Where liquid water flows, there also begins life. There’s an inherent
tranquility in that, and in its proximity to liquid water, life thrives. In the
absence of liquid water, life recedes. It’s why, in these days of fracking and
polluting the Earth to death, our greatest minds look to other stars to find a
new potential answer for extending humanity. It’s why, also, that an audio
representation of these concepts is so intriguing to the inquiring mind. It
allows for thought that transcends the lowest common denominator, the base
instincts that suggest we shouldn’t try at all, that doing anything worthwhile
isn’t worth the effort it takes to do it in the first place. It might even give
us glimpses of a future where we brush aside the outdated modes of discourse
and process, giving us the tools to perfect our resurgence and rebirth as
humans. God knows that, with all the insane manifestations of direction in the
halls of global power, we need an outlet to figure it out away from the public
sphere. We need a tool to combat evil at its source and not strike fruitlessly
at its many heads where they emerge.
And so, with the world populated by supervillains these days, it’s also
not crazy to think of the eponymous Marvel organization when gazing at the
cover of this excellent split on Adhesive Sounds, or at least a reasonable
facsimile. What do they have planned for us? How are they going to upset the
balance? The wind turbines rising from the sea only solidify the idea that they
power some underwater fortress from which nefarious global plots are hatched.
It’s all offline, all self-contained. Heavy hitters, major players, and
all-around swell cats Chungking Mansions and m a l i b l u e : ( meditate on
the power, where it’s concentrated, who it’s for, and where it will take us on Hydra. They’re either condemning the
policies of the elite or chilling at the bottom of the sea, drinks in hand,
relaxing Dr. Evil style in modern living rooms and toasting their Svengali-like
success. Maybe they’re the puppet
masters, and they’ve surrounded themselves with water! Are they the source?
They are encased – our information is unreliable.
Or maybe, truly, Chungking Mansions and m a l i b l u e : ( have seen
the future, and they’re the future, but so are we all. Scrap that James Bond
villain horsemeat – the concept is outdated, and that’s what the shadowy
figures behind the scenes want us to focus on anyway. They don’t want us
diminishing their power, the fear that grips us and that they hold over us. No,
it’s an ecopunk world, and there’s no time for hesitation, to rally around the
good things in our lives. Make it about people, maybe. About the Earth. Embrace
the water, the air, and that’s what the story’s about anyway. Promote life –
and remember, we humans are not the only ones that are alive. We are part of
the ecosystem, part of an anti-Hydra with an equal reach. Maybe if we deny the
ugliness its authority, ignoring its hold, our focus will clear, and the shadows
will be rooted out with the introduction of light. Maybe we’re the source,
debilitated into a malevolent presence by our own inaction.
So that’s it, we as a civilization are teetering on the edge. On one
side, chaos, on the other, salvation. One half Chungking Mansions, the other
half m a l i b l u e : (. Drip water, suck air, make your choice. Or drip air,
suck water, and invert your perspective. Life pulses in this music, it fills
the empty spaces. There is no void, no escaping real life. Plug into it or risk
being left behind.
--Ryan Masteller
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