"Returner" - Japanese Sci Fi Flick Worth Checking Out

I really dig the film "Returner"! I know it may borrow from numerous other Science Fiction / action movies without shame (Matrix, Terminator and E.T.), but there's something about it that I'm really drawn to. Maybe it's simply because I'm a sucker for Japanese Sci-Fi.

The plot is certainly redundant, though there isn't much that isn't anymore. You've got your typical alien invasion that threatens to annihilate the human race. A young heroine. Time travel. And a reluctant, though highly skilled Tokyo gunman, enlisted to help humanity and prevent the start of the war. All themes that are typically played out in these types of movies, but worth getting into with this film.

What makes "Returner" worth while is a fast-paced story line, good character development, an interesting romance, and a lot of good visual effects. If you generally shy away from subtitled foreign films there is a dubbed version on the DVD as well, though it's pretty badly done. I'm always one for the original audio myself.



Returner - aka Ritana (2002)
Director: Takashi Yamazaki

New Alphanaut Download Exclusively For Fans

I just added a second song for fans to download from my ReverbNation widget. Just join the Alphanaut mailing list and get two free tunes "Her Eleven Eyes" and "The Innocence of Time" (Guilty As Charged Remix).

These two Alphanaut songs will be available as free downloads for a limited time so get them while you can.

Thanks for the support.

Mark

"Safe and White" - The Fear of the 'Other'

Getting back to breaking down the songs from "Out of Orbit". Next up is track two titled "Safe and White".

The melody for "Safe and White" came to me early on in the days when I began song writing again, originally revolving around a perky drum 'n bass pattern. I believe it was the second piece I wrote, immediately after I came up with the basic song structure for "Without You". I remember listening to both pieces and thinking "how and I going to fit both onto the same album" as they are so different from one another. The task I gave myself was to view those two songs as if they were opposite ends of a spectrum and the rest of the material I'd write for the album should fall in between.

It would take a year of searching for the right lyric and title for the song, but one day while out at the 'Temple of Consumerism" (the local mall), I was given inspiration. I was hanging at The Grove, an outdoor shopping complex which is popular with tourists visiting Los Angeles, when I briefly overheard conversation of two older white women, dressed as if they were going to church. It was evident from their accent that they were from the midwest and apparently they hadn't gotten out of the house much. Judging from the comments I overheard them making, lets just say they were shocked at how many people were present who didn't share the same skin color as them. Our paths crossed very briefly and I threw them a look of shock at their comments, though I doubt they absorbed my disagreement as they moved through the sea of diversity.

That was all it took to inspire me. I grabbed a cup of coffee, opened my laptop and sat down to begin writing sketches for the lyric.

"Safe and White" Lyrics

Your blowing bubbles in your yard
Close your eyes while keeping guard
You’re having trouble making sense
Of what happens out beyond your fence

Here come the nines but you are a ten
It’s more about than you comprehend
Replace the TV every year
But never watch it out of fear

Some people ride through life
Some people steer
Some people speak words
But they never hear

Some people fly through life
While others just walk
Some people complain
But they never talk

Mr Jones is acting strange
You prey that someday he will change
Try and try with all your might
To keep your life safe and white

When every single line from you
Starts with “I’m the kind of person who”
You talk and talk but never hear
You’re the same old sucker every year

Some people . . .

Try and try with all your might
To keep your life safe and white
Try and try with all your might
You'll never keep it safe and white

Purchase a copy of "Safe and White" on iTunes

"The Innocence of Time" Video is Wrapped

After three long days trekking around the Los Angeles area with Nils Timm and his crew, the music video for "The Innocence of Time" is finally finished. Austyn, my nephew who starred in a majority of the video, was a real natural, impressing the crew with his professionalism.

I don't want to give away too many details behind the scenes until we get closer to a release date for the video. However, I will say that judging from the raw clips we reviewed each day, this piece could be an epic event.

One of my Favorite Koop Videos "Glömd"

One of the most beautiful and surreal music videos ever created in my humble opinion. For the song "Glomd" from Koop's debut album "Sons of Koop"

Prepairing for "Innocence of Time" Video Shoot with Nils Timm and DJ Switch

Just had a production meeting with Nils Timm, the director of the video for "Spontaneity" as we are working together again on a new visual piece for Alphanaut. This time we'll be working on a video for "The Innocence of Time" which will partly feature a younger version of me played by my nephew Austyn.

Austyn is a quite a talented young musician himself who's got some mad keyboard and guitar skills. You can check him out on Myspace or ReverbNation under the moniker DJ Switch. He's combining classical music and high energy dance music into something truly unique.

Take a moment to check him out:
http://www.myspace.com/djswitcham
http://www.reverbnation.com/djswitcham

Radio Play in Canada for Alphanaut on CKDU 88.1 FM

Just got word that college station CKDU 88.1 FM in Canada picked up "Out of Orbit" for radio play on April 8th, 2010. Any Alphanaut fans in the Halifax, Nova Scotia area, be sure to give a shout in support to the station.

Thanks to the programmers for believing in the album!

Mark

"Timid Creature" - Evolution of a Song

So I wanted to publish a little back story for each tune on the "Out of Orbit" album, providing the 'inside scoop' if you will, on song histories, lyrical meaning, inspiration, etc. Figured if anyone out there is wondering what the hell these songs are about, it's best to hear it straight from the source. I'll be going in sequence as the songs appear on the album, so today's post is for "Timid Creature".

"Timid Creature" is possibly the eldest song in the Alphanaut catalog, and it certainly is the case on "Out of Orbit". The only other tune that has the same archival depth is "The Best Hasn't Happened Yet" from "The Lunar Age" EP, which was written around the same time. Don't remember which came first at this point. I wrote "Timid Creature" at the end of a painful breakup. The intensity of it all, amplified by youth, caused me to shield myself for a while. The usual defenses system we all go through for protection after such intense split.

As I was writing new material in late 2007 I figured I'd revisit some of my older works, primarily as an excersize to get the creative juices flowing. However, I was also curious to see if there was anything new to rediscover in these songs. "Timid Creature" is one of the few where I directly lifted an element from the original song and carried it over to build the new adaptation around. In this case the base line.

I was fortunate enough to unearth several old cassettes featuring earlier renditions of "Timid Creature". Below are five different versions of the song presented it from it's infancy to it's final state.

v 5.0 - Final Found on "Out of Orbit"
The final version of the song wound up being what I referred to as 'The Monster' when it came time to mixing the album. It was so ambitious in it's scope, that I felt very overwhelmed at times when trying to pull it all together. The song passes back and forth between so many live and sequenced elements during it's five and a half minute journey, that it demanded we attended to it nearly every mix session. The challenges involved; pulsating sequenced rhythms to be matched with real drums, synth bass on the verses changing over to live bass on the chorus, keyboard atmospheres galore, Chavo's guitars, plus my wall of vocals passes, each with their own individual effects. Ultimately, in the end I'm pleased with the result, but NEVER, NEVER, NEVER AGAIN!




v 4.0 - Album Demo of "Timid Creature"
This version represents all my original sequenced parts that were presented to the band for guitar, bass, drums, etc. The vocals were all done in my upstairs bathroom which I converted into a vocal booth for about three months. Other than the obvious alteration of live elements, the biggest thing I changed before the final mix was the sequenced vibraphone part. I felt it was to melodic once Chavo placed his guitars in the mix, so I changed the sound to more of a driving pulse. Also thinned my effects out the break for his guitar solo.




v 3.0 - Earlier Studio Demo
This version is from a project I created with my good friend Greg who played viola and sang backing vocals. We took four songs into the studio recording on 16 tracks with my trusty Mac running what I sequenced at home. We worked under the name "What Noise" which was inspired by one of my favorite 80's bands "Kissing the Pink", though this project never went beyond our demo. I decided to drop the lyrics in the break for the Alphanaut version "Sometimes you're a villan / sometimes your no more / sometimes you're a virgin / sometimes your a whore / sometimes I love you / Sometimes I hate you / but I just can't seem to like you any more". Just wasn't that angry about it these days.




v 2.0 - Early 4 Track Home Recording
This is a slight alteration to what wound up in the studio and was recorded in my living room several months earlier. The main difference here is my friend Janet is on guitar, bass and backing vocal with Greg again on viola. The three of us had been talking about starting a band together but ultimately the timing didn't work for Janet. However a year later Janet and I connected again and formed our band "November".




v 1.0 - First Instrumental Sketch
Here is a short instrumental sketch with me playing around with the song. Very humble beginnings.





"Timid Creature" Lyrics

I want to stay here
Where the silence grows
Where the fires never burn
Where the silence grows

I want to stay here
Where innocence is king
To be removed from everything
Where the silence grows

And when my number
Is called I’ll remember
To write it all down, to write it all down

And when my number
Is called I’ll remember
To throw down my guard
Not to take it so hard

I want to stay here
Behind my fence of stone and wire
In the safety of my room
And watch the timid creature run into the fire

I want to stay here
And while away the thieves
From the shadow that love deceives
Where the silence grows

I want to stay here
Timid creature that I am
Dried from the waters that I swam
Timid creature that I am

And when….

Love can be an energy
Or love can be an enemy
Love is the end of every storm
Love is the end of every storm

Purchase a copy of "Timid Creature" from iTunes

New Alphanaut Wallpapers To Download Free

There are 9 new Alphanaut wallpapers that have been created and available for free download to fans at www.planetalphanaut.com

Included are images representing the "Out of Orbit" album, "Never Been To Athens" single and "The Lunar Age" EP.

Alphanaut fans can visit http://www.planetalphanaut.com/fanbase/wallpapers.php to download your free copies of the images available in 4 different screen sizes.

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari

Just searching around Youtube for clips of some of the films I mentioned in my previous post on the visual universe of Alphanaut. I found a trailer for a restored version of "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari" which has been colorized accompanied by the music from "In the Hall of the Mountain King". I love the set pieces with their forced use of perspective and skewed angles.

Again, this movie doesn't directly relate to the art direction I was going for with "Out of Orbit". Just thought it would be cool to share.



I also ran across a trailer for a modernized retelling of the Caligari directed by David Lee Fisher. The 2005 movie incorporates scenes voiced by current actors and shot against green screen which are then composited into the original footage. I vaguely remember hearing about this project years ago though I don't no if it ever made it to the theaters here in Los Angeles.



I put this version in my Netflix que and I'll have to see how the experiment worked.

The End Is Near!

From Desktop To Studio - The Process of Recording "Out of Orbit"

My humble studio at home - controller keyboard and my Mac.

This post may have limited appeal, but I figured there might be other digital composers who'd be curious about my song writing process.

Nearly every tune I wrote for "Out of Orbit" started it's life in a program called Reason by Propellerheads. For me it's a perfect place to start because of the incredible flexibility of their sound modules, and the ease of use for those who want to reprogram and create your own sonic palate. Just before entering the studio last year I upgraded to Reason 4 which includes the amazing "Thor" module. Once I heard this baby, and all it could do, I reexamined all the songs and set out to craft a whole new group of sounds inside this unit.

Screencap of Reason 4 modules used on "Timid Creature"

Once I've gotten my song structure together and I'm happy with what developed in Reason, I then export each track as separate audio files. I'll also export a midi file then take everything into Logic Pro 8. In Logic I import each wave file to their own track, also bringing in the midi data so I can further experiment with the parts to see if the program might have something unexpected to offer. For me, I find that Logic is great for some types of sounds but not others. By the time I've reworked each song, about a third of what I created in Reason gets stripped away and replaced. I then head into my humble home vocal booth (ie. the upstairs bathroom), and lay down my scratch lead and backing tracks for studio reference.

One song on the album was an exception to this process. "Satellites Crashing" actually developed completely in Logic after I discovered the Sculpture module inside the program. I'm really intrigued by what can be crafted with this device and am experimenting with it more for the next album.

Screencap of Logic Pro 8 for "Timid Creature"

After all my editing is done I pass the tunes on to my engineer Ted Scarlett who imports everything to Pro Tools. He then has the task of setting up some preliminary EQs and FX before we head to the studio.

Screencap of Pro Tools session for "Timid Creature"

To get that wide vintage sound I wanted for "Out of Orbit" Ted and I tried to record as much analog data as we could through the mixing board at Stagg Street Studios. All the drums, bass, half the guitars, vocals and all the other instruments, got sweetened by the studio's outboard gear before heading into Pro Tools.

API Board at Stagg Street

Once everything was recorded we spend a couple months editing and then headed to Farias Studios for our mix session. Their Neve VR-60 board was the best one near me that was also in my budget. Both the studio's Neve and Manley Vari-Mu gave us the right combination of bigness and punch that I was looking for.

Neve Board at Farias

20 Songs That Insipred "Out of Orbit"

Thought I'd give some insight to the songs that directly inspired me when recording the "Out of Orbit" album.

Ultimately, there is an endless list of tunes that has captivated me over the years. My tastes are pretty eclectic, and a broad palate of sounds inspire me when creating music. However, when it came time to aim for a sound for "Out of Orbit" I knew I wanted it to have a certain vintage quality with a large scope. The drive as for this album to have as much in common with current electronica as it did with my art-rock heroes from the late 70's eary 80's.

I just created a playlist on Myspace that I was hoping to embed here on the Alphanaut Blog. Unfortunately Myspace doesn't offer an embed feature in their share options, so if you want to have a listen to what you compiled you'll have to click the link and listen on their system.
http://www.myspace.com/planetalphanaut/playlists/out-of-orbit-sonic-inpirations-1106891

Here's a list of songs I've included:

1. "Same Old Scene" - Roxy Music
2. "Spirits Drifting" - Brian Eno
3. "The True Wheel" - Brian Eno
4. "Bang Bang" - Iggy Pop
5. "Let Me Go" - Heaven 17
6. "Marianne" - The Human League"
7. "Heartbeat" - Ryuichi Sakamoto with David Sylvian
8. "Doot Doot" - Freur
9. "Ankle Injuries" - Fujiya & Miyagi
10. "Never Be Mine" - Kate Bush
11. "From the Air" - Laurie Anderson
12. "I Don't Remember" - Peter Gabriel
13. "Whenever There Is You" - Koop
14. "Gorecki" - Lamb
15. "It's Getting Late In the Evening" - Talk Talk
16. "Tomorrow Started" - Talk Talk
17. "Radio Waves" - Orchestral Maneuvers in the Dark
18. "Underwater Boys" - Shriekback
19. "The Paris Match" - Style Council
20. "Wild Is the Wind" - Nina Simone

Have a listen and enjoy the tunes.

"Six Degrees" of American Idol

Okay, so this blog post is just lateral (and very shameless) self promotion, and a bit of (probably needless) info for the Alphanaut trivia files. So we how to Alphanaut and tonight's episode of American Idol connect in the concept of 'Six Degrees"? Well, I co-own a company called LA Outback that imports didgeridoos from Australia for resale into the US. DIDG-ER-I-WHAT? The didgeridoo, for those not in the know, is a musical instrument native to the Australian Aborigines.

The music director for American Idol came by and purchased two didgeridoos last week for tonight's show. We didn't know which contestant was going to get the didge as part of their back up music and were stoked when we found out that it was Crystal Bowersox.

I'd be remiss to not include a link to our site for those inspired to take up the didge. It's really not as tough as you might think. Visit us at www.laoutback.com

Go Crystal!

Design Inspiration For Alphanaut From Vintage Science Fiction

I wanted to further expand on the topic of the Sci-Fi imagery that inspired the current look of the Alphanaut universe.

Set piece from Fritz Lang's "Metropolis"

I've always been a big fan of vintage Film Noir and Expressionist Cinema with their low key black and white visual styles. Two silent films by Fritz Lang, "Metropolis" and "M", made a huge impact on me when I first saw them. These movies are always in the back of my mind when thinking about Alphanaut's art direction, especially "Metropolis" with it's message about social class divisions. Also really love Robert Wiene's "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari" for it's truly bizzarre sets, even though this movie doesn't directly apply to the inspiration for Alphanaut.

A scene from the game "Gadget"

In the mid 90's I played a computer game called "Gadget", and even though it wasn't much of a game per se, I was captivated by the surreal landscape created by Japanese computer artist Haruhiko Shono. Aside from the game, there was a visual novel "Inside Out with Gadget" and DVD called "Gadget Trips: Mindscapes" which when combined, revealed the entire story of the universe created by Haruhiko. I pursued and purchased all three, absorbing the material, but still felt ultimately 'left out' of the big picture. But it didn't really matter. I mostly was just inspiration by the unique world which combined art deco elements in it's futurist vision.

Digital sets by Haruhiko Shono for the movie "Casshern"

Years later I rented a movie called "Casshern" and a quarter of the way through I was like "This reminds me of Gadget". I got up and and quickly dug through IMDB and discovered there was a reason. Haruhiko oversaw the concept design and computer graphic of the film giving it his unique style. Ultimately the film doesn't quite reach the goal of it's ambitions, but it's incredible to watch and worth a rent if you love the genre.

Fuller's Montreal Biosphère from the 1967 World's Fair

Lastly, I certainly would have to credit Buckminster Fuller for his unique futurist architecture which was truly revolutionary and ahead of it's time.

Fuller's Dymaxion Gouse from the 1967 World's Fair

"Never Been To Athens" Review, from Griffon Spire Magazine

The first single from "Out of Orbit", “Never Been to Athens” is a figurehead for the whole CD. This is a song that will stimulate body to move in the clubs but the melody will linger for days after. The EP-Single has two additional versions of “Athens” as well as the album version. The “Planet Nibiru Remix" was remixed by Mark Alan, which sounds like he traveled to rain forest recorded the environment to splice into a minimalist interpretation of the song. It works to cool effect. The “It's Gonna Crash Remix" was remixed by co-producer Ted Scarlett and aims directly at the dance floor with a retro house vibe. The “B” Side of the single, “AL 424-15” is one of the best flip sides I've heard in a while. Spoiling it for you would be unjust, but let me say the theme is post-apocalyptic and a very strange tale indeed. It's a pity the tune is not on the album, but that is why I love CD singles.

Purchase "Never Been To Athens" on iTunes, Amazon and other digital retailers.

Salvatore L Frascone
- Griffon Spire Magazine

Radio Play For "Never Been To Athens" on KAFM 88.1 in Grand Junction, CO

Ever compulsively Google yourself? Come on, I know some of you have done it. It's a dirty little habit I know, but so hard to resist.

As a result of my current compulsion to to check up on Alphanaut, I've run across the programming list for KAFM Radio in Grand Junction, CO. On it I was thrilled to discover "Never Been To Athens" is getting some airplay there. it would be great if any fans in the area could give a shout out to the station in support.

Thanks!

Mark

The Brother's Quay and the Seed of Inspiration

I thought I'd share this clip of the Brother's Quay called "Street of Crocodiles" mainly because of what these two have always inspired in me. Stephen and Timothy Quay are identical twins originally from Pennsylvania, but moved to England to study and create their stop motion films. I caught this piece at an animation festival back in the mid 80's and was hypnotized from the first frame. Never had I seen anything like it at the time and those images stuck in my mind for years. I was lucky enough to find their work on DVD several years ago, and highly recommend you grab a copy if it's still to be had. There are some amazing pieces included on the disc.



Unfortunately this is just a small segment and I believe the complete work runs around 12 minutes. However, it does give you a nice taste of their genius and you can see where Tim Burton and others got their inspiration.

The Visual Universe of Alphanaut

I've been asked how I chose the current visuals to represent the Alphanaut universe. Why venture so far back in time when a more obvious choice may have been to tap into 70's sci-fi kitsch. Initially, I did envision very stark art direction, say in the tone of the film "THX 1138" with a very minimal and suppressed color palate. But as the album's sound developed, that visual style just didn't seem appropriate. Having already hinted at a 'pseudo Jules Verne' vibe with "The Lunar Age", I thought why not continue in that direction, expanding the concept further.

Ultimately what I decided to invoke was that period in time before man rocketed off the planet, before the 50's vision of a sanitized future when our concepts for what might were still naiev. I couldn't be too steam punk or early Buck Rogers either. I knew the most obvious person to help me pull this off was Jimmy Ahlander, the visionary artist behind the "Never Been To Athens" video.

Jimmy and I first tackled concepts for the main album cover and three potential singles. At the same time I had been lucky enough to find Andrew Fogel, a local prop maker, while searching around Craigslist. Andrew specializes in vintage sci-fi props from the era we were aiming to emulate, and had some great gear. For the singles we decided to make the props our main subjects, including a dented bucket helmet, jetpack, welding goggles and a pair of little aluminum robots I own. For the day of the shoot Nils Timm, the director of the "Spontaneity" video, Jimmy and me went on location in the hills above Malibu.

The concept for the "Out of Orbit" cover originally was to be set in the desert. Jimmy had drawn a massive letter 'A' floating ominously in the sky with a huge shadow cast on a lone figure standing small in the distance. Simply due to the lack of time with my printing deadline, we were forced to shoot at our existing location.

To say that particular December day was cold would be an understatement. We had just had a massive storm front pass through the days prior and we were lucky to have even a hint of sun. The early evening temps dropped into the mid 40's in the hills and none of us really prepared for extreme weather. My "THX 1138" concept did carry over for the album cover with my wardrobe which was nothing more than yoga pants, a flimsy shirt and my cap. I insisted on being barefoot for the photos to give a sense of vulnerability, and my feet were nearly numb after standing on that rock for an hour. The crazy thing is all that suffering was for not as you really can't tell I'm barefoot on the cover.

With the Alphanaut website www.planetalphanaut.com , we decided to make our robot couple, (I call then Ru-B and Clank) the main subjects. Jimmy and I came up with the idea of creating images that would represent a scrapbook of the duo taken after crash landing on our version of 1940's Earth. Each page on the site depicts a key moment in their confusing journey.

Thanks again to Jimmy and Nils, I really owe a lot to you guys for helping me solidify my vision for Alphanaut.