"Cattle die, kinsmen die, thou wilt also die; but I know one thing that never dies: the judgment on the dead". This quote comes from a line in the Old Norse poem Hávamál. So true, then and now. The reputation of a person is a highly valuable property. The same goes for a dead person. You shouldn't say bad things about the dead. In Latin "mortuis nihil nisi bonum" ("of the dead, [say] nothing but good"). It's socially inappropriate to speak ill of the dead as they are unable to justify or defend themselves. Anyway, people will come to the rescue and vindicate your honour. Obituaries tend to focus on positive aspects of the subject's life and can be used to reinforce or alter an image. You need to know how to read them. Contrary to popular belief, it's not about reading between the lines, it's about decoding words. The format is very strict. In Sweden's biggest morning paper the number of characters with spaces is limited to 2000. The introduction should include domicile, age and next of kin. Furthermore, you should not address the deceased personally. An image could be attached, black-and-white or colour, preferable in jpeg-format. Abbreviations should be written out in full and technical terms avoided or explained. The obituary should be signed (by max five persons). The next of kin should always be contacted in beforehand. There are obituaries and there are obituaries. Some are stylistic masterpieces written with great flow and a happy endnote. Other obituaries are just like a resume in chronological order, describing a career not a life. In some cases, it's pretty obvious that the people who signed the obituary didn't know the deceased too well. A more rigorous fact-checking would have covered that up. Sometimes, it becomes odd or discrepant. For example, an image of a woman in her twenties, but died 91 years old. Another anomaly, multiple obituaries written by different people. The inofficial record, as far as I know, is five. Obviously, there are many aspects of a human being. The obituary guidelines has nothing to say when it comes to honesty or truthfulness. In real life candour works, but not total honesty. After death, even more so. Obituaries are conform and predictable. Seems like everyone, more or less, lived the same life. "His supportive wife hosted many memorable social events at their weekend house, with happy laughs in the summer night. Not only is this a worn-out cliché. It has another important function. Obituaries are not exclusively about the dead, it's also about the living. It places the signatories in a social-economic-cultural context. I, too, was part of this glorious circle. Obituaries creates a good opportunity for corrections. There is room for being a bit vague and to tweak the wording. The sentence "could be perceived as" works as a disclaimer where harsh=mean, forthright=insensitive, strident=brute, uncompromising=obsessed with obtaining justice. What you put into life is what you get out of it. Be good, said ET in the tearful ending of the movie with the same name. And, if you haven't been good? Well, it's all very well to be sorry now.

Those Poor Bastards released their new album "God Awful" on November 18th 2022. I pre-ordered a cd copy and it arrived in good time from Stoughton, Wisconsin. I got plenty of time to listen to it. Buying cds from the US is getting pretty sick. $13 for the cd, $20 for the shipping, $1 in import charges and $6 in a postal administrative fee, which amounts to $40. The level of getting your money's worth has risen to unprecedented levels. But, the cost isn't my main concern. Those Poor Bastards may very well be the "last man standing" in the gothic country genre. They are known for their steady production and quality standards. However, I was disappointed of "Evil Seeds" (2019) and overwhelmed by "Old Time Suffering" (2021). I'm buying blind and don't know what to expect. From the product declaration of "God Awful": "Those Poor Bastards continue their tireless exploration of the pitfalls of mortal existence with eleven all new hits with such troubled topics as the extermination of the rich, the shameful allure of drunkenness and the repentless confessions of a criminal on death row." There are a couple of songs full of wit and energy: "Heaven's For The Poor", "Full of Failure", "What's In It For Me?", "Night Thorn" and "Confession". The lyrics of "Full of Failure" are hilarious. Other songs on the album are either weak or insipid, for example "Untamed", "Drinking Alone", "Redemption Angel", "Brother is Dead" which drags down the overall impression. The product declaration continues: "Vintage country music combines with distortion and repulsion to create a toxic sludge of contrarian sounds in a style that only Lonesome Wyatt and The Minister would ever dare muster." I agree. All in all, another good album from Those Poor Bastards. On the downside. The running time is 35 minutes. The last song begins and ends with the familiar sound of tonearm clicking and vinyl crackling. The very short running time and the closing homage indicates vinylmania. Been there, done that. Never going back again. 

In some close circles the "ketchup effect" has a dirty meaning. However, in wider circles the concept is neutral. The ketcup effect is used to describe a situation or event where not much happens for a long time, and then a lot happens at once. The significance of ketchup will be clear to anyone who has ever tried to pour the sauce from a Heinz glass bottle — nothing comes out followed by abundance. The gothic country genre is characterized by an inverted ketchup effect. It's nice to know that some bands are swimming against the tide. The Victor Mourning released their one and only album "A Handful of Locusts" in 2010. A very long hiatus followed. In 2021 they changed their name to Swarme of Beese and the following year they released "Backwoods of My Mind", which may very well be the album of the year. Anyway, "Singing in the Dark" and "Guntown Mountain" are outstanding songs. Now it seems like Swarme of Beese is making up for lost time. When "Backwoods of My Mind" was released they were almost done recording their second album. On September 28th 2022 they wrote on Facebook: "Exciting news! The second Swarme of Beese studio album — "Fruits of the Golden Land" — is now in the capable hands of Gold Rush Vinyl in Austin, Texas! The gestation for vinyl production is about 9 months, so it should be ready to spin on 180-gram vinyl, CD, download, and all your favorite streams by June 2023. Some extremely talented folks have contributed to this project, and we are grateful to each of them. We were incredibly fortunate to work again with producer/multi-instrumentalist Mark Addison at The Aerie in Austin, and these 8 luscious new tracks are guaranteed to bring tears to your eyes! One of our favorite visual artists, Dan Barry, created the beautiful art for the cover, and if you’re familiar with his work, you already know it’s going to be good! Will Branch has been working hard on the design, and it’s nothing short of stunning! These details provide just a tiny glimpse of what we’ve been up to: we can’t wait to share it with y’all!"

I proud myself of keeping tabs on every tiny detail in the gothic country genre. Apparently, in this case I fell asleep at the wheel. Multi-talented artist Slackeye Slim is recording a new album. How could I miss this? Well, one explanation is that Facebook deleted the original Slackeye Slim page (which I followed). He had to make a new one which at the moment has 46 followers. Sign up! Slackeye Slim also launched a website a while back. Slackeye Slim isn't exactly known for being an avid social media user. I found this information on the website "Howdy! I just launched a new website. Getting ready to record a new album, so I figured it'd be a good idea to have some kinda web presence. The songs are just about done. I don't want to say too much just yet, but I'm really happy with it. I've been working on it on and off for five years or so. I'm hoping to have it out by the end of 2022 or beginning of 2023. I'll keep updating this site as I get time, but just keep an eye out for news from me. And if you don't mind, tell your friends on your social medias and whatnots and what-have-yous. I'm not really into that sort of thing. Slackeye Slim is not promoted or marketed by anyone. Not even by me most of the time. If you like what I'm doing, please spread the word. I'd sure appreciate it. Talk soon." This was most unexpected. The magnificent "Giving My Bones to the Western Lands" was released in 2015, read more here (opens in an new window). After that, dead silence. Slackeye Slim reveals this about the new album: "It's still untitled. However I will say that it's a concept album written from the perspective of a circular firing squad. You figure out what that means. For me, it's about trying to be better than the ones who came before you, and also about realizing how stuck you are to the ones who came before, even if you don't want to be. We'll see what you think. It's the culmination of a lifetime of trouble, sorted out over a bunch of campfires in the desert here in the Four Corners area...I think you're gonna like this one. I've never worked harder or been more honest on a record before this one." This sounds really promising. I'm thrilled and can't wait.   

Selling music rights seems to be equal to selling the family silver. Artists like Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen and Neil Young have sold all or large parts of their music catalog. This is shocking. I always thought that they valued and wanted total control over their creative output. Also, they don't need money to make ends meet. So what's all this nonsense really about? Let's start with the demand side. Startup companies, financed by risk capitalists, believe that there is money to be made from acquiring music rights in the form of future royalties, licensing, brand deals, and other revenue streams that otherwise would have gone to the artist. They firmly believe that the back catalogs of renowned artists are goldmines, insensitive to economic recession and structural change. Low interest rates fuels the fire and the major labels are competing about the rights, which increases the asset value. The supply side seems to make a complete different assessment. Streaming has changed everything. Nowadays, revenues comes from touring, not from vinyl or cd sales. Reducing uncertainty is the main explanantion for the willingness to sell. I hate streaming. Who could imagine that the new business model would have such a pervasive impact on the industry and disastrous implications for the artists. Furthermore, who can guarantee that the back catalogs of renowned artists will stand the competition from streaming polluters in the future. The old hard-core fans will sooner or later die. And, maybe future technological change will lead to even less money for the artists (if this worst-case scenario is conceivable). Adding to this, US tax legislation makes selling more profitable than earning. It's not so strange if artists take the money and run. Allegedly, a legend like Bob Dylan got a lump sum of 25 times what his song catalog earns each year. And what about the gothic country genre? The genre is spared. Obviously, there's no money to be made here for anyone.