A couple of weeks ago, I gave everyone a snippet of what I think about alka's new album "a dog lost in the woods."
Now I'm going to expound upon that a bit more.
First, if you want to get a written taste of his music, you can read my previous post found here.
Second, here comes the meat of my take on the new album.
Why did I send you to a link of a previous posting of alka? Here's an answer - he's taken his original sound and improved upon it. I'm sending you back in time to understand where I am and where he is coming from.
I'm not talking about taking his old sound and just changing the "words" (see Cake), but he's taking his basic premise and launching it into the future.
The prime analogy I could come up with to describe the next album is like saying "principles of suffocation" is to MacOS Leopard, as "a dog lost in the woods" is to MacOS Snow Leopard.
He's going from interplanetary travel to intergalactic... That maybe hyperbole - but as I said before: he's launching himself into the future.
The reflective tunes and melodies are still there. "when you abandon your youth" and "what will become of your high existence?" take ideas which are both audibly and visually ingested; allowing the music to help your mind do the rest. "when you abandon your youth" is a surprisingly upbeat song (I say this because when you originally think of such a concept it can bring a foreboding spirit. On the converse, if you are ready and it's time for you to go - this time period can be a reprieve from the tensions of your youth) which plays into the alka thesis. (see my three theories on what his music can bring to you emotionally). "what will become of your high existence?" is at a slower, philosophical pace with heavier/darker keyboards that take you from your past and encourage you to step into the future.
"blueberry" and "collocation" are along the lines of "when you abandon your youth." Both buoyantly reflective (yes, I know - repetition. In this case it is necessary) of times in the past where you taste your favorite pie/ice cream/desert, or when you're with a good friend "fishing" for minnows in a ditch.
The notes, beats and memories make the music come alive.
When you come to "i am a wreck" you'll notice the jittery notes and atmospheric backgrounds mesh recreating that nervousness of meeting someone, a new boss, your significant other's parents for the first time, your newborn child (I can only imagine right now), knowing life will not be the same again (in a good way).
Then the synthesized voices capture your attention in "separate" before you head into the mind trip of "immolate." In a previous post I wrote about how you can actually feel the music (physically), but the beauty of the keys mixing with the effects move over you in this fantastic voyage through the album.
Next up are mirror image songs, "solip" and "alpha pilos." Names and times of the songs, and even sounds are rearranged (maybe it's just me) to make you press previous and next on your iPod or CD player just to make sure you hear the differences/similarities in the timeline.
"israel" has a wonderful somber tone which keeps the thesis growing/going and the end of the album is aptly finished with what I would describe as an astronaut looking down at the earth. "sky, face down" sights in the wonders helping you hope for more great sounds from the keeper of emotional electronica: alka.
Update (12 June 2009): I edited the post to sound better.
"Under"