Category: art

Snakes of Russia and the Ghost Hat

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It all started with a ball cap. As I settled into parenthood, I maintained that silly itch to retain some of the fashion sense of my youth. While doom scrolling, I came across an artist on Instagram known as Xavier (@builtfromsketch) who makes lovely artwork if you’re into darker aesthetics. While looking over his watercolors, I noticed a simple black baseball hat with a little bed sheet ghost knitted on it. I decided to treat myself to a little consumerism, and it’s been a favorite warm-season hat ever since.

            Snakes of Russia came across my radar in autumn, 2023. They had just dropped an LP and went on tour with Not My God and Death Loves Veronica. The tour never came close to me, but that’s neither here nor there…so it made sense to spin the new Snakes of Russia record, True Surrender.

            It’s a dark, ambient collection of haunting tracks. Low tempo, huge beats, and the creepiest sounds the imagination could conjure, all of this lacking vocals, I immediately put this record into my “writing music” rotation. It feels like a soundtrack to a thriller or horror film that doesn’t exist. If you listen to it on headphones and go for a walk after dark, it’ll be no time at all before it’ll feel like you’re being watched or followed.

            Pivoting again, my youngest child constantly notices what I wear. From my work uniforms to casual day off clothes, it’s one of the details about me that he takes in and acknowledges. For now, I’m convinced it’s because he loves me…not to be confused with a decade from now when those observations will include a joke at my expense…but I digress, one thing he’s long noticed and likes is my ghost hat.

            Because my oldest child loves all things spooky, we’ve made our own warped version of hide and seek in our home that we only play after dark. We close the curtains, kill the lights save for minimal ambiance, and put on some spooky music to top off some proper atmosphere. From there, I throw a blanket over my head and chase the family around the house, occasionally hiding myself so that I can bait them into a jump scare. My youngest began to call this game, “Ghost Hat” as I resembled the figure on the hat. The name caught on with the rest of the family, and it stuck. Once we played this game a handful of times, it was determined that True Surrender by Snakes of Russia was the music for this game. If any other record is put on, the kids will protest, “that’s not Ghost Hat music!”

            All of that to say this dark ambient record has broken through and become a regular listen in my home with my kids. My son will even ask for, “Ghost Hat music” on car rides. I never expected Snakes of Russia to be so prevalent during family time, as I thought it to be a gem kept to myself for writing sessions, but here we are and I’m not complaining.

Snakes of Russia announced a forthcoming LP on the horizon. When I informed my three year old that there’s new Ghost Hat music in the works, he lit up with excitement that brings me joy. Death beats, forever!

[pictured:album art for True Surrender by Snakes of Russia]

Mahashmashana: Rambling Review

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Earlier this year, little blips on social media had me under the impression that new music was on the way from Father John Misty. When the Greatest Hits record was announced that featured a new single, I dismissed any further expectations that we’d see more music anytime soon, much less within the same calendar year. I found the follow up announcement of a full length LP quite the surprise. Won’t find me complaining, as Mahashmashana satisfies an itch with which I’d decided to simply live.

I came for the bite. Tillman’s scathing criticism laid out in lyrical observation brought me to the table with his 2017 record, Pure Comedy, yet I stayed for love songs capable of moving me. The crossroads of those two topics are a profound return to form that is comforting…and yet this direction feels like a place I haven’t been before.

The songwriting platitudes of indie folk-rock coupled with the smooth sensibilities of 70s pop comes at an intersection where Tillman shines brightest in spite of the often bleak lyrical content. It’s the juxtaposition of his bleakness with the relatable warmth of love and enduring curiosity that encompasses an experience that is both magical and true to life in the same moment.

The opening track, Mahashmashana, speaks on romance where one lover has passed away. Our subject is said to visit her lover twice a week, yet it took me a couple listens to understand her visits were to mahashmashana, which roughly translates to ‘great cremation ground.’ The conclusion of this song brings me to tears, as contemplating the finality of all things becomes a weight that presses me for an emotional reaction. To hear Tillman describe that, “They have gone the way of all flesh/And what was found is lost/Yes it is…” is a sentiment that has overwhelmed me more than once.

The instrumental composition of Josh Tillman and the Accidental Dose offers remarkable movements, as dynamics are used in the mix to highlight the uncertainty that accompanies the use of hallucinogens. In a performative style that reminds one of Lou Reed, Tillman admits that he “was treating acid with anxiety.” It terms of musicality and overall flow, it may be my favorite song on the record.

One such complication that comes with the territory of hallucinogenic drug use is one of self-reflection that can result in growth, but often offers little more than lost innocence. At the conclusion of this track, Tillman states, “I ate an ice cream/dazed in the street/but it never tastes quite as sweet/again…” This imagery and realization of time having passed and something lost (ice cream reflecting innocence of youth?) is a daunting thing to consider when I was once convinced I’d live forever.

I learned a new word while listening to Mental Health. A panopticon is, “a prison design concept created by J. Bentham in the 1700s (that) places prisoners’ cells around the outside of a circular design with a guard tower in the center.” This description of a particular style of prison then narrows focus to reveal the entire prison is…you. The question of identity and individual purpose is presented with music that feels like a sonic throwback to the theatrical heights of the 2022 record, Chloe and the Next 20th Century. The reflection, “The one regret that’s really pretty tough/Is knowing I didn’t go nearly far enough” enshrines the mood swing of an accomplished artist who feels it’s never quite satisfying, “For the true endeavor of your soul/To find the edge and, baby, go, go, go.” Our collective experiences in a hyper-individualistic culture are examined here in a way that reveals as much about you as it does about myself.

The final song, Summer’s Gone, breaks my heart with each listen, and reconfigures it with the healing properties of gratitude that comes with memory. It’s difficult to reconcile with the notion that, “against your will comes wisdom/and forty more years left ahead.” But the conclusion is so wonderful, as we pivot to some kind of hope…some optimism for having the memory at all, “but you eat a peach/or you skin your knee/and time can’t touch me.” That final line emerges from the tragic weight of what has been lost, and pushes back against the reflections made in the song about eating acid and ice cream. From this final moment I find myself suddenly grateful for every memory upon which I can reflect. The ice cream was wonderful…the sun that warmed me was beautiful…and the time we shared…all memories to be cherished while I still possess the faculties to remember. The highlights of memory…the peaks we chase…whether it’s the embrace of a lover, or the taste of an ice cream we had in youth…the impact lingers, and while memory informs us that it just isn’t like it was before, maybe that’s the veil of youth over our early experiences…I’m not sure anymore, but I am confident that because it must end, life is worth living…even if summer is gone and all that keeps me warm now are the memories of a life I appreciate.

Mahashmashana is my favorite record of 2024. A combination of the various musical strategies Tillman has applied to his songwriting over the years, there’s nothing here that feels stale or recycled. From compositions to lyrical content, may Tillman never peak. This record is worth a spin.

A Little Something for my Mental Health

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2020 was weird for everyone, right? Not just me…? Okay, cool. I was an essential worker with a young child at home, so I didn’t have the sudden burst of free time that was forced on a lot of people. What I did get was the time saved from the hustle and bustle of our collective rampant consumerism. Aside from grocery shopping, my family pretty well stayed in.

            My work/life balance was out of sorts, as a typical workweek for me was 13 days on…ah, the life of management with corporate overlords that all but dictate skeleton crews. The unpaid hours beyond my salaried 40 drove me to the lows of depression coupled with the static horrors of anxiety.

            I needed something new. So did my wife. Since we were stuck in the house I looked into various hobbies, trying to land on something we could both enjoy. At the end of the search I bought all of the materials necessary to try our hands at acrylic pour painting. Online tutorials revealed to me that one doesn’t need to cultivate aesthetic talent to get quality results. The directions were pretty straight forward, and if you can both follow them and embrace a little chaos…there’s fun to be had and wall worthy results.

            Our first attempt was a simple dirty pour. Various colors poured individually, complimented by tilting the canvas gave us two beautiful pieces of art. They were destroyed the following day, as the paint hadn’t dried before we tried to handle them again. Oh well, it was a fun learning experience. That approach was utilized a couple more times before we pivoted to my current favorite, the flip cup.

            We wait for them to dry, make sure they’re clean, and apply a water based clear coat for longevity.

            We’ve given a couple away as gifts and I’ve sold one piece. There are others available on my Etsy page, with more on the way as I get back into making this part of my routine.

            Lydia laments on the wasted paint that drips off of the canvases during the tilting phase, but I think I have a remedy for that as well that I’ll be revealing later in the year.

I’ve tried my hand (and failed miserably) with the swipe technique. I am yet to break out the hairdryer to push paint around, as the activity tends to be something done after the kids have gone to bed…maybe someday.

This activity started as a pandemic hobby, but has remained a craft we continue to develop long after mandates were lifted. While we aim to get results that appeal to other people, the act of creating provides a relief that alleviates stress. There’s something to be said about making art that makes one feel alive. It reminds me that I’m more than the oil that lubes the cogs in our corporate state. I am a living entity, as are you…sometimes that gets lost in the pressures of consumerism. I create for the relief it provides me, first and foremost. If there’s pennies to be made on the back end, great…but in the act of creation where I feel most rejuvenated.