Author Topic: NOT AVAILABLE (Project of the Week for 20th of March)  (Read 2857 times)

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moleshow

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Re: PROJECT OF THE WEEK (20th of March): NOT AVAILABLE
« on: April 03, 2017, 12:00:54 am »
Not Available is a project that requires a different sort of thinking and discussion than what i usually do.

a main component behind the album is trouble between people. people we dont know. people we are not meant to know. people who are represented in the album. i have never felt wholly comfortable discussing that aspect of it - who represents who, what their interactions could translate into in the real world, etc etc. but the characters themselves are intriguing. they are both honest and cartoonish. their involvement in the story varies between simply observing and actively participating, advancing the plot.

The Chorus and The Young Girl seem to look in from the outside. our narrators. beyond describing in strange, occasionally vivid detail, they tell us what our other characters don't. they ask questions that we, ourselves, might be asking. their curiosity mimics our own, and when it does not, they ask some questions that are…

well, guaranteed to shake you up.

Quote
It's causing easy ought to just leave a lust alone
But when a friend has shrunken skin where do you throw the bone?

Quote
Or do posies just bloom for the feel of a may?
Investing space without a place;
Confusing grace with outer space.

Uncle Remus, for a majority of the story is presented to us as someone who has no real will to move on, but is simply… there. (with the knowledge that we have been given by Charles Bobuck in reference to this album, i get the impression that certain passive aspects of him are somewhat of an expression of the disillusionment being experienced by the composer at the time. there is an honesty contained in some of the things said that gives me the impression that his expression of a fairly depressed state of being goes far beyond the instrumentation.)

Quote
Can tomorrow be more than the end of today?

The Porcupine is a more fragile, emotional type. there is much that he longs for, and he longs for these things very deeply. primarily, his desire seems to be focused on being able to question things that matter to him, to share a meaningful and intimate moment with someone else (in this case, Edweena) while exploring winding paths of curiosity with another. to be vulnerable and intrigued without fear of being hurt. his luck in regards to this seems to be consistently foul, as he attempts to become close to Edweena and is subsequently rejected. (may have some connection to the Hedgehog’s Dilemma with the spikes and all, intimacy’s connection to pain, etc)

Quote
They leave a sleeve, they weave a grieve
For mourning's never free.

Edweena is interestingly emotionally unavailable. she has brought The Porcupine along with her, but ignores him. she has withdrawn from all that is around she embodies a lived experience of being truly Not Available. with the addition of the fact that she does not speak, but is only spoken of, she is essentially anonymous. she cannot confirm or deny any of what The Chorus, or anyone else, tells us of her. this is perhaps to be expected, as she is shown on the cover art as being the face of Not Available. she is defined by and paired with the act of being in such a state.

The Catbird and The Enigmatic Foe seem to be a bickering pair, only inclined to speak when the Ship’s a Goin’ Down. they play a back-and-forth game of stating their own situations to appear as if they are worth the time of the unspeaking, unknowable Edweena.

Quote
He thought the end was overdue, but daybroke him instead,
And consequently what he read was never what he said.

Quote
If after all this oleo a speck of dust exists,
We'll set aside a common tide 'twixt friend and who he's kissed.

finally, The Son is a living embodiment of that which we come to know when the end has passed, when all is said and done. he simply passes through, and comments in a mild manner.

Quote
But for the giving begets a sure vain,
Leave open a window and let in some rain.

the various interactions between the characters are sort of vague and i honestly don’t try too hard to follow them. the conflict itself is vague. i can’t follow the story. at all. but musically, it is fascinating and painfully emotional. the large crash that begins the whole affair throws the listener without warning into a winding tale told by nonsensical, cartoonish voices, saxophones ranging in sound from screeching to melodic, melancholy notes ringing out from a grand piano and strange electronic music weaving in and out between the crashes of cymbals.

the vocals are a particularly fun piece to consider, as they seem to successfully mix N. Senada’s Theory of Phonetic Organization with phrases containing real meaning. some of the most beautiful lyrics from The Residents so far came from this project. one can only imagine what is standing in for what, or what it all means. but it is strange to think that, had the circumstances been different in 1978, we could have never had the chance to hear it at all. it was, after all, not made for anyone but the group itself to work out interpersonal issues. personally, i have found that this album is a powerful reminder that The Residents are by no means obligated to give us anything and that their gift-giving extends beyond this project to all others they’ve ever done, are doing, or will do.

describing more feelings about this work is difficult, to say the least. partially due to the fact that the plot is not one i find to be the type that i typically chew and regurgitate with my interpretation, but also due to the fact that my sensory experience of the album is entirely unique. with other storytelling albums from The Rz, i can at least get a vague feeling for what is being described. a blurry series of images with sections that are clear as day, repetitive and short snippets organized in various shapes... but Not Available creates a feeling unlike any other. the music brings an experience with it that is so strong that it teeters on the edge of being visible, tangible. it is the experience of perceiving motion in darkness. not merely a shifting of objects in a basement, but a true void in which even the slightest of motion can be felt if only due to the absence of anything else.

Edweena is a track that is felt as being surrounded and rapidly circled by The Chorus, a group without number, followed by a slam onto the brakes, a shifting around by the group, and a moving forward. the speech of The Young Girl comes from no specific source but is felt all around. Uncle Remus speaks and the experience of THAT is fairly special. a spotlight shines on him but the darkness is consistent. what he DOES create is a plane - his speech creates a temporary floor. as The Chorus' vocals flow in and out, their physical presence ebbs and flows. but the grand piano, when alone, creates the image of the lonely warehouse, created from a collage of presumptuous imagery from experiences.

Making of a Soul is a song of motion. The Chorus has gained an implied appearance through sound. they are no longer cloaked but are dressed in a formal manner. the speech of The Porcupine behaves similarly to Uncle Remus. the stops in the chaotic motion create a harshness. it makes The Porcupine hard to welcome. but Mourning Glories solves this as the rhythm creates a livable environment for The Chorus.

Ship's a Goin' Down is mostly pitch black. The Catbird creates a swaying and anxious motion with his pacing. The Enigmatic Foe forcefully slows the pace. the only other experience for this track is that a ghost undoubtedly plays the saxophone.

Never Known Questions gives The Chorus their ideal beat. their words are undoubtedly worshipping The Spot. they grow intense and desperate. they are reaching to the sight of the events of the story, but they cannot touch it. The Porcupine communicates Polaroids, but they are simply void of image. they only have a general hue (sepia). he falls to pieces and the pieces take on their own life.

Epilogue only creates the feeling of The Boy passing through. he is very young. he approaches us, tells us his truth and runs.

very strange.
« Last Edit: April 03, 2017, 07:28:18 am by moleshow »
"All our lives we love illusion, neatly caught between confusion and the need to know we are alive."
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