- Salvolatile (9:41)
- Twilight (8:05)
- Fractured (2:00)
- Meniscus (The Boundary Between) (7:19)
- Cryptomnesia (1:37)
- Nine Days Wonder (14:25)
- Origins (10:24)
- Alternate Ending (1:48)
- Ascend (7:21)
| Salvolatile Lyrics | |
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Life fashions art, plays its part Source of inspiration, innovation Timeless greed plants the seeds Of imitation, replication Same basic song, sing along Craving iteration, over creation Lip synch the rage, dance onstage Gone imagination - duplication... Can't shake the feeling That I've seen this all before Thought I knew But I'm not certain anymore Colors blur and blend As I go racing past While every station Sounds exactly like the last Speed down a highway That appears to have no end Will I see nothing new Around the coming bend? Upon the airwaves Just another startlet made |
One more idol float In the endless pop parade... Dazzle judges, cash crusade Make your album, quickly fade Repeating patterns Stir a haze within my mind The road ahead looks like All I've left behind No comfort radio The drone lulls me to sleep Numb and tranquilized I sit here dreaming deep... Dazzle judges, cash crusade Make your album, quickly fade What's this new I hear? Sweet refrain to my ears Music that inspires Rekindles my desires Memories in brilliant flashes Sifting through the ashes There it was to find... |
| Track Notes |
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During the writing process for [sensoria], the band had decided to do a track based on some of their
observations related to the music industry in the 21st century. The track represented a departure as the band had primarily
focused on more abstract concepts from which to draw their inspiration. The early idea for the track was to focus heavily
on musical constrasts - an attempt to highlight all the permutations possible with rock music. The band especially wanted
'Salvolatile' to have some of their heaviest riffs on the album. The lyrics, however, were handled with kid gloves from the
beginning....
Joe: "We knew going in that this was going to be a challenge lyrically for us, as we tend to shy away from themes that are too obvious or too common. With the heaviness of the opening section we were able to make the lyrics a bit more pointed and biting, but the softer passages that followed called for a different treatment." Ray: "The analogy of driving in your car where the scenery repeats endlessly seemed to fit the mood of that section and still make the point about the monotony of pop radio. Joe brought in the bulk of the lyrics, we reviewed them and tried them out, tightened them up a bit, and found that they gave that section a nice sense of imagery." It was important to the band that 'Salvolatile' not come across as preachy or overly pessimistic. The two had conceived several alternate endings for the song that were aimed at emphasizing the fact that creative music may be hard to find, but it is not yet dead. Ultimately the softest of the closing sections was chosen as the final statement for the song... Joe: "It was important to us for the song to end on a high point - something optimistic. The closing section is very soft and delicate by design, to sort of create the sense that there is still a lot of fantastic music out there if we just listen for it." |
| Twilight Lyrics | |
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Grayness of morning Newness of reason Questions I may have... Seeking out the answers Wrong or right? Will or might? Take to flight? Not tonight Perceptions amplified In the soft light I remain I will remain... Freedom of purpose License to venture Less than I have learned |
Feeling out the way... Gone awry It's do or die Tell my lies And wave goodbye Emotions amplified In the full light I remain I will remain... Only at the end Is the picture made complete The stillness of the world As its bathed in twilight Yet I remain I will remain... |
| Track Notes |
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One of the final tracks writen for [sensoria], the band has stated that 'Twilight' is very much inspired
by the work of Isis...
Joe: "I was definitely getting into Isis around the time that Ray and I wrote 'Twilight' and I think you can hear some of their influence in the track. I was listening to their album 'In The Absence Of Truth' almost non-stop and I just loved the way they could build an entire song on one basic groove. They just grow it and evolve it until it becomes this new thing altogether." The pair set out working on a track based primarily on a single groove that would continue to grow during the song and upon which they could layer different sounds and textures. Once the rhythm tracks were completed, Joe set out to pen some working lyrics for the track while Ray worked out a heavier riff to serve as the mid-song counterpoint... Ray: "We're both fairly restless musically, so it is difficult for us to stay with just one melody or groove for too long. The way 'Twilight' was coming together, I knew that a really heavy and electric section in the middle would provide some stark contrast and help to reinforce the concept of a bright midday against the dim light of dawn and dusk." |
| Meniscus (The Boundary Between) Lyrics |
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I can't follow where you go A new direction What I found still looks the same... Discover all it has to show And if you're gone I'll bring you back all over again... All my time stacked up like days Sense the motion Sometimes forward, sometimes back... Moments shine, slip back in waves One by one they fall away But they all come back... In the dark, light is treasured Go alone, but I don't dare By my words, I am measured And I know that I've been there Shadows on the earth... Dust upon the earth... Compromise - the only choice left that I know Left behind - I never really let you go... |
| Track Notes |
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The first song to be written together by Headend, 'Meniscus' started off as an ambitious multi-suite
arrangement intended to honor the band's progressive rock roots. A number of different melodies and phrases were composed
during the early days in the studio, and the duo spent many hours looking for ways to fit all of the pieces together...
Joe: "Once Ray and I decided to start writing together, of course we wanted to try to write this long elaborate piece, in the same vein as '2112' or 'Close To The Edge.' We had come up with some nice sections, but some of them were really different from the other pieces we had. The transitions in and out were really causing us some fits. I remember sitting behind the drumkit, looking over at Ray, and telling him that we were biting off more than we could chew." After agreeing to scale back their efforts in order to make a track that flowed more easily between its various sections, the band focused on the strongest sections and lyrics they had written to that point. The new arrangement had an aggressive intro that gave way to a delicate acoustic section which was punctuated by a heavy riff-based bridge section. It was then that Ray realized that the songwriting partnership held some promise... Ray: "Obviously it was still very early in the creative process for us. We enjoyed playing together but we still weren't sure our efforts would bear any sort of fruit. As the first real demo version of 'Meniscus' came together, I think we both felt that we might be able to come up with some cool stuff together. But we also knew we had a long way to go." The song would exist in a rough demo form for nearly a year and a half before the guys circled back to complete it. As is their style, Headend prefers to live with a song for awhile to decide what works and what doesn't. 'Meniscus' ended up with some significant revisions when the duo revisited their first composition... Ray: "We had originally recorded a short Spanish guitar interlude as a bridge section between the heavy riff in the middle of the song and the softer acoustic ending. The interlude was nice, but neither of us felt it really stood up after repeat listens. We ended up dropping that part entirely and coming up with the moodier groove section which is in there now, of course making the song longer - as is often the result when we tinker with the arrangements." |
| Nine Days Wonder Lyrics | |
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Only one more question I'm reading your expression Elicits a confession Of wandering obsession And your eyes don't lie... I don't have to be here There's nothing left that I fear Something's out there waiting And it's ready for the taking Now say goodbye... Really don't know Really don't care I see it too much See it everywhere Lifeless souls with no control Such a foolish affair... Flint to kindling Spark to flame Fire fades as fast as it came The briefest wonder pulls me under Never be the same... Nine days Clouds will gather Rains will fall But that's not what scares me The most of all Beneath the surface Of my tranquil lake Doubt undermines Each decision I make And it won't stop, no it won't stop I cannot hide from my ghosts inside Because they won't stop |
No they won't stop They smile from the corners When I close my eyes... The shadows of the trees Paint pictures on my wall And that's what scares me The most of all Menacing figures stand beside my bed Leaning in to whisper Filling me with dread And they don't stop, no they don't stop I turn away, but they're in my head And they won't stop, no they won't stop Try to understand All the things they've said... Waiting... Praying... Hating... Fading away... Uncover secrets in my mind Erase the boundaries of my pride Back and forth across the line Never thought to read the signs... Am I cursed or am I blessed? How have I come to deserve this? Fill my lungs - one final breath Before I slip below the surface Reveal the shape that I define With curve and contour never seen If tomorrow is the time I'll day the nine days in between Nine days |
| Track Notes |
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The writing sessions for 'Nine Days Wonder' were undoubtedly the longest of any track that appears on [sensoria].
Coming off the achievement of 'Origins,' the duo felt a desire to continue to push their boundaries. Each day Ray and Joe were bringing
new riffs, new melodies, new lyrics, and new arrangements to the studio...
Ray: "The creative output during the NDW sessions was pretty extensive. We actually had to get a second whiteboard for the studio to keep track of all the ideas. We started with just a couple of basic melodies and it evolved into this 14 minute piece." The NDW writing sessions were put on hiatus for a couple of months as Joe left to deal with the loss of his mother to cancer. When the pair regrouped in the studio weeks later, there was a newfound energy... Joe: "It was very fitting that we had conceived NDW to be this piece to cover the wide range of human emotion, and here I was going through many of the same things myself. Many of the lyrics I wrote for this track reflect the confusion and doubt and loss I felt at that time. But every cloud has a silver lining. We had so many ideas on the table that it actually helped to take a break from it for a while so we could come back fresh. I had forgotten just how packed the whiteboard was with different ideas until we returned to the studio." Back in the studio, the band was able to quickly settle on a final arrangement, record a demo of the track, and make their final adjustments to the lyrics... Ray: "We finished the song very quickly after we resumed the sessions. At first the thought of recording all of this was a daunting task, but it flowed very smoothly. By that point, we were getting used to recording these tracks as a duo, and our approach to recording was a lot more structured by then. Listening to the playback of the completed track for the first time in the studio was certainly a defining moment for us. I think it was then that we felt like we were really discovering our voice." |
| Origins Lyrics | |
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Feels like A hundred things I ought to know By now See the water rising all over the earth Up the canyon walls To where I'm standing now Timelines bind the present To the past Second hand keeps ticking In our ears Compelled by force of nature With the need to evolve We carry forth the memory Of our years... Feels like A hundred things I ought to know By now See the water rising all over the earth Up the canyon walls To where I'm standing now |
As I stare out into darkness And read the tale of stars I have come to the realization As I play on my guitar That I have no higher purpose No task that must be done For I have come To my point of origin A solitary one... Timelines bind the future To the past Second hand keeps ticking In our ears Compelled by force of nature With the need to evolve We carry forth the memory Of our years... Feels like A hundred things I ought to know By now See the water rising all over the earth Up the canyon walls To where I'm standing now... |
| Track Notes |
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Many people who have listened to Headend agree that the band manages to incorporate a number of different
influences into their music while still maintaining a certain individuality and uniqueness all their own. Perhaps no track from
[sensoria] is more in line with that statement than 'Origins,' a 10-minute exploration that covers a
wide expanse of territory. The centerpiece of the track is an extended guitar solo that recalls the moodiest moments delivered
by Pink Floyd in general and David Gilmour in particular...
Joe: "'Origins' was the third track that Ray and I started working on for the album. To that point we had rough versions of 'Meniscus' and 'Ascend' completed, but we really wanted to try our hand at a longer track. I also had this desire to feature an extended guitar solo, very moody and soulful, where Ray could showcase some of his talents. We started building around that concept, and once we got working on it in earnest, 'Origins' came together surprisingly fast." Sharing lyrical duties for the track, Joe and Ray were able to create a working demo version of 'Origins' in relatively short order. The initial track clocked in at over nine minutes in length. Listening to the playbacks in the studio, the duo were convinced that they had finally nailed a long-form track that held together musically and thematically... Ray: "We were really starting to push our boundaries at that time. We initially wanted to make 'Meniscus' a longer track, but it just wasn't happening for us, so we had to scale things back. The same was basically true with 'Ascend' in that the tracks suffered whenever we tried to extend them. But 'Origins' was different from the beginning - it was very pliable. With the extended guitar solo section in the middle, the entire track opened up. The song covers a lot of influences, from the country twang at the outset to the solo section with its hint of 'Echoes' to the tribal drum piece that Joe put together. We threw a lot of ideas at that song and most of them were able to stick." When it came time to transform the demo version into the final album version, the band encountered a bit of turbulence. They had grown to love Ray's completely improvised guitar solos of the demo version and found it difficult to recapture the same feeling when doing the final recording of 'Origins'... Joe: "'Origins' was one of the last tracks we recorded for the album because we both knew that we weren't likely to get a perfect recreation. The demo had issues such that we couldn't use it as the final version for the album. And so we began the process of trying to duplicate the song, and play it better where we could, so that it would be as good as we could make it. Ray was able to nail to extended middle solo in one take, but the final guitar solo which really gives the track a soaring high-energy ending proved problematic. But after several dozen takes, Ray laid down a solo even better than he had on the demo. We were done." |
| Ascend Lyrics |
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Confusion Was the sound That spiraled 'round me... Delusion The shadow and the doubt Bound me... The secrets Uncovered, discovered Astound me... Surrounded by silence That's when you Found me... Reflection Knowing that the question Is should you? Temptation All that you've decided Could you? In darkness Not an eye upon you Would you? Ascension No one left to judge Stood you... |
| Track Notes |
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One of the most challenging songs during the sessions for [sensoria], 'Ascend' was the second song started by
Headend but the final one to be completed. From the beginning, the band had envisioned a tune
closing with an extended all-out rock band jam that slowly faded away as the "signing off" statement on the album. However, the song
proved to be difficult for the guys to nail down into a final arrangement, and it was ultimately shelved for a long period of time as
work began on other tracks...
Ray: "We had some great ideas for 'Ascend' when we first started working on it, and some of the demos were promising, but we never really felt that we nailed it. The long rock jam outro, however, existed pretty much from the start of the writing sessions for that tune. Through all of the rewrites of 'Ascend' the closing section always made it past the screening process." Having completed all of the other full-length tracks for the album, the pair turned their attentions once again to 'Ascend.' With the finish line in sight, the band decided to approach the song from a completely new angle... Joe: "That track always gave us fits, because we kind of liked the early demos, but not to the level where we knew it was done. So when it was time to dust 'Ascend' off once more, we basically approached it with the mindset that we were just writing a brand new tune. That decision really allowed us to bring in some cool parts that we wouldn't have considered had we just been trying to tighten up the previous arrangements. It ended up becoming this very progressive tune with drastic tempo and meter changes, and I think ultimately it is a great track to tie up the album." With the sharp changes in tempo and meter came new challenges in the recording process as well. What ended as a very enjoyable writing and arranging effort to create the final version of 'Ascend' became a daunting task for the band once the tape was rolling... Ray: "We usually diagram out our tunes on this large whiteboard in the studio, and even though our songs are fairly long, there are stretches in each of the songs where things are fairly consistent for a bit. But 'Ascend' really had some tough changes in it, so we had to get pretty detailed with our notes on the board. In the end, the song was very much recorded in individual pieces in the studio because we didn't have a lot of time to rehearse with the schedules. Nowadays, though, we can play it live without too much trouble - it's actually one of my favorite tracks to play live because of the variations in it." |