Trouble Above

[ Download Now | Released June 2 2009 | Recorded Dec 08 - Jun 09 | 11 Tracks | 32:22 ]

Description

After I finished recording Sorry, Doc. and Lakewater Digits, it became increasingly apparent that my Air Castles partner, Nathan Rich, had put the project on hold in favor of other, higher priority projects. At the time, I was working at a feverish pace with no other musical commitments, and not wanting a third album to suffer a "waiting game" fate, I decided to release the two aforementioned albums as-is, and begin recording more music at my own discretion. As was the case with The Maelstrom EP, though, these tracks are also in the running for the next Air Castles album.

I learned a lot between Maelstrom EP and my 2009 releases, as evidenced by the jump in song quality that I feel is very obvious in the previous two albums. I realized that I now can't stand most of my earlier work - overly repetitive songs often serving no purpose, dragging on several minutes too long. Thus, starting in winter 2008, I began to piece together Trouble Above, with a focus on refining a stronger set of songs than have been on any album in the past, cutting out the weak material and only sticking with the songs that I love with no doubts. I listened to each song dozens of times during the process, meticulously searching for flaws or the right direction to take it - the way my music should have been written all along.

Trouble Above tends to follow a couple themes, notably involving dreams or a dream-like other-worldly state, as well as water and the trouble it can cause. The album title lends itself to both themes, despite being the tentative title early on which I had intended to change. When dreaming, you want to be 'above' it all - your dreams are better than reality. With water, think of an approaching storm, creating problems for people. Some songs, like "Just Statistics", don't follow either theme; I didn't want to force this into being a concept album, just a collection of songs that I think are among my best.

Track Listing

Other Information

Singles
Look Into Our Minds - May 19 2009
Awake - May 26 2009

Songs cut from the album / unfinished demos
Happygoluckyland (Released as a B-side on the "Look Into Our Minds" Single)
Smaller Figment (Released as a B-side on the "Awake" Single)
"Ominous Thing"
Calm Sea, Panicked Sailor
1:17 AM (Where Your Soul Is)
Fool