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Lake Accotink

by Marian McLaughlin

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1.
Zoysia Grass 05:29
Zoysia grass and a summer breeze, the choice at last to do just as we please. The juxtaposition of Jupiter and Venus in the west, a sight to see, I believe, it takes away my breath. Sipping on hibiscus, underneath a waning gibbous, waxing poetic about existence, oh it’s riveting. And that reminded me of when we were between… The fox and the birch and I overheard a coyote with wings chirping from his perch. Well, I believe in the future and uncertain things, so I planted an oak and I hoped from that seed that a tree would grow, one that I might never know, and it would make shade, it would be a home for animals to live in, that would be my gift to the Great Unknown. And that reminded me of when we were between… The hawk and the church and I saw the lurching movement of a painted turtle. Furiously she toiled, laying her eggs in the soil, under a great purple crepe myrtle. And how that hawk will prey on her spawn the day that her eggs all hatch, they will be an easy catch. But I believe in the future and uncertain things and the ebb and flow of the web that nature weaves.
2.
An Eagle 03:53
edit navigation bar An Eagle by Marian McLaughlin Share / Embed Wishlist supported by Ryan Wade thumbnail Robby Hunt thumbnail Edit Delete Bulk Edit 00:00 / 03:55 Digital Track Streaming + Download Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more. Buy Digital Track $1 USD or more Send as Gift about ~a song for an old friend~ lyrics ...remember that time when you tried to explain the word sublime to me? But you got all caught up in the terminology of chemistry, fumbling around as you tried to speak. Figuring out how a solid turns into a gas, while totally bypassing a liquid state, just like to today when I went to the lake (the lake...). But something happened then, you snapped and ran outside, crying. I chased after you, barefoot in the zoysia grass, past unfazed rabbits, and found you at last, collapsed on your knees, starting silently a the sunset. On that evening, during that soft metallic June, as I sat next to you, I finally felt like I knew the meaning of that word, sublime... One Sunday morning I heard shouting coming from a crowd of eager people. They were on some kind of outing. Someone said that they saw an eagle. It's been a decade since you left us. Death was unpleasant then, my friend. It's been a second, yes I reckon since I asked this question, but I will ask again... Where did you go that day, my eagle? Where did you go that day, my friend? Where did you go that day, my eagle? Where did you go that day, my friend? You took an exit, connected to the nexus, that's what I like to think, that's what I pretend. I don't believe in heaven, but I still felt your presence, I felt your spirit transcend. I still make time to go out scouting even on days when I am down and doubting. Hoping that somewhere along the clouds I'll make out the shape of an eagle.
3.
Before the internet lived in my pocket Before we all had avatars There was an art to telling the time we’d devise patterns and we would scheme rhymes to remind ourselves and guide ourselves through life. But now the internet took me as a hostage, I find myself often lost and exhausted. Jumping through windows can be such a task, hey, bartender, I’m in search of something better but I’m quite a big spender, so can I start a new tab? An apple a day keeps the doctor away, but I think this opportunity has passed. I stared at the board and I held all the keys but it was too hard to leave, so I just opened a window, I just opened a window, I just opened a window, I just opened a window. The world is wide, but I’ve been lured into a web embedded with wifi. The world is wide, but I’m concerned with how I’m led, who I follow, what I like. The world is wide, but I’ve been spurned, so it is best to turn away and hide. And if I find that I need a breath of fresh air cuz with the click of my finger I can flick through despair….. well I will just open a window, I will just open a window, I will just open a window, I will hopefully open a window.
4.
We used to hunt and gather now there's a factory for just about practically anything you can imagine. We used to hunt and gather now there's a factory for just about practically anything you can imagine. Are you overdoing it with your labor when they're paying you mere wages, but I wager that you crave to have something that you can savor and a line of work that sustains. You feel like your best efforts are hidden 'cuz the internet is full of algorithms and you're fed up keeping your head up to swim in it, only to wash away. We used to hunt and gather now there's a factory for just about practically anything you can imagine. We used to hunt and gather now there's a factory for just about practically anything you can imagine. Did you factor that into the equation? That they'd inundate us with information, then they'd track and capture and trade all of our data day by day, day by day. They know exactly what we all desire so Amazon expands its empire while the other Amazon becomes a pyre day by day, day by day. Now is the time to gather, take action, don't be distracted. Now is the time to gather, take action, don't be distracted. Now is the time to gather, take action, don't be distracted. Now is the time to gather, take action, don't be distracted.
5.
Studying metamorphosis in a foreign language. Struggling for the words to stick. They are pouring in, but will I manage to retain them? Something ancient and latent is aching to escape... and I cannot contain it, I cannot contain it. Studying metamorphosis without assistance or a syllabus. Juggling with boulders in my fist. I feel a little bit like Sisyphus. But I will calculate the distance that it will take to cross this abyss. And though it may be dismal I will not allow myself to be dismissed. If we evacuate the premises I cannot promise they'll grant our simple wish. Why do they call war civil? I think we're in the middle of something cataclysmic. Will you find asylum when your family's divided? When class has been dismissed? When order is no more? You'll be flanked by your phylum and you'll fight right beside them. Together you'll persist 'til the earth has been restored. We've swallowed the poison and held into the toxins for too long and for too often to identify the problem. But somewhere down the line people in power decided to conquer and divide which incited riots. We are in danger of remaining in a loop. Though there's room to improve, yes, I know we can break through from this same container. This world was designed to divide and confine. But I confide in the divine, outside. In nature there's an absolute truth it cannot be removed. But in order to engage we must change our behavior change our behavior change our behavior change our behavior. But right now I'm just studying metamorphosis.
6.
First there was dirt and then there was gravel, now there is asphalt, when will it halt? I want to feel the earth as I travel, so may I ask, who is at fault? They were afraid that the path would erode so they began to pave, and ended up... creating a road. And I don't believe that all roads lead to roaming. And I don't believe that all roads lead to roaming. With your axle and wheels you're encased in glass, framed by steel with a dash of plastic. You can make claims that the terrain it will change so fast. But the long-term effects on the environment will be lasting and drastic. Doesn't it make sense that it all connects? The doe and the buck and their little fawns have run out of luck, so they're mowing our lawns. Then we call out the archer for deer departure may his clear precision prevent more collisions. Well, hungry Orion has plenty of clients who fragment the land so the Belt may expand. Though we have a complete fleet on the street that can slay. On Mustang, on Taurus, on Windstar, on Civic! Now Focus, Now Prius, Now Rabbit, Now Cricket! The robin's cue to stir up a song is thrown askew as our lamps burn on. Its rhythms are foiled by our midnight oil. Are we in the wrong to displace the dawn? And all through the forest the avian chorus strains their throats while sending out notes because the rush of the phantom road cuts through their airy abode. Then the baleen's range, in the lowest of C's is drowned by the dull lull of an oil ship. It's hull drones as it drifts, which adds to the din. Then there's this whole 'nother shift, where a species' speech has been seized. Its channels are breeched, its signals are lost, its unable to reach. Blocked and bleached and shocked and done, one by one they succumb to the beach. Did you notice that our current modus operandi is effecting everything around us? Casually, there are casualties. I'm not trying to sound reprimanding I'm just want to gain an understanding. How do I process all of this progress and what is at loss from our land, our air, and our sea....
7.
8.
10972 Meters 08:01
"Ah, well a day, what evil looks had I from old to young. Instead of the cross, the albatross, around my neck is hung" I used to marvel at planes as they passed overhead Big-bellied baleen-shaped dreams a balanced mesh of mechanics and of mystery. It took me two decades to take flight… but now I find myself feeling the cabin fever burning up in my seat and secretly grieving over sea creatures…. at an altitude of 10,972 meters. We sit up straight for supper, 50 in length and 8 in width. I sigh a small complaint the second time I am provided with a plastic fork and spoon and knife. The crinkling symphony begins as passengers unwrap their plastic packages… and my mind flashes back to the poor pelican with a water bottle lodged inside it’s throat. I read by 2030 9 out of 10 sea creatures will have swallowed a piece of plastic. I want to help them all but where do I begin? What is the protocol that we can install, a call to action? I want to help them all but where do I begin? I want to help them all but where do I begin? I think about my unborn children, what kind of world will they inherit? I think about the future generation, I want to help them all but where do I begin? I want to help them all but where do I begin? I want to help them all but where do I begin? I believe in the future and uncertain things... I believe in the future. So hold the space. Because in nature, there's an absolute truth, it cannot be removed, it's waiting there for us. So hold the space. Because in nature, there's an absolute truth, it cannot be removed, but in order to engage we must change our behavior, we must change our behavior, we must change our behavior... But now I find myself feeling the cabin fever burning up in my seat and secretly grieving over sea creatures…. at an altitude of 10,972 meters.
9.
"Water water everywhere, although the lake did shrink. Water water everywhere, but not a drop to drink" Meet me by the lake, we need to pray. Meet me by the lake, we need to pray. Have we past the point of mitigating the effects? The pipeline it is growing close, so someone's got to be the one to hold the space in North Dakota. To hold the space in North Dakota. And I know that it's growing cold but someone's got to be the one to hold the space in North Dakota. To hold the space in North Dakota. The cops are setting up sound cannons north of Cannon Ball, so we must pray for our Water Protectors to remain safe, those brave defenders. We must pray for our Water Protectors to remain safe in North Dakota So they can hold the space in North Dakota.
10.
I went to the river to retrieve this song by the white water rapids along the Sassafras Passage
11.
Slow-burning journey, no need to hurry. I acknowledge process, I trust in the abundance. Slow-burning journey, no need to hurry. I acknowledge process, I trust in the abundance. There’s hundreds of years of wondrous things that are waiting to be uncovered, and maybe one of them might have an answer. If we just adjust our rhythms, we will notice, we will listen, we can exist with them, but we can’t exist without them. There’s a sense of urgency, but speed will only impede us on this slow-burning journey. But I’ve received word from the other world that there is no need to worry. I’ve received word from the other world that there is no need to worry. Yet I still feel so concerned. But I believe in the future and uncertain things and the ebb and flow of the web that nature weaves.
12.
Lined with feathers and bound together with thyme. Little swallow nest, how did you survive the test of this weather? What a delicate find. First thunderstorm of the season and the forest receives a diluvial feast. Rejuvenated and appeased.
13.
Our Citronella ritual was far-fetched from habitual on the bridge and over the river. We'd dab a little on our wrists then grab each other for a kiss to celebrate our mutual existence. But since the winter's fully passed we can return to the warm forest floor at last. It's waiting there for us. It's waiting there for us. It's waiting there for us. It's waiting there for us. The papillon pavilion inside our tent was brilliant. It made me grin, to be the receiver of irridescent offerings, their presence was so softening and then they'd drift off into the ether. The skipper and the swallowtail, the copper they would drift then sail. They're waiting there for us, they're waiting there. They're waiting there for us, they're waiting there. I was always fond of finding the first fern frond. I knew it grew beyond the froggy waters of the great swan pond. And I knew that land through and through, even in the fog. And the most beautiful thought that will never get lost is that it's waiting there for us.
14.
I must be patient until I reach the Grayson Highlands adjacent to the Appalachian Trail. And as I’m climbing up that peak I will be smiling, just to see the landscape at a different kind of scale. I'm searching for some clarity it's a rarity these days. But when I'm in nature things become so spacious. So I will sing with highest praise to the Grayson Highlands. I will sing with highest praise to the Grayson Highlands. I must be patient until I reach the Grayson Highlands adjacent to the Appalachian Trail. And as I’m climbing up that peak I will be silent, I will not speak. For there’s plenty for my senses to unveil. I’m looking for a remedy a gentle cleanse, serenity, something that is chaste. And when I’m in nature I receive its greatness and grace. So I will take care of this place and I will leave no trace at the Grayson Highlands. I’m just so grateful to be at the Grayson Highlands.
15.
The robins are flying over the Lyons who quietly lie in eternal repose. And a little lamb is folded over a stone just like a sphinx, it’s quick to throw a riddle, though it never even blinks. And a daffodil and a crocus are opening before us, enchanted by the opus of a murmuration's chorus. And the peepers are squeaking, out of season. I worry tonight that they might be freezing. It’s pleasant, but it’s quite absurd These record-breaking temperatures. We’re acquiescent, but perturbed, it’s just the tip of the iceberg. There is a boy, he cannot be reformed, he’s kicking up a storm, he will destroy. We can deploy our best defense, but we can’t avoid the current evidence. We are past the point of mitigating the effects. We’ve crossed several thresholds of planetary boundaries. It was all bound to happen, eventually. A loss of biosphere integrity. Stratospheric ozone depletion… Ocean acidification… and an introduction of novel entities… Like organic pollutants and radioactivity.... We have passed the point of mitigating the effects...
16.
Mums and marigolds and plums in wooden cherry bowls and the intertidal periwinkles among the rocks when the water's low all serve as variables through fables, but not parables. How they coincide is seasonal, strung in the locks of the ebb and flow. Everything is impermanent and connected, everything is impermanent and connected, everything is impermanent and connected, everything is impermanent.
17.
Cypress 03:10
Cypress, I spied you siphoning water from the creek. First things first, I can decipher your thirst. I find it quite disconcerting how you and the others are hurting. This land is terse but I will plan to be your nurse. The summer, it is stifling And the only kind of lightning that is striking is from the heat. Well, I will gladly greet any sign of rain or relief. We are riding out a cycle You are fighting for survival, But I know you’ll make it through for you are not weak. You are living proof with all your roots you cannot lose You’ve been standing here for over a century. I don’t doubt that you’ll make it out of this drought. I don’t doubt that you’ll beat this bout of heat. Everything will pass, whether or not we allow it to. Everything will pass...eventually.
18.
Our roses had june bugs and Japanese beetles eating at the petals as we're nibbled by mosquitoes. Our roses needed water, hold the nozzle count to thirty, and after a while, they shall not be so thirsty. And with the garden hose, make home-grown rainbows, hold it up to sunlight and look for the red, orange, and yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet, red, orange, and yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. And we would go on walks around the lake, and you would often stop and exclaim, there's a snapping turtle and a snapping dragon, and the latter has a pistol, pollen, and a stamen, and you would explain and examine and teach me all the names so I would have them. And from the horizon a great heron came flying it cut across the sky and dove into the island. And I was amazed... thank you for taking me to the lake from an early age. Bestow your gifts at the gathering as crows cackle and sing on the brinks of Lake Accotink.

about

Lake Accotink is an environmental song cycle about humanity’s multifaceted relationship with nature. Overwhelmed by ongoing ecological issues, Marian began working on Lake Accotink as a way to to process the effects of progress. Throughout this lyrical journey, she observes humankind’s gradual impact on the environment, acknowledges the ebb and flow of natural cycles, celebrates existence of all life forms, and meditates on impermanence. Even when facing challenging concepts such as land fragmentation, plastic buildup in our oceans, and climate change, she makes sure to continuously set positive intentions for a hopeful future.

Marian's stream-of-consciousness storytelling acts as an anchor for Lake Accotink. The album leans heavily toward a chamber folk genre and features a rotating cast of ensemble members, such as a wind trio and a string quartet. Lake Accotink explores other musical directions, from experimental rock to sampling field recordings. Marian also pushes her own musicianship on this album by playing piano, harp, drums, and synth on top of singing and playing guitar. In a live context, Marian works with musicians that she really admires to creative intimate and innovative performances.

credits

released October 19, 2018

All songs by Marian McLaughlin

1. Zoysia Grass - Marian McLaughlin (voice, guitar); Yana Nikol (flute); Seth Kibel (clarinet); Robin Gelman (bassoon), Lucas Ashby (drums)

2. An Eagle - Marian McLaughlin (voice, guitar, drums, bells); Vianney Paul (bass)

3. Open a Window - Marian McLaughlin (voice, guitar): Vianney Paul (bass); Ian McColm (drums)

4. Hunt and Gather - Marian McLaughlin (voice, drums)

5. Studying Metamorphosis - Marian McLaughlin (voice, guitar): Ethan Foote (bass); Katie Weissman (cello)

6. Modus Operandi - Marian McLaughlin (voice, guitar): Ethan Foote (bass); Katie Weissman (cello)

7. Take that noise away from here - Marian McLaughlin (harpsicle); phone recording of State of the Union, streetscape

8. 10,972 Meters - Marian McLaughlin (voice, piano): Ted Zook (basscello); Pájaro de la Selva (processed clarinet); invoke (strings):
plane sounds recorded by Sanja Marjanovic

9. Hold the Space - Marian McLaughlin (voice, piano, guitar, drums)

10. Sassafras Passage - Marian McLaughlin (voice); Klingle sparrows

11. Slow Burning Journey - Marian McLaughlin (voice, harpsicle); Katie Weissman (cello); Lake Accotink crows

12. Citronella Ritual - Marian McLaughlin (voice, guitar); Ethan Foote (guitar)

13. Lined with Feathers - Marian McLaughlin (voice, Touch Tone Tank); Katie Weissman (cello)

14. Grayson Highlands - Marian McLaughlin (voice, guitar); invoke (strings)

15. Out of Season - Marian McLaughlin (voice, guitar, piano); invoke (strings)

16. Mums and Marigolds - Marian McLaughlin (voice, guitar)

17. Cypress - Marian McLaughlin (voice, guitar); Jarrett Gilgore (sax); Ian McColm (drums)

18. Of the Lake and Land - Marian McLaughlin (voice, harpsicle); Katie Weissman (cello), Lake Accotink crows

Album art, design, and layout by Marian McLaughlin
Photo on disc face by Philip Edward Laubner
Recorded and mixed by Michael Okusami;
Mastered by Jeff Gruber
Produced by Marian McLaughlin and Michael Okusami
Additional production by Ethan Foote on tracks 1,5, 6, 12, 15, and 16
Arrangements by Ethan Foote on tracks 1,5, 6, 12, 15, and 16
Saxophone arrangement by Jarrett Gilgore on track 17
invoke is Karl Mitze (viola); Geoff Manyin (cello); Nick Montopoli (violin); Zach Matteson (violin)
Poetry at beginning of tracks 8 and 9 comes from The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge


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© Marian McLaughlin, 2018, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

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Marian McLaughlin Baltimore, Maryland

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