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Oblivion

by The Shadow Principle

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1.
Minutiae 03:35
Some would dance in their prison yards Some would kill to have a bleeding heart So the story goes Some designed like a fashion plate of lost souls Once, twice, the third is far too much too handle Pay a price, only to have it stolen away from you Fold, waiting for a nightmare’s end Cold, fire is dying out Don't you suffer any more than this Some would swim just to drown you out Some would speak only to shut your mouth One an actor who is high and proud One a mime who wants to scream out loud Once, thrice, infinite with all your angles Pay a price, only to have it stolen away from you Fold, waiting for a nightmare’s end Cold, fire is dying out Don't you suffer any more than this
2.
Wounded tongue tastes of salt Stings like summer rain On the skin revealed to burn And branded with the flame Twisted limbs of rotten trees Bear the fruit of words Exposed in darkness Like the earthworm to the bird And I want to know Which way to go When the sun appears In a dream awake Which path to take? When the sun appears Morning came fires were out A storm out of the north Through a narrow passage Passing whispers back and forth Drop the veil when the sirens call And disturb the dust From limb to limb My body turned to rust And I want to know Which way to go When the sun appear In a dream awake Which path to take? When the sun appears
3.
Without a trace of life, You always found your place In an endless circle You’re in and out of time Black as night for days And no one discovers Passing like a satellite Above the sky your orbit stays She whispers in the candlelight Inside a house where no one stays Passing like a satellite The tension comes undone Unspooling in the haze In a haze of silence You’re somewhere in between A state of saving face Yet no one sees you Passing like a satellite Above the sky your orbit stays She whispers in the candlelight Inside a house where no one stays Passing like a satellite One day a mountain fell from the sky Engulfed in firelight Nothing to do, nothing to try The truth will see the light
4.
Headstrong 03:59
The power to deem, another story unfolds Tearing the seams to the fabric of old Static the winds that blows the new reaper Wake up and scream the truth into your new receiver Stare with eyes, with a thoughtless soul Don't make me raise names, fires fit for trial To find your name escaping righteous gallows Thrashing boats sink faster in the storms Simplify if the complex wouldn't be so hollow Headstrong like your will Headstrong like you feel Your headstrong like the wind Headstrong like medicine Sterile eyes with a thoughtless soul Waiting to fight, weltanschauungskrieg me more And the animal caged, you think, sleeps In silence Waits for you, waits for time to strike you down Headstrong like your will Headstrong like you feel Your headstrong like the wind Headstrong like like a sin
5.
Stand Down 04:41
When will the day ever come When the kings lose their crowns For what they have done? When will the silence soon Silence their their drums? Should we leave, after all we finally won? Don't turn away Watch the beast bleeding out for change Don't turn away Watch the beast screaming out in rage Don’t turn away Once we hold All hands calm down Once it's told All hands stand down Some of the fear has signed up to sin And for what delusions you see as next of your kin So don't talk! And the woes that you parade in And you know that the battle begins Don't turn away Watch the beast bleeding out for change Don’t turn away Watch the beast screaming out in rage Don’t turn away Once we hold All hands calm down Once it's told All hands stand down
6.
Yesterday I woke from sleep With a glass half empty next to me The burning need, the jealousy Everything's exactly how it should be Stare into starless skies, The blackest eyes Like none I’ve seen before In this disfigured shape I can’t escape From all I’ve seen before The spinning blades of air police Carving circles in the air above me The mindless eye, technology Is all I need to keep me company Stare into starless skies, The blackest eyes Like none I’ve seen before In this disfigured shape I can’t escape From all I’ve seen before
7.
Byzantium 06:26
Help me to see How it’s worth it to me To still try Cracks in the plan Like some old rubber band Something inside me has died If it was ever alive All that I see responsibility What shall I do with this Crumbled paper in my fist? Imagination in the fire Sick with desire Help me to see How the sundial debris Gives me time Green turns to brown Turns to dust on the ground Something inside me has died If it was ever alive All that I see responsibility What shall I do with this Crumbled paper in my fist? Imagination in the fire Sick with desire Whatever dream is in your head One day you’re born The next you’re dead
8.
Dead Walking 03:41
Good God, excuses due to senescence Sod off, running your mouth again Don’t think we won’t dish back the fodder Talk talk, tell me how you burned me again Tell take marks a bruise, a lie in your hand Don’t make me convert your only daughter Think it’s time you know Cause we know you’ll never change Send in the walking dead They’re all starving for your head Oh no place safe left to run no You must have lost your mind To make you think you’re right As ya walk on and make it up as you go along Walk walk, fake the talk, shock me again Balk balk, don’t go hide behind your friends Stand up and show us what you’re made of Think it’s time to call you out Cause your walk will drag the same Send in the walking dead They’re all starving for your head Oh no place safe left to run no You must have lost your mind To make you think you’re right As ya walk on and make it up as you go along
9.
Brutal Muse 03:29
Brutal muse dressed in black Rattle your sabers and prepare for attack Once we turn our backs Brutal muse in red and green Ready an onslaught like we’ve never seen The marketing machine presses on Rows of your towers burning bright Those who are blinded take delight Grinding down on the Devil’s pill Amusing to muses with a hand that's fit to kill Brutal muse, computer screen Bloody knives and clever animated memes Never in your wildest dreams Brutal muse, the dying child At water’s edge the suffering unreconciled Senseless acts reviled but nothing more Rows of your towers burning bright Those who are blinded take delight Grinding down on the Devil’s pill Amusing to muses with a hand that's fit to kill All your muses in me . . .
10.
I read it in a letter today From someone I barely knew She said you had drifted away My wounds are your wounds it's true Looking for the keys to unlock Living like a passenger Turn around, turn around A passenger Look around, look around A passenger I see you at the top of the stairs I see you in the bedroom too Once I had something to feel Until I left it all with you Sitting next to you out of view Living like your passenger Turn around, turn around A passenger Look Around, look around A passenger Some days are gone Some days move fast And nothing lasts All things we know All things we love All turn to dust

about

Four years in the making, "Oblivion" is an unapologetic, full-throttle rock record packed with great songs and commanding performances. Released at a time when many rock acts have either softened considerably or abandoned the genre altogether, "Oblivion" stays true-to-form throughout, dismissing current trends, looking instead to the great rock bands of the 70s, 80s, and 90s for inspiration.

Writing for this record began shortly after the completion of the band’s 2012 concept album, "Golden State." Seeking an assemblage of compelling stand-alone songs untethered to an overarching theme, bassist/vocalist Dave Tomkins introduced one straight-ahead rocker (“When the Sun Appears”), two mini epics (“Byzantium” and “Rivers”), and one oddity in 6/4 (“So Dark”) to band mates Reza Moosavi (guitar) and Kurt Berens (drums) in Spring 2013. The trio developed innumerable arrangements of each song and, while simultaneously performing live in support of "Golden State," noted the opportunities this new material presented for a bigger vocal presence within the band—one that would undoubtedly have a positive impact on live presentations of the band’s established material as well. And so began the long search for a new lead vocalist that—after a few false starts—finally culminated in the discovery of Nohl Takahashi (formerly of Daijobu) in the Summer of 2015.

With Takahashi fully integrated into the band, writing on what would become "Oblivion" continued throughout 2015 and into 2016. During this period, “So Dark” became “Starless Skies,” and “Rivers” (with new lyrics by Takahashi) became “Stand Down.” Takahashi also added lyrics to another Tomkins song, “Minutiae,” as well as to Moosavi compositions “Headstrong” and “Dead Walking.” A final flurry of writing came from Tomkins in the form of “Phantom Satellite,” “Brutal Muse,” and “The Passenger,” with Takahashi adding additional lyrics to each. All ten songs endured a vigorous arrangement process whereby Takahashi and Tomkins worked out vocal harmonies, and all four musicians had the opportunity to create unique parts and to experiment with a variety of sounds and approaches, culminating in the full band arrangements one hears on the finished record.

When the time came to record, the band once again returned to Kingsize Soundlabs to take advantage of the studio’s unique mixture of vintage and state-of-the-art recording equipment, and to work with Brian Rosemeyer, who had engineered and mixed "Golden State." As was the case previously, the band recorded instrumentals primarily live with just a handful of overdubs. Vocal recording and mixing took place separately in producer Rob Schnapf’s adjacent “Mant” studio, with mastering duties being undertaken once again by Mark Chalecki at Little Red Book Mastering.

The album’s cover art, created by filmmaker Patrick Lawler, pairs with the album’s title, "Oblivion", in thought-provoking ways. The term “oblivion” can refer to forgetfulness on the one hand, or to having been forgotten on the other—to a state of unconsciousness, or to a condition of alienation or extinction. Does the figure on the album’s cover—perhaps unconsciously, in a daydream—long to scale the hillside at which he stares (to achieve a goal, or to regain something lost), or does he look back at a peak just descended (symbolizing something rejected or dismissed)? Has he been cast out of a civilization (perhaps the one responsible for the luminous glow emerging beyond the hill’s precipice), or does he look on with dread at a lingering past he wishes to escape? Such existential questions inform many of the album’s lyrics, inviting listeners to see reflections of their own experiences, and suitably to draw their own conclusions.

Equal parts cerebral and visceral, the Shadow Principle’s "Oblivion" holds much in store for fans of bands ranging from Led Zeppelin and The Who to Muse, Queens of the Stone Age, and the Mars Volta.

credits

released July 15, 2016

The Shadow Principle / Oblivion

Release Date: July 15, 2016

Produced & Arranged by The Shadow Principle
Engineered and Mixed by Brian Rosemeyer
at Kingsize Soundlabs, Los Angeles
Mastered by Mark Chalecki
at Little Red Book Mastering, Los Angeles

The Shadow Principle:
Kurt Berens: Drums
Reza Moosavi: Guitar
Nohl Takahashi: Vocals
Dave Tomkins: Bass/Vocals


℗ & © 2016 Berens, Moosavi, Takahashi, Tomkins
www.theshadowprinciple.com

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The Shadow Principle Los Angeles, California

Nohl Takahashi: Vocals

Reza Moosavi: Guitar

Marlin George: Drums

David Tomkins: Bass + Vox

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