Alex Raichev

The Sick Rose

O Rose thou art sick.
The invisible worm,
That flies in the night
In the howling storm:

Has found out thy bed
Of crimson joy:
And his dark secret love
Does thy life destroy.

~ William Blake, 1794

Here's my rough musical setting of the poem.

Update 2017-09-03. Laura Perrudin performs a haunting rendition with voice, harp, and multitrack:

youtube~ywdliB1J4fQ
Author: Alex Raichev
Date: 2012-04-24
Tags: poetry, music
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Thursday

I have had my dream --like others--
and it has come to nothing, so that
I remain now carelessly
with feet planted on the ground
and look up at the sky --
feeling my clothes about me,
the weight of my body in my shoes,
the rim of my hat, air passing in and out
at my nose --and decide to dream no more.

~ William Carlos Williams, 1921
Author: Alex Raichev
Date: 2012-04-24
Tags: poetry
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Neutral Milk Hotel Songs

The first things i learned to play on guitar were the simple, wonderfully strange songs of Neutral Milk Hotel. Below are lyrics and chords for the albums On Avery Island and In the Aeroplane over the Sea which i compiled from the official Neutral Milk Hotel website and transcribed from close listening. Feel free to email me with any comments or corrections.

On Avery Island

26 March 1996 Merge Records MRG103LP / MRG103CD (USA)

  1. Song Against Sex
  2. You've Passed
  3. Someone Is Waiting
  4. A Baby for Pree
  5. Marching Theme
  6. Where You'll Find Me Now
  7. April 1st
  8. Gardenhead / Leave Me Alone
  9. Three Peaches
  10. Naomi
  11. April 8th
  12. Pree-Sisters Swallowing a Donkey's Eye

In the Aeroplane over the Sea

10 February 1998, Merge Records MRG136LP / MRG136CD (USA)

  1. The King of Carrot Flowers, Part One
  2. The King of Carrot Flowers, Parts Two and Three
  3. In the Aeroplane over the Sea
  4. Two-Headed Boy
  5. The Fool
  6. Holland, 1945
  7. Communist Daughter
  8. Oh Comely
  9. Ghost
  10. [instrumental] (just the chords E and B)
  11. Two-Headed Boy, Part Two

Other Songs

  1. A Baby for Pree / Glow into You
  2. I Will Bury You in Time
  3. I Love How You Love Me
  4. Engine
  5. Oh Sister
  6. Little Birds

Also, here are some handy guitar charts i compiled and use for reference.

Update 2015-02-22: I found a more comprehensive list of NMH lyrics and chords at neutralmilkhotel.wikia.com.

Author: Alex Raichev
Date: 2012-04-23
Tags: guitar, Neutral Milk Hotel
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Top 5 Reasons Why Math Is Hard

Mathematics, the science of patterns, is a beautiful and fascinating subject, but it ain't easy.

  1. The field is vast and the chains of dependency long
  2. Everything has to be so "correct"
  3. Accompanying fame, fortune, and fast cars distracting
  4. Objects of study exist in mysterious, separate universe inaccessible by physical means
  5. Hole in left parietal lobe (power drill)
  6. Can't count
Author: Alex Raichev
Date: 2012-04-23
Tags: math
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