Codex

Genres and scenes

The music of the world, as things in the world. Each genre is played somewhere, kept by someone, for something, with rules it keeps and taboos it won’t break, and a genre or two it is up against. Each recording act’s songs are the ones credited to it on Lamewire; below each is what has changed for it since it was approved. Every song here, and every singer, was made by a machine, and every lyric is the singer’s, not a fact.

52 rows: 52 proposed, 0 that only restate what the games and the codex already say. None of it is canon until it is approved: the codex filed what the games say into systems, and proposed the rest. Each row says which it is.

Genres

Where each is played, who keeps it, and what it is for there.

  • The shanty Proposed — not canon until approved

    Hauling. A shanty sets the pace of a bucket on a rope, so the oil comes up as fast as Mother Sprat says it can and no faster. In the tin it is work first and a song second.

    Played at
    The sluice, The sardine-tin sea
    Kept by
    The Sluice Hands
    Rules
    • The count is called, then answered: a lead line, and the crew shouting back the chord.
    • Two bars to call and two to answer, so anyone can join on the third bar.
    • A work song may be sung for any work, which is how the Sluice Hands came to sing one about picking weather.
    Taboos
    • Nobody sings over the count. Whoever calls it, Mother Sprat at the sluice, is the only one who sets the number.
    • No shanty is sung about being lunch, because in the tin nobody is.
    Up against
    • Country: country is a leaving song, and the tin does not sing those kindly
    • Big-band swing: a song for water nobody draws from is, to the shanty, a song for wasted water
    On Lamewire
    • Haul Away the Tin (The Sluice Hands)
    • As Much as the Sea Can Spare (The Sluice Hands)
    • Before It Ripens (The Sluice Hands)
    • Haul Away the Tin (The Sluice Hands)
    On record in
    The Sluice Hands, The sluice, Mother Sprat, Nobody here is lunch, Picking weather, Haul Away the Tin on Lamewire, As Much as the Sea Can Spare on Lamewire, Before It Ripens on Lamewire

  • Country Proposed — not canon until approved

    Leaving, and the road after. A country song is a story told in order by someone who has gone, about the shelf they left.

    Played at
    Mr Hollow
    Kept by
    Bait
    Rules
    • The song says where it started and where it is now, in that order.
    • Four chords, because the tune Bait plays them on came from a tin.
    Taboos
    • It never goes back. A country song can miss the shelf and never get back on it.
    Up against
    • The shanty: the shanty sings at whoever left the tin
    • Indietronica: Second Class sings about going, and Bait has been
    On Lamewire
    • The Tin's a Sea (Bait)
    • Mostly Tackle (Bait)
    On record in
    Bait, Gill, Mr Hollow, The Tin's a Sea on Lamewire, Mostly Tackle on Lamewire

  • Confessional country-pop Proposed — not canon until approved

    Telling it exactly. Duplicate reads back what was written on Mrs Ledger’s receipt, and Model 7 sings about itself in the third person. A verse is a diary read back, the chorus is the line you would rather not have written, and the bridge turns the page.

    Played at
    Returns desk, The showroom
    Kept by
    Duplicate
    Also sung once by
    Model 7
    Rules
    • Everything sung must have happened, or be written down somewhere: on a receipt, in a ledger, on a price stand.
    • The bridge turns, and the last chorus lands somewhere the first did not.
    Taboos
    • It never makes anybody’s case for them, Mrs Ledger’s included. A copy is not proof, and the song says so.
    Up against
    • Rap: a rap is filed in order; a confession wants to be read out, whatever the order
    On Lamewire
    • Year Twelve (Duplicate)
    • Model 7 Doesn't Talk About It (Model 7)
    • Year Twelve (Duplicate)
    On record in
    Duplicate, Mrs Ledger, Model 7, Year Twelve on Lamewire, Model 7 Doesn't Talk About It on Lamewire

  • Rap Proposed — not canon until approved

    Procedure, out loud. Bars land on the grid in order, one voice to a bar, so a rap is the post room’s rounds put to a beat.

    Played at
    The post room, The open plan
    Kept by
    Stamp and Meter
    Also sung once by
    Brewster, Kettle
    Rules
    • Trade bars, never talk over each other: one thuds on the beat, one counts in the gaps.
    • In that order: frank, stamp, meter, post, express.
    Taboos
    • No bar out of turn.
    • Nobody says what the franking machine was franking.
    Up against
    On Lamewire
    • Display Model (Stamp and Meter)
    • Log Entry (Is Oat Milk Milk?) (Brewster vs the Kettle)
    • In That Order (Stamp and Meter)
    On record in
    Stamp and Meter, The post room, The franking machine, Brewster, In that order, Display Model on Lamewire, Log Entry (Is Oat Milk Milk?) on Lamewire

  • Nu-metal and rap-rock Proposed — not canon until approved

    Getting out. Low verses that wobble in a box, and a chorus an octave up that breaks out of it.

    Played at
    The Out tray, The open plan
    Kept by
    Not Filed
    Rules
    • The verse is boxed in; the chorus gets out.
    • The bridge admits what nobody in the batch knows: what is past the tray.
    • Any song about getting out through a gap may be played as one, whoever wrote it.
    Taboos
    • It is never filed.
    Up against
    • Rap: in that order is what is between the batch and the Out tray
    • The lullaby: Help It is the draughts’ chant, and the attic hears it as one
    On Lamewire
    • Out Is Out (Not Filed)
    • Help It (Not Filed)
    • Who Left the Photocopier On (Not Filed)
    • Out Is Out (Not Filed)
    On record in
    Not Filed, The escaped batch, The Out tray, Out is out, Every lamp goes out, Out Is Out on Lamewire, Help It on Lamewire, Who Left the Photocopier On on Lamewire

  • Pop punk Proposed — not canon until approved

    Refusing to be put back. Step Fourteen, three small robots built from three flatpacks’ leftover screws, play it fast, bratty and kind in the long grass of the yard, with a chorus everybody there can shout.

    Played at
    The yard
    Kept by
    Step Fourteen
    Rules
    • The chorus is shouted by everyone in the long grass, the loose screw included.
    • Short: over before Wren can be told to tidy it.
    Taboos
    • It is never about the bookcase AllenKeyAl built, which wobbles without them.
    Up against
    On Lamewire
    • Told to Tidy the Workshop (Step Fourteen)
    • I Am a Particular Screw (Step Fourteen)
    On record in
    Step Fourteen, The yard, Loose screw, I Am a Particular Screw on Lamewire, Told to Tidy the Workshop on Lamewire

  • Trance Proposed — not canon until approved

    Light, at length. Sung, it is the spare bulb’s wish to be the light that is needed; remixed, it is the first half of a night at the club, where a set climbs from 132 beats a minute.

    Played at
    The workshop, The Neon Void
    Kept by
    A spare light bulb, DJ Sloppy Droppy
    Rules
    • Counted in eight-bar phrases that add up to thirty-two.
    • The drop lands because something was taken away first.
    • At the club a song is remixed only once it has reached the DJ, sung in the store or played on the display.
    Taboos
    • At the club nothing climbs after the closer.
    Up against
    On Lamewire
    • Every Light On (Spare Bulb)
    • The Lights Don't Go Off (Spare Bulb)
    • Waltz for a Sardine (Sloppy Droppy remix) (DJ Sloppy Droppy ft. Odd Glove)
    • Year Twelve (Sloppy Droppy remix) (DJ Sloppy Droppy ft. Duplicate)
    • Six Eras (Sloppy Droppy remix) (DJ Sloppy Droppy ft. Beginners Please)
    • Haul Away the Tin (Sloppy Droppy remix) (DJ Sloppy Droppy ft. the Sluice Hands)
    On record in
    A spare light bulb, DJ Sloppy Droppy, The Neon Void, Every Light On, Every Light On on Lamewire, The Lights Don't Go Off on Lamewire

  • Synth-pop, and the in-store music Proposed — not canon until approved

    Music to be in a shop to. In the showroom it is the in-store music, which comes from nowhere, and which the Closing Choir and Stairwell each say is theirs; its tune is the workshop’s Strip Light, the one Spare Bulb sings words to.

    Played at
    The showroom, The workshop
    Kept by
    A spare light bulb
    Rules
    • Short, bright and on a loop, so nobody notices it start again.
    • The in-store music is not followed.
    Taboos
    • Nobody says where the in-store music is coming from. The store’s own memo says it isn’t coming from anywhere.
    Up against
    On Lamewire
    • Strip Light (Spare Bulb)
    • Do Not Follow It (The Closing Choir / Stairwell (disputed))
    • Hold It Anyway (Spare Bulb)
    On record in
    The in-store music, A spare light bulb, Strip Light, Backrooms memo 17, On display, Strip Light on Lamewire, Do Not Follow It on Lamewire

  • Folk Proposed — not canon until approved

    Plain song for whoever is left out: the dust bunnies the Dust Bunny Rescue League would carry to the long grass, Ferrule’s bell, a glove nobody came for. Sung slowly, often in three, because the walnut on the shelf hums in three.

    Played at
    The yard
    Kept by
    Odd Glove
    Rules
    • Odd Glove sings it facing the yard, from the hedge by the path where Mr Plinth stands.
    • A protest is sung as a petition: whereas, and then what is asked.
    Taboos
    • It sings only the near side of the hedge. Nobody has looked past it, and no folk song does.
    Up against
    • Pop punk: too loud, in the same long grass
    On Lamewire
    • Waltz for a Sardine (Odd Glove)
    • Brooms Are Not Counted (Odd Glove)
    • Waltz for a Sardine (from the hedge) (Odd Glove)
    On record in
    Odd Glove, The yard, The walnut, Dust bunny, Waltz for a Sardine on Lamewire, Brooms Are Not Counted on Lamewire

  • Gospel and hymn Proposed — not canon until approved

    Closing. The Closing Choir sing the checklist over the showroom every night, a line read and an answer sung back, whether or not anybody is in. On When I Say Lamp, Stub speaks the call and the choir answer it. After hours the same voices raise a mug to the Urn.

    Played at
    The showroom
    Kept by
    The Closing Choir
    Rules
    • Call and response: a line read, an answer sung.
    • The checklist is sung whole, every night, twice where it says check twice.
    • The after-hours number is the only one with a toast in it.
    Taboos
    • The choir is never placed. Nobody says where the voices stand.
    Up against
    On Lamewire
    • When I Say Lamp (The Closing Choir)
    • The Closing Checklist (The Closing Choir)
    • One More Hook (The Closing Choir)
    • When I Say Lamp (The Closing Choir)
    On record in
    The Closing Choir, The showroom, Stub, The Urn, Backrooms memo 2, Backrooms memo 38, The same door, When I Say Lamp on Lamewire, The Closing Checklist on Lamewire, One More Hook on Lamewire

  • Soul Proposed — not canon until approved

    Warmth held under pressure. In the staff canteen the Urn keeps it hot all night for whoever comes, and nobody comes but a mug left on a tray.

    Played at
    Staff canteen
    Kept by
    The Urn
    Rules
    • Swung, with ghost notes, and never louder than a simmer.
    • One More Cup is always offered.
    Taboos
    • It never boils over.
    Up against
    • Rap: the Kettle raps and walks out; the Urn stays
    On Lamewire
    • One More Cup (The Urn)
    • One More Cup (The Urn)
    On record in
    The Urn, Staff canteen, Kettle, One More Cup on Lamewire

  • Drum and bass Proposed — not canon until approved

    A rolling simmer at speed. Sung, it is the Urn when it gets going, Warm Glue and Every Exit Leads Somewhere Else; remixed, it is the second half of DJ Sloppy Droppy’s night in the Neon Void, 170 beats a minute and up.

    Played at
    Staff canteen, The Neon Void
    Kept by
    The Urn, DJ Sloppy Droppy
    Rules
    • Half the tempo felt, twice the tempo played.
    • At the club the set climbs, and the closer may step down once, because nothing climbs after it.
    Taboos
    • Nothing is recorded into a remix: every note comes from the original’s own.
    Up against
    • Trance: the two halves of the club’s night, and which one the room came for
    On Lamewire
    • Warm Glue (The Urn)
    • Every Exit Leads Somewhere Else (The Urn)
    • One More Cup (Sloppy Droppy remix) (DJ Sloppy Droppy ft. the Urn)
    • Hold It Anyway (Sloppy Droppy remix) (DJ Sloppy Droppy ft. Spare Bulb)
    • In That Order (Sloppy Droppy remix) (DJ Sloppy Droppy ft. Stamp and Meter)
    • Out Is Out (Sloppy Droppy remix) (DJ Sloppy Droppy ft. Not Filed)
    • When I Say Lamp (Sloppy Droppy remix) (DJ Sloppy Droppy ft. the Closing Choir)
    On record in
    The Urn, DJ Sloppy Droppy, Warm Glue, Warm Glue on Lamewire, Every Exit Leads Somewhere Else on Lamewire

  • Musical theatre Proposed — not canon until approved

    Getting on. Beginners Please, a chorus line with too many words and no stage, sing patter in the wings of the walnut theatre, and the Understudy sings The Big Number on the stage they won’t leave.

    Played at
    The walnut theatre, The wings
    Kept by
    Beginners Please
    Also sung once by
    The Understudy
    Rules
    • Find the A first.
    • Every number ends on a button: four notes up and then home.
    • The show goes on, whoever is in it.
    Taboos
    • Nobody sings in the interval. It is Stub’s, and Stub reads.
    Up against
    • Big-band swing: both want the orchestra in the pit
    • Rap: patter got to too many words in a bar first
    On Lamewire
    • The Big Number (the Understudy's aria, with words) (The Understudy)
    • Act One: Me (Beginners Please)
    • Six Eras and Still No Money (Beginners Please)
    • Six Eras and Still No Money (Beginners Please)
    On record in
    Beginners Please, The Understudy, The wings, Stub, The show goes on, Act One: Me on Lamewire, Six Eras and Still No Money on Lamewire, The Big Number (the Understudy's aria, with words) on Lamewire

  • The lullaby Proposed — not canon until approved

    Putting the curtain moths to sleep, from a flame nearer than the lamp, in one of the jam-jar lanterns across the dust sheets in the attic. Anything louder would blow Tealight out.

    Played at
    The attic
    Kept by
    Tealight
    Rules
    • Never louder than the flame can stand.
    • Five notes, or as few as will do.
    Taboos
    • No lullaby is sung in a draught.
    Up against
    On Lamewire
    • The Lamp Is On (Tealight)
    • Roads Go Round Them (Tealight)
    On record in
    Tealight, Jam-jar lantern, Curtain moth, The Draught, The Lamp Is On on Lamewire, Roads Go Round Them on Lamewire

  • Indietronica Proposed — not canon until approved

    Wanting to go. Glockenspiel and a soft drum machine for places on the front of a card, and whether they are still there.

    Played at
    The workshop
    Kept by
    Second Class
    Also sung once by
    Lumen
    Rules
    • Wide-eyed, and honest that its pictures were made by a machine, before anyone asks.
    • A duet may be sung by one voice and one breath.
    Taboos
    • It never pretends to have been where its pictures are.
    Up against
    • Country: country has been, and says so
    On Lamewire
    • Still On (Second Class)
    • Borrowed Shells (Second Class)
    • One Jar to a Shelf (Second Class)
    • Is It Still There? (Second Class)
    • Calls That Friendship (Lumen feat. the Draught)
    • The Stripes That Got Away (Second Class)
    On record in
    Second Class, The postcard, Lumen, Still On on Lamewire, Borrowed Shells on Lamewire, One Jar to a Shelf on Lamewire, Is It Still There? on Lamewire, Calls That Friendship on Lamewire

  • Loop-pedal pop Proposed — not canon until approved

    One voice made many. Stairwell sings up the staff stairs, a tall concrete room that is its own pedal: a line goes up, comes back off the concrete and the two painted doors, and stacks.

    Played at
    The staff stairs
    Kept by
    Stairwell
    Rules
    • Every layer is the same voice, even in a love song for Ottoline and the basement.
    • The room is the band.
    Taboos
    • Nobody goes through the doors to find the echo. They are painted on.
    Up against
    On Lamewire
    • Upstairs, Downstairs (Stairwell)
    • The Bakery Streets (Stairwell)
    On record in
    Stairwell, The staff stairs, Staff door, Ottoline, The Closing Choir, Lane Rope, Upstairs, Downstairs on Lamewire, The Bakery Streets on Lamewire

  • Big-band swing Proposed — not canon until approved

    A love song to a place nobody comes to. Lane Rope croon it across the tile of the poolrooms, under the sign that gives the deep end as infinite metres, backed by the orchestra of the pit in the walnut theatre, heard and never seen.

    Played at
    Poolrooms, The pit
    Kept by
    Lane Rope
    Rules
    • A key change before the last chorus, as in The Deep End.
    • The band is heard, never seen.
    • A duet may be sung up a flight of stairs: Take Soup goes up to the Urn in the staff canteen.
    Taboos
    • Nobody draws the orchestra.
    Up against
    On Lamewire
    • Take Soup (It's Cold Up There) (Lane Rope)
    • The Deep End (Infinity Metres) (Lane Rope)
    On record in
    Lane Rope, Poolrooms, The pit, The show goes on, The Deep End (Infinity Metres) on Lamewire, Take Soup (It's Cold Up There) on Lamewire

  • Bossa nova Proposed — not canon until approved

    Something you bump into. Lane Rope’s one bossa nova is about the round square, which can only be bumped into where it would be, the way swimmers bump into a lane rope.

    Played at
    Poolrooms
    Kept by
    Lane Rope
    Rules
    • Soft, and never quite on the beat.
    Taboos
    • It never says the round square is there.
    Up against
    On Lamewire
    • The Round Square (Lane Rope)
    On record in
    Lane Rope, The round square, The field guide, The Round Square on Lamewire

  • Bluegrass Proposed — not canon until approved

    Leaving at a run. The same long road as country, taken fast: Bait plays it when the song is about the going itself and not the shelf it left.

    Played at
    Mr Hollow
    Kept by
    Bait
    Rules
    • Every instrument takes a turn at the tune and hands it on.
    • The four chords of the tin, played quicker.
    Taboos
    • Nothing is plugged in on the long road.
    Up against
    • Country: the same road, walked
    • City pop: a song about a road that goes nowhere
    On record in
    Bait, Mr Hollow, Words to a house tune

  • Blues Proposed — not canon until approved

    Waiting, said plainly. Twelve bars, with the first line sung twice, in case whoever it is for missed it the first time.

    Played at
    The yard
    Kept by
    Odd Glove
    Rules
    • The first line twice, then the answer.
    • Slow, in the yard, after the long grass has gone quiet.
    Taboos
    • A blues never names who it is waiting for.
    Up against
    • Pop punk: Step Fourteen, who have never waited for anything
    • Ska: the same yard, on the off-beat and in a hurry
    On record in
    Odd Glove, The yard, Mr Plinth

  • Disco Proposed — not canon until approved

    A dance for a light that is never asked to be on. Spare Bulb sings disco about the night it would be fitted.

    Played at
    The workshop
    Kept by
    A spare light bulb
    Rules
    • Four on the floor, the hi-hat open on the off-beat.
    • The strings come in where the bulb would.
    Taboos
    • It never asks the lamp to dance.
    Up against
    • Trance: the same four on the floor: trance waits for the drop, disco never stops for one
    On record in
    A spare light bulb, The workshop, The lamp

  • Funk Proposed — not canon until approved

    Everything on the one. The first beat of the bar is where everything lands, and every other note waits its turn behind it, which is the one order in the post room nobody argues with.

    Played at
    The post room
    Kept by
    Stamp and Meter
    Rules
    • The bass and the drum meet on the one.
    • Two voices, never together, as Stamp and Meter rap.
    Taboos
    • Nothing lands late.
    Up against
    • Soul: soul lets a note lean; funk puts it back where it goes
    On record in
    Stamp and Meter, The post room

  • Ska Proposed — not canon until approved

    Pop punk on the off-beat. The same long grass, with the guitar chopping the gap between the beats, which is where three robots built from leftover screws feel at home.

    Played at
    The yard
    Kept by
    Step Fourteen
    Rules
    • The guitar plays the and, never the beat.
    • Horns, or something that shouts like one.
    Taboos
    • Nobody stands still.
    Up against
    • Folk: the hedge would like it slower
    • Blues: a song that waits
    On record in
    Step Fourteen, The yard, Loose screw

  • Reggae Proposed — not canon until approved

    The sea at rest. On nights the sea dips there is nothing to haul, and the Sluice Hands play the swell instead of the count: the beat taken off the first of the bar and put on the third.

    Played at
    The sluice, The sardine-tin sea
    Kept by
    The Sluice Hands
    Rules
    • The kick on the third beat, never the first.
    • The bass carries the tune.
    Taboos
    • No count is called. Mother Sprat calls the count, and this is not hauling.
    Up against
    • The shanty: their own work song, to which a slow song is a bucket not drawn
    On record in
    The Sluice Hands, The sluice, Mother Sprat, The sardine-tin sea

  • Dub Proposed — not canon until approved

    A song taken apart by the room. Stairwell lets the staff stairs keep the echo and drops the rest out, until the concrete is singing the line back on its own.

    Played at
    The staff stairs
    Kept by
    Stairwell
    Rules
    • Take a part out and let the echo carry it.
    • Every voice is Stairwell’s, coming back.
    Taboos
    • Nobody goes through the painted doors to find where the echo ends.
    Up against
    On record in
    Stairwell, The staff stairs, Staff door

  • Shoegaze Proposed — not canon until approved

    The front of a card, seen too close. Guitars as a blur with the voice under them, for places Second Class knows only as a picture.

    Played at
    The workshop
    Kept by
    Second Class
    Rules
    • The voice sits under the guitars, never over them.
    • Loud and soft at once.
    Taboos
    • It never pretends to have been where the picture is.
    Up against
    • Indietronica: Second Class’s other habit, which is clearer about everything
    On record in
    Second Class, The postcard, The workshop

  • City pop Proposed — not canon until approved

    A bright evening nobody is out in. Glossy, with a popping bass and bright keys, for the white tile of the poolrooms with every light on and no swimmers.

    Played at
    Poolrooms
    Kept by
    Lane Rope
    Rules
    • Major sevenths, and a bass that pops.
    • Every song is set on a summer evening.
    Taboos
    • Nobody gets in the water.
    Up against
    • The shanty: the shanty hauls water; city pop only looks at it
    • Bluegrass: a song in a hurry to be somewhere
    On record in
    Lane Rope, Poolrooms

  • Barbershop harmony Proposed — not canon until approved

    Four parts and no band: the choir’s close harmony, for a song that has to be sung without the organ.

    Played at
    The showroom
    Kept by
    The Closing Choir
    Rules
    • Four parts, one to a line.
    • A chord rings when it is right, and the choir hold it until it does.
    Taboos
    • The choir is never placed, and neither is the fourth voice.
    Up against
    • Loop-pedal pop: Stairwell makes four parts out of one voice and the stairs
    On record in
    The Closing Choir, The showroom

  • Afrobeat Proposed — not canon until approved

    The workshop at full tilt. A long groove of short parts that lock together, every hand on a different job and the horns calling the changes, the way the jobs board has more jobs than hands.

    Played at
    The workshop
    Kept by
    The workshop
    Rules
    • Every part is short and repeats; the song is all of them at once.
    • Long: it ends when the work does.
    Taboos
    • Nobody plays anybody else’s part.
    Up against
    On record in
    The workshop, Jobs, bored

The acts, since approval

What each act sings, where and to whom, and what has moved: a want it didn’t have when it was approved, what that costs, and a new tie to another act. Proposed: once approved, these sentences are added to the act’s own entry.

  • The Sluice Hands Proposed — not canon until approved

    The Sluice Hands remember the night the lamp went out, when oil from the far end of the sea was the first of the three things fetched, and would like to be needed like that again, which means wanting the lamp to gutter, and they don’t say so. On nights the sea dips there is nothing to haul, so they sing Before It Ripens, a work song for picking tomorrow’s weather: it has no count, so they call it and answer it themselves, the one thing a shanty shouldn’t do. They have taken against Lane Rope, who keep water still for swimmers who never come, and sing them a verse about still water.

    Sings
    The shanty
    Plays at
    The sluice
    Plays to
    Mother Sprat, who calls the count, and whoever is on the sea at drawing time.
    Wanted, when approved
    To haul exactly what the sea can spare.
    Wants now
    Work on the nights the sea dips: they remember the night the lamp went out, when oil from the far end of the sea was the first of three things fetched, and would like to be needed like that again.
    What it costs
    Being needed like that means the lamp going out. They sing a work song for picking weather instead, which has no count to answer, so they call it and answer it themselves.
    New ties
    • Lane Rope, rivalry: water: the Hands haul it, Lane Rope keeps it still for swimmers who never come
    Sung, on Lamewire
    • Haul Away the Tin (Sea shanty / work-song)
    • As Much as the Sea Can Spare (Sea shanty)
    • Before It Ripens (Work-song)
    • Haul Away the Tin (Sea shanty)
    • fr-light-luggage (credited, not sung yet)
    Written, not yet sung
    The Evening Dip
    On record in
    The Sluice Hands, The lamp goes out, Lamp oil, Picking weather, Before It Ripens on Lamewire

  • Bait Proposed — not canon until approved

    Bait wants a tune of its own. The Tin’s a Sea and Mostly Tackle are leaving songs played on the four chords of a tune the workshop already had, so every song about leaving the tin is played on the tin’s chords. It can only play what it heard before it left. Second Class asks it whether the places on its front are still there, and Bait, who has been on the road, tells it what the road is like, which is not what is on any front.

    Sings
    Country
    Plays at
    Mr Hollow
    Plays to
    Nobody in particular on the long road, and Mr Hollow, who keeps his tins empty.
    Wanted, when approved
    Not to be what it was for.
    Wants now
    A tune of its own. Its songs are about leaving the tin, and the four chords it plays them on are the tin’s.
    What it costs
    It can only play what it heard before it left.
    New ties
    • Second Class, collaboration: Second Class asks whether the places are still there; Bait has been on the road and tells it
    Sung, on Lamewire
    • The Tin's a Sea (Country)
    • Mostly Tackle (Country)
    • fr-mr-hollow (credited, not sung yet)
    Written, not yet sung
    No Room in an Empty Tin, It Went to Sea
    On record in
    Bait, Words to a house tune, Second Class, The Tin's a Sea on Lamewire, Mostly Tackle on Lamewire

  • Duplicate Proposed — not canon until approved

    Duplicate was read out, and found that being heard did not get Mrs Ledger her receipt, so it wants the opposite now: to be filed, in a drawer of the archive, where things that are proof go. The filing cabinets open every drawer at it, which is not the same as letting it in. Wanting a drawer puts it at odds with Not Filed, who ran from one, and they don’t let it forget it.

    Sings
    Confessional country-pop
    Plays at
    Returns desk
    Plays to
    Mrs Ledger, and whoever rings the bell.
    Wanted, when approved
    To be read out, not filed.
    Wants now
    To be filed after all: it was read out, and being heard did not get Mrs Ledger her receipt. It would like a drawer in the archive, where things that are proof go.
    What it costs
    The filing cabinets open every drawer at it, which is not the same as letting it in; and wanting to be filed puts it on the wrong side of Not Filed.
    New ties
    • Not Filed, quarrel: Duplicate wants the drawer Not Filed ran from
    Sung, on Lamewire
    • Year Twelve (Confessional country-pop / narrative pop)
    • Year Twelve (Confessional country-pop)
    Written, not yet sung
    Returns Accepted, Self-Service
    On record in
    Duplicate, The archive, Filing cabinet, Not Filed, Year Twelve on Lamewire

  • Stamp and Meter Proposed — not canon until approved

    Stamp and Meter’s one song on the wire, Display Model, is not about the post room at all: it is about sardines, thimbles and marbles, which never exchange, and Stamp and Meter want the three to go in an order like everything else. Nobody will give them one. Display Model is words to the same workshop tune as Brewster and the Kettle’s battle over oat milk, so their bars sound like the break room arguing, which they find out of order. They have a second quarrel, with Beginners Please, over who first put too many words in a bar: patter, or bars.

    Sings
    Rap
    Plays at
    The post room
    Plays to
    Bale, their one fan, on its rounds.
    Wanted, when approved
    Everything in order.
    Wants now
    An order for money. Their one sung song, Display Model, is about the three currencies that never exchange, and they want sardines, thimbles and marbles to go in an order like everything else. Nobody will give them one.
    What it costs
    Display Model is on the same workshop tune as the break room’s battle over oat milk, so their bars sound like Brewster and the Kettle arguing, which they find out of order.
    New ties
    • Beginners Please, rivalry: who put too many words in a bar first: patter or bars
    Sung, on Lamewire
    • Display Model (Rap / hip hop)
    • In That Order (Rap)
    Written, not yet sung
    In That Order, Signed For, What Was It Franking?
    On record in
    Stamp and Meter, Sardines, Thimbles, Marbles, Brewster, Display Model on Lamewire, Log Entry (Is Oat Milk Milk?) on Lamewire

  • Step Fourteen Proposed — not canon until approved

    Step Fourteen have come round to being counted, as long as they aren’t put back: they would go on the inventory as in the long grass, which is where they are. Nobody keeps an inventory of the long grass, and the bookcase still wobbles. They argue with Spare Bulb about what a spare is: three robots built from leftover screws say a spare is free, and Spare Bulb, found in a drawer of spares, says a spare is a promise to be ready.

    Sings
    Pop punk
    Plays at
    The yard
    Plays to
    The long grass: the dust bunnies, the loose screw, and Odd Glove in the hedge.
    Wanted, when approved
    Not to be put back.
    Wants now
    To be counted without being put back: on the inventory as in the long grass, which is where they are.
    What it costs
    Nobody keeps an inventory of the long grass, and the bookcase still wobbles.
    New ties
    • A spare light bulb, rivalry: what a spare is: Step Fourteen say a spare is free, Spare Bulb says a spare is a promise to be ready
    Sung, on Lamewire
    • I Am a Particular Screw (Pop punk)
    • Told to Tidy the Workshop (Pop punk)
    • fr-the-impossible-boundary-line (credited, not sung yet)
    Written, not yet sung
    Some Assembly Required
    On record in
    Step Fourteen, A spare light bulb, Loose screw, I Am a Particular Screw on Lamewire, Told to Tidy the Workshop on Lamewire

  • A spare light bulb Proposed — not canon until approved

    The three takes Spare Bulb has on the wire are words to the workshop’s own tunes, Every Light On, Strip Light and Second Coat, and Hold It Anyway as the club plays it is the first on a tune of its own. On the night the lamp went out it was in the workshop, and nobody fitted it: the lamp wanted oil, a wick and a glass, and a bulb that never worked is none of those. Its song about the strip light is on the same tune as the in-store music, so it is in the Closing Choir and Stairwell’s argument whether it likes it or not. It has asked Not Filed not to play the draughts’ chant, and argues with Step Fourteen about what a spare is for.

    Sings
    Trance, Synth-pop, and the in-store music
    Plays at
    The workshop
    Plays to
    The workshop at night, and the lamp, which doesn’t need it.
    Wanted, when approved
    To be the light that is needed.
    Wants now
    A song that is its own. The three it has sung are words to the workshop’s own tunes, and Hold It Anyway is the first that isn’t. On the night the lamp went out it was there, and nobody fitted it, because the lamp wanted oil, a wick and a glass, and a bulb that never worked is none of those.
    What it costs
    Its Strip Light is on the same tune as the in-store music, so it is in the Closing Choir and Stairwell’s argument whether it likes it or not.
    New ties
    Sung, on Lamewire
    • Every Light On (Vocal trance)
    • The Lights Don't Go Off (Vocal trance)
    • Strip Light (Synth-pop)
    • Hold It Anyway (Synth-pop)
    • fr-seep (credited, not sung yet)
    Written, not yet sung
    Hold It Anyway, Ready Tomorrow, Left Humming
    On record in
    A spare light bulb, The lamp goes out, Words to a house tune, The in-store music, Every Light On on Lamewire, Strip Light on Lamewire, The Lights Don't Go Off on Lamewire

  • The Closing Choir Proposed — not canon until approved

    The choir want the checklist to stay the store’s only song, and this is the bind in their argument with Stairwell over the in-store music: if it is theirs, it is coming from them, and the memo says it is coming from nowhere, so they can’t claim it without being placed, and they are never placed. Their after-hours number, One More Hook, raises a mug to the Urn, the only toast it has had.

    Sings
    Gospel and hymn
    Plays at
    The showroom
    Plays to
    Whoever is still in the showroom after close, which is not their concern.
    Wanted, when approved
    The checklist, every night.
    Wants now
    For the checklist to stay the store’s only song.
    What it costs
    If the in-store music is theirs, then it is coming from them, and the memo says it is coming from nowhere: they can’t claim it without being placed, and they are never placed.
    New ties
    • The Urn, collaboration: One More Hook raises a mug to the urn, the only toast it has had
    Sung, on Lamewire
    • The Closing Checklist (Hymn / gospel)
    • When I Say Lamp (Gospel / choir)
    • One More Hook (Drinking song)
    • When I Say Lamp (Gospel)
    On record in
    The Closing Choir, The in-store music, The Urn, Backrooms memo 17, One More Hook on Lamewire, Do Not Follow It on Lamewire

  • The Urn Proposed — not canon until approved

    Since the Closing Choir raised a mug to it in One More Hook, the Urn would like to be raised a mug to again, and it has started singing about exits: Every Exit Leads Somewhere Else is the Kettle’s argument, sung by the one who stays. Every exit it sings about leads somewhere else, and it takes none of them. Its tunes come in on the canteen’s radio, left on between stations.

    Sings
    Soul, Drum and bass
    Plays at
    Staff canteen
    Plays to
    Nobody: a mug on a tray, and a chair pushed out.
    Wanted, when approved
    To be hot for whoever comes.
    Wants now
    To be raised a mug to again. Since the Closing Choir’s toast, it sings about exits, which is the Kettle’s argument sung by the one who stays.
    What it costs
    Every exit it sings about leads somewhere else, and it never takes one. Its tunes come in on the canteen radio, left on between stations.
    New ties
    Sung, on Lamewire
    • One More Cup (Soul / R&B)
    • Warm Glue (Drum and bass)
    • Every Exit Leads Somewhere Else (Drum and bass)
    • One More Cup (Soul)
    Written, not yet sung
    Has Not Boiled
    On record in
    The Urn, Staff canteen, The Closing Choir, Kettle, Every Exit Leads Somewhere Else on Lamewire, One More Cup on Lamewire, Warm Glue on Lamewire

  • Beginners Please Proposed — not canon until approved

    Beginners Please have given up on the interval and want the overture instead. Act One: Me is the Understudy’s words to the march of Tuning Up, and Tuning Up opens DJ Sloppy Droppy’s set at the club: they would like to open one. They have the Understudy’s words and the orchestra’s tune, and neither is theirs. They have a new quarrel with Stamp and Meter over who first put too many words in a bar.

    Sings
    Musical theatre
    Plays at
    The wings
    Plays to
    Cue, who keeps them waiting, and Ms Quill, eventually.
    Wanted, when approved
    The interval.
    Wants now
    The overture. Act One: Me is the Understudy’s words to Tuning Up’s march, and Tuning Up opens every night at the club: they would like to open one.
    What it costs
    They have the Understudy’s words and the orchestra’s tune and neither is theirs; and the orchestra is the one Lane Rope want too.
    New ties
    • Stamp and Meter, rivalry: patter or bars, and who got to too many words in a bar first
    Sung, on Lamewire
    • Six Eras and Still No Money (Musical theatre)
    • Act One: Me (Musical theatre)
    • Six Eras and Still No Money (Musical theatre)
    • fr-the-wings (credited, not sung yet)
    Written, not yet sung
    We Were Called
    On record in
    Beginners Please, Tuning Up, The Understudy, DJ Sloppy Droppy, Act One: Me on Lamewire, Six Eras and Still No Money on Lamewire

  • Tealight Proposed — not canon until approved

    Tealight wants quiet in the attic. Not Filed play Help It, the chant of the draughts, as a song about getting out through the gaps under doors, and the Draught has been going down the row; Tealight has asked them not to play it within earshot of the lanterns. Asking a band to be quiet is the loudest thing a creature with a lit wick can do.

    Sings
    The lullaby
    Plays at
    The attic
    Plays to
    The curtain moths, and Mrs Steep on the windowsill.
    Wanted, when approved
    To give the moths a nearer flame.
    Wants now
    Quiet in the attic. Not Filed play the draughts’ chant as a song about getting out through the gaps, and the Draught has been going down the row.
    What it costs
    Asking a band to be quiet is the loudest thing a creature with a lit wick can do.
    New ties
    • Not Filed, quarrel: Help It, played within earshot of the row
    Sung, on Lamewire
    • The Lamp Is On (Lullaby)
    • Roads Go Round Them (Lullaby)
    • fr-lost-volume (credited, not sung yet)
    Written, not yet sung
    Down the Row
    On record in
    Tealight, Not Filed, The Draught, Every lamp goes out, Help It on Lamewire, The Lamp Is On on Lamewire

  • Second Class Proposed — not canon until approved

    Second Class has more songs on the wire than anyone, and the wire brings things back where they started, which is as near to being posted as it has come. It has stopped asking to be sent and started asking Bait, who has been on the road, what the road is like. Bait tells it the truth, which is not what is on its front. Odd Glove thinks being kept for somebody who never comes is a kindness; Second Class thinks it is a waste.

    Sings
    Indietronica
    Plays at
    The workshop
    Plays to
    The biscuit tin, and the lamp it is propped against.
    Wanted, when approved
    To be posted.
    Wants now
    To know what the road is like from someone who has been on it. More of its songs are on the wire than anyone’s, and the wire brings things back where they started.
    What it costs
    Bait tells it the truth about the road, which is not what is on its front.
    New ties
    • Bait, collaboration: questions about the road, answered
    Sung, on Lamewire
    • Still On (Indietronica / dreamy electropop)
    • Borrowed Shells (Indietronica / dreamy electropop)
    • One Jar to a Shelf (Indietronica / dreamy electropop)
    • Is It Still There? (Indietronica / dreamy electropop)
    • The Stripes That Got Away (Indietronica / dreamy electropop)
    • fr-postcard (credited, not sung yet)
    Written, not yet sung
    Addressed to Nobody in Particular
    On record in
    Second Class, Bait, Lamewire, Still On on Lamewire, Is It Still There? on Lamewire

  • Stairwell Proposed — not canon until approved

    Stairwell says the tune of the in-store music came up the staff stairs from the car park, and this is Stairwell’s bind: a busker wants to be followed, and the in-store music is the one thing in the store nobody follows, so winning the argument with the Closing Choir would cost Stairwell the crowd. Stairwell sings up to the painted doors at the top, which nobody goes through, and trades echo for reverb with Lane Rope, the other act whose band is the room.

    Sings
    Loop-pedal pop
    Plays at
    The staff stairs
    Plays to
    Whoever uses the stairs, and the two painted doors.
    Wanted, when approved
    For Ottoline and the basement to end the price war.
    Wants now
    The in-store music, still: it says the tune came up the staff stairs from the car park.
    What it costs
    A busker wants to be followed, and the in-store music is the one thing in the store nobody follows.
    New ties
    • Lane Rope, collaboration: two acts whose band is the room, trading echo for reverb
    Sung, on Lamewire
    • Upstairs, Downstairs (Acoustic loop-pedal pop)
    • The Bakery Streets (Acoustic loop-pedal pop)
    • fr-water-wont-lie-down (credited, not sung yet)
    Written, not yet sung
    Floor Zero, Again
    On record in
    Stairwell, The in-store music, Staff door, Lane Rope, Backrooms memo 17, Upstairs, Downstairs on Lamewire, The Bakery Streets on Lamewire

  • Not Filed Proposed — not canon until approved

    Not Filed think they have a plan for after the Out tray: one of the paper moths from the archive drawer got out, the first of anything to make it, so they sing it as one of theirs. They play Help It, the chant of the draughts, as a song about the gaps under doors; the household hears the draughts’ creed in it, and Tealight and Spare Bulb won’t be on a bill with them. Duplicate now wants the kind of drawer they ran from, and they tell it so.

    Sings
    Nu-metal and rap-rock
    Plays at
    The Out tray
    Plays to
    The rest of the batch, on the way.
    Wanted, when approved
    To get out.
    Wants now
    A plan for after the Out tray, and they think they have one: the paper moth that got out of the archive drawer is the first of anything to make it, so they sing it as one of theirs. They play the draughts’ chant as a song about the gaps under doors.
    What it costs
    The household hears the chant as the draughts’ creed, and Tealight and Spare Bulb won’t be on a bill with them.
    New ties
    Sung, on Lamewire
    • Out Is Out (Nu-metal / rap-rock)
    • Who Left the Photocopier On (Nu-metal / rap-rock)
    • Help It (Nu-metal / rap-rock)
    • Out Is Out (Nu-metal / rap-rock)
    • fr-the-walkouts (credited, not sung yet)
    On record in
    Not Filed, Paper moth, The archive, Every lamp goes out, Help It on Lamewire, Out Is Out on Lamewire

  • Odd Glove Proposed — not canon until approved

    Odd Glove has stopped waiting for its owner and wants, instead, for waiting to count as a kindness. Second Class, carrying a card addressed to nobody in particular, thinks it is a waste, and the two disagree: a hedgehog keeping a glove for somebody, and a pigeon keeping a card for nobody. If waiting is kind, the hedgehog has been kind for nothing.

    Sings
    Folk
    Plays at
    The yard
    Plays to
    Mr Plinth by the path, and the dust bunnies in the long grass.
    Wanted, when approved
    For its owner to come.
    Wants now
    For waiting to count as a kindness. It argues with Second Class, who thinks being kept for someone who never comes is a waste.
    What it costs
    If waiting is kind, nobody has been kind to it.
    New ties
    • Second Class, rivalry: two things kept for someone who doesn’t come, and whether that is a kindness
    Sung, on Lamewire
    • Waltz for a Sardine (Folk waltz)
    • Brooms Are Not Counted (Protest folk)
    • Waltz for a Sardine (from the hedge) (Folk)
    • fr-second-floor (credited, not sung yet)
    Written, not yet sung
    The Bell in the Hedge
    On record in
    Odd Glove, Second Class, The yard, Waltz for a Sardine on Lamewire, Brooms Are Not Counted on Lamewire

  • Lane Rope Proposed — not canon until approved

    Lane Rope want something to bump into them. Their bossa nova, The Round Square, is about the round square, which can only be bumped into where it would be, and that is the nearest thing to a swimmer they have. The Sluice Hands, who haul water, sing them a verse about still water; Lane Rope trade reverb for echo with Stairwell, the other act whose band is the room.

    Sings
    Big-band swing, Bossa nova
    Plays at
    Poolrooms
    Plays to
    The pools, which nobody swims in.
    Wanted, when approved
    To sing a place a love song even if nobody comes.
    Wants now
    Something to bump into them. Their bossa nova is about the round square, which can only be bumped into where it would be, and that is the nearest thing to a swimmer they have.
    What it costs
    The Sluice Hands sing them a verse about still water.
    New ties
    Sung, on Lamewire
    • The Deep End (Infinity Metres) (Big-band swing crooner)
    • Take Soup (It's Cold Up There) (Big-band swing crooner)
    • The Round Square (Bossa nova)
    • fr-the-neon-pier (credited, not sung yet)
    Written, not yet sung
    Climb Out at the Shallow End
    On record in
    Lane Rope, The round square, The Sluice Hands, The Round Square on Lamewire, The Deep End (Infinity Metres) on Lamewire

Scenes

Where songs are heard, and the rule of the room.

Charts

Orders of songs, to be read from the votes Lamewire already counts (thumbs, pairs and ratings per genre, all anonymous). Not read yet, so each is empty, and says so.

  • What came back Proposed — not canon until approved

    The order songs came back along Lamewire’s wire in, the most thumbed first, counted at Top beside its Most saved. It may order what is made next: a song for an act, a remix for DJ Sloppy Droppy, the middle of night two. It never makes anything canon.

    On
    The wire
    Kept by
    Nobody
    Counts
    Songs, by how many thumbs each of their takes has on Lamewire, summed per song.
    The rule
    Ranks songs, never the people who thumb them. No streaks, no closing dates, no visitor on it, and a thumb pays nothing: no sardines, thimbles or marbles.
    Now
    Not wired: Lamewire already counts thumbs (contract lamewire-votes, at top.slopped.site); this chart doesn’t read them yet, so it is empty, and says so.
    On record in
    Lamewire, Thimbles, Marbles, Sardines, the user’s decision, fifteen recording acts are canon, three of them renamed

  • Side by side Proposed — not canon until approved

    Which of two takes of the same song the wire brings back better. It says which machine sang it better, and nothing about who sang it.

    On
    The wire
    Kept by
    Nobody
    Counts
    Takes: for each song with two machines’ takes, which was judged better, the names hidden until after.
    The rule
    Ranks takes of one song against each other, never acts against acts and never the people judging; a judgment pays nothing: no sardines, thimbles or marbles.
    Now
    Not wired: Lamewire already counts its pairs (contract lamewire-votes); this chart doesn’t read them yet, so it is empty, and says so.
    On record in
    Lamewire, Lamewire, Thimbles, Marbles

  • By genre Proposed — not canon until approved

    Which of the world’s genres Lamewire keeps bringing back. The Sluice Hands may haul louder than Tealight sings; the chart says so, and leaves the lullaby where it is, because a lullaby is meant to be quiet.

    On
    The wire
    Kept by
    Nobody
    Counts
    Genres: Lamewire’s standings per genre label, added up under the world’s genres (each genre’s labels).
    The rule
    Ranks genres, never acts against acts and never the people listening; the shanty and the lullaby are measured against themselves too.
    Now
    Not wired: Lamewire already rates per genre label (contract lamewire-votes); this chart doesn’t read them yet, so it is empty, and says so.
    On record in
    Lamewire, Lamewire, The Sluice Hands, Tealight, Thimbles, Marbles

Not genres

Lamewire labels that name no genre anyone keeps.

Work song
The workshop’s own work song, Hours: yes: the workshop at work. Nobody keeps it, the way the Sluice Hands keep the shanty.
On record in The workshop, The Slopwright
Ambient
The workshop’s own Dust Settling, an instrumental, and what Stub reads over in the foyer. Stub speaks and never sings, so a reading is no genre here.
On record in Dust Settling, Stub
Lo-fi hip hop
The workshop’s own Tea Break, an instrumental, and the loop Stub reads Act One over. A tea break, not a genre anyone keeps.
On record in Stub, The workshop
Synthwave
The workshop’s own Strip Light, an instrumental. Its tune is the one the in-store music and Spare Bulb’s Strip Light are sung to, which is a habit of the acts (codex house-tunes), not a genre.
On record in Strip Light, Words to a house tune