Song of the Soul Washer

So here we are at the tenth full-length album. I know I said I was going to move on to shorter releases after Black Leather and Sugarcane. My plan was for a seven-track EP...just like Black Leather was supposed to be. But this has been a furious season of songwriting for me. I've been eschewing almost all leisure activity for working on music - it's been my work, my therapy, my coping mechanism, and my relaxation. There's been little else going on. I haven't even been watching my DVDs from the library much, and sometimes I'll get up in the middle of the night and work for an hour or two. And I believe I've been producing very good results. I'm extremely proud of Black Leather and Sugarcane, and now I'm very happy to present The Soul Washer to you as well.

This album's title and cover come from "Song of the Soul Washer" by Cyril Rolando. Usually I use Cyril's work for EP and singles covers, and come up with the the album covers on my own or in collaboration with new artists. But, if you're familiar with Cyril's work, I think you'll agree this is a very unique piece for him, a stylistic departure. It's because of its uniqueness that I've wanted to use it as a cover for quite some time, but it never matched the titles I came up with. So, instead, I just used the title of the painting for the album. I'm sure he won't mind. We've had a wonderful working relationship for years now, and I can't wait to share with him what his artwork helped inspire this time.

"A Positive Spin" is a bit of ambient-pop that reminds me a lot of Radiohead, and was inspired by Thom Yorke and my own older song "The Tranquil Isles." I wanted to write something focused on acoustic guitar with a heavily trip-hop vibe. That ambient-pop style is somewhat carried over into "Death's Chorus Line," which was inspired by some pop song on some TV show - I can't remember exactly what now. Just that the descending four-note piano and accompanying cello were simple and beautiful, and made me want to try just that. The acoustic guitar found its way back in, creating a poppy interlude. It turned out to be a much more cheerful song that I expected, and I named it "Death's Chorus Line" out of a moment of whimsy rather than any sort of morbid visualization. But when I imagine Death having a chorus line of psychedelic characters choreographed to this song, it makes me smile.

"Faceless Men" is darker, and a step back in both the neoclassical and metal direction. There's a few songs with this vibe to them, making this album seem as though it could be a sequel to Black Leather and Sugarcane. I think it's pretty clear when listening to them that they were written close together; they have a similar overall vibe. And "Faceless Men," "Sincerely Cynical," "Thunderclap," and "At the Gates" all sound like they could have been home on the previous album.

Yes, "Faceless Men" is an A Song of Ice and Fire reference, as well as an homage to the Demigorgon of Stranger Things. There's something really creepy about people with no faces as well, something that gives me the shivers every time its used in some psychothriller or horror movie. So, it's sort of a tribute to all of the above.

"Impenetrable Fog" was a shift in piano-writing style, using lumbering chords instead of arpeggios. I also installed a rapid riff of electronic piano repeating in the background in some segments, which is an electronica technique I've been using more and more in neoclassical compositions. You can thank Lorenzo Masotto for the inspiration there. I've heard him use it once or twice, then used it to my own success in "Bare Arms." Now I've also used it in "My Secret Life," and this song.

I think "Sincerely Cynical" is going to be the next song I shop around to radio stations. It's got the energy, the eccentricity, and the metal that I like to share in my radio singles. It also makes use of a synth I've discovered, a "grid bass," that alternates notes at the press of one key, and which I can see as being useful in electronica compositions. I'll try not to overuse it, but I think it's wonderfully energizing and incongruous with a neoclassical style at the same time.

"Recapturing my Grace" is just that: capturing the feeling of putting beauty back into the world, for me. It's also simple, yet graceful, so the name came virtually without thought. I hope it evokes a sense of wonder and of peace.

"At the Gates" reuses some muted electric guitar plucking that I first explored in "Empathica" on Black Leather and Sugarcane, along with some neoclassical piano and trip-hop techniques. The songs could be siblings. And I'd like to say that the title is another reference to Stephen King's The Dark Tower series, but I can't for the life of me think of "at the gates of where?" Hell if I know. Now, "Thunderclap" is definitely another Tower reference. It's the name of a land of desolation not unlike Mordor in The Lord of the Rings. So, yes, there's no sounds of thunder in "Thunderclap," though there are some pretty abrasive synths.

"Indira" goes back to a style of songwriting I used for "Pulsar Song" on Saturn Ascending. Keeping it simple and flowing in the rhythm section, while applying a continually evolving lead synth. In this case it's my trusty "theremin" that begins life as a synth called "50s Sci-Fi" before I twiddle the knobs and dials. I don't know how she got her name or gender, but it just seemed straightforward that she was called "Indira" when I was done. I don't know anyone called Indira, and it's not about any famous person named Indira. It's just who she is.

"Someplace to be Flying" is named after one of my favorite Charles de Lint books, which chronicles the clash and those caught in the middle of two types of animal people, the blackbirds and the cuckoos. The cover painting by John Jude Palencar has also been a continual source of inspiration for me.

I once tried to get away with using Mr. Palencar's artwork for my EPs and graphics, and I even asked permission...after I'd already been using them. Well, I got an angry letter back calling me a thief and making it very clear I was very unwelcome to use his art. My feelings were admittedly a bit hurt for a while after that, but I still love his work. It pairs very well with Charles de Lint. Anyway, this song is sort of my homage to both the book and the painting.

"Bust" is a direct descendent of Black Leather and Sugarcane's "Allure," though a bit more complex. They both have more of a classical freestyle use of piano that doesn't lend itself to formulaic rock accompaniment very well, though I found use for a throbbing bass synth accompanied by a single electric guitar chord in each. I also found sections that lent themselves to strings accompaniment in this song, as well as some "brass" notes here and there (also used in "Allure). It pretty much just progresses wildly and organically, doubling back to previous segments in they seem well-placed. I think it shows off my abilities as a piano composer rather well, unlike any other song, until a solo piano piece that I just finished writing today called "A Little High-Strung."

"Forget Your Fathers" is an exercise again in trying a different style of piano writing, and in making more use of the "brass ensemble." A big inspiration for this song, though you wouldn't think of it right away, was Nine Inch Nails. I can't remember which song exactly, but there's one that makes beautiful use of piano accompanied by a heavy bass riff, and that's how I chose to wrap up the song, after a couple of jazzier interludes. The title is sort of another Tower reference. They make a big deal about not "forgetting the faces of your fathers" in those books. Sounds kind of noble, I guess, but what if your father was an asshole? For all those abusive, humiliating, berating, or just uncaring fathers out there, I say go ahead and forget 'em.

And that about covers the album. It's now available at (links will be inserted as I discover them) YouTube and YouTube Music, Spotify, Google Play, Apple Music and iTunes, Amazon, Deezer, iHeartRadio, Napster, Pandora, and TIDAL.

Before I go, I thought I'd leave with you with something kind of fun I worked on amid all this: my own rendition of Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata," complete with weird beats, synths, and electric guitars. Now, I didn't have any sheet music for this, and hadn't even heard it in a long time, so I was just going by ear and memory for the main melody, and I just filled everything else in with my own shit. I discovered today that this song is part of the public domain, so I may include it on an upcoming EP. For now, I thought it just might be something kind of entertaining for y'all. If you want a download of it, consider making a pledge at my Patreon, where I think I'll make it part of the selection of rarities for the $1 USD tier.

I hope you enjoy the new album. Next month: a seven-track EP (really, this time!) called Deviant Angels showcasing more of my EDM side. Until then, may your inner snails remain resilient and determined.