INFERNO SESSIONS (WRITE HERE FROM MAY 22-29)

[CDcaseMemories]

Shout out to the Polish gent and James I spoke with at the front of the line for the Shibuya show. I was in the middle talking to you both.

The vocal chops and beat of one of the earlier tracks is crazy. You’ll know it when you hear it.

+1 on the feeling of “something is terribly wrong”. It was interesting occasionally glancing around. Some attendees were in full sonic soak mode while others were nodding their to the beat.

What else is coming out of Scotland/UK similar to this?

[Glen_Glog]

So happy you all got to hear can't wait for my copy to arrive

[bungler666]

Not to derail this thread but:
They played Circle before the show? o_O

[Skyraider]

YOU ARE NOT PREPARED.

[landsendroad]

I’m not 100% sure it was circle, as there were more elements at play like wind sounds and another humming synth that came in at out but it sounded close for sure

[CDcaseMemories]

I’m pretty sure it was not circle but it was similar. Circle is a repeating drone loop but this song was more unstructured with wind/slow riser sounds. Different track.

[The Dookster]

Just came back from the first NYC session! Can definitely confirm that the album as a whole has more of a sinister feel to it. Not outright creepy like Geogaddi but more like the score for a movie where there’s something really bad about to happen. Other themes that stand out are religion and death. The latter is especially prominent when the visuals come in for the penultimate track. Definitely more beats this time around compared to TH (though the drums usually sounded just as clean in TH) and the transition tracks were usually part of larger tracks as opposed to being on their own. Like other posts here said, there’s a lot more spoken vocal samples this time ‘round. I’m surprised that some tracks end abruptly and others fade out properly or transition into others. Makes me wonder just how different the continuous mix will be, if at all. Absolutely worth it!

[Skyraider]

Just came back from the first NYC session! Can definitely confirm that the album as a whole has more of a sinister feel to it. Not outright creepy like Geogaddi but more like the score for a movie where there’s something really bad about to happen. Other themes that stand out are religion and death. The latter is especially prominent when the visuals come in for the penultimate track. Definitely more beats this time around compared to TH (though the drums usually sounded just as clean in TH) and the transition tracks were usually part of larger tracks as opposed to being on their own. Like other posts here said, there’s a lot more spoken vocal samples this time ‘round. I’m surprised that some tracks end abruptly and others fade out properly or transition into others. Makes me wonder just how different the continuous mix will be, if at all. Absolutely worth it!

I thought it had some CRUSHINGLY creepy stuff.
Also, deep influence from western soundtracks, blues, 80s heroic fantasy movies, some stuff that sounded like a TARDIS, and LOADS of funky swagger.

[HappyCyclist]

Back from the LA session and figured I would share a few thoughts… The album, especially the middle, washed over me and I would be hard pressed to detail any specific songs. One motif I picked up on that I found interesting was that of a heartbeat. A track early on had sounds reminiscent of a heart murmur, the whooshing sound of blood moving through the heart. There was even the beep of sounded to me like a heartbeat monitor. Then a track towards the end, there was a sort of reprise with a heartbeat itself. Just one thread I pulled through my listen as far as themes of the album may go.

As others have pointed out, the second to last track stood out as being special. I especially look forward to revisiting that one.

Overall, it was a really solid experience that I feel lucky to have been able to attend. I look forward to being able to listen a little more carefully, and to have the tracklist, my own headphones, the ease of streaming, etc.. The session was loud, and the bass in the room definitely led to some distortion, tracks like Prophecy and Tape05 sounded different because of it. There was also an amber alert that hit everyone’s phones at a pretty specific moment towards the end that was funny. A memorable first listen.

[shelf]

...but it definitely seemed to lack classic Mike moments.

I would be very interested in what you mean by this, I have an intuition, but I'm really curious what you mean.

[North by North]

Full London on YT a few hours ago… that didn’t take long

[mechanismj]

Was at the second LA session. If anyone saw a doofus with a black hat, beard, maroon shirt, standing next to a gal in a green t-shirt, that was me and my wife. Kinda bummed I didn't get to run into anyone.

The album is ethereal, cinematic, menacing in places, fun and funky in others, and yeah that 2nd to last track was downright beautiful! They pulled out the classic childlike melodies and brought em right up front. It has been a while.

It has a much warmer vibe than TH did, which seemed like such a cold and stark album. And that is not just because of the firey visuals!

Negamuse said it best. Satanic Enya! I ABSOLUTELY got the same vibe on a couple tracks! Hilariously I just randomly picked up her album Watermark at a Goodwill like two weeks ago. The universe was prepping me!

I think my biggest takeaway, especially after hearing the 2nd to last track, was that this album seems like a bittersweet farewell to childhood. Those days have all burned up. We have all grown up a lot since TH, Micus included! You can hear it in their work now.

I am absolutely looking forward to listening again on a pair of headphones. There are lots of things to pick apart and I think we are all gonna have a blast doing that for quite sometime.

Nighty night!

[WATER_CAN-_-]

LA

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[Negamuse]

Not to derail this thread but:
They played Circle before the show? o_O

Yeah it isn't circle, I think, warmer and less harsh. But same sort of idea with swirly sounds some of which were feedback.

But also it had a muffled drum beat to it. Groups of three like boom boom boom. It went so well with the ambience of the London venue cos it sounded like you were the sacrifice in some big altar room, and you were hearing a procession of mad monks or something approaching outside, muffled by the stone walls.

[happy]

Full London on YT a few hours ago… that didn’t take long

Taken down now, but it’s out there. I couldn’t bring myself to listen, feels like a betrayal! Happy to wait a week and listen on my headphones in full glory

[Sherbet Head]

I'm sure there are still a bunch of subliminals and hidden themes buried throughout the album, but it's interesting how everything is more upfront, direct and in-your-face now. Everything from how the drums and vocals are mixed, even down to the artwork itself. It's bold and unapologetic, which is a departure from the subtleties we would normally expect from BoC. Really cool!

[egbdf]

Does it have any longer, distinct / 'singable' melodies? Kinda like Roygbiv, Smallest Weird Number, Dayvan, Peacock, IABPOITC, Kid For Today?

Prophecy at 1420 mhz has a couple melodies that come close but I'd say (somewhat arbitrarily) they're more like riffs

My answer to this would be no, and that very fact would likely be my biggest "criticism", but I wouldn't want to judge anything before a proper headphone listen. The album had amazing beats, cinematic build ups, lots off cool surprises, but it definitely seemed to lack classic Mike moments.

Having heard it, I agree. It isn't there like it was pre-TH. Is it a conscious choice? Did they 'run out'? Honestly, I can't blame them if so, because they've hatched out so many incredible melodies already.

I don't have a whole bunch to say at this point. I think Prophecy is my favorite so far, but that may be due tot he fact that I've already heard it like 20-30 times. For me, the best moment is after the reprise of the guitar melody and before the voice comes in. Nasty, eyebrow-raising shit.

Otherwise, we'll have to see how I feel after a few more listens.

[Mexicola]

Was there video / visuals for the whole album? Contributing from the 1420 video?

Sadly no. There was a flaming hexagon on the ceiling, which only changed for the second but last track to include what I would class as new but fairly standard BOC visuals. Super8-esque clips, nature, kids playing etc etc. Reverted back to the flaming hexagon for the final track. They didn't even play the video for Prophecy or 'Track05'.

Incidentally, yes Track05 is on there but no it's not Father and Son. Probably already been mentioned but before anyone asks

[saturdayindex]

I was at Shibuya session, shout out to all the people I met there.

I’d say on a whole, the album was very transcendental in spirit. Very Egyptian/Tibetan Book of the Dead. Very Bardo. Very Into the Void. Very compatible with [REDACTED]. I think it’s the most meditative, head-bobbable album to date, along with Campfire Headphase. In fact, it’s like the sinister, heavier, Geogaddi-informed version of Campfire Headphase to me.

Tape05 is “Deep Time” on the album, if I’m not mistaken.

“Into the Magic Land” was the closest to “Dayvan Cowboy” vibes, with shimmering guitars and uplifting chord progs. “You Retreat in Time and Space” was when the room felt like we all mentally came together and synced… in time and space. It was like a refreshing glass of cool water on a journey thru… an inferno.

There was another, highly harmonic, track, somewhere between 6 and 8, that gave me goosebumps. The chord prog was classic BOC but with a new twist they haven’t done before and it made my hair stand on end. It was like the uncanny valley between terrifying horror and overwhelming beauty.

I also wonder if we’re ever going to hear the (paraphrased) introduction to the listening session… “Welcome to the MBI Institute. According to the waiver you have signed, you have submitted to participate in a psychological experiment” followed by the “witch’s chant” again… would love to eventually have those released, but I don’t think they’re on the album.

Maybe they’re on the cassette… fingers crossed

[Negamuse]

The witches chant was really cool