Credits
Sample Sound
Clips
Unintelligible Archetypal Babble from the Face - http://www.box.net/shared/static/7qjdb75zzg.mp3
Astrophonic Dreams in the Tube - http://www.box.net/shared/static/ok3vj504kx.mp3
Probe
Out - http://www.box.net/shared/static/nbststyf8e.mp3
Trenches
- http://www.box.net/shared/static/5maacjopzr.mp3
Thirst
for Ancient Shores - http://www.box.net/shared/static/1qrsmqcda6.mp3
Reanimation
- http://www.box.net/shared/static/a71glfsqvn.mp3
Cthulhu
On Mars - http://www.box.net/shared/static/s5c9v2ruz8.mp3
CD Themes
Anyone who has
managed to follow my discography, while taking note of the themes I have
emphasized as inspiration for my music, will also observe that I am almost
always fixated upon the ideas of space, science fiction, and horror (especially
the Lovecraftian sort). I’m afraid this CD is no different. These themes
continue to occupy my thoughts and heart with the same fascination and intrigue
that I experienced as a child.
As with most of my works assembled on compact disc, I tend
to freely improvise the music, let the music do the talking, and then title the
songs and tell the story accordingly. Mandolin from Mars has two stories to
tell.
The first story is regarding this so-called "mandolin from
mars." I decided to play an instrument relatively new to me, namely, the
6-string mandolin. The instrument has six single strings (not doubled like the
traditional four-string mandolin), and it is tuned like a guitar. It was
therefore not difficult for me, as a guitarist of 25 years, to grasp the
fundamentals of the instrument and play it in a convincing manner almost
immediately. However, the small fret spacing on the mandolin proved challenging
and forced me to take the songs on the CD in a different direction than from the
idiosyncrasies I normally exhibit on the guitar. Consequently, I titled the CD
"Mandolin from Mars" because the instrument was alien to me (i.e.,
metaphorically from Mars), which compelled me to generate a musical feel that
would seem alien to listeners relative to what they normally expect from the
mandolin.
Playing the mandolin on this CD was therefore an experiment.
I did not practice the instrument before recording, but rather I immersed myself
directly in the instrument to express myself as best as I could without being
colored by familiarity with its musical character.
The second story is the usual one. The titles and order of
the pieces on this CD frame a series of images and concepts. Here is the
“CliffsNotes” version: The so-called face of Mars sends a radio message to
Earth, which the title depicts as “Unintelligible Archetypal Babble from the
Face.” This concept is accentuated by the fact that it is the only song on the
CD that was recorded with only my voice, processed with the laptop computer.
After the babble from the face, Earth sends out a manned probe to investigate.
(Remind you of "2001: A Space Odyssey" and "2010: The Year We Make Contact"? It
should.) During the space trek to the red plant, and while in their life support
cold-sleep units, the astronauts are haunted and possessed by telepathic and
menacing messages from an alien being on Mars. (The being is Cthulhu, and this
is basically consistent with the Cthulhu Mythos for anyone into that story by HP
Lovecraft.) Think of this when you hear the song “Astrophonic Dreams in the
Tube,” but take note that some of the sound effects you hear are a processed
recording of an MRI machine. (I was inspired to do this after receiving an MRI
and experiencing back surgery.) I actually enjoyed the MRI, which inspired me to
produce more CDs like this!
...back to the story. Shortly before the manned space probe
lands on Mars, Earth loses contact (“Probe Out”), after which the astronauts are
driven (again by telepathic commands from Cthulhu) to cultivate some of the
"trenches" on Mars, fill them with water (“Thirst for Ancient Shores”), and then
reanimate Cthulhu, the ancient Lovecraftian beast. After this activity, Cthulhu
rises to the planet’s surface to...well, who knows? That is for the imagination
of Lovecraft fans, but one might suspect that the creature remains on Mars to
build a new alien kingdom. Either that or he makes his way back to earth to
torment us…
Cheers,
Kris
