Trend Setter (Release 2012)
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Trend Setter is the very essence of my experimentation. A dark and recessive set of pieces
that intertwine musical elements and ideas that although odd, fit beautifully together to make sense of something almost entirely intangible...
I’ve a bad habit of throwing personal projects under the rug to be worked on later, or dropping them altogether but Trend Setter, set for an early 2012 release, is not such a project. I have been trying not to spoil it or beef it up too much since it is following in the shadows of some of my most emotionally driven and musically complex albums: Behind the Shades and Aphotic Transmissions. Both of those albums raised the bar on my own personal production efforts, personal projects being a side hobby of mine. My efforts on Trend Setter will, therefore, have a high hurdle to leap over.
In early 2010 Trend Setter was on the back burner along with Pralaya and Walking with Myths (both albums have been removed since the redesign) as a project named: “Black Sun.” However, my Jungian psychology/alchemy drive had slowed just enough to not pursue the original atmosphere. Instead, I leaned toward more of a Behind the Shades continuation with hints of earlier works. With that said Trend Setter boasts such track names as:
- Under You
- Bent Candy (b‐side remake)
- Trash Man
- Murder Suicide (since renamed to A Black Rose for Atlantis)
- Lantern
…and more. The approach on this album is experimental, much unlike the “experimental” I tried to accomplish with Basic. Although Basic does have some very good tracks on it, the production value/quality is nothing close to what I hope to accomplish with Trend Setter. There is a more defined structure to the songs: some are minimized to only vocals and piano while others boast a more esoteric and shadowy string of elaborate chord progressions and melodies strangely tied together. It is no doubt just as “dark” as my other personal releases, but it is focused much more on the supernatural in the equation, the unconditioned side of my creativity.
It is not so experimental that it leaves the listener wondering what the hell is going, nor is it made for meditation or atmospheric effect. It contains lyrical and instrumental pieces, but both attempt to weave a vague and depth‐heavy story which is conveyed in a language of emotional intuition. Atmospheric effect is used to collaborate my ideas with my listeners, but the lyrics guide the song along and aid in its potential for self‐realization. Style or genre‐wise the album is a mix of gothic‐electronica, gothic folk, cabaret, and lounge pieces; A strange Tarsem Singh musical equivalent (as well as I can write and perform them).
Musically I am aiming for a minimalistic, eastern, and modal set of tracks. Whether I can achieve that goal is the question. I have attempted to refine this “form” of music many times and quite often without the ability to easily classify the material (another big reason I don’t take on independent artist projects anymore) and usually with disappointing results. Innately, my own productions strive for very complex harmonic patterns that work well only with atonal melodic movement. Some might see this as a very limiting venture (just as my music theory teacher used to tell me), but the often layered minor 11th, 9ths, and diminished 7th chords transcend into a very enlightening spectrum of human emotion.
It is also a challenge to write music in this manner. My own taste leans toward it, and my songwriting skills are always pushed to their limits when constructing a shape out of all the wandering styles and tonal centers. Anyway, that’s enough for now, be sure to stay on the lookout for new Trend Setter tracks. As usual, please be sure to leave me a review or rate the album by using the poll on this page. I like to know what my visitors think of these personal projects. Even if they don’t tailor to mainstream media, I still like to know what others think of these little creations.