in reel time, in real time
the album is done. finito. hot off the presses, hot mixes. very little mastering was done. really only in the form of pre-mastering the mixes as i progressed. and a little compression in the overall render. i'm not a huge fan of post-production, can you tell? i polished off the mixes (and even laid down some last minute bass tracks) this evening. the mp3s have completed their journey via FTP to my website. very soon i will update my website discography page to include links to download all the new tracks (*edit 22:04: updating of the discography page is done; go download at your leisure and pleasure). FOR FREE REMEMBER! YOU PAY NOTHING. JUST CLICK HERE. mostly because it's fun, but you can give me money if you want; or support me in other ways, like come out and see me play (if i ever get off my ass and onto the stage again).
i thought i would cut-n-paste pieces of the 'blurb i wrote in my live space about the new album here as well for maximum album release coverage (haha). it offers some insight into the overall concept and the work that went into it:
in some ways, in reel time marks a real departure for me, from my typical songwriting and recording techniques and habits, and in other ways it is like coming full circle to how i began. i like this feeling that has been evoked in the production of this album, because it seems to fit conceptually with the themes of the songs, and the story they tell as a whole. the lyrics, though far from entirely autobiographical, are meant to convey a sense urgent juxtaposition between politics and relationships, between external and internal opinions. as such, the use of heavy imagery and metaphor relating to film, television, media, literature - and the very personal feelings that end up becoming attached to these indifferent and abstract devices - is very much intentional.
thematically, make believe was fairly self-explanatory in what it was about; questioning the nature and origin of our inspiration to feel that there is meaning to life; and remaining faithful to a solipsistic ideal: that everything around us (me) must just be a dream, a fabrication of the imagination. in reel is the logical counterpoint to the thesis that make believe posed: that is, that the physical world around us - and our interaction with it - is very real. it creates our memories and feelings, and contributes to our assignation of something or someone's emotional importance. when that something or someone is gone from our life, we feel loss and can continue to feel loss long after it happens, because memories have been carved out to be triggered by sensory input from film, tv, literature, other media, etc. nostalgia brings the emotion back.
the circular nature of memory vs. the linear nature of time moving forward: it got me thinking about a film reel or a tape reel, and how it must turn around and around to keep the story going forward. and even though it seems current because you're experiencing it in the here-and-now, in real time, it was actually recorded in the past, sometimes a very long time ago. really, you're just reliving a memory. and i guess that became the concept of the two albums i wrote and recorded this year. in reel time completes the circle that make believe began.
JACOB EARL - IN REEL TIME
release date: 2007-12-04, athoos productions
running time: approx. 56:57
tracklist:
AND just 'cause you're all special and i want to be loved and showered with admiration (or scathing critique, 'cause feedback - even negative - is still better than nothing), i've directly linked a couple of tracks above for immediate gratification (for those who can't bother to take the two seconds to visit my website). anyway, you're all great for caring enough to even read this far. thanks to all the people in my life who have supported and listened this far, and hopefully keep on doing so. it's terribly humbling, and therefore keeps me suitably grounded.
i thought i would cut-n-paste pieces of the 'blurb i wrote in my live space about the new album here as well for maximum album release coverage (haha). it offers some insight into the overall concept and the work that went into it:
in some ways, in reel time marks a real departure for me, from my typical songwriting and recording techniques and habits, and in other ways it is like coming full circle to how i began. i like this feeling that has been evoked in the production of this album, because it seems to fit conceptually with the themes of the songs, and the story they tell as a whole. the lyrics, though far from entirely autobiographical, are meant to convey a sense urgent juxtaposition between politics and relationships, between external and internal opinions. as such, the use of heavy imagery and metaphor relating to film, television, media, literature - and the very personal feelings that end up becoming attached to these indifferent and abstract devices - is very much intentional.
thematically, make believe was fairly self-explanatory in what it was about; questioning the nature and origin of our inspiration to feel that there is meaning to life; and remaining faithful to a solipsistic ideal: that everything around us (me) must just be a dream, a fabrication of the imagination. in reel is the logical counterpoint to the thesis that make believe posed: that is, that the physical world around us - and our interaction with it - is very real. it creates our memories and feelings, and contributes to our assignation of something or someone's emotional importance. when that something or someone is gone from our life, we feel loss and can continue to feel loss long after it happens, because memories have been carved out to be triggered by sensory input from film, tv, literature, other media, etc. nostalgia brings the emotion back.
the circular nature of memory vs. the linear nature of time moving forward: it got me thinking about a film reel or a tape reel, and how it must turn around and around to keep the story going forward. and even though it seems current because you're experiencing it in the here-and-now, in real time, it was actually recorded in the past, sometimes a very long time ago. really, you're just reliving a memory. and i guess that became the concept of the two albums i wrote and recorded this year. in reel time completes the circle that make believe began.
JACOB EARL - IN REEL TIME
release date: 2007-12-04, athoos productions
running time: approx. 56:57
tracklist:
- black day
- 24 views (of mount fuji)
- shut up
- interest
- allegory, my friend
- the Duke
- casa blanca
- blackbreech
- grownup children of modern day failed marriages
- vacation
- leave behind the world you know
- before you go
AND just 'cause you're all special and i want to be loved and showered with admiration (or scathing critique, 'cause feedback - even negative - is still better than nothing), i've directly linked a couple of tracks above for immediate gratification (for those who can't bother to take the two seconds to visit my website). anyway, you're all great for caring enough to even read this far. thanks to all the people in my life who have supported and listened this far, and hopefully keep on doing so. it's terribly humbling, and therefore keeps me suitably grounded.