Days Between Stations – Perpetual Motion Machines (self-release, 2024)
Days Between Stations’ fourth album, Perpetual Motion Machines (Music for a Film), is a compelling fusion of music and visual art, initially conceived as a score for a documentary about artist Jean-Paul Bourdier. Founding members keyboardist Oscar Fuentes Bills and guitarist Sepand Samzadeh began the project in the mid-2010s, inspired by Bourdier’s colorful imagery. As the documentary’s scope shifted, the duo reimagined their compositions as a standalone album, preserving the cinematic essence.
“We scored the music to pictures and existing films,” Samzadeh explains. “Jean-Paul’s artwork was our muse.” The result is an album that bridges auditory and visual storytelling.
If you’re already acquainted with the exceptional progressive rock style of Days Between Stations, prepare to shift your expectations. This album ventures into an entirely different type of sound, leaning more into the realm of cinematic storytelling than traditional prog-rock. It feels less like an album meant for the stage and more like a meticulously crafted score, perfectly suited to accompany a film or audiovisual work.
The opening track, with its carnival-esque, accordion-driven melody, instantly evokes a French arthouse film. From there, the album unfolds like a kaleidoscope of styles, weaving together accessible, melody-rich electronic arrangements with trip-hop beats. Symphonic vignettes glide seamlessly into introspective piano interludes, while minimalist passages create moments of quiet reflection. And just when you think you’ve mapped the terrain, a pop-rock song with a Floydian guitar and vocal edge emerges, adding yet another layer of accessibility.
The album features two music videos, each highlighting different facets of the band.
“Seeds”: Released in September 2024, presents Bourdier painting models, visually mirroring the album’s themes.
“Being” features Pink Floyd vocalist Durga McBroom. The song explores existence and draws from Bourdier’s poetic philosophy. Initially unfinished, Fuentes expanded it with a melody that invited introspective lyrics.
Formed in Los Angeles in 2003, Days Between Stations takes its name from Steve Erickson’s novel. The duo gained early momentum when Bruce Soord of The Pineapple Thief incorporated their musical experiments into his track “Saturday” from 12 Stories Down. Their self-titled debut album arrived in 2007, followed by In Extremis in 2012, produced by Yes’ Billy Sherwood. Their 2020 release, Giants, featured McBroom on “Witness the End of the World.”
The band has a long-standing connection to film. Their song “Radio Song” (2006) was featured in the indie film Young, Single & Angry and more recently in Paul & Trisha: The Art of Fluidity (2023). They also scored the short film Y Recibir Tu Aliento (2017), further cementing their reputation as storytellers through sound.