Well, I received a wonderful surprise last week! A new album by a new band formed by some of my favorite Seattle artists! The band is Everything Oscillating, and it is made up of veteran musicians from the Seattle band, Moon Letters. They are: guitarist, Dave Webb and bassist and vocalist, Mike Murphy. They describe their music as: “A unique blend of through-composed instrumental sorcery, melodies worth humming, and some improvisational magic”.
Their debut album, is a take on probably their favorite book, On the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are, by the famous author, Alan Watts. His book was released in 1966, and it continues to influence generations of readers.
Everything Oscillating, will be releasing their debut, The Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are, on January 11, 2024. The band is made up of members: Dave Webb, on guitars; Mike Murphy, on bass and keys; and Kai Strandskov, on drums and percussion.
This must have been a fun album to make. It is light and airy and a wonderful 7 track journey to a wide open sea of music. So, set sail, and let the journey begin!
“Ensorcelled Again!”, Opens like an Alex Lifeson guitar exercise. It absolutely does have a little Rush character in it, for sure. At times feeling like something off Signals, or some of their later material, with those high 2112, guitar sequences thrown in for good measure. If you like Rush guitar music, I think you’ll enjoy this over 4 minute piece.
“Future Dance II”, is a song of a different character, indeed. One question I have to ask is where is “Future Dance I”? Maybe, this is a continuation of that Rush theme, from the last song. Or a Saga theme. They loved to intersperse tracks with Roman numbers out of order, in order to make fans want to get the next album to see where the path leads. This almost two – minute soundscape of intriguing bass and blistering electric lead guitar will not let you rest for a moment. And that is a good thing.
“Medusa Complex”, envisions the dangerous lady with the deathly eyes, and what she may have sounded like if she was a song. Very stop and go, with just enough rhythm to keep you connected. Excellent lead electric and bass chords, mixed well with hammering drums. Oscillating for sure. Kinetic, electric energy that will keep you wondering which way they…or she…will go next. Watch out!
“Imagination/Mysterious Traveler’ is a more traditional progressive rock track, at standard length for prog, just over 7 minutes. The pace is slowed down with deeper bass and slower lead electric guitar pondering. The track progresses towards a similar sound to Liquid Tension Experiment. An opportunity without lyrics and a true concept or genre to let the axes and drum sticks fly and fall where they may. As a bonus, Weather Report’s “Mysterious Traveler”, brought forward, to the present. Thank you.
“Does Anybody Remember Laughter?”, is easily my favorite song, for many reasons. Not the least of which is that Led Zeppelin and Genesis are tied as my favorite bands, besides the Beatles; for all time. But no, it is much more than that. Every time that I listen to the studio version of “Stairway to Heaven”, I sing the lines, “Does anybody remember laughter”, (because it is not there, on the studio version). It is only on the Song Remains the Same, live from the Madison Square Garden show. And I did sing it, just last week, again, while listening to the vinyl studio album! So this was a wonderful surprise indeed to see. However, that is where the twist turns. This song has nothing to do with Stairway. In fact, it is the first 3:47, of the Presence album’s epic track, “Achilles Last Stand”. What a cool bait and switch. Thank you for this. “Achilles Last Stand”, actually sounds better without lyrics…Don’t tell Robert…ha, ha, ha. Though Jimmy Page would love this version…
“Fright Cycle”, is just that. A twisting turning repeating cycles of electric lead guitar, bass, and drums. Motion in constant rotation, even when the pace slows. Later, there are some very dreamy rhythms and melodies, before the pace quickens and cycles through again.
“The Taboo Against Knowing Who You Really Are”, is the title and longest song on the album, at over 12 minutes. One wonders what Alan Watts might think of this one. The mysterious percussion and Eastern sounds at the opening set a deep, thought, and conscious scenery for what will proceed from here. An almost sitar – like sound is heard on bass and lead guitar, further enchanting the opening. Like a drift through Rush’s “La Villa Strangiato”; if you have ever been lucky enough to hear that epic masterpiece. Not at all a copy, but maybe more of a homage to that epic song. The deep bass and electric guitar chords are full and thought-provoking. The rhythm is slow and contemplative. A wonderful journey for your thoughts and dreams. Just as Watts would have wanted it. Time to collect together time and space and make decisions on the future. The keyboard sounds are wonderful, along with the percussion and drumming. Taking me back to some cool psychedelic music of my early adolescence.
Everything Oscillating – The Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are, reminds me a little of Liquid Tension Experiment. An opportunity for master instrumentalists to get out from behind a genre and just have fun creating sounds and music without barriers. Experimenting with kinetic energy and oscillation. Playing music for the love of creating sounds that normally don’t fit perfectly in a neat progressive rock album. No lyrics or concept necessary. Just having fun with guitar, bass, keys, and drums. Yes, I’m sure these guys had fun creating this wonderful instrumental music. Now it is your turn. Get off the couch and get this. Listen to something different, without a concept or cosmic progressive masterplan. If that sounds like something you need right now. Go get it already!
Album Track List:
1.Ensorcelled Again! – 4:10
2. Future Dance II – 1:55
3. Medusa Complex – 3:16
4. Imagination/Mysterious Traveler – 7:10
5. Does Anybody Remember Laughter? – 3:47
6. Fright Cycle – 5:55
7. The Taboo Against Knowing Who You Really Are – 12:02
With the pre-order of: The Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are, you get 1 track now, (streaming via the free Bandcamp app and also available as a high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more), plus the complete album the moment it’s released.
The Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are was produced by Everything Oscillating. The album was mixed by Robert Cheek at Ex Ex Audio in Fremont, WA. The album was mastered by Eric Broyhill. Photography by Susan Ware @susanwhere.
Band logo by Blackupheaval. Altar realization by Angela Amos. Art Concept and layout by Dave Webb.
Special Thanks to Angie, Susan, Catey, Robert Cheek, Moon Bros, Cryptic Crew, A-Lux, Contraband Universe, Maxx Shredroom, D-Men, Javier, Shon Clark, The Blue Moon, Floyd Rose, and YOU!
All songs written and performed by Everything Oscillating with a couple exceptions: “Mysterious Traveler” was written by Weather Report. “Does Anybody Remember Laughter?” was written by Led Zeppelin.
Band Website and Social Media Links:
https://everythingoscillating.bandcamp.com/album/the-taboo-against-knowing-who-you-are
https://www.facebook.com/MoonLettersBand/
YouTube and Music Video Links: