The Records




When I started publishing music, I tried a unique approach to trying to make a living as an artist, under the naive assumption that I could offer my music for free and that people would just give me money if they liked my music. It wasn't a completely laughable business model; I also published commercially-distributed albums with the goals of making money and furthering exposure of my music. However, after a year (which is the amount of time I decided to allow this experiment before reevaluating my approach), I decided this method wasn't working for me. In the meantime, I had built up a large discography of "non-commercial" vs. "commercial" releases; the non-commercial releases being offered on a pay-what-you-will basis through websites such as Bandcamp, NoiseTrade, and Jamendo, and the commercial releases being "official" publications offered on streaming platforms and major online music stores such as Amazon, iTunes, and Google Play.

I decided to keep publishing under Creative Commons licensing, while setting the lowest prices for my music at my Bandcamp store (affectionately called Snail Tunes, after my "record label"), and occasionally offering a sampler or "gift" for free (tips appreciated, of course), to be collected on my NoiseTrade page. Everything is licensed Creative Commons Non-Commercial Share Alike, so feel free to use my music and remix it, as long as it isn't for commercial purposes.

Since so much of my music has been available for free, I'm offering all of my pre-Pattern Recognition releases for a seriously discounted price at the Snail Tunes store. Of course, you'll find everything I've released cheaper at my own store than you'll find it anywhere else, as part of the incentive to support me directly, rather than through the big-name stores.

Without further ado, here are the official full-length albums:

Occultation


Cover art by Tyrone Webb - http://finespraypaintart.com

My sophomore album was another compilation of songs from non-commercial releases, but this time also included several original songs and alternate versions composed specifically for this release, and most of the non-original tunes were altered and/or remastered. Altogether, it has a much different flavor from its predecessor, as my sound began coming into its own. I started out trying to compose orchestral alternative rock - which is which is how I still sum up my overall style - with mostly acoustic sounds, with the main exceptions being "A Determined Snail" and "A Minor Distraction," the former becoming one of my most popular tunes at the time. I had also been trying to incorporate world music into my sound, being largely influenced by Dead Can Dance and Afro Celt Sound System. With Occultation, I found myself embracing the electronic nature of my tools a bit more, as well as drifting toward my more gothic and metal roots. I also returned to a few songs from Instrumentality and gave them "updates," giving "A Minor Distraction" and industrial-metal makeover, fusing the electronic "A Determined Snail" with its more acoustic-sounding counterpart "The Snail Plays Piano," and fleshing out "Waltz with Lilith" while also adding a trip-hop/trap remix.

There's still a lot of grunge-rock and electronic-pop elements to be found in this record, but there's definitely some hints at the post-metal/post-industrial direction that my music would be taking and wouldn't be turning back from. To read the article that originally accompanied this album's release, visit the post "The Instrumentality Project Continues - Occultation."

This album is also available on Amazon, iTunes, Google Play, Apple Music, TIDAL, YouTube, and MS Groove.

Jaded


After Occultation, I found myself continuing to embrace the electronic nature of my compositions, incorporating more electronic sounds into my rhythm sections and even beginning to experiment with synths in my beats. I'd had some success in gaining recognition by the World of Trip-Hop, having some of my songs featured on their SoundCloud page, and I'd also succeeded in having some songs put into rotation on Darkwave Radio, prompting me to embrace "darkwave" as a label for my music. Several songs saw me continuing to move in a post-metal direction, prompted by the popularity of "The Cloud Walkers," while others were of a more electronic nature, particularly "Nyctality" and the Feral Bitch mix of "The Manic Widow." Some were even of a more ambient nature.

I also began to experiment in having spaces in my songs that weren't quite so "busy," trying to allow for the possibility of vocals, which had the desired effect of developing lyrics and melodies over subsequent listens. In the past, I'd been primarily a lyricist and vocalist, which I had put behind me when I ruined my singing voice with too much smoking and drinking resulting in a shredded esophagus. However, this didn't stop me from seeking out collaborations with other vocalists. This worked out in the case of "Lily White." But when the flaky nature of artists won out in others, I eventually took it upon myself to perform the vocals, which worked out beautifully for "Cold Sunlight," moderately well for "Sublime Like Swine," and in the case of "The Between," well, at least the screaming sounded good. Thankfully, the vocals for "Mr. Douter" developed into a spoken-word piece and I didn't have to sing.

Overall, this album actually turned out to have a lighter tone than its predecessor, even though I felt myself moving in more gothic, darkwave, and post-metal directions. It also proved to be a very diverse album, with many different styles present, perhaps more-so than any of the others. To read the article that originally accompanied the release of this album, visit the post "The Instrumentality Project - Jaded."

This album is also available on Amazon, iTunes, Google Play, Apple Music, MS Groove, Spotify, YouTube, and TIDAL.

Revolutions


While I had been waiting to see if any other vocalists might work out for songs on Jaded, I was already hard at work on material for the next album. I ended up publishing most of it in a back-to-back release of two non-commercial EPs, Obfuscate and Sublimate, which I am very proud of and somewhat regret not having made "official" releases. However, they still exist on my Jamendo page, and they were essentially my last non-commercial releases, aside from a compilation of songs from those EPs and songs from Jaded, called Radiate.

After Jaded, my music got darker, and I experimented even more with electronic rhythm sections and with merging synthesizers and drum machines, developing a sound that I believe is best described as "post-industrial." Some of my songs during this period approached orchestral post-rock, and there were lapses into post-metal territory as well. My piano is front-and-center for much of this album, and instead of reaching for the label of "piano rock" as I had with the three prior albums, I began reaching for "neoclassical," with frenetic notes instead of clusters of chords. The resulting record is a lot more haunting than the others, and a lot more experimental.

Some of the songs are new versions of songs from previous releases. "Hell is for Reels" had a demo version on The Hypnotic Jamboree; "They Delving" got a final industrial-metal incarnation on this record; and "Momentum" got a remix featuring a new drum machine. But this album doesn't get any more cheerful than the poppy, piano-based, indie-rocker, "Matriculating." It's full of strange sounds and melancholy. For that reason, it may be my personal favorite. To read the article that originally accompanied this album's release, visit the post "Revolutions are NOT Safe in Cars."

This album is also available on Amazon, iTunes, Google Play, Spotify, YouTube, MS Groove, Apple Music, and TIDAL.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy


Cover art by Matt Warneford - http://iamwarface.com

After the non-commercial compilation Radiate, I came to the conclusion that I would stop releasing all of my music on a pay-what-you-will basis. I had released Revival and Progress Report - The Anniversary Spin afterward, but those were gifts to my audience in celebration of my one-year anniversary of self-publishing my music. Anyway, this decision brought on a new release strategy for me. Instead of releasing several EPs with duplicate tracks until I had enough material for a full-length compilation, and then releasing an "official" album, I decided to be more methodical, releasing only EPs of entirely original content (which would result in releases being fewer and further between) and only drawing select material from those EPs for an album that would itself include original content. So I released Carnivale and Interlude. Admittedly, I was experiencing a time of artistic stagnancy, and I was only really proud of two or three songs on each of those releases. When I began compiling songs for a fifth album, I found myself wanting more material to draw from, and so I allowed myself to release an unplanned third EP, which also broke the rule of entirely original material by including instrumental versions of older songs. These instrumentals were also under consideration for the fifth album, as I hadn't released these versions before (in the case of "Mr. Douter" and "Lily White"), or didn't want them to fade into obscurity after deleting my non-commercial discography (in the case of "Darkest Dreams"). The desire to not see certain songs or versions obliterated entirely from my official discography also played into "Odd Gastropod" and the Selenophilia Spin of "The Cloud Walkers" being considered for this album.

In the end Cognitive Behavioral Therapy became a mix of songs from the post-Revolutions EPs with a few original songs and a few old favorites. Overall, it continues the trend of seeing more electronic elements in my music along with more neoclassical elements, but it has a much more light-hearted and ambient tone than its predecessor, though it can be awfully diverse with the inclusion of some of my darker and more metallic works such as "Mr. Douter," "Darkest Dreams," and "The Cloud Walkers." To read the article that originally accompanied this album's release, visit the post "Cognitive Behavioral Therapy."

This album is also available on Amazon, iTunes, Google Play, Apple Music, MS Groove, YouTube, Spotify, and TIDAL.

The Instrumentality Project


Some of you may have noticed that my first album, Instrumentality, has disappeared from my "official" discography. This is because, after having a better grasp of my tools and spending more time with my songs, I have delivered what I believe to be improved versions of the songs that were published on that album, which was a compilation of amateurish recordings, while testing the waters of wider distribution to mainstream stores and streaming platforms. Some of the songs on Instrumentality had multiple versions, whereas in The Instrumentality Project they are limited to one per song. Therefore, the usual sixteen-track formula of my albums has been shortened to thirteen.

This album is comprised of recordings from each of the previous albums, from Occultation to Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, while offering new versions of the songs "Jade's Theme," "Waltz with Lilith," "The Nocturnal Dervish," and "Winter's Salve." "Introducing...," also revisited as "No Introduction Needed," was renamed "Jade's Theme" on Jaded, where it was featured twice. I made it the theme music for the character Jade, who is the protagonist of several stories that have yet to be written, and is featured in the short story "A Jaded Beltaine" in the Snail Tales section of this blog. This version was the result of several ideas, each of which may be seen in simplified versions later on down the line.

"Waltz with Lilith" (a derivative of "Giger's Lullaby," as is the song "Waltz for Giger") was supposed to be retired, after ten versions seen throughout the old free-to-download non-commercial records, with the remix "The Last Waltz." I was going to make the first version that was titled "Waltz with Lilith" publicly available again on this album, but found that I no longer have the project file for it. I have an MP3, but DistroKid - my distributor - prefers uploads of lossless files. It provides a better transfer to the compressed versions heard on, and sold by, most stores and streaming platforms. So I pulled up the project file for the "Claim" version of this tune and tried out an experiment that had been niggling the back of my mind, and rerecorded the "It's so fucked" vocals heard at the end of the original.

For the "Simplified" mix of "The Nocturnal Dervish," I went through each measure of the drum tracks (there are multiple drum machines overlaid in the original) and made them a little less convoluted, but also added a few beats from new drum kits that have appeared in the upgrades of my DAW, as well as some additions to the electric guitars and changes in a couple of places to the bass-line. It's in rotation on a few radio stations, yet most seem to prefer the original. With subsequent listens to both versions, I've found that I don't know which I prefer.

The "Fecund Remix" of "Winter's Salve" (which only existed as "Winter's Remix 2.0" after the removal of Instrumentality) was the result of several experiments that I wanted to toy around with - many of which were inspired by recording "Microcosms" for the EP Dissonance, later included on the album Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) - and The Instrumentality Project gave me an excuse to try them out. In my mind, this has replaced Instrumentality's Alternate Spin as the definitive version of this song. I think it is quite beautiful, though I've already had the though of simplifying it for a version simply titled "Fecundity."

The inclusion of "Hell is for Reels" is also notable, as it wasn't on Instrumentality, but the demo version was recorded during the period of which the songs on that album were created. Therefore, it seemed appropriate.

I hope this "replacement" for Instrumentality is indeed an improvement and enjoyed by all. It's been called an "ambitious undertaking" by the host of MusicMatters on IndieRage Radio, while all the songs have been put into rotation on the ever-supportive Open The Door Radio. To read the blog post that originally accompanied this album, visit the post "The Instrumentality Project - Culmination."

This album is also available on AmazoniTunesGoogle PlayApple MusicMS GrooveYouTubeSpotify, and TIDAL.

Dialectical Observations


This album was over a year in the making. The first EP to lead up to it, Elemental, celebrated its one-year anniversary on the date of this album's release, and it contained two songs to later appear in slightly different incarnations, "Signor Fancypants" and "Fistfuls of Whimsy." Belatedly, two "b-sides" to Elemental were released - "Movement" and "Less Sinister Cousins" - which also saw two new incarnations on Dialectical.

Half a year later, Counterbalance was released. I cam cite all sorts of excuses for why it took so long for a new EP, and they're all perfectly valid, but what it boils down to is that my quality of life had been gradually improving, meaning I was much more physically able than I had been during the year in which I completed four albums, and I was focusing more on quality than quantity in my music. In other words, I was able to do more than write and record music, and I had learned my tools to a point of perfectionism and finesse that also focused my attention on only one or two songs at a time. I believe this produced some of my finest work, and I was successively more impressed with my compositions and releases following Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.

As I continued at a slightly faster pace to compose songs for my sixth album, I was also constructing the track list, altering it as new songs appeared, while also playing around with the juxtaposition of existing tracks. With the two original songs from Elemental, and the tunes from Counterbalance and its Extended Artist's Edition, along with the new original compositions, I had enough for a thirteen-track album, but as I played with the track list and fine-tuned the new songs, song after song was being removed. I wanted everything about Dialectical Observations - so named because I started attending a dialectical behavioral therapy group - to be intentional and precise. 

To that end, I also started making adjustments to the songs from previous releases that looked for sure like they'd make the cut. "Fistfuls of Whimsy" already had an Alternate Spin that had been circulating on radio stations that have supported me in the past, though I ended up remastering it and rerecording the opening chords, as well as changing guitar chords, for what I felt was an improved version. "Movement" had been a very solid piece since its release as an Elemental B-side, with no changes for Counterbalance, but by the time Dialectical was almost ready, I had a few "what if"s that I wanted to explore, which turned into a huge project, which stuck for a new Alternate Spin. "Signor Fancypants" had also been very solid, but there needed to be a slight change in guitar - slight enough that I felt it didn't qualify for the "Alternate Spin" moniker. "Less Sinister Cousins" had also been seeing slight changes, in each release follow its Elemental B-side debut, but the most drastic ended up being an added introduction that abruptly cuts into the end of "Fancypants." Still, it was more of an added transition than a change to the actual tune.

Of the completely original songs, "Fleeting Fractals" was what I felt would be the catchiest and the most likely to generate anticipation, so I released it as a single, to a rather lackluster response. Strange that I'm now often told its people's favorite on the album. When I started actually making the initial rounds of promoting each individual track, I got the most positive response from "Butterflies On Ganymede," which was completely unexpected, given its mellow ambient/neoclassical nature that made it more of an "intermission" track amid songs that are more emotionally volatile. Yet communities of neoclassical and New Age music lovers took an instant liking to it.

It was a tough call making "When Anchorage Became An Island" and "Man Seeking Cocoon" the opening tracks. "Anchorage" is a very solemn tune, one that I think shows grace in sadness, and its cello riff is very thematic; that last is the main reason why it made sense to open the album that way. But to follow it up with the strange ambience of "Cocoon" that's emotions are very hard to pin down...I felt like that might be a deterrent. Yet they had such a natural transition, it seemed necessary for the experience. So I've attempted to sell Dialectical as a "cinematic" experience (and it's been compared to movie soundtracks by a couple of critics and even sent to a film director or two) that is best listened to in its entirety, from start to finish, at least initially. I think that once "Familial Germs" (another song that had alterations for the album) kicks into gear as track three, a feel for what's to be expected from the rest of the record starts to develop.

For more on Dialectical Observations, you can read the release article, and there's also an interview focusing largely on the album for Starlight Music Chronicles.

This album is also available on YouTubeSpotifyGoogle PlayApple MusicAmazon MusicMicrosoft Groove, and TIDAL. An Extended Artist's Edition, with three additional songs, individual track art, and a PDF booklet of album art and liner notes, is one of many pledge rewards at my Patreon.

Pattern Recognition


This is my seventh full-length release, following the EPs Neoclassism and With Love, Catatonia. It was over a year in the making since Dialectical Observations and continued down the neoclassical path I started in that album, while being less metal and more neoclassical, being strings-based with more trip-hop and EDM beats.

I try to release my works on dates of significant importance to me. Neoclassism was on the anniversary of my debut EP; With Love, Catatonia was on my brother's birthday. First I was hoping to release this album on the anniversary of Dialectical Observations, but that wasn't at all likely; I needed at least another month. So I hoped to have it out on my birthday, August 31st. That also seemed unlikely, but as it turned out, I could have. However, I had already announced the September 21st release date. Why September 21st? Because that was the first date to pop into my head. Not for any special reason, it was just my first thought, and it gave me the breathing room that I've come to desire surrounding my releases. It gives me more time to spend with them, to make last-minute changes, to really focus on the editing process. But I didn't do much editing following my birthday. I listened to it what seemed like hundreds of times, and I hardly changed a thing. It seemed solid. I was confident of it. And I'm happy with the final product, and was very happy to share it.

For this album, I composed five all-new, original tunes. First among them was "Android with a God Complex," stemming from a half-finished song that I'd been blocked on for quite a while. I started it even before writing With Love, Catatonia, maybe even before Neoclassism. I mean, it goes way back. I'd recorded an intro, strings arrangements, an acoustic guitar line, and some wild beats, all of which I loved. But I couldn't figure out what to do next, and I was stuck on the bass line. I couldn't write one that fit. And it wasn't until I gave up on it that the song started to move forward. I quit banging my head against that wall and discovered what came next by experimenting with some synths. There was already a clearly electronic whine going through it all, but in absence of a bass riff, I added in some buzzing bass synth, which has admittedly become a favorite of mine, and you'll find it in others of my recent songs. But with that and my recurring electronic soprano "vocals," I found an interim that allowed for further variations of the strings arrangements and acoustic guitar that I'd already written. And the vocals take center stage for a moment, as does some electric guitar, and I had the pieces of a whole song that just needed some further accompaniment, some editing, and some rearranging.

When naming this song, I tried a couple titles inspired by the strings arrangements, such as "Tetrarchy" (in reference to the string quartet and its focus of the overall tune) but I'd jotted down "Android with a God Complex" as a thought for a song title a while ago. I'd really been wanting to use it, and it seemed drawn to this song. Ir had seemed more appropriate that the title be used for something a bit more electronic, but I finally gave in. The electronics underscoring the more organic sounds, and momentarily take center stage, seemed appropriate enough to suggest an anthropomorphic artificial intelligence.

I should mention that the title was originally inspired by the character David in the films Prometheus and Alien: Covenant.

Now, I'd also had this beat I'd composed that I loved - some banging around with some clinking and clanging on my "Chinese" drum kit - but was having a hard time accompanying it with anything more. I'd tried some synths inspired after what I'd used in "The Tranquil Isles," overlaid with either strings and electric guitar, or piano, and named them "Blame the Meds," with different versions. The title was attached to the beats; the versions were various failed attempts. I say "failed" because I never really wanted to share them. At best, they'd be rarities available to Patreon patrons. But I wasn't too enamored with them.

Fast forward to a time when I had a simple acoustic guitar riff stuck in my head that I recorded, then dicked around with. My "vocals" made a return, and organically transitioned to a flowing cello. I harmonized with it, then layered them all together for a finale, and I had a whole song written, though very minimalist. I felt compelled to add further tracks of instrumentation, but didn't know what, really. Something rhythmic. I already had some subtle rhythmic synths in there, but I wanted something that suggested a beat. But I wasn't sure I really wanted a beat; maybe something a bit more eccentric, for an already eccentric song. That's when it hit me - a random whim to try the "Blame the Meds" beats underneath. So I did, and wha'd'ya know? It worked perfectly. But this wasn't going to be another "Blame the Meds." No, it was going to be "A Neon Blue Soul."

When I felt the album deserved a piano intro, I thought of a short, melancholy piano ditty I'd recorded one night. What should follow? Well, it seemed that segueing into that eccentric beat was the way to go. So "The Lonely Pianist" (as my melancholy ditty came to be known) and "Neon Blue" stuck as the way to kick off the album.

"Heart of Hearts" was one of those songs that seemed to come all at once, and was written in a very short time. So was "Probing." They just sort of flooded out, starting out with riffs that got stuck in my head, both on keys (though I switched "Heart"s' keys to a "strings" synth), and every accompaniment and next movement, every progression, came organically and almost immediately. Of course, I spent a lot of time editing each, but the rough drafts came quickly. And the titles kind of just popped into my head.

I knew "Power Time Gravity Love" wouldn't be included on the album unless I made some changes, so I devoted some time to closely reexamining it. I edited some of the beats. I tried rewriting some of the viola and violin. Nothing impressed me. Nothing was really working. So I said "to hell with it" and scrapped everything but the cello and synths. It was time for a complete overhaul. I started from scratch on the beats, and it was upon doing that, and letting the first iteration of the cello melody be solo, that things started to come together. The new beats started off inspired by the old, but then I found myself inspired by both "The Last Waltz" and "Winter's Salve (Siren's Call)." I went with something that was a bit hip-hoppy and also a bit of a march. I was really into it. And as I wrote it, I also made another go at the viola and violin, and they just sort of occurred to me. It was like, once I got on a roll, everything started to finally come together!

What I ended up with, I didn't want to simply call an "Alternate Spin," because I had, like, 75% new material. No, I transposed two words in the title to signify that it was almost a different entity - and "Gravity Time Power Love" was assembled and just awaiting the editing process, which was somewhat grueling (I went through about nine drafts) but, I think, worth it.

"Misplaced Romanticism" always had some uncertainties, but I really wanted it on the album. There was an alternate way I was hearing the cello in my head, and I thought it worked as well as the other, so I went ahead and recorded it to share it. I was really uncertain of the viola part. I played around with it and played around with it, until I landed on something that worked for me. Now, I won't say this version of the song is better than the original. It's just...different. Different enough to warrant the "Alternate Spin" qualifier.

I knew I wanted bonus tracks, presumably for the Patreon Artist's Edition. I didn't know if I'd have new songs ready by the publication date. I did, however, have ideas on alternate song versions to share. I'd already recorded "The Lonely Pianist" with some simple swelling-and-fading cello, inspired by a recent listen to the Felina (or Felina's Arrow) album Let Me Tell You a Story, but I'd done away with it for the album intro. It seemed like something that should be heard, so I tacked it on at the end. More inspired was the idea to try out a stripped-down version of "Why Can't We Have Nice Things?" The piano alone could make for a complete, well-rounded song, but I was going for just an "acoustic" version. I initially cut out everything but the piano and strings tracks, then played around with what else should be included. The acoustic guitar chords worked, adding the right emphasis to the beginning of the song, at the very least. Even the riff in the second half worked, helping build toward the climax. The bassoon was out - too intrusive. The bowed bass worked well enough, and subtly enough, to provide its emphasis. The synths took away from the acoustic feel, even though the electric bass somehow didn't. I did let a synth in at the end, though. It was subtle enough, and helped with the eerie quality closing the song.

Feeling completely enamored with this "Naked" version of "Why Can't We Have Nice Things?" I really wanted to share it, and so decided that an exclusive Snail Tunes version at my Bandcamp store should be available, with "Nice Things? (Naked)" and "The Lonely Pianist (and Cellist)" as bonus tracks at the end. That way they'd be publicly available, instead of limited to Patreon Patrons - people can even stream them a limited number of times at Bandcamp, to sample them. 

I did have a few songs flood out of me during the month I gave myself to let the album matriculate, and so I had additional bonus tracks for my Patreon Artist's Edition. Those I included are a piano-led post-industrial rush reminiscent of "The Cloud Walkers," called "Pulses Intertwined;" and a simple, relaxing series of iterations of a piano melody, with some ambient synths, I call "Toes." See, I had started another song I called "Twinkle" and so jokingly called this song "Toes," but the name just stuck as it grew on me.

I had the title of this album picked out pretty early on. I had already moved on from cognitive behavioral therapy to dialectical behavioral therapy in the mental health department, and I didn't really know where to go from there, but looking back on it, pattern recognition is a cognitive function, and sort of fits with the theme I've been going with for album names. Still, pattern recognition spans a large array of subjects, and it's just a concept that fascinates me. But I have to admit, the name mostly comes from my favorite William Gibson novel, and it's mostly an homage to one of my favorite authors.

Pattern Recognition is now available at YouTube Music, Spotify, Google Play, Apple Music and iTunes, Amazon, iHeartRadio, Napster, Deezer, TIDAL, and probably others I'm not aware of (my distributor has a huge list of stores and streaming platforms it submits to).

Saturn Ascending


Not even a year after Pattern Recognition, I'd put out my eighth full length album. Combined, the EPs Sunward and Moonward could have counted, but they didn't really have meshing themes. Well, I've continued down the path that led to Moonward, and now I have Saturn Ascending, which is my favorite thing I've done since Dialectical Observations, almost one-upping it. It's hard to say it's my favorite thing I've ever done, but it's damned close.

It all started with "Pulses Intertwined," which I was able to include on the extended version of Pattern Recognition, and then released as a single on November 30th 2018. That song represented a radical change in my songwriting. I was still on the neoclassical path that led to Pattern Recognition, but after the strings-oriented songs of that album, I returned to my first love, the piano. But the neoclassical riff I wrote demanded abrasive synths, electronic beats, and crunchy guitars, giving it a post-industrial vibe I hadn't really explored since Dialectical Observations. Almost directly afterward, I wrote its siblings "Pierced Heart" and "Dark Highways," both of which had the neoclassical piano, and post-industrial vibes. I was able to include them on an extended version of the single for "Pulses Intertwined."

I started writing more songs of the same style for the EP Moonward, and it turned out five of Moonward's songs were to be included on the upcoming album. I wrote more songs of the same ilk, specifically "Naiads and Dryads" and "Charmed, I'm Sure," both of which have an optimistic tone, but continue down a path of synths and electric guitars. "Naiads and Dryads" is more of a ballad, but "Charmed" has a streak of metal running through it. I was inspired by two older songs for these: "The Cloud Walkers" for "Charmed, I'm Sure," and "The Nocturnal Dervish" for "Naiads and Dryads." Mostly the piano in both cases. I also happened to be working on new versions of the "Dervish" at the time, and it got me switching riffs and variations for the piano on "Dryads," and got me putting in some of my "theremin" in there as well.

It turns out that almost all of the new songs I was writing had some sort of synths melody in them. There's three different bases for the customized synths. One is the "theremin," one is "hip-hop," and the other is "soprano vocals." At least, that's what they turn into once I've turned the dials and knobs. Actually, when I look over the track list, there's not that many. It's just "Pulsar Song," "Dark Highways," "Naiads and Dryads," and "Charmed, I'm Sure" (which really only has it in short bursts).

Let me delve some more into the inspiration for some of these songs. "The Pantheon..." is based on a little ditty I played in my early teens. That ditty has stuck with me, and is the basis for some other songs, specifically "Jaded" and "Self-Righteous." But this is the first time I've played it all the way through. I think the accompanying beats and cello I wrote are pretty kick ass, and the experimental synth that provides some rhythm midway through is pretty interesting. But I was honestly pretty iffy as to whether or not this song would be on the album. I had two playlists going, and one began with "...That Holds Up The Stars" renamed "The Pantheon That Holds Up The Stars." But after playing the piano backward and forward and switching pieces of it down an octave, I did some editing that added a few notes. Those additional notes reinvigorated my enthusiasm for the song, and after upping the tempo, it became pretty concrete that "The Pantheon..." would begin the album.

"...That Holds Up The Stars" is based on four chords I thought were particularly beautiful, that concluded another song, "Two Sons," which didn't make it onto the album. Well, "Sons" is actually a bonus track on the Snail Tunes version. Anyway, I got a kick-ass beat to go with "Stars," and its fate to be on the album was sealed from there. The rest of it wasn't very hard to write. I wrote an accompanying piano melody, and layer by layer it came together. Like I said, it almost started the album. Instead, it became an extreme one-eighty from the opening track. Together, they're pretty incongruous, yet I thought it was a pretty amusing pairing.

"Elation" became an almost new song to me once I edited the violin melody. The change is probably pretty imperceptible to most people. I just nudged a couple of lines back a little bit so they were better timed with the rest of the instrumentation. It made a world of difference to me, though. It's funny, I wasn't entirely convinced of this song when I put it on Moonward, yet it grew on me more and more, and it's streak of metal cemented its place on this album, as almost every song has a similar streak. I'm pretty enthusiastic about this song now, and it pairs very well with "Charmed, I'm Sure," Both songs have pretty optimistic tones. For as much as this album is post-industrial and metallic, overall it's a pretty light-hearted record. I hope that strikes a chord with my friends, family, and followers.

"In The Beginning" almost didn't make it onto the album, but I wanted to show off the rapid-fire piano that streaks through the middle and the electric guitars that conclude them. The problem was pretty much the beginning, which was really hard to come up with. It was a stroke of pure inspiration to place the climactic strings - that run through a repeat of a piano riff and electric guitars - at the beginning. That seemed to solve the problem, and it convinced me to include this song on the album.

"The First Time I Woke Up..." is one of my favorite things I've ever written. Some might find the opening synth a bit piercing - I turned the treble way down to the point I think it actually works. But it gives the song an ambience, with alternations with a bass synth, that I absolutely love. It's one of the most ambient things I've ever written, and I find it very soothing to my soul. Even the metal guitars are very soothing to me. Though I used to be a metal-head, I've never found metal to be particularly soothing. Maybe some post-metal instrumentals. Mostly I find it abrasive and energizing. But here it relaxes me, and also earns its place on the album. I thought it would make a great conclusion, giving it a soft landing. I like soft landings. They cushion the particularly energetic songs that come before. This album may have a pretty ambient beginning, but just like Moonward it builds in energy as it progresses. So landing in an ambient cloud sort of bookends the album.


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