Get ready for this fabulous adventure !! My 4th work with Joao, inspiring as always !!!

https://soundcloud.com/jowwwafi: instrumental themes and arrangement, percussion, bass, guitars, synths..., production.
https://soundcloud.com/ruizzoidman21centurions: lyrics, vocals, guitars, synths, added sounds, production.
Intro/Outro: traditional music from Congo Republic. Picture: AI.

Translated lyrics (a funny-epic poem when I was 15):

Cacique manda: “¡Ir a cazar!”  /  Chieftain says, "Go hunting!"
Mondongo Gwanda pronto marchar.  /  Mondongo Gwanda soon leave.
Él ha bebido vino y gazpacho;  /  He has drunk wine and gazpacho;
torre ha subido todo borracho.  /  tower has climbed all inebriated.

Gran cazador, Mondongo corre  /  Great hunter, Mondongo runs
ojo avizor desde la torre.  /  watchful eye from the tower.
Cree haber visto una gacela.  /  He thinks he saw a gazelle.
“No me resisto, voy a cogerla.”  /  "I can’t resist, I’ll catch it."

Lleva su lanza, lleva su flecha,  /  He carries his spear, he carries his arrow,
pronto la alcanza y encima se echa.  /  he soon reaches for it, and jumps over.
Su colocón le trae de cabeza,  /  His drunkenness gets him in trouble,
¡el tío torpón falla la pieza!  /  the clumsy guy fails the prey!

 “¡Jopeng!” Exclama Mondongo, duro,  /  "Dang it!" exclaims Mondongo, tough,
enciende llama porque está oscuro.  /  he lights fire because it’s dark.
 “¡Cagonla!” Grita desesperado.  /  "Bullshit!" he screams desperately.
Ya la monita se le ha pasado.  /  The hangover is over already.

Sobrio, Mondongo no se calló,  /  Sober, Mondongo didn’t shut up,
dijo: “En el Congo soy yo el mejor.”  /  he said: "In the Congo I am the best."
Fue lanza en mano tras el animal,  /  He went spear in hand after the animal,
bajo un manzano fuelo a encontrar.  /  under an apple tree he got to find it.

Comiendo estaba tranquilamente,  /  It was eating calmly,
Gwanda acercábase lentamente.  /  Gwanda approached slowly.
Ya que la vio le tiró fuerte;  /  Once he saw it, speared it hard;
tanto la hirió, le dio la muerte.  /  he hurt it so much, caused its death.

Mondongo salta, vuelve al poblado,  /  Mondongo jumps, returns to the village,
alegre canta: “Ya la he cazado”.  /  happy he sings: "I’ve already hunted it".
Mondongo Gwanda llega a casita.  /  Mondongo Gwanda arrives home.
Cacique aguarda, le felicita.  /  Chieftain awaits, congratulates him.

MONDONGO GWANDA (with Jowwwafi)

Lyrics (Original Song)
Fear can make us jump like a puppet on a string
Survival mode to the rescue designed to save our skins
But when I let fear get a hold of me 
I can never be who I am meant to be
Am I my brother’s keeper  
Am I a stranger’s friend
Can I find safe harbor  
where I can live my life despite my fear  
The Dragon Slayer warned us of  the enemies in our midst
who strips the clouds of rain corrupts our spirits
So we rallied around the Dragon Slayers banner
And forgot the kindness we once knew
Repeat Chorus
In an instant fear rallies against danger
But calls us to set aside the beauty that blooms only  when we feel safe inside
Repeat Chorus

Fear

"The Devil" is a dark, seductive, and electrifying track from Xak Stahl’s Major Arcana album, embodying the themes of temptation, desire, and the struggle for control. Inspired by the Tarot card of the same name, this song explores the magnetic pull of indulgence and the fine line between pleasure and restraint.

With pulsating synths, deep basslines, and a hypnotic rock beat, "The Devil" is as alluring as it is dangerous. The lyrics weave a tale of seduction and surrender, questioning whether we are bound by our vices or empowered by them. The track’s electrifying energy mirrors the card’s symbolism—what enslaves us may also set us free.

Let "The Devil" pull you into the fire—just be careful how deep you go. 🔥😈

Lyrics:

Whispered promises in the dead of night,
Silver tongue, dressed in neon light.
A hunger burns, a reckless game,
You call it sin, but I crave the flame.

One more taste, one more touch,
Too much is never enough.
Bound in chains, but I hold the key,
Are you ready to set yourself free?

I am The Devil, the voice inside,
The thrill you chase, the love you hide.
Give in, give up, come dance with me,
Lose yourself, or be set free.

Every vice, every wicked thrill,
A willing heart, a dangerous will.
The line is blurred, the choice is yours,
Heaven falls when desire soars.

One more taste, one more touch,
Too much is never enough.
Bound in chains, but I hold the key,
Are you ready to set yourself free?

I am The Devil, the voice inside,
The thrill you chase, the love you hide.
Give in, give up, come dance with me,
Lose yourself, or be set free.

Look in my eyes, tell me it’s wrong,
But you’ve been singing my song all along.
You want control, but love the fall,
Surrender now, or lose it all.

I am The Devil, the voice inside,
The thrill you chase, the love you hide.
Give in, give up, come dance with me,
Lose yourself, or be set free.

Shackled tight, or let it go,
The fire's here—will you say no?
The game is played, the choice is mine,
But darling, you've been mine all this time.

Major Arcana

The Devil

Let Your Love Flow

New song written by David Cooper and Glen Granthem.

Music and all instruments - Glen Granthem

Vocals - David Cooper

From the new album Best of Two.

https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_lDDcSLRQ2gqFc0_pVk5LR_xwHDr1PDWVQ

Lyrics - David Cooper

You can see it in her eyes
Cute looks that drive you wild
They can control your mind
With just one look, that’s hard to define

Chorus

Look into a mind of a child
Imagination running wild
Where everything comes alive
In the mind of a child

She’s a little devil in disguise
With the looks of an angel that’s no surprise
She can turn you upside down
Bring your world crashing down, down

Chorus

Solo

Chorus x 2

Mind of a child (Cooper/Granthem Collaboraton)

Take my hand, 
Walking through this land

Drinking in the scene
Of a late evening sky

The silence of the trees
Holds us like a stone

Only for tonight
Under heaven's light

We're frozen monuments
Time's star witnesses

We're here together
Seeing places unknown

In the majestic haze
Of the Milky Way
Time's star witnesses

Where voices on the wind
Make our heads spin

We're here together
Seeing places unknown
Time's star witnesses

Take my hand, 
Walking through this land

Drinking in the scene
Of a late evening sky

We're here together
Seeing places unknown

Time's star witnesses

The silence of the trees
Holds us like a stone

Only for tonight
Under heaven's light

In the majestic haze
Of the Milky Way

We're frozen monuments
So take my hand
And make a memory

Where voices on the wind
Make our heads spin

We're here together
Seeing places unknown
Time's star witnesses

Medusa's Children

F-B_F-B : Faut que ça Brille _ Faut que ça Pète 🎆

F-B_F-P 💣

Cast of Characters:
Cgmaness – @hiddenhands-760647700 – Chris – acoustic guitar, drums, lyrics, vocals, and composition
J.J. Terrell-- @j-j-terrell—JJ-- organ and piano
Entheogenic Psychonaught (Josh Clary)– @josh-clary-1 – four string fretless bass
This song started all the way back in October, when Chris came up with lyrics and a vocal melody to go over his acoustic guitar composition. He also added the drum beat that carries it along, and contrasts Josh's bass part, which he added next. JJ came along shortly after and added his twinkling piano and ambiance thickening organ.
We had all these parts down, but for some reason this sat on the shelf for a few months. Finally we decided to dust it off. Chris mixed it for us expertly, as always, and we decided to put a ribbon on it.
This is an example of Chris's brilliant songwriting, shared with a couple of other musicians who are mutual admirers of his work. This is also a trio within the Eclectic Collective family, as we sometimes do side projects with different iterations of the group. We all hope you enjoy listening to this as much as we enjoyed creating it.

Original lyrics by cgmaness:

Let the night tuck you under,
When you feel you can't go on.
When you want to be happy,
I will be what you want...
And, it's you that makes me happy.
When I'm down on my bad sign.
Washing out all the tie-dye from the blue sky.

Let the Night (The Eclectic Collective)

My eldest son grew up playing keyboards, to cut a long story short, I used to borrow his keyboards at times and using the auto rhythms/bass used to knock out a tune with one finger. Well, I did play guitar so I suppose I did use more fingers but always one after the other. I quite enjoyed the sessions and recorded the outcomes on reel to reel tape  or later on cassettes. I have posted a playlist/album of these disasters on Soundcloud, just for complete journaling of my musical journeys...

The recent covers I have been doing of my early songs and recordings set me thinking... I decided to see what Suno could do with these instrumentals and this is the first - and possibly the last experiment. But I was pleasantly surprised again.

EXSTATIX

Man down in the river
fightin like a dog...
but all that pluck went to hell
when he got kicked by the river god
and now he's just rolling in the current
gettin pulled beneath the surface
cold and ugly waters on the rise
and there's no way of telling
if he lives or dies
yea
and in the water the waves crash and 
drown...the dying man's cries
O man down in the river
fightin like a dog
and should the waters be his grave
he'll take it with the river god
yea...he don't need wings in the water
and a halo shines too bright
so the river god just walks the surface
cause he's the river
and he's the fight
and now he's just rolling in the current
gettin pulled beneath the surface
cold and ugly waters on the rise
and there's no way of telling
if he lives or dies

River God

'ANOTHER WAY'
Written, Performed & Produced
By Andrew Borderick Copyright 2018
Re-Mastered By Andrew Borderick OCT 2020

SOMETIMES FAST, SOMETIMES SLOW
ALL THE TIME THERE IS NO WHERE TO GO
SOMETIMES UP, ONLY LOOKING DOWN
ALL MY LOVE HAS NOW HIT THE GROUND

MAY'BE I COULD FIND, ANOTHER WAY
MAY'BE I COULD TRY, ANOTHER DAY
MAY'BE I COULD FIND,
ANOTHER WAY WITH YOU
ANOTHER WAY WITH YOU

SITTING LONELY, WHAT TO DO
THINK I'LL GO BUY SOME FANCY SHOES
I'M IN THE LIGHT, NEVER FELT BEFORE
CAN'T BELIEVE I'VE EVEN HIT THE FLOOR

MAY'BE I COULD FIND, ANOTHER WAY
MAY'BE I COULD TRY, ANOTHER DAY
MAY'BE I COULD FIND,
ANOTHER WAY WITH YOU
ANOTHER WAY WITH YOU
(BREAK)
MAY'BE I COULD FIND, ANOTHER WAY
MAY'BE I COULD TRY, ANOTHER DAY
MAY'BE I COULD FIND,
ANOTHER WAY WITH YOU
ANOTHER WAY WITH YOU

SOMETIMES FAST, SOMETIMES SLOW
ALL THE TIME THERE IS NO WHERE TO GO
SOMETIMES UP, ONLY LOOKING DOWN
ALL MY LOVE HAS NOW HIT THE GROUND

MAY'BE I COULD FIND, ANOTHER WAY
MAY'BE I COULD TRY, ANOTHER DAY
MAY'BE I COULD FIND,
ANOTHER WAY WITH YOU
ANOTHER WAY WITH YOU
ANOTHER WAY WITH YOU
ANOTHER WAY WITH YOU
ANOTHER WAY WITH YOU

Another Way

ANOTHER WAY

Xak Stahl: Alchemist of Sound, Architect of Emotion

Xak Stahl is a genre-blurring music artist, sonic storyteller, and relentless experimenter. Every track he creates is a new world—a kaleidoscope of indie folk, alt-pop, electronica, and global flavors—infused with raw emotion and boundless curiosity. Xak’s music isn’t just heard; it’s felt.

From Shadow to Spotlight

For Xak, music is metamorphosis. His journey began in the shadows, transmuting heartbreak and struggle into songs that glow with hope. Early anthems like “Neon Dreams” and “Rising Through the Darkness” invite listeners to find their own light. His newest project, Major Arcana, channels the mysteries of the Tarot—each song an archetype, each lyric a step along the path from the Fool’s first leap to the wisdom of The World.

More Than Music: A Multisensory Universe

But Xak isn’t confined to sound. As a visual artist and writer, he crafts immersive stories that spill across genres and languages—sometimes haunting, sometimes playful, always honest. Whether he’s conjuring lush soundscapes, weaving bilingual lyrics, or creating striking visuals, Xak’s art dares you to feel deeper and dream wilder.

An Invitation to Transformation

Join Xak Stahl on a sonic odyssey that blurs borders—between genres, between artforms, between you and the music. Each release is an invitation to explore, to heal, to become. For Xak, every song is a spell, every album a universe. The only question is: are you ready to step inside?

The Devil

XAK STAHL