I remembered this article about the Myanmar jade trade I read a while back. I reread it, and then I read some more articles, and then I watched a documentary, and then I wrote this song. Sorry to get all serious 🙁

Liner notes:
SpoilerI find repetition easy, the "gradual emphasis" part of the challenge was a bit trickier to interpret though. Hopefully I've managed it. The song has the same simple bassline repeating throughout, and then I introduced other repetitive elements as I went along - like the USB connect/disconnect noise sounding synth, the high synth melody, and the strings - and gradually brought them all together, which I hope fulfils the challenge. I also tried to get the gradual emphasis on repetition in the lyrics, with the "your life is semiprecious" line appearing at first intermittently and then getting repeated more frequently as the song goes on.

Lyrically, once I had decided to write about the ecological and human rights disaster of jade mining in Myanmar, I fixated on the idea that if you interpreted the word semiprecious quite literally it would mean "half as valuable", which seemed a good way to view our detached relationship from the low paid, poorly treated workers making any number of the products we buy. I liked the lyric "your life is semiprecious" as some sort of comment on that.

In terms of the song itself I wanted it to sound really intense and almost oppressive, but still be quite melodic, trying to musically get across the ugliness and the beauty side by side. I wanted the bassline to be super upfront in the mix, which made creating clarity in the rest of the mix and the vocals much harder, but hopefully I've managed it. And then to contrast the grinding bassline I tried to adopt a singsongy, sort of nursery rhyme vocal melody in parts, particularly the "all the semiprecious, a tidal wave of dirt" section. I also wanted this switching between clean vocals and distorted, scuzzy vocals throughout the song, again trying to get this idea of that ugliness lurking beneath the goop-y sheen.

Semiprecious - The Lowest Bitter

blood, jade and silicosis,
your life is semiprecious
workers lost in a landslide
" goop™ " upon the gravestone
your life is semiprecious
but the jade rollers are in right now!
needling the earth,
and a needle in the arm,
your life is semiprecious
a stain upon your gemstone,
the evil in your palm
your life is semiprecious
your life is semiprecious

tearing down the forest,
turn it all to dust -
it's only semiprecious!
are you coughing up a lung?
are you coughing up blood?
you're only semiprecious!

all the semiprecious,
a tidal wave of dirt,
only semiprecious,
buried in the earth,
all the semiprecious,
a tidal wave of dirt,
only semiprecious,
buried in the earth

somewhere in this wasteland,
among the shifting scree
there are riches,
there's a future,
all waiting for me,
just don't let this ground collapse beneath
just don't let this ground swallow me
just don't let this ground collapse
(your life is semiprecious)
just don't let this ground
(your life is semiprecious)

all the semiprecious,
a tidal wave of dirt,
only semiprecious,
buried in the earth,
(your life is semiprecious)
all the semiprecious,
a tidal wave of dirt,
only semiprecious,
buried in the earth
(your life is semiprecious)

your life is semiprecious
your life is semiprecious