The beautiful 12" vinyl version of our album is pressed on translucent clear 180gram vinyl and comes with a digital download card.
Includes unlimited streaming of To Combat Loneliness: Compositions Based on the Works of David Foster Wallace
via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
ships out within 3 days
$20USDor more
Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album
Item comes in a standard plastic CD jewel case with full color printing. Liner notes on the inside booklet.
Includes unlimited streaming of To Combat Loneliness: Compositions Based on the Works of David Foster Wallace
via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
This track is based on an essay from DFW’s book, “Consider the Lobster”. Where were you when 9/11 happened? No matter what you were doing when it occurred, you surely knew all about it by late morning, and the world hasn’t been the same for anyone ever since. There is so much resonance in this piece, as DFW describes what may have been going on in many households all across the USA. It’s an emotionally honest piece balancing love for country with a possible generation-wide skepticism for the various machines that run it.
Mrs. Thompson is 74 years old and people in the neighborhood generally gravitate toward her because of her friendliness and accommodating nature. She is widowed and has a middle aged son and a grandson. About 7 people from the neighborhood have congregated at her house and are watching the events of 9/11 on her TV. There isn’t much talking, the phone often rings, and the coffee is flowing. Mrs. Thompson trusts Dan Rather’s reporting the most, and the channel hasn’t strayed from his somber voice all day. Tower 1 has already fallen, and now the TV camera is zooming in on Tower 2, where they watch in silent disbelief as they see people hanging out of windows; screaming, reaching, some falling, some jumping, and various shoes, purses, paper, and constant billowing smoke. The camera zooms back out, and for the most part those kind of shots aren’t repeated on national TV. The whole world changed by brunch on a Tuesday. Within 3 days there is an American flag every where you look, and the whole town is sold out of them. There is a sense of anxiety if you don’t have a flag somewhere around your car, house, etc. Like you’re making a statement that could be taken the wrong way. Most of the 7 in the room are older, and have seen many things in their lifetime. They are quiet, while the few younger people in the room make comments. There is a palpable difference in the generations and perspectives involved with 9/11. The older folks are often stoic, while the younger ones have cynicism for everything. What went through the minds of the few younger folks in the room were things like questioning why all the network TV reporters appeared disheveled, like they had all been called in from home or pulled out of their beds. Like none of them had a comb or a suit coat around, or a TV makeup person to tend to them. It was easy to believe that they appeared that way on purpose; that it was all a show to manipulate how everything “looks” and to be “authentic”. That kind of cynicism. The version of America in the minds of those terrorists was likely that cynical one, not Mrs. Thompson’s.
Aaron Kerr:
I’d like to talk about what I did compositionally with this, but I’ll save it for later. This story cuts pretty deeply for me. I am, unfortunately, both an eternal optimist and someone who won’t insulate himself. I am both Mrs. Thompson and Gen X. This is really awful because you want some kind of foundation that we have the ability to make things right, but you can’t insulate yourself from the tremendous difficulty that years of neglect have created. Ultimately, this is work. You have to take this stuff head-on, no matter how ugly it gets. You keep working and make slow progress and see things slip backwards. It is endless, with only the knowledge that the work must continue or we all slip into the abyss. I do what I can. I put down the music and join the mass of humanity working to fight all the bad shit. I march, rally, and protest. I am constantly open-minded and empathetic. I want to die knowing I did all this, and I will not regret it.
Produced by Tyson Allison and Justin Deleon
Recorded at IPR studios in Minneapolis, MN
Engineered and mixed by Justin Deleon
Mastered by Tom Garneau at AUDIOACTIVE in Minneapolis, MN
Copyright 2019 Humble Mumblings ASCAP
Emperor Penguin Records began in 2003 in St. Paul, MN and later moved to Milwaukee, WI in 2015. The label is run by
musician/producer Tyson Allison. EPR enlists and caters to singer/songwriters, introverts, experimental weirdos, bookish people, and crafters that paint pictures with words and toy with your emotions on a well-placed chord. Thank you for your interest!...more
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