Inspiration

From Forgotten Fields to Obsolete Worlds

| Forgotten Fields

Spectre by Obsolete World

The soul of a thing

I only recently discovered the genius behind the art of post-rock band Eluvium. Over the years, the work of Jeannie Lynn Paske, labouring under the moniker Obsolete World, has graced the covers of a number of Eluvium albums, capturing their sound, aesthetic and emotional content in curious drawings and paintings. It’s easy to see why they would choose her work: she has that elusive ability to communicate the very soul of a thing in the simplest drawing. Consider her artwork for False Readings On, Eluvium’s 2016 album (pictured below); I look at that dark, featureless, disintegrating figure and cannot help but see myself, destroyed by the beauty of Eluvium’s music in one breathtaking image. It takes a special kind of imagination to produce something so modest and yet, so powerful, and in Obsolete World, Jeannie has successfully brought that imagination to life.

Obsolete…

I took a particular interest because Jeannie’s most recent work with Eluvium has reached a new level of sophistication. She has simplified and refined her style, removing the superfluous, focusing only on the essentials of her otherworldy creations. Her works are now more haunting than ever before; and this at a time when her menagerie of creatures have become less fantastical then ever before. This is not a criticism. This development has brought about a revolution in her work in terms of quality and intellectual and emotive content. You see, Jeannie’s artworks are places of refuge for beings from her (and our) childhood imagination. She calls this place of asylum “Obsolete World”. Here, these imaginary creatures live out their exile from our adult minds. They may no longer be needed by the minds that created them, but this world is theirs and here they are remembered. However, Jeannie has now replaced the fantastical monsters with simple human figures, thereby making the creators themselves the exiles. She has turned the tables on us and it makes for fascinating visuals and food for thought.

False Readings On by Obsolete World

… but not forgotten

I draw parallels, however loosely, between what Jeannie is trying to do in her art and what I am trying to do in my music: collecting and conserving the abandoned. My own childhood spectres still haunt my grown-up world and writing music is my way of giving them a haunt of their own. As a child, I created many ways of coping with the fears that come with abandonment. I liken those fears to the melancholy denizens of Obsolete World. Now that I am an adult, I begin to see them for what they are: imaginary childhood creations I must exile from my mind. But, despite the havoc they caused, they helped protect me when I was helpless and lost. Creatures like “Hide-Your-Emotions” and “Be-Perfect-To-Earn-Approval” helped me feel loved and accepted, no matter how twisted they would become. So, I must not hate them. They were products of my childhood mind trying to make sense of the world. For better or for worse, they shaped me. They deserve not to be lost. And so, I let them live on in my music, where forgotten things are remembered and abandoned things are cherished.

Forgotten Fields

Thanks to Jeannie Lynn Paske for allowing me to use her images. Take a trip to Obsolete World for more captivating work.

First image: “Specter”, 2015, in graphite, charcoal, pastel, powdered pigment and ink
Second image: “False Readings On”, 2016, in watercolour, charcoal, pastel and ink

A Shadow on the Beach

| Forgotten Fields

Airship shadow on a beach.

This is one of my favourite airship photographs. I don’t know who took it, it’s not attributed to anyone on the sites where it’s posted. But, is it not wonderful? The gigantic shadow cast by a leviathan of the skies. It’s at once beautiful and ominous.

Forgotten Fields

Putting Together an Album Tracklist

| Forgotten Fields

Airship Album Draft Tracklist

Decisions, Decisions…

With any album, the songs should have a natural relationship with each other, from beginning to end. They should take the listener on a journey, telling a story in rhythm, mood, arrangement and meaning. This is especially true for instrumental albums. There are many decisions to be made. For example, how do you tell your story? Do you start with a big introduction, mellow out and go big again with the ending? Or do you start quietly and gradually build up to a big finale? Do you end on a high or do you ease the listener out of the experience with a calming piece towards the end? There are many different approaches.

Telling a Story with Music

In my case, things have been made somewhat easier. You see, I went into this album with a concept in mind. I wanted to tell a story, to compose a kind of “soundtrack”, something to accompany a mental image. My story is simple: the first flight of an airship. The image above is a screenshot of my notes on possible track titles. They’re all still working titles, but they follow the narrative of the story. (“Come Take a Trip in my Airship” is a song from the early 1900s, which I may or may not use in some way.)

A Good Day For Flying

It begins “In The Hangar”, where preparations are made. The mood is somewhat serious, everything needs to be perfect before the flight. Then the doors of the hangar open. There is excitement mixed with tension. It is “A Good Day For Flying”, but will everything go according to plan? At last, the magnificent craft emerges. The moment of truth finally arrives as the airship takes to the skies. “Airship” tries to convey a sense of awe at the majesty of the craft as it slowly sails through the air. Some of this wonder continues in the onlookers on the ground, gazing up at the “Giant in the Sky”. The view from below is followed by “The View From Above”. The craft is running smoothly, the air is crisp. There is a sense of calm as heaven and earth drift by… At length, it is time to make “The Return”. Once again, there is a sense of excitement and anticipation as the airship approaches. The pilot is confident the landing will be a success and it is! He makes a graceful landing.

The Next Step

And there you have it, a tracklist of six songs that starts a little tense, rises to a high point and gently comes to a conclusion. At least, that is the general idea! Many of the tracks already exist in demo form, some of them uploaded to SoundCloud. The next step is to refine the music, editing each track so it works on its own as well as in the context of the tracklist. I’ll be asking questions like: should I add or remove an element?; how can I best improve the sound of an instrument?; should a track be self-contained with a start and finish, or should it merge at either point with the track that goes before or after? There’s a lot to be done. But, it’s a very exciting part of making music and I can’t wait to get started!

Forgotten Fields