The Avatar/Roger Dean Taste Test

Here's a side-by-side comparison of Roger Dean's art and the Avatar counterparts. Hrmmmm....

THE CRIMSON KING Gets a Makeover

Listening to the remastered 40th anniversary of In the Court of the Crimson King by King Crimson, and loving it. If ever there was an album in need of such a remaster, it was this one. Steve Wilson of Porcupine Tree knocked it out of the park. The bass on "21st Century Schizoid Man" sounds incredibly springier, and the sound overall is much sharper, fitting the feel and threat of the album in a way that befits the foreshadowing tone of what was to come after the "Summer of Love." I don't own a surround sound system (bit of overkill for me), but just comparing it to the old version, it is WAY better now. Good job. Can't wait to hear Red, and to a lesser extent, Lizard...sorry, that's a tough one! Gordon Haskell's vocals were just wrong for KC. But supposedly, Lizard is one of Wilson's favorites, and I hear he took extra care, while making the argument that a 5.1 treatment will do wonders, because the album is pretty dense, and will stretch it out a bit:

For personal reasons one of the very first albums I wanted to revamp was Lizard, which is the one album in the catalogue that tends to divide the fans between those that love it and those that find it almost unlistenable. I’m one of those that adore it, and could make a pretty good case for it being one of the most adventurous rock albums ever made. But I also knew it could work better in 5.1, as it’s almost as if there is too much information bursting out of the tracks to be contained in mere stereo. This is not the case in surround sound, where everything has the space to breathe, and the genius of Lizard’s progressive avant-garde jazz rock experiment finally blossoms in all its glorious folly.

Well, it's got me intrigued, anyway. I do like the moments of the album enough to give it a chance.

Anyway, Wilson has more to say on the remixes, and you can read the full interview at roadrunnerrecords.co.uk.

New Video: "A Thousand Years of Solitude"

"A Thousand Years of Solitude" from Earth and Exile...

In which the Spaceplayer finds solace in his exile on the moon by paying homage to Stanley Kubrick:

Beyond the Music: The Art of Marco Djurdjevic

Before music won out, I was pursuing my dual love, the possibility of being a comic book illustrator. I wasn't up to the task, skillwise; the speed wasn't there to meet a monthly deadline. And I thought Alex Ross had no competition...his work was everything I wanted to see and do, so I left it to the experts...

Then I saw The Marvel Art of Marco Djurdjevic, a collection of covers by this rising star of the comic book world. Marco takes the realistic stylings of Alex Ross and combines it with the current innovations in graphic design (my other aspiration), bringing to maturity the artistic concepts started with Dave Gibbon's work on Watchmen and the design sensibilities of George Perez. Definitely eye candy on par with some of the great gatefold covers of classic prog.

Here's a sample of my favorite pieces; I love his webbing on Spider-Man, his work on Magneto is particularly moving, and the rest are simply striking in their use of design space. As it's been said, music is the space between the notes, and Marco's visuals certainly carry that principle forward in his art.

Spaceplayer: EARTH AND EXILE available

Following the past releases of Return of the Space Cadet

and Yet Another Final Frontier is Earth and Exile by

Spaceplayer. “Mental Instrumental to fill the Floydian Void”,

with a dose of Eno/Bowie, Jean Michel Jarre, Vangelis, and

William Orbit.

Track listing:

Earth and Exile

A Thousand Years of Solitude

Soma (3 For Dark Eternity)

Sense of Doubt

The Last Revolution

Worlds Apart

The Lost Revelation

By Our Love/Ascend the Stars

Available now on iTunes and amazon.com

EARTH AND EXILE available on Amazon.com (9.1.09)

Now available on iTunes and amazon.com! Official press release.

"A New Life Awaits": Earth and Exile

New album is ready to go! Earth and Exile by Spaceplayer, available on iTunes September 2009. Mental Instrumental to fill the Floydian void, with a dose of Eno/Bowie, Jarre, Vangelis, William Orbit. In a turbulent world, sometimes you need to fight; other times, you just need to get away..."A new life awaits you in the off-world colonies..."

Track listing:
Earth and Exile
A Thousand Years of Solitude
Soma (3 For Dark Eternity)
Sense of Doubt
The Last Revolution
Worlds Apart
The Lost Revelation
By Our Love/Ascend the Stars

August Perseid Meteor Shower

A little space for your space rock:

Real-Life Spaceplayers: Apollo 11

Well, I'm just about down with the new album, but I'll gladly take a moment to honor the original "space players," the heroic crew of Apollo 11, Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins, as well the many engineers the rocket scientists who got them there. Despite my Libertarian(ish) opposition to government programs, it was my original ambition to be an astronaut myself (I went with "musical space cadet" instead.)

What was so heroic about the first moon landing? In the words of Ayn Rand:

One knew that this spectacle was not the product of inanimate nature, like some aurora borealis, or of chance, or of luck, that it was unmistakably human—with “human,” for once, meaning grandeur—that a purpose and a long, sustained, disciplined effort had gone to achieve this series of moments, and that man was succeeding, succeeding, succeeding! For once, if only for seven minutes, the worst among those who saw it had to feel—not "How small is man by the side of the Grand Canyon!"—but “How great is man and how safe is nature when he conquers it!”

In other words,

It was the overwhelming response of people starved for the sight of an achievement, for a vision of man the hero.

For another musical tribute to the space greats, check out "Countdown" by Rush, from the album Signals. Shine on...

New Video: "Terra Fractal"

From Return of the Space Cadet by Spaceplayer. A reflection on man's search for meaning amidst the chaos of Terra Fractal, a search for the universal in the outer reaches of inner space...

"To see a world in a grain of sand,
And a heaven in a wild flower,
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand,
And eternity in an hour."

-William Blake

"Buddhabrot" fractals designed by Albert Lobo

(http://usuarios.lycos.es/llopsite/). Used with permisson.

New Album Influences: Pieces in a Modern Style

Now that I've covered some classic electronic artists, I have to mention a couple of modern-day influences that have also built on those sources.

Synaesthetic- A Positive Life: I'm primarily rock oriented, but I'm open to anything that's spacey. When I ventured into Trance, Dub, Techno, whatever you call it, this one got a lot of play in my headphones. I was into the concept of synaesthesia at the time, so this made a good soundtrack for my reading. Check out "Pleidean Communication" for a sample.

William Orbit-Pieces in A Modern Style: Just as above, when a space rock fan ventures in the classical world, it should have a similarly spacy style. Just because it's "classical" doesn't mean it needs to stay in powdered wigs and pantaloons. So I latched onto this album pretty quickly; it fits in nicely with the Jarre/Vangelis/Eno style and avoids the "Switched on Classics" sound (not to downplay the pioneer that is Wendy Carlos.) Orbit is also the link between the dancy stuff above (his work with Madonna) to the more instrumental style.

And finally, "Light Powered" by Deastro: a newcomer out of left field, Cartoon Network's ADULT SWIM, to be exact. I heard this on a commercial "bump" and was hooked. It's one of those things I wish I wrote, and it wound up influencing the final song on Earth and Exile. Speaking of which, I really should get back to work on that...(It's almost there, actually working on the artwork at this point.)

New Album Influences: Rick Wright/Pink Floyd

I'd be amiss if I didn't mention the late Rick Wright from Pink Floyd. While there wasn't anything particular that influenced Earth and Exile (it's all good!), I've been a devotee of Pink Floyd since birth, and keys were my first instrument. I'd sit there and work out the best lines of Rick Wright. I've always wanted to create a synth album inspired by his work, and his influence is all over my playing.

Shine on, Rick...

New Album Influences: Bowie and Eno

Ok, we've already added Vangelis, Jarre, and Oldfield to the pot, but a stew like this wouldn't be complete without a dash of Brian Eno's work with David Bowie. It was a bit strange for Bowie, known more for traditional song forms, to release the spacy instrumentals during his Berlin trilogy... but then, Bowie is a true space cadet, being the star child of Syd Barrett...

While the instrumentals from Low are just as good, the pieces that influenced Earth and Exile comes from the "Heroes" album, the three-part "Sense of Doubt/Moss Garden/Neuköln." The description of these pieces lend themselves to the theme behind Earth and Exile. "Sense of Doubt" is dark and foreboding, while "Moss Garden" is more tranquil and ethereal. This is mirrored in the "exile's" attempt to find a sense of serenity within his own inner space. "Neuköln" particularly adds an extra poignancy; in keeping with the exile theme; according to David Buckley's book Strange Fascination: David Bowie-The Definitive Story, "the music has been interpreted as reflecting in part the rootlessness of the Turkish immigrants who made up a large proportion of the area's (Neukölln) population," while musically, the final section features Bowie's plaintive saxophone "booming out across a harbour of solitude, as if lost in fog." (From Wikipedia.) I find the sax to be rather "Floydish," and in turn, I find the sax on "Terminal Frost" from A Momentary Lapse of Reason to be reminiscent of this.

New Album Influences: Ommadawn

While this album is classic Mike Oldfield; (before his own foray into electronic music), the music still made it's way into my brain for Earth and Exile. I think it may have been a subconscious reaction to pair up Oldfield with Jean Michel Jarre; during his..."involvement" with Werner Erhard's est therapy... Oldfield made a disparaging remark towards Jarre, calling his music "shit." I hate when my favorite musicians try to pit fans against each other, so I'm making them play nice here.

Anyway, the particular piece is Ommadawn, which features an intense section of Afro-Celt rhythms, ominous Celtic chanting, and Oldfield's unique guitar. The section was to suggest musically a violent "re-birth" of sorts, while on Earth and Exile it's more of a "last stand" before exile. I've merged Oldfield's climatic emergence meets Jarre's keyboard attack in a "Wagnerian" battle for the soul of Terra Fractal...

New Album Influences: Jean Michel Jarre

Today's influence on Earth and Exile: Jean Michel Jarre. I grew up listening to Equinoxe. Literally, I can remember being four years old and seeing my mom's 8-track in the car, in the house, everywhere. She had the cover with the one guy with the binoculars, imagine my surprise on seeing the whole album cover years later with the same figure repeated. It's only recently that I've been exposed to the more popular Oxygene. Equinoxe is, as a result, my preferred album, though I do think it's not just the fact that I grew up with it, but that it's also a more realized album musically. But both are an influence, and getting their due today. Here are a couple of versions from a Youtube poster, Gattobus, who recreates them quite nicely. (Check him out, he even does Blade Runner.)

New Album Influences: BLADE RUNNER

Because I have no shame in wearing my heart on my sleeve...

Movie soundtracks seem to have been my primary influence as of late; Empire of the Sun was my tribute to Ennio Morricone and spaghetti westerns...Earth in the Balance, while not so much musically, was influenced by Conan the Barbarian. (Oddly enough, that album morphed into a story about the 44th Inaugaration...which was made even more odd by that man's professed love of Conan, even if I view him more like Thulsa Doom.)

Earth and Exile, fittingly enough then, is inspired by both the story and soundtrack of Blade Runner. The idea of exile of humanity while the replicants embrace theirs is mirrored in the electronic Vangelis score perfectly, and that provided the seed for this album, which grew to embrace the music of Jean Michel Jarre, the Afro-Celt sound of Mike Oldfield's Ommadawn, and the sound excursions of David Bowie/Brian Eno collaborations.

New Album update: Earth and Exile

I usually keep to myself all evidence of new work until it's done except to one or two objective ears, but I thought I'd share this time around. The new songs are all but done, just doing some minor corrections and post-production, then the song titles and artwork. The working title is Earth and Exile, a coda to Earth in the Balance. Thematically, it's a sadder, yet calmer and more forward-thinking response to the anger and events of the last album; an acceptance of what one control, and more emphasis on what one can. Musically speaking, however, it's light-years away...hence the exile. It's also a return to the original intent of Spaceplayer, exploration of musical strangeness. Spaceplayer was never about accepting things as they are, but what they could be. The past few projects have been more...terran...in their influences, which was intentional, as I wanted to get a better handle on form and melodic development. Armed with a greater understanding of the past, I can now return to a more "interstellar" approach.

While I finish up Earth and Exile, I'm going to share a few posts of the musical influences that went into the writing that will give a hint of the shape of things to come...

Old School Meddle

I just discovered the "Spinning Vinyl" clips on Youtube.
I love it. This is the best way to listen to this album

(on vinyl, that is, not on youtube...)

"Be spacious, my friend..."

  The History Channel just recently aired a documentary called How Bruce Lee Changed the World. I was grabbed by this clip:

 

  So it is with Spaceplayer. My own musical exploration has been fluid in its own way, though maybe I'd use the word "nebulous," in keeping with the space theme. Space is a great metaphor, like water; it's open, spacious, allowing room for individual expression. People are like aliens to each other, until they learn to communicate. Each new interaction shapes us, for better or for worse. But I have found, personally, that in working with different genres, certain patterns and themes still emerge, of a personal nature, that unify all the different music I've created. Call it the eternal return, call it ego...the point is to call it out, to be. Not to be "open-minded," but "active minded." Not to submit, but to interact. To integrate, and prune away the inessential.

New Video: "Mecha"

 This is my second video, "Mecha," a song from my very first album, Lost Tales of the Space Cadet. It's set to a "fan film" of The Transformers that I created. I've always like the idea of having the listener create their own vision to go with the music, and this one's mine. The original image evoked in me by the radio signals was a boy on the roof with a transmitter signaling an alien invasion. But in the recurring storyline I developed for my albums, the Space Cadet, in the search for the "universal," approaches a mechanical planetoid called Mecha, where all emotion has been purged, leaving a robotic race of rationality. This version, though, is a guilty pleasure. I wanted to do the soundtrack for the live-action Transformers movie, but for some reason (like, never having contacted them), they never called me. Go figure. Anyway, I was adult about it ("don't worry about me, I'll survive...somehow....), but this is for the kid in those who prefer the frosted side of Shredded Wheat. Enjoy.

Revolution on Terra Fractal, or, Earth in the Balance

 Here's a video for the Tea Parties on Terra Fractal: "Earth in the Balance," the very first rock song of the revolution. Lyrics are provided below. All rights reserved; that said, feel free to use them for your revolutionary purposes.

Lyrics are as follows:

"A meteoric rise to fame/ 
what's ours to lose was yours to gain/ 
as you pulled on the reins/ 
so you could remain/ 
the king that you think you are/ 
yeah, you're a supertzar/ 
you held us so far, you held our mind in chains/ 
made us wonder who is crazy and who is sane/ 
our sanction of guilt was the key to our shame/ 
and our self-sacrifice was the claim to your fame/ 
but I know who you are and I know you're to blame/ 
'cause I know the score...and I know you're name..."

Meanwhile, Back on Earth...

But Barely. I've been in orbit around this planet. Wanna know why? Check out my new ep, Earth in the Balance,  featuring the single that explains it all,  "Earth in the Balance."

Track listing:

Crashing in the Land of the Free

A Show of Hands (Euphoria of the Masses)

The 44th Inaugural Address

Martial Law

The New Space Rock Revival

Earth in the Balace

All songs available at soundclick.com.