‘Delectable Machinery II’ Individual Song Breakdowns ____________________________________________________________ Individual Song Breakdowns “The Opulence of Denial” (drum transcription, percussion overdub/e-drums transcription) The record opens with the live-tracked beat-loop/strained vocal—performed with the LeafAudio Microphonic Soundbox—that closes “Denouement”, from the self-titled record. The shutting down of the box (which transfers through via the audio signal, too cool) prompts the opening synth line. In the past, when writing music for sequels, at times I have tried to compose songs that have an ‘aroma’ of a previous tune, yet without any quotes. Said synth line and opening section are an example of this, trying to project “The Opulence of Static,” from the first DM record. This opening section introduces a melodic motif, also reprised at the end of the choruses and later in the record. The lyrics here introduce the drama that pervades the album, and intimate the mind-uploading concept. Lyrics: Clocks ticking eternally Mind speaking internally Clocks ticking externally Blind seething infernally I’ll never be old for I am atemporal Fused with engines Eternal mirror exposed the terminal Ad meliora Blot out my thoughts I can’t stand this I am so fraught This machine is not recovering Blot out my thoughts I can’t stand this I am so fraught This machine is not recovering Transfer all beliefs within me White-blue sprawl, winking out and shut down Glints of hope and love Pray that I will rise, still From my perdition I’ll never be old for I am atemporal Fused with engines Sixty-six may as well be a million trips Transfixed Blot out my thoughts I can’t stand this I am so fraught This machine is not recovering Blot out my thoughts I can’t stand this I am so fraught This machine is not recovering Transfer all beliefs within me White-blue sprawl, winking out and shut down Extol the computer soul Slake my intake I’m so enfeebled and yet I’ve stepped from the base of the fane I can see a great wan door yawn Blot out my thoughts I can’t stand this I am so fraught This machine is not recovering Blot out my thoughts I can’t stand this I am so fraught This machine is not recovering Transfer all beliefs within me White-blue sprawl, winked out and shut down I’ll never be old for I am atemporal Ineradicable “Brief Clinamen” (drum transcription, percussion overdub transcription) I can’t recall if a particular idea spawned this one. I think that I was again trying to exude the essence of another tune from the previous record - in this instance, “Bolas Calientes.” Perhaps I was trying to marry a groovy number with the brevity of the segue pieces that adorned DM1, I’m not sure. I do remember wanting to write something especially challenging for bass. Since he played on DM1, I again tapped Greg Loman for some guitar work, as this track features both funky clean electric and some pretty but nimble acoustic lines. I also re-hired Alexander von Hagke, who performed on ‘Projects III.’ Alexander appears again a couple of times later on. The overlapping partials (which form a chord) that close out the song/sax solo are the same that open the subsequent song, only on synth. It took me so long to get that bass line up to tempo - thank you, copy/paste! “The Neon Suite: Nightfall” (drum transcription) In September of 2020, I set out to write a suite. I Googled something like ‘cyberpunk chord progressions’ (or maybe it was theory, etc.) and read someone recommending the phrygian mode. I dialed up the circle of fourths, and referenced it as a clock. Then, I applied the theatrical release date of Blade Runner to this ‘clock’ and used the notes as they corresponded to it as the keys (6-25-1982, or Db, F, Ab, C, E, B, F). However, I reprised the first section with some added twists and turns to give the entire thing a nice bookend. We love a good bookend. It was a stimulating, tough experiment adhering to the notes in each scale, but it also, oddly, mitigates the difficulty at times. The biggest task was furnishing each section with its own vibe and feel, particularly the repeating keys that are in F. This induced me to often utilize metric modulation, as the whole suite is the same tempo. The bass guitar that’s in both “Nightfall” and “Dawn” is comprised of painstakingly played/programmed samples, doubled with a vintage analog bass synth (a rare ‘Soviet-made synth’ simply called EMIBAS that barely works, haha). The synth production altogether in the suite is preposterous; there are over 110 unique layers. “The Neon Suite: Joyride” (drum transcription) As the title implies, it sounds like someone taking their TurboCycle for a spin. Also a solid example of the aforementioned metric modulation; the true tempo is eventually outlined via the outro. “The Neon Suite: Bowels of the City” (drum transcription) Time to take it down a few dBs. I think I had one of the more brooding pieces from the Rise of the Dragon OST in mind when working on this one. Gabe ran my keyboard MIDI, which had dynamics inputted, through his Nord software (if memory serves), utilizing the sustain pedal when appropriate, but physically played the section from 2:38 - end. He took a similar approach in “Watchpork” (‘Silly String Redux’). “The Neon Suite: Gala of Ephemera” (drum transcription) Pan out of the sewers underground aaaannd it’s party time! A jolly aberration within the suite, this one also contains another programmed bass line - no way I could’ve played it that cleanly. Alexander is featured again here, playing some solos and counterpoint with aplomb. I considered finding a small brass ensemble to bring those correlative parts to life, but opted to use brassy-sounding synths. “The Neon Suite: Kairos” (drum transcription) “Kairos” was my way of, “Putting the band back together,” i.e. the ‘Finite’ lineup. I had originally intended to hire Cameron McLellan to track the suite but our schedules didn’t align, thus my programming most of it. “Kairos” also features the always great Sophia Uddin. This is an angular, weaving, labyrinthine little piece. The C section in 17-16 with quintuplets and triplets mixed in is quite nasty. The true tempo of the A section is again outlined as part of the outro. “The Neon Suite: Ricochet” (drum transcription) Probably the most difficult and complex section of the suite. The listener may not be aware though, unless they heard my click, as the A section sounds like a pretty standard drum and bass groove. The B section is also a giant metric modulation, but the frantic nature renders it somewhat hard to grasp a consistent tempo anyway. Admittedly, I found said section incredibly taxing and tracked a couple of solid bars of the main groove and looped it in my DAW. The C section that follows is BRUTAL, and then, finally - the release. The D section reveals the backbeat and gives me a slight respite. Things get funky in the E section, with dual (dueling? hah) bass lines. And in the reprise of the A section, I used the LeafAudio box to produce some interesting textures and bolstering. “The Neon Suite: Sidereal Ashes” It made logical sense to rather jarringly bring the dynamics way back down after the screeching excitement that closes “Ricochet”. The chord progression here is reprised in the final song on the record. Its inclusion provides further context of the frame of the record and connective tissue. It also gives me a place from which to build. I used my Stylophone Gen X-1 with additional plug-ins to generate massive feedback swells. “The Neon Suite: Dawn” (drum transcription) I found Amar, the tabla player that’s featured at the beginning, via Instagram; he followed me one day, and I got the bright idea to utilize his skill set. I programmed some rhythms for him to follow, but also told him to listen to the music and do his thang. I comped together my favorite bits. I love how it all came together: a brief adornment that makes the reprise much more impactful. It’s business as usual until the first part of the Big Synth Solo kicks in. The drums become progressively busier, and then a big fill at 2:31 sends everything spiraling down into Lo-Fi Land and we’re knee-deep in part two of the Big Synth Solo. The drums are even busier, to the point where they sound as if they’re almost coming apart. And then, we go crashing into the outro, which features some lively double-kick patterns and ghosting and yet another (part three) Big Synth Solo to close it all out. “Threnody” (drum transcription, percussion overdub transcription) Realizing that I was quickly approaching the average length of an album, I set out on another sort of experiment. “Threnody” was a concerted endeavor to integrate the main melodic motifs in DM1 into one song. Perhaps inadvertently, this lent itself to a through-composed piece. I can not recollect if I’ve ever done this before. But it’s all here: there are bits and pieces from every tune other than “Disturb a Deterrent” and the “35 Going on Infinity” epic. Lyrically, an apotheosis is reached; there are also snippets present from “Heresiarch” (‘Midnight Acolyte’), “Fantasist,” and “Project 16” (‘Projects III’). There’s a four-part harmony at 5:54 at which I’m pretty delighted. Alexander’s final appearance is here, he’s peppered throughout. Lyrics: Laying here in the parlor room I see Visions of you, tactile smile with a grand mood Do not know why I have not passed through yet Wracking my brain, unplug, reboot the mainframe Wanna go back in time, re-endure what is familiar Back to when it was all peculiar Now I know the price of fear And my devotion is moribund with my stubbornness Cloistered hell (in my shell) This is not the end my dear, while you’re still standing here Take my hand now, promised youth and my vows Virtual mesh, fall into the unknown, evert inessential flesh Charnel supernal; my grip slips, and I fall I am entropy: here to unleash a silent grief Your own untimely expiry, exit from the plane Transmute as you’ll try, you’ll die My soul’s from antiquity: tessellated, iridescent Tenebrous cataract flowing, thermionic breeze I’ve changed my ways, please, no, why Startled, blackened Is this consciousness? I fell so deep Senses numb, I cannot weep Propitiate! Artificial Initiate! God is cruel I’m a memory! In the haunt Of an echo’s! Sundry impulse Looking over my shoulder, there’s no signal and I fall (March!) March as I’m taught “Requiem for a Fantasist” (82 BPM) As stated in the ‘About the record’ section, I wrote this two days after my father died. The melodic motif introduced in “The Opulence of Denial” is repeated throughout the duration of the piece, gently decrescendoing (a concept also explored in “My Machine Dreams” from DM1, although it was a single note), in tandem with the synth-bass line that opens the record. These components decrescendo, layered over the chord progression introduced in “Sidereal Ashes”, and then around 1:13, the progression used in “My Machine Dreams” is introduced. I wanted Minou on this record but couldn’t find a place for her until this came out of me. I sent her the music along with the poem, with my only instructions being, “Do whatever you’d like with the first half, but take a similar approach to “My Machine Dreams” in the second.” I am not sure how I was able to hold it together while mixing this. On some days, I still break down when listening to it. Minou’s performance is transcendent, breathtakingly beautiful. A fitting requiem. The very end is a highly processed sound clip that doubles as an introduction to the final record of my second ‘mini-oeuvre’ loop: ‘The Soundtrack of Nonexistence.’ Lyrics: This is the end Do not fret Your life was not in vain This is the end Do not despair Time can explain This is the end Do not neglect The embrace of blaze This is the end Cease your struggle There is no shame

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