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Cleanup Duty

by Mattie Konig

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1.
Cleanup Duty 09:19
What happened here You reek of beer And someone’s scrawled ''dickhead'' on your forehead Crumbs across the floor And groggy bodies in sleeping bags You must have had fun last night But now it’s day This is no state To leave the place you call home in Fellow partygoers might help you But their help might not be enough Mucking in a little won’t kill you Better get a dustpan and brush Serve no masters Rep no creeds Beyond what your lifestyle needs Make some sense of what you could be You’re on cleanup duty The country views were nothing short of sublime And even sloshed Arcadia still came to mind You fantasised of life not ransomed to flame Because you feared you’d see the day that we’d pay for Rizlas on blоckchain But why pretend That it’s the end When there’s still chapters yet to be written Smiles can save the day And words can shape what comes down the line You’ve got potential within you Just all it needs A little squeeze To get it out where it matters So if you dance will you jig merrily Or will you just put a different skirt on Not changing the steps Left foot first then back again And if you sing will you wail threnodies Or will you join in the dawn chorus Hark the morning light Keep the haunters out of sight I was once a wonderer But now I know that wonder walks all around us Are you still a wonderer Or has the grip of wonder slipped away from us Throwing different kinds of parties up in the trees Building different kinds of cities on conquered worlds Burning different kinds of fuels up in the skies Walking different kinds of naked in new empires Pushing, pulling Pushing, pulling Pushing, pulling Planting, razing Planting, razing Searing, freezing Searing, freezing Screaming, crying Screaming, crying Screaming, crying Screaming, crying And just like that the dream was washed out to sea And on the pier the arcade padlocked its shutters And when the news defended brigands and thieves You made a vow to have some fun with the toys you saved from this clutter And before your last great regression Ready to descend somewhere new You were baited by one last question Was there any more you could do Serve no masters Rep no creeds ’Til your last breath walk this Earth free Find the truth in all you will be Call that cleanup duty
2.
Who is the true neutral arbiter of everything You thought you’d suss it out one day How to find the true neutral arbiter of everything To guide you to a sublime state Where are the true neutral arbiters of anything Acid or alkali A meaningless distinction in the face of what’s out there And yet to cross it for some reason makes the squares go spare With spice beneath our fake façades we don’t have to stay mild Hold kindness and compassion close but beyond that go wild Acid or alkali Take a deep breath Take a deep breath And take a deep dive Take a deep breath Take a deep breath And take a deep dive What will you find down there A treasure or a trove If you don’t dip beyond a toe test you might never know What will you learn down there A night class from the sea If you don’t seek out hadal teachings landlub’s all you’ll be Take a deep breath Take a deep breath And take a deep dive Go get weird with it, weird with it Go get weird with it, weird with it Take a deep breath Take a deep breath And take a deep dive Go get weird with it, weird with it Go get weird with it, weird with it What will you make down there A masterpiece in brine If you forget to pack your pencils octopus ink’s fine What will you sing down there An opabinian tune If seabeds don’t have central heating thermal vents will do TAKE A DEEP BREATH TAKE A DEEP BREATH TAKE A DEEP BREATH TAKE A DEEP BREATH TAKE A DEEP DIVE TAKE A DEEP DIVE TAKE A DEEP BREATH (do a good deed) TAKE A DEEP BREATH (and throw it in the water) TAKE A DEEP BREATH (let it come back and tell you where it’s been) ACID OR ALKALI One, two, jump right in Feel your hands turn into fins Watch out, take it slow Your body now produces roe Three, four, ready set Shake those hips and pirouette Go wild, wiggle about Do the Mariana twist and shout Take a deep breath Take a deep breath And take a deep dive Now you’re weird with it Take a deep breath Take a deep breath And take a deep dive Now you’re weird with it Shrinking violet nevermore Shrinking violet nevermore There is no true neutral arbiter of anything There is no true neutral arbiter of anything I knew you’d suss it out one day
3.
Karellen has been here for fifty years already He’s the one behind it This steaming tide of effluent A singularity of half-corrupted stories Stretched beyond the wishes Of what their long-gone tellers meant IPs pudding is not so hard to make But spoiling it is easy and those in charge can’t bake Now there’s rumblings beneath conglomerate feet A sampled pastry that tastes ten times as sweet Mix it up Mash it up Toss it into the pot I’d trust your soupstress skills much more than focus-tested snot ‘Cos this is just bogey film Plain and simple Bright lights and big shapes on the screen A measly-minded capeshit dream Mix it up Mash it up Keep esculence in mind I’d trust your collage cred much more than subcontracted grind ‘Cos how will you pledge your love When the fire comes Shoutouts to what got you through hell Or what the boardrooms think will sell Mix it up Mash it up Concoct a tasty treat I’d trust your fresh baked flams much more than bumbling mogul beats ‘Cos this tattoo never ends Always marching From script to sap and there and back Regurgitated reference crap ‘Cos this tattoo never ends Always marching But every drum line dies one day Not long now Not long now Not long now But every drum line dies one day Not long now Not long now Not long now
4.
St. Pancras 04:29
Noxious fumes on red sandstone Where am I Surely this can’t be my parish Vestments strange on suntanned legs Who are they Surely they don’t speak God’s Englisc Misplaced fealty Abject cruelty When I was young A pilgrim came From York and laid her hands On my front door And there’s her name On red tankards How sweet the sweep of years Has eulogised Miss Diot Coke Still today the nave remains Holdout of bygone days Sheltered from the newfound ways Is your nave the same Ordained succour Ossified shelter
5.
Softness is a kind eye Brightening your face Softness is a skylight Brightening your space Softness is a kind word Written on your shirt Softness is a plaster Tending to your hurt Helping hands help you to find out who you’d like to be Helping hands point you to land if you’re lost at sea Softness is a virtue It’s how we progress Epic gender moment Suits you that there dress Hard to keep it up when hardness seems to Hail down From unforgiving towers Hard to keep it up when hardness tells you Hail me I am your master now Keep it up, keep it up, keep it up Keep it up, keep it up, keep it up Keep it up, keep it up, keep it up Keep it up, keep it up, keep it up Softness is a virtue But don’t get confused Passiveness helps no one Paucity of use Softness is a virtue It’s how we move on Ponter Boddit moment Two becoming One
6.
Cycling 04:03
Because supply chains have rusted before And they will rust again Because supply chains have rusted before And they will rust again Because supply chains have rusted before And they will rust again Because supply chains have rusted before And they will rust again Because this is just another loop And disorder is part of it too Wouldn’t let it get you down Because this is how the circuit swings And it’s precious to you and to me Wouldn’t miss it for the world Because history looks like itself Round and round the sacks of Romes a hundredfold Some have markets some have neural sense arrays Round and round the great thinkers a thousandfold Some heard worldwide some heard only by their rooms Round and round the sorrowed cries a trillionfold Some from hangnails some from losing everything Round and round the ionic bonds alwaysfold All in glory all fighting to beat their loop Round and round and round and round and round and round Round and round and round and round and round and round Round and round forever turning round Because supply chains have broken before And they will break again Because supply chains have broken before And they will break again
7.
Hedge Maze 13:52
Hedge maze Hedge maze Hedge maze (hedge maze) Hedge maze (hedge maze) Whoever heard of a maze with stairs Or nine floors on top of each other Walls that go up Walls that go down Walls that burrow deep underground Come out of the ceiling Many different paths and yet there’s only one way out Contestant four fifty five went mad Tried to pull out her nostrils’ tonsils On level six Quadrant eighteen There’s a cult that worships the leaves Thinks God is a green man Twenty men passed through last week and none returned One day I swear on my life it moved Sections shifted now maps are useless There in the sky Richie Benauds Laugh about a waitress who died Legs stuck in a gearwell Up in their glass box they’ll never know the meaning of fear A life spent Trapped inside a never ending hedge maze Never thought it was a game to play Never thought there’d be another way Trapped inside a never ending hedge maze Never thought you’d get to have your say Never thought you’d see the light of day Trapped inside a never ending hedge maze Trapped inside a never ending hedge maze Trapped inside a never ending hedge maze Hoggey Struzan, fifty seven She’s gone but not to heaven Thinks the bramble dome is home But wishes she was back in Devon Jerrick Furze of Wolverhampton Friends said he looked like Spamton Rictus smile been there a while A raging flame but where’s the lantern Teesside Teenaugh, mathematician Thinks they should try attrition Routes brute forced ’til break of dawn Strike twenty three of ninety million Bramble Bob, assimilated Skin green, flesh foliated Pando man without a plan Became the very thing he hated Out of the maze Out of the maze Out of the maze Finally found my way Out of the maze Out of the maze Out of the maze Finally found my way So suddenly the clues unravelled They came from ancient wounds And pointed to roads less travelled Feedback loop One fell swoop Hedge maze Just a phase Can’t you see You’ve only grown this complex Because you made it complex And got yourself perplexed Can’t you see You’ve only wound up lost Because you said you’d get lost And shouldered all the cost So all along there was no hedge maze And if there ever was Its architect shared your face Self-fulfilled Far from thrilled Hedge maze Wasted days Time to play Time to play Time to play Time to play A new day dawned and dappled verdant walls And you emerged from Tenpole-wardened halls A smile, a tear, and you were on your way Not going back Not going back And then you heard a thousand plaintive cries Youth’s pantheon pleading ''don’t leave us behind'' But they’ve got no more comfort, just malaise You will not fade No, not today Not going back Not going back This is the best day I’ve had in a while and I can tell you I’ve had many whiles And I still hope there’s many whiles I get to spend with you Making my way down cobbled streets got places to go and people to meet And if you wanna join in that’s sweet this life’s got room for two This is the best day I’ve had in a while and I can tell you I’ve had many whiles And I still hope there’s many whiles I get to spend with you Making my way down cobbled streets got places to go and people to meet And if you wanna join in that’s sweet this life’s got room for two This is the best day I’ve had in a while and I can tell you I’ve had many whiles And I still hope there’s many whiles I get to spend with you Making my way down cobbled streets got places to go and people to meet And if you wanna join in that’s sweet this life’s got room for two This life’s got room for two This life’s got room for two This life’s got room for two No more escaping barefoot in the night No more reliving dark and lonely days And to the ones still fighting woodwose fights You’ll find your way Out of your maze Not going back Not going back Life is not a never ending hedge maze Life is not a never ending hedge maze Life is not a never ending hedge maze Life is not a never ending
8.
Sometimes progress seems so very pointless When the paths you take all lead back to the start When the fields you tend are being burned up And the smoke chokes up your heart But the truth is there was nothing missing All along the love you sought was there inside Maybe change’s tears feel more like dying But don’t newborns also cry Something beautiful Something wonderful Something coming to life See it plough through artifice and recontextualise strife How it’s blossoming How it’s flourishing Making work of the lies There behind your daguerreotype eyes Sometimes reconstruction seems so frightening Like you don’t know how your pieces fit together Like it would be easier to start clean And just let them go forever But the truth is you can find your best self Without giving up the joys of selves so old Maybe you can’t hide the obvious cracks But they’ve been filled in with gold Something beautiful Something wonderful Something coming to life See it plough through artifice and recontextualise strife How it’s blossoming How it’s flourishing Making work of the lies There behind your daguerreotype eyes What’s enlightenment When you’re adamant That you can’t find Strength for the soul Courage to keep you whole Or some peace of mind Overcoming trials Always takes a while Don’t rush this time It’s always dawning Venerable morning The first day of the rest of your life It’s a miracle It’s a pinnacle It’s a place to call home Always there to welcome you no matter how far you roam Unbelievable Undefeatable It’s a glorious sight Oh it is the inner light Something beautiful Something wonderful Something coming to life See it plough through artifice and recontextualise strife How it’s blossoming How it’s flourishing Making work of the lies There behind your daguerreotype eyes Sleep easy now Sleep easy now Sleep easy now

about

Album trailer: www.youtube.com/watch?v=8wRI5sVEW2k

Of all the phrases I could use to sum up my first full-length album in nearly three years, the one that immediately comes to mind is “return to form”. Cleanup Duty’s eight technicolour soundscapes combine the established sonic developments of my past releases with forays into exciting new musical territory, blending the two approaches to form a unique and vibrant whole. Pastoral keyboard passages, pounding electronic rhythms and layers of contemplative ambience ebb and flow in fascinating and unexpected ways, taking you on an immersive trans-genre journey from start to finish. But there’s no shortage of lyrical progress either; after six years of very inward-looking songwriting I’ve finally started to tackle the wider human condition, taking a step back from the internal fatalism of old and embracing the unpredictable flow of the outside world, with all the beauty and frustration it can bring. Whether it’s learning to love the best possible version of yourself, accepting the torment of rebirth, or getting your shit together and making as much of a difference as you can in a world going downhill, the songs on Cleanup Duty are more than just treats for the ears - they’re nourishment for the heart as well.

credits

released January 14, 2022

Mattie Konig - composition, production, sequencing, vocals, keyboards, percussion, field recordings, cover design

Recorded 2021-2022

Some sound effects from freesound.org
Some cover art elements from textures.com
All samples copyright their respective owners

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Mattie Konig UK

Eclectic experimental progressive music from the weirdest trans woman in all the West Country. How's it going?

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