United States ☂️ WV197 ☔ SPELLLING - Destiny Arrives

[RainyWoods]

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[RainyWoods]

This edition of WorldVision, I'm sharing with you an artist very close to my heart. If you've been here with us long enough, you may remember, The Kiss, a stunning, devastatingly beautiful ballad by Oakland's Judee Sill, the first ever artist signed to the iconic Asylum Records label. Sharing that song and witnessing people get as moved by it as I've always been is still my most cherished moment playing this game with you all. More recently I shared another one of her songs, the lighter, dreamy Bach-esque number, Lady-O.

This time I give you what some might consider to be Sill's magnum opus. Certainly the darkest, most complex composition of her short career, The Donor is an 8 minute requiem Judee wrote to give others a break. It closes 1973's Heart Food, the second and last album Judee released whilst still with us.

Judee said of the song once during a live performance of it: "Most of my songs, I always try to write them so they’ll make people feel better, or make them feel that their warm, human spirit is affirmed…. but I thought one day when I was depressed, you know when you’re real depressed and you see everything comes to nothing, well, I thought maybe I ought to take a different approach, and write a song that, instead of directed at people, would somehow musically induce God into giving us all a break, cause I was getting a little fed up by this point. So I put some combinations of notes in there that I worked on a long time hoping it would work.. since that time I’ve decided that I shouldn’t get any more breaks, cause I already squandered them in weird places. But I’d like to sing this song for you in the hope that you’ll get a break."

I recently finally got to watch Lost Angel: The Genius of Judee Sill, a film that tells the story of this special lady's life. I was an emotional wreck, in absolute ruins during it. Just hearing her story retold by those that knew her and then seeing today's artists like Weyes Blood and Adrianne Lenker share the profound effect Judee's music has had on their own life and works.. it was deeply moving. I'm so grateful after years waiting, I finally got my chance to experience it.

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The Donor's presence during the movie really stuck with me. I always admired the song, almost feared it as Julee's most overwhelming piece. As much as The Donor is a beautiful song, it's never been a comfortable listen. I've always felt a great sense of desperation and urgency as "silence cried" and she begged for the lord to have mercy, "kyrie eleison". In the movie this piece soundtracked her darkest moments, which made a whole lot of sense when you understand the meaning behind it. Judee hit a low and wrote it for others, not herself. That's why I want to share it with you in hope that you can get something from it too. May her music become unhidden and continue to be found by new generations to come.

Chasin' to the bottom
'Til I've finally caught 'em
Dreams fall deep
Where voices come a-chimin'
Moanin' and a-rhymin'
Warnin' me their words are
Ringin' and a-whinin'
Hear 'em weep

Songs from so deep
While I'm sleepin'
Seep in
Sweepin' over me
Still the echo's achin'
"Leave us not forsaken"

Kyrie eleison, kyrie eleison
Kyrie eleison
Eleison, Eleison, eleison
Kyrie eleison, kyrie eleison

So sad, and so true
That even shadows come
And hum the requiem

Oh waters of the moon
Your vapors swirl and swoon
Your wake is wide
And sorrow's like an arrow
Shootin' straight and narrow
Aimin' true, its sting goes
Reachin' to the marrow
Silence cried

Now songs from so deep
While I'm sleepin'
Seep in
Sweepin' over me
Still the echo's achin'
"Leave us not forsaken"

Kyrie eleison, kyrie eleison
Kyrie eleison
Eleison, eleison, eleison
Kyrie eleison, kyrie eleison

So sad, and so true
That even shadows come
And hum the requiem

Kyrie eleison
Kyrie eleison

 

[RainyWoods]

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This edition I'm sharing with you a collaboration between my favourite filmmaker and a mysterious singer and actress. As you may or may not unfortunately know, David Lynch, the mastermind behind Twin Peaks and other cult classics like Mulholland Drive, passed away last month. It really hit me hard as his work holds such a special place in my heart, in ways even shaping me. I've shared with you in the past multiple songs from his works. Most recently you would have heard a beautiful composition of his at WorldVision courtesy of Scania. This edition in tribute to Mr. Lynch, I want you to hear a song from his movie that's most special to me.

When Polish Poem plays towards the end of Lynch's 2006 experimental film, Inland Empire, I break down. It's a struggle to explain how it makes me feel. Every time I've watched that movie, the scene has made me cry (weep even I were to be honest). I wish I had the vernacular to explain where this song takes me. I find it to be something not of this world. To me the lyrics encapsulate so perfectly what it's like to live with a deep, numbing depression and yet still possess the human nature to long for something, anything beautiful to come your way. You hear it, you sense it in the distance, you remember it. To feel again. To want to exist.

When I come to think about it, that's actually what I've always loved about the worlds that Lynch would create. They were dark stories. Lynch truly was the master of creating an ominous atmosphere and making you feel icky and uncomfortable when he wanted to, and yet there were always these achingly beautiful moments that would often come, derived from an intense, terminal pain or longing. You would witness something horrific, so hideously primal, and then it would cut to Julee Cruise singing The World Spins like an angel as you come to terms with what had just happened. You'd release with them in these moments and feel yourself healing.

The silky smooth, haunting vocals you hear on Polish Poem are from the wonderful Chrystabell. She met David in 1999 and collaborated with him for two and a half decades until his passing, releasing three albums together, and starring as Agent Tamara Preston in the Twin Peaks revival series back in 2017. David became Chrystabell's mentor, shaping her life and art, and in return, she was his muse. It must have been like being in a dream, working with a mind as surreal as David's for all of those years. A lot of people are going to dearly miss him. I'll never be able to forget David Lynch, nor stop thinking about that magic he created. These images and sounds are ingrained in me now. Rest in peace, sir. I hope they serve you the best coffee and cherry pie up there.

I sing this poem to you
On the other side I see
Shining waves glowing
It's far away, far away from me,
I can see it there
I can see it there
The wind blows outside
and I have no breath
I breathe again and know I'll have to live
To forget my world is ending I'll have to live

I hear my heart beat fluttering in pain missing something
Tears are coming to my eyes
I cry
I cry
I cannot feel the warmth of the sun
I cannot hear the laughter
Choking with every thought

I see the faces
My hands are tied as I wish
But no one comes
No one comes
Where are you?
Where are you?

What will make me want live
What will make me want to love

Tell me tell me

I sing this poem to you
To you
Is this mystery unfolding
as a wing floating

Something is coming true
The dream of an innocent child
Something is happening
Something is happening

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[RainyWoods]

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This month we introduce WorldVision to SPELLLING, an experimental pop artist from California. I've had my eye on her music for a while but this new one from her upcoming fifth album, Portrait of My Heart, really caught my attention. I love how Destiny Arrives shimmers as it builds itself up so wondrously. The vibe this song creates I think is magical. I hope you enjoy listening to it.

All I can say for now
The path has been never ending and still
I wouldn't want to give it up, give it up
Why so would fall

All I can give my heart
The path has been unrelenting, I know
Every time I take it up, take it up
I rise then I fall

There's a hole in the sky that's draining my mind
It's more than I can take
And I see the signs and the horizon
When I don't know if I can wait

Destiny arrives
Full of surprises, don't hesitate
What you would do for love, do for love? Oh, woah

A miracle grows at night
Quietly like a flower so shy
Hoping not to see the sun radiance
It's time to unfold

There's a hole in the sky that's draining my mind
It's more than I can take
And I see the signs and the horizon
When I don't know if I can wait

Destiny arrives
Full of surprises, don't hesitate
What you would do for love, do for love? Oh, woah

The changes I feel inside
Are wild and riddles with pure delight
I want this but I'm scared because it's dangerous
To love in the bold

All I can give my heart
The path has been unrelenting, I know
Every time I take it up, take it up
I rise then I fall

Destiny arrives
Destiny arrives
Destiny arrives
Full of surprises, don't hesitate
What you would do for love, do for love? Oh, woah
Destiny arrives, oh-huh-huh
Full of surprises, don't hesitate
What you would do for love, do for love? Oh, woah