Saint Orpheus – Saint Orpheus

02 Jan

Me Against The Music: 2022

Saint Orpheus0 CommentsReviews2022 music, beyonce, chelsea jade, dance fever, eyeye, florence and the machine, hold the girl, lykke li, music, renaissance, reviews, rina sawayama, soft spot

The pandemic is finally over... is a sentiment that I would love to share in total sincerity. But with COVID still looming, a global supply chain in shambles, and inflation undergoing a historic rise, the 2020s have proven to be challenging at best, and devastating at worst. Still, in the midst of this turmoil, we found refuge in art. Musicians helped usher in "the new normal", with fresh singles blaring from car speakers as we left vaccination appointments, and loved ones singing along to their favorite albums as gatherings resumed. These are unprecedented times, and although the next week seems…

03 Jul

Creature of Habit

Saint Orpheus0 CommentsWritingnonfiction, orphisms, relationships

The order may vary, but every day I wake up and do the exact same things. I check my phone, brush my teeth, ready the tea kettle, and moisturize my skin. I turn on the box with the sounds and moving pictures, exercise, stare at the screen made for work, and stare at the screen made for fun. I make oatmeal, pluck one of my guitars, and try finding delight in the greenery just beyond my windows. There are variations in this routine of course. Some days I deep condition my hair. Other days I treat myself with dinner dropped…

30 Jun

Album Review – EYEYE x Lykke Li ★ ★ ★ ½

Saint Orpheus2 CommentsReviewsalbums, eyeye, lykke li, music

While some believe that Sweden’s most valuable commodity might be machinery or vehicles, its greatest export might actually be that of pop music. From mold-breaking supergroups and iconic producers like ABBA and Max Martin, to more recent global breakthroughs such as Robyn, Tove Lo, and Icona Pop, it’s clear that the Nordic nation has a precise approach to crafting ear worms that borders on the surgical. Although many of the tunes that have the greatest crossover appeal in the United States are bright and bombastic, Sweden is no stranger to demure songs that pull your heart into your throat. And…

17 May

Pisces

Saint Orpheus0 CommentsWritingfiction, short story, supernatural

The day of my birth was also the day my grandfather died. Unbeknownst to my parents, as my mother overcame her final contraction and pushed me into the world, my grandfather was exiting. Years of smoking Marlboros, stressful occupations, and high cholesterol had taken their toll on him, producing a cardiac output of about 3%. That 3% of a total 100%.The doctors have no idea how he lived as long as he did. *** My mom and dad didn’t have any more kids after me. Or rather, they couldn’t. I was their one shot. Both were in great shape, had…

03 May

Me Against The Music: 2020

Saint Orpheus0 CommentsReviews2020 music, allie x, chloe x halle, dua lipa, flo milli, helena deland, henry hall, lady gaga, me against the music, miley cyrus, music, reviews, rina sawayama, taylor swift

In a world that was relentlessly ablaze, plagued by a global pandemic and injustice, music was a savior for many this year. People shared playlists for virtual happy hours, hosted midnight dance parties in their homes, and curated personal soundtracks to celebrate life's highs and grieve its lows. While we often look to artists to provide a bit of light, 2020 saw them elevated, riding in on white horses, pulling us from monotony and despair. There were so many phenomenal releases, too many to list here, so this is but a small selection of records that buoyed me on a…

26 Apr

Memento Mori

Saint Orpheus0 CommentsRelationshipsblog, family, orphisms

When I was growing up, I did the same thing every time I went to my paternal grandparents’ house. First, I’d remove my shoes in “the kids’ room” that my sisters, cousins, and I all grew up sleeping in whenever we were visiting. Next, I’d go to my grandmother and grandfather’s bedroom to say hello. If they weren’t there, I’d check the dining room, kitchen, and family room (in that order.) We’d hug, and they’d make a big deal about the fact that one of their grandchildren had finally arrived. Sometimes they’d ask me to get the mail or grab…

19 Apr

Prelude in E Minor, Mahogany, & Charcoal

Saint Orpheus0 CommentsWritingabout me, essay, health, nonfiction, synesthesia

I hear in colors. My earliest accounts of listening to music all involve some sort of palette. If your first reaction is, "Wow, that's odd and probably would've been worth investigating", then your instinct is right. But when you grow up hearing rainbows pour out of every guitar and speaker, you too might normalize the unusual. It wasn't until after my 18th birthday that I first learned that audio stimuli didn’t create visual manifestations for everyone each time they turned pressed play on their iPods. I was scrolling through a popular Tumblr post when I noticed that people in the…

12 Apr

Sisyphus Undone

Saint Orpheus0 CommentsWritingfiction, mental health, short story

You tell people it was a drunk driving accident. This is a crucial juncture for the lion-hearted. Those who were brave enough to even broach this line of questioning must now decide whether or not they have enough chutzpah to hold your gaze. But, thus far, everyone has flinched, no matter how minutely. So you’ve learned that this admission is guaranteed to be met with bouquets of “I’m so sorry to hear that” and “I can’t even imagine”. There’s no easy way to announce how someone’s left this mortal plane, but elements of tragedy make the conversations unbearable. They parrot…

05 Apr

Film Review – Parasite ★ ★ ★ ★

Saint Orpheus0 CommentsReviews2019 films, bong joon ho, foreign films, movies, parasite, reviews

If you haven’t watched it already, it seems that the lion’s share of moviegoers and critics would advise you to resist viewing the trailer for Parasite, and go in blind. I’m here to tell you - it doesn’t actually matter. Beguiling, deeply unsettling, and, almost unnervingly relevant to our current times, the themes and cinematic stylings elevate the production into something that has sparked a bit of life into the world of motion pictures. A NEON distribution, director and screenwriter Bong Joon Ho’s latest offering isn’t the film you expect. Until it is. And then it really isn’t. The first…

29 Mar

DIY Recording Studio Essentials

Saint Orpheus0 CommentsAdvicediy, music, producing

To the inexperienced, the world of recorded music can seem daunting. Despite having played both piano and guitar for years now, I felt the floor get pulled out from beneath me when I first contemplated laying down some tracks using digital tools. Initially, I'd always assumed that, with the right production, a lump of coal was just a diamond in the rough. I thought, "I'm sure I can use my phone to capture audio that'll do the job, and then spruce it up in post!" I went so far as to wrap up an EP just before COVID really hit,…