Our final Mix-Tape of 2018 is The Sweet Darkness. It comes with a story so let’s gather round the fireside, blankets pulled up close, press shuffle (or play in date order as you wish) and allow ourselves to get lost in the flicker & glow of the flames as the music pulls us into a dream. This is no festive frolic - more a venture into the dark depths of winter’s renewing wonderland. So, pull on the thick, hooded cloak of friendship, grab an oil filled lantern of good hope and take my hand as we embark down a musical rabbit hole on a journey into the dreamy darkness of Winter…
Goodbye England (Covered In Snow).
The Nightfall Pale Blue drifts down over this place where The World Is A Ghetto
and the Hourglass is Falling, Catching the last beams of daylight behind the
Winter Trees. We’ll leave the Dirty Old Town behind us this December Day,
Burning Bridges as we go.
‘Everybody Loves You! Wdsg?’ the
Villagers’ Fool yells down from a flaming flyover, running towards us with a
toothless grin. He offers us V4 Fake Sugar which we politely decline as we pass
by The River where Club 8 are Swimming With The Tide and Avril tries to Keep
Her Head Above Water.
Turning away, we enter the enchanted
forest through a Tunnel of evergreen hedgerow. Radio Silence falls and for a
moment or two we are overwhelmed by the peaceful lushness of ancient trees and
wild flowers blooming proudly in the moonlight. The cool calm covers us in a
blanket of Serenity whilst high above in the canopy, Bowie sings his Opus ‘Wild
Is The Wind’ from a glittering trapeze swing, making us sway with vicarious
Vertigo as we watch the tails of his turquoise suit floating behind him like
wings, a yellow rose in his lapel.
‘No CD!’ he calls down to us,
dropping The Rose at our feet like a Sacrifice. We both move to pick it up, but
before we get a chance, Eric appears from behind an old, beautifully snarled
oak and holds up a warning hand.
‘Let It Grow’ he advises of the lemon
flower and ushers us towards a new path. ‘Please Be With Me’.
We follow him into the darkest part
of the wood where the trees have joined upper limbs to create a chamber-like
arbour in which Cat’s Eyes glower in the gloom at the only Girl In The Room.
Myela is stuck in a groove, lost in her past, Always whirling around singing,
‘Who Hurt Who on the 25th Of Last
December? Now I’m Dancing On My Own…’.
We spin around the dancefloor with
her for a moment until she disappears into the misty darkness and we sense another
presence hovering behind us.
‘Is Someone Out There?’ we call
through the greying murk. The only response is a repeated refrain of our voices
echoing back and forth. A crunch of footsteps finds us spinning around again.
This time we spy Muse lurking in the
shadows, softly tempting us to The Dark Side three times over in their
Alternate Reality. We find ourselves drifting towards them when suddenly Lily
runs over exclaiming,
‘I’ve Lost My Mind! If you find it,
please Send To Robin Immediately!’
She hands us a battered leaflet with
the faded headline ‘Things It Would Have Been Helpful To Know Before The
Revolution’ before running off into the trees. What does it mean? It feels like
a relic from another world.
‘Tough Love’ mutters Iggy Pop
swinging down off the back of a passing Three Oh Nine bus. As he walks
alongside us, we notice the landscape has changed to a more urban environment
and we amble, unsettled, along the edge of a raucous city park complete with
deafening fairground and dizzying carousels.
Iggy, sensing our desire to return
somewhere quieter and more familiar, indicates towards the grand houses on the
other side of the street and explains,
‘This is where The Pure And The
Damned reside. Have you tried Thinking Of A Place When There’s Love?’ This
seems like portentous advice, but we can hear Roberta inviting us to join her
party. Glancing at your face, I can see you Feel Like Me and that we’re doing
better than we’ve ever been, so we follow Minnie’s suggestion to ‘Close Your
Eyes And Remember’ and cover our faces in gloved hands.
The Chromatics’ Camera clicks into
place (and we love it despite the outrageously banging donk on it!) Opening our
eyes, we find ourselves in a clearing surrounded by painted rose brambles and
silver birch. In the centre of the clearing sits an enchanting, wood-framed,
cob cottage bathed in a welcoming flickering glow. Like instinctive
Detectorists we know we will B. Inspired to find the gifts waiting for us
inside, so we head towards the golden fireside to tell our stories and sing our
songs assured that Love Will lead us home.
The End.
Enjoy the holidays. Much love, Rache
xx
