thank you Amiral Krank for reposting; missed this one before and it's great

so so beautiful and dark and smoky !!! great !!!! i love it so much!!

Warm vocal and a smooth soundscape all sounding so effortless. Chris

phenomenal jazzy blues. just a perfect match you two : )

What a lovely series of chords and found notes. Quite touching in concert with the vocals.

The Trial
A Pico-Operetta for our Times

International Cast

Lady Humanity - Oddrun Eikli - Norway, vocals and lyric on the last song; https://soundcloud.com/oddrun-eikli
Lord Mammon - Peter - England, All poetic lyrics in the operetta, except the last song; https://soundcloud.com/user-264930040/tracks
The Judge - David Dunham - USA, and acoustic guitar in the third song; https://soundcloud.com/david-dunhamuser589535203
Music & Production - Seagull - Sweden, compilation, mixing, sound effects etc; https://soundcloud.com/farout-music-studio

Here you can download all poetic lyrics: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/37k203an5c6azz0ekltvn/The-Trial-Libretto.pdf?rlkey=mope1vjiyqhaeo17b5u74dp2i&dl=0

Synopsis

Following unprecedented worldwide growth in human conflict, an emergency plenary session of the United Nations was convened late in 2023, tasked with finding new approaches to defuse global tension and ease conciliation.  Recognising the abject failure of extant UN jurisdictions and powers, and in a radical restructuring of the international legal and security framework, that session established a new UN institution to sit alongside the International Court of Criminal Justice.  The International Court of Moral Justice was formally incorporated into the UN Constitution on 1 January 2024.

The foundations of this infant organisation and those of the UN itself were shaken when it was revealed that the inaugural case to be heard by the ICMJ was to be a private prosecution brought by greed itself against the defendant, mankind’s innate sense of humanity.

In papers lodged with the court, the protagonist, Lord Mammon has asserted that the fundamental basis for human misery, the creation of discontent, thence envy and hence conflict, is to be found exclusively in false moral goodness and self-righteousness borne of a misplaced sense of benevolence.  The human race survived and thrived, he states, not by moving at the pace of the slowest, or sharing resources with the weakest, but by taking and keeping, for the self alone, much more than is needed for basic subsistence, this being the singular route to strength, individual contentment and thus tolerance of others. 
 
In reply, a broken and demoralised Lady Humanity has been compelled to present her own defence after failing to secure funding for a legal team to counter the advocates ranged in front of Lord Mammon. The case for the defence rests solely on the premise that good comes from within and cannot be created from nothing.  So whilst she may try to bolster the moral cause in her work, she increasingly finds that the human souls she sees have no humanity in them whatsoever for her to strengthen, nothing to work with and as such, concedes that she has failed, but denounces the notion that it was for want of trying.  Devoid of resources, supporters and allies of any kind she single handedly has held the fort against the self-perpetuating, self-reinforcing massed ranks of Mammon.
  
The Lord Chief Justice of the ICMJ along with his bench of associate judiciary adjourn proceedings to consider their findings and in the final act, return to deliver their verdict.

The Trial - A Pico Operetta for our times

I am so excited about collaborating with soprano Maribel Villarroel and arranger and pianist René Calderón. The lyrics are from the Pablo Neruda poem "Para Mi Corazón" in the book "Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair". Translated by W.S Merwin. Permission has been granted by Fundación Pablo Neruda.

Para Mi Corazón

Para mi corazón basta tu pecho,
para tu libertad bastan mis alas.                                                                                 
Desde mi boca llegará hasta el cielo                                                                                   
lo que estaba dormido sobre tu alma.

He dicho que cantabas en el viento                                                                             
como los pinos y cómo los mástiles.                                                                           
Como ellos eres alta y taciturna.
Y entristeces de pronto, como un viaje.

Acogedora como un viejo camino.                                                                                   
Te pueblan ecos y voces nostálgicas.                                                                              
Yo desperté y a veces emigran y huyen                                                                   
pájaros que dormían en tu alma.

Your breast is enough for my heart,
and my wings for your freedom. 
What was sleeping above your soul will rise
out of my mouth to heaven.

I have said that you sang in the wind
like the pines and like the masts.
Like them, you are tall and taciturn,
and you are sad, all at once, like a voyage.

You gather things to you like an old road.
You are peopled with echoes and nostalgic voices.                                                          
I awoke and at times birds fled and migrated
that had been sleeping in your soul.

Para Mi Corazón

TRAMPELFÂD
Laboratory for Contemporary Electronic Experimental Music [LCEEM] 
https://youtu.be/joMTW5-YuaU
rec.name : " Water Caustics Sonification Aleatoric Music "
score:
https://ibb.co/3WghTHF
credit: 
picture :Anna Shvets
date: 19-04-2024

Water Caustics Sonification Music

I have a lot of plugins that I don't often use, such as Addictive Drums and Addictive Keys and thought I should give them a try out. I recorded the drum track first and considered stopping with that, but decided to record the piano. I then selected 5 Soundpaint virtual instruments (Adastra Chamber Strings; Baritone Sax; Clarinet; Tenor Sax; Soprano Sax) and recorded all five in a single take. Next I added the double bass to anchor the track as the drums don't give you much of a clue. Finally, I added the NI Kontakt Muted Trumpet to finish the track. A quick mix, master and Bob's your uncle.
The image reminds me of being a very young child in Greenock in the 1950s.The evidence of WWII was all around: bombed buildings still had not been demolished. Me and some of the other kids in the street used to climb into abandoned tenement buildings or play in the bomb craters in the hills. Fortunately, I had shoes.

No Shoes Blues

Why have so many lights gone dark
the streetlights seem broken
and I watched as each one sparked before
they faded...I shook the poles I checked
the lines...I shut 'em down and rebooted
yet ...I remain here lit and rooted - and afraid
am I forsaken
have I done wrong
did I abandon without knowing
am I cursed to rave
am I the mist above the graves
O Lord
the battle is on and
I can do no more
choices made
I'm just a witness
my fists clenched as I rave
yea
a mist above the graves
...in the distance a pathlight starts to glow
I can see only light within the lantern
for these shadows hide ur face
and I cannot call
but I can watch and smile and wave
for here I will remain (lit and rooted)
and no more afraid
yea
a mist above the graves

Mist Above The Graves

Written, performed and recorded by Neli CoKo, 2024, all rights reserved. 
Thank you for listening :)

Little Phoenix

Little Phoenix By Neli CoKo

70's

This Is Starting To Feel Like Goodbye

I just had a dream

'flaws & scars & all'

I don't know what's goin' on.
But it's gone on for too long.
It's so hard now to stay strong
when everything you feel seems wrong.
I used to wear an open heart
until our kind tore it apart.
I was to blame, or once I thought.
But we're the same, just different flaws.
And scars. And all. 

I used to cry myself to sleep.
And fear the words I used to speak. 
I've come to learn that I'm unique
and beauty hides between the seams.
So, now, although I walk alone,
I've learned to love myself and grown
into this man all on my own.
Now, please, fuck off, I'm getting stoned.


flaws & scars & all

Mercy Weiss: lyrics, voice, photo @mercyweiss
Jonathan Beckenstein: instruments, music


Life thrives on temporary gifts
The flesh is all we're forced to part with
I fear of losing myself to the machine
I fear of losing myself

I will whistle while I wait
Beginning another day
Keeping in mind that I am here now
I will choose my fights wisely
Leave the past behind me
Sleeping won't do me any good

Temporary Gifts (featuring Mercy Weiss)

A laboratory with an open bar and floating altar. Come on in! 

Here are various solo and collaborative projects - songs, soundscapes, live looped solo guitar improvisations. 

This project used to be called "imaginary friends", but it became too real for that name, as did many of you.

I hope you enjoy something you find here. Do feel free to be in touch, you never know what might happen.  

I also invite you to attend @hypnopompetus, a duo project with the illustrious Cheesemont Paisley-Paisley, and Fictive Sisters, a transatlantic band with  the incomparable Wheelwright https://fictivesisters.bandcamp.com/album/immaculate-distraction.

Temporary Gifts (featuring Mercy Weiss)

Jonathan Beckenstein

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