The second Utopia album 'Shame' is out now on streaming services, and through Bandcamp as a download and on vinyl!
Shame is the second progressive-tech album from my UK band Utopia. This is the first with a dedicated fixed lineup, as the first album, Stalker, included lots of incredible guest drummers and is definitely worth a listen:
The album picks up where Stalker left off, with roaring tempos, odd time signature changes and disjointed rhythms giving the feeling of a stream-of-consciousness as someone is losing their mind. Not for the faint of heart, but a rewarding listen for those looking for something to challenge them. This is some of the most complicated music I've ever recorded and due to the stream-of-consciousness nature of the songs I would record it in sections separated by wherever there might be a rest (if there were any rests!). This might be half a page or a whole page or more of music. Apart from the solos (which I wrote), the parts are sent to me as sheet music by John Bailey and then I've got to try to work out how to physically play them!
To play them live I've since worked out how to play them in one go, but it's tough!
Here's an example of the time signature changes on the first page of Withering Away and Laughing, as sent to me - and to be played at 210bpm! Let me know if you'd be interested in a Tab/Transcription book of the album!
I recorded all the tracks with my Carillion 6-string fretless with Bartolini pickups and Rotosound RS66 roundwound strings, straight into my Focusrite interface.
This was the final album of my 'Covid 6'. 6 albums that I recorded in the below order within about 2 years during the Covid years and which kept me sane while no gigs were happening (click for the related blog posts):
Utopia - Stalker
[TO BE ANNOUNCED]
Utopia - Shame
And in between these I recorded the Void Mother, Jeff Hughell and Cosmitorium singles, the Calf Parade and Matt Appleby EPs, AND released instrumental versions of the Demonstealer album and first Utopia album Stalker! It was a busy two years, and I'm looking forward to seeing what else will come my way in the next few years!
Enjoy!
Best wishes,
Arran
BTS "The Gift of Failure" solo recording. I tried to give this the same 'vibe' as a Benny Goodman clarinet solo that I transcribed, just to add a curve-ball to the rest of the song:
コメント