Maps of Non-Existent Places - Thank You Scientist
Track List:
Prelude
A Salesman’s Guide to Non-Existence
Feed the Horses
Blood on the Radio
Absentee
Suspicious Waveforms
Carnival
Concrete Swan Dive
In The Company of Worms
My Famed Disappearing Act
This was called “Post Rock”
By the random person or bot on Reddit that recommended this album. I had to look up that term. It’s a style of music that in addition to traditional rock instrumentation also includes elements well outside.
Prelude
This reminds me of The Deer Hunter. Acapella and really neat.
A Salesman’s Guide to Non-Existence
Sounds like the narrator is in a relationship or was but it’s not a time they can commit to a relationship. It’s a proggy emo rock with jazzy horns included. So like Chicago this is ska?
Feed the Horses
This sounds like further justification of not being able to be in the relationship with the other person, but also being unable to fully commit to ending the relationship. I would consider this type of music something like progressive rock and jazz fusion.
Blood on the Radio
The more I listen the more I think this was influenced heavily by Zappa. The bass once the vocals start reminds me of Claypool. The lyrics seem to me to tell a story about not listening to naysayers (the narrator’s doubts included) and leaning into discomfort to chase their dreams. I think perhaps there is also a rejection of what would be considered traditional, radio friendly music. And encouragement for folks to try something different instead of trodding the beaten path and losing inspiration.
Absentee
“Here I am, tornado” is a weird lyric. This is my favorite song at this point in the album. It does have a bit of a jam band feel. The lyrics talk about expecting someone to arrive and them not showing up.
Suspicious Waveforms
This is the most jazz track on the album thus far. That was fantastic!
Carnival
Seems to be a breakup song. It’s wild how many different types of influences I hear here. There is a fiddle solo, not a violin but a fiddle, it was a violin earlier in the album, and perhaps even in parts of the song. The narrator talks about how the other person always feels they are right and cannot see that if they want to stay in the relationship they need to adapt and change.
Concrete Swan Dive
The title is a metaphorical end of the relationship. The partner wouldn’t accept reality so the narrator has to take drastic measures, fake their death.
In The Company of Worms
The lyrics encourage someone to not live in fear of death and to celebrate life as you live it.
My Famed Disappearing Act
So I think this is the end of the relationship and having to leave everyone they know by faking their death? But I feel like this was more written to sing as an encore.
I liked that
Quite a bit. It’s a mix of so many different genres and styles. I may check out their other albums.
