Songs for Chaotic Times - The Lowdown

"Songs for Chaotic Times"
What's it all about? I couple of people have asked me to shed some light on my intentions with this album. So here goes!

Much of the inspiration for recording these songs came from my frustration with some musical friends who ran a mile from writing and performing "protest songs", especially subjects such as 9/11 and mind control. "Songs" is actually nothing like the accepted notion of a protest song! I have always believed that ground level realisation comes from the simplest of things - like a story or a song. It is a difficult balancing act (in song writing) between commercial pap that says too little and the kind of preachy and dogmatic stuff that you would find at (for example) a Christian rock concert! In terms of spreading information, it also tough to avoid merely singing all the names in a telephone directory. Hopefully, "Songs" has proved the point that it can be done in a credible way. Ironically, I ended up having a number of musicians on board with the album.

Sadly, although I'm not in the least bit ungrateful, these were largely people with a broader perspective and slightly more open mind. My hope is that the album will encourage those who operate by the mainstream rulebook to think outside the box, and that these songs will awaken some larger truths in a few people. If I have accomplished even this, then the time and work involved was worth it and I can consider it a job well done!

Track 1 - "Lullaby" (00:10)
My original idea for this project was one of an over-arching concept album - a non-specific individual on a journey from the moment of realisation that "something just ain't right", through the depression and anger, and finally reaching some sense of clarity, awakening and acceptance. The whole thing ended up slightly maudlin though and ended up only being represented by four or five of the tracks that made the album.

This tale of a non-descript relationship coming to an end, as a result of one person waking up and the other in total denial, was planned to be sung by the female half of the relationship. I called upon Claudia Sterling, an all-round musical genius (of whom I'm very envious!) and a lovely person to boot. Claudia heard a few of the tracks that featured my preferred surreal soundscapes and subsequently insisted on having her vocals distorted to match the effect, as well as forcing me to sing with her. It is the one track that I almost left out because I preferred the original vocals. However, I bowed to Claudia's wishes... something most sane men usually do!

Track 2 - "Hypnobox" (02:20)
My awakened muso friend "Poxy" (D.J. Proxy) had not long re-watched "Tron Legacy" when we met up. We ended up discussing the questionable output of Disney and the like, when I played him a rough rock version (that I had already recorded) of this track.

The subject matter of the almost hypnotic nature of the mainstream media, particularly television, got him thinking about the world of "Tron" as a metaphor for the media, and the phenomenon of mind control. We talked about the film's soundtrack which was produced by the techno/dance outfit Daft Punk and ended up remixing the track as a homage to their style. He even recorded and heavily distorted the opening mantras of "consume" and "control" as a nod to the film "They Live".

Track 3 - "The Dream" (06:34)
The largely acoustic sound of this track was recorded in Stu's (a good and awakened musical friend) Skye Sounds - in an old barn actually! "The Dream" represents our manufactured reality and the rut we find ourselves in when we finally transition to something of an awakened state. The orchestral sound is all synthetic, by the way!

Track 4 - "Rabbit Hole" (09:08)
A short tribute to the film "The Matrix", one of my first "moments" of "awakening".

Track 5 - "Sound of Sheep" (11:05)
I actually wrote this song first of all the tracks and recorded the original version over a year ago. When I did my "London 2012" presentation at Truth Juice Birmingham, I took about fifty copies of a rough, four track demo with me to give out to folk. In retrospect, I was hasty including "Sheep".

I played the song to one of my former Who's Renown band mates, who describe it as "like the Bay City Rollers"! This immediately prompted an immediate rethink! After several months, I had retooled the track with an edgier, key-changed sound and largely new lyrics.

"Sheep" is the tale of a stunning looking girl I watched at Occupy London (before I realised what Occupy was REALLY all about) who seemed to simply ape everything that everybody was shouting - regardless of context or personal views. The song is also a larger reflection of the nature of movements and how they usually end up co-opted as "limited hangouts" and "re-routers of truth".

Track 6 - "Cities in the Sky" (14:03)
For most of my teens, I spent a lot of my summers on the East coast of England. My mates and I would spend most the nights on the beach getting (eventually) very inebriated! Around late evening/the early hours of the morning, we would regularly watch objects dart about the sky.

These objects would return with regularity, interact with each other and make manoeuvres that defied the laws of physics. we would often ponder what they really were. Were they manmade or from elsewhere? We knew it had nothing to do with the booze though! "Cities" loosely relates those experiences.

Claudia also added some subtle vocal textures to the song.
 
Track 7 - "Turned to Dust" (16:36)
The first of two songs about 9/11. "Dust" addresses the tireless work and extensively detailed evidence gathered by Dr Judy Wood in her book, "Where did the Towers Go?" The track also addresses some of the denialist, limited hangout positions of the so-called "9/11 Truth Movement".

Dr Wood is an inspiration to me, so I felt it appropriate to include an astute, albeit brief, soundbite of her from one her interviews.

The Harmonica on the track was played by my dad!

Track 8 - "Tuesday Morning" (19:01)
A muse upon the larger cultural zeitgeist of 9/11, as well as my own personal feelings from the actual day of the tragedy. There are also a few additional nods to the dustification of the towers, Hurricane Erin and the "no-planes" angle.

Track 9 - "Dumb Game" (21:26)
A general tirade against the power of the elite, the games they play, and how we usually get sucked into them.

Track 10 - "Cathy" (22:48)
Loosely based upon the account of presidential mind control model Cathy O'Brien, but more a general nod to all those who have been affected. I recorded the piano track at Skye Sounds, but the vocals were recorded at my home. I was never able to quite match the soundscape of the vocals to the piano. A few subtle organ sounds have dulled the disjoint, but I'm still a little disappointed by the final result. Hopefully I will re-record the song at some later date.

Track 11 - "Dem Boots, Bob" (25:18)
A tribute to the legendary Bob Marley, specifically the bizarre tale (featured in Alex Constantine's book "The Covert War Against Rock") of his death - involving the military and intelligence agencies of the day and a pair of boots he was given to wear on stage, which may have contained a prong in the heel, resulting in his death from cancer.

Track 12 - "Fade Away" (27:53)
Original "anthem" track for the concept album idea. Months in the making, with many fingers in the pot! The song is based upon the idea of manufactured "end of days" scenarios and the cultural fallout. Claudia and the incredibly talented Rachel Cavanaugh also recorded parts of the vocal choruses.

Track 13 - "Falling into Place" (32:28)
The "arrival point at the train station of truth"! The first half of the song is about reconciling perceived reality with larger realisations. The latter half is the chaos that pulls at those who are trying to keep it all in perspective.

Track 14 - "Song for Chaotic Times" (34:40)
A bit of a victory song to end the album, a mid-finger up to the powers that be, and a not so subtle dig at those who think that there is "nothing to see" and "everything is fine". "There are none so blind as those who will not see!"

My dad played the accordion on the track.
 
Conclusions
So there you go. My huge respect and gratitude to everybody who got on board with this album. I couldn't have done it without you. Please feel free to repost the music wherever you wish (just don't forget to mention who produced it!), spread the word, give it a thumbs up on YouTube, and so on. Here is the YouTube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1eCosUAH2y4

I will hopefully find a home for the actual audio album tracks in the near future and make sure the music is available as a cost free download.

Many thanks for all your continued support and readership, and peace out to you all!

All the best,
Carl (The 'Guide)

Songs for Chaotic Times (Complete Album)

After twelve months of dipping in and out of it, my truth related album "Songs for Chaotic Times" is finally finished. Until I can find a home for it as a free album download, here is the full album on YouTube, complete with onscreen lyrics and some credits, for you to watch/listen to.

http://youtu.be/1eCosUAH2y4

 

Please feel free to share and give it a thumbs up!

Enjoy!

Carl.

 

It's Alright!

As promised, here is a track from from my album project "Songs For Chaotic Times". The song is called "Song For Chaotic Times" (It's Alright) and is actually the final track on the album. I've had some compression problems in order to upload it to YouTube, but the sound is still good. You may want to fiddle with your equalizers and turn it up (and it is obviously better with headphones!), but it is all pretty much there.

Hope you like it and don't forget to give it a thumbs up on YouTube!
All the best!
Carl (The 'Guide)



Here is the link and embedded video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xkZqqpGoNfA&feature=plcp

What Really Happened at The London Olympics?

I’m sorry for my absence of late! It has been a busy time due to my on-going truth album project and preparing for my first 2 hour talk. The album is going well. Over half of it is pretty much recorded now, although I’ve had some problems with compression quality, etc. I’ve relocated to another studio to re-record some of the vocal tracks in order to improve the sound levels. I’ve been asked when I’ll post some of it here and have decided to upload a raw version of the (currently) last track of the album for you to listen to - which will be in the next post. Please understand that it is a bit rough round the edges though! The clean version of the track is being readied as I write this.

As for my talk, I’ve pasted the details from Truth Juice Birmingham’s website below. The presentation is entitled: “What Really Happened at The London Olympics?” I have built upon the research I did for my London 2012 blog series and incorporated a load of new and quite “eye-brow raising” information have recently uncovered. I will be speaking at The New Billesley (Birmingham), 8pm, on Tuesday 27th November 2012. Here are the details:

“What Really Happened at The London Olympics?”

From the moment London was announced as the host city for the 2012 Olympic Games, speculation began about the true significance of this event. All the signs suggested that this could possibly be a defining moment in history – along the lines of 9/11. Many alternative researchers became convinced that it would be a platform for a staged, false flag event – a terrorist attack or ET encounter. In the months leading up to The Games, this speculation began to filter into the mainstream media… unusual given how they usually take great steps to discredit such notions.

Many people were left scratching their heads, when London 2012 came and went without any such event. The general consensus was that “nothing happened”.

For the last several months, Carl James has been studying the entirety of London 2012 and discovered that The Games were far from uneventful. Indeed, it appears that a carefully orchestrated assault upon the psychological senses of the world took place.

In this talk, Carl will investigate the circumstances that established the idea of an “event”, examine the context of these theories within the alternative community and dissect the evidence for a mass occult related “psy-op” within The Games themselves. What we think we know is just the tip of the iceberg…

Carl James has spent much of his life interested in alternative knowledge and the hidden global agenda. His interest has reached a whole new level of awakening in the last several years though. He is author of the popular Internet blog site: “The Truth Seeker’s Guide”, a part-time health care professional and full time musician and singer / songwriter. Alongside his musical work, he spent 14 years as front man for the UK’s top tribute band to rock legends The Who. He is currently working on self-written material for a “truth” themed album project entitled: “Songs For Chaotic Times”.

Artist: Carl James
Date: Tuesday, November 27th 2012
Time: 8:00pm
City: Birmingham | West Midlands
Venue: The New Billesley
Address: Kings Heath
Venue phone: 0121 444 3563 ‎
Country: United Kingdom
Admission: £5 or £3 Concessions
Age restrictions: All Ages/License
http://birmingham.truthjuice.co.uk/index.php/2012/10/carl-james-in-birmingham-west-midlands-on-271112/

You can also click the link in the “Upcoming Events” section of the right side bar of this blog. There are also links to Andrew Johnson’s upcoming talk “Infinite Energy: But Not for The Masses”, Neil Sanders “Your Thoughts are not Your Own” and various dates for Dr Judy Wood’s upcoming visit to the UK and Holland.
http://birmingham.truthjuice.co.uk/index.php/2012/10/andrew-johnson-in-birmingham-west-midlands-on-301012/
http://birmingham.truthjuice.co.uk/index.php/2012/10/neil-sanders-in-birmingham-west-midlands-on-201112/
http://www.checktheevidence.co.uk/cms/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=360&Itemid=60

All The Best!
Carl (The Truth Seeker’s Guide)


Books available from Carl James:
Science Fiction and the Hidden Global Agenda - Volume One - http://www.lulu.com/shop/carl-james/science-fiction-and-the-hidden-global-agenda-2016-edition-volume-one/paperback/product-23209429.html
Science Fiction and the Hidden Global Agenda - Volume Two - http://www.lulu.com/shop/carl-james/science-fiction-and-the-hidden-global-agenda-2016-edition-volume-two/paperback/product-23209433.html
What Really Happened at the London 2012 Olympics - http://www.lulu.com/shop/carl-james/what-really-happened-at-the-london-2012-olympics/paperback/product-23221527.html

Songs For Chaotic Times

 It’s interesting how things can develop in the space of a few weeks. Recently I’ve turned some of my musical work on its head by feeding my alternative views of the world into my creative efforts. I have long laboured in vain to try and open a few eyes in the musical arena, specifically because I feel that the medium is an excellent platform for suggesting alternative ideas to a receptive audience – who may not have considered such notions under normal circumstances. It is a little bit of a cheat, almost subliminal in a way, but at least it is slipping positives into the public consciousness rather than how it is often currently utilised.
 
 The resistance to this idea, among the many musicians I know has, been staggering. Even if they are simply a low level, gigging band or artist, they see the move as “job suicide”. I can understand this sentiment though. We live in hard times and jobs aren’t easy to come by. This is especially true of musicians. Musical venues are closing left, right and centre, pubs have largely moved away from live bands/instruments (toward singers with backing tapes and the spawn of all evil that is “Karaoke”!) and the Festival scene has really tightened its belt. Added to this, people are turning less and less to musical “multi-taskers” (like me). They are buying cheap cameras and software to create their own multi-media promotional packages and doing much more session recording from the comfort of their own homes.
 
 This doesn’t change the fact that there is always an appetite for live music though. Even in the dark days of mass UK recession during the 1980s, the music scene was thriving. Musicians are always looking for the holy grail of the profession, an untapped source of inspiration that can set them apart from the well-trodden paths of the mundane. I believe that the vast subjects addressed in alternative community are a huge untapped resource, a new artistic muse as it were, that could tempt the egos of some of my fellow musicians to participate. Another sneaky move, I know, but the outcome would ultimately be a positive one.

 Despite this, I have met a wall of opposition and closed minds. They are happy to work with me on any other aspect of performance and creativity, but not this. One or two are happy to discuss the subject though, even participate anonymously, provided I don’t cite their names… strange, but I respect their wishes. I had recently been working on an original song, which I envisioned as a light hearted, well-meaning look at scepticism toward obvious evidence of hidden global agendas and lies perpetuated amongst the mass population. For this, I brought on board one or two musical friends as unnamed session musicians (I can’t play the drums for a start, so I’ve needed at least that much!) and was surprised how “into” the concept they were – at least in an advisory capacity!
 
 This has opened a window (for me) into their perceived notions of the subject. This is what one of them said: “I understand these are serious subjects, but it has the danger of being too preachy… like those Christian rock bands you see! It needs heart, a story, emotion. That’s what people want from music. They need to relate.” I understand this perfectly. Yet, music often walks a fine line between sentiments from the depths of the soul and trite emotional slogans. The balance is very delicate. Assigning soul to serious life changing matters and the pursuit of evidence is a tough nut to crack. As he (my musical friend) said, “You may as well read from the phone book, or the ingredients on the back of a packet of food, and set it to music.”
 
 I thought this was a bit mean spirited at first. I’m an open minded bloke though, so I asked them to sit down with me and “brainstorm” the whole concept. I soon came to realise that my first “truth” related musical piece was exactly like they had described, so (despite a month of work committed to the project) we scrapped a huge amount and went back to the drawing board. What they threw at me was this: forget how you might want to spread the word, wake people up, etc. How has it affected me? The story should be enough to give people pause for thought. I naturally knew this, but had perhaps lost sight of it in favour of the intent and message.
 
 Out of this has come something I’m incredibly buzzed about. Several weeks on, and I have written ten songs that form an overarching narrative – in other words: enough material for an album. Two songs (“Hypnobox” and “The Dream”) are at the production stage - with one, a reworking of my original piece (called “It’s Alright”), getting close to being finished. The collective named for this project is (ironically) “The ‘Guide” and the album is tentatively entitled “Songs for Chaotic Times.” What will come of this is anybody’s guess. I hope I’m not jinxing it all by sharing some details with you (at this early stage), but I have a positive feeling about it. Once I’m comfortable with the production, I will start making tracks available here and elsewhere for you to listen to. So watch this space.
 
 Amidst this busy time, I’ve also decided to take the plunge and do my first public talk, drawing upon much of the research I have compiled here on the blog. I am currently assembling a two hour presentation discussing “The Olympic Paradigm” and some aspects of the larger global agenda that relate to it. I hope to set a date for this soon (probably November-ish) and it will probably be in the Birmingham area (UK). As soon as I have nailed down the details, I’ll let you know more.
 
As always, I just want to say thanks to all of you who continue to read/visit my humble little corner of the web, and for all the support I have received along the way. I truly appreciate it.

Until next time… stay well, keep smiling and the best to you all.
Carl (The Truth Seeker’s Guide)