Blog Posts

("Dance of the Lord of Death" by Jean-Marie Hullot)

« Between Worlds » is a composition that started as a song entitled « Requiem » which was written in response to the deaths of my father and maternal grandmother, both due to cancer, at the beginning of the 1990s. Inspired by « The Tibetan Book of the Dead, » the piece eventually turned into a suite in five movements intended to present the successive stages of the death process as described in Tibetan culture.

« Dissolution » is a very short sec

("Maitreya the Conqueror" by Nicholas Roerich)

I read the The Tibetan Book of the Dead twice. I started with a French translation, and then read the Robert A. F. Thurman version. My motivation at the time was to learn more about the death process and what comes after.

At the time, I was agreeably surprised to discover that the text, which is traditionally read to the dead and is intended to guide them through the experiences that the consciousness has during the interval between death and the nex

("Buddha painted on a rock wall in Tibet" by Unknown Artist - photography by onwardtibet.org)

« Between Worlds » is a suite in five movements that started as a song entitled « Requiem » which was written in response to the deaths of my father and maternal grandmother, both due to cancer, at the beginning of the 1990s. The original draft eventually became what now constitutes « Departure, » the introductory section of the whole composition.

A few years later, after discovering Buddhism, I acquired

("Akshobhya Buddha" by VanemTao)

« Between Worlds » is a composition that started as a song entitled « Requiem » which was written in response to the deaths of my father and maternal grandmother, both due to cancer, at the beginning of the 1990s. Inspired by « The Tibetan Book of the Dead, » the piece eventually turned into a suite in five movements intended to present the successive stages of the death process as described in Tibetan culture.

The last section of « Between Worlds » is entitled «

("Underwater World" by Felipe Skroski)

« The Dam » is a 22-minute long suite in 8 movements that uses the metaphor of water flowing from source to ocean to illustrate the process that we affectionately refer to as life.

As the title suggest, the focus is directed on one major obstacle/life-changing experience, symbolized by a dam on the river, which the protagonist/narrator has to conquer in order to reach their intended destination.

The storyline is inspired by my own life and struggle to reach th

("The Dhyani Buddha Akshobhya" - Unknown Artist)

« Between Worlds » is a composition that started as a song entitled « Requiem » which was written in response to the deaths of my father and maternal grandmother, both due to cancer, at the beginning of the 1990s. Inspired by « The Tibetan Book of the Dead, » the piece eventually turned into a suite in five movements intended to present the successive stages of the death process as described in Tibetan culture.

« The Dance Of The Archetypes » culmin

« The Miracle Is Worth The Wait » was the 2nd song written for the « 30 Songs for the Sunny Season » project, and was completed on January 8, 2013.

The inspiration for this opus came from conversations held with David, a somewhat peculiar fellow with whom I was sharing living spaces earlier this year. To the best of my memory, the first words he ever spoke to me were « I can guarantee world peace. » Obviously, the statement got my attention and I just had to know more about him. I eventually lear

The 23rd song written for the « 30 Songs for the Sunny Season » project is entitled « A Tide Of Positive Change » and was completed on March 24th, 2013.

The aim here was to come up with an inspiring and energetic song that can uplift the listener into an optimistic frame of mind. Considering the comments offered so far when I played it in public spaces, I'd venture to say that this particular objective has been achieved.

No audio nor video clips are available at this point as my game plan for this

« To Kill Your Demons » was completed on March 10, 2013, and is the 20th song written for the henceforth entitled « 30 Songs for the Sunny Season » project.

Basically, the main point of the song is that most-if-not-all experiences, apparent catastrophes included, can be interpreted positively as opportunities for growth.

Again, I plan to repost the following lyrics with an audio or video clip when time allows for the recording and production of proper demos.

verse 1
you were waiting for the right w

(« Natural Abalone with conical pearl » by Worldexplorer82)

« Mother Of Pearl» was the last song written in the location where the music for the « The Abode Of The Blessed » EP was composed. Yet, arguably, considering the clear stylistic and thematic distinctions between this opus and the pieces that preceded it, they probably shouldn't belong on the same album. Assuming that I eventually get the chance to properly record the 8 songs and 8 instrumentals put together during that particular period

At some point during this past winter, I thought it would be interesting to see if I could come up with a bunch of songs that I could play on my own, without the need of a backing band. I had always wanted to try my luck at busking, but because of the demands of Poligraf, I never really had the chance to build a repertoire of original songs that require only guitar and vocals, without additional arrangements. Eventually I imagined that 30 songs would be enough, so I set out to write as much in t

« Perfect Magic » is the 9th opus penned for the « 30 Songs for the Sunny Season » project. It was completed on February 6, 2013, and is the first new piece to follow the compositional rush that led to the « The Abode Of The Blessed » EP.

The lyrics were written in an « everything happens for a reason » frame of mind and aim to hint at how each and every life, even the apparently disadvantaged, is blessed with the loving support of the underlying intelligence that unites and animates all beings.

A

(« The Winged Man » by Odilon Redon)

« The Winged Life » takes its name from William Blake's poem « Eternity » :

He who binds himself to a joy
Does the winged life destroy
But he who kisses the joy as it flies
Lives in eternity's sunrise

This piece is a singularity as far as the poligrafic repertoire is concerned. I didn't aim for innovation or cleverness as I often do because I felt that the best way to let the message through was to keep the music simple. Thus, the composition is about four minutes

("Stromschnelle" by Gerhard Rießbeck)

In « Rapids, » the third part of « The Dam, » the protagonist/narrator is being carried from a mostly uneventful and rather disappointing river straight into an heretofore unseen dam.

The intent behind this instrumental section is to convey a feeling of being taken ahead by an unrelenting force, and to let the listener reflect on the discourse presented in « River. »

In the storyline, the rapids represent the rising tension which accompanies the recognition th

("Magnetic field of two bar magnets with unlike poles" by Alexander Wilmer Duff)

« Come Back » dates back to the epoch of The Fall Children, the band that was supposed to be but never really was, and whose unexpected but timely demise cleared the space which Poligraf needed to come into being.

This is an enigmatic piece for me as both music and lyrics have been reworked and reorganized many times over the years, yet I’m never completely satisfied with the end results, which is kind of strange for

("Surface Tension" by darkmatter)

In « Surface, » the sixth chapter of « The Dam, » the protagonist/narrator is gradually returning to activity after having transformed into who he feels like being, and will ultimately reach the surface where he will properly begin his new existence.

In the storyline, this step marks the end of a long process of metamorphosis wherein one has endured many transformations and shed that which belongs to their former way of being. Once released from the demanding tr

("Informaëlstrom" by poligraf)

1000 Radios is a two-part piece which explores the relationship between an individual and their reality, a subject and their objective world.

The second part, "Informaëlstrom," aims to depict this reality gone awry, a maelstrom of information as it were, and the struggle of the individual endeavouring to escape the chaos and finally break through the confusion to revel in understanding and effortlessness.

The piece is an instrumental, but I thought I'd write some rel

("Tibetan Sand Mandala" by Mary Mueller)

The central theme of « In Our Space » is the idea of building, of perhaps finding or reaching, a space where one is free to simply be themselves and do as they feel they should.

At the personal level, this corresponds to finding true purpose and staying in alignment with it, remaining centered at all times in that ideal sacred space, or pure land.

Originally, the scope was limited to that level only, and the word space was referring to an individual’s mind s

"Introspection II" is the fifth section, and second with vocals, of "The Chrome Lake." And as is the case for its almost-but-not-identical twin "Introspection I," the subject matter is pretty much self-explanatory.

Verse
I see you feel restrained, mechanized, dehumanized
I see you feel estranged, incomplete, dissatisfied
Anything for a refuge, an island for your mind, a flight, a break
No amount of diversion or substance will ever dissolve the lake

Low confidence, you can't make a move without a guide

(Daniel-Johnson's Manic 5 dam in Quebec, Canada - photo by Pierre cb)

Part 4 of The Dam is entitled simply “Dam.” In the storyline, this is when the obstacle is recognized and the necessity of dealing with it is accepted.

Once again the lyrics are pretty much ready, so better let them tell the story.

1st verse
The feeling is getting stronger / I'm aware of a dam
Building internally / This is not who I am
Conflicting directions / Identity crisis
Time has come to make a choice
Quiet the fearful voice

Thi