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Minus 5 / Laserium

by Yours Truly

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1.
The Ballad of Minus 5 08:11
lyrics
Minus five in the cockpit watches closely as the pilot flies his space jet through a cloud of neon-colored gas and dust. The stewardess puts a pin on the lapel of his orange space suit, then ushers him to his seat with the other Junior cadets class of 4035. Upon arrival the passengers walk down the gang plank through the air lock. But through a seam, ever keen, minus five spies a rocket unattended. Closing his helmet, he slips out of sight down to the tarmac and climbs the scaffold. A guard nearby calls after him. Remembering training, he starts ignition, and pulls the throttle. All the people tune in every night, just to hear about the boy on his own way out there. He can't be caught, but he won't be forgot. He broadcasts this signal: Sorry to go but I had to know, what's past the edge of unknown. Governments train their heat-seeking missiles at the target Unilaterally, they decide that the boy has gone too far towards The Star But on the ground, his doting parents halt the action and raise concern, among their peers, who declare: "He is no threat, unless there's something you wish to hide." 13 lightyears past the galaxy's last glow the darkness, so complete, dissolved the physical From a pinhole a spear of light did pierce my mind The past evaporated as I entered the white A brilliant network of flowing energy Stretched from my limbs to dreaming minds throughout time With one last ounce of strength I induced a vibration So they'll wake up humming the ballad of minus five "we can hear you" "the ballad of minus five"
2.
The Laserium 10:06
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about

Another duo of vastly different songs together as a pair, for your listening pleasure. They could not differ more in terms of their genesis, and yet they come from the same creative place of lucid emotion and imagination.

The Ballad of Minus 5 is a song that started as a classically-inspired chord progression, but evaded a melody and resisted being honed into a song, and was all-but abandoned. Then, more than a year later I had a dream about an unattended minor on a space flight in the future, who deserts and becomes a deep space fugitive and folk hero. His name was Minus 5, and this is his Ballad.

By contrast, the B-side to this set was written, performed, and recorded in the span of two days, often, all at the same time. It was an exercise in layering, drone, and improvisation in an effort to produce an effect reminiscent of a particular scintillating and evolving audio landscape: The Laserium. Begun in the early 1970s, laser light shows were developed as "music for your eyes" and were displayed in immersive locations, such as planetariums (the thematic 'space' link for these songs is now clear). As a kid, I have vivid memories of seeing performances at the Pacific Science Center Laser Dome (which is still running!). The feeling of laying motionless before a complete horizon of light, sound, and color and free associating between all three as they modulated from symbolic to abstract left an indelible impression on my imagination. This song is an ode to those memories.

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released September 22, 2022

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Yours Truly Seattle, Washington

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