Three for the Weekend

Posted on August 15, 2021 by normanweatheredmusic

The weekend is here, and so are some new sounds to check out.

LISA GERRARD & JULES MAXWELL of DEAD CAN DANCE are back for a new audio-visual trip with ‘Keson (Until My Strength Returns).’ Gerrard explains, “Keson implores us to live in our dreams and befriend our soul.” Produced by James Chapman (MAPS), the entire ‘Burn’ LP is euphoric and compelling, more inventive than what they had worked on separately in the past. Each track builds and intensifies, creating a hypnotic experience to listen to from start to finish.

‘Keson (Until My Strength Returns’ https://youtu.be/HiKT2sbjBq0

‘Orion (The Weary Huntsman)’ https://youtu.be/tNBRC2bXcBo

‘Heleali (The Sea Will Rise)’ https://youtu.be/HHAUc9D9-Jk

‘Aldavyeem (A Time To Dance)’ https://youtu.be/fTID-V4dY-o

‘Deshta (Forever)’ https://youtu.be/ho6bnBWW5pk

‘Noyalain (Burn)’ https://youtu.be/13HWFBUOIWU

Lisa Gerrard and Jules Maxwell in Conversation https://youtu.be/hmc5L1dUKIc

‘Burn’ LP order https://orcd.co/lisajulesburn

Apple Music https://music.apple.com/ca/album/burn/1549003458

Spotify https://open.spotify.com/album/3JMskHl0z6g1QUKsDTPQvy

‘Oh, Ballerina’ by TRAITRS, one of the dark music scene’s fastest rising indie artists, previews their ‘Horses In The Abattoir’ LP. Also, enjoy their art-house thriller-inspired video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59Sw-xW2YJ4

Produced with JOSH KORODY (F*cked Up, Japandroids)and mastered by PETE MAHER (U2, Nick Cave, Depeche Mode, NIN, Prince), The Spill Magazine call this “an impeccable mélange of alternative dark pop and catchy goth-laced retro-futuristic soundscapes.”

As of August 13, ‘Oh, Ballerina’ will be available digitally everywhere, including Spotify and Apple Music. On November 19, the full-length ‘Horses In The Abattoir’ LP will be released on vinyl, CD and digitally. The LP can be ordered at https://orcd.co/horsesintheabattoir. 

Keep up with TRAITRS

Keep up with Freakwave Records

Website | Facebook | Instagram | Contact

Keep up with Shameless Promotion PR

Dublin indie music icons DAVID LONG (INTO PARADISE) AND SHANE O’NEILL (BLUE IN HEAVEN) release the 3-track EP ‘Dreams Come’.Recommended for fans of early New Order, Echo and The Bunnymen, the Go-Betweens, The Sound Beck and Tom Petty. The Irish Times calls this “as even-handed a collaboration as they come… creative synergy that time hasn’t had the nerve to erase”

Irish music icons David Long and Shane O’Neill present their ‘Dreams Come’ EP. This 3-track offering arrives hot on the trail of their ‘Far From Home’ EP and video for the title track, which has garnered the duo excellent reviews and radio play in dozens of countries.

The title track features a sweet, uplifting melody intertwined with bittersweet lyrics – a seeming nod to a love that could be fraying at the edges. From the beautiful opening chords right through to the end, it will make you feel like you want more of whatever it is. Love, loss, hope, all of it, whatever it is.

‘Dreams Come’ https://youtu.be/FQBxiZj8Ti4

Bandcamp https://davidlong4.bandcamp.com/album/dreams-come-3-track-single

‘Far From Home’ https://youtu.be/nGfnDNGS3dE

Bandcamp https://davidlong4.bandcamp.com/album/far-from-home-3-track-single

Spotify https://open.spotify.com/album/0jMTOqvfqigYXYlH5OpssZ

Soundcloud https://soundcloud.com/shack9/sets/far-from-home-david-long-shane

Happy listening everyone and play safe.

The Mystery Plan. Again.

Posted on August 14, 2021 by normanweatheredmusic

Back in July, I listened to the album, You Also Have Eyes by The Mystery Plan, but I didn’t feel good about what I reported, so I revisited the album. I listened to it again, several times in fact, and ran the CD through my big speakers in the music room. I came away with a different perspective of what I heard, so I will do a do-over and write up my new experience with the album.

First observation: I listened to the CD that the boys in the band sent me. I like the physical medium. It’s a step back in time to the golden days of the records. I still enjoy listening to records, although all the other mediums, including CDs and streaming, have places, and I frequently visit them. I listened to 429 albums in 2020; 210 of them were vinyl records, 100 CDs, three cassettes and 166 steamed through various sources. So, yeah, I like listening to physical pieces of music, and I had a good experience listening to You Also Have Eyes by The Mystery Plan. Thank you for the CDs, Mystery Plan

From The Mystery Plan‘s Bandcamp page, I learned that you also have eyes is a compilation of songs from their last few albums, plus two new recordings. It was released July 16, 2021, so it is still relatively new.

The opening song, electric love, starts with a short ditty that evolves with an excellent deep bass playing with some gentle synths and a gentle voice floating over it all. At two minutes, give or take a few seconds, the vocal gets a bit stronger and takes a prominent spot with the bass faded down, but it doesn’t go away. Some percussion and synth join it. And then, the vocal gets very sensual. She sounds like she is enjoying whatever she is doing or what someone else is doing with her. The vocal gradually fades to a sound more like a breathing exercise, and the music takes a back seat with gentle synths and then ends.

Track two, the golden moon and the silvery sea, opens with some sweet bass lines, and then the whole band joins in. This song has some serious grooves, toe-tapping and head-bobbing music.

The Mystery Plan is: Amy Herring, Otis Hughes, Patty McLaughlin, Jefferson Chester, Jason Herring

Tracks 3 and 4 have gentle synths leading the way.

Track 5 is a bit faster-paced and revisits the sensual singing.

Track 6 is silver lining and features Big Supreme on some mighty fine vocals. Straight-up hip hop and a stand-out song from where I am listening.

Track 7, wonder why is synth-pop in a good way.

Track 8, those stars, is a favourite of mine. It opens with some sweet bass and introduces a sax that takes us into a jazzed-up song, and I liked the references to looking at the stars. Jazz and celestial objects, you can’t go wrong with that combination, and The Mystery Plan does not falter. This track is a solid 10 out of 10 stars and 7 minutes of glorious music.

There is some excellent production on this recording, such as playing with the spatial shape of the music. Track 9, always, is a perfect example of that, with the sound moving from left to right and then back. Some voices seem to float around the centre of the stage but feel that they are not upfront but a bit further back. Ten takes us a long way to heaven in what I would call pop-rock. It has an almost retro feel, like Strawberry Fields with Vangelis on synths and Jeff Beck on guitar. Weird things that people like me can imagine.

Track 10, wonder why, is remixed by Peter Anderson. More pop music. It is a song that I laid back and let my mind wander while I listened, good stuff.

11 is before you go more of the same synthpop that continues where track 10 left off—excellent percussion, especially at the end.

This most excellent album closes with weird things humans do. Gentle acoustic guitars with samples and synths that slowly build with some up-tempo, and then some discrete percussion and bass slip into the mix, and we close sixty minutes of a delightful album.

It is easy to get lost in this album, and it is a good listen that I recommend, 10 out of 10 stars.

p.s. The Mystery Plan do not like shifting for capital letters, their songs are shown in lower case as they appear in Bandcamp as well as on the CD liner.

Oh, Ballerina/Magdalene

Posted on August 10, 2021 by normanweatheredmusic

Post-punk rising stars TRAITRS have announced they will release their long-player ‘Horses In The Abattoir’ this autumn via Freakwave, a Berlin-based label that is part of the Schubert Music Europe group, distributed by The Orchard. Ahead of that, the duo presents the single ‘Oh, Ballerina’.

Recorded by and produced with Josh Korody (F*cked Up, Japandroids, Dilly Dally, Beliefs, Nailbiter) at Candle Recording Studio, the new output was mastered by Pete Maher (U2, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Depeche Mode, Nine Inch Nails, Prince, Linkin Park, Katy Perry).

Based in Toronto, TRAITRS was formed in 2015 by Sean-Patrick Nolan and Shawn Tucker. With a cinematic blend of post-punk, goth, alternative and post-rock, their emotive melodies, propulsive rhythms, angular guitars and dark cinematic electronics quickly led to the duo becoming one of the dark music scene’s fastest rising independent artists.

I like what I have heard from the Canuck band TRAITRS. As of August 13, ‘Oh, Ballerina’ will be available digitally everywhere, including Spotify and Apple Music. On November 19, the full-length ‘Horses In The Abattoir’ LP will be released on vinyl, CD and digitally. It can be ordered at https://orcd.co/horsesintheabattoir

I will do a full review when the album drops on November 19, good stuff. I like what I hear.

‘You Still Mean Too Much To Me,’

Posted on August 5, 2021 by normanweatheredmusic

Good day, all. I hope all is well in your world—just a short bump today for a new music video. The iconic post-punk band Pink Turns Blue has unveiled the video for ‘You Still Mean Too Much To Me,’ a beautiful film to their new single. Portraying figures who are utterly alone, reflective, and seeking an elusive connection, this video echoes themes of isolation felt during the process or working through grief over the loss of a loved one.

This past week, the band announced that their new album ‘Tainted’ will be released in autumn on limited edition vinyl, CD and digitally via Orden Records.

They also recently shared two enticing singles – ‘There Must Be So Much More’ and ‘So Why Not Save The World’.

‘You Still Mean Too Much To Me’ is now everywhere, including Apple Music and Spotify. Orden Records will release the ‘Tainted’ LP on September 24. It will be available digitally and in two physical formats – a CD with a 16-page booklet and black vinyl, strictly limited to 500 copies, with an 8-page booklet. Both can be pre-ordered exclusively via the band’s website.

Tomorrow’s World Video

Posted on August 3, 2021 by normanweatheredmusic

I love the use of vintage sci/fi cover art in this video from The Speed Of Sound. I look forward to the release of the full album on September 17th. Enjoy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lEovb1GxrQ

Bone Architecture

Posted on August 3, 2021 by normanweatheredmusic

Harry Stafford and Marco Butcher have never actually met in the flesh. But they are punk soul brothers from the same muddy musical pond. Connecting with one another during a year of ‘lockdown hell’, their exchange of ideas and talk of musical influences inadvertently led to their collaboration.

As innovative juices began to boil, the frenetic exchange of digital files culminated in ‘Bone Architecture’, a 12-track album that both of them had been itching to make. This superb collection includes reworked older material, brand-new compositions and even a dirty blues version of the Pink Floyd classic ‘Arnold Layne’. Ahead of the album, the duo present lead single ‘There’s Someone Tryin To Get In’ with video created by Stafford.

“For me, this record is a blast of energy with a cool raw groove that I have been itching to express for a while and, with Marco Butcher, I found the perfect collaborator to express it. His garage punk soul music, fused with jazz and swing was the tonic I needed after the doldrums of the last year and a half. The songs we put together fell into place like puzzle pieces in a fuzzed up sonic soundscape,” says Harry Stafford.

Best known as founder, guitarist and vocalist of Manchester post-punk gothic rockers Inca Babies, Harry’s two most recent solo albums (‘Guitar Shaped Hammers’ and ‘Gothic Urban Blues’) reflect a cooler, less frenetic vibe, leaning on piano, trumpets and blues guitar. All this made him the perfect collaborator to set words and lyrics to Marco’s sonic backdrop.

Originally from Sao Paulo, Brazil, Marco Butcher now lives in Winston Salem, North Carolina. A prolific recording artist, he has recently released music with his various acts: The Jam Messengers, Chicken Snake, and The Jesus and The Groupies. Centred around the American underground of blues, jazz, rockabilly, and screaming punk blues, he has collaborated with Hugo Race, as well as members of Tex and the Horseheads, Pussy Galore, Gumball, The Gories, Gibson Brothers, Jerry Teel, The Oblivians and The Workdogs.

‘Bone Architecture’ is a collection of songs that is raw and, at times, an unforgiving forage into urban punk blues with fuzzed up jazz and garage trash rock. Here, Harry and Marco’s styles have clashed magnificently into a powerful record that crosses a multitude of genres but with a dirty blues makeover.

“There’s something about collaborating that is pure magic to me, cause you’re not sharing ideas at the same time and you’re in the moment. There’s something about the not knowing what the other will bring . . the surprise factor. The fact that music is very elastic and not always the way ya listen to it in your mind but something else, something cooler, greater,” says Marco Butcher.

“I guess mutual respect has a lot to do it too, sharing the same type of ideas about music and life… For a period of time, Inca Babies ‘This Train’ was my bandstand music when I was crossing a very dark and dangerous lifestyle, when I decided NOT to die. This album was the one I listened to the most.”

Marco’s tracks were recorded at his Boombox Studio in Winston Salem, then shipped by a well-known bulk file sender to Manchester, where Harry laid down vocals, piano and any instrumental tomfoolery he saw fit at Black Lagoon Records. On four occasions, the files also flew to London for supremo trumpet player Kevin Davy to lay some jazz tones into the mix. After the engineering, agonising, production and debates, they were finally mastered by Marco.

As of August 6, ‘There’s Someone Tryin To Get In’ will be available everywhere online, including Spotify and Apple Music. The ‘Bone Architecture’ LP will be released on September 3 via Black Lagoon Records, both digitally and on CD. CDs can be pre-ordered via Bandcamp and the Louder than War shop.

CREDITS
Harry Stafford – vocals, piano, guitar
Marco Butcher – drums, percussion, bass, sax, guitars, vibraphone
Kevin Davy – horns
Written by Harry Stafford and Marco Butcher
Produced and Mastered by Marco Butcher at Boombox Studio
Catalogue no. BLRCD0055

Keep up with Marco Butcher
Bandcamp | Facebook | Twitter | Press contact

THE GREAT LEAP FORWARD

Posted on July 15, 2021 by normanweatheredmusic

Take one part, Tom Morello and mix in one part Rockpile, then add a touch of U2 and The Clash. Mix thoroughly and heat with a bIG*fLAME. Viola, we have The Great Leap Forward, the tasty solo project of Alan Brown.

Revolt Against An Age of Plenty is packed to the brim with social commentary and the rage against a post-punk/new wave sensibility. This 13-track album opens with the song titled Music To Die To, a track that cries out to be listened to and really hear the lyrics, not just background music, while you do something else. Now, I want to make a playlist of songs that are Music To Die To.

Then we have track two, Things That Make Me Happy, a track that jumps out in contrast to track three, Revolt Against An Age of Plenty. I will have to compile another playlist of Things That Make Me Happy. Listening to music is one of many things that make me Things That Make Me Happy, and Revolt Against An Age of Plenty is currently on that shelf. Well played, Alan Brown, well crafted and aged perfectly.

I want to go through the album track by track, but that would be a lengthy tome and take away some of the pleasure of listening to it yourself and seeing where the album takes you.

It took me back to the peak of the new wave movement in the timeline of music. Heady times with so much good music, music that I still listen to, and Revolt Against An Age of Plenty sounds like it could be right up there. I have listened to this album another time, writing this blog post. Revolt Against An Age of Plenty is becoming a song that I can sing along to over and over and again. It hasn’t bored me or started to sound flat. That didn’t take long; now, the track Words on Fire is a new earworm.

That’s about all I will say about Revolt Against An Age of Plenty; other than telling you that this is a fantastic album, I think I would like a coloured slab of vinyl to hear it on the big stereo. As of July 16, Revolt Against An Age of Plenty will be available through A Turntable Friend Records and across streaming platforms like Spotify and online stores such as Apple Music. The entire album will be released in all formats on July 20 and can already be pre-ordered via Bandcamp.

Keep up with The Great Leap Forward

Keep up with A Turntable Friend Records

Keep up with Shameless Promotion PR

@ Shameless Promotion PR

@ Alan Brown

@ The Great Leap Forward

@ Revolt Against an Age of Plenty

Noir by Jesse Markin

Posted on June 2, 2021 by normanweatheredmusic

Sometimes I struggle to find words for a blog about music. The reasons are as varied as the music. Perhaps the music is uninspiring, that happens, and there isn’t a lot I can do about it. Occasionally the music will grow on me but not always. There are recordings at the other end of the spectrum that I can’t stop listening to long enough to write anything.

Jesse Markin did that to me over the last four days. I listened to his newest release, Noir, several times. And then I went headfirst into his previous release, Folk, and swam through that for a day. Noir went back through my ears and wormed its way into my brain. I do not know how this will turn out but here goes my attempt at a brief review of Jesse Markin‘s album Noir

Several tunes deserve mention on their own. The fourth track, Sidney Poitier, jumps out of the speakers with a heavy riff reminiscent of Muse on their song Uprising. Then it rapidly becomes evident that this tune is carving its groove and not resting on anyone else or their interpretations. The catchphrase of Sidney Poitier is ‘I feel like yo papa don’t like me,’ catchy as shit, but it rang hollow for me because my papa-in-law and I were best friends. Still a catchy line in a great tune.

After Sidney Poitier, some more high-energy tunes lead us to a favourite of mine, Counting Money On A Sunday. I was an usher in a church in a previous life, and I counted money on a Sunday many, many times. I feel this song wouldn’t go down well with that particular congregation, but I dig it in my present life.

On June 4, Jesse will be releasing the single Hemostasis, featuring Terrell Hines as a vocalist. That powerhouse is followed by Exodus, another single that sores with the guest vocalist Akua Naru. This tune grooves with shadows of African rhythm mixing with electronica and the overlapping vocals of Akua Naru and Jesse Markin. I have a message for Jesse, bottom line; this is your time…to shine.

Mothers! Where would we be without them! I feel that Jesse is searching for his identity in this song.

Your favourite colours are white and blue

Mine are red, black and green

White and blue are the colours of the Finnish national flag. Finland is where Jesse grew up and now resides. He lived in the small town of Viljakkala which was small and all white, and it is through that lens that Jesse is peering hoping to find some identity that clings to him.

Red, black and green is the flag of Liberia, the birthplace of Jesse Markin, and the Pan-African flag.

A small history lesson follows to show how that is relevant.

The Declaration of Rights of the Negro Peoples of the World was drafted and adopted at the Universal Negro Improvement Association Convention held in New York City‘s Madison Square Garden on August 13, 1920. Marcus Garvey presided over the occasion as Chairman. It was at this event where he was duly elected Provisional President of Africa. He is

Among the articles is Declaration 39, which states as follows:

“That the colours, Red, Black and Green, be the colours of the Negro race.”

It is from that statement the Red, Black and Green flag came into existence.

From that statement, Jesse Markin’s favourite colours, as listed in the song Mother!, are essential, at least in my mind and thus in this blog.

The album Noir closes with the powerful pairing of the songs It Was August and Pushing Daisies.

There are nuggets scattered throughout this recording. In the last song, Pushing Daisies, there is an excellent example of this in the line Ain’t no sunshine when she’s gone. This line is from the song Ain’t No Sunshine, a massive hit for Bill Withers way back in 1971. I prefer the cover done by the hillbilly goth band Woven Hand. It is dark, which is what I read in the lyrics.

Ain’t no sunshine when she’s gone

Only darkness every day

Back to the present day, there is sunshine because Jesse Markin

said that the bravest thing I ever did

Was to continue living life

I am glad Jesse continues to live life and to make music. It is worth a try. Thank you, Jesse Markin.

https://www.instagram.com/jesse_markin/

https://www.facebook.com/markinjesse

https://open.spotify.com/artist/3mxJuHRn2ZWD5OofvJtDZY?si=hxacPtb2Rmi86C6R9Qgv0A

For all press enquiries, please contact james@mysticsons.com OR megan@mysticsons.com

Chewing Gum

Posted on May 12, 2021 by normanweatheredmusic

This is a follow up from a review that I posted back in October of 2020. I had been listening to Promise and the Monster and I was loving every moment. Then I put the album on the shelf until just this past week. Promise and the Monster’s EP was officially released and I have been listening to it over and over again. This is good music my friends.

Having established herself as one of Sweden’s most esoteric and mesmerizing songwriters, with
critical acclaim from Uncut, Mojo, Clash and Pitchfork, Promise and the Monster has set
forth on a new path with her upcoming EP Chewing Gum out on 30th April 2021 on her new
home label Icons Creating Evil Art.

Promise and the Monster is the brainchild of Stockholm-based Billie Lindhal. Now joined by Love
Martinsen, who Billie calls “the invisible other half”, Promise and the Monster is undergoing an
electronic tilt. Inspired by the discord between urban and rural, Billie balances organic
instrumentation with ethereal soundscapes — a heavenly synergy that is more prevalent than ever on Chewing Gum.
Chewing Gum follows leading singles ‘Beating Heart’ and ‘Closed My Eyes’, continuing her penchant for finding the romantic within the dark. Whilst demonstrating a shift towards electronic

instrumentation, Billie’s roots as a classical musician shine through, with cinematic string sections
adjoined with shimmering synths lifting each track into a warm, fairy-tale haze. “Chewing Gum is a
collection of songs that are dreamy, dark and romantic and spins little stories from hell” she says.
Traversing the ambiguous, Chewing Gum creates allure in the unsaid and leaves space for
interpretation. Inspiration doesn’t run short in the world that Billie Lindhal has crafted with her
music, touching on unrequited love, sisterhood and the many reasons someone might close their
eyes. She says, “I wrote ‘Closed My Eyes’ surprisingly quickly after thinking about the ambiguity in
that image, closing one’s eyes for various reasons. It was good fuel. The women in this song are out roaming in the streets.”
However, her musings also extend past the human psyche. Third track, ‘One Summer’ took shape
after watching Swedish 1950s drama, Sawdust And Tinsel, a tale of a travelling circus, she says, “We watched a movie called Sawdust and Tinsel to get the right feeling while recording this one. It is about a tired circus company dragging their circus wagons around in a dusty old landscape.”
The six-track EP features four unheard songs from Promise And The Monster: ‘Diamonds On
Concrete’, ‘Vykort Från Förr’, ‘One Summer’ and title-track ‘Chewing Gum’. Each track serves as a
platform for the hypnotic power of Billie’s haunting vocal.

Chewing Gum comes out on 30 th April 2021 via Icons Creating Evil Art.

D I S C O V E R
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/7M9SZIojabB1ukKSYEz2TM
Facebook: www.facebook.com/promiseandthemonster
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/promiseandthemonster

For all press enquiries, please contact megan@mysticsons.com

Pentral – What Lies Ahead of Us

Posted on May 12, 2021 by normanweatheredmusic

Brazilian progressive rock / metal trio Pentral present their debut long-player ‘What Lies Ahead of Us’on the trail of high-energy singles ‘Aiming For The Sun’, ‘All My Wounds’ and ‘Silent Trees’– the sonic launching pad into the sonic expansive of a concept album reflecting on today’s society, presenting the saga of a lowly couple fighting for their lives and sanity.

This long-player tells of the tragic reality of many Amazon dwellers, whose habitat, lifestyle and livelihood are brutally taken from them, not to mention the destruction of the forest itself. Through their videos and lyrics, Pentral tells the story about the destruction and pilfering of the Amazon’s natural habitat. The video for singles ‘Silent Trees’ (part 2) and ‘Aiming For The Sun’ (part 2) were filmed in their native Amazon – as chapters in a dedicated saga that will unfold, track by track. Directed by Roger Elarrat and produced by Luana Klautau, this also involves Lucas Escócio as director of photography and editor Roger Elarrat, this video features actors Anne Costa, Guto Galvão, Eduarda Cursino, Boris Knez and Aldo Lima.

Hailing from Belém in northern Brazil, Pentral is made up of Victor Lima (vocals, guitars, songwriter, lyrics), Vagner Lima (drummer) and Joe Ferri (bass guitar). Their unique take on alternative rock can be described as progressive, heavy, groovy and melodic, while the band also deliver a strong political message about what is going on in Brazil and all over the world.
Pentral stands for ‘spirit’ in Latin, indicative of the message this band is trying to inspire via their sound – the need to transcend this material world through the power of music, without losing connection with reality and human frailties.

For this 10-track LP, the trio worked with legendary producer Tim Palmer (David Bowie’s Tin Machine, The Mission, HIM, U2, Robert Plant, Tears For Fears, Ozzy Osbourne, Goo Goo Dolls, Pearl Jam). Produced jointly by Pentral and Tim Palmer produced this album, with Sergio Fouad and Cesar Bottinha co-producing. Palmer also mixed the LP, which was mastered by Justin Shturtz (HIM, The Psychedelic Furs, Nancy Wilson, Slipnot, Tin Machine).

Deeply influenced by their Amazon roots, Pentral’s music is influenced by many global influences while also striving to honor Brazil’s groove and unique harmonies, progressive rock, metal music, atmosphere and melody. This debut album sums up years of experimentation and the search for human awareness of the environment, peace and equality.

“The album ‘What Lies Ahead of Us’ is like a “declaration” and it was conceived way before COVID-19 came out…But it kind of fits the current reality we´re going through. This pandemic is the outcome of the unfriendly way we’ve been treating our environment and ourselves as well, and it served to expose our insensitivity, our lack of empathy,”says Pentral frontman Victor Lima.

“It’s a story about a man and a woman who lives in the woods. The forest is invaded by a group of mercenaries (pretty common in Brazil) in order to burn the woods down and make money with that, the man is killed, the woman manages to survive and she is pregnant, then she gives birth to a girl, and They try to survive in the city, experiencing racism, violence, hunger, selfishness, indifference. The only thing they have – they love each other. So, the elements of the story – environment being destroyed, people suffering discrimination by the color of their skin, by the place where they came from, being selfish and violent for the sake of their own interests and prejudices, politics and religion abuse and extremism and the only way I believe things could be solved – the power of love. The album is like a journey of the three characters (a woman, a man, and their kid) passing through all the issues I’m talking about in the lyrics for these ten songs.”

As of May 7, the ‘What Lies Ahead of Us’ album is available everywhere digitally, including Apple Musicand Spotify. It can be ordered via https://pentral.lnk.to/WhatLiesAheadOfUs or via Amazon.

CREDITS
All songs written by Victor Lima
Produced by Pentral and Tim Palmer
Co-produced and engineered by Sergio Fouad and Cesar Botinha
Justin Shturtz – mastering
Tim Palmer – mixing, additional guitars, percussion and keyboards
Victor Lima – vocals and guitars
Vagner Lima – drums
Joe Ferri – bass guitar
Cover artwork by Heidi Teillefer

Weathered Music

The musical explorations of Norman and Joel Weatherly.

Category Archives: Uncategorized