#121 - What Is Life?
by The Owl
RgrRecords
Chris Chaney
Dean Titus
Mr Mass
garrattjohn
Py3wacket
Ross Anderson
wolfric
xeronegativ
black_ops
em7add11
mrwarlock11
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spildprodukt
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Robert Heyl
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Rinchen Choesang
Ada Wong
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( B.O.S.Q.U.E.T )
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Isolated Community
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Glenn Taylor
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Kyle Lechner
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Kirt Malinowski
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Richard Richard
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orlandolovekill
Tolis Theodoridis
writerrb
🀄️
Juan Carlos
white
Mark Sullivan
kinako
Jon Robert Winke Jr.
Der Nebel
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Streaming + DownloadIncludes high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more. Paying supporters also get unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app.
The download includes all the related artwork, plus the video for 'Searching For Resolution In The Ice'.
As always, the 'lyrics' tab has more words accompanying each track, to help make (more or less) sense of them and me.Purchasable with gift cardname your price
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Full Digital Discography
Get all 127 The Owl releases available on Bandcamp.
Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of #126 - Work:ER, #125 - Split with Hoodrat Messiah, #124 - Re:Work, #123 - Live In The Lab, #122 - Vertebrae Sands, #121 - What Is Life?, #120 - Earth Drone, #119 - Cats In Big Hats EP, and 119 more.
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Many layers
Many tones
Feet crunch in patterns
Air whistles through
Ears cold yet burn
Frozen but toasted
Each shimmer seems to be the destination
but the journey is always as important.
If you notice everything
then the ending will be much more powerful
If you are here without distraction
The finale will be your dream.
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It will become an obsession
Until the end of your days
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Endless Synapse Flashes
00:42
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I began making a follow up to 100V42, but decided against it, as I had already done the idea and didn't feel I could improve on it.
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I had lost sight of the overall bigger picture for a while, and I tied myself in knots, because I didn't know how to get back on the path I knew was the right one.
It's absolutely fine to take detours along the way. In fact, that's when you learn the most and when you find out if that path is actually the right one to mainly stay on. I've always been a fan (on real-life travels) of 'turning left instead of right' when you are heading towards something specific of interest. You know where you want to end up, and you can always get back on the right road, so, look around at the stuff in between for a while too, as there will pretty much always be something unexpected and of interest... and even if there's not, you can just be happy with yourself for taking that chance.
The way this album came together was highly strange, and I know the album is strange as well, but hopefully the insights help you to see things how I see them, and I really truly thank anyone who reads this and who takes in the sounds.
The origins of this track is 'More Cowbells In Vaporwave And Harsh Noise' from 100V42, an expanded version. I decided that those sounds had more to give, but I had no idea that it was going to give this!
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This was in and out and in and out
and finally in at the last minute,
albeit a much abridged version.
It feels like it completes the flow
and the story of the album
whilst setting you up
for a much weirder adventure.
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aka Made (in 25 minutes) With Five Seconds Of Silence pt.2
Silence amplified many times.
I recorded the screen, and was going to include the video in the download, for those who may be interested in the process, but didn't in the end. Maybe some things should remain a mystery.
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Made from 0.3 seconds of the sound of me throwing my plectrum on the table, at the end of the 'Bending Space, Time And Sound' bass jam. Link in 'Info'.
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'Reaching Boiling Point And Accepting Burnout Liberated Me'
Where there's tea (and coffee), there's hope.
Yes it is a kettle boiling for the drone noise sound, but this piece led to something that helped me start working through some pretty massive bad issues in my brain and creative life, during a large part of 2023.
It's no accident that this is my first release of the new year, as I feel I have shed a lot of what has troubled me to get this one out into the world, after its seemingly never ending revisions in all facets of the album. I now rest easy knowing this is the best I could possibly make all these tracks and in the order it arrives, individually and as a coherent whole.
Until next time...
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about
What Is Life...?
But A Series Of Journeys, Destinations, Tunnels And Pathways.
Asking questions.
Making statements.
Having fun and entertaining myself.
Discovering things about myself and others.
Never taking things for granted.
Never resting on my laurels
Always on the look out for new ideas, and making sounds I haven't heard anywhere else, at least in my own recordings.
Where there's tea, there's hope!
This 40 minute album had an 11 month roadtrip in its making, with countless revisions along the way. It's mixes a variety of The Owl styles of experimental electronic synth piano ambient glitch abstract noise rhythmical soundscaping. I hope you will give it chance to play as the end makes sense of the journey, I think anyway!
Album on YouTube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bff3zLJ6MMw
Video for 'Searching' made as a soundtrack rework for the 'Trapped Under Ice' scene in 'Alpha': www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZMp7iKi2rE
Up to date Bandcamp codes here:
dlcm.app/the-owl/owl121-what-is-life
But A Series Of Journeys, Destinations, Tunnels And Pathways.
Asking questions.
Making statements.
Having fun and entertaining myself.
Discovering things about myself and others.
Never taking things for granted.
Never resting on my laurels
Always on the look out for new ideas, and making sounds I haven't heard anywhere else, at least in my own recordings.
Where there's tea, there's hope!
This 40 minute album had an 11 month roadtrip in its making, with countless revisions along the way. It's mixes a variety of The Owl styles of experimental electronic synth piano ambient glitch abstract noise rhythmical soundscaping. I hope you will give it chance to play as the end makes sense of the journey, I think anyway!
Album on YouTube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bff3zLJ6MMw
Video for 'Searching' made as a soundtrack rework for the 'Trapped Under Ice' scene in 'Alpha': www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZMp7iKi2rE
Up to date Bandcamp codes here:
dlcm.app/the-owl/owl121-what-is-life
credits
released January 6, 2024
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Sounds made January 4th to December 14th 2023 using synth, piano, voice, bass, guitar, drums, kettle, plectrum, Zoom H1 recorder, Samsung phone, Wavepad & Reaper.
Music, mix, master, photo & layout by The Owl.
'What Is Life?' was originally compiled from all separate sessions, experiments, one offs I didn't expand into albums, compilation efforts I didn't send, field recordings and little sketches; then during a semi-frenzied and desperate point of burnout and self-doubt in May, I took some time to organise my folders and files, figuring out what to keep or delete. Some of these tracks survived and sat together for a little while, had a few drinks and chatted about life and the universe, and I could see from my chair that they were getting on pretty well.
Another few months of throwing bits and pieces around, adding and subtracting, in hope and frustration; until in December I focused the microscope even closer, introduced another new group of sonic friends, added more layers to all the existing ones, removed tracks, changed all the titles and art again, to arrive at what you see now.
The 20 tracks that have been on this album at some point had around 60 different titles, a ridiculous amount of combinations of running orders, and there have been 8 different covers and titles images to go with it as well. FINALLY I am happy with everything to do with this album, but if I don't hit Publish now, then my marbles will be all over the floor, and I would just resign it to 'Unreleased Archive' folder.
If I could stop myself from overthinking, that would be great, but maybe it is just exactly what is required to get the albums exactly how I want to release them.
Thank you for reading and listening.
/ ////// /
/ ////// /
Sounds made January 4th to December 14th 2023 using synth, piano, voice, bass, guitar, drums, kettle, plectrum, Zoom H1 recorder, Samsung phone, Wavepad & Reaper.
Music, mix, master, photo & layout by The Owl.
'What Is Life?' was originally compiled from all separate sessions, experiments, one offs I didn't expand into albums, compilation efforts I didn't send, field recordings and little sketches; then during a semi-frenzied and desperate point of burnout and self-doubt in May, I took some time to organise my folders and files, figuring out what to keep or delete. Some of these tracks survived and sat together for a little while, had a few drinks and chatted about life and the universe, and I could see from my chair that they were getting on pretty well.
Another few months of throwing bits and pieces around, adding and subtracting, in hope and frustration; until in December I focused the microscope even closer, introduced another new group of sonic friends, added more layers to all the existing ones, removed tracks, changed all the titles and art again, to arrive at what you see now.
The 20 tracks that have been on this album at some point had around 60 different titles, a ridiculous amount of combinations of running orders, and there have been 8 different covers and titles images to go with it as well. FINALLY I am happy with everything to do with this album, but if I don't hit Publish now, then my marbles will be all over the floor, and I would just resign it to 'Unreleased Archive' folder.
If I could stop myself from overthinking, that would be great, but maybe it is just exactly what is required to get the albums exactly how I want to release them.
Thank you for reading and listening.
/ ////// /
license
all rights reserved
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about
The Owl Orlová, Czechia
A/V experiments since first DIY tape in 1994
Many bands and projects until The Owl
was born in 2018
The Owls were formed in December 2021.
Welcome to the rest of the journey.
Codes: dlcm.app/the-owl
Caffeine support: ko-fi.com/theowlripper
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