new album release: "like some heliotropic plague"

“Like Some Heliotropic Plague” is a sort of taster or “dress rehearsal” for a series that will depart from the usual pure acousmatic approach, and move towards intense “tonal” music more suitable for cinematic / filmic narratives. There will be a more expanded release in this style early next year on the Sublime Retreat label, and then a possible 2 x CD release deeper into 2026.

I was recently inspired, for some reason not even really clear to me, to do a sort of “Gothic Western” album - by which I mean the literary micro-genre rather than, say, Morricone Western themes as played by Joy Division (although I don’t necessarily have a problem with that association, either!) Perhaps this is nothing more profound than a symptom of my general isolation at Forward Base TBWB over the last few years, but I’ve found myself possessed by images of infinite arid landscapes traversed on horseback, where the constant threat of life’s sudden and violent end is interwoven with a strange apprehension of the relatedness of all terrestrial phenomena. A stalemate between beauty and cruelty whose eventual resolution is not known or foreseen.

Guided by this broad vision, I arranged new material characterized by taut, martial drum parts, seraphic wordless vocals, eerie arcs of controlled feedback and droning bell tones. Throw in some metal hammering and high lonesome synthesis, and you have something that is, more so than any of my other work, a complete soundtrack to a film yet to be realized. Don’t worry, though, there is plenty of assistance here from the strangely ebbing / flowing tide of analog electronics that provides the most obvious clue as to my involvement.

And, all else being equal, there is NO generative artificial intelligence used at any point on these recordings. What you hear is the result of months’ worth of drafts discarded, re-considered, and finally determined acceptable for public airing - a process which has benefited me infinitely more than text-prompting my way towards instant gratification.

Listen and buy at this link - and thank you for your support!