
The Russian and Chinese governments have been profoundly involved in the global opioid trade, as has the United States government. Chinese and Russian actors have been known to mass-produce carfentanil, a highly potent synthetic opioid, not only as a drug and cutting agent, but as a chemical weapon. Carfentanil and other fentanyl derivatives are the most common agents in what have been termed "deaths of despair" in the poorer, neglected regions of the United States and Russia.
The drug trade has always been wrapped up in political intrigue, and the role of the United States, specifically the CIA, is no exception. As Peter Dale Scott has written about, the so-called War on Drugs has mostly been an excuse for intelligence agencies and cartels, often in alliance, to enrich themselves at the expense of other people. Iran-Contra was only one small piece of the gigantic puzzle, and even then, it goes deeper than assumed.
For instance, the CIA in the '50s and '60s was deeply tied with the business of psychedelics manufacturing and distribution, in part because the recreational use of such enabled them to gather a large recruitment base for experiments involving combining drugs, electronics, and various forms of torture and abuse in order to determine if the individual mind, and society at large, could be controlled. Maybe it was these experiments that fed into worldwide delusions about electronic harassment, or what is often called 電波 in Japanese...
This is the first single for the upcoming second Rose with Teeth album.
LYRICS:
Александра Элбакян, моя любовь – милость твоя.
Знание заставляет меня потерять себя
в странных занятиях, что отвлекают
меня от боли, и волн, что они вещают.
I don't know what I am trying to do
with my time, with my life. I am waiting for you
to tell me what my move is, but I don't even know
who you are. Tell me when it is my time to go
and I'll go without a fight, but the horrific light
makes me wonder if it's worth having eyes and eyesight.
And I know that I'm waiting and I can't stand the wait
'cause the drugs are pumping in and I know I'll suffocate.
みんな楽しもうとしている。
でも、うまくいきません。
誰もが泣きたい、でも、
涙管が壊れている。
彼らは私の涙を盗んだ。
彼らは私の楽しみを盗んだ。
涙が出ない。楽しめない。
誰に何が残るの?
Russian transliteration:
Aleksandra Elbakian, moja liubov' – milost' tvoja.
Znanije zastavliajet menia poteriat' sebia
v strannyh zaniatijah, što otvlekajut
menia ot boli, i voln, što oni veščajut.
Russian translation:
Alexandra Elbakyan, I am in love with you.
Knowledge makes me lose myself
in strange preoccupations that distract me
from the pain and from the waves they broadcast.
Japanese transliteration:
Min'na tanoshimou to shite iru.
Demo, umaku ikimasen.
Daremoga nakitai, demo,
namida-kan ga kowarete iru.
Karera wa watashi no namida o nusunda.
Karera wa watashi no tanoshimi o nusunda.
Namida ga denai. Tanoshimenai.
Dare ni nani ga nokoru no?
English translation:
Everyone is trying to enjoy themselves,
but it's not working.
Everyone wants to cry,
but their tear ducts are broken.
They stole away my right to cry.
They stole away my right to enjoy.
If we can't cry or enjoy,
then what's left for anyone?
Personnel:
• Angie Sutherland
──vocals, guitars, bass, synths, lyrics, composition, production, mixing, mastering, cover art
• Spencer Rider
──saxophone, composition
• Liz W.
──translation assistance (Japanese)
• NEKOSATTVA
──translation assistance (Russian)
Notes:
Instruments and equipment used: Shure SM57 and SM58 microphones, Steinberg UR22mkII and Behringer U-Phoria UM2 USB audio interfaces, a Line 6 Variax 300 electric modelling guitar, an Ibanez GSR200 bass guitar, a Guild G37 acoustic guitar, a Yamaha Advantage YAS-200AD tenor saxophone, and Ableton Live using presets, the sforzando and Dexed VSTs, and the soundfont/library Virtual Playing Orchestra.
Wherever possible, care has been taken to tune all instruments to the Werckmeister III well temperament.
Sep 2, 2021
4 min

Sunny Sheu was a Taiwanese immigrant to Queens, NY who was the victim of a mortgage fraud. In the process of attempting to secure justice for himself, he came across evidence allegedly documenting improprieties on the part of the judge on his case who refused to return his house to him even after the fraudsters were arrested.
After compiling this evidence, he was harassed by NYPD officers and then died under mysterious circumstances. Even his cause of death is controversial, but evidence points to deliberately inflicted blunt force trauma. No investigation has been carried out.
Most of the media has refused to take this story up so far; only a few independent outlets have been willing to report on it. You may read their reporting in the links below:
• http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/10943-the-death-of-sunny-sheu
• https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2011/06/sunny-sheu-murdered-for-investigating-ny-foreclosure-judge-joseph-golia.html
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhDrff84ZAA
DISCLAIMER 1: Rose with Teeth has no affiliation with the family, friends, or associates of Sunny Sheu as of the time of writing, and as of such time this song is not officially endorsed by any of them. I became interested in this case a couple years ago while researching corruption at various levels of government and it's stuck with me, haunting me ever since. I believe that any story like this is in the public's interest to be disseminated and understood widely. Thus I wrote a song about it.
DISCLAIMER 2: For legal purposes, neither this song nor any accompanying media (images, descriptions, etc.) is making any allegations against anyone. This is an artistic work based on speculation and imagination.
This is likely going to be the last "non-album single" released before my next album, but that, like everything else in existence, is subject to change.
•
Lyrics:
You said, "Get off my case, I've got evidence against you.
Mr. Justice got a lot on his hands."
Tried to arm yourself with paper self-defence, you
found yourself in a bad circumstance.
No one knows what happened to you— (No one knows what—)
cracked your head right on the ground. (—we can't be sure.)
There are a lot of questions here, (We don't know what happened;)
but someone doesn't want answers found. (we can't be sure.)
A witness said you fell, so no need for investigation,
even though it's proper practice and that is the expectation,
but the judge committed fraud and the cops are on his side,
and if the gang wants you dead, there is nowhere you can hide.
No one knows what happened to you— (No one knows what—)
cracked your head right on the ground. (—we can't be sure.)
There are a lot of questions here, (We don't know what happened;)
but someone doesn't want answers found. (we can't be sure.)
It goes all the way up to the top—
no one would report it.
From coroners to street-level cops—
no one would report it.
From the media up to the feds—
no one would report it.
He wanted justice, now he is dead—
no one would report it.
•
Credits:
• Angie Sutherland
──vocals, guitars, synths, lyrics, composition, production, mixing, mastering, album art, design
Notes:
All lyrics written by Angie Sutherland.
All music composed by Angie Sutherland.
Instruments and equipment used: a Shure SM57 microphone, a Steinberg UR22mkII USB audio interface, a Line 6 Variax 300 electric modelling guitar, and Ableton Live using presets and the Surge Synth VST.
Wherever possible, care has been taken to tune all instruments to the Werckmeister III well temperament.
The sample at the end is taken from this video, produced near the end of Sunny Sheu's life. Rest in peace, and may he find justice.
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Tr3QChAy4Y
Aug 1, 2021
4 min

I made this over the course of about 5-6 hours, just to have some fun and make myself less mental health. This is sort of a teaser for the new directions Rose with Teeth is going in, although at the same time it's a lot sillier, more lighthearted, more guitarless, and less focused than anything that'll be on the next album.
•
Lyrics:
What is here again? I don't remember
what I'm supposed to do. It's December,
so I should be enjoying the snow,
but everything else is breaking the flow.
Now I want to have some nice fun on my own.
Nothing quite like the sun as my hair is
blown
out of all proportion; I don't like this game
that you are playing with me. It's full of pain...
Now I get the idea of what's going on.
Can you translate it though? I don't speak Klingon.
Welcome to a new world—I'm feeling deceptive.
It might reach out to us, but we're not receptive.
Everything is under my control.
Everything is under my control.
Everything is under my control—
wait a sec, nothing is under my control.
Nothing makes sense when you have a part to play that doesn't make pence.
Everything is something that it shouldn't be too hard to fake,
so make your problems here and now before they pile and break the bough;
you can't expect to be infected in your brain now anyhow.
(Holy hell, it's here to stay...)
Nothing makes sense when you have a part to play that doesn't make pence.
(...should've fixed this yesterday.)
Everything is something that it shouldn't be too hard to fake,
(Nothing makes it go around...)
so make your problems here and now before they pile and break the bough;
(Might just fix it anyhow.)
you can't expect to be infected in your brain now anyhow.
(Holy hell, it's here to stay...)
So make your problems here and now
(...should've fixed this yesterday.)
before they pile and break the bough.
(Nothing makes it go around...)
You can't expect to be infected
(Might just fix it anyhow.)
in your brain now anyhow.
•
Credits:
• Angie Sutherland
──vocals, synths, lyrics, composition, production, mixing, album art, design
Notes:
Lyrics written by Angie Sutherland.
Music composed by Angie Sutherland.
Instruments and equipment used: a Shure SM57 microphones, a Steinberg UR22mkII audio interface, and Ableton Live using presets and the BBC Symphony Orchestra Discover, Dexed, ComboF, and TX16Wx VSTs.
Dec 12, 2020
3 min

All three of my guitars—my electric, my acoustic, and my classical—are broken in some way. This sucks a lot, because everyone's stuck inside due to COVID-19 and I wanna try to capitalise on that by making music. Plus immediately before making this song I realised that I have no fucking clue where I put the screw and spring that keeps the piezo attached to the saddle on my electric, which is just dandy.
So I made this with three broken guitars.
•
Lyrics:
There's a stupid fuckin' virus
and everyone's trapped inside.
That's never been a problem for me
'cause I'm too fuckin' shy.
But I like to do some shit alone,
like wailing on guitars,
but now I can't even do that
'cause they fucking broke.
A while ago my piezo
decided to break on me—
the strings you hear in this song
are only the first three.
My classical's been having buzz
and a string change made it worse.
The other day while playing "Ana Ng"
my acoustic's string went burst.
All I want is to make some fuckin' songs.
When oh when did this all go fuckin' wrong?
•
Credits:
• Angie Sutherland
——vocals, guitars, production
Mar 15, 2020
2 min

Last month I found out that I still have markers for Lyme disease. I was prescribed antibiotics, and when I began taking them, it hurt. A lot. Living with various mental, physical, and neurological problems has not only impacted my daily life but shown me how badly the world fails to take care of the people who need help the most.
I took musical inspiration from Takako Minekawa's song "1.666666", which is the theme song for Hal Hartley's film The Book of Life, about the apocalypse taking place on the last day of 1999. This is probably my cleanest and most technically accomplished song yet. I'm quite proud of how it turned out.
•
Lyrics:
The other day I took a pill that set my body on fire.
It will burn away my impurities and wrap me round with wire,
plug myself into the mainframe, zap out all the pain,
electrocute the tiny bugs that eat holes in my brain,
and if i will not understand my somatic mystery rites,
the only thing that keeps me alive is continuing to fight,
so take my hand and walk again, the fog will soon abide.
There's nothing much that we can do so let's go take a ride.
Let's go, let's go, L-E-T-S-G-O.
Let's go, let's go, L-E-T-S-G-O.
Nothing here is set in stone:
the blood rite might be overthrown.
Let's go, let's go, L-E-T-S-G-O.
Let's go, let's go, L-E-T-S-G-O.
Nothing here is set in stone:
the blood rite will be overthrown.
The way it goes can't be the same since I set my body on fire;
now it's a discordant harmony like a polyphonic choir.
I can't say if I'll live or die so let me simply be.
Who woulda thought we'd be stronger if we lived our lives more free?
I wanna make a melody that rings throughout the world,
I wanna speak twelve languages and kiss some pretty girls (and boys),
and if I have to conquer just to do the things I love
then wait until the fire comes a-raining from above.
•
Credits:
• Evangeline Sutherland
——vocals, guitar, production
Jan 9, 2020
4 min

I wrote this on 21 December 2019, worried about whether I'd be able to visit one of my friends again and about whether I'd be able to see another friend at all.
It really does seem like the world ended in 2012 in some sense. Back when I was a kid, I could see myself doing things and living in 2012, but never after that. That seemed to be the cutoff date. For whatever reason, for the longest time I lost the ability to see myself in the future. Only recently have I regained it, and it's exhilarating.
Still, it often feels like everything's changed. There's little continuity for me from my past to my present and future; it seems like a series of cut-up segments of tape with little relation glued end-to-end. What I've longed for, aside from human connection, has often been the ability to connect myself with my past and my future without losing the here-and-now.
•
Lyrics:
As this disease runs through my arteries,
I ache so much for my home away from home,
for that fateful place where there is no disgrace.
But for now I am and shall remain alone.
I am relaxing here, yet I am filled with fear
that I will never see his face again,
that I may never kiss her dainty lips.
My only friend here is the freezing rain.
All I want to do is make love
on the seventh anniversary of the end of the world.
All I need to do is make love
on the seventh anniversary of the end of the world.
And I contemplate this strange old date
which marked the turning of a strange new dawn.
The life I knew evaporated like dew.
All I'm certain of is that world is gone.
My love, it cries for something that ties
me back to the world that I left behind,
but as well someone anchored in the Sun
who is unafraid to take the rope and bind.
•
Credits:
• Evangeline Sutherland
——vocals, guitar, synths, production
Jan 8, 2020
4 min

This is an attempt at an effective summation of how it often feels to live in my body in this world with this history. Such pressures and experiences often cause the death drive to become stronger. This may cause some people to "perceive themselves as being driven by internal fears, but banish those thoughts into bottomless pit of eternally repressed emotions that eventually reaches critical mass and propels them to become the fiery suns of all-conquering megalomaniacal psychosis", which of course may have either positive or negative effects.
Musically and lyrically this was inspired heavily by the early work of kiss the anus of a black cat, which I have effectively lovingly ripped off in creating this. (Seriously, go listen to them.)
•
Lyrics:
Everything has cracked;
nothing here but pain.
It's come time for a change.
God is on His throne,
watching here below.
Nothing but His tears falling low.
In this hopeless life
living just to wait,
everyone above us set us bait,
and we will keep on picking but
the floods, they will not stop,
the Earth, it opens up,
and the cruel space shall suck us dry.
Nothing will be left of us.
All the world's a farce;
it breaks your bloody knees
and it dares to claim it's destiny,
but nothing could be further from
the truth won't set us free
when it's all trivial words,
words that we can neither hear nor see,
and half of it is still a lie.
Nothing here will last,
eroded by the tides
that beat down everything to proper size,
and soon I will go under.
I don't know what I want;
my brain is all a blank.
Oblivion is when I feel most free.
What is left for us
but to do or die?
Seven years, my tearducts have run dry,
and soon my body falls apart.
My brain is melting down,
dripping in the dirt.
All my soul is screaming in alert
(and no one shall deliver me).
Hell is the true name
of this dying world.
Let the old red standard be unfurled,
for we have come to take it.
And we stand up on our legs,
broken by malaise,
preparing to begin the End of Days.
And we stand up on our legs,
broken by malaise,
preparing to begin the End of Days.
Running toward the end
of this bloody place,
nothing holds us back—
we're gone without a trace.
Blowing up the exit
as we take our leave,
we'll set this world on fire.
Crushing every castle,
burning every mansion,
we're running through the trenches—
this ain't a time for dancing.
The blasts are our alarms
to wake us from our sleep.
We'll set this world on fire.
Am I well-equipped
to understand this fate?
Destroying everything I see,
all creatures small and great.
No end is there in sight,
just the wheels of flame.
I'll set this world on fire.
We're calling no retreat;
there is no turning back.
We'll either crush the rulers
or be crushed by their attack.
Break this drowning world.
Seal its thorny fate.
We'll set this world on fire.
What do I have left?
Nothing left to lose.
All that's needed is to light the fuse
(no time for hesitation).
All I want to do
is see the sky turn blue,
but first it has to set ablaze again
(and I will stoke the fires).
There's nothing left for me
except to wait and see
what the final word is from above.
And I stand up on my legs,
broken by malaise,
preparing to begin the End of Days.
•
Credits:
• Evangeline Sutherland
——vocals, guitars, synth, timbrel, production
Jan 8, 2020
6 min

This is a straightforward revolutionary song I wrote in Ladino and English. I found that writing in Ladino, even though I don't have a great command of the language, is extraordinarily fun. I'm hoping people will continue to sing it for a long time.
I'm releasing it early thanks to the strike on Iran. No war but the class war.
•
Lyrics:
En la marcha del mundo al inferno,
en el interminable invyerno,
muestra lucha apenas komienza.
Veremos ke muestro opresor venza.
Afilu la noche es larga i oskura,
no emos perdido muestra ternura.
Pronto verash salir el sol otra vez
kuando rompemos su arrogante altigüez'.
Even though it seems like defeat's our only choice,
a hymn to revolt shall be raised by every voice.
We will prevail above their wealth and their power.
In every heart there lies a bud waiting to flower.
We'll pull down the tyrants and the robber barons alike.
Their day is over, it's our time to strike.
So come and give us the worst of your abuse,
for we are stronger; we have nothing to lose.
En la marcha del mundo al inferno,
en el interminable invyerno,
muestra lucha apenas komienza.
Veremos ke muestro opresor venza.
English translation (first two verses):
In the march of the world into the fire,
while the winter seems like it won't expire,
our struggle has really just started.
We'll make our oppressors know their plans have been thwarted.
Even though the night seems far too long and dark,
we have not lost our brains or our heart.
Soon you will see again the Sun will rise,
when we break down their haughtiness and pride.
Ladino translation (last two verses):
Afilu pareska ke seremos vensidos,
todos kantaran de revolta unidos.
Venseremos kontra rikeza i poder.
En kada korason hay brote asperando floreser.
Venseremos a la djente de piron.
Folgaremos kon un ardiente batayon.
Venish i dandos la peor ke tenesh,
porke mozotros somos mas fuertes.
•
Credits:
• Evangeline Sutherland
——vocals, guitar, timbrel, production
Jan 1, 2020
3 min

This is a remake of a song (original: https://clyp.it/tmsvewpb) I made for my friend Nicole a couple years ago to encourage them. I decided to rerecord it to test out my Line 6 Variax. It's also available as a general pick-me-up./
•
Lyrics:
I believe in you. You can do it!
I believe in you. You can do it!!
I believe in you! You can do it!!!
And if you don't believe, I believe in you.
And if you don't believe, I believe in you.
(You can do it!)
•
Credits:
• Evangeline Sutherland
——vocals, guitar, production
Dec 26, 2019
30 sec

Three things converged: one, my friend Yael gave me the idea for the title of this track. Two, I challenged myself to write "math noise neofolk w/ blast beats and occasional shrieks". Three, I wanted to write a song loosely around the theme of exploding head syndrome.
My lyrics here are more nonsensical and disjointed than usual, in part because my main motivation was musical experimentation; verbal expression took a backseat here.
•
Lyrics:
Everything is so chaotic here.
All I want is for a little peace:
Aldebaran is shining in the night,
cherry blossoms will bloom so sweet.
Drinking black milk in the morn,
awaiting strike at the break of dawn.
The lyric sheet is lying ripped and torn:
my brains are dripping through this song.
Spike my coffee with some opium,
sprinkle sugar on my rosy thumb—
everything is crashing through my head,
one of these days you're gonna wake up dead.
Aldebaran is shining in the night.
Cherry blossoms will bloom so sweet—
spike my coffee with some opium.
Sprinkle sugar on my rosy thumb.
When I sleep, my head explodes.
All I want is for a little peace;
cherry blossoms will bloom so sweet.
When I sleep, my head explodes.
Everything is so chaotic here...
all I want is for a little peace.
Aldebaran is shining in the night.
Cherry blossoms will bloom so sweet.
Drinking black milk at the break of dawn,
my brains are dripping through this song:
spike my coffee with some opium.
Sprinkle sugar on my rosy thumb—
everything is crashing through my head—
one of these days you're gonna wake up dead.
My head explodes. My head explodes. My head—my head—my head explodes—my head explodes.
Everything is so chaotic here...
all I want is for a little peace.
Aldebaran is shining in the night.
Cherry blossoms will bloom so sweet.
Drinking black milk at the break of dawn,
my brains are dripping through this song:
spike my coffee with some opium.
Sprinkle sugar on my rosy thumb—
everything is crashing through my head—
one of these days you're gonna wake up dead.
Spike my coffee with some opium,
sprinkle sugar on my rosy thumb:
everything is crashing through my head—
one of these days you're gonna wake up dead.
Everything is crashing through my head.
One of these days you're gonna wake up dead.
•
Credits:
• Evangeline Sutherland
——vocals, guitar, synths, production
Sep 20, 2019
4 min
Load more
