All posts by Axonn Echysttas

Mentatul.

Finntroll – Svart Djup

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Delicate orchestration, a beautiful sense of depth and an ominous story-teller give this song an aura of ancient forest magic. The darkness in one voice is opposed by airy choirs and dreamy instruments. The song may be called “dark depths”, but all I feel is light.

This entire “Visor Om Slutet” (Songs About The End) album is just as enchanting(*) as this song (well, perhaps except for “Rov”). Mind you, this is not the usual Finntroll. I’ll be back later this year with a more representative song of theirs, but if you’re curious, check out “Ur Jordens Djup^” or “Nattfödd^”.

It’s unfortunately VERY hard to find a legal version of this song anywhere. It’s not on Spotify, Deezer or Google Play. I can’t find any other version than the YouTube one. But it might be enough to lead you to other songs from this album and perhaps to buy it in physical form, before it becomes a rarity.

YouTube (decent quality):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mh10Y72Ru3c^

(*) When I said “enchanting”, I did NOT mean the song’s lyrics, an extract of which you can find below. Although those words can’t really be labeled with the word “enchanting” (well, depending on your point of view; I guess trolls would definitely find it enchanting), these are great lyrics either way!

 

“I vinden viskar dödens stämma
Onda stjärnor på himmelen stirra
Bland furor eka ett isande skrik
Urskogens klor i nattlig sky
Ur rymdens svarta djup…
Ur rymdens svarta djup…

Fem fot svart stål han i sina nävar klämmer
En svart skugga från jordens djupaste hål
Långa öron och knivskarpa horn
Under brynen glöda två illröda kol:

Nu lyfts värdet mot himmelens rand
Syndastålet nu frysa luft till is
Nu livlösa förbli var man, var kvinna
Domen falla och tystnad härska
O, rymdens svarta djup…
O, rymdens svarta djup…”

[English translation:]

Dark Depths

“In wind whisper the tones of death
Evil stars in the sky now stare
Beneath the trees echoes the freezing cry
Ancient forest’s claws in the night sky
From vast dark depths…
From vast dark depths…

Black five foot blade clenches in his fist
Dark shade from the deepest hall of earth
Long ears and razorsharp horns
Under helmet glows two scarlet coals…

Now rises darkness towards heaven’s boundaries
Lustful steel now freezes winds to ice
Thus lifeless remains man and woman
Judgement falls and silence reigns
Oh, wide dark depths…
Oh, wide dark depths…”

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My Wife Became a Mother in Sweden

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Important: this is both a story and a practical list. Practical elements will be usually highlighted in such paragraphs. Although certain conclusions we drew from our experiences may seem like advice, these should not be interpreted as such. These are our experiences and our learnings that we entrust you with, so that you may enrich your knowledge based on this and many other sources of information. May our journey entertain and serve you.

Ever since Rune was born, I knew that one day I’m going to write this story. The only unknown was when and how to do it. Finally, I have arrived at the right time and, along with it, also came the vision of how I should go about writing this.

I would like to entertain you while in the same time share with you some of the things we’ve learned about one of the best places in the world when it comes to childbirth. Sweden has one of the lowest infant mortality rates^, but that’s a meaningless statistic compared to what I’m about to tell you. Here’s a little spoiler: Sweden may be great when it comes to childbirth, but things may get complicated soon after the child is born.

It is my hope that throughout the following pages, you will find not only pleasant times and good vibes, but also useful information and powerful inspiration.

Part 1 – Withbaby^

Part 2 – Birthplan^

Part 3 – Birth^

Part 4 – Hotel^

Part 5 – Babyhood^

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Ayla Nereo – Bonteka (Kalya Scintilla Remix)

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Psybient is a Journey Genre. This means that most psybient songs are Transporters. Where (and when) they Transport you is mostly up to your own imagination and experience. This song has all the hallmarks of an excellent Transporter: incantations, choirs, a wide array of playful instruments, multiple sound planes, a diverse, inspired orchestration and, of course, awesome rhythms and bass.

Without any intent of stealing the show from Ayla’s originality and evocative voice, did I mention Kalya Scintilla is one of the greatest psybient artists? Another five Kalya-creations have already been featured on the Weekly Song. I dare you to seek them out and see where they will Transport you.

You can listen to the melody for free, in good quality, on BandCamp, which is one of the best websites when it comes to supporting artists. You can also purchase the song (or album) from this same location.

https://aylanereo.bandcamp.com/track/ayla-nereo-bonteka-kalya-scintilla-remix^

YouTube (decent quality):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bnp96SSjZE8^

For Spotify Users (high quality):

https://open.spotify.com/track/12aW3Dgvh5nzqDpY0qNAtr^

For Deezer Users (high quality):

https://www.deezer.com/track/127525017^

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How Children Learn

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About one of the most revolutionary books in pedagogy and parenting alike:

“Schools try to teach children skills and knowledge that may benefit them at some unknown time in the future. But children are interested in the now, not the future. They want to do real things now. By doing what they want to do they also prepare themselves wonderfully for the future, but that is a side effect.  This, I think, is the main insight of the book; most of the other ideas are more or less corollaries.”

https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/freedom-learn/201712/the-joy-and-sorrow-rereading-holt-s-how-children-learn^

“Children learn best when they are not pressured to learn in a way that is of no interest to them.”

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Azam Ali – In Other Worlds

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A dreamy, ritualistic creation that will transport awareness far and off on the wings of the beautiful, evocative voice wielding the keys to the portals of our imagination. Such Journey Songs are a testament to the power of sound.

Besides the excellent production values featured in this tune, I stand in awe at the magnificent fusion between electronic instruments and traditional ones. I was, am and will always be overjoyed by the way technology has increased the sound range that artists can use. Unlike others, artists can be trusted to use technology responsibly and respectfully.

“If love be revealed
In the spark of an eye
Could all be redeemed
In the sea of time
If the stars embed
Like nails into the ground
From the unheard prayers
That have torn up the skies
Would you will it all away
As you sail on your way?”

YouTube (decent quality, bootlegged AWESOME VIDEO):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2AlA9FMHXqE^

For Spotify Users (high quality):

https://open.spotify.com/track/4hWQi1W7BhF9Q4ZjP72wAy^

For Deezer Users (high quality):

https://www.deezer.com/track/10710384^

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Beautiful Illustrations About Long Term Relationships

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I love this heartfelt series of drawings about long term relationships:

https://themindunleashed.com/2018/04/the-truth-about-long-term-relationships-in-25-brutally-honest-illustrations.html^

I don’t know why at least this site has called it “brutally” honest. What’s so brutal about it? The fact that there’s hair and smelly breath involved? Why would that be brutal? I guess the website I just linked should take their own advice and unleash their mind a little bit more.

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Wardruna – Dagr

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Receive this powerful invocation from deep within the heart of Mother Nature. It was carried through lungs that breathe its air. It was beat into eternity from ritualistic drums and instruments. It was blessed with choirs that cleanse everything their life-giving vibration touches.

Celebrate the dance of night and day.

You can listen to the melody for free, in good quality, on BandCamp, which is one of the best websites when it comes to supporting artists. You can also purchase the song (or album) from this same location.

https://warduna.bandcamp.com/track/dagr^

And if you’re curious about the lyrics:

https://lyricstranslate.com/en/dagr-day.html#songtranslation^

YouTube (decent quality, POWERFUL VIDEO):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7HMl81zRp4E^

YouTube (decent quality, full song):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsSd-1AE4QY^

For Spotify Users (high quality):

https://open.spotify.com/track/3SENig8PtqYrtjySXeeT94^

For Deezer Users (high quality):

https://www.deezer.com/track/33360221^

This Weekly Song entry has been brought from the FaceBook archive of Weekly Song^. This exploration was originally started through a FaceBook page, about 13 months prior to launching Mentatul. Slowly but surely, the entire FaceBook archive will be brought here.

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The Gerrymandering Factor

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Ever heard of gerrymandering^? It’s quite the disgusting political practice. Basically, a political party influences the way precincts are gathered into districts so that it gains an advantage during elections. Even though the term was coined in the USA, this practice is widespread. It shows just how much democracy can be destroyed from within.

Fortunately, there is some hope in combating the practice. Here’s how a panel of federal judges over in the USA created a useful precedent that will hopefully be the first step towards fixing this affliction of democracy:

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/09/us/north-carolina-gerrymander.html

Or perhaps it’s time for a more meaningful reform of democracy. Time for Government 2.0^!

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Autechre – 444

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Get some good head gear, lie down, close your eyes and let this one take you places. This is the symbiosis between technology, mind and soul. Despite the relatively alert rhythm, the deep frequencies are so good at doing their brain-massage thing that this song never fails to send me into a state of inspired calm.

YouTube (decent quality):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7D9OlbqRDU^

For Spotify Users (high quality):

https://open.spotify.com/track/1fcKoMHat5NFGAUcfTqZkO^

For Deezer Users (high quality):

https://www.deezer.com/track/29369841^

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Ricocheting Down the Neutrino Alley

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Neutrinos^ are among the strangest elementary particles^. Or at least we call them elementary particles until, some time in the future, we’ll discover that they are also composed of various other smaller components. But until then, scientists are sparing no efforts in trying to understand them (an understanding that could and will probably be invested in new technologies, for example detectors for large bursts of energy release):

From the article linked below:

“Neutrinos are famously antisocial. Of all the characters in the particle physics cast, they are the most reluctant to interact with other particles. Among the hundred trillion neutrinos that pass through you every second, only about one per week actually grazes a particle in your body.

That rarity has made life miserable for physicists, who resort to building huge underground detector tanks for a chance at catching the odd neutrino. But in a study published today in Science, researchers working at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) detected never-before-seen neutrino interactions using a detector the size of a fire extinguisher. Their feat paves the way for new supernova research, dark matter searches and even nuclear nonproliferation monitoring.”

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/ever-elusive-neutrinos-spotted-bouncing-off-nuclei-for-the-first-time/^

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