SHREWD, BRITANNIA is the third studio album by london band BRAIN APE

released on may 9th, 2025, the album was written by jacob powell, minky très-vain, and sol alex albret, between 2019 and 2025, and was recorded largely on très-vain’s narrowboat studio in london’s limehouse

musically the album was a departure from the band’s old sound, taking inspiration from pop and hip-hop artists like billie eilish, childish gambino, and denzel curry, whilst retaining several qualities from BRAIN APE’s usual list of influences like david bowie, nirvana, and steak number eight

the songs on the album each tackle a singular act in the five act story of eric tunglsson, the son of the auslander, which aims to dissect themes such as nationalism, drug addiction, ego and ego-death, war, history, legacy, and accountability

lyrically the album addresses its themes both head-on and through a more layered approach, and example of which being the lengthy monologue in II. QUARRELS’ CONSEQUENCE which draws parallels between the album’s subject matters and the rise of artificial intelligence in the twenty-first century by comparing and contrasting the phenomenon to the industry revolution and its effect on musical compositions of the time

III. TERROR INCOGNITA

We follow the convulsions of Italian society -- foreign invasion, popular revolution, peasant revolt, liberal reform, Romantic pageantry, diplomatic dirty dealings, and patriotic war -- through which the residents of a fragmented, poor, and backwards section of Europe overthrew the puppet regimes of foreign rulers and challenged the internal power of the Church, to seize control of their own destiny and create a new nation-state that would take its place among the major powers of the world.

Image: "The First Italian Flag Taken to Firenze," by F.S. Altamura, 1859.

Suggested further reading: Lucy Riall, "Risorgimento"; John A. David, ed., "Italy in the Nineteenth Century."

Musical passage: "Va, Pensiero" from Nabuco, Lyrics by Temistocle Solera, music by Giuseppe Verdi, performed by Novosibirsk Symphony Orchestra

Please sign on as a patron to hear all patron-only lectures, including the recent series on the Dead Sea Scrolls and on the Epic of Gligamesh! -- https://www.patreon.com/c/user?u=5530632

Italy: Revolution, Risorgimento, & Unification, 1789-1870

The Lawsuit After Death
In 1948, Bavaria went to court. The goal? Claim Adolf Hitler’s estate. His death didn’t stop the legal wheels. The state wanted everything he’d left behind. The courtroom chair stayed empty. Hitler had already killed himself in April 1945 with a Walther pistol...

The Austrian passport of Adolf Hitler still exists

Europe has witnessed significant political and social turbulence over the past decade. The rise of anti-immigrant, nativist, and populist movements, the erosion of traditional political parties, widening socioeconomic disparities, and increasing polarisation have profoundly unsettled the European order. From the shock of the 2016 Brexit referendum to the seismic impact of Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, recent developments have challenged long-held assumptions.

In this lecture, Siniša Malešević critically examines the conventional wisdom that nationalism and war are relics of Europe’s past. Drawing on a longue durée sociological perspective, he will argue that these forces remain deeply embedded in modernity. Rather than anomalies, the resurgence of nationalism and organised violence should be understood as part of broader historical patterns shaping contemporary Europe.

The lecture will be followed by an interactive Q&A session and a networking reception, offering a valuable opportunity for scholars and students to exchange ideas and build connections.

This event is the Annual Lecture of the Annual Review of the JCMS, hosted by the LSE European Institute and UACES.

Meet our speaker and chair 

Siniša Malešević is Full Professor of Comparative Historical Sociology at the University College Dublin. He was appointed UCD Chair of Sociology in September 2011. Previously he held research and teaching appointments at the Institute for International Relations (Zagreb), the Centre for the Study of Nationalism, CEU (Prague) - where he worked with late Ernest Gellner -, and at the University of Galway. He also held visiting professorships and fellowships at NIAS/NIOD Amsterdam, Uppsala University, Universite Libre de Bruxelles (Eric Remacle Chair in Conflict and Peace Studies), the London School of Economics, the Institute for Human Sciences, Vienna and the Australian Defence College, Canberra. Professor Malesevic is a Member of the Royal Irish Academy (elected in 2010), Academia Europaea (The Academy of Europe, elected in 2014) and an Associated Member of the Academy of Sciences and Arts of Bosnia and Herzegovina (elected in 2012). He is also Senior Fellow and Associated Researcher at CNAM, Paris. Prof Malesevic's main research interests include the study of war and violence, ethnicity, nation-states, and nationalism, empires, ideology, sociological theory and the comparative historical sociology.

Jasna Dragovic-Soso is Visiting Professor at LSEE Research on South East Europe, Hellenic Observatory Centre for Research on Contemporary Greece & Cyprus, LSE. She has written extensively about memory politics, transitional justice, nationalism, state disintegration and international intervention, with a focus on former Yugoslavia and the post-Yugoslav region. She is currently writing a book about truth commission initiatives and memory politics in the post-conflict Balkans and co-editing the Brill Handbook on Regions of Memory: Southeastern Europe. From 2022 to 2024, she was Director of Centre for the Study of the Balkans at Goldsmiths, University of London.

Maya Tudor is Professor of Politics and Public Policy at the Blavatnik School of Government and Fellow at St Hilda's College at the University of Oxford. Her research investigates the origins of effective and democratic states with a regional focus on South Asia. Before embarking on an academic career, Maya worked as a Special Assistant to Chief Economist Joseph Stiglitz at the World Bank, at UNICEF, in the United States Senate, and at the Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee.

Vesna Popovski is LSE Fellow in Conflict and Post-Conflict Studies. 


Nationalism and War in 21st-Century Europe

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze delivered a potent address at CPAC, launching a strong rebuke against what he called the "Global War Party" and advocating for national sovereignty and traditional values.

Georgian Prime Minister Kobakhidze's CPAC speech: A strong rebuke of the Global War Party.

Fourth track of the first demo, featuring a speech of ,,the captain".

Rasaritul Demo

First track of the ,,War Metal" EP, taken from the song ,,Trei culori cunosc pe lume".

War metal intro

We live in a world where everything seems to be upside down. On average, we live longer but with a lower quality of life. With more rights than ever, but more oppressed than ever. With more free time, but less efficient use of it than ever. We are educated to multitask but also to not think too much. The gap between classes is rapidly growing, while companies have already dominated an apocalyptic world, which has a brief countdown for a million other reasons. And we wonder what just happened, how we've come to this, and how we can fix it. In the time we have a cigarette, a coffee or a foot massage. We take advantage of this little break to reflect on things that destroy us, and that we are overlooking just because we do not stop to think about the simplest things. Everybody is welcome to have a break with us, and to enjoy a little introspection time. Just relax, keep your guard down and listen.

Ep 22 - Quarter to midnight - 15.06.25

Dr. Jozef Tiso x Last Summer

This fourth of July week, The Past Isn’t Past recalls the words of Howard Zinn, a historian and author, who wrote in July 4th, 2006, “on this July 4th, we would do well to renounce nationalism and all its symbols,” particularly its justification and glorification of the US’s military actions throughout history.  
Image Courtesy:  Slobadan Dimitrov, shared under Creative Commons via Wikipedia.  Image shows Howard Zinn speaking at Pathfinder bookstore in Los Angeles, August 2000


The Past Isn't Past: Remembering Howard Zinn

I had the opportunity to interview Jonathan and Annlyn Kulp about the insights they gleaned from their relationship as an interracial couple. 

(237)S11E35 Discovering Racial Biases Through Relationship wthe Kulps

All praise, loyalty, and glory to the United States Military 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDHIeC4dTCo

How do you Serve? (vocals desc.)

In this interview I had the privilege of talking with Dr. George Kalantzis about his book, "Caesar and the Lamb," and the topic of sacralism.

(272)S11E82 Modern Sacralism wDr. George Kalantzis

I had the privilege of talking to Dr. Nilay Saiya about his book, "The Global Politics of Jesus."

(274)S11E84 Christianism, Power, and Prophetic Witness wDr. Nilay Saiya

I chat with Taylor Storey about the false prophet and true prophet forms of Christianity.

(275)S11E85 Christianity No Longer Exists wTaylor Storey

exploding_vest(1).wav

Most Inspirational Audio Ever Made

gokrovi2

explore the two narratives surrounding the story of Dietrich Bonhoeffer and the implications that has for how we seek to emulate him.

(351)S14E1 Bonhoeffer's Dark Cloud - The Importance of Narrative

The LSE European Institute,  is a world class centre for the study of Europe. Follow our podcast feed, for the latest analysis and research  on European politics and current affairs, and the policy challenges confronting the EU and the UK.

ÑuRadio is the international radio wave dedicated to creativity, experimentation and (dif)fusion of multicultural experiences in Prague.

Listener-sponsored, volunteer-powered, noncommercial community radio broadcasting to south-central Wisconsin at 89.9 FM and online at wortfm.org via our studios in Madison. 

We provide an outlet for communication, education, free expression, entertainment, training and access for the purpose of sharing music, information, news, and cultural experiences, and strive to give people underrepresented elsewhere in traditional media a voice. 

NOTE: Most of the content posted at this time are news stories or talk shows. 

MUSICIANS:  We NEVER look on our SoundCloud for music submissions, so it's not a very efficient way to contact us. Please go to www.wortfm.org and click on Music --> Music Submissions for our submission info and guidelines. Thanks and we look forward to hearing your music!

Explore the fascinating world of passport history with acclaimed expert, author, and collector Tom Topol. Dive into a treasure trove of rare vintage passports, uncover untold stories from the past, and gain exclusive insights from one of the field’s most respected authorities. Whether you're a collector, historian, or simply curious, embark on a journey through time with expertly curated content and discoveries.

History lectures by Samuel Biagetti, a historian (and antique dealer) with a Phd in early American history; my dissertation was on Freemasonry in the 1700s. I focus on the historical myths and distortions, from "the Middle Ages" to "Race," that people use to rationalize the world in which we live.   More info at www.historiansplaining.com

Please see my Patreon page, https://www.patreon.com/user?u=5530632, if you want to keep the lectures coming, and to hear the patron-only materials.

SCRATCH ROCK RECORDS is a record label based in London, England.

Founded by DYDY HAYNES and MINKY TRES-VAIN in 2012, the label was called SCHLIMBUM RECORDS before being rebranded as SCRATCH ROCK RECORDS in 2019.

With releases by BRAIN APE, CHANTY TRES-VAIN, and THE ORANGUTANZ to name a few, the company labels all releases as “SCRATCH ROCK”, freeing up our artists to create music unconfined by genre-boundaries.

A podcast focused on nonviolence, social justice, and Kingdom living

The Page mission is dictated to fighting oligarchy, corruption, and globalism within the Eastern Orthodox world. Stand with us as we champion Orthodox populist resistance and ensure the fierce defense of Orthodox minority interests.

New tracks tagged #nationalism