Q&A session with Brad Mathews

As we have noted here several times in the last few months I am working on a new sequel to the acclaimed Era Sinistra.  This is an exciting era in the evolution of Brad Mathews.  As I can attest, promotion of said work has been difficult.  If you have not yet had a chance to check out the original Era Sinistra, you can view the product and read about it here. 

Now I have come to this: As a service to those of you who enjoy a good mystery by an author you are familiar with, I have decided to answer questions regarding the new Era Sinistra installment from you, the fans and readers.  It is something to keep you interested and something to get you licking your chops for the final chapter of the saga.

Without further ado, here are the questions and answers:

Q: Where and what time frame do the characters live in?  --Alik

BM: One of the challenges of writing a sequel that takes place 11 years after the conclusion of the original story line is finding a way to tell the story in a way that illustrates the passage of time.  Era Sinistra takes place in the present time, so 11 years later would be in the future.  Telling the story from the perspective of 11 years in the future is a balancing act between showing future technology without getting too sci-fi-ish.  Most of the story takes place in the mountainous back country of Western Idaho.  It is a very scenic, out-of-the way location in which the main characters seem somewhat 'out of their element.'

Q: How do you choose human characteristics for the characters in your books? --Allison

BM: Believe it or not, I compose most characters off of what I believe to be enduring characteristics normal, every day people.  For instance, I try not to write from the point of view of law-enforcement officials too much.  I need the characters to come off more human and more relatable than your typical crime and police-procedural characters.  I keep physical characteristics to a minimum unless those traits are central to the plot.  The most common method I use to flesh out characters is to just write what comes to me.  Human attributes such as personality and emotional presence evolve, just like in real life.

Q: Is this a continuation of another saga? --James

BM:  In a way it is.  What I call it is a separate story built on the events and characters of a previous episode.  In layman's terms, a sequel.

Q: What is the release date of your new book?  --August

BM: That remains to be seen.  As opposed to the film and music industries, book industries rarely publicize 'release' dates unless the book is heavily anticipated in the media.  Also interesting to note is that books are never released on a prescribed date.  They are released whenever they come off the presses.  This book should 'come off the presses' a few months after completion.  As of now, I am just over halfway through the story, so realistically, we are talking about winter or spring of 2014.

Q: What is the sequel's title? --Marion

BM: This has been a difficult story to assign a working title to.  Early on in the process, I was simply referring to it as Era Sinistra 2.  I tossed around several names in my head for quite a while.  Of these various names, Days Without Rain seemed really interesting.  That, however, doesn't quite fit the story perfectly and too closely resembles the title of an Enya album.  I believe I have finally settled on this: Era Sinistra: The Shadow.  This is both a play off of a common character's perception of the story's main antagonist and a notation about the years following a noted time period--the shadow of an era, if you will.

Q: How do you choose the setting for your books? --Makiah

BM:  This is a difficult question to answer.  The easiest answer I have is that the story simply takes place where I visualize it in my mind.  Rain Dance was easy, since the concept of the book came from a dream I had where I was sailing in the waters of he Puget Sound in the dark.  For Era Sinistra I had to build the scenario because all I had to go from was a brief news story.  It was definitely going to take place in the woods, but where? 

Q: What made you decide to write a sequel? --Sandy

BM:  A while after reading Era Sinistra again I realized that the previous book intentionally left some loose ends.  So, naturally I began to ask myself what would happen next?  As I thought about it, the basic plot just came to me. 

Q: Do you think paperbacks are a dying medium?  -Steven

BM: Everyone knows that the hot medium right now is the e-book.  Traditional trade paperbacks, as a result are seeing a decline in popularity.  Still, not all people own e-readers and many people prefer real, bound books. There is no doubt that such books feel more substantial.  Still, it would be foolish not to capitalize on the latest trend in the publishing industry.  I'd say most people own some sort of device that can display e-book text. 

Q:  In what forms are you going to print this book?  -Liz

BM: Although the future may hold a paperback version of this book, my plan is to self-release it as an e-book only format.  The advantage is that e-books can be priced much, much lower than traditional paperbacks and will last longer.  The decision to go this route stems both from a desire to reward my readers and the need to emerge from beneath the oppressive hand of the traditional publishing industry.  My frustration with PublishAmerica is well-documented by now.  Simply put, I will never let that sham of a publisher make another penny off a new book I write.  The book will likely sell for about $2.99 USD, but there will definitely be promotions which will allow readers to download the books for discounts or FREE for a limited time.

Q: Do you have plans for another novel?  --Mike


BM:  I do have one outline that seems quite interesting to me.  It is sort of a military-type story that presents an interesting battle and its mysterious underpinnings.  I also have a concept to a sequel to The Thousand Branches, but I'm not sure if real plans for that will ever materialize.  Right now, I'm putting all of my writing focus on The Shadow.

BM: Thank you all for your questions.  Hopefully my answers have given some insight on what is behind the new book.  Also, thanks for stopping by.  Your readership is the main engine behind this blog staying up and running.  We normally talk about music, so please come again! 

-brad

Syahmi Rawi-The Odyssey

If you paid attention to our last installment here, you will know who the subject of today's edition is.  Syahmi Rawi is the brother of Zuhair Rawi.  Together they form Malaysian post-rock duo Gespenst.  A few months ago I found a new solo EP called "The Odyssey."  Fluttery Records more than mentioned the Gespenst connection, after my initial listen to "The Odyssey" I decided I needed to check out Gespenst.

When talking about artists who are part of other bands, it is almost unavoidable making comparisons to said group, so I apologize in advance if this rubs any of you the wrong way.

In contrast to the richly instrumental-driven Gespenst sound, Syahmi Rawi uses a more earthly sound constructed mostly of pianos and string arrangements.  As such, it is a completely different style of post rock.  I would even hesitate to call it post rock, as it is much more in line with Endless Melancholy or Olekksii. 

For an EP it is often difficult to say much about the music.  There are still layered undertones of atmosphere present, but these influences are subtler and so, do not dominate the music.  The album starts off with some heavy breathing set against a somber prelude of keyboard before the other instrumentals kicks in.  This sound seems a little too bland for my tastes, but the intensity picks up when the labored breathing fades.  This results in a more sonically pleasing sound.  From there, the EP gets better and better.  The minimalist string sections create an interesting juxtaposition with the soft and simple pianos.

Rawi is a masterful musician.  In contrast to Gespenst, there are very few electronic interruptions to the music.  If I had to categorize "The Odyssey" with an established genre, I would label this as instrumental ambient music. 

As I have stated, this album is an EP which is composed of six short tracks.  You can listen to the album stream below.  If the breathing bothers you, you can always skip to the next track.  Enjoy!

Gespenst-The Bloodline

Pay close attention, readers.  Today we are featuring a year-plus old album that qualifies as another undiscovered gem.   How I found out about today's record was via a recent release from Fluttery Records, which we will feature on the next installment.  Today's post is an apt lead-in to what we will be talking about next.

It can be difficult to come across great music from the East, but this definitely qualifies. 

Gespenst was founded in Kuala-Lumpur, Malaysia by brothers Syahmi and Zuhair Rawi.  This is the first Malaysian group of any genre music I have found, which makes this record unique in a different way.

As it turns out, there is plenty unique about this disc.  This is not your standard-fare post-rock sound.  While it does feature loads of stretching atmospherics, generous helpings of keyboards and pianos, it also offers huge, chunks of guitar riffing and plenty of tasty leads.  This disc also features sparse vocals, and by sparse, I mean rarer than those found on your average Sigur Ros disc. 

What I love about this album is that, in addition to stretched melodies and eerie ambiance, it features rock beats that you can nod your head to.  Gespenst puts the rock back in post-rock.  Some bands are doing this nowadays--think recent releases by If These Trees Could Talk and Exxasens.  This is a somewhat new development in post-rock which is actually more of a nod to the old-school styles of post rock from stalwart bands such as Mogwai and Godspeed You! Black Emperor. 

Although this is a short album, clocking in with seven tracks averaging around five and half minutes in length, it is something I am really digging.  I'm glad I found out about the subject of our next installment, because it led me right to Gespenst.  This is a fantastic record that I can recommend again and again, even if you are not a fan of post-rock.  Thanks to Gespenst's bandcamp page, we've got the full album stream ready for you to feast your ears on.  Enjoy!

Ulrich Schnauss-A Long Way to Fall review

It is no secret that I am a fan of tastefully conceived electronic music.  As a matter of fact, I have previously proclaimed Ulrich Schnauss to be one of the best electronica artists in the world.  Think for a moment what it must take to be considered one of the best.  In this day and age, electronica could very well be the second-most recorded style of music, just behind pop.  To be noted as one of the best, you have to be really, really good.

Ulrich Schnauss is really, really good.  With "A Long Way to Fall", Schnauss has adapted his style of music and even further diversified his sound.  His previous releases with Mark Peters and Jonas Munk were shining examples of well-paced electro-gaze music that incorporated some elements of nu-jazz.  Both were very good records.

His new solo release taps styles from pop to electro-gaze to 80s-influenced synth.  "A Long Way to Fall" illustrates why there is still plenty of room to rise.  Layers upon layers of atmospheric bliss join forces with some extra-groovy electronic beats and industrialized samples to create a listening experience that is both fun and challenging. 

Also new is the incorporation of some understated, distorted vocals that seem filled with sorrow, but falling just short of all-out creepy.  Many of the tracks on this disc are upbeat, while others are filled with downtrodden, sullen melodies. 

Electronic music is often criticized as lacking true depth or emotion.  Schnauss delivers up a tasty platter of both while keeping the heavy grooves and layered textures of ambiance and looped reverb.  This is quite an exciting listen, especially if played at a high volume.  Check out the full YouTube stream of the album below.  As always, thanks and enjoy!

In Vain-Aenigma review

Metal has a strange trend going on right now in regards to album titles.  It has become baffling normal for a metal, especially one from overseas to use this Latin-themed character as the first letter of an album title: Æ.

I'm not sure why this is.  Maybe it makes the album title seem more metal.  I find it weird and difficult to type in using a normal keyboard without finding the character online, copying, and pasting.

In Vain is a lesser known metal band from Norway, whose music is really well-constructed.  In terms of metallic style, one could realistically categorize In Vain's music as progressive metal, black metal, or even melodeath.  I would call it a creative amalgam of all three styles.  This album contains sections of full-on thrashing shred, progressive guitar leads, and blackened viciousness.

Make no mistake that this album is extreme metal.  "Ænigma" shows the band taking their sound to a whole new level and improving on both technicality and production.  This is a heavy disc, but it still sounds very progressive.  Production values are very crisp, which allows the guitar leads and acoustic sections to shine. 

Vocals are even more chaotic than they were on the band's previous album, "Mantra."  However, there is a fair amount of clean singing on this album, which I find to be welcome.  In Vain used this vocal style on "Mantra," but more sparingly.  "Mantra" was a masterful record and incredibly well-written.  By contrast, "Ænigma" sounds more mature and more polished.  While few of the songs are instantly memorable, the album as a whole carries and unmistakable vibe.  After a couple of listens, I can attest that this album is every bit as good as "Mantra" was. 

If you have not heard any of this band's previous work, you definitely should check it out.  I have attached the whole album stream via YouTube below for your listening pleasure.  As always, thanks for listening and enjoy!

Sigur Ros-Kveikur review

I didn't really take Sigur Ros seriously until sometime in 2012 after their previous album "Valtari" was released.  I'm not really sure why.  Perhaps the band's name didn't resonate with me.  But after I really took some time to listen to that record, I came to like the band's sound a lot more. 

Since "Valtari," Sigur Ros has been hard at work, quickly releasing another album.  This one didn't really have time to make it to the highly anticipated category because it was announced and released in a very short time span. 

If you have browsed a record store lately, you might have seen the new album, "Kveikur" gracing shelves.  The cover art is simple, yet attention grabbing. 

With this new album, Sigur Ros have adapted and enhanced their experimental approach to accessible post rock.  "Kveikur" sees the band incorporating more ominous textures, and darker, deeper sounds.  With enough distortion to keep true to the post-rock values the band is known for, accessible pop sensibilities and broken bits of alternative styled sounds peek through the haze of atmospheric grandeur.  This results in a sweeping, majestic sound that is quite impressive, even for seasoned fans of this Icelandic post-rock group.

There is plenty to enjoy on this disc.  The opener, Brenninstein immediately leaves its mark and sets a tone for the remainder of the release.  Most of the tracks continue with similar workmanship.  This album has enough distortion to keep hard core post-rock fans interested, yet enough pop styling to attract new listeners.  As good as "Valtari" proved to be, "Kveikur" is even better.  This is a fantastic release that should earn its way into the libraries of many listeners. 

Sigur Ros is known as a standard of post-rock and is referenced alongside many mentions of post-rock.  This is notable, because the collection of well-known post-rock bands is sparse.  Instead of simply adhering to post-rock standards, however, this band experiments and truly pushes the boundary limitations of the genre.  Listen to Brenninstein below.  As always, thanks for reading and enjoy!

The Monolith Deathcult-Tetragrammaton review

If you are a regular reader here, you know that we cover extreme music sometimes.  Although I generally not a fan of music this extreme, it goes without saying that I am a big fan of The Monolith Deathcult (TMDC).

This Dutch extreme Avant-Garde metal band is exciting to listen to.  Each album they have released has been markedly better than the last.  That TMDC takes up to five years to conceive, write, and record their music should tell you something about the quality of the recordings.  This is a band that is as much educational as it is entertaining.  They don't just reference historical events and cultures in their music; such themes embody and even dominate the music.

At times oddly cheesy, the band is nothing if not creative.  "Tetragrammaton" takes the creativity and unusual song structures and multiplies them by introducing symphonic and industrial elements to provide atmosphere.  TMDC has also shown that they don't shy away from including samples from various sources of media.  For instance, the first track, God Among Insects, opens with Bill Pullman asking "Can there be a peace between us?"  The alien then answers ,"No peace."  Independence Day seems to be the basis of the song.  As it closes, we hear Pullman asking the alien what it is they want us to do.  And the alien answers. 

This opening track also features TMDC's lead singer narrating a quote from the 1979 movie Caligula.  The following track includes a repeated sample from Rules of Engagement.  Yet another track references Martin Luther King's famous 'I have a dream' speech.

Now that we have some references and background out of the way, let me talk about the music, which is why you are reading in the first place.  "Tetragrammaton" is an intense record.  In addition to the aforementioned elements, the band incorporates razor-sharp riffing, a furnace of blast beats, infectious melodies, and blistering guitar solos.  The vocals are at times hair-raising, ranging from crisp howls to sickeningly guttural growls. 

This music is not metal for the faint of heart, but it is very good.  As anticipated as this album was, I find it difficult to keep off the 'top metal of 2013' list.  Check out God Among Insects below.  As always, thanks for reading and enjoy!