Down Down Down – Writeinarmenia

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You’re listening to the Public Radio of Armenia, it is midnight, and you know what it is about. Its about you and your anonymous letters sent to us about love, lust, and blues. Now, we’ve received one, and the person talks in slow motion. Lets see what she has for us.

“The most intimate thig for me since I gave it all was body odors. The one not to be confused with perfume and haircare. The closer I got to you – after all those faces looking at me as a cover of a magazine – the happier I got in exposing my vulnerability and weakness. I was running towards it with an insane desperation.

When I was young, there was a tabloid magazine I used look through with my friends. And there was a digest called “The most unforgettable character I’ve ever met in my life”. Now, it’s hard to look at eyes and mouths as they’re behind the thick wall of body odors. As I’m continuing to rub my my forehead against the wall, it finally crushes on me.

This reminded of my old ladies’ ballads.

The night is bitter

The stars have lost their glitter

The winds grow colder

Suddenly you’re older

And all because of the man that got away

Ever since this world began

There is nothing sadder than

A one-man woman looking for

The man that got away

—

Every now and then

I begin again

I push the rock up the mountain

Though I’m learning slow

Now I think I know

How to step aside

When the rock begins to slide

Here I go again

Faith has time to lend

I push the rock up the mountain

Hope it won’t be just

Another joke on me

But I just step aside

If the rock begins to slide

Bio

Samvél Khachatryan

Samvél Khachatryan is an author, translator and sound artist based in Armavir, Armenia. He holds a master’s degree in Political Science and International Affairs from the American University of Armenia. Following his debut novel, “26 Baghramian Avenue”, Sam is currently working on his second novel, “Yerevan Blues”. His ambient/experimental records are closely interlinked to his texts, as both introduce personal narratives on memory, drama, and music. His recent record, “Radio “Yerevan Blues””, is set to be played in public in parallel with the publication of the novel. As a translator, Samvél has translated three books, the latest of which, the short story by Francis Scott Fitzgerald, was published in August 2022 (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button).

Samvél’s motto is “As ignorable as it is interesting (listen to the quiet voice!)”. This oblique strategy is definitive to ambient music, which is not suitable for mainstream consumption, but gives the audience a chance to pay closer attention to atmospheric sounds (and words) for richer experiences.