I have been reviewing the artists and tracks, two-by-two, for the next vinyl release on Twice As High Records, which is a compilation LP called Thru the Clouds of Smoke (TAH-002). In a Hive post from some months back, I already posted links to the first 4 tracks of the compilation, which were all reviewed in my last two posts. In this post, you get to hear the first tracks that have not yet been revealed.
The next artist happens to be the first artist who followed Double Eagle on SoundCloud whom we did not already know personally, and the first artist whom we became friends with in that way. He is also the first artist I contacted about being on this compilation. He was extremely enthusiastic and supportive, and really got the momentum going for the project with that energy. This artist is known as Mysterioso, and has a sensitivity close to Double Eagle's in terms of throwing away the idea of genre and expectation in music. Here is his most-played track on SoundCloud, called Trenton, New Jersey:
https://soundcloud.com/mysterioso/trenton-new-jersey
And because Mysterioso is a virtuoso, he also has this masterful ambient album on Bandcamp, called Lofty Peaks of the Superfluous:
https://mysterioso.bandcamp.com/album/lofty-peaks-of-the-superfluous
Here is one of my favorite tracks of Mysterioso, Annerton Pit:
https://soundcloud.com/mysterioso/annerton-pit
One of the main limitations of vinyl, which we will mention again below, is length. For a single LP playing at 33 1/3 rpm, the optimal length of music on each side is about 19 minutes, in order to maximize fidelity. So for a 10 artist/10 track compilation, it's difficult to have very long songs. Lucky for you and me, Mysterioso made a re-edit of Annerton Pit, and he also very thankfully re-recorded the drums, as he originally sampled from an artist and I would've gotten all of my clothes sued off of me. Here is Side A, Track 5 of Thru the Clouds of Smoke, Mysterioso - Down Annerton Pit:
https://soundcloud.com/mysterioso/down-annerton-pit
Once that track ends, things are left in a smoky haze. You have to lift yourself up from wherever you were vibing out hard, lift the needle, flip the record, and keep the party going. Side B of the LP starts out with the artist Gerontius, who is what I like to call a classic rock wizard. He seems to be able to make original songs in any classic rock style he pleases. I particularly love his longer tracks. Here is one of my favorites of Gerontius, called House of Seven Wonders:
https://soundcloud.com/gerontius1/the-house-of-seven-wonders123
Here's another banger of his called Holy Moly:
https://soundcloud.com/gerontius1/holy-moly
I'm scrolling through the Gerontius SoundCloud page (currently with 194 fantastic tracks), and it's hard not to just post all of them. Here's an epic rocker of his called Inter-
Spatial Cosmic Nation:
https://soundcloud.com/gerontius1/inter-spatial-cosmic-nation
I knew I wanted Gerontius on this compilation, and I was thrilled when he agreed. The problem was nailing down a track. After going back and forth between several tunes, we finally settled on one that is a timely jam that opens up Side B with a bang. Here is Track 6 of Thru the Clouds of Smoke, Gerontius with Lockdown:
https://soundcloud.com/gerontius1/lockdown
So there we go, 6 tracks down and 4 to go! Jam out to all of the Mysterioso and Gerontius tracks and give them some love!
Next Up: Tracks 7 and 8, by Sick Shark and Double Eagle (feat. TRL)!!