A Banishment of Bloodshed and Superstition (2021)


Album Tailer:

 

Tracklist:

1. "Palm-Leaf Manuscript (ᨌᨙ) - Turning Cattle into Dust" 10:20

2. '' Palm-Leaf Manuscript (ᨑ) - Obsidian Spears" 05:30

3. '' Palm-Leaf Manuscript (ᨈᨗ) - Perfume of 100 Teeth" 04:31

4. '' Palm-Leaf Manuscript(ᨈᨘ) - Bat Pig Medicine" 08:24

5. ''Palm-Leaf Manuscript (ᨉᨙ) - Frightful Green Panic" 06:49

 

 


Background:

We have been allied with the Sarawags for a long time. They were skilled sailors who lived in boats and sailed from island to island. In Balong Bay, our ancestors traded mouse deer, rattan fruit, areca nuts and resin with salt made by the Sarawag women. When we arrived in 2020 in search of Palaeolithic paintings depicting naked humans devouring raw cave bats from Lemuria, we had no idea that our visit would lead to a new album. On the island we met a good-natured fat man who had two hundred wives, drove a chariot drawn by two white buffaloes and owned fifty dwarves. When he spoke, his mouth and lips moved in a dramatic way that gave his face the appearance of a hundred screaming goldfish. It became clear that he had a rather dull brain and a thuggish nature. But he was all that was left of the Sarawags, for their island now lay desolate.

Dogs howling in the dead of night were nowhere to be seen. Sometimes they sounded like crying babies begging for mercy as they were licked by the flames of hell. These sounds rejuvenated our spirits. Tuk Yaban Tula, the good-natured fat man, possessed immense hypnotic powers and was truly a powerful shaman. As we looked into his eyes in that place filled with the echoes of animal sacrifice, the feelings of apostasy, betrayal and rebellion against Allah, and the smoke of incense to summon the devil, we realized that we were brothers of thunder and fire. A pledge was made by lightning and mountain-moving tornadoes, written in the seven layers of the sky and witnessed by the mysterious dragons that ruled the South China Sea.

Drunk on moonlight, we forgot all about ancient Lemuria and recorded our new album. Conch shells wailed, conga drums thumped and bamboo sticks rattled for thirty days and nights. Superstitious sailors around the island still tell of three men rattling wooden blocks, scratching a curled gourd, banging Chinese gongs and weaving rhythms that were haunting, sinuous and hypnotic. And to anyone willing to listen, they whisper that occasionally, when the spirit moved them, these three men barked like seals and howled like cranes, transforming into the great creatures that prowl through the underbrush. If this is true, we can not say. For all we remember are nothing but beautiful princesses on the beach smearing themselves with suntan lotion, and giggling in the waves. But as we came back to our senses, our new album was finished.

 

Track-by-Track commentary on I Heart Noise:

I Heart Noice - Ripping off Brian Eno since 2008
I Heart Noice - Ripping off Brian Eno since 2008

 

Handing over the mic to artists/musicians who break down their new albums track by track/share the thought process behind the creation. Today we’ll hear from Michael van Gore (MvG), J.R. Fish (F.) and Jonas Heidenritch (J) aka Anatomy of the Heads, your favorite ChiChi fueled CIA psyop, honey-pot/money-bomb-operation that will sell all your personal information to Korean gangsters and hot tiger moms.

 

Turning Cattle into Dust
F: Okay, first title. What do we have?
J: The chainmail bikini is definitely the highlight here.
MvG: I want to say right at the beginning that this is the most challenging track on the album
F: I still think we should have put “Frightful Green Panic” at the beginning because it’s the most accessible track.
J: Yeah, why didn’t we put that one at the beginning?
MvG: Only true believers! Okay, let’s talk about the chainmail bikini, as people have dubbed it.
J: For the record, it wasn’t a bikini.
MvG: During the first part of the track there’s this rather out-of-sync metallic percussion that runs through the whole track. We added that because we had the basic instrumentation of the track, but it still felt kind of empty. So we played around with different ideas, added another guitar, noises – whatever. I can’t remember how we came up with it….
J: We noticed that the metallic percussion really penetrates the sounds, but we couldn’t find a rhythm to go with it.
MvG: Right, so we ended up hiring a ceremonial dancer, the kind you hire for weddings. She came up with a dance beforehand and then came to us in an outfit of metal beads, did her dance in like what – Three takes? And we cut the best parts together and that was it.
J: She was quite out of breath afterwards.
F: You have to get your money’s worth, after all.
J: Another thing that carried over from Triptych Terror Oriente is the intro.
MvG: Yeah, we doubled down on that. “You wanted the best, you got the best! The hottest band in the world…”
J: THE BEE GEES
F: TATTOO
MvG: THE MICHAEL VAN GORE SOLO EXPERIENCE
J: That’s also the track that features vocals for the first time.
MvG: Yes, one of the biggest stylistic differences between this record and our debut is the introduction of vocals. In the lead up to the record, we released a lot of individual tracks on compilations and experimented with a variety of vocals. Until we figured out what best suited our music. The music video we did for the second part of the track really helped contextualize the progression of the composition for the uninitiated.
F: I really like how much mileage we got out of that silent movie footage. We’ve been wanting to re-cut and score a silent film for ages, and now we’ve finally done it.

MvG: Does anyone have anything else to say about this? No? Okay, let’s move on.

Obsidian Spears
J: This track is pretty straightforward and one of the most accessible tracks. There are a lot of new instruments though.
MvG: We’ve had the electric piano and organ on previous albums, but on a much smaller scale, which I always felt was gimmicky. But this time the electric piano, organ and flute really do a lot of the heavy lifting.
F: Also, we had a new production team on it because of the Rona™, as the kids would say.
J: Yes, I did the mastering. Some people are surprised at how our records sound. They immediately think we have crappy equipment. Actually it’s the opposite, we have good equipment that sounds way too clean. As far as production goes, we spend a lot of time dirtying everything up.
MvG: I think that this sound is essential to Anatomy of the Heads. We make exotica or fantasy music, if you will. It should sound like something you hear in a dream.
F: Others say it sounds like it’s played through a bunch of pillows.

MvG: You see, dream music.
J: That kind of production really adds a lot of – I don’t know – magic to it. It would be a very different record when produced bombastically and direct. Our sound is more menacing, peripheral and stealthy, which suits the compositions well. Because the melodies are really not straightforward. There’s always something secretive about it.
F: Can I take this opportunity to ask why you think I’m a leprous & humorous dwarf?
MvG: No, let’s move on.

Perfume of 100 Teeth
MvG: Well, that’s it – the heart of the album.


J: Dude, my favourite lyric is “love goddess of love”.
F: Talk about wordsmithing….


MvG: Silence, peasants! What works, works, even if I have to rhyme love with love.
J: That being said, I think you did a good job, and I think overall we found a good balance with the vocals on this record. Not too much, not too little. The sound of the vocals also changes throughout the record.
MvG: Yeah, because I’m really not a big singer in terms of range. We definitely keep vocals as part of our palette, but I would never do a full album with vocals.
F: Maybe you just need singing lessons.
MvG: Only time will tell. Anyway, there’s not much to say about it. Normal song format. It’s a mood piece.
J: The moodiest piece of them all.
F: It certainly paints a picture with the bird calls. These birdsongs, by the way, are a mixture of real birds singing and us and friends imitating birds. Not only on this piece, but on the whole album.
J: Yeah, sometimes you just need a bird call with expert timing, so you have to do it yourself.

MvG. It’s the first time we’ve done a basic song. I wonder when we’ll have our Herbie Hancock moment and go from Sextant to Headhunters?


J: I’d say we’re saving the pop sensibility for when at least two of us hit a midlife crisis.
MvG: That sounds fair. Okay, let’s move on.

Bat Pig Medicine
MvG: Bat-Pig-Medicine. Jonas has an extended bass part here.
F: Spotlight on the bass.
MvG: You did that well.
J: Thank you.
MVG: That’s basically the flipside of the album. No more vocals, and especially on this track, more experimental sounds. On our last release, Triptych Terror Oriente, we indulged in noise and related genres. So we wanted to cut back on those aspects on this record and bring jazz rock, fusion – whatever – to the forefront.
J: Don’t drag us into that! The whole thing was more of an ego trip for you guys.
F: We like that stuff too, but like only for a minute.
MvG: Yeah, I tend to get into it. I could do concept albums for days. I’ll give you an example: I had a desire to do a 30-minute solo piano album that was just a hypnotic sequence of octaves and fifths overlapping each other.
J: You really want to be more pretentious than Emerson, Lake and Palmer, don’t you?

MvG: I’ve taken that criticism to heart. Another indulgent album would have been just 30 minutes of sampled doorbell organ solos.
J: Thank God you got that out of your system.
F: I, for one, am waiting for autotuned tuba solos.
MvG: COMING SOON! Anyway, we put all these ideas into one segment because they worked surprisingly well together. The first part, which we called “A Meditation on the Inverted Flora of Hell”, is the only post-rockfish part of the first record. In the end, we abandoned the post-rock aesthetic in favor of a jazz-rock or fusion approach, mainly because I came to terms with my role as dictator. I’m not the biggest fan of the genre. The prefix post should designate an abundance of sounds, but I can’t help feeling that all post-rock bands sound the same.
J: True, but its the same with free jazz. It becomes what it is.
MvG: Amen. Okay, let’s move on

Frightful Green Panic
J: Okay, the last one. We have reached the end.
MvG: This is one of those tracks that turned out really well. We had the basic framework of this track lying around for ages but never knew how to finish it. So we tried our new palette on it, like vocals, saxophones, organ and so on, and off we went. Suddenly it all fell into place.
J: Do you remember the track by track commentary we did for An Adoration in Prayer and Ritual? We came up with a narrative for the album. What did you have in mind for this album?
MvG: Yes, I remember. That was eye-opening in many ways. Because usually we figure out what we want to express with our music as we make it. We never really thought about it like, “Hey, let’s make an album about…. Radio Towers” or something like that. If I had to sum it up, I would say An Adoration in Prayer and Ritual is an expression of civilizational melancholy.
F: We will never strangle and eat a gazelle in our lifetime.
J: The horror. I don’t really eat meat, but I would love to fight and eat a snake one day.

MvG: We all do. Well, this time we had a little more time to prepare and incorporate a story into the artwork, and if you’re ready to dive deep into the story of Anatomy of the Heads, you should check out the booklet, the artwork and all the liner notes. If you do, you will discover a narrative to the album. However, I myself would hesitate to commit to any particular meaning. It is too early for that. Maybe ask me again in a year’s time.
F: That’s fair. There is also an outro on this track that sheds some light on what this album is about. It represents a kind of ordeal, and if you get through it, you are rewarded.


Okay, that’s has been our track by track commentary. I hope you enjoyed reading and feel now enticed by our captivating personalities to give us all your cash. Stay tuned for the sequel in 2023! Follow us on Twitter and be sure to visit www.aoftheh.com for all things Anatomy of the Heads. If case you’re wondering, Bandcamp is the best way to support our band. Never leave the internet and may the volcano gods smile on each and every one of you.

 

A Meditation on the Inverted Flora of Hell:

From the Kiribatian Book of the Dead (translated Sabatier 1888):

 

"Gardens like fire. Hot and impossible. Upside down. Horses ride the skies and paint the darkness of the Lord. From crystals emanate most of the gardens' dawn. Salvation from this place is preached on this world, as souls will be on fire in another until the damned race is no more. Enter here where the tree grows. Enter with peace and know that your presence exists only under eternal patience. Enter here where the tree grows. Enter with peace and know that your presence exists only under eternal patience. It is amazing. The radiance of the unique procession of death.


Fanfares of screams with the naturalness of a crown of eyes torment the souls. And with the eternal righteousness of heaven, you are cast in iron. And the bliss of God high, cold and golden, burns in clear white. While they sink the faithful in the rivers of lost women. Within each soul, there is a corridor to hell, where these fiery gardens turn the spirit into iron. Will the Lord Satan divide the deeds justly between the souls and the rivers?" Come and say to all: This is my garden, and it shines differently to each of you!" Dwell on this and the possessed tree to which the spirits flow greatest. It is out of love that you hang in the courtyard of this wretched place. Hell prepares the father Allah's end with the liquid of the gardens. There is a square in the midst of Hell between the offspring of him who burnt first. Every sap springs forth there in righteous perseverance to swallow up their sins with bliss. And end in frosty roots that touch the greatest love, righteously planted from the purest height. What does a wound matter, when you say that the Lord is your breast's delight alone? Ye have pleased his righteous hands, which are called fair women. But he and his tree despise truth and forgiveness as far as these gardens grow. And from their fountains of fire and upside-down plants, the hatred of God is bestowed upon you like jewels. So complete is this reward that you think these gardens a palace upon men. God, you hope, will come down from heaven and take you out of this house when there is a horse day. But between their pleasure and thy evil faith, there will be no divine flood. From iron earths and iron palaces is the angels' gift is to hear and go forth. They enjoy God's benefits as eternal servants, even though their house is lost with Him. And hidden only among the vines is sincerity and peace. But the gods between the gates have promised you that these will be incomprehensible to you. Bliss alone and bliss for all gave you peace in these rivers of fire. Your greetings will not reach the throne of the Almighty. Eventually these gardens and their tree will grow old in the grace of God and give solace to those who may have strayed from this maelstrom. There is one path, the annihilation in the Unlimited, which raises the mortal to immortality, and in which resides all perfection.“

 

718TV Review Stream and Interview:

 

New York Promo (feat. 718TV)It is that time of the year again. We awake from our biannual slumber to terrorize the local countryside with devilish jazz and  transcendental noise. This time, we teamed up with the guys from 718TV to stalk the capital of Burgerland- good ol’ New York City. It is the place you know from the moving pictures, and the internet hate machine made it possible for our propaganda to be there in its apocalyptic glory and Xerox fashion. If you happen to live in New York, try to find some of these stickers and take a selfie.  If you don't, admire our swagger. Yes, we have a street team now. Suck it, Matt Groening! That being said, massive thanks to the ladies and jerks from 718TV! One day we will wrestle, and we let you win out of courtesy (but take swift revenge as soon as the sun goes down… it's a Kiribati thing). Stay tuned, more to come.

 

Credits:

Produced by Purnama Bima Setiabudi; Recorded during rainy season of 2021 at Kriegenhall, Indonesia; Mastered by HEIDENREICH at KRACH ; Mix Engineer - Eka Aisha Supalihwa; Recording Engineer - Cokro Chongkun and Partianto Parianto ; Design and Packaging by the glorious Michael van Gore and Mighty Waikiki Commander / Additional Personnel: Dewi Mawar Hermawan - Ceremonial Dancer; Hari Artanto Tingzhe - Flutes and Conch ; Malik Mufeed Siwabessy - Saxophone; Cahaya Sukarno Osama Iskandar - Percussion; Joren van Houten - Background Voices