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Ancient Homies

by lespecial

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  • Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    4 Panel Digipak

    Includes unlimited streaming of Ancient Homies via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
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      $13 USD or more 

     

  • Streaming + Download

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    Purchasable with gift card

      $10 USD  or more

     

  • Record/Vinyl + Digital Album

    Includes unlimited streaming of Ancient Homies via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ships out within 3 days
    edition of 400 
    Purchasable with gift card

      $28 USD or more 

     

1.
Snells Fleet 07:43
2.
Feel something real Not just what’s in between your ears Magnets spinnin like a wheel Saturn 55 just off our keel Who knows what we could find Stretching beyond the confines of this time Sunlight, electric lamp You got the power to traverse dimensions Feel something real You got the power to choose love over fear This vessel takes us to the other realms Cassius of Vega at the helm
3.
4.
Repeater 03:59
I don’t want to talk, I’ll just have to listen Can you tell me why, it’s your decision To wait your turn, for an interjection This conversation has, one direction I sigh Chorus: Not willing to learn, more than you know You won’t be told, which way to go You already know, how its done Don’t need to hear it from anyone I sigh Show me the point, and i’ll keep pretending Talk about yourself, and your new inventions Recite your lines, so they serve your ends Heard it all before, but you’ll say it again You already know what you plan to say, no room for improvisation Why? And i sigh.
5.
Tonberry 07:44
6.
7.
Machine Elf 04:22
When I came out of the underbrush I could see for miles oh wow But i took too many pictures To actually remember There is something i cannot expel It’s the feeling that we’re being watched While we got handfuls of silicone Look at what the devils gone and done There’s so much way beyond all that Far too much for sapiens to grasp And I got to stay a moment there But the ego pulled be back to earth the words are hard to come by About how it all made sense that night She showed me how its organized Spiraled shells around the tower And it all felt so familiar, it’s the place you were before your birth And we’ve all been to that place before, we just forgot how to stay
8.
Egg Time 02:38
9.
10.
A cold dark place I been livin in I need to find a way that i can feel again and sing From my deepest within A thick gray fog, I been pushin’ through I need to extricate, all of this residue now I’m reachin’ out Chorus: Someone tell me where the door to this room is I been here too long and all the things i missed When your eyes are closed you don’t live like you could Bliss awaits you if you stray into the woods Feelers snakin through, in between the roots They tangle round and round, till they pull this whole mountain from the ground Shake off the rust, welcome home my friend, how we missed you so, please don’t leave again, stay Where the boundaries around things fade -Chorus- I wake up alone, I reassume my form, I thought i’d cast aside, the thick black shell i wore, no Don’t make me go back inside -Chorus-
11.
Tritome 01:27

about

“Ancient Homies” is the third full-length album by lespecial. The number “3” played a role in its inception and acts as a numerical theme throughout the album. We are a “power trio” by definition, our logo or symbol is what we refer to as the “tri-face”, and the fact that this is our third album carried symbolic weight to us. The album contains 3 “interlude” tracks, or the “Homie Improvs”, on tracks 3, 6, and 9. These mostly improvised tracks are based around a sort of scale or modality, or a musical language, that is prevalent throughout the album. The scale isn’t a typical Western sounding scale with a clear “major” or “minor” tonality. It is based around an unstable tonic, containing small chromatic groupings of 3 notes and has a cryptic, ambiguous and almost mystical quality. This musical vocabulary acted as a guideline and backdrop to the journey we wanted to take listeners on.

Conceptually “Ancient Homies” deals with themes of travel throughout different planes, both physical and meta-physical. Lyrically it explores concepts of “boundaries” and how one can transport themselves, either physically across the infinite vastness of space, or mentally to a different mental plane, as we believe the best musical pieces to do. The other-worldly quality of music is echoed in samples from 50’s and 60’s sci-fi/horror films such as “The Thing From Another World” and “Quatermass and the Pit”. The quotes from these films that deal with unearthing ancient, primordial secrets act as a through line throughout the Homie Improv Interludes.

But all numerology, and inter-dimensional mambo jumbo aside, this album feels to us like the most true representation of lespecial. The name itself, “Ancient Homies”, is a sort of paradox that feels true to our character. The term “Ancient” evokes feelings of mysticism and omnipotence, and yet at the end of the day, we are just three homies, three lifelong friends who have embraced our calling to make music together. While some of the material is dark, the overarching absurdity of life and of our music reminds us to not take it too seriously. This album captures the qualities and sides of our band that we feel best represents ourselves and our music. There are moments of intensity, darkness and heaviness that call to our influences in the prog world such as Tool and King Crimson, exemplified by our mixing engineer Dave Sanchez at Riffs or Die, as well as more sub-heavy, head nodding tunes that nod to some of our favorite electronic artists like Flying Lotus and Nine Inch Nails.

In the end, we want this album to take listeners on a journey. Wherever and whenever the destination is could differ for everyone. Your mode of transportation is your own to decide, whether it be a centuries old naval vessel, a futuristic spaceship, or just putting on a pair of headphones and closing your eyes, we want you to go somewhere else. Escape reality, embrace a sense of other-worldliness and discover a new plane, maybe one that’s always been there, with “Ancient Homies” as your guide.

credits

released December 4, 2020

Luke Bemand (bass, synth, samples)
Rory Dolan (drums, sampler)
Jonny Grusauskas (guitar, keys, sampler, vocals)


Tracks 1, 3, 6, 7, 9, & 11 recorded by Jamie Saft at Potterville International Sound, Kerhonkson NY
Tracks 2, 4, 8, & 10 recorded at the Music Cellar, Millerton NY
Track 6 recorded by James Hendrick at Beartrax Studio, Millerton NY
Bass on tracks 2 and 4 recorded at a Bemand’s Bassment, Sandy Hook CT
Drums on track 2 recorded by Jules Jenssen at Shabby Road, Housatonic MA

All tracks mixed by David Sanchez at Riffs or Die.
All tracks Mastered by Anthony Thogmartin.
All songs written and produced by lespecial.

Album art by Sam Eckstein (Esseks)
Additional art by Feather Vansvik and Billy Martin aka Illy B

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lespecial Millerton, New York

lespecial is redefining the term “power trio”. The three multi-instrumentalists from Connecticut continue to command attention from music critics and fans alike through their national tours highlighted by fierce musicianship, creative showmanship and an engaging live show that leaves audiences exhilarated and hungry for more. ... more

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