I recently got my copy of, among other things, Astral Rune Bastards' Transmissions of Runic Truth from the Event Horizons. When I first planned to put in an order with King Penda Productions, the label this was released on, I was going to buy just a couple hard-to-find Bretwaldas of Heathen Doom releases, but the inclusion of ARB in King Penda's catalog (because, I think, everything they release is related to the Bretwaldas guys) was intriguing enough for me to see what I could find on YouTube. Lo and behold, a quarter-hour later my purchase had expanded.
Simply put, Astral Rune Bastards is my kind of thing. King Penda Productions' site describes it as "Nine tracks of electronic music based on the folk-horror stories of
Northern Europe, and the writings of aliens-in-antiquity theorists such
as Erich Von Daniken, Brysley Le Poer Trench and Maurice Chatelain." I know the infamous von Däniken only by name and have no idea who the other two are, but if they're lumped in with him, they're probably also awesome crackpots (again, not a complaint, at least not in this context- see below) and members of the Splendid Name Club. What matters here isn't these folks' theories per se, but that their writing, in conjunction with the artist's other interests, has inspired a cool record that, to me, manages to say- without words, as this is an entirely intstrumental album- more than was probably intended.
Transmissions, as I will refer to it from here on, appeals to a lot of my interests, which are scattershot on the best of days, but that's not the reason I enjoy it so much. The alien astronaut theories of von Däniken and Anglo-Saxon heathen folklore are fun to think and read about, sure, but it's the intersection of such seemingly unrelated interests, the music itself, and the resulting imagery it conjures, that really speaks to me. When I listen to it I envision a young dude in possession of a stash of decent weed, some secondhand synthesizers, lots of dog-eared science fiction/conspiracy theory/history/etc. paperbacks, a love for The X-Files, and maybe a crappy dialup connection. He spends a lot of time at home room reading, listening to/making music, and getting high; he also lives in a sufficiently rural environment to have to chance to take long walks through empty fields dotted with ancient ruins, and to lie around watching the night sky in all its glory, wondering not just what's up there, but why.
This young man's life experience and voracious reading and listening habits culminate in Transmissions of Runic Truth from the Event Horizons. The album's title implies historical and cosmic revelation and mystery, and the song titles reinforce this. Revelation is a tricky thing, though, and often intensely personal. I don't know if Sceot Arcwielder, the man behind Astral Rune Bastards, really has discovered the kind of truths songs title like "Saucers Study the Northern Forest Tribes" or "Astral Visitations to Ninth-Century Dorset" imply, but to me as a listener it doesn't matter. (Well, maybe a little, but that's getting away from my point.) What matters to me is that all the things the artist finds fascinating have been assembled into an evocative whole.
The fact that this is a pretty limited release (maybe not so much in terms of the number of CDs pressed, but certainly in terms of exposure) adds a lot to my appreciation of Transmissions. There isn't a big audience for an album of this sort, because not a lot of people would be into outdated-sounding synths that sometimes veer into cheesy territory but usually do a memorable job of creating atmosphere. Despite being released in 2009, Transmissions feels dated in the same way its inspirations feel dated, which is perfect. Von Däniken sold a shitload of books forty years ago, but who pays much attention to him now? Keyboards have evolved tremendously, so why listen to something that sounds like it was made on pawnshop gear? Because when you're fascinated with something, be it an idea or a sound, that's all you need. If other people think your work sounds rough and weird and irrelevant, it's their loss.
It's when I consider the album as a whole- the music, the artwork, the inspirations, the things it conjures in my imagination, the obscurity, and the DIY creative process- that things really click for me. I could be completely wrong about Sceot Arcwielder's motives, interests, and process, but again, it wouldn't matter, because he's made an album that makes my mind move in interesting ways. I like the musical stories being told on Transmissions, and I like the headspace it puts me in, which is much bigger and more complex than I would've expected.
Here's to weirdness, obscurity, and the art that springs from it. Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to do a little pondering about UFOs and ancient cultures of my own. You can check out Astral Rune Bastards here.
No comments:
Post a Comment