Desperate Living (album)
Encyclopedia
Desperate Living is the fifth album by Horse the Band
, released October 6, 2009, through Vagrant Records
.
sound which they helped to pioneer with their demos and first two full-length albums. The bass guitar
's role in the music (as well as in the band itself) has been diminished slightly, with the lower registers mainly serving as counters for the guitar and keyboard melodies instead of the rhythm section role of music of their style. The album is also unique in comparison with the band's previous work in that there is considerably more synthesized bass, orchestration
and drum programming featured.
Those who purchased the album through iTunes
received remixes by the members of Horse the Band's favorite artists and members of the band itself under different identities.
The album reached #125 at Top Heatseekers
chart.
Jamie Stewart
of the band Xiu Xiu
appears on Horse the Band's fourth album as per request from Erik Engstrom in an AIM message he sent to Stewart.
Stewart commented on his role in the recording process, stating, "Horse the band has asked me to try to help them make a dying robot, an exploding keyboard, a dream laugh and a melted, drastic flute of redemption. Lucky for you and for me they have the Lucky for you and for me they have the wit and creativity to turn these things into music."
Also featured on the album is classical pianist Valentina Lisitsa
on the song "Rape Escape". She is featured playing "a fragment of the cadenza of Prokofiev's
Piano Concerto No. 2, the emotional climax and most technically demanding section of one of the most difficult pieces ever written for piano". According to Engstrom, "She plays like she is possessed by the song, like she is channeling the composer and understanding their intentions and feelings better than they understood them when they were writing the song. She's the most talented player of any instrument I have ever seen, no contest. She'll play with such force sometimes that she jolts a grand piano half a foot across the stage. She just totally gets it. Anyway, I went to see her at a solo recital and asked if she would do a guest performance on our album. For some reason she said yes. ... Only a handful of pianists in the world could play the piece, and she embarasses every single one of them. She recorded it on a restored Bosendorfer in her home studio and broke a string while recording it."
Guest musicians
HORSE the band
Horse the Band is a band from Lake Forest, California who are best known for their 8-bit Nintendo-influenced sound combined with metalcore. Frontman Nathan Winneke once described their sound as "Nintendocore".-Biography:...
, released October 6, 2009, through Vagrant Records
Vagrant Records
Vagrant Records is an indie rock label based in Los Angeles, California and is home to such artists as The Hold Steady, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes, Active Child, PJ Harvey, Reptar, School of Seven Bells, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Thrice, James Vincent McMorrow, Placebo, and many...
.
Overview
The album sees a departure from the band's reliance on the NintendocoreNintendocore
Nintendocore is a music genre that fuses aggressive styles of modern rock with chiptune and video game music...
sound which they helped to pioneer with their demos and first two full-length albums. The bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
's role in the music (as well as in the band itself) has been diminished slightly, with the lower registers mainly serving as counters for the guitar and keyboard melodies instead of the rhythm section role of music of their style. The album is also unique in comparison with the band's previous work in that there is considerably more synthesized bass, orchestration
Orchestration
Orchestration is the study or practice of writing music for an orchestra or of adapting for orchestra music composed for another medium...
and drum programming featured.
Those who purchased the album through iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
received remixes by the members of Horse the Band's favorite artists and members of the band itself under different identities.
The album reached #125 at Top Heatseekers
Top Heatseekers
Top Heatseekers refers to either of two separate "Breaking and Entering" music charts issued weekly by Billboard Magazine: the Heatseekers Albums chart or the Heatseekers Songs chart. They were introduced by Billboard in 1993 with the purpose of highlighting the sales by new and developing musical...
chart.
Jamie Stewart
Jamie Stewart
James "Jamie" Cyrus Stewart is the front-man of the American musical group Xiu Xiu , a former front-man of IBOPA and Ten in the Swear Jar and a current member of Former Ghosts. He was also a member of 7 Year Rabbit Cycle which has since disbanded...
of the band Xiu Xiu
Xiu Xiu
Xiu Xiu is an American avant-garde group originally from San Jose, California. The band is the brainchild of singer-songwriter Jamie Stewart, who has been its only constant member since its inception in 2002. His current bandmate is Angela Seo...
appears on Horse the Band's fourth album as per request from Erik Engstrom in an AIM message he sent to Stewart.
Stewart commented on his role in the recording process, stating, "Horse the band has asked me to try to help them make a dying robot, an exploding keyboard, a dream laugh and a melted, drastic flute of redemption. Lucky for you and for me they have the Lucky for you and for me they have the wit and creativity to turn these things into music."
Also featured on the album is classical pianist Valentina Lisitsa
Valentina Lisitsa
Valentina Lisitsa is a Ukrainian-born classical pianist. Lisitsa resides in North Carolina in the USA. Her husband, Alexei Kuznetsoff, is also a pianist and her partner in a number of piano duets.- Biography :Lisitsa was born in Kiev, Ukraine, in 1973...
on the song "Rape Escape". She is featured playing "a fragment of the cadenza of Prokofiev's
Sergei Prokofiev
Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev was a Russian composer, pianist and conductor who mastered numerous musical genres and is regarded as one of the major composers of the 20th century...
Piano Concerto No. 2, the emotional climax and most technically demanding section of one of the most difficult pieces ever written for piano". According to Engstrom, "She plays like she is possessed by the song, like she is channeling the composer and understanding their intentions and feelings better than they understood them when they were writing the song. She's the most talented player of any instrument I have ever seen, no contest. She'll play with such force sometimes that she jolts a grand piano half a foot across the stage. She just totally gets it. Anyway, I went to see her at a solo recital and asked if she would do a guest performance on our album. For some reason she said yes. ... Only a handful of pianists in the world could play the piece, and she embarasses every single one of them. She recorded it on a restored Bosendorfer in her home studio and broke a string while recording it."
Track listing
- "Cloudwalker" - 4:50
- "Desperate Living" - 4:07
- "The Failure of All Things" - 4:51
- "Horse the Song" - 4:24 (featuring K-SLAX)
- "Science Police" - 3:50
- "Shapeshift" - 5:11 (featuring Jamie StewartJamie StewartJames "Jamie" Cyrus Stewart is the front-man of the American musical group Xiu Xiu , a former front-man of IBOPA and Ten in the Swear Jar and a current member of Former Ghosts. He was also a member of 7 Year Rabbit Cycle which has since disbanded...
) - "Between the Trees" - 3:55
- "Golden Mummy Golden Bird" - 4:46
- "Lord Gold Wand of Unyielding" - 2:32 (featuring His Purple Majesty [David Isen] and Lord Gold [Erik Engstrom])
- "Big Business" - 4:56
- "Rape Escape" - 7:12 (featuring Valentina LisitsaValentina LisitsaValentina Lisitsa is a Ukrainian-born classical pianist. Lisitsa resides in North Carolina in the USA. Her husband, Alexei Kuznetsoff, is also a pianist and her partner in a number of piano duets.- Biography :Lisitsa was born in Kiev, Ukraine, in 1973...
) - "Arrive" - 4:10
iTunes Deluxe Edition bonus tracks
- "Rape Escape Vs. Dmndays" - 3:23
- "Lord Gold Wand of Unyielding vs. Dan Sena" - 4:46
- "The Failure of All Things vs. Airborne Drumz" - 4:22
- "Arrive vs. Burgermover" - 4:04
- "Horse the Song Vs. Arottenbit (8 Bit Cover)" - 4:03
- "Arrive vs. :( (Love Silent Things Remix)" - 3:26
- "The Failure of All Things vs. DJ Danny Maverick" - 3:43
- "Science Police Vs. Lazrtag" - 4:12
- "Golden Mummy Golden Bird vs. Skrillex" - 6:00
- "Caps" - 1:06
Personnel
Horse the Band- Nathan Winneke – lead vocalsLead vocalistThe lead vocalist is the member of a band who sings the main vocal portions of a song. They may also play one or more instruments. Lead vocalists are sometimes referred to as the frontman or frontwoman, and as such, are usually considered to be the "leader" of the groups they perform in, often the...
- David Isen – guitarElectric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
, vocals - Erik Engstrom – synthesizerSynthesizerA synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
, LSDJ, vocals - Daniel Pouliot - drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
Guest musicians
- Brian Grover (of Thriller) - bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
- Valentina LisitsaValentina LisitsaValentina Lisitsa is a Ukrainian-born classical pianist. Lisitsa resides in North Carolina in the USA. Her husband, Alexei Kuznetsoff, is also a pianist and her partner in a number of piano duets.- Biography :Lisitsa was born in Kiev, Ukraine, in 1973...
- pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal... - Jamie StewartJamie StewartJames "Jamie" Cyrus Stewart is the front-man of the American musical group Xiu Xiu , a former front-man of IBOPA and Ten in the Swear Jar and a current member of Former Ghosts. He was also a member of 7 Year Rabbit Cycle which has since disbanded...
-vocals, sound designSound designSound design is the process of specifying, acquiring, manipulating or generating audio elements. It is employed in a variety of disciplines including filmmaking, television production, theatre, sound recording and reproduction, live performance, sound art, post-production and video game software... - Jon Karel - guest drums on "Desperate Living"
- Vernon Chatman- Conundrumming
- Gary LaChance- vocals
- Sarah Hamilton- vocals
- Mike Benitez- vocals
- Haley Lansdel- vocals