So we released a bunch of stuff that I had not mentioned here, careless of me.
Follow the Fanatic [Disc 1]
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| (click the picture to stream or download the album) |
I guess it is presumptuous to a degree, but we've always been inspired second-hand (and sometimes directly) by social and cultural events around us. While this was way more apparent in the first two albums (composed while both of us were in Pakistan), it sort of strayed of for the later ones; they became more self-centered and personal, if you can perceive instrumental music as that..
(An aimless diatribe follows, which alludes to very touchy issues, ignore if you prefer no concepts to the music. I just include it to give you my perspective or context of the music we made, for honesty`s sake. It is a source of our inspiration for the songs, not the meaning of the songs themselves)
This is probably our most somber album since In the Land of Dreams, but it is not in anguish. More like the Drone Collective, hence the similar black and white art. But unlike any of the others, it is not a reflection of the history and the current. It is a forecast.
No one can deny that we have progressed tremendously in the past centuries. We first built societies, and now we have built societies out of those societies themselves, and so on. Thus the foundations have changed, and now more than ever before, our values stand on values stand on values. For instance, you would not care about internet etiquette if your current etiquette does not care about the internet in the first place. You would not care about etiquette if your society does not stand on that etiquette. So while the world comes closer and closer, in a sense it divides further, and creates more of these foundations for sub societies, which make it branch out even more.
So there will be a point when we run out of the shortening social space while the branches continue to divide, and there will be collision. There are always collisions, but a lot of us just ignore them instead of reflecting. I can`t blame them, too less time, but it will not be a choice to ignore soon. There will be intertwining, and we can choose to merge and join rather than to extend the impact.
This refers to a lot of things. Something as subtle as font choice to as complicated as relationship issues, harassment and culture wars. It requires a two way effort. For instance, I can blame a person for pirating, but unless I gather why the piracy in the first place, and fully understand it instead of dismissing it and being indignant, I`m just opting for a location and implication of the collision of our branches of opinions.
I do not believe this can change the minds of those who want to kill these branches, but I know the majority of the silent bystanders stay silent because they do not want a collision, and are not sure of a joined opinion. It is a forecast to them; there will be a collision in your private thinking space no matter how long you delay it, and the best that can be done is to agree to disagree, and to create a new branch out of it. Sooner or later we all have to either follow the fanatic or become one.
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Musically, the tracks simulate the collision of the branches. The clash of cultures, of scales, of melodies and moods. Without a clear line to them. Because sometimes you just take in different ideas, and would like to put them side by side and no one declared a winner. Think of them as prepsoundtracks in waiting lounges and bars, while you prepare for the next impact.
Ofcourse, we have had a few friends of ours feature in the tracks, and are very grateful to them. Their links (if any) are as follows.
Sister Savage: https://soundcloud.com/tess-savage
Talha Wynne: https://soundcloud.com/talhawynne
Tracer Journeys - Live Dronings with MMI [Disc 2] |
| Click the picture to download or stream the album |
On to Disc 2. Not conceptual, in fact it was done in a completely different vein, a live recorded album made in one afternoon with MMI and a guest 4 Days of Night. However, the mood echoed by this was remarkable similar to our album, and considerably different from the other MMI collabs. Known as we are for making ridiculously long albums, we decided to release a two disc effort and keep the recognition going.
Personally, this has a very strong visual image to me: think of trekking a surreal Sahara Desert alone under bright stars and moonlight, so that the sand looks like graphite. Then you light red tracers to keep the trail, and the world changes. Red gleaming specks in waves of grey lunar. Don`t forget the mirages.
Lastly, another MMI improv album
(click to download or stream)
A relaxed piece, like the earlier wandering albums. Enjoy.
Happy New Year Everyone!
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