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(Ratha Yatra Festival in Puri, India / Painting by James Fergusson)

Juggernaut. Lots to say about this one. Make sure your seat is confortable...

I’ve started the writing for this singular piece on November 2, strangely enough beginning with the epilogue. I “completed” it over the following weekend, on November 9. The lyrics, and thus the vocal melodies, remain to be addressed, mainly because I’m not sure which approach is best : the symbolical, the theoretical, or the experiential. The vocals wil

(Detail from a Postcard, Unknown Artist)

“Leaving The Ashram” is the third chapter of "Entering The Stream," a trilogy describing an episode of intense introspection that will most likely open our second album.

An instrumental suite in four movements (Meditative Walk, Running The Last Stretch, The Tabla Master’s Enigma, and The Ordinary II), it was originally put together in 2004, way before the other two chapters, “Into The Ashram” and “The Chrome Lake.”

Once reflection and healing have taken p

(Polygraph from U.S. Patent 4,333,084)

The first part of "Polygraph" is entitled “Exposition” and aims to evoke a somewhat peaceful and relaxed dialogue, before the relationship slowly degrades to the point of sourness as personal values and beliefs are questioned and subjected to criticism.

The Discipline-era King Crimson influence is undeniable here, and to my ear the second variation sounds like something from Steve Reich’s “Drumming.”

I have a particular fondness for that piece of music. One f

("Primeval Center" )

On a background of Wall Street Bailout and the Large Hadron Collider, “Void” paints the Buddhist concept of emptiness.

From Wikipedia :

In Buddhism, the realization of emptiness of inherent existence is a “state of pure consciousness” in which the practitioner realizes all particular objects and images to be appearances of the subjective mind.

The song is made up of twelve short verses, one longer vocal interlude, and no chorus. The vocal sections are tied together with short in

(Dante and Beatrice gaze upon the highest Heaven by Gustave Doré)

"Waking In Heaven" is a relatively short composition that starts with a minimalist approach, goes to the grandiose, and then takes a leap for the celestial. An irresistible mood lifter for me, it works well on its own, but I have a feeling that it could end up as the concluding part of a suite.

Once was a time I can recall
Before the spring after the fall
Far from the glory of it all
Distressing doubt was standing tall

Every morning I

("Enigma" by Matías Argudín)

The third and fourth parts of “Leaving The Ashram” are respectively entitled “The Tabla Master’s Enigma” and “The Ordinary II.” Our unidentified introspective hero has completed his retreat and is going back to ordinary life.

As I now leave behind the echoes of complaints
The struggles of ego in the hall of constraints
I recall my time here one of introspection
Of intense pondering and of liberation

Long I sat by myself in silence and darkness
One by one noticing the causes

(Detail from "Lenticular cloud")

Given its structure and contents, the second part of “Leftoverturned” could have been entitled “Informaëlstrom II” (ref: "1000 Radios"), but because of the undeniable influence of Modest Mussorgsky’s “Night on Bald Mountain,” the full title finally evolved into “Atmospheric Disturbance Over Balkanian Mountain.” Please don’t ask. But you’re welcome to enjoy the clip.

(... continued from "Leftoverturned part 1")

At first I blamed the offenders
Until I came to recognize

("Deliberation" by Ronn Boef)

"Polygraph" is a portrait of human relations turning from sweet to sour, hinting at the necessity and difficulty of constant genuineness. The suite lasts about 10 minutes and is composed of the following four sections : Exposition, Confrontation, Deliberation, and Vindication.

"Confrontation" aims to depict the often difficult yet cathartic experience of having to stand one's ground and defend one's views when criticism or outright attack threatens one's balance and

(“Quarryman” by Gustave Courbet)

"Stonecutter" is intended as an anthem to perseverance and is based on the following quote by Jacob August Riis :

When nothing seems to help, I go and look at a stonecutter hammering away at his rock perhaps a hundred times without as much as a crack showing in it. Yet at the hundred and first blow it will split in two, and I know it was not that blow that did it, but all that had gone before.

It's one of my favourite quotes and it has helped me on several occasions

(Ashram by Nicholas Roerich)

An instrumental in 4 movements (The Ordinary, Running Out Of Breath, Dweller On The Threshold, Jambudvipa), the composition aims to evoke the progress of an individual getting fed up with their day to day life to the point of taking an extended time off for reflection and introspection.

In the cosmology of Buddhism, Jambudvipa is the name of the continent of the terrestrial world where ordinary human beings live. From Wikipedia :

It is in Jambudvipa that one may recei

« 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

I've been nearly completely inactive in my social networks since mid-July or so. Not that I wouldn't have liked to participate, but I have been engrossed in the redaction of the above essay.

When I tackled the project, I thought it would take a few weeks at most, and that I would be able to maintain my regular pace in other activities. However, I soon realized that the endeavour required great amounts of attention, and that the most efficient way of discharging the task was to dedica

« In The Vortex » is an energetic instrumental put together while toying with ideas leftover from « Informaëlstrom » and « Leftoverturned. »

The intent here was to communicate the experience of feeling enthusiastic and determined despite being faced with a demanding or overwhelming challenge.

The title refers to Esther Hicks' concept of the vortex, or to be more precise, to the experience of being in that vortex, a state of mind characterized by purposeful joy and focused forward motion.

The demo i