I just redid the mix and fixed the drums, and some of the more glaring vocal problems, and got that cool guitar lead to shine a little. It sounds a lot better now.
Please pardon my vocals, this is actually for a female artist. Not autobiographical, just a story. My apologies to Irma Thomas.

You were my angel, and i was under your spell
And you promised life would be a fairytale
But i was no more than your possession
And you put me through hell
Though you called it heaven

And everytime i tried to leave, you’d just wave your hand
And I’d come crawling back on my knees
I would pray you’d treat me better
When you’d smile at me so sad and so sweet

But something’s changed inside, I can see now who you are
and that sweet smile aint gonna get you very far!

Now who’s the one? Who’s down on their knees?
No need to beg, there’s nothing left that you can take from me
You don’t have any power here no more
Well you’ve lost your wings, and I know just what you’re here for
You are no angel, you are a devil, to the core
And you ain’t welcome here no more

Don’t come back inside, don’t put your bags down on the floor
You ain’t welcome here no more

You ain't welcome here no more

Sunken Mind

Artwork by Matilda Culliton

Athena represents wisdom, courage, and strategic warfare, embodying the ideals of justice and protection. She is often seen as a guide for personal empowerment and self-discipline, inspiring individuals to harness their inner strength and intellect.

Lyrics

An honour good human city
The virgin goddess aside snake head pretty
Howl Owl no man need take pity
Evolution to peace need not commitee
Nurture this tree of olives Poseidon
Athena power now lets transmute the poison

Worn gorgoneion to ward away evil
Instinctual power protecting all season
Stoic in mind from Zeus born full form
Draft us a plan to bring this light norm
Ominous Ares won't show us the way
Medusa mind make now peace for all's day

Hand of honour
Art of craft
New now is upon her
Dare and dazzling graft

Ominous Ares we'll show you the way
Fenrir as friend pet peaceful today

Chaos will crumble
Reason still rules
Athena and Owl
Fierce but peace food
Thankful we are for prosperity mood

One Fresh Start

Athena

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)

Thanks to @Encym @markjbennett, @mark-hoogslag and @pleudoniem for feedback on earlier versions

Through the trees, a forest
The end has started,
the beginning begun.

Tides are turning
War was over, 
or so we thought

*Out with the old
In with the new
if you don't know 
which is which
what you're gonna do?

You chose, you stepped, 
you thought you knew, 
Yet the tree still asks: 
Who chooses who?
Who chooses who?

Keep on climbing the decision tree
Up the branches, to infinity
decided for you and me

For Regulo Tortolero:

A través de los árboles, un bosque
El fin ha comenzado,
el comienzo comenzó.

Las mareas están cambiando
La guerra había terminado, 
o eso pensábamos

Fuera el viejo
Dentro el nuevo
si no sabes 
cuál es cuál
¿qué vas a hacer?

Elegiste, diste un paso, 
creíste que lo sabías, 
Sin embargo, el árbol sigue preguntando: 
¿Quién elige a quién?
¿Quién elige a quién?

Sigue subiendo
el árbol de las decisiones
Al final seremos libres

Decision tree

Recorded at Amplified Studios, Carlsbad CA July 2025
Drums - Marc Polit
Lead solo: Tristan Brooks

LYRIC
It took me half my life 
To finally gain insight
I only saw myself as others did
And I mostly stayed hid

I spent half my life
Upset and uptight
I learned it’s stupid to walk on eggshells
Every egg eventually breaks
And if that takes you half your life
That’s what it takes

Can't say exactly when
I knew what I didn’t then
A dawning realization
An opening of the mind
It only took me half my life for me to find

Time isn’t playing
It’s counting the days
If you don’t know what I’m saying
(Well) you won’t be young always
You sure won’t!

As the years accrue
In the remaining few
I won’t let regret confine me
I’ll amble slowly toward the light
Let the past all fade to black
I can’t go back
I love this last half of my life
So that’s all right


Half My Life

Taken from the 'Beyond the Veiled Horizon' series of tracks

soundcloud.com/mrbouzouki/sets/beyond-the-veiled-horizon-series

Dee Zee and Mr B YouTube Channel 

https://www.youtube.com/@DeeZeeandMrB
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
This track is part of an ongoing SoundCloud collaboration with accomplished keyboard player and Prog Rock enthusiast Dave Zeitlin.

Be sure to check out more of his music here :- @dee-zee

In my head I had the idea of the bazaar in this track being a mixing of cultures, ideas and the buying and selling of goods. Despite the heat, it is a place that never truly sleeps although it's mood changes throughout the day and into the evening. A meeting of minds, cultures, jarring, exciting and exotic.

With that in mind I thought of an initially busy track with discrete sections to denote different parts of the bazaar that also changes from day into evening. 

I created a basic intro and then let Dave weave some of his keyboards into the mix. I then set to work on trying to give the idea of entering new parts of the marketplace and in the end a simple tam-tam crash seemed to work well to suggest a new vista or mood as the listener moves through the track. Different darbuka rhythms really helped here and also changing up the featured instruments. 

The later part of the track is hopefully suggesting later in the day, as the temperature decreases and many vendors shut up shop for the day. But it never truly closes so the outro reprises the initial riff as it fades out.

Instrumentation

Rise Synth - Dee Zee
Brass Patch - Dee Zee
Sinuous Synth Lead - Dee Zee
Echo Synth - Dee Zee

Electric Guitar - MrBouzouki
Bass Guitar - MrBouzouki
Bowed Strings - HALion - MrBouzouki
VSL Celestial  Strings - MrBouzouki
Middle Eastern Strings - MrBouzouki
Ney - MrBouzouki
Kanun - MrBouzouki
Darbuka 1,2 and 3 - Percussion - MrBouzouki
Tam Tam - Percussion - MrBouzouki
Kanun and Oud Duo - MrBouzouki
Voltage Synth - HALion - MrBouzouki

Welcome To The Bazaar - in collaboration with D Zeitlin

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

Torbjørn: vocal, instrumental and vocal composition https://soundcloud.com/tobbenv
Oddrun: vocal and vocal composition
Mastering: Njål Frode Lie
Poem: William Blake
"Ah! Sun-flower" is a poem by William Blake, published in his collection Songs of Experience in 1794. The poem explores themes of longing, weariness, and the human desire for something beyond earthly existence, using the sunflower as a symbol. 

A big thank you to you Torbjørn, what a great joy to sing this beautiful poem.

Poem: William Blake

Ah! sunflower, weary of time,
Who countest the steps of the sun,
Seeking after that sweet golden clime
Where the traveller’s journey is done;

Where the youth pined away with desire,
And the pale virgin shrouded in snow,
Arise from their graves and aspire;
Where my sunflower wishes to go.

Ah! Sun-flower. Torbjørn Vagle. Oddrun Eikli

Opus84

consequences (Prod. Qazers)

Comments & ideas for collaborations appreciated. 
Instruments: violin, mandoline, acoustic, bass and electric guitars, harmonica, tin whistle, darbuka, sansula, roland synthesizers. 
Recording with Cubase Elements 11 

Recommending these inspiring musicians: 

https://soundcloud.com/the-plugs ;  https://soundcloud.com/pleudoniem ;  https://soundcloud.com/markjbennett ; 
https://soundcloud.com/dan-lockhart ; 
https://soundcloud.com/julsy ; 
https://soundcloud.com/houckjt ; 
https://soundcloud.com/tante-meli .

Decision tree

Oorlab