Been trying to listen to some non-metal this week. I've been into prog rock since my teens so been listening to a lot of that. One of my favourite prog artists is UK musician-producer-songwriter Steven Wilson and his new solo album (he has also had some bands) The Overview came out earlier this Spring. He is now on tour. The album consists of two long compositions, "Objects Outlive Us" and "The Overview". On the first disc, both are in their full forms so there's only two long tracks, while the second has the individual sections of each piece broken out into separate tracks. Here is "Objects: Meanwhile" from "Objects Outlive Us".

S-F horror does more for me. Lovecraft's "The Colour Out of Space" is one of my favourite horror stories and also one of the seminal works of s-f horror (alien lifeforce that arrives on a meteor wipes out an isolated farm family).

Canoe or kayak for paddling?

Good morning! Sunny but chilly day so far here.

Given current activity levels, not sure there's much point to this, but I'll put on a pot of Deathwish Dark Roast coffee. There's a pot of Yorkshire Gold tea waiting, too, along with a hot kettle. Cold drinks are stocked.

I am taking another swing at a story that's been stewing forever. Had some new ideas on where to go with it yesterday but have only noted them in my writer's notebook so far. And got a project on the go for another site, too.

Quote by Cora
Like most bands, they evolved over time in their music, which I sometimes like, but they had a drastic downwards change after Viva La Vida.

Yeah, I kind of got into them for a while but they lost me at some point. But an artist that doesn't really evolve is just as likely to lose me. I like artists that evolve. I recently did a listen through of all five albums by the defunct Dutch metal band After Forever. My favourite singer, Floor Jansen, started her career as a vocalist and songwriter in that band at sixteen and was in her late twenties by the time they broke up. There's a clear evolution, especially around the third album where some major lineup changes happened. Still recognizable as After Forever all the way through, but the last album from 2007 is distinctly different from the first in 1999. But in that case, I actually like the last couple albums the best of the bunch.

Nice to see you around again, Cora. Lovely day might be a stretch here. It's workday and the weather is a bit meh. We'll see how things go.

Never Enough - Loren Allred

First Monday of the month so the monthly list of calls for submissions and contests is up. Lots of spec fic (sf, fantasy, horror, and related) options this month. Cryptids, spec-fic relationship stories, Halloween nostalgia. And for those not inclined to writing spec fic, there's themes like best dressed and modern slavery. So take a look. Maybe there's home here for something you're writing.

» 32 Themed Calls and Contests for May 2025

Sunday morning means Sunday Tea!! (black tea with Bourbon vanilla). And there's some Dark Roast Guatamalan coffee in the coffee pot. Cold drinks are refreshed, sodas are stocked up. There's goodies out, too. What's up for you this Sunday?

Yorkshire Gold

Lanternlight - Nightwish

Fun one. From 2010, Floor Jansen with her band ReVamp rocking into a Lady Gaga cover.

Plain old water right now.

Groan. That pun likely deserves a bit of extra drilling. 🙄😀

I haven't finished much of anything recently. Writing but things just seem to go nowhere.

New album from Canadian indie alt-pop singer-songwriter Lights is out today. A26 is the title of the album. Nice, lively electronic pop. Here's a track.

We've been doing a lot of cruise ships but I kind prefer a resort. Can just crash somewhere and write.

Zombies or vampires?

Julia - Eurythmics

Only a few hours left until the weekend here. Got plans? I'm kind of winging it, esp. given our weather is going to suck. Chance of showers every day until Tuesday.

Coffee is Deathwish Dark Roast.

Teas are Yorkshire Gold and Assam.

Pitchers are washed and there's fresh iced tea and lemonade mixed up in the fridge. Sodas are stocked.

Here's some brownies if you're needing a chocolate and sugar fix.

Get Back - The Beatles

Running. Me and swimming had a falling out many years ago.

King of the world or modest life in obscurity?

And Emma's performance of "Strong", for my money one of the finest songs from Floor's own pen. It originally debuted on an album by After Forever, the band that launched Floor's career.

Dang, I swear I came across a good cover of "Both Sides Now" recently since Anna mentioned Joni Mitchell but there's so bleeping many on YouTube, I'm no longer sure which one. Checked my music threads on another site to no avail but was reminded of this one.

I came across Emma Heesters for the first time due to her being on the same season of the Dutch music reality series Beste Zangers as Nightwish lead singer Floor Jansen. On the show, Emma delivered a beautiful cover of Floor's song "Strong" dedicating it to her mother, who had cancer (the song was originally about Floor's mother and her struggles with a form of arthritis). Skip ahead 5 years and it was Emma announcing to her fans that she was being treated for cervical cancer. At 28. F*** cancer. She is apparently through her first rounds of treatment and seems to be doing okay right now, releasing this upbeat new single recently.

Every Breath You Take - The Police

Quote by AnnaMayZing

I recently saw a vlog on YouTube from 2021 with Tuomas Holopainen (Nightwish). In it, he mentioned Darkwoods My Betrothed, a band with which he has played keyboard for many years, but has no other input. I thought I would take a listen... Nope, not for me. I prefer the more melodic metal rather than Black Metal.

I need to give them another listen. My appreciation for extreme metal styles has changed since I last tried them and I might be more amenable to them now. And Tuomas needs no other input, IMHO, just his style of playing reveals his presence if you're familiar with his work.

Kardashev, my new metal discovery of the week, kind of split the difference with their progressive deathgaze (as it's called). Some very heavy death metal elements including some of the fastest blastbeats I have ever heard, but also some lighter, more melodic moments. They are possibly the most extreme band that I have actually liked to date. Their 2022 album Liminal Rites, from which this comes, blew my mind yesterday.

Tram

Okay, folks. The ape is here.

We got Fire-Roasted Spring Fling on for the coffee crowd. Teas are Canadian Breakfast and Vinyl Cafe. Kettle is boiled if you're craving something else. Cold beverages are stocked up.

What's happening in your world?

Just now, plain old H2O. Tried coffee this morning to see if my tastes on that front have changed. They haven't. Still hate the stuff.

Hm. Have a fondness for both and haven't seen either live in eons. Opera.

Play a sport or watch that sport?

I have been slacking off on this for a while, so I thought I should take a shot at restarting it. This week, Authors Publish offers a list of 26 literary journals with high acceptance rates, which is the writer's definition of "approachable". It's a mixed bag with lots of poetry, micro, and flash but a lot of market for full-length fiction. Worth a look if you're wanting a market that's a bit easier to get into than bigger names.

https://authorspublish.com/26-approachable-journals/

Crap

Dessert ends a delicious meal.

The usual. Yorkshire Gold tea.