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1. |
The Upward Spiral
08:36
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The Upward Spiral
It was really tricky to choose the opener for the album, and this wasn’t the obvious first choice, as it has a kind of false start... it feels likes it’s going to be all big and ambient, then Trip hints at a sparse bass groove, I switch to the rolling rhythmic line, he follows, then jumps in with the jaunty melody, switches to fretless...
Two minutes in, it’s hopefully clear why it’s the opener.
Joyous, optimistic, improvised music. That’s the idea.
Of course it turns into a freaky glitch-fest at the end, but not before a crescendo of euphoric blade-runner-esque cinematic guitar-ish-ness.
All hail the Kaoss Pad KP3. Nuff Said.
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2. |
Grown-Ups At Play
05:46
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Grown-Ups At Play
The simplest tune on the record in terms of the techological wizardry. There’s one little loop towards the end, but most of it is just Trip and I playing, with him hitting some deep, deep bass pedals (srsly, you’re not going to hear those if you’re listening on laptop speakers or through crappy headphones. They dig deep.)
This is almost an old fashioned duet.
Almost.
The loop section adds a lil’ StevieSpice to the proceedings. After all, we’re grown-ups.
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3. |
Growing Up And Moving On
07:33
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Growing Up And Moving On
This was the first thing we recorded. It is, I think the most edited too... Perhaps.
Nerves? Expectations?
We met 11 years ago. We wouldn’t have played like this then. We were young. Unformed. A different world.
We’ve moved on, up, out, through... Sometimes in parallel, sometimes divergent, always with a bass in hand.
It’s a slow build, the underlying loop changes not. The emotions evolve. We’re exploring, tentatively (it’s the first thing we played, remember?) Satisfied as it unfolds.
It’s good. Let’s play more.
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4. |
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Imaginary Robot Ninja Assistant.
Who doesn’t have an imaginary robot ninja assistant? Fixing stuff, being awesome, ass-kicking when needed, and, uhm, assisting...
When I finally get my real Robot Ninja Assistant, it will sing like this track.
And I’d understand every word it sang.
This is how all robots should sing.
It’s a love song.
Nowhere near as dark as it sounds to us.
Robot harmony is different, y’see, not based on dodgy fudged physics. Theirs is is essence of rock ‘n’ roll.
And ninjas.
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5. |
Ten Years Of Listening
11:07
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The longest track on the album. A slow build with some pretty big transitions, and a Big Distorted Solo™. The only way to navigating those transitions is to rely on deep listening.
Trip and I have been listening to each other for over a decade. I’m always as happy to listen to him play as I am to be playing the music myself. That’s the key to improv - play with people who make nicer noises than you can imagine making yourself. Removes the tendency to over-play.
So we listen, we react, we surprise each other and play catch-up. But after a decade of listening, the surprises get easier to adjust to :)
There are some amazing moments in this tune, too many amazing moments to list them all here. And there are sounds that you’d be forgiven for thinking were me that are actually Trip. He really stretches out on this, and the blend between our sounds has never been more integrated and organic.
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6. |
Slow Food
05:20
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Slow Food.
Trip Solo. But not solo. Trip, enhanced, by me. Nudged, prompted, surprised, cajoled, tricked, tripped, aided and abetted.
“You just play, and I’ll loop and process it. See what happens”
This is what happens.
Lots of listening, fun, to and fro.
The essence of Slow Food. The album, not the cuisine. Music without playing, a duet where only one person makes noise.
Cajun Zen.
Playing tennis against a wall with a mind of its own.
The End.
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