with fright
My room was a prison
Whose key was lost in my mind
I searched all, blindly
But felt nothing to find

How can I convey to you
What came to me immediately
When reason and words defy
If I were you, I’d doubt it, too
But it was no dream or fantasy
I saw it true as I do you
About this I’d never lie

Silas
Can’t you believe me, my friend
I am no zealot
Nor are my wits at their end
There came a sheriff
Whose open mouth shone a light
He lit inside me
And I saw him the Christ

How can I convey to you
What came to me immediately
When reason and words defy
You say my mind has become skewed
But such is said too easily
Harder to accept the truth
From across the great divide

He set me free
He is the key
He came to me
He heard my plea / He is alive

How can I convey to you
What came to me immediately
When reason and words defy
Would my joy could pass to you
But it came to me unwantedly
I resisted like a restless fool
But he’s changed my very mind

- - -
Music by Corey Ball
Lyrics by August Lysy

Silas

PATERNITY


if you’re going down
down onto the sea
don’t leave without me


boarded up the house
threw away the keys
blown down to my knees


once we lived as a family
splendid circle of three


fifth of bourbon won’t
kill the memories
what you meant to me


memory of a family
partner, kiddo and me:
rocky beach and light house beam
counting rabbits in sunset dream


once we lived as a family
splendid circle of three


if you’re going down
down into the mud
don’t leave without me

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thanks to Janine Levinson, Wheelwright and David Weiss for early listening 
and encouragement.

Paternity

■概要(overview)
しろちゃんは家に飾ってある絵画にうっとりしています。
そこには様々な海の生物が描かれています。
「旅に出たいなぁ・・」
そう、しろちゃんは、海に憧れを抱いているのです。
そしてしろちゃんはこっそり家を出て、海を目指すのでした。
・・・
少し間が空きましたが、新曲です。インストです。
BandLabのサンプラーを使ってみました。

Shiro-chan is fascinated by the paintings displayed in her house.
Various sea creatures are drawn there.
"I want to go on a trip..."
Yes, Shiro-chan has a longing for the sea.
And Shiro-chan secretly left the house and headed for the sea.
・・・
It's been a while, but it's a new song. It's an instrumental song.
I used BandLab's sampler.

shiro-chang-no-akogare(しろちゃんの憧れ)

Is anyone still out there?
Well hello there if you are taking some of your valuable time to read this! As the lyrics to this (probably)final song say, its been a long while……
The last time I checked into Soundcloud was maybe last December, wow…. 
I packed up for a holiday in Hawaii, ran the Honolulu Marathon, watched a volcano erupt, cast my dog’s ashes into a lava field and drank a tropical island's worth of cocktails while watching the sunset with my wife. And then returned a few weeks later decidedly unenthused about the Cat and my collaborator.
Gina had been making noises about returning to an on again / off again musical partner. That wasn’t unexpected and was actually a bit of a relief as I hadn’t been enjoying this for a while. Our last few songs had been tortuous to finish, including this one which was finally finished I think way back in October 2022.
Cat Came Back was always a lot like an arranged marriage - nothing at all in common but we kind of made it work 3 minutes at a time. But by late last year, it had become very hard work. And as you fellow Soundclouders know, outside of personal satisfaction, the rewards for all of that hard work are not very large. So, if the personal satisfaction is gone, there’s not a lot left to motivate oneself. 
In addition to that, there were a few rather large elephants in the room regarding my collaborator that I won't go into but nevertheless constantly weighed very heavily on my mind throughout our time together and I was finding these increasingly difficult to continue to ignore for the sake of making music together.
So anyway, when I returned a perhaps brief hiatus accidentally turned into this - silence for what, 7-8 months? Haven’t picked up an instrument in all that time and they currently sit in my garage gathering dust. Took up Chess, what a rabbit hole that is! Continued running. Listening as always to a lot of old jazz. Continued seemingly never ending renovations to my house. Spent a lot of time with my lifelong friend, William Styron’s Black Dog, as a matter of fact he's here sitting right by my side now. 
So what now? I sat down a few days back and listened to a few things that were unfinished as of late last year. Maybe its time to start again. Find a new collaborator or two? Anyone know anyone who might be a match?
In the meantime I’ll dip my toe in and check out what some of my favourite Soundclouders have been up to while I was away. I'm sure I've missed out on some really great stuff.

Minor Exotica (Turned To Black)

This one is kind of an experimental deal.  The main riff has 12 guitars, each with something different about it.  Each of the 12 lines was played on a different guitar.  Some are tuned in octaves to the others, some from a mic'd amp, some from sims etc.. 
I wasn't going for a tight doubled guitar sound like you normally want, I wanted the sound of a dozen guitars sounding like a big loud thing.  
The beat for this comes from one of my friend's son, Zack, who is new to all of this and is just learning his DAW at age 19 and this was written on top of his beat so thanks Zack!
Also big thanks to Stonerjazz for the title and to Rekha for the amazing background vocal in this!

planks

Planks

a very short piece...

rims of light
upon the surface haze
reeling into it too
in the delicate
distant rays
on a pale afternoon

in the haze of 
a distant light
reeling into it too
in the delicate 
distant rays
on a pale afternoon

Hazy excerpt

Somehow, this never got posted here. So...here it is!

Tommy: bass
Falsestart: drums, lyrics, production
Scotty: guitar, lyrics, vocals

rest my head and fix my gaze
my mind is weary. the sleepy haze
still I try to visualize 
all the fading glory. these crazy days 

now it’s gone, how its flown by...

all these memories fade into dreams 
where they replay on private screens 
behind my eyelids, in between
reality or so it seems...

i’m too far gone…i’m swept away
now I can see it. my great escape
the sun beats down. we splash about
my heart goes racing. I can feel you now

again, you’re gone. no longer mine

all these dreams turn into memories 
and with the rest they always flee
and when I open up my eyes
you’re lost again, my lullaby...

Flyby Lullaby (Falsestart/QB Bills)

the captain, mad captain
he told the men his plans
and then they went out stealing things
so they could rule these lands

they stole four antique cannons from the castle
hijacked a truckload of metal from the factory
they stole a jet engine from the old air force base
the mad captain nodded satisfactorily

they welded the metal into a battering ram
and the big jet engine was for extra speed
cannons armed in every direction
the mad captain had returned to the sea (x2)

they were a terror in the open waters
they’d sink any ship that they saw
and with their jet engine, they were able to avoid apprehension
and stay a step ahead of the law

vengeance in the form of a storm
came rolling across the sea
the mad captain pulled his eyes from the sky
he’d seen more than he wanted to see
"all hands below deck", the captain roared
"tie yourself down so you don’t go overboard"
------
bass, piano, beatbox, guitar and vocals by andrew salvner (aka lil' spaceman, pretzels malone)
drums from my cheap old digitech bp90 bass pedal
thunderstorm field recording by Arnaud Coutancier www.freesound.org/people/arnaud%20coutancier/
additional sound effects supplied by @pliable-tones
drums/bass/bass/piano recorded on 4-track cassette / vocals and beatbox added using Audacity.

the mad captain (on speed)

From the album "Röckers" (2024)

Lyrics:
Strangers are the most interesting people that you'll meet
Yeah, it's not the closeness
But the distance
That make people reveal themselves to you
Strangers are the most interesting people that you'll meet

Sitting in an airplane seat
Next to my ticketed passengers
Maybe it was the tight seating that created a false sense of intimacy
Maybe she was just covering up the silence
She told how she had been sick as a child
And how she always secretly blamed her mother.
Maybe she had taken comfort in an anonymous and friendly face
I've always been told I have an anonymous and friendly face

Primordial ooze climbed from the sea
Marauding villagers freak
A curated killing spree
Birds of prey stick together 
And so should we

Strangers are the most interesting people that you'll meet
They will unburden themselves to a total stranger
All their lovers
The family secrets
Anthropologists say that human beings by nature  are a trusting species
It's our shared sense of community survival
Well, I've seen a change recently
Everybody suspicious of everybody else
What have we done?
To reverse thousand of years of human evolutionary behavior?

Primordial ooze climbed from the sea
Marauding villagers freak
A curated killing spree
Birds of prey stick together 
And so should we

Strangers are the most interesting people that you'll meet.

Strangers Are The Most Interesting People That You'll Meet

Four walls 

talk to me 
tell me anything 
that you don’t want to see me 
even that, it will fit me

Look at me 
I got you some chocolates 
I know you used to love it 
Today I don’t know, I don’t know anymore 

Where are you? 
We die of your absence 
of this indifference
your mind dances
between these four walls

talk to me 
hear your voice again 
to finally feed hope 
one day we’ll see you again

Remember 
that you guided our steps 
you were our king 
how to do without you 
we don’t know anymore 

Where are you? 
We die of your absence 
for you nothing matters 
you live in silence 
between these four walls

Where are you? 
We die of your absence 
please take the hand 
that I hold out to you
if there is a chance 
then talk to me
even if it hurts
I need to know 
if you know it’s me 
who's standing here in front of you.

Quatre murs (translated)

Heal me with a wounded heart
Animate my failed resolve
Pull these wires from my skin
They'll tear the flesh, but I'll be whole within

And begin to live
Like a human being

'Cause I've lost control and I'm growing tired
Can't trust myself 'cause I'm a liar
I'm losing hope and I need to know
What is the key to being whole?

Now I've a noose for every limb
They suffocate rebellion
So rend the sinew from the bone
Displace the ones I've let upon your throne

For who you serve
Comes back in turn

I've lost control and I'm growing tired
Can't trust myself 'cause I'm a liar
I'm losing hope and I need to know
What is the key to being whole?

Please realign all my desires
'Cause I've lost control and I'm growing tired
Can't trust myself 'cause I'm a liar
I'm losing hope and I need to know
What is the key to being whole?

Fracture

rotten weather   rollin’ in

we’ll go walkin’ anyway

‘gainst the wind


get your go-bag ready
load the car up


did you hear it?  distant roar

keep your ear down to the ground

check the score


get your hard hat ready
fill those bottles up


i can’t remember
were you there?
your fingers running
through my hair


let them come now  let them try

beating down the beautiful

of our tribe


purple mountains raging
blackened skies 
constitution’s aging
battle cry 

high angels  hiding

my country  dying

(not too late)   (late)

let’s listen  let’s breathe 

(not too late)   (late)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thanks to Janine Levinson, Cheesemont Paisely-Paisely, and Wheelwright for early listening and feedback.

Rotten Weather

This song is a bit campy. The core of this thing is pure Isley Brothers' formula from the 70s -- they had these no nonsense, hard slamming funk songs that just went on forever (and you want them to). And there's also a healthy dose of 80s/90s slinky funk guilty pleasures like Grace Jones, Sade, & Seal.

is it finally living this feeling inside
I waited for hours with a slow burning fire
now is not the time to evade in the face of desire

but that's how it goes when you hold the control does it feel right
you're letting it go and I know that you know are you satisfied

the rules of the game are so easily changed
let's be honest about it lonely hearts will stray
I am still willing but your love is failing me every night

oh but that's how it goes when you're running the show  how you feel it
you're letting it go and I know that you know I can't steal it

out in the city new hearts align   
but tonight I am only alive for yours and mine

Control

Lampyridae

Worst poet wanna-being worster singsong-person. 

Lost to learning. Living the attempt.

Current faves found thru SCloud that I can't stop replaying...

Francois Cormier