On April 4th, 2018 @kafkanarchy84 (aka Graham Smith) released the album "Happy Diseases." <--- CLICK TO LISTEN

He proactively requested reviews of it HERE, and I am happy to add this one!

Graham is an American expat, Voluntaryist, and activist who lives with his wife, @mslight2016st, and son in Japan. I wanted to know a bit more about him, and learned a lot from this inspiring interview. In Graham's conversation with Adrian Nantchev, highlights for me included learning:

🎸 that Graham is also from Indiana!
🎸 that vaccinations are an important topic to him
🎸 that his views on self-upvoting here on Steemit are identical to mine (36:55 til about 40:00)
🎸 more about his evolution in voluntaryism and entrepreneurship ("Everything shattered.")
🎸 that he creates the things he does to inspire us to look into things, and care about them.

Q: Why all this fuss about non-musical stuff?

A: Because I believe even a little CONTEXT, helps art sink in more deeply.

1. Ketchup (The Human Animal) (2:01)

Peppy melody. Clever play on words ;-)

2. Ayn Rand / Marvin Gaye (3:19)

"am I the pompous prick // that says he's awake?" Nice vocal swirls at the end.

3. Leaving the Leaves (2:37)

Is "leaving the leaves" a call for nudity/transparency?

4. Adrenaline Junkies vs. The Kids Who Don't Keep Score (4:02)

I think adrenaline junkies might crave a faster song. But I'm guessing the kids who don't keep score, probably weighed-in on slowing things down. Hilarious ending.

5. Cycles (Have a Beer) (2:48)

Smoooooth. Hammock-time! THIS IS MY FAVE SONG. Bluesy-jazzy-funk... with sweet lullabye la-la's.

6. Robbing Super Walmart # 3:30 AM (3:24)

Happy tune. Horrible plan. I think the song is a PEP-TALK for an early morning big-box-retail-chain heist.

7. Happiness Diseases (5:40)

This song reminds me of people who get diagnosed with cancer, say "Fuck that!", and decide to LIVE. (I've seen it happen, more than once.) Interesting horn. Mostly, it soothed. One time, it didn't.

"Happy Diseases" is RAW. It doesn't seek to be fancy, or trendy.
Just the opposite. It's self-described as "lo-fi."
And from its own simplicity and realness,
it seems to call for the same from us.

Also, HUGE BONUS! Graham inspired me
to be more daring with the use of my voice.
To trust it with greater ranges.
To strengthen it, with use.

That's why brave artists, are my favorite artists.

Speaking of which...

Artists, I love what you do in + for the world!

If you create things that stimulate beauty or freedom, and you would like to bring more attention to either your PROJECT or your PROCESS (process is so interesting, yet rarely discussed), please leave a comment, and maybe I can do a similar review for you. Maybe. ;-)

Acoustic Anarchy :: My First-Ever Music Review! 🎸 @kafkanarchy84 (Graham Smith) 🎸 "Happy Diseases"