Imaginary albums was one of the topics for many years in the blog before the re-start early 2022. It was based on the "Debut album game" that was making its rounds around bulletin boards and blogs over ten years ago. The idea was to create an album cover for a fictional band (anything that came up in the random Wikipage generator) with a fictional title (the last four words of the very last quote of the page generated at the Random quotations site) and a cover image found by searching for a random Flickr Explore photograph. I have been trying to find out who had the original idea, but so far no success.
I made a few changes to this procedure: I opted to take any four words (although preferably the final ones) of a random quotation to give me the album title. Moreover, also because of copyright constraints, I decided to choose suitable images from my own Flickr streams for the cover. Finally, to spice things up a bit, I added a fictional review for these fictional albums.
I have decided to post all of the album covers I made this way since 2009 (and maybe add new ones later) in groups of twelve in chronological order. Here is the first batch (the image above is made via Photofunia).
The Soul Of Pleasure by Party For Dignified Life
When communism ruled in Czechoslovakia, rock groups were forced to please the party with their albums - or face obstruction - or worse. One of the more artistically successful bands of that time was Skupina pro Dustojny Zivot, a quintet from Presov, who have now reformed under the translated English name Party for Dignified Life, aiming at an international career. They have re-recorded their greatest Czech hits of the eighties in English versions, and although some couleur locale is lost this way, the results are still very interesting. Their sound is perhaps best characterized as new wave with plenty of synthesizers, rocking guitars and a drum machine that sounds terribly dated, but in a cute way. The songs deal with typical themes of the life in communist times, and one cannot help but feel that there is more than a bit of tongue-in-cheek in these reissued versions. An interesting addition to any collection, if not essential.
Quote by Aphra Behn: Variety is the soul of pleasure.
And God Granted It by Acaponeta
The Mexican band Acaponeta is not well known yet outside their own country, but with this release (their third album) things may change for them. Inspired by the likes of Camel and Caravan, this is modern progressive rock of high quality. The instrumental passages show very accomplished playing, whilst the addition of native American flutes and Mexican percussion creates a suitable exotic ambiance. The singing is adequate even though the voice of lead singer Jose Alvares requires some getting used to, and personally I would have preferred the lyrics to be in Spanish. The title song is a fascinating almost over the top religious anthem, with a church choir and a majestic organ reminiscent of Rick Wakeman. The highlight of the album though is the seven part suite Quetzacoatl - 22 minutes of sumptuous prog rock with all the changes in moods that such a lengthy composition requires. Highly recommended.
Quote by Voltaire: I have never made but one prayer to God, a very short one: 'O Lord, make my enemies ridiculous.' And God granted it.
Inward Peace And Harmony by Corubal River
You can't judge a book by its cover? Well, for some albums that saying simply does not hold true. The title already evokes new age visions of the sappy kind, and the cute cover only strengthens the feeling. And indeed, as soon as the first harp sounds and pan flutes arpeggios ooze from the speakers, you know: this is the typical commercial new age drivel. For good new age, seek out the likes of George Winston, Tingstadt and Rumbel or Jim Brickman. At all cost, avoid Corubal River.
Quote by Seneca: Let tears flow of their own accord: their flowing is not inconsistent with inward peace and harmony.
The Mathematics Of Probability by Tropidor
Belgium is not exactly famous for its rock bands, but Tropidor, a five man ensemble from Beerschot, might just change that. Their basic sound is very much based on seventies' classical rock, but unlike say Wolfmother, they manage to go beyond a mere copying of that style - by injecting a healthy dose of fun into their lyrics as well as suitable sound effects. The song Humpty Dumpty, which inspired the album cover, is a case in point. Most of the time a straightforward rock song with strong guitar and drums play, but with the unusual story line of the fate of Lewis Carrol's personified egg - and culminating in a dramatic splash sound effect once Humpty hits the floor. Check these guys out on their MySpace page - recommended.
Quote by Vannevar Bush: If scientific reasoning were limited to the logical processes of arithmetic, we should not get very far in our understanding of the physical world. One might as well attempt to grasp the game of poker entirely by the use of the mathematics of probability.
Ready For The Successes by Covariate
The Milan based band Covariate may have failed spectacularly to qualify for the finals of this year's Eurovision contest, their first album shows little humility in the title. Ready for the successes, indeed. And all skepticism inside, why not? Their euro-pop sound combines catchy melodies with fiery dance rhythms, and singer Giovanni Trentino shows off his remarkable range, evidence for his operatic training. Better than you would expect - give it a spin.
Quote by Randy K. Milholland: We all have a few failures under our belt. It's what makes us ready for the successes.
Chaos Is An Impossibility by Raka Maomao They
are advertised as the next big thing in post-rock, but if you expect
sounds like Godspeed You Black Emperor, Explosions in the sky or even
Sigur Ros - you will be surprised. New Zealand's Raka Maomao play a far
more subtle brand of minimal music, perhaps best compared to the later
albums of Talk Talk. Only five compositions on the album, but each
lasting 10 minutes or more. It says a lot for their musicianship that
they never outstay their welcome though. A candidate for my top 10 of
the year.
Quote by Madeleine L'Engle: A life lived in chaos is an impossibility...
For Mentally Disturbed Teachers by Albinus Retro-rock is in, and Atlanta's Albinus jump on this with their debut album, For mentally disturbed teachers. Skeptics may point to a 35 minutes total playing time, but personally I
prefer this over including fillers. Twelve hard hitting songs, soaring
guitars, manic drums, and a Hammond organ that must have taken some time
to dust off. The lyrics are simple but that is fitting with their
style. The album's closer, and their first single, is an intriguing
cover of the Alice Cooper classic School's out. Give them a spin.
Quote by Woody Allen: My education was dismal. I went to a series of schools for mentally disturbed teachers.
The Hell She Is by Hao HaidongWhen
searching for new singer/song writers in the style of say Jeff Buckley,
Shanghai would not be the first place to go to, you'd expect. Wrong.
One of Shanghai's most popular singers, 26 years old Hao Haidong, has
released a first album in the English language after three million sellers in the local Shanghainese tongue and one in mandarin. His
English diction is surprisingly good, and the translation of his texts
to English expertly done. The hell she is contains 15 songs on
the theme of relationships, for better or for worse. Instrumentation is
sparse, mainly his own guitar play and drums, with the occasional erhu
sounds thrown in to remind us in which part of the world we are. Highly
recommended.
Quote by Ellen DeGeneres: My grandmother started walking five miles a day when she was sixty. She's ninety-seven now, and we don't know where the hell she is.
Full And Clear Light by Nuiqsut This
goes to show that there is more to Alaska than Sarah Palin. The four
member band Nuiqsut play sophisticated New Age style music without
succumbing to commercialism. Their songs are highly melodious and very
effective. Their third album Full and clear light has sold over a hundred thousand copies in their home state alone, and should put them on the world map for sure.
Quote by Isaac Newton: I keep the subject of my inquiry constantly before me, and wait till the first dawning opens gradually, by little and little, into a full and clear light.
Some Good Some Bad by Oberuckersee Obscure
but fascinating Krautrock. Oberuckersee were a five man band from
Dortmund, who recorded four albums in the years 1972-1977. Although they
hardly made the radio waves - except for a 1974 single Spritzer that
made no impact on the charts - they had a loyal fan base and their
concerts were always sold out. Not surprisingly, the record company could
not be bothered to transfer their albums on CD, but the four surviving
band members have persuaded them to go for a one disc compilation, endearingly titled Some good, some bad. A must hear compilation if you like this style of music.
Quote by Henry Bromel: We all carry around so much pain in our hearts. Love and pain and beauty. They all seem to go together like one little tidy confusing package. It's a messy business, life. It's hard to figure--full of surprises. Some good. Some bad.
Blow Up The Planet by Rose Theatre The
debut album by Nanjing's Rose Theatre is one of the weirdest albums I
have heard in years. In the press release, the band state that they were
heavily influenced by prog metal pioneers Dream Theatre, which is even
reflected in the band's name. And yes, there are compositions lasting
over 10 minutes on this album, with the expected metal riffs - but these
riffs are interspersed with traditional Chinese instruments played in
new age style, most notably the erhu played exceptionally well by their
bass player Zhao Ling Hong. The overall effect is confusing to our
Western ears, but apparently they are making quite an impact in China.
Weird.
Quote by Nancy White: If we can connect in some tiny way with a human that doesn't agree with us, then maybe we won't blow up the planet.
In The Wrong Building by Legend of the White CowlThere is something disturbing about this first release by Alabama's
folk rock band Legend of the White Cowl, not in the least because
several American white supremacist splinter groups have embraced their
music as anthems for their cause. The band's name, actually derived from
a Russian orthodox story, obviously triggered such reactions in the
first place, but even in their music there are ominous references. This
is particularly evident in the two instrumentals, which are called
"Noose" and "Coon", but also in a song like "Crossing the burning line".
Lead singer and main lyricist Joe White (no kidding) has so far
vehemently denied these associations, but it does make you wonder. These
objections aside, this is solid country rock with a strong folk
element, and well worth giving a spin.
Quote by Charles M. Schulz: I know the answer! The answer lies within the heart of all mankind! The answer is twelve? I think I'm in the wrong building.
Copyright statement: all imaginary album covers are based on my own photographs. Copyright Hennie Schaper.
