Related tracks: I Keep Protecting my Soul

I have been hearing so much AI music lately on SoundCloud and these  thoughts have been percolating with me for a while and finally they coalesced into a song. (created without the use of AI).
***
Vocals & Back Up Vocals: Joe Stroffolino
Guitar Strumming Track:  Joe Stroffolino Taylor 114CE
Drums: EZ Drummer 3
Bass: PG Music Real track
Piano:  EZ Keys2 
Synth Bass: Logic Pro 
***
You got tired of struggling so hard to write a great original song
And then this amazing newfangled technology came along
Now you’re using AI to create music, and it’s a much easier process
And you’re convinced you found the ticket to achieving great success.
You tell yourself you’re a great artist because prompting takes a lot of skill
But deep down you know the AI did most of the work and you swallow the bitter pill
People complement you on your guitar playing and they tell you your voice sounds great
It makes you feel so good but you don’t ever set them straight
Those classic rockers used to write 10 or 12 good songs every couple of years
Now you’re posting two or three songs a day and hoping for a bunch of cheers
You’re rolling the musical dice, hoping you’ll come up with a catchy viral hit 
But there’s so much music flooding the internet that no one gives a shit
You tell yourself you’re a great artist because prompting takes a lot of skill
But deep down you know the AI did most of the work and you swallow the bitter pill
People complement you on your guitar playing and they tell you your voice sounds great, it makes you feel so good but you don’t ever set them straight
Some people believe we’re living in simulation and none of this is real
We’re just digital creations in a computer with the ability to feel
But even if that’s not the case, we’re quickly, heading to a place where no one’s going to be able to tell the difference.
You used strum your guitar, trying to capture lightning in a bottle and the songs that emerged came from you.
And now the songs you write with AI, what they’re saying, you don’t have a clue.
Music used to feel therapeutic, it was a window on your soul that you could share.
But now something feels missing because your songs no longer lay your heart bare.

Prompting Takes A Lot Of Skill

Hello everyone,
this is the second part – or rather, another chapter – of my musical theater project.
For this song, I’m lucky enough to be joined by Sarah Paradise-Brown, whose incredible voice gives this piece a very special depth.

"Blood" is a song about a seemingly hopeless love between a woman and a vampire. It tells a story of longing, danger, and the bittersweet realization that this love can never be fulfilled. Between attraction and pain, both struggle with the desire that binds them and the necessity of letting go so they won’t destroy each other. 

Video now on YouTube: https://youtu.be/wrYE7F06mwU



Blood

Your scent is moonlight on the wind
A promise wrapped in trembling skin
I hold you close, but not too near
For what I want is what you fear

You breathe like fire beneath restraint
Your touch is warm, your world is faint
And though your lips could steal my soul
I’d give you all, and not feel cold

You shine where I can never go
But still I linger in your glow
If love means letting go of fire
Then let us rise above desire

Blood is calling from below
Blood is more than I should know
Blood would turn the night to me
But love… wants more than destiny
Blood is silence wrapped in sound
But love is where we won’t be bound

I've tasted death in every shade
But nothing made me feel this way
You made the world turn soft and slow
And showed me things I’ll never know

You gave me truth without disguise
A world of pain beneath your eyes
But I can't live with what you are
Even love can’t cross that scar

I want you…
I know...
I need you…
But we can’t...
So hold me once, then let me go
Don’t drink the love we’ve come to know

Blood is beating like a drum
Blood is where we both came from
Blood could bind me to your name
But love is not a thing to tame
Blood may sing, may plead, may flood…
But not tonight, not with blood

If I must live without your flame
Then I will carry still your name
If I must walk into the day
I’ll dream you home some other way
Some love survives, 
survives in broken light
But not tonight…

Not with blood!


_______________________________
Credits:
Vocals: Sarah Paradise-Brown &  Axel Menningen
Music: Axel Menningen
_______________________________

Blood

The miracle that happens everyday all over the world.  

Night into Day

Brand New track on the Rocks! Summer 2025 and let it roll with my brand new track called "I Keep Protecting my Soul".

Purchase it digitally via #bandcamp: https://shockthealgorithm.bandcamp.com/track/i-keep-protecting-my-soul

(p) & (c) 2025, STA.

lyrics:
I keep protecting my soul
There's nothing more sacred than my soul
I keep protecting my soul
The body dies, it's eternal the soul

Clear is conscience, i am free i am alive
Sleeping in peace not with fear with opened one eye
I never harmed anyone, don't owe a dime
i am keep paving with gold this road so up high.

I Keep Protecting my Soul

Con-Fusion

The Shield

Lyrics (Original Song) 
Verse 1
Come to the table with all your hard-earned fables 
And I will bring mine
But forgive me if I seem a little distracted
But there is something you can see that I just can’t 
Chorus
And the light is shining perfectly on you
You know the light is shining perfectly on you
Just like the greatest privilege that it will ever do
You know the light is shining perfectly on you
Verse 2
Though I am bathed in it nearly all of the time
I rarely see light when it shines 
But right now I know I will never forget 
this light as it shines on you 
Repeat Chorus


Shining Perfectly

CROSSROAD.

======================


November 2024.

This is a more electronic composition with a small piano touch at the end.

I try to capture in music the decisions we must constantly make in life to follow our path. I've made some wrong decisions in my life... who hasn't? But at least I can say that I made them on my own and they weren't induced, even the wrong ones. That allows me to overcome, for the time being, any regret or frustration they may cause. I believe most are irreversible because they can cause unforeseen damage, even to other people, if you backtrack and choose another path.

Happy summer, everyone.



Cover art by Vilkasss (Pixabay)

Hardware. iPad 
DAW Music Studio 2
Mix…. Yes…yes… my car 🚘

24 Tracks MS2 and Old Forum Xewton
1 Track XPad
2 Tracks flowtones
2 Tracks Sunrizer
1 Track FM player


Next….First eclipse on mars.

Crossroad

My EP SUPERNOVA contains two Japanese songs, and this is one of them. I have never released a song in Japanese before, but I took the plunge and decided to release these. It's a song recorded in one take with my acoustic guitar and vocal. The tempo is middle tempo (I didn't use the metronome function so I don't know the BPM). 3m58s. The main genre is Folk. This is a gentle and slightly blue song. Link to major platforms : https://linkco.re/E2aRhZS6

Lyrics : (Alright)

悲しい湖を通り過ぎ
僕は明日へと辿り着く
もし僕が人生を捨てたなら
あなたは三度笑うでしょう

Let forever be
Let forever be
Let forever be
Let forever be
Let forever be
Let forever be
Let forever be

見知らぬ人に笑われて
僕は明日から戻るでしょう
僕の果てなき探究は
きっとあなたへと帰ってゆく

Let forever be
Let forever be
Let forever be
Let forever be
Let forever be
Let forever be
Let forever be

涙を見たくて
涙を流したくてOh
僕は僕は
きっと戻るね

悲しい湖を通り過ぎ
僕は明日へと辿り着く
もし僕が人生を捨てたなら
あなたは三度笑うでしょう

Let forever be
Let forever be
Let forever be
Let forever be
Let forever be
Let forever be
Let forever be

FOREVER BE

Photo from left to right: JJ, Josh, and Ken
Cast of characters:
The Beautiful Dark -- @thebeautifuldark -- Carl — Ovation guitar, lead vocals, lyrics, and compostion
Mistermark-- @user-432503709 -- Mark –- VST Chinese gong and VST cello
J.J. Terrell– @j-j-terrell – light VST Latin percussion, synth, and piano
K2 and the Three [and the Four]--@k2andthe3, @k2-kara –Ken -- drums
Entheogenic Psychonaught (Josh Clary)– @josh-clary-1 –Josh – Warwick fretless four-string bass, chant vocals at the end 
TexMex Shaman– @texmex-shaman –Stephen — ebow, production, mix, and mastering

 This song is the fourth Carl has written and composed with a member of Eclectic Collective in mind. This time JJ is being honored, and we all agree that he deserves it, too. Carl is a wonderful singer, songwriter, composer, and musician, and we're all grateful that he's joined our collective. 
  Here's what Carl had to say about it. "The music for this was a personal song written to myself which I never really released as I was trying to say goodbye to my own ego in the song. From that point of view I have always seen the piece as a great bit of personal therapy for me. None of the original lyrics survived and JJ gets painted by the new words .. But I thought it would be nice to reuse the composition for this. There was no big reason for it only when I decided to start a 60bpm song for JJ on piano .. I started playing Goodbye Ego and the rest is history..."
  We tackled this song like we would any other, though. Mark was first up on this, adding his VST magic in the form of a Chinese gong, as well as the cello you hear throughout. The subject of our adulation came next, with JJ adding not only his hot, yet minimal Latin percussion and essential piano, but moody synth, as well. Ken added his spicy drums after that, and once they were down, Josh jumped in with his four string fretless bass to complete the rhythm section. Josh also added the vocal chant at the end.
  All that was left was for Stephen to mix it all down for us, which he did in his always pro manner. But before he did, he also added some subtle, yet stirring ebow on his guitar. 
  As stated above, this is a continuation of our songs about us. Hope no one thinks it's arrogant. When Carl presents us with these little treasures, it's hard not to run with them, though. Always a ton of fun to make music together. We hope you enjoy listening to this as much as we enjoyed creating it.
Original lyrics by The Beautiful Dark:

Praying hands
Whatever cause
Once our greater good not lost
Bored children create their fun
We shelve French horn for this fine one
"Nice one lads" We read it all!
Vacation taken
To JJ calls
Neighbour to good Mickey Moore
Find Michigan piano pure

JJ calls
Just for us
Love lit up
Just for us

Down the road city of cars
To Howell front deck
Dad and Guitars
We jam that love then tell the world
Love and service human highway knurled
Good bi-product of happiness sought
With Croatian fun to cloud we court

Terrell Terminator in Jungle
Predator for good
Keys like Mr Bungle
Faith in more like we could
He Thanks you
It's lifestyle
Built from a porch
Good collective friend
Keep lighting that torch

Some moments sealed, marked and moulded
Pure intention
Dark blindfolded
Howl from human to Howell good soul
Keyed keystone as collective role

JJ calls
Darkness falls
Love lit up
Just for us
Love lit up
Just for us
Love lit up
Just for us
JJ calls

JJ calls
Just for us

JJ Calls (Eclectic Collective)

Not everyone is on holiday, even in the heat of summer. Some still work while the city falls silent, stretched under a long, empty day. I can’t tell if the man expects something to happen; to me, it feels like nothing will happen today either. Anyway, everything's good.

This is the third in a series of eight easy, acoustic, rather short, and deliberately inconclusive tracks, assembled by combining new ideas with reworked older material, adding parts and sounds along the way.

Part 1 here: https://soundcloud.com/michele-ansani/in-case-nothing-happens-part-1-night
Part 2 here: https://soundcloud.com/michele-ansani/in-case-nothing-happens-part-2-dawn
Part 4 here: https://soundcloud.com/michele-ansani/in-case-nothing-happens-part-4-late-afternoon
Part 5 here: https://soundcloud.com/michele-ansani/in-case-nothing-happens-part-5-night-again
Part 6 here: https://soundcloud.com/michele-ansani/in-case-nothing-happens-part-6-dawn-again

Composed by Michele Ansani (2020-2025 - this is a remake with a lighter sound and standard guitar tuning of a piece I already posted last year: https://soundcloud.com/michele-ansani/imperfections).
All the ambient noises are taken from public sound archives. Female vocals are courtesy by Black Octopus.
Posted on SoundCloud: 2025, August 23.

In case nothing happens - part 3 (noon)*

Where are U?

Give It Up - Music & Lyrics by REKHA - IYERN [Fe] | Music by TexMex Shaman | Bass by Jeff Roberts | Percussion by Ken Karasek of K2 & The Three | New Revamp 2025

Final Music & Vocals Mixed & Mastered by TexMex Shaman in the USA | Vocals/Sound Design Composed & Produced, Recorded & Performed, Initial Mixing by REKHA - IYERN [Fe] at IYERN [Fe] RECORDS in CANADA

Cover Art Design: Self Photo & Graphics by REKHA - IYERN [Fe] 

Give It Up - Music & Lyrics by REKHA a.k.a. REKHA - IYERN [Fe]

Intro:
Oo Yeah
Ahn Yeah
Hey Hey
Hey Hey

Give it up Baby
Don't ya say maybe
Cuz' you know
It makes me
Totally crazy
And

You want
To give me
All of your love
You know it's true
You do me so
You do me so good
Baby I need
Your love

Give it up, Baby
Never say maybe
Cuz' you know it
Makes me feel
Totally, crazy good-good
Oh, Yeah-Yeah

You know you want to
Give me, your love, love, love
It always, makes me feel
So good, good, good
You touch my woman

Oh, Eh
Hey, Hey
Hey-Hey
Hahn, Oh
Ho, Ho, Oh

Babe, I need
Your good love
Your man-man in my
Woman-hood
Oo-Oo-Yeah





GiveItup25-final

GIVE IT UP

Give It Up - Music & Lyrics by REKHA - IYERN [Fe] | Music by TexMex Shaman | New Revamp 2025

A little bit of a different flavor of Texas Tea collaboration for me and Stephen, @texmex-shaman ... this is the first time I sent him something that had guitar from me already in it. If you listen carefully my guitar parts are the very simple repeated 4 measure loops that kind of stack up on top of each other, mostly background elements. Stephen added some crazy cool low end atmospherics as well as some distorted wailing guitars on the higher end and of course the awesome meandering lead part that ebbs and flows through this piece. I created the beat and all the synth elements.

After sending his parts back to me, Stephen mentioned it kinda gave him a David Lynch vibe. Turns out we are both huge fans of Twin Peaks and pretty much all of this great artist's work, so had to tip our hats to him, but maybe only other fans will catch the references in the title and cover art.

Listen to all our collabs on the Texas Tea playlist: https://soundcloud.com/texmex-shaman/sets/texas-tea-sea

Photo by Bdelisle at English Wikipedia, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=15816231, edited for color and contrast by me.

Got A Light? (A Texas Tea Production)

Synchromysticism

Ayurveda

QUE FONT NOS DIRIGEANTS

This Too Shall Pass

Night Fishing (Remix)

SOON to move to Bandcamp as an album - in the meantime, you can also listen in sequence here: soundcloud.com/sonic-textures/sets/scalar-fields
instruments: Jeff Gardiner and jo richter
voice: Jeff Gardiner
modulation, arrangement and all that: jo richter
lyrics: Jeff Gardiner in collaboration with jo richter
image: Jeff Gardiner in collaboration with jo richter



when the waves of silence break
on the dharma nomad's sitting mind
the daylight sleeper's naugual wakes
for a body of the idle kind

that speaks in riddles muted rhymes
and labrythene paths of jesting Joyce
where assonance stands guard and chimes
on onomatopoeic trysts.

For rivers run and waters foam
and dogs are dogs of many heads
no dwellings last where prospect roam
and liquid hope permits no rest

and the knowledge of the miserly
cannot withstand the yearly flooding force
and can and will and is not allowed for atrophy
as long as eight blurred legs still makes a horse

ah burning barnacles to make light
of tonal drylands and bold vertebrates
bridges? Yes, bridges burn for ashes flight
and sparks and bio luminosity and micotonal clefs

for those who walk the open scalar fields
have guns that glow and minds to blow
for those who raft down rapid vector creeks
have dreams to grow and seeds to sow---

the scalar fields part 10: Vector creek with Jo Richter

This song was written at the same time as ‘Get Up’ which I posted a couple of months ago and is very much a partner piece to it. I’ve given it a more jazzy feel and upped the tempo from my first  version which I hope has given it a brighter and lighter feel. I’ve also multi-tracked the ‘Uh Oh’ vocal loop and added a few effects to make it a little more prominent in the mix - it is after all the title! I very much hope you enjoy this one and, if you have time, maybe leave a comment. The feedback I’ve had on the other songs has been really, really helpful ( and very encouraging too! ).

Original image from Wikilmages on Pixabay

Uh Oh!

Star crossed lovers with an arson problem. A mini musical movie about lovers on the run...
Added to the album: "Curiosities Of Outsider Art" (Sept  2025)

(Act 1: Young lovers on an arson spree)
Lyrics:
She puts the gasoline in my truck
And then we drive down
And we like to burn up
Local buildings
And alleys
And trashcans

She likes to come out with me at night
And burn things down
She can't explain it
It's just how she feels
It's what see needs
Simultaneous release
While burning down the Hardee's (a USA restaurant chain)

We got black magic spells right off the shelf
I have a split personality
And I hate Ourselves
We have  a compulsion
To  blow things up
It's all fucked up
Young arsonists in love
Young Arsonists in love (3X)

We have black magic spells
Right off the shelf
The good ones are mixed in
So it makes it hard to tell
We understanding the poetry
Of burning things up
Burning shit up
All fucked up
Young arsonists in love
(End Act 1)


(Act 2 : Chase and capture)
Young arsonists in love (3X)
We're on the run
She says: let's burn down a Chevron

We have black magic spells right off the shelf
The Doctors say we seem alright
But you know that we can't be helped
The Police ask: Is this behavior carnal?
"Officer"
She said:
"Have you forgotten how to marvel?"
Forgotten how to marvel?

Young Arsonists In Love

⚡ Synthwave energy unleashed! ⚡ Shock the Algorithm returns with a brand NEW album — Ultraviolet Cosmos.
https://shockthealgorithm.bandcamp.com/album/ultraviolet-cosmos

🌌 Available NOW on Bandcamp — grab your digital copy today and step into the neon! 🌌