The Laconic-Amor Fati
The Laconic brings a fine selection of prog rock from the studio to your ears. Here is an artist who has expanded his palette to something he might not be able to identify at this point. All we know, is that it has elements that are constantly evolving and growing to make an epic story that is made of dreams. This is his second full length album, Amor Fati. The bold themes of The Laconic What are the visuals you aim to conjure with an album like Amor Fati? I don't aim to conjure visuals, but emotions. The idea is that if you're constructed like me, a human who has come, over time, to associate certain kinds of melodies, harmonies, and timbres with certain moods or emotions, then by writing music that evokes in me an emotional story, it may have the same effect on you. In a sense, I don't play the music, I play how you feel. But it's only going to work if we share some musical context. The emotions I aim to conjure with Amor Fati are: joy, acceptance and defiance, courage, wonder, and excitement. There's not a lot of anger or sadness; there is some anguish though. Now, if I could conjure visuals with Amor Fati, a few would be: a dancer leaping in the sunshine; Ozymandias, king of kings; a swashbuckler engaged in a swordfight on a tightrope; a bullfighter swirling his cape; a man screaming at the heavens; winter turning to spring. Series of sounds Opening with Fate, the collection of instruments and their desired effects is incredible. Like an Opeth alternate, there is a confluence of guitars, drums, pianos and cocoon ambiances that make it heaven to experience. It is like listening to an experience of nature study, observation of its glory. As a song, this is more than perfect for the kind of opening that an album that is spreading its wings would want. Marvelously strong start. While creating a narrative through rock in a broader spectrum, on what basis do you switch from one kind of rock to another? There is a story that develops in my head as I write music, and as I hear the music, the story develops. Now, I don't use lyrics, so I can't tell you what story I have in my head--not through the music, anyway. But the story has an emotional content to me, and I can write the music in order to evoke that sequence of emotions in myself, and if you hear it, it will (hopefully) evoke the same sequence, to which then you can fit your own narrative. And that's the magic of music. It's always personalized, even if the writer doesn’t know you at all, and that's why we get so passionate about it. So to the original question: I switch when doing so supports the emotional narrative. This was an important part of writing Amor Fati. Understanding the narrative Nona explains itself as a brilliantly written interlude. With polyrhythmic beats and synth sheets claiming the silence, it creates a bed of sound that is surreal to imbibe yourself into. Saber is introduced next. As far as instrumental prog rock goes, it even dips its toes into the kind of melodies Genesis liked to study. The metaphor for the blade it carries is felt in how it is forged, reached the fertile grounds of war and discord. Decima boards itself to be some of the best rhythm plays heard till now on the album. The play constant dynamic change between the instruments, flooded in instances by deeper, sustained notes. While writing these melodies, how is it that you maintain a cohesive oneness to the compositions? Something has to carry over from one section to the next, and preferably later sections will reference earlier ones in some way. Often it's a phrase that's altered, or appears in a different context, so that it might sound quite different but it is recognizable as the same thing if you pay attention. But it might be an instrument with a distinctive timbre that glues different sections together. Or, obviously, the key or the tempo, if unchanged, will give you some cohesion. As Dust comes on, it explodes into notes and leads that point somewhere. I was reminded of scenes from Peaky Blinders, especially the arpeggios. It is one of the fullest, unique tracks that I have heard textures being combined and spliced into each other for. The country essence is retained, with the chords and notes as well. The chugging of the Westerns is established by the percussion, the power swerving within the composition. Distance between projects How far do you think you've traversed since Integrals? Many leagues. I love Integrals still. I'm always surprised when I listen to it, because I expect it to sound immature or naïve to me, and it just doesn't. But the compositions on Amor Fati are a level up; generally longer and more complex, with more parts. For example, "Refuge" is nearly 20 minutes long, with around a hundred tracks. Another feature that sets it apart from Integrals is the extensive use of guest musicians, all of whom made astonishing contributions. Integrals had all programmed drums, while Amor Fati has nearly all real drums, and that's just the tip of the iceberg. Juan Dahmen's drumming, Gary Husband's keyboards, Aralee Dorough's flute, Tim Gardner's and Erik Emil Eskildsen's touch guitars, Christina Ruf's cellos, Colin Gatwood's English horn, and my brother Scott's guitar, all combine to produce something well beyond what I could have done alone, or even imagined. The Laconic then proceeds to create an illusion of time through music. One of the most popular ones has been Pink Floyd’s depiction, which is most commonly used. Here, creating the hourglass and ticking hour effect draws something unique and preserved, in its own light. It lays the foundation to what will become Mirror. The result is a digital paradise, the dynamic dissonance almost discombobulating. It unfolds with incredible creativity, having an industrial touch to it. You would almost imagine Trent Reznor having a touch of his composition in this. Remnant memory and what it does What vision do you have for The Laconic's future music? What aspect do you think people instantly connect to? I think people instantly connect to the melodies. If you're anything like me--and I know a decent-sized sample of people who are anything like me--the melodies will take up residence in your brain. It's not unpleasant. As for future music, I started a third album while the second was being mixed. I'm planning fewer but longer pieces, something not unlike Tales from Topographic Oceans or Incantations. Four songs, each around 15-20 minutes. More cinematic, and more orchestral. I wrote Amor Fati at a breakneck pace -- nearly everything was written and recorded in about nine months, and I am not a full-time musician, but a data scientist, so it was like having two careers. I'll take more time with the next one, maybe twice as much, and take more responsibility for every note. However, none get you the experience that The Laconic brings with Refuge. An 18+ minute epic, it is a story that has its many twists, turns and straights. All expressed through the miracle that is the instrumental approach. The kind of solos that express themselves as protagonists will blow your mind to bits. It would have been enough to end the album with that. Equinox comes in to do that service. A soothing, beautiful melody is what cuts the silence. The delectable choice of notes will make you wonder, what kind of energy might a composition like this take out of you? Protagonist and plight-The Laconic If his 2022 album Integrals was level 3, we jump to a 9, progressively. The quality and expounding effect the music has on you is miraculous. Many of these songs would be great in the BBC documentary, HyperNormalisation (2016). I would prefer if a movie of this prog rock album could be made, as nothing could be more accurate in terms of scene transition. Follow The Laconic and listen to these incredible tracks here: https://thelaconic.bandcamp.com/album/amor-fati
Ginger Beef-Hocus Pocus
Ginger Beef remind you that nothing exists without rhythm in music. Their unique instrumental chemistry looks like a well executed crime, something to be in awe of, in order to decriminalize. They have put together some incredible music and comprises award-winning flutist Jiajia Li and her husband, veteran producer/multi-instrumentalist, Warren Tse. Someone you might know as MSG. This is their cover of Focus’ super single from the 1970 hit album, Focus II: Moving Waves. This is Hocus Pocus. You have to know, this track was a huge deal when it aired on the radio first. The delicious riff, buildup and catchy rhythm screamed action. Ginger Beef unite their extraordinary skills to make something marvelous. The execution is top-notch, and the addition of scintillating organ and dynamic flute work makes this a tip of the hat to the original. People obsess over the original as they heard it first, well and good. The way Ginger Beef execute it though? A level of finesse from a duo that reminds you that lyrics aren’t everything in an outrageous song. Maybe, sometimes, the flow is so killer you never needed any in the first place. ‘Nuff said. You want to hear more? Listen to their single Flashback from 2021. Tight, entertaining and magical, in other words. They can unite elements of jazz, pop, rock and prog with their talent. This song would be great in the movie Nobody (2021). With its incredible action shots and this band dropping such a great tribute to a great song, there is a lot to look forward to. You’ll understand only when you experience it. Make sure you watch the cool video as well. Follow them for more entertaining music sure to come!
Pacific Death-__Rockbear__
You can’t predict the directions Pacific Death is going to take you to. The one-man band has so much to show you that song titles extend to two lines. Songs are addictive masterpieces that explore some aspect or the other very well. His latest single is called __ Rockbear__. Let’s dive right into it. This is a rock track with the instrumentals shining in the spotlight. Like that one teddy bear in the mall you really wanted as a kid. Or even now, no judgement. A funky groove is established with the riff, and the duality of tones takes the cake. There are some synth tones that run charged up in the background, and the feel is extremely exciting. Pacific Death is making you dance to a guitar instrumental like he was Vai or Satriani. It is composed extremely well, and you can sing most of the parts. Like a Slash solo, you can almost feel when the shredding will come in. Here he plays it to character, developing lead parts that you’ll enjoy humming along to. The bridge is a unique one you would have never seen coming, like the twist in a Broadway musical. I personally have enjoyed songs like Avian Abundance and Vanilla Farm. As a gifted and talented instrumentalist, Pacific Death is bringing some really catchy tones to his doorstep. This song would be great in the chase scene of Kick-Ass 2. It has the action groove, along with the mischief the whole movie is based on. Listen to his songs here and follow him on his Spotify for more!
Pacific Death-* * ocean of sleeping stars * *
Pacific Death has given me another reason to become a die hard fan. In recent times, I haven’t used the term “guitar hero” very often. Perhaps I have been waiting for an axe-welding messiah whose entire appeal isn’t about being different. There is a charisma to making music you can sing along to while taking a shower. While taking a walk. A part of your life-this one is called * * ocean of sleeping stars * *. If I was able to name a more memorable and catchy melody from the beginning, I would. This is my job. However, Pacific Death makes me forget this in the initial few seconds of listening to this. Like virtuoso Eddie Van Halen’s entry in many songs, there is a layering of distortion along with tonal care. The result is a melody that gets stuck in your head, something you might have heard before but not exactly. His work within harmonies, while carrying the core, is very interesting to listen to. He changes pace at around 1:32, stepping up the kind of plays that interact, like watching a constellation being formed. To hear the octave play and melodies resulting to an enigmatic display of talent. Pacific Death has brought to you all the music he loves, with none of the stress of figuring out the genre. This instrumental would be a perfect element on The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2017). The kind of travel and movement in the movie, along with the themes are a great aspect for Pacific Death to compose through. Check out Vanilla Farm as well as __Rockbear__. You could listen to the single above, and follow this brilliant artist for more “Gorilla Metal”.
Decadent Heroes-Here Comes the Rain
Decadent Heroes is the result of instrumental music forming a bond with you. How you relate to the music is a whole other chapter. It is the conversational notation of this rock instrumental that resonates with so many of its listeners. Featured in several indie playlists in Spotify, this project is the reason you pick up the instrument in the first place. This is the latest single called Here Comes the Rain. In Indian Hindustani classical music-there exists a raga, for rain. It is called Malhar, and all the notes resonate with the emotions of rain. Though it is ancient, developed thousands of years ago-it still carries the weight of the rain. Decadent Heroes does the same with this song. It is the awaiting-the arrival of the seasonal shower that can be felt in this song. Using a bluesy rock tone for the guitar, a simple percussive background is chosen. Like a diary entry or cinematic chapter on rain, the song continues. All the inflections are perfect, yet there is a raw human touch to it. The chorus falls into this memorable section that you feel like singing over and over. As an instrumentalist, Decadent Heroes does the necessary to evoke the imagery with the powerful melodies written. The rest will be history. You can check out the song above and follow the project for more to come! This song would be perfect in Sweet November (2001), a movie with a sweet and genuine story. Check out tracks like Morning Break and Shades of Light for more exciting songs from this artist. Now, rock on for the rain!