Avant-garde – Wovoka Gentle and Dan Deacon

     “Avant-garde” is not a term we feel comfortable using. What elements do we need to hear before a song can be fairly described as being avant-garde? But throw in enough extraordinary elements and even we are comfortable applying the descriptor. Here are two songs that qualify.

     Wovoka Gentle is a trio in London. The members are William Stokes and twins Imogen and Ellie Mason. Their song “You Have Saved Our Lives, We Are Eternally Grateful” includes skillful blends sampling, vocal layering and traditional guitar work.    

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Website: http://www.wovokagentle.com

     Dan Deacon is based in Baltimore. 
“When I Was Done Dying”

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dandeacon

Website: http://www.dandeacon.com/

     In an interview, Dan Deacon talked about being dead until you’re born. Is “When I Was Done Dying” about entering the world?

Lyrics of “When I Was Done Dying” by Dan Deacon

When I was done dying

My conscience regained

So I began my struggle

A nothingness strained

Out a flash made of time

My new form blasted out

And it startled me so

And I burst out a shout

At which my legs ran frantic

Like birds from a nest

And I ran until drained

Leaving no choice but rest

So I fell asleep softly

At the edge of a cave

But I should have gone in deeper

But I'm not so brave

And like that I was torn out

And thrown in the sky

And I said all my prayers

Because surely I'll die

As I crashed down

And smashed into earth, into dirt

How my skin did explode

Leaving only my shirt

But from shirt grew a tree

And then tree grew a fruit

And I became the seed

And that seed was a brute

And I clawed through the ground

With my roots and my leaves

And I tore up the shirt

And I ate up the sleeves

And they laughed out at me

And said "what is your plan?"

But their question was foreign

I could not understand

When then suddenly I'm ripped up

And placed into a mouth

And it swallowed me down

At which time I head south

So I said

Hey ya e ya

Hey hey hey

Well I woke up to see them,

These two mighty steeds

With their mouths grinning

Wildly expressing my needs

As they stood there above me

Being flanked on each side

I felt no need to fear them

No reason to hide

So I reached up to touch

But they faded too soon

Yet their mouths still remained

And stacked up towards the moon

How that ladder of mouth waved

So soft in the night

And I looked up in awe

At that beautiful sight

And I dreamt about climbing

Into the night sky

But I knew had I touched them

They'd mouth back 'bye bye'

So I got up

And walked down the path in the dark

And there deep in the distance

My eye caught a spark

Of a crab twice my size

With incredible strength

Oh it greeted me kindly

And then we all drank

And we drooled out together

Right onto the ground

And the ocean grew up quickly

Right up all around

And the earth looked at me

And said "wasn't that fun?"

And I replied

"I'm sorry if I hurt anyone"

And without even thinking

Cast me into space

But before she did that

She wiped off my own face

She said better luck

Next time don't worry so much

Without ears I couldn't hear

I could just feel the touch

As I feel asleep softly

At the edge of a cave

But I should have gone deeper

But I'm not so brave

I said

Hey ya e ya

Hey ya e ya

Hey ya e ya

Hey hey hey