High Castle Teleorkestra – Radio Free Albemuth Part 1: The Egg That Never Opened (The Decoy Remixes) – 2022
Progressive Rock, Avant-garde, Avant-Prog, Surf Rock, Art Rock, Avant-garde Metal
MultiNational
1. Egg (Telegraph Ave. Remix) (05:18)
2. Ich Bin's (Magnavox Cassette Copy) (03:38)
3. Aramchek (F.F. Fremont Redaction) (03:57)
4. Valisystem A (Appeal Version) (05:08)
5. At Last He Will (Vestigial Grip Sketch) (05:21)
6. Blue Jeans (Listening Booth #3 In 8-Bit) (04:04)
7. Diagnosing Johnny (Undisturbed Variation) (07:55)
8. Placentia (Tyrant's Birthplace Edition) (03:57)
9. Klawpeels (FAP Cassette B-Side) (03:37)
10. Mutual Hazard (1st Rift Adaptation) (05:02)
Chris Bogen - guitars, keyboards, lap steel, melodica, noise collages
Stian Carstensen - accordion, pedal steel, vocals, rhythm guitar
Timba Harris - violin, viola
Bär McKinnon - tenor saxophone, flute, clarinet, vocals, keyboards
Dave Murray - drums
Tim Smolens - standup bass, electric basses, cello, vocals, grand piano, keyboards
guests :
Sai Boag - Synth
Danny Heifetz - drums, vibraphone
Pieta Hextall - bassoon
Luke Kirley - trombone, tuba
Giani Lincan - cimbalom
Monica Ludekens - french horn
Vinnie “Saturn” Metts - drums, vibraphone
Caitlin O’Connor - vocals
George “GoPo” Phillips - noise collage
Rory Reagan - drums
Federico Randazzo - tenor saxophone, flute, clarinet
Adam Stacey - accordion
Jason Usry - noise collage: weirdy phaser
Jarle Vespestad - extra drums and percussion
Antonie Veskovski - vibraphone
John Whooley - tenor and alto saxophones
Georgi Yanev - violin
Эклектичный караван-сарай из авант-рока, цыганских романсов (вплоть до цитат из «Очей черных»), полек и прог-метала; лет десять назад я бы в такое влюбился по уши, а сейчас альбом кажется слишком поверхностным, но — чего уж там — всё равно впечатляющим пастишем.
обзор levgan_newmusic
о релизе :
Art As Catharsis is proud to announce the release of High Castle Teleorkestra’s debut record, The Egg That Never Opened – a mind-melting record fusing everything from Eastern European folk, swing jazz, technical metal and much more.
Assembled remotely by a roster of acclaimed international musicians, High Castle Teleorkestra (HCT) compensates for unlikely touring chances by turning out enigmatic, immaculately produced recordings. Comprised of members from ground-breaking acts including Estradasphere, Mr. Bungle, Farmers Market, Umlaut and more, HCT’s prodigious musical talent is matched only by their compositional finesse.
The unorthodox sonic landscape traversed on this 48-minute musical odyssey is not entirely unexpected from a roster with this collective musical résumé. Yet it is somehow fresh, vibrant, and, dare we say, mature in its eclectic cadence. HCT makes music that is experimental but catchy; intense yet fun without being sophomoric, and deftly avoids the pitfalls of uber-technical progressive music.
On The Egg That Never Opened, listeners will be treated to densely layered orchestrations, starkly unrelated genre superimposition, tasteful and energetic virtuosity, a narrative based on the book Radio Free Albemuth by Philip K. Dick, Eastern European folk music set to polyrhythmic death metal, innovative use of odd meters, 50's-style surf guitar ballads, the unmistakable nod to the Beach Boys Smile-era, stunning string sections, a kooky and morphing assortment of oddball synths & lo-fi keyboards from asynchronous eras, final mixes mastered from ¼ inch tape, other-worldly productions of astounding density and intrigue a variety of composition and arrangement styles, and so much more. High Castle Teleorkestra takes the listener on a blustering ride across the universe atop the pink beam of an ancient satellite.
“Tim, Timba, and Dave have a history of making innovative music that incorporated disparate genres,” begins guitarist and co-producer Chris Bogen”. “So it is only natural that High Castle would explore similar territory and push those boundaries even further.”
High Castle Teleorkestra’s premier single and video, Mutual Hazard is an intense fusion of Romanian folk, polyrhythmic metal, and an other-worldly string arrangement.
“This tune is in the 7/8 time signature, not uncommon in progressive and certain folk musics, but played at a blazing 300 BPM, making it very difficult to count and feel,” adds chief producer and bassist Tim Smolens.
“Timba Harris (Estradasphere, Probosci) put together a very unique, multi-timbral string section for this tune that adds an almost sci-fi element, something clearly not found in traditional Romanian Folk music! Drummer Dave Murray played a pivotal role in the arrangement and added interesting polyrhythmic metal concepts that make the timing even harder to count. All of this is played atop a more traditional foundation of warp speed accordion, ornamented solo violin, galloping cimbalom, and slapped upright bass. Although Estradasphere has explored a similar amalgamation of styles, there is something magical and new about the way it has come together in this particular rendition.”
by uwucuddleboi :
a joy beginning to end
High Castle Teleorkestra’s latest album, The Egg That Never Opened, has to be one of the best records under the avant-garde genre-shifting genre to be released as of the past decade.
Many of the people who were involved with its creation are well renowned artists within the underground avant-garde metal scene. It goes without saying that all of these people have incredible skill and talent, with many of them taking on multiple instruments and somehow managing to sound great with all of them. This album feels less like it’s just another compilation of wacky songs, and moreso a grand experiment by the band members to see just how many different genres they can fit within the span of this forty-eight minute experience, all the while still making it sound as good as possible. And yes, the album does indeed sound great. There is just as much attention to detail put in the mixing along with the mastering, not just the instrumentalization itself. The band members aren’t simply just playing, it’s all mixed extremely well, giving it nearly an otherworldly feeling to it (and given the subject-matter of the album itself, that wouldn’t be a big surprise if that was precisely the intention). The many bonus tracks given on the deluxe version of the album are good examples as to how drastically the songs sound without the mixing included in the final release. (Speaking of which, I do recommend you purchase the deluxe version. It's literally an extra 3 hours of music for only 10 dollars more and gives a really interesting insight for each of the tracks)
The sound is constantly shifting into genres ranging from metal to surf rock to jazz to prog rock, only to name a few, but it’s all played so expertly to the point where you don’t even notice where the different influences start and begin, that is unless it’s intentionally done abruptly (such as the usage of an accordion combined with the heavy guitar riffs in Ich Bin’s, or the rapidly changing genres of the album’s title track). Many of the band members came from the few bands that truly encapsulated the True spirit of Mr. Bungle (the band that started it all), ones that understood it takes more than quirky time signatures and weird-sounding vocals to make good avant-garde metal. It requires genuine skill to play all the different instruments these bands usually incorporate, and it can make a big difference when done by people who are aware of what they are doing.
The Egg That Never Opened is most definitely a quintessential album to the avant-garde scene, even if it appeared long past the genre’s magnum opus. Every song is an entirely different experience on its own, and when all placed together beginning to end, it makes for one grand time, one that will not be regretted. It works well for those who are into the entire genre-shifting shtick, but can also be a fine album for those who know how to appreciate top musicianship. RECOMMENDED!!!!
#BBAvantgarde
#BBProgressiveRock
#BBAvantProg
#BBAvantgardeMetal
#BBArtRock
