“Victory in a Landlocked Sea” is
music for an ambitious generation in an uncertain era. Ours is a
generation of dream-seekers, adrift in a landlocked sea of limited
possibility, but in search of the victory we have promised to ourselves.
Each track on this album examines questions of love, place, and
meaning within the context of a quest for beauty and happiness. We want
that more perfect, fulfilling life just as the systems we depend upon
are beginning to fail us. But rather than offering easy answers, the
album sets out only to examine those never-ending struggles between
planning and being, between commitment and freedom, and between
practicality and desire.
The first track, “I’ll Die Smiling”, lays out the album concept both
lyrically and sonically as it describes a search for that place of
belonging, a search for the truth and bliss that can only be found in
love, and a hunger that lasts until the day we die. “I’ll Die Smiling”
presents Abscondo’s radical stylistic departure from his successful 2008
acoustic release, “Midnight Snow.” The album “Victory in a Landlocked
Sea” is lush with piano, layers of weeping acoustic and electric
guitars, nostalgic synths, ample sampling from Abscondo’s own life in
Europe, and percussion sounds that were recorded in places around the
world.
The next track, “I Created”, playfully manages to ponder the meaning
of life within the context of religion and love. “Running Wild”
features Abscondo’s more acoustic style with a song that was written
hours after his daughter was born. “Different Future” describes the
positive future that will eventually follow the financial and systemic
crash that has already begun. The album’s metaphorical title track,
“Victory in a Landlocked Sea”, illustrates the insignificance of both
our fear of the unknown and our desire for security by offering up the
simple idea that “each moment is the only thing that ever means anything
to me”. As if to prove this point, the album’s next few tracks sweep
us away from ideas and into the moment.
“Consciousness” describes an uneventful Saturday that is filled with
the comforts and joys of love. “86 Reasons” goes on to extend that
Saturday well into the evening by describing the scene at some Abscondo
solo performance in a smoky bar.
“Truth Is” is a more upbeat rock song celebrating the unique bliss
that can only be found in a relationship that achieves both full honesty
and unconditional acceptance. “Forbidden Curiosities” reminds us that,
even in the best relationship, this state is often temporary. It is
easy to slip into moments of misunderstanding and loneliness. “Lost in
this Town” further acknowledges the feeling that we are all alone in a
world where we don’t always belong. “The Frost” offers a dark, dreamy
soundscape that explores the pain felt by an artist who vividly
perceives art and beauty just as real life relentlessly attempts to
cloud that perception. Finally, the book-end to the album is “Books
Fall Apart”, which is a playful, melodic song celebrating how rare
moments of beauty, love, bliss, and sunshine can so quickly and easily
change all of our life structure and all of our life plans.
This is an album for an ambitious but uncertain generation. Yet
this recording project, itself, acknowledges the unique possibility of
our times. Even while our legacy institutions and systems are beginning
to crash, we are empowered by new technological possibilities that are
changing our content and our relationships. We are only beginning to
tap into the extraordinary intelligence of the networked collective.
One example is the extraordinary, unrealized potential of Creative
Commons.
Creative Commons isn’t just about releasing content for free; rather,
it is about the idea that talent, hard work, and intelligence can
produce better content than that which is well-funded and commercial.
Just like the folk music that existed long before the music industry
came into being, good songs should live and evolve. This album
represents one artist’s vision for these songs, but we might all be
curious to hear yours. All of the source material has been made
available to other artists here: http://www.abscondo.com/source. If
these songs inspire you, then make them your own! Re-release them on
Jamendo or work with me to find the right commercial channel for our
creation. The best version of each track on the album will be selected
for the commercial release of the album on February 28th, 2012. Enjoy!
No hay comentarios:
Publicar un comentario