Alberto Estima de Oliveira — O Diálogo do Silêncio / The Dialogue of Silence 10

10

vazio de estuário

o rio dissolve-se
nos detritos.


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10

devoid of an estuary

the river dissolves
into detritus.

Alberto Estima de Oliveira — O Diálogo do Silêncio / The Dialogue of Silence 9

"Canoe" doesn't seem like the right word in this poem or the one preceding it, but I can't think of a better fit. The boat I picture in these poems is more of a flat-bottomed rowboat, but I don't know if I like that any more than "canoe."

9

filtrado
de silêncio
escoa-se
o corpo
de madrugada

...
nas mãos
flutuam
as canoas da noite


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9

filtered
through silence
the body
of dawn
drains away

...
in its hands
float
the night's canoes

Yule MMXXII: notes, best albums, etc.

Greetings from the depths of an arctic blast that's left most of Texas suffering below freezing temperatures since yesterday. It's brutal, but so far it's not as bad as the great freeze of 2021.

I got a notice yesterday that a post I wrote seventeen fucking years ago about Iron Maiden has been marked "sensitive content" by Google. What the hell is that? Is some bored asshole reporting ancient blog posts for kicks? Did the algorithm have a stroke? Whatever. The internet sucks.

Here are some of the best albums that came out this year, in no particular order.

thisquietarmy x Away, Machine Consciousness, Phase III — The Singularity, Phase I and The Singularity, Phase II have been in constant rotation here since they came out. This offering is a little different, but not that much. Absolutely awesome stuff that I still haven't found a way to write about to my satisfaction.

XweaponX, Weapon X Demo — I heard about this from, I think, Spencer Ackerman's Forever Wars newsletter, or something along those lines. "Weapon X Intro" is killer. The straight edge militancy doesn't do much for me, but it doesn't bother me, either.

Binker and Moses, Feeding the Machine — B&M add interesting electronic elements and tape loops to their absolutely bitchin' free(-ish) jazz. Phenomenonally cool; in some ways this album is the more earthbound, jazz-genetic cousin to the work thisquietarmy and Away are doing together. (Maybe I'll explore that idea in a future entry.)

Dressed in Streams, Vande Mataram — I still think DiS' older material is better, but this trippy black metal reworking of India's national song is a hell of a listening experience.

Megan McDuffee, In A Weary World — You may know her from her work on the River City Girls soundtrack, but Megan McDuffee is a really versatile artist. This reminds me in some ways of Carbon Based Lifeforms. It's a great late night album, and also a great driving album, so you should listen to it while driving at night.

Acid Witch, Rot Among Us — It's a new Acid Witch record, and therefore it rules. That's all you need to know.

Temple of Void, Summoning the Slayer — I've been into this band since I found their first LP at Vinal Edge and bought it because it looked cool. In lesser hands, mid-paced death/doom could get boring, but Temple of Void continually sharpens their sound without sacrificing heaviness.

Carpenter Brut, Leather Terror — Maybe my most-played album this year. I saw them in L.A. in August with my brother, and it was a fantastic show. "The Widow Maker" video is a lesson in the trauma high school can leave behind.

Allagash, Dark Future — This popped up on Youtube a few years ago in demo form; I still have the link bookmarked, though it doesn't work anymore. I've written about Allagash before, so no need to retread that ground. Solid alien thrash, as always.

Cailleach Calling, Dreams of Fragmentation — This is what I would have listened to had I done any driving around Tokyo at night last month. Hypnotic, almost futuristic black metal that's also appropriate for a frigid day like today, since the Cailleach is a Celtic goddess of winter.

Cavurn, Undead in Bellingham — Their 2017 demo was the kind of shit you play in the background of a particularly grim D&D dungeon crawl. This album proves that they can replicate it live. I hope they keep recording.

Boulevards, Electric Cowboy: Born in Carolina Mud — The funk never takes the same shape twice on Boulevards albums, which means every new record is a treat. This one has a distinctly soulful '70s vibe.

Inexorum, Equinox Vigil — You know this will be good if it involves members of Obsequiae. Heartfelt, technically impressive, plenty of good riffs; all around heavy metal at its best.

I hope your Yule/Christmas/etc. treats you well, car@ leitor/a. Stay warm, stay safe, don't cross picket lines, and take care of your fellow sentient beings, human or otherwise.

DAS

Alberto Estima de Oliveira — O Diálogo do Silêncio / The Dialogue of Silence 8

So much for writing from Japan. I went, but I didn't feel like blogging.

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8

uma canoa velha
juntou-se
à muralha
na praia grande

baloiçava lentamente
embalando
um par de remos
e uma panela cheia
de lágrimas

mais tarde
uma lancha rápida
passou-lhe um cabo
levou-a.


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8

An old canoe
up against
the wall
on the Praia Grande

rocked slowly
cradling
a pair of oars
and a pot full
of tears

later
a speedboat
tossed it a line
led it away