Breathe

Music by Kontra Sz & Val Akey.
- Kontra Sz: plays rythm guitars, lead guitars;
- Val Akey: drums-, bass- and keys programming (mixing and mastering) + cover art.
Many thanks Kontra Sz for the fantastic guitar play! https://soundcloud.com/kontra-sz

Release date:
12 January 2024

Captive Of Time (Kontra Sz & Val Akey collab)

Jellyfish Palace

UnBoxed February 2024

[ d o w n l o a d a b l e ]

Spaced Out

Written and Recorded by Strange Company
Produced by Romesh Dodangoda at Longwave Studios, Cardiff

© 2023 Strange Company

Make Yourself At Home

„No matter how much you travel, if you don’t dive, you cannot say you’ve seen the world.“ Quote from a diver. It must be a moving feeling to dive into this mysterious and peaceful underwater world. I hope this song conveys a little of that experience, even if I haven't been able to experience it myself yet.

Cover picture background and some sound effects: pixabay.com

Diver's Dream World - OMCB

PS Perkins: Guitars, bass, lyre, vocals
Ron Thomas: Autoharps, Drums

Production notes:
---------------------------------------------
Very early on we wanted to use autoharps on this song to create a sort of swirling backdrop, reminiscent of the harps in Indian/Bollywood soundtrack songs of the seventies.

Right away there were challenges because the song is in B flat and is not wholly diatonic to begin with, utilizing a chord built on the augmented lydian scale in the choruses. So rather than transpose the song to a more amenable key (since the chromatic bits weren't going to work no matter what key we used) we instead re-tuned the autoharp. Moving through the strings one by one we tuned them either up or down a half step where applicable to bring them into key. Where the augmented chord hit in the choruses, we excluded those notes so that the autoharp was filling the diatonic parts of the chords and omitting the accidentals. It took us several tries to get it right. In the end we arrived at a chord progression that could be strummed on the autoharp and the modified chords could be played with existing dampers.

We also tuned the lyre so that the top half of the strings included the chromatic augmented notes while the lower register of the lyre was tuned using the diatonic, so the lyre could play the melody all the way through both parts of the song.

The inspiration for this song was essentially fourfold:
--------------------------------------------------------
First, H.P. Lovecraft's terrifying necromancer Joseph Curwen (from "The Case of Charles Dexter Ward") who masked his true identity in order to thwart suspicion from his fellow townsfolk. He has many secrets lurking in his underground catacombs where he performs acts of necromancy most foul, extracting the "salts" of the dead in order to raise them at will and learn the secrets of ancient eldritch deities.

Second, a poem by Rudyard Kipling titled "En-Dor" which was a warning against the rise of spiritualism and the cost of communion with the dead in the early 20th century.

Third, the biblical Saul who traveled in disguise to visit a witch at the city of Endor in order to summon Samuel from the dead and garner advice on defeating the Philistines, but who only prophesies doom for Saul. Saul dies later the next day in the battle of Gilboa.

Lastly, the story of Odysseus communing with the underworld where he enlists the help of Tiresias to have a chat with the dead and secure for himself a safe journey home.

They all seek communion with the dead for one purpose: to gain knowledge which only those who have crossed over between realms might possess. 

Lyrics:
-------------------------------------
A mask may reveal what it’s meant to conceal
From those who are standing beside us
Armor of pride, so we learn to abide
By the monsters which hide deep inside us
The monsters which lurk deep inside us
Oh, how they scratch and they bite us
The monsters which lurk deep inside us

Only to know what the professor knows

Eating black bread, wearing clothes of the dead
The soil soaked in honey around us
For fear if we failed, leave the ogre unveiled
And it’s back in the grave where they found us
Back in the grave where they found us
Freed from the ties which had bound us
Back in the grave where they found us

Only to know what the professor knows

In the catacomb vaults, we extracted the salts
From cadavers to lengthen our youth
Chanting the names at the edge of the flames
And a mirror to show us the truth
A mirror which speaks only truth
See how it seeks not to soothe
A mirror which speaks only truth

Only to know what the professor knows

In the underworld maze, in the night of no days
Concocting the plan we’re devising
Much to endure on the road to En-Dor
And to snatch from Elohim arising
To snatch from Elohim arising
Snatch from Elohim arising
Snatch from Elohim arising
Snatch from Elohim arising
Snatch from Elohim arising

BARDS: Of the Shimmering Seraphs

The Professor

I'm sorry y'all--this is another downer of a song with preachy lyrics but it's an idea that came up and demanded to be completed. 

The only side I take is the human one, but I couldn't have more contempt for the ostensible leaders of both Gaza and Israel who seek their own interests at the cost of so much suffering among innocents. Nothing good comes out of "Let's go kill some people."



You Let This Happen

have you understood that this is the final warning call
abandon hope all those that linger here

you lived the diamond life and could not lend your ears
and now the sand is wet with blood beyond our wildest fears 
how could you let this happen here

we plant the seeds of death beside the seeds of life 
so they can pay the price and have the will to fight

the bloodied face that no one could identify
now here's the news that was a mother's precious baby
how could you let this happen here

so how do you think this story ends
when it begins with the death of innocents
another thousand years of war is in the cards
another generation with daggers in their hearts

and you let it happen

You Let This Happen

2024/2/26

Website

koyomi

Lights Off feat. CallMeDezz
Vocals and Lyrics CallMeDezz:
 https://www.looperman.com/acapellas/detail/22218/lights-off-140bpm-trap-acapella
Paploviante E Bass, Music, Arrangement, Mix and Mastering

Lights Off feat. CallMeDezz

Roar (or Get Up On Your Hind Legs)

I love the exciting diversity of the Soundcloud universe. Here I always discover new, creative music creations and meet many nice people from all over the world. The music unites us all. SC offers me the unique opportunity to publish my own sound ideas. I am still learning and I like to be inspired. Therefore, I like to process finished songs of SC friends to new tracks. 
I don't have a preferred style. No matter whether rock, pop, disco or experimental music. No matter whether analog or digital instruments. The most important thing is that I enjoy it and like it.
Thanks for listening. I appreciate every feedback and every new follower.
Take care and stay healthy!

Diver's Dream World - OMCB

OMCB

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