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face of an emperor

by Menchaca

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jonp21
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jonp21 Tremendous! This album has seemingly come out of nowhere and completely blown me away. Favorite track: Archaeopteryx.
Matt
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Matt No favourites, the whole album is fantastic. Only came across by chance, I hope others get the opportunity to experience this amazing music.
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    High quality, lathe-cut vinyl in a wooden box, each with its own original, hand-painted artwork and hand-lettered lyric sheet, numbered and signed.

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1.
Cup Sleeper 05:28
I’m going back to the cave In the time before the grave Lightning on the other side Of the membrane Wars pulse in the uterus But I'm not afraid I sleep inside the cup And the trumpets wake me up
2.
A nation of islands finds an undiscovered land Amusing its sullen monarchs are beetles the size of hands Falling off the faces of the Earth The bull in the china shop is replaced by the elephant Wanting to know is this the pagoda where the ivory went Falling off the faces of the Earth A day at the races, night in Tunisia The name of the horse is Sudden Amnesia
3.
Potassium 03:05
This year’s snow man has shatteedr all the records He fainted once and fell back in ash We propped him and he did just fine again He’s fed by IV potassium Rights there’s a great spot to grab a selfie with him Upright in front of the on-line town An arbor of grapes abounds above his the hat on his head Rehydrated with potassium We know that romance ends badly So says the fortune in broken jar The webs of spides suggest strange connections Between his charcoal eyes And this spiralling star
4.
I woke up And there was singing A golden old song from way back when I looked around For another human being All I saw was my dear old friend His prosthetics had been stolen And the hole inside his abdomen Was filled with green seawater He was fond of saying It’s rainy season everyday And summer nights are actic winters Keep an eye on the water gauge Mind the sign on the cage Did I happen to mention Ron Ron’s job is ferryman He paddles in an old refrigerator He holds your arm as you climb on Put a bitcoin on your tongue He takes you over to the incinerator As you arrive a spectacle Upon the shore grows visible And the marquee sign says Straight Out Of Ice The lady in the ticket box Slides a sheet beneath the slot Reads Rules of Conduct and Advice Keep an eye on the water gauge Mind the sign on her cage Feed the archaeopterx We are trying to get her fly
5.
Salt 02:07
Sleep when you’re able Restless is the cradle When the storm’s advancing It sets the branches dancing Tiny drops of water Together being disorder The widow in the rafters Knocks and waits for answers Who blows out the candle Is his job to assemble A plan of exit A pinch of salt at each step I’m behind and you’re ahead I’m trying to follow in your tread Stand where you just stood But there’s a flood
6.
Pray for the soul of Mary Adams On holiday by the sea Taken sideways when the wave came And into the blue company Pray for the soul of Mary Adams Her lifespan one long anxiety Given to fearing what might have happened Taken by what she could plainly see A premonition of the face of an emperor His simian visage, his fin-like wings A dream she had in her one-room efficiency Coming down to her now like images on film That’s when the wave came When silence left an opening When calm betrayed a crossway Of physics and anatomy And so Mary Adams went Her tresses streaming out preceding her Arm in arm with the element That in eliminating so delivered her At last with the wave gone And the oxygen balloon departing for the mirror She committed to the change recreating her With the element arm in arm Moments of panic in the blue world And then beginning to perceive Other kingdoms, other wastelands As Christ entered his father’s heaven arm in arm with thieves Arm in arm, arm in arm…pray for the soul of Mary Adams
7.
See these hands she says I can’t keep em still One minute knitting The next I’m digging skin I just can say what’s gotten into me Specially since we made it through the outer ring We’re about to pass through The Berrigan Furnaces On the way to the sun It’s what you do The Berrigan Furnaces Listening all squinty-eyed Try to make out that note Was it part of the lost chord of light Or maybe just the universe clearing its throat Trying to make its presence known Trying to tell someone about nothing We’re about to pass through The Berrigan Furnaces On the way to the sun It’s what you do The Berrigan Furnaces Turns out there's way more heat than light A radiance so fine it feels more like ashes Or burning snowflakes thrown up from the fire Now ask me why my fingers start channeling grievances We’re about to pass through The Berrigan Furnaces On the way to the sun It’s what you do The Berrigan Furnaces
8.
See if you can figure out the magician in this shot And which one of the other two’s about to take the drop At the edge of the gang plank way up over the crowd Adelaide snatching bullets in a wedding gown Hoops pass o’er Never a wire Brokeback with a crooked cane She crawls into the fire She’s going all in Says I’m coming out Girl in a communion apron Angel in her lap
9.
Micro Light 06:22
Open your eyes In this micro light Is it snow or is it sand Did the branch ignite or frozen hands Gather yo in the night And speed you across the border? Here we are Behind bars Ones your age From cradle to cage The burn marks on your face Are they from fire Or from ice trace? In the micro light We see darkly as in a mirror In the micro light Waiting to see face to face

about

This is the companion release to Burn The Edges by Menchaca. This record features live drums by Jaroslav Noga.

credits

released December 2, 2019

Produced by Ondrej Jezek and Menchaca
Written and performed by Menchaca
Drums: Jaroslav Noga
Mixed and mastered by Ondrej Jezek, Jamor Studios, Prague, Czech Republic
Cover art: Cyclops by Menchaca. Metal paint and patina on wood. 24 x 24

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Menchaca Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Menchaca is a Pittsburgh-based artist, composer and writer.

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