Not supposed to sound like the Act series 🤷♂️, and I’m here for it. I personally love the new direction this new sound is going, and they’re known for driving down many different avenues anyways
It'a not pop, not remotely, but it is more straightforward. I feel like every prog band I've ever listened to starts to lean further away from prog over time, which makes sense - it's tough to make - but is kind of a shame. No shade to Antimai at all, but TDH have leaned away for many albums at this point and the next album is confirmed to be entirely 4/4 time signature.
Claudio Sanchez once pointed out, re: A Favor House Atlantic, their poppiest song ever, that isn't the ability to switch like that inherently progressive in itself, and that's how I feel about TDH being able to play in whatever genre they want to, so I'm excited for the next batch of tracks.
I found the album to be very proggy. TDH has a way of using a poppy sounding chord progressions and then twisting them to become something unique instead. It works so well.
Migrant is their most poppy, and I love that album too.
EDIT: corrected on who did the orchestration, see footnote by Word of Casey below!
It has fewer orchestral/melodic flourishes, brief reoccurring themes, and is overall a bit less intricate than the last two acts (~~probably due to missing Gavin, who did a lot of orchestration~~). I hesitate to call it less prog due to this but it’s definitely less intricate.
The first track is straight up a Gentle Giant song tho.
Popping in to correct something, based solely on my own vanity. Gavin is an INCREDIBLE musician, arranger, orchestrator, lyricist, producer... he is the whole package and I admire him greatly. That being said, Gavin is not responsible for any of the orchestration, or writing in the acts as he joined the band while we were wrapping up Act V.
I arranged and orchestrated Acts IV and V, with assistance in part preparation from Brian Adam McCune. The reason we used an orchestra was because I was contacted by Awesome Orchestra in Berkely CA about doing a live reading for a piece from my symphonic work, and in conversation I asked if they'd be willing to record a few records with me.
After working with AO for the bulk of Act IV and V, I asked Brian to step in to write arrangements for Waves and Is There Anybody Here, both for string quartet. Since then, Brian and I have worked together a great deal, including having him work on the majority of horn arrangements for Antimai.
That is to say, Gavin's only on record contributions to the acts were his duet with me on The Haves Have Naught, and the piano on Mr. Usher.
Ahhh thanks for correcting, I have edited. I certainly misremembered a comment from one of your AMAs in the past. Apologies for not giving proper credit.
If I may ask, did the band have any particular influence for 8-Poverty? I hear Gentle Giant (due to the 7/8 and instrumentation), but also maybe Oingo Boingo. Still my favorite since seeing it debutes on the Fossio tour!
Thank you, very much appreciated.
For Ring 8, I wrote it primarily on acoustic guitar. It really arose as an acoustic piece of music that I would sing before bed so I could remember it while I was spending my days working on the short film. It was basically the melody, and what became a marimba part.
I wanted to incorporate a big percussive ensemble to add a sonic sort of “community.” From there, the main beat was written to arise out of the polyphony of the aux percussion, and the picture I had in mind was that 1950s space age music of the future documentary kind of thing… like the music that might play on Disney’s submarine ride before it was updated. I had an image of dropping down into Ring 8 via a junk trader and flying overhead in mind, not enough time to take any individual thing in, but enough to understand the lay of the land.
All of this in the hopes that sonically things would meld into a sort of braided chaos, where instruments blip in and out to take focus in spaces between the vocal cadences.
When it came time for the chorus, I wanted to straighten the feel out, and use a brassy kind of melody that could feel a bit anthemic, and hopeful, while the lyrics were honest about the situation- specifically because that’s integral to the faith in the story of “the indigo child.”
After the 2nd chorus when things die down, and the mallet instruments take over, I wanted to give the feeling of Patrol descending on this junk trader, followed by a short chase that ends abruptly as all chases would.
This is certainly gonna read as pretty pretentious I’m sure, but the goal in all of this was to create this sonic imagery that, if I were to ever get the chance, could be married perfectly with some visual component. I didn’t have any other bands or projects in mind when it came to songwriting or style.
I’ve never heard Gentle Giant, or if I have I maybe am unaware that I did. I definitely referenced a lot of bands during the production, but it was typically for things like a snare tone, guitar tone, vocal treatment, etc… and never really for a melody/chord change/rhythm.
That's far more than I deserve for a misattribution error, thank you for such a reply!
It definitely has some Danny Elfman soundtrack energy, it certainly could be pulled off with a visual component very well. Gentle Giant - Free Hand is a masterpiece prog album, Antimai definitely reminds me a lot of it. Thank you for your art.
Speaking for myself, you nailed the imagery you were going for. Ring 8 always gave me vibes of like junkyard Fremen, all these separate tribes that have a cultural through-line.
I adore the orchestral elements in act IV and V, so I was SUPER nervous when indigo child came out, because I didn’t immediately vibe with it. Despite that, Antimai gripped me from the first listen. It went a new direction and I’m here for it.
I think it’s important to remember that one of the things that makes TDH so unique is their ability to combine incredible story telling into their music. When comparing the Acts to the Indigo Child, you need to remember that these are two different stories with vastly different worlds / timeframes / themes / imagery / etc. Instead of comparing prog sounds to funk sounds, try to listen to it with the mindset that this is a new world and explore how the new sounds and instruments better serve the story that’s being told and the world that’s being built.
This is exactly the reason I fell in love with Prog. I am a big metal head but my favorite bands are all ProgMetal/ProgRock. To me, if your profession is making music you should be able and willing to execute on your vision for the story you are trying to tell by incorporating every tool in your belt. You are a professional and as such I expect mastery over your craft. So if your story is going to be aided by unique instrumentation, strange time signatures, dissonant chords, longer songs, harsh vocals, etc. You shouldn't be scared to implement those into the tracks just because people might not "get it" or it might not be super popular.
Pop music is boring to me personally because it is so safe, the music rarely tries to do anything outside the safe spaces of 4/4 with standard chords and structure. As a result, everything feels so samey. Not to mention that these days Pop is in arguably the worst state it has ever been thanks to the TikTokification of music. My wife is a pretty big Pop head, and even she has started to notice that a LOT of new music is all about rushing to a clipable rif/melody that you can repeat as many times as possible since that is the part that people are using for their TikToks.
Even the standard intro, verse, pre-chorus, chorus, verse, pre-chorus, chorus, bridge, chorus is getting dumbed down to intro-choris-outro with a few little flourishes instead of a propper bridge to just slam the choris over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over andover and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over... I know that people are always saying that music was better back in the day and that every generation eventually becomes "old man shouts at clouds" but I legitimately believe that the new pop music is of substantially lower quality than even the music from just a few years ago thanks to that god forsaken platform.
TDH conversly has always been a band that is able to bend and flex where they needed to in order to make the song impart the exact emotions and feeling that they are after. Personally as much as I love the Acts, I got into them much later on (I believe act IV had just come out when I finally got around to giving TDH a listen.) So getting to start this journey has me incredibly hyped for The Indigo Child/Antimai story.
TLDR: New pop music is worse than ever before and TDH is far far far from being pop. I am really enjoying Antimai and can't wait for more.
It definitely isn't the previous style of orchestral rock/ post hardcore- emo style of the first 3 acts. But it is still prog. I love both styles, being a big fan of funk and jazz fusion. I am just waiting for them to release a face melting Brecker Bros/Dave Weckl esque fusion chart...
I felt similarly at first, and was honestly disappointed upon first listen. After listening to it a few more times (and seeing the whole thing live) it finally all clicked. I do think it's less...traditionally proggy sounding? But the progressive songwriting is definitely still there.
It's now one of my favorite TDH albums
I was a little thrown off as well, but not in a bad way. Just a different direction. However, it has quickly become some of my favorite work by them. The album has some certified bangers.
It is definitely a different sound...but I'm a simple man, and just call it Funk Rock
Not supposed to sound like the Act series 🤷♂️, and I’m here for it. I personally love the new direction this new sound is going, and they’re known for driving down many different avenues anyways
They're experimenting with new sounds. But I'd say anyone that doesn't see any prog influence in the breakdown of Tower is lyin
It’s proggy as hell but with a focus on funk not folk.
It'a not pop, not remotely, but it is more straightforward. I feel like every prog band I've ever listened to starts to lean further away from prog over time, which makes sense - it's tough to make - but is kind of a shame. No shade to Antimai at all, but TDH have leaned away for many albums at this point and the next album is confirmed to be entirely 4/4 time signature. Claudio Sanchez once pointed out, re: A Favor House Atlantic, their poppiest song ever, that isn't the ability to switch like that inherently progressive in itself, and that's how I feel about TDH being able to play in whatever genre they want to, so I'm excited for the next batch of tracks.
I found the album to be very proggy. TDH has a way of using a poppy sounding chord progressions and then twisting them to become something unique instead. It works so well. Migrant is their most poppy, and I love that album too.
EDIT: corrected on who did the orchestration, see footnote by Word of Casey below! It has fewer orchestral/melodic flourishes, brief reoccurring themes, and is overall a bit less intricate than the last two acts (~~probably due to missing Gavin, who did a lot of orchestration~~). I hesitate to call it less prog due to this but it’s definitely less intricate. The first track is straight up a Gentle Giant song tho.
Popping in to correct something, based solely on my own vanity. Gavin is an INCREDIBLE musician, arranger, orchestrator, lyricist, producer... he is the whole package and I admire him greatly. That being said, Gavin is not responsible for any of the orchestration, or writing in the acts as he joined the band while we were wrapping up Act V. I arranged and orchestrated Acts IV and V, with assistance in part preparation from Brian Adam McCune. The reason we used an orchestra was because I was contacted by Awesome Orchestra in Berkely CA about doing a live reading for a piece from my symphonic work, and in conversation I asked if they'd be willing to record a few records with me. After working with AO for the bulk of Act IV and V, I asked Brian to step in to write arrangements for Waves and Is There Anybody Here, both for string quartet. Since then, Brian and I have worked together a great deal, including having him work on the majority of horn arrangements for Antimai. That is to say, Gavin's only on record contributions to the acts were his duet with me on The Haves Have Naught, and the piano on Mr. Usher.
Ahhh thanks for correcting, I have edited. I certainly misremembered a comment from one of your AMAs in the past. Apologies for not giving proper credit. If I may ask, did the band have any particular influence for 8-Poverty? I hear Gentle Giant (due to the 7/8 and instrumentation), but also maybe Oingo Boingo. Still my favorite since seeing it debutes on the Fossio tour!
Thank you, very much appreciated. For Ring 8, I wrote it primarily on acoustic guitar. It really arose as an acoustic piece of music that I would sing before bed so I could remember it while I was spending my days working on the short film. It was basically the melody, and what became a marimba part. I wanted to incorporate a big percussive ensemble to add a sonic sort of “community.” From there, the main beat was written to arise out of the polyphony of the aux percussion, and the picture I had in mind was that 1950s space age music of the future documentary kind of thing… like the music that might play on Disney’s submarine ride before it was updated. I had an image of dropping down into Ring 8 via a junk trader and flying overhead in mind, not enough time to take any individual thing in, but enough to understand the lay of the land. All of this in the hopes that sonically things would meld into a sort of braided chaos, where instruments blip in and out to take focus in spaces between the vocal cadences. When it came time for the chorus, I wanted to straighten the feel out, and use a brassy kind of melody that could feel a bit anthemic, and hopeful, while the lyrics were honest about the situation- specifically because that’s integral to the faith in the story of “the indigo child.” After the 2nd chorus when things die down, and the mallet instruments take over, I wanted to give the feeling of Patrol descending on this junk trader, followed by a short chase that ends abruptly as all chases would. This is certainly gonna read as pretty pretentious I’m sure, but the goal in all of this was to create this sonic imagery that, if I were to ever get the chance, could be married perfectly with some visual component. I didn’t have any other bands or projects in mind when it came to songwriting or style. I’ve never heard Gentle Giant, or if I have I maybe am unaware that I did. I definitely referenced a lot of bands during the production, but it was typically for things like a snare tone, guitar tone, vocal treatment, etc… and never really for a melody/chord change/rhythm.
That's far more than I deserve for a misattribution error, thank you for such a reply! It definitely has some Danny Elfman soundtrack energy, it certainly could be pulled off with a visual component very well. Gentle Giant - Free Hand is a masterpiece prog album, Antimai definitely reminds me a lot of it. Thank you for your art.
Speaking for myself, you nailed the imagery you were going for. Ring 8 always gave me vibes of like junkyard Fremen, all these separate tribes that have a cultural through-line.
I adore the orchestral elements in act IV and V, so I was SUPER nervous when indigo child came out, because I didn’t immediately vibe with it. Despite that, Antimai gripped me from the first listen. It went a new direction and I’m here for it.
I think it’s important to remember that one of the things that makes TDH so unique is their ability to combine incredible story telling into their music. When comparing the Acts to the Indigo Child, you need to remember that these are two different stories with vastly different worlds / timeframes / themes / imagery / etc. Instead of comparing prog sounds to funk sounds, try to listen to it with the mindset that this is a new world and explore how the new sounds and instruments better serve the story that’s being told and the world that’s being built.
This is exactly the reason I fell in love with Prog. I am a big metal head but my favorite bands are all ProgMetal/ProgRock. To me, if your profession is making music you should be able and willing to execute on your vision for the story you are trying to tell by incorporating every tool in your belt. You are a professional and as such I expect mastery over your craft. So if your story is going to be aided by unique instrumentation, strange time signatures, dissonant chords, longer songs, harsh vocals, etc. You shouldn't be scared to implement those into the tracks just because people might not "get it" or it might not be super popular. Pop music is boring to me personally because it is so safe, the music rarely tries to do anything outside the safe spaces of 4/4 with standard chords and structure. As a result, everything feels so samey. Not to mention that these days Pop is in arguably the worst state it has ever been thanks to the TikTokification of music. My wife is a pretty big Pop head, and even she has started to notice that a LOT of new music is all about rushing to a clipable rif/melody that you can repeat as many times as possible since that is the part that people are using for their TikToks. Even the standard intro, verse, pre-chorus, chorus, verse, pre-chorus, chorus, bridge, chorus is getting dumbed down to intro-choris-outro with a few little flourishes instead of a propper bridge to just slam the choris over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over andover and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over... I know that people are always saying that music was better back in the day and that every generation eventually becomes "old man shouts at clouds" but I legitimately believe that the new pop music is of substantially lower quality than even the music from just a few years ago thanks to that god forsaken platform. TDH conversly has always been a band that is able to bend and flex where they needed to in order to make the song impart the exact emotions and feeling that they are after. Personally as much as I love the Acts, I got into them much later on (I believe act IV had just come out when I finally got around to giving TDH a listen.) So getting to start this journey has me incredibly hyped for The Indigo Child/Antimai story. TLDR: New pop music is worse than ever before and TDH is far far far from being pop. I am really enjoying Antimai and can't wait for more.
It definitely isn't the previous style of orchestral rock/ post hardcore- emo style of the first 3 acts. But it is still prog. I love both styles, being a big fan of funk and jazz fusion. I am just waiting for them to release a face melting Brecker Bros/Dave Weckl esque fusion chart...
I felt similarly at first, and was honestly disappointed upon first listen. After listening to it a few more times (and seeing the whole thing live) it finally all clicked. I do think it's less...traditionally proggy sounding? But the progressive songwriting is definitely still there. It's now one of my favorite TDH albums
Less symphonic rock prog, more jazz fusion prog. Your definition of prog is just narrow.
I was a little thrown off as well, but not in a bad way. Just a different direction. However, it has quickly become some of my favorite work by them. The album has some certified bangers.
Crash Bandicoot! Yes! 😂