Elementary

 

The backdrop of truth is historically clarity; illusive at first, but generally obvious. We can’t all be Sherlock Holmes or Nancy Drew; we can’t always find the metaphors of truth hidden in the illusive depth of murky water.

 If embarrassment was an emotion worth my energy, I’d be embarrassed more often. Not often enough to be foolish, but just enough to be borderline naïve (the other side of the border).

Sometimes my problems are so basic. Standard issue like that off brown/maroon metal geometry set we all had in primary school. These kinds of problems come to those who wait. Because we fancy ourselves complicated we wait long enough for things to be more protracted than they ever need to be and because we think it, we create the smoke and the mirrors.

So now my life is complicated. Simple, yet complicated.

THE IRONY

I’m not sure why we have so many opinions. We have opinions on virtually everything; even not having an opinion is an opinion. It’s tiresome and yet the human experience banks on it.
The older I get, the heavier opinions are. They are more damning and adhesive. So here I am writing my opinion on opinions, the axis on which our myopic worlds revolve.
I am another year older this week; getting older necessitates a level of self-reflection and inferred maturity. One of the things that I generally don’t look forward to is the small talk on the big day. The incredibly boring question of how it feels to be yet another year older, as if it all just happens in one day. What makes this a boring question is that the conversation that ensues is often tedious and forgettable, which begs a bigger more transcendent point. The point being consideration, humanness, and generally tuning in to the present moment and all that come with it.
There are so many socially awkward people walking around freely, untagged. Then there are socially awkward situations that reproduce like amoeba. I get the sense that we’re supposed to see clearer brighter colours as we get older, but really what it is are distinctly more varieties of grey. I’m good with grey, we’re in a relationship. What I’m not good with is the doctrine of impending adulthood doom.
We’re all doing a dance and I think sometimes we forget. Our opinions matter, our words carry weight, and we are not Jesus. As we age we seem to unquestioningly take on a surprising brand of negativity that we dish out freely. It feels like a hyperextended lame version of high school. It becomes cool to be angry, unhappy and dissatisfied. Whining lubricates conversation clouding our inertia, ornating our fears. Moral high grounds, net worth vs self-worth; we no longer know that we are art. Living breathing art. We become a diminutive version of the very thing that we are. Irony.
Life is not linear.
Be interesting, be interested.
Be.

THE GAP WILL KEEP US SAFE

They say the best place to hide something is in plain sight.

I have a love-hate relationship with inspirational quotes, similes, metaphors and clichés. If I had a better grasp of Swahili I’d probably have an issue with methalis as well. But there is no escaping these ones today.

I find that more often than not we’re stuck in a game of hide and seek; physically and metaphorically. When we know we’re doing something we shouldn’t, we hide and pretend it never happened. When we know that we might fail miserably, or might be met with inexplicable success, we hide; it’s easier. More often than not we hide in plain sight, and believe nobody can see us. We want to be masters of fine art, so we become graphic designers, we want to be explorers and archeologists, so we become history teachers.

The game begun within ourselves, but others joined when we grew tired beating the computer; they fill the gaps. The game has become complex and we forget that we are playing.

When the others are gone, the ridiculousness of it all just stares us in the face.

Dreamers can never be tamed – Paulo Coelho (Aleph)

Give in to your dreams, there’s peace in surrender.

THE YEAR IN STEREO – ALBUMS OF 2011

I haven’t compiled one of these lists before. It’s not a review of the albums, it’s just a few sentiments related to the albums that I loved in 2011 & the songs that stood out for me.

They’re mentioned in no particular order. Some of these genres are a little difficult to describe without describing something else first.

My 2011 was heavily influenced by experiments in Rhythm &Blues, varied rap, dubstep & derivatives/ blends thereof. There are many haunting sounds and genius like lyrics littered across the 11 albums and a few random picks in there!

1. Frank Ocean – Nostalgia Ultra http://www.datpiff.com/Frank-Ocean-Nostalgia-Ultra-mixtape.210282.html American Wedding, We all try
2. The Weeknd – House of Ballons  Wicked games, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9PuAm7d0PA  High for this
3. Adele – 21 Rumour Has it & Set Fire to the Rain
4. Ice Prince – Everybody loves Ice Prince  Oleku (of course) & Juju http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adZ1XAH6-no
5. James Blake –  James Blake…This album is so beautifully haunting, most of his stuff here has such a hopelessness to it…his voice is so very unique. Cant do much other than sigh a little…. Limit to your Love http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOT2-OTebx0&feature=relmfu , Wihelms Scream http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVgEaDemxjc
6. SBTRKT – SBTRKT something goes right http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpV2ewhtXz8, right thing to do http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WmV0gWzp9PQ
7. Kendrick Lamar –  Section 80, you need this! download it here http://www.dopehood.com/kendrick-lamar-section-80-download/ Kush & Corinthians http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=695Dxe6LXMA  & Rigamortis http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yh6QxtRpSH8&feature=related
8. Cocaine 80 – You need this EP…Download it here… http://cocaine80s.tumblr.com/post/11727713452 Missing me from Heaven http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAzfqmzFBtI&feature=related  Loved to Death http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pOgn4mZeNJI
9. Alex Clare – Lateness of the Hour…Check him out here, http://www.alexclare.com/music Its an incredible album, the stronger singles are Up all night http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=boOG4pUR83Q and his cover of when Doves Cry is simply awesome http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbF0TxGYje0
10. Ed Sheeran  – Loose Change – the A team http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UAWcs5H-qgQ&feature=relmfu  You Need me – You need me I don’t need you http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXvzzTICvJs&feature=relmfu
11. Jay Z & Kanye West -  Watch throne No Church in the Wild & Niggas in Paris http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FfM_wS7qYfY

Mentionable singles….

Joe Goddard – Gabriel http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-GWKBe-u8Q&ob=av2e

Emile Sande – Daddy (Fred V & Grafix Remix) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQnlqJkHqjI

KOF – Looking at me http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oy11xAWyOPw

Delilah – Love you so http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljoDXRXxjPA&ob=av2e

Labrinth ftTinie Tempah – Earthquake http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0fk6syQ7iY&feature=related

I Dwell in Possibility – Emily Dickson

I dwell in Possibility–
A fairer House than Prose–
More numerous of Windows–
Superior–for Doors–

Of Chambers as the Cedars–
Impregnable of Eye–
And for an Everlasting Roof
The Gambrels of the Sky–

Of Visitors–the fairest–
For Occupation–This–
The spreading wide my narrow Hands
To gather Paradise–

Surprise me (please)

Dear Nairobian (s),

I wish you knew what “they” say about you. When your back is turned and you’re going about your business.

It makes me mad.

If we were to take “them” seriously you’re that uneducated dick that no one wants to be around. You have no appreciation for anything that’s not nyama choma and beer, the whole lot of you fill up pubs nationwide and inundate the dj with requests for either kapuka, soul or lingala. You’re all bad drivers, don’t drink wine, and are stingy buggers who go to the theatre only when you need an operation. Everybody is an expert, and the only thing you care about is politics and sharaz. Your men’s allegiance to the premier league outshines any knowledge or interest in…well…most other things.

I’ve never met a people who make such sweepingly limited statements about themselves. I hear these things so much I’m beginning to think them true.

Nairobians. Please. Surprise me.

The Sapient one

Nostalgia, Ultra

What I feel when I see the whole collective from Odd future is that this lot are some street fighters! But Frank Ocean really stands out for me, wish I’d met him by a strawberry swing when I was younger, because in this semi-adulthood I can’t be catching feelings…. Right now it’s a proper cocktail; it’s like I’m on that Novacane!! I can’t even rank this mixtape. I feel like we all try but Mr Ocean over here is being a little modest, he definitely wrote these Songs for Women! Sometimes, I’m glad we’re too far away and some Lovecrimes are out of our reach because I beg There Will be Tears.

I’m glad he can Swim Good, he doesn’t need any saving, my playlist would be absolutely nothing special without this mixtape, he definitely turned a few moments into Dust. There’s something about the way you hear and feel a guitar wail to the point that there surely must be blood. That’s how I feel about the use of the Hotel California sample on American Wedding. Hotel California was epic, but American wedding is an instant classic for me. You may listen and marvel at how I could possibly have written an ODE to this mixtape, but the stars colluded with time and space this is must be how Nature Feels…