Red & Black from Red & Black by Bad Alaskan
This is a take on contrapuntal & echo verse poetic forms, performed in the style of spoken word poetry with choral techniques remnant of Indigenous ceremonial practices, West African griot, & older hip hop.
Percussion loops with hand claps & shakers are authentic to chant & ceremonial music but with a modern ambient twist. Repetitive & formatted as many Native songs are.
Poetic references include William Blake’s “The Little Black Boy”.
Tracklist
| 10. | Red & Black | 6:21 |
Lyrics
you can't tell me
brown eyes aren't
beautiful
they are
a color waxing
fiery amber in the sun
flash shadow reflect
an opalescent
black until UV rays
kiss our faces and
leak through eyelashes
like magma beyond
cracks of volcanic
ash iris glints
a faceted stone
under the jeweler's
bench a vision
you never asked what
the world looked like
through red & black
At live shows, additional lyrics:
You can't tell me
trans boys aren't
heavenly they are
his shoulders rising
inches closer to the sun
magnetic
You can't tell me
big girls aren't
everything they are
her body moving to
the rhythm of the ether
effervescent as a
georgia peach, you
can't pick one you gotta love
each & every one
Credits
Composer, Performer, Writer: Alex Kimball Williams
Recording, Mixing: Ross Williams
Completed as part of Community Housing of Wyandotte County's (CHWC) 2021 residency
