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Achilles

by Outputmessage

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1.
Our Love 04:04
They said you weren't worth it They said you didn't deserve it They said we were crazy They said we wouldn't make it But look at us now They said we wouldn't make it But look at us now They don't know our love Like we know our love They don't see it like we do Mmmm Yeah Can you feel it? Our Love
2.
Achilles 04:36
How do I look In the morning when you wake up? How do I look In the evening when the sun goes down? Will he be there for me When I can't find my ground? Will he be there for me When I fall down? Will you be there?
3.
Complicated 05:34
Oh my dear It doesn't have to be so complicated! You and I are one and the same Why are we still playing games?
4.
You are not alone anymore.
5.
Ru 04:55
Oh Ru Your fluffy fur Those big eyes You stayed right by side I miss waking up to you You loved bananas And cubed ice Making a cold drink Just isn't as nice I miss giving them to you Your bright face Saying Hi To me Every night I miss coming home to you I love you Now I have to say goodbye Oh Ru I miss you
6.
Octopus 05:31

about

If you've recently attended one of the many queer parties in the vibrant DC nightlife scene, chances are you caught a glimpse of a revitalized Bernard Farley DJing and dancing his way around a dark sweaty dance floor. A year after tearing his Achilles tendon while playing tennis, the 34 year old DC stalwart is not only moving, but releasing music again after 3 years of not finishing a single song. The injury served as a wake-up call for Farley who returned to the studio to finish his most emotional record to date, the aptly titled ACHILLES.

Launching with the bursting sunrise of “Our Love”, we hear Bernard singing ecstatically over a neon bright synth line "They said we wouldn't make it, but look at us now!" You can feel the triumph in his voice as he ends the song repeating "our love" over and over in a melodic build that seems to leap from the speakers and into your heart. It's a survivor's anthem that is full of warmth and celebration.

The title track continues the positivity with a huge dance beat that's equal parts new and retro. The lyrics hint at heartbreak and disappointment ("Will he be there for me when I fall down?"), but Bernard sings the words as if the answer doesn't matter. Life will be OK either way.

On "Complicated", Farley contemplates a simpler kind of love as he pleads "It doesn't have to be so complicated!" alongside a sparkling synth arpeggio and nodding bass guitar that ebbs and flows like a glistening lake. It ends as the music seems to disintegrate into thin air preparing us for the gentle, but ornate build of saxophone, acoustic guitar and pitched vocals in "You Are Not Alone Anymore". Like a loving musical blanket, it hugs the listener and let's them know they're not alone after all.

If "Our Love" was the sunrise then "Ru" is the sunset as Bernard says goodbye one last time to his dog Ru, a casualty of the end of a 7 year relationship. He cries as the track ends in silence and we realize Outputmessage has started delivering the message we’ve always wanted: himself.

The stunning “Octopus” ends the album on a disconcerting yet beautiful journey. Beginning abruptly with a distorted breakbeat and jarring bass tones that never seem to want to resolve, it's hard to tell if it's a dream or a nightmare. And then we get to its center, a 3 minute long synth solo that is as delicate and nimble as it is scary and abrasive. Recorded in one take, Bernard lays it all down in the music. From joy to grief, it's all there on ACHILLES.

credits

released July 4, 2018

Music and vocals written, performed, produced, and recorded by Bernard Farley at The Family Room, DC.

"Achilles" co-produced by Julian Ragland. Bass guitar on "Complicated" written and recorded by Miguel Lacsamana. Guitar on "You Are Not Alone Anymore" written by Erik Anderson.

Mastered by Bernard Farley at the The Family Room, DC.

Photo by Kristopher Pritchard. Artwork by Bernard Farley.

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Outputmessage Washington

Outputmessage is Bernard Farley, an experience artist based in Washington, D.C. Through, dancing, music, DJing, photography, and video, he creates familiar, yet subversive, multi-faceted experiences that explore themes of queer and black identity. His recent works include the explosive protest techno song and video “Wake the Fuck up!” and the bewildering Weapons of Mass Distraction. ... more

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