No Title Eva Gnostiquette

I was overhearing this guy talking on the phone directly outside my window, and I was playing these chords over and over. The two combined in my head. Sometimes we just need a little bit of hope.

This is the second single for the upcoming Rose with Teeth album.


LYRICS:

"It's a huge trauma thing with him—I'm not a therapist."
There's nothing in our blood that determines who we are.
This pain is not a natural outcome of existence—
to be honest, it's incredible we've gotten this far.

This is our chance, listen here:
all we have to do is wait,
wait here and listen to me.
(That's an annoying trait!)
Wait, what are you doing there?
GET THE FUCK DOWN FROM THAT TREE
Splitting little hairs isn't fair!
WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO ME?

"There's a future for both of us unencumbered—
unencumbered by the pain of our pasts."
I know that everyone's days are numbered,
but you'd be shocked by how long we could last.


Personnel:
• Angie Sutherland
──vocals, guitars, bass, synths, lyrics, composition, production, mixing, mastering, cover art
• Spencer Rider
──saxophone, composition

Notes:
Instruments and equipment used: Shure SM57 and SM58 microphones, Steinberg UR22mkII and Behringer U-Phoria UM2 USB audio interfaces, a Line 6 Variax 300 electric modelling guitar, an Ibanez GSR200 bass guitar, a Guild G37 acoustic guitar, a Yamaha Advantage YAS-200AD tenor saxophone, and Ableton Live using presets, the sforzando and Dexed VSTs, and the soundfont/library Virtual Playing Orchestra.
Wherever possible, care has been taken to tune all instruments to the Werckmeister III well temperament.

The Russian and Chinese governments have been profoundly involved in the global opioid trade, as has the United States government. Chinese and Russian actors have been known to mass-produce carfentanil, a highly potent synthetic opioid, not only as a drug and cutting agent, but as a chemical weapon. Carfentanil and other fentanyl derivatives are the most common agents in what have been termed "deaths of despair" in the poorer, neglected regions of the United States and Russia.

The drug trade has always been wrapped up in political intrigue, and the role of the United States, specifically the CIA, is no exception. As Peter Dale Scott has written about, the so-called War on Drugs has mostly been an excuse for intelligence agencies and cartels, often in alliance, to enrich themselves at the expense of other people. Iran-Contra was only one small piece of the gigantic puzzle, and even then, it goes deeper than assumed.

For instance, the CIA in the '50s and '60s was deeply tied with the business of psychedelics manufacturing and distribution, in part because the recreational use of such enabled them to gather a large recruitment base for experiments involving combining drugs, electronics, and various forms of torture and abuse in order to determine if the individual mind, and society at large, could be controlled. Maybe it was these experiments that fed into worldwide delusions about electronic harassment, or what is often called 電波 in Japanese...

This is the first single for the upcoming second Rose with Teeth album.


LYRICS:

Александра Элбакян, моя любовь – милость твоя.
Знание заставляет меня потерять себя
в странных занятиях, что отвлекают
меня от боли, и волн, что они вещают.

I don't know what I am trying to do
with my time, with my life. I am waiting for you
to tell me what my move is, but I don't even know
who you are. Tell me when it is my time to go
and I'll go without a fight, but the horrific light
makes me wonder if it's worth having eyes and eyesight.
And I know that I'm waiting and I can't stand the wait
'cause the drugs are pumping in and I know I'll suffocate.

みんな楽しもうとしている。
でも、うまくいきません。
誰もが泣きたい、でも、
涙管が壊れている。
彼らは私の涙を盗んだ。
彼らは私の楽しみを盗んだ。
涙が出ない。楽しめない。
誰に何が残るの？


Russian transliteration:
Aleksandra Elbakian, moja liubov' – milost' tvoja.
Znanije zastavliajet menia poteriat' sebia
v strannyh zaniatijah, što otvlekajut
menia ot boli, i voln, što oni veščajut.

Russian translation:
Alexandra Elbakyan, I am in love with you.
Knowledge makes me lose myself
in strange preoccupations that distract me
from the pain and from the waves they broadcast.


Japanese transliteration:
Min'na tanoshimou to shite iru.
Demo, umaku ikimasen.
Daremoga nakitai, demo,
namida-kan ga kowarete iru.
Karera wa watashi no namida o nusunda.
Karera wa watashi no tanoshimi o nusunda.
Namida ga denai. Tanoshimenai.
Dare ni nani ga nokoru no?

English translation:
Everyone is trying to enjoy themselves,
but it's not working.
Everyone wants to cry,
but their tear ducts are broken.
They stole away my right to cry.
They stole away my right to enjoy.
If we can't cry or enjoy,
then what's left for anyone?


Personnel:
• Angie Sutherland
──vocals, guitars, bass, synths, lyrics, composition, production, mixing, mastering, cover art
• Spencer Rider
──saxophone, composition
• Liz W.
──translation assistance (Japanese)
• NEKOSATTVA
──translation assistance (Russian)

Notes:
Instruments and equipment used: Shure SM57 and SM58 microphones, Steinberg UR22mkII and Behringer U-Phoria UM2 USB audio interfaces, a Line 6 Variax 300 electric modelling guitar, an Ibanez GSR200 bass guitar, a Guild G37 acoustic guitar, a Yamaha Advan

Sunny Sheu was a Taiwanese immigrant to Queens, NY who was the victim of a mortgage fraud. In the process of attempting to secure justice for himself, he came across evidence allegedly documenting improprieties on the part of the judge on his case who refused to return his house to him even after the fraudsters were arrested.

After compiling this evidence, he was harassed by NYPD officers and then died under mysterious circumstances. Even his cause of death is controversial, but evidence points to deliberately inflicted blunt force trauma. No investigation has been carried out.

Most of the media has refused to take this story up so far; only a few independent outlets have been willing to report on it. You may read their reporting in the links below:

• http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/10943-the-death-of-sunny-sheu
• https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2011/06/sunny-sheu-murdered-for-investigating-ny-foreclosure-judge-joseph-golia.html
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhDrff84ZAA

DISCLAIMER 1: Rose with Teeth has no affiliation with the family, friends, or associates of Sunny Sheu as of the time of writing, and as of such time this song is not officially endorsed by any of them. I became interested in this case a couple years ago while researching corruption at various levels of government and it's stuck with me, haunting me ever since. I believe that any story like this is in the public's interest to be disseminated and understood widely. Thus I wrote a song about it.

DISCLAIMER 2: For legal purposes, neither this song nor any accompanying media (images, descriptions, etc.) is making any allegations against anyone. This is an artistic work based on speculation and imagination.

This is likely going to be the last "non-album single" released before my next album, but that, like everything else in existence, is subject to change.

•

Lyrics:

You said, "Get off my case, I've got evidence against you.
Mr. Justice got a lot on his hands."
Tried to arm yourself with paper self-defence, you
found yourself in a bad circumstance.

No one knows what happened to you— (No one knows what—)
cracked your head right on the ground. (—we can't be sure.)
There are a lot of questions here, (We don't know what happened;)
but someone doesn't want answers found. (we can't be sure.)

A witness said you fell, so no need for investigation,
even though it's proper practice and that is the expectation,
but the judge committed fraud and the cops are on his side,
and if the gang wants you dead, there is nowhere you can hide.

No one knows what happened to you— (No one knows what—)
cracked your head right on the ground. (—we can't be sure.)
There are a lot of questions here, (We don't know what happened;)
but someone doesn't want answers found. (we can't be sure.)

It goes all the way up to the top—
no one would report it.
From coroners to street-level cops—
no one would report it.
From the media up to the feds—
no one would report it.
He wanted justice, now he is dead—
no one would report it.

•

Credits:
• Angie Sutherland
──vocals, guitars, synths, lyrics, composition, production, mixing, mastering, album art, design

Notes:
All lyrics written by Angie Sutherland.
All music composed by Angie Sutherland.
Instruments and equipment used: a Shure SM57 microphone, a Steinberg UR22mkII USB audio interface, a Line 6 Variax 300 electric modelling guitar, and Ableton Live using presets and the Surge Synth VST.
Wherever possible, care has been taken to tune all instruments to the Werckmeister III well temperament.

The sample at the end is taken from this video, produced near the end of Sunny Sheu's life. Rest in peace, and may he find justice.
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Tr3QChAy4Y

I made this over the course of about 5-6 hours, just to have some fun and make myself less mental health. This is sort of a teaser for the new directions Rose with Teeth is going in, although at the same time it's a lot sillier, more lighthearted, more guitarless, and less focused than anything that'll be on the next album.

•

Lyrics:

What is here again? I don't remember
what I'm supposed to do. It's December,
so I should be enjoying the snow,
but everything else is breaking the flow.

Now I want to have some nice fun on my own.
Nothing quite like the sun as my hair is
blown
out of all proportion; I don't like this game
that you are playing with me. It's full of pain...

Now I get the idea of what's going on.
Can you translate it though? I don't speak Klingon.
Welcome to a new world—I'm feeling deceptive.
It might reach out to us, but we're not receptive.

Everything is under my control.
Everything is under my control.
Everything is under my control—
wait a sec, nothing is under my control.

Nothing makes sense when you have a part to play that doesn't make pence.
Everything is something that it shouldn't be too hard to fake,
so make your problems here and now before they pile and break the bough;
you can't expect to be infected in your brain now anyhow.
(Holy hell, it's here to stay...)
Nothing makes sense when you have a part to play that doesn't make pence.
(...should've fixed this yesterday.)
Everything is something that it shouldn't be too hard to fake,
(Nothing makes it go around...)
so make your problems here and now before they pile and break the bough;
(Might just fix it anyhow.)
you can't expect to be infected in your brain now anyhow.

(Holy hell, it's here to stay...)
So make your problems here and now
(...should've fixed this yesterday.)
before they pile and break the bough.
(Nothing makes it go around...)
You can't expect to be infected
(Might just fix it anyhow.)
in your brain now anyhow.

•

Credits:
• Angie Sutherland
──vocals, synths, lyrics, composition, production, mixing, album art, design

Notes:
Lyrics written by Angie Sutherland.
Music composed by Angie Sutherland.
Instruments and equipment used: a Shure SM57 microphones, a Steinberg UR22mkII audio interface, and Ableton Live using presets and the BBC Symphony Orchestra Discover, Dexed, ComboF, and TX16Wx VSTs.

All three of my guitars—my electric, my acoustic, and my classical—are broken in some way. This sucks a lot, because everyone's stuck inside due to COVID-19 and I wanna try to capitalise on that by making music. Plus immediately before making this song I realised that I have no fucking clue where I put the screw and spring that keeps the piezo attached to the saddle on my electric, which is just dandy.

So I made this with three broken guitars.

•

Lyrics:

There's a stupid fuckin' virus
and everyone's trapped inside.
That's never been a problem for me
'cause I'm too f****n' shy.
But I like to do some shit alone,
like wailing on guitars,
but now I can't even do that
'cause they fucking broke.

A while ago my piezo
decided to break on me—
the strings you hear in this song
are only the first three.
My classical's been having buzz
and a string change made it worse.
The other day while playing "Ana Ng"
my acoustic's string went burst.

All I want is to make some fuckin' songs.
When oh when did this all go fuckin' wrong?

•

Credits:
• Angie Sutherland
——vocals, guitars, production

Last month I found out that I still have markers for Lyme disease. I was prescribed antibiotics, and when I began taking them, it hurt. A lot. Living with various mental, physical, and neurological problems has not only impacted my daily life but shown me how badly the world fails to take care of the people who need help the most.

I took musical inspiration from Takako Minekawa's song "1.666666", which is the theme song for Hal Hartley's film The Book of Life, about the apocalypse taking place on the last day of 1999. This is probably my cleanest and most technically accomplished song yet. I'm quite proud of how it turned out.

•

Lyrics:

The other day I took a pill that set my body on fire.
It will burn away my impurities and wrap me round with wire,
plug myself into the mainframe, zap out all the pain,
electrocute the tiny bugs that eat holes in my brain,
and if i will not understand my somatic mystery rites,
the only thing that keeps me alive is continuing to fight,
so take my hand and walk again, the fog will soon abide.
There's nothing much that we can do so let's go take a ride.

Let's go, let's go, L-E-T-S-G-O.
Let's go, let's go, L-E-T-S-G-O.
Nothing here is set in stone:
the blood rite might be overthrown.
Let's go, let's go, L-E-T-S-G-O.
Let's go, let's go, L-E-T-S-G-O.
Nothing here is set in stone:
the blood rite will be overthrown.

The way it goes can't be the same since I set my body on fire;
now it's a discordant harmony like a polyphonic choir.
I can't say if I'll live or die so let me simply be.
Who woulda thought we'd be stronger if we lived our lives more free?
I wanna make a melody that rings throughout the world,
I wanna speak twelve languages and kiss some pretty girls (and boys),
and if I have to conquer just to do the things I love
then wait until the fire comes a-raining from above.

•

Credits:
• Evangeline Sutherland
——vocals, guitar, production