Multitalented Toronto artist Keram — who has an impressive acting resume — has been working on his new album for a whopping seven years, and now it's finally ready. Come to Life will be released on May 28 through Constant Change Music.
The collection was recorded in Toronto and Los Angeles, with Rush's Alex Lifeson serving as executive producer and playing guitar on three songs. Around 30 musicians played on the record in total, with some being involved in projects such as Coheed & Cambria, Zappa Plays Zappa, and Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros.
A press release describes the result as a "sprawling, otherworldly roots-rock adventure" that draws on a wide range of genres. There's apparently an emphasis on improvisation, something that's exemplified by the title cut, which is said to be a "20-minute improvisational ambient-jazz journey inspired by the Tibetan Book of the Dead."
This isn't the album's only lengthy tune, since an 11-minute track called "The Devil Knows Me Well" can be heard below. It begins as a bluesy rocker before giving way to extended periods of jamming and wailing guitar solos. The arrangement rises and falls a few times, with the last couple of minutes featuring atmospheric keyboard noodles and distant harmonica honking. This is one of the tracks that features Lifeson.
The album will be launched with a Toronto meet and greet (and listening party) for Indiegogo contributors on May 28. For everyone else, it will be available on Bandcamp, through digital retailers, and on CD through CD Baby. Of course, that's the album's fantastical cover up above.
UPDATE: The listening party will now take place on May 26.
Come to Life:
1. We Breathe So Brief
2. Killing Days, Living Nights
3. Infidel
4. Samsara
5. Mary Magdalene
6. Medicated
7. The Big End
8. Moving Dark Circles
9. The Devil KNows Me Well
10. Come to Life
The collection was recorded in Toronto and Los Angeles, with Rush's Alex Lifeson serving as executive producer and playing guitar on three songs. Around 30 musicians played on the record in total, with some being involved in projects such as Coheed & Cambria, Zappa Plays Zappa, and Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros.
A press release describes the result as a "sprawling, otherworldly roots-rock adventure" that draws on a wide range of genres. There's apparently an emphasis on improvisation, something that's exemplified by the title cut, which is said to be a "20-minute improvisational ambient-jazz journey inspired by the Tibetan Book of the Dead."
This isn't the album's only lengthy tune, since an 11-minute track called "The Devil Knows Me Well" can be heard below. It begins as a bluesy rocker before giving way to extended periods of jamming and wailing guitar solos. The arrangement rises and falls a few times, with the last couple of minutes featuring atmospheric keyboard noodles and distant harmonica honking. This is one of the tracks that features Lifeson.
The album will be launched with a Toronto meet and greet (and listening party) for Indiegogo contributors on May 28. For everyone else, it will be available on Bandcamp, through digital retailers, and on CD through CD Baby. Of course, that's the album's fantastical cover up above.
UPDATE: The listening party will now take place on May 26.
Come to Life:
1. We Breathe So Brief
2. Killing Days, Living Nights
3. Infidel
4. Samsara
5. Mary Magdalene
6. Medicated
7. The Big End
8. Moving Dark Circles
9. The Devil KNows Me Well
10. Come to Life
