"I’m not a bad kid / Just toeing the line / We stand in circles / To pass the time..."
I first heard "Final Night At The Duplex" by The Mask Of The Phantasm, the new musical moniker of Austin based guitarist and songwriter Omar Ghaznavi, several weeks ago and was quite taken aback. There is such a hard driving sadness and longing in the sonic textures bathed not in post rock shapes or post punk darkness or just jazz rock permutations or experimental extensions or progressive pop ascensions or falls but, instead, something hybrid that is all of those artful expressions together in concert. When I found out that this track exists on Omar's highly tuned band's debut album, "New Axial Age", a collection of music created as a blistering, elegant, cathartic outpouring, exorcism informed by the senseless cold blooded murder of his father during an attempted robbery in Houston, Texas in July of 2011, it turned my stomach inside out. Often times, the music, songs I gravitate towards as a listener and as a sometimes songwriter contain hidden, vague bits of poetry. I think creating art as something surreal or as an expression of many things coalesced or distilled into words and sounds that no one has to know or realize what the resulting art is based on is easier for the artist to deal with. Secrets to hold as opposed to spilling your guts out for all to see. I commend Omar for taking such a horrible happening and making something devastatingly beautiful from it.
In order to create his visions as, The Mask Of The Phantasm, Omar brought together some amazing talent to bridge with his songs and guitar work like vocalist Alexa Joan Rae who possesses a uniquely distinct voice, the phenomenal drumming of Thomas Pridgen (The Mars Volta, Trash Talk, The Memorials), divergent artist Saint Nick on piano / organ and essentially a complete horn section in Adrián Terrazas-González (The Mars Volta, Omar Rodriguez Lopez Group, Big Sir).
Press Notes Context:
[Seizing the opportunity to pour his anger and hurt (“…a form of therapy,” as he says), into conjuring an expression of timeless resonance into existence, Omar has spent half a decade fine -tuning every detail.
“Social media has made everything about quantity versus quality,” he explains. “Bands produce less compelling work compared to twenty or more years ago when it was realistic to make a living selling records. I feel like it’s become a lost art, almost… Everyone’s constantly obsessed with ‘posting’ and not actually creating.”]
The Outro of "Final Night At The Duplex" has words that haunt and comfort at the same time:
I’ll die
Die faster
We’ll reunite again
I’ll die
Die faster
I know
We’ll reunite again
-Robb Donker Curtius
If you like the deep listens on AP- please consider a one time donation:
THE FACTS AS WE KNOW THEM - PRESS NOTES:
https://www.themaskof.com/
https://tmotp.bandcamp.com/
https://open.spotify.com/album/3HJOxfI1xGnrAzg3JjVf8b
The Mask of the Phantasm is the timely moniker adopted by Houston -based guitarist and songwriter, Omar Ghaznavi, who channels the devastation and loss felt in the wake of his father’s cold -blooded murder into a thunderous debut album unlike anything released in the past decade. An explosive, boundary -pushing statement of intent indebted to progressive rock and embellished by the soaring, searing vocals of Alexa Joan Rae, New Axial Age is a work of rare sophistication. Over the course of the past several years, with the help of Grammy -winning collaborators like drummer Thomas Pridgen and horn player Adrian Terrazas -Gonzales, Ghaznavi has slowly crafted an epic, poignant response to an unthinkable tragedy, his father’s meaningless death at the hands of a stranger on July 5, 2011. Seizing the opportunity to pour his anger and hurt (“…a form of therapy,” as he says), into conjuring an expression of timeless resonance into existence, Ghaznavi has spent half a decade fine -tuning every detail. “Social media has made everything about quantity versus quality,” he explains. “Bands produce less compelling work compared to twenty or more years ago when it was realistic to make a living selling records. I feel like it’s become a lost art, almost. It was important for me to take my time and make something I was satisfied with.” Recorded between Texas and L.A., New Axial Age (which also features Nicolas Greer on keys) includes nine tracks of inventive, soulful rock on par with the likes of Coheed and Cambria, The Fall of Troy, and indeed, Pridgen and Terrazas -Gonzales’ former sparring ground, The Mars Volta. Omar Ghaznavi acknowledges the obvious influence of his namesake guitarist in that band, but The Mask of the Phantasm is undeniably even greater than the sum of its parts. New Axial Age is played with extreme conviction, and made all the more convincing through the standout presence of vocalist Alexa Joan Rae, whose performance brings to mind legendary frontwomen like Betty Davis and Patti Smith. The Mask of the Phantasm is a group firing on all cylinders led by Ghaznavi’s unique vision. Their debut album, New Axial Age, is a testament to the enduring power of musicianship, the joy of collaboration, and the unique human ability to find renewal and meaning in tragedy.
The Mask Of The Phantasm, alternative rock, jazz infused rock, post rock, post punk, indie rock, debut album, "New Axial Age", "Final Night At The Duplex", cathartic, therapy, devastating beauty,
No comments:
Post a Comment