river water under bridge
the light bounces
through branches
meets the hair on your arm
it seems to shine
along the smile
while you
take pages from anothers heart
this flow seems so familiar
its grown memories are triggered
by sillhouettes of this figure
you spoke those words that still linger
my self complacent
my mind is racing
chasing these sunsets from illusionary horizons
another moment
lost to spaces
in between the
fires of the synapses
the moon shines
i'll say goodnight
goodbye goodnight goodbye
More Than You Know Album Review by Valeria Valdez
As dispiriting as it may seem to draw associations to the COVID-19 global pandemic, it is
indeed significant to place this timestamp on More Than You Know. For starry-eyed
Anthony, the album feels like a slingshot from the pandemic. The process through
which this body of work was made is the most meaningful part of his latest release. The end
product, he says, “is only a reflection of how we got there.” Its conception began on a walk to a
bar a few years ago that inspired what would become the track Wind Speak. But gradually, the
emotionally evocative album came together as a kaleidoscopic collage of Anthony’s influences
and a little help from his friends.
There were no expectations set for what More Than You Know should or would sound like. One
thing, however, was certain: there was no longer a need to seek validation for his music. Having
wrapped up a project with Brotha Trav & the Divinations, he felt as though he had spent that
time sharpening his tools and even picked up the bass guitar in homage to his late mother. His
approach this time was also much more subtler than his previous work— where he would
otherwise stack and stack upon his tracks, he instead simply trusted in the effect of doing less.
What came of this was a collection that took on a jazz style of improv production: each invited
musician had their role that was spontaneously conjured up as they jammed. There is a gamut of
artists on this album oscillating from classically trained to home grown DIY learners.
Anthony’s paramount hope is that anyone who listens to this album can take what they need from
it. There are clear influences of psychedelic rock, indie pop, alternative and the songwriting
structure of Alex G. The album begins with “Stash” which is reminiscent of the “Vein of Stars”
by The Flaming Lips, and even does a nod to Anthony’s appreciation for Blonde by Frank Ocean.
As the album progresses, his interlude track “Velvet Void” takes on a foreshadowing effect of
turbulence to come. The title track, which follows the interlude, is the heart of the album. It
offers a semblance of catharsis if not with its punk rock boom of sound then by the way the song
is patched together with grief lugging lyrics.
More Than You Know is a triumph that showcases Anthony’s willing vulnerability but also his
maturity as a musician, songwriter, producer, and overall artist. This is all, of course,
underpinned by his ever evolving curiosity for what music can do but even more so about the
contagion effect of working together with others. “It’s a movement,” he says, “you hold space,
make space, then take space.”
Anthony Miguel’s album More Than You Know can be found on streaming platforms such as
Spotify, Bandcamp, Apple Music, Soundcloud, and YouTube. More on Anthony can be found
via his instagram @/antmiguelmusic
albuquerque
The houses were close in community as if they were afraid of what the desert might bring that surrounded them. Bright sunlight shown down upon pastel colored adobe houses with wide sidewalks where grass grew through the cracks. If you were to drive a few blocks down the houses began to separate further from each if not only because of how much space they took up but also people wanting to have seclusion from other less fortunate adobe dwellers. It felt like a foreign land. A different culture within the parent culture of capitalism and individualism. You could get a big mac and then go next door to find some turquoise jewelry and pottery that many artists are drawn to when making the pilgrimage to this city.
Nana's house
A modest porch ornimated with trinkets and symbols of welcoming peace. The name tag above the porch labeled the owner of this minute piece of land who have settled here since the late 50's, when the house resided on the outskirts of town. The house now sits in the middle. The stove had been unmoved the whole time. Maybe fixed when occasionally unable to bring heat to sustenance but it's been in place as long as the tree planted in the backyard by my grandfather.
Here we go again
Wrote my first 4 bars of lyrics in a loooong time. Time to shake off this rust.
on the edge
The path permanently changing makes me cry. If I love you, I love you. Sometimes we must depart from each other.
snooze
He had everything I wanted. A smile that could turn a day around, a curious mind with insatiable wonder, a heart strong enough to cry. He had buyoncy when he found himself on a part of the river unfamiliar. He found peace in the familiarity within all experience. A mind so at ease that balance seemed like a natural state. Although, I've seen him near me, he never stayed. He moved only with intention through space I've never been as well as the space I live in. He was the type that was fascinated by gravity, light and matter but couldn't tell you the formula to calculate truths found deep within each facet. He had his truth though. There was one aspect of him I didn't understand. He would, unforgivingly, thrust his vunerability onto every person he came across. A balance of charm and empathy made his love undeniable.
I envied that.
How could I fathom the wants of others when the mirror felt like staring into the sun? My blemishes are sunspots. I lay in bed, unable to drift as my mind floats from one regret to the next. "I should have said this" or "I should have done that," words that ring endlessly, like tinnitus, into the black of night but never seem to reach the ears past Dawn. As my eyelids begin to soften, a glimmer of light from seemingly tangible dreams comes to the foreground when suddenly disrupted by reminders of reality's coming. I do what I normally do when faced with the harsh reality of the truth, I hit the snooze button.
in stillness
In stillness lies wonder
In stillness brings calm
In stillness feel presence
Confront inner qualm
In stillness deep breaths
Keep feet planted firm
In stillness I find
to release and relearn