dan reeder/arthur russell/manhead

Before I start this - in light of today’s upcoming protests - I am grateful to have a job, which keeps more or less regular hours. But I am exhausted. Crumbling under my own overblown ambition I rally and regroup, piece myself back together for another onslaught of writing and ideas over evenings and weekends. My mum says “You can only do as much as you can do”, the problem being I could always be doing more, until I am eating, sleeping, breathing and bathing it. Cue indulgent music blogging with a bit of narrative…

I am reminded of Dan Reeder - bestowed a while back by the glorious Moistworks. Reeder doesn’t so much sound like he’s hating work, only that he can’t fit any more of it into his day. I feel like this today too:

Dan Reeder - Work Song

It repeats and releases - a salvation in soft clapping; knotted shoulders loosened by soft barber-shop harmonies and the bite of an obscenity.

I wish I had time for a day like this:

 
Arthur Russell - Time Away

Pottering about on an 8-track never sounded so sweet and worthwhile - lists of things to do; the happy pattering of loose drums and jaunty melody. Smoothing the sheets, clean and tidy, ready for the next day. 

But really, underneath the niceties, it’s like this:

Manhead - Birth School Work Death

And there’s nothing but the unremitting beats of trudgery. Utilitarian exhortations drown objections. But now I remember, the above was on one of the first mix tapes Ben made me, in the months of seduction he claimed he never intended. Seduced by Manhead? An unlikely story, but true, the memory of which dissolves the starkness of Manhead’s modern day battle chant and instead, reminds me of romance.