All Thoughts Fly

5 minutes

Moaning about spending/wasting too much time on my phone is the perennial topic for this blog. One of the things I’ve realised recently is that most of my time spent on social media is ‘undirected’ again. This is what I meant by taking responsibility for your attention. Time spent on Twitter is still inflated after the US election week binge.

If I don’t have a purpose for being somewhere in cyberspace (either on my phone or my laptop) then what am I doing? and why? I’m not really one for Doomscroll. I tend to surf around with no destination. Thats my favourite kind of internet.

Because I’ve been so busy this month with Nanowrimo on top of everything else I usually do (In retrospect it was probably an error to start the Dimensino series during Nanowrimo) I’ve become even more conscious of where I’m wasting my time than ever. It’s easy to write the words ‘Your Attention Is Sovereign‘. But really hard to maintain the spirit of the words.

Anyway I wanted to share that I’ve installed Googles Activity Bubbles on my Pixel and its really cool.

It’s like a swear jar for unlocking your phone. Bubble sizes represent relative screen time in the previous unlock. I installed it on Tuesday morning and here’s my Screentime for the week:

Monday is my ‘day off’ and had a few video calls with friends so it was quite high (not that I’m explaining myself). However the stats clearly show that shaming your self with a background unlock swear jar really works.

I’m going to keep it for now and see how it works out for me.

COME INTERNET WITH ME – Sarena Ulibarri Searches ‘Jellyfish’

Permanently Moved

The Weather On Social Media 

On the internet, Everything happens so much. But you don’t need to stand out in the rain to know it’s raining. 

The Ministry Of My Own Labour

  • And Lately, The Sun came out! Super happy to have sold my first story.
  • Nanowrimo seems endless. My wrist hurts a lot. But I only have 2.8k words to write and then I hit 50k words on the story. Unfortunately despite my careful planing, I’m only about 2/3rds of the way though. Gonna take a break and then go back and finish the whole thing A-to-B.

Dipping the Stacks

The Secrets of Monkey Island’s Source Code | Video Game History Foundation

All These Worlds Are Yours // Cennydd Bowles

The biggest book tour in history is taking place on . . . Roblox? | Literary Hub

Wallabies from Australia have gained a foothold in the U.K. and may be there for good

Reading

Currently in a mad book acquisition phase. I don’t know if anyone else has noticed but e-bay for secondhand books is really good again (after about an 8 year drought). Both price wise and whats available. Then again the kinds of books I’m interested in right now seem to be non – interesting to everyone else. Both the books that arrived this week are ex-library – both never checked out.

The best thing about them is that they are in fact both actual library editions. They have much sturdier bindings than a normal edition and they also have VERY stiff cover material. Lovely additions to shelves. I just need to find time to read them now!

Music

Anna von Hausswolff – All Thoughts Fly

Via my RSS reader Flipdog from Soundbergs blog brings news that Anna von Hausswolff has a new album.

I just did a search and realised that I didn’t mention Hausswolff’s fucking incredible album Dead Magic back 2018. Hausswolff makes occult art-pop drone. Her work stands on its own alongside other Southern Lord label mates like Sunn 0))), High On Fire, Wolves In the Throne Room etc.

Just check out ‘Vanishing of Electra’ below.

All Thoughts Fly is a different album entirely however.

All Thoughts Fly is a solo album recorded on Gothenburg’s Örgryte New Church’s replica baroque Schnitger Pipe Organ. No vocals, no percussion. Just Hausswolff sat at the organs console.

It’s transcendent. The copy on the album release details says that it “represents absolute liberation of the imagination”.

Arpeggios seems to fall from von Hausswolff’s fingers with urgency. As if the tracks spirit would be lost if they were not being recorded right then and there – an idea captured in time. The track above is named for the Sacro Bosco or Gardens of Bomarzo in Italy. The whole album is inspired by the place.

You can hear the bellows from the organ on the recording and it gives the record a sense of immediacy I haven’t heard on a record in a long time. Its production is so full. Like you are not only in side the church, but also Hausswolffs ‘Idea’. Being buffeted around by the drama and dissonance.

I’ve listened to the album multiple times this week on walks though thick fog after dark. Within each track I hear so many ghost melodies.

I think it’s something to do with my synesthesia and not as one music lecturer suggested back at university – psychosis. I always hear ghost melodies whenever I focus on sonically rich sound pallets. A bit like EVP but for melodies, maybe a bit Julian Jaynes, maybe its spirits.

Anyway, I think it’s a testament to Hausswolff’s restraint as a composer for laying off the melodies instead allowing the ideas to develop and unfold like landscape. So good. One of my fav albums of the year.

Marie Davidson & L’Œil Nu – Renegade Breakdown

On a completely different note Canadian electronic musician Marie Davidson (Previously) has a new record out in collaboration with L’Œil Nu. Total Banger of an album.

Remember Kids


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2 responses to “All Thoughts Fly”

  1. […] Walker had a few thoughts after last weeks post about wasting too much time on my […]

  2. […] wrist) It seems I first mentioned it in August 2020 during the pandemic lockdown. Then again after that years nanowrimo, and then several times again in 2021. Just because I haven’t mentioned it since, […]

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