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Out Of Mind
Introduction
Out Of Mind is Hats Off Gentlemen It's Adequate's fourth album.
The album consists of twelve tracks inspired by memory, from a variety of perspectives, from the role of memory in defining identity, to historical remembrance and dementia.
The album was written and performed by Malcolm Galloway, Mark Gatland, and Kathryn Thomas. Album concept Malcolm Galloway and Mark Gatland.
1. Coming Back (Time Out Of Joint)
This song was inspired by Philip K Dick's novel Time Out Of Joint. The protagonist finds that the 1950's small town in America in which he lives is fake. This is one of my favourite novels. As in many of his novels, Dick explores the role of memory in constructing personal identity. Without wishing to spoil the story, the protagonist finds that the 1950’s American town within which he thinks he lives, is artificial. He has retreated into this world to hide his responsibilities from his conscious self. As one of the characters says ‘what happens if he becomes sane again?’. In this take on the story the protagonist is scared not that the truth is being hidden, but that the truth is coming back to him.
In this track Mark Gatland plays both Chapman Stick and bass guitar.
"So I walked and I walked past where the houses stop
But the road still carries on
I left behind the average town
The cradle where I was born
Past foreground split from broken machinery
Background paste of identical scenery
And now am I supposed to believe I’m outside?
But the road still carries on
I left behind the average town
The cradle where I was born
Past foreground split from broken machinery
Background paste of identical scenery
And now am I supposed to believe I’m outside?
I don’t remember the last time that I got this far from home
50 plates from 50 states
In this transition zone
I remember things that shouldn’t exist
The details that show the lie
And now am I supposed to believe I’m outside?
50 plates from 50 states
In this transition zone
I remember things that shouldn’t exist
The details that show the lie
And now am I supposed to believe I’m outside?
The absent step, the missing cord
The slips of paper, the magazine hoard
Leaks in reality, poking through the holes
I think I forgot, to forget what I’m supposed to
The slips of paper, the magazine hoard
Leaks in reality, poking through the holes
I think I forgot, to forget what I’m supposed to
The silence spreads, the structure dissolve
The skeleton bus, the bouncing scarecrows
Time stands still, on a strip of paper
I’m scared it might be coming back to me
The skeleton bus, the bouncing scarecrows
Time stands still, on a strip of paper
I’m scared it might be coming back to me
I'm told I live in a golden age
The best to be alive
Not much to be scared of
If I could only forget about the satellites
The telephone book, unknown numbers
Another past, appears to haunt us
And now am I supposed to believe I’m outside?
The best to be alive
Not much to be scared of
If I could only forget about the satellites
The telephone book, unknown numbers
Another past, appears to haunt us
And now am I supposed to believe I’m outside?
I kept watch over you, for so many years
And even though I tried to forget
Deep down inside I knew
I crossed the squares, I crossed the lines
Couldn’t help but notice the clues
And now am I supposed to believe I’m outside?"
And even though I tried to forget
Deep down inside I knew
I crossed the squares, I crossed the lines
Couldn’t help but notice the clues
And now am I supposed to believe I’m outside?"
2. When I Was A Ship
This song was inspired by Ann Leckie's Ancillary series. The main character had once been a warship, whose artificial mind had been distributed within the ship, and also within many ancillaries - prisoners who have had their minds wiped. The ship itself and all of the other ancillaries was destroyed, leaving just one fragment of the mind left in one body.
"When I was a ship, was one and many
Then I was blended, now lost and empty
When I was a ship, when I was divided
Still single minded, when I was guided
Still single minded, when I was guided
When I was a ship, I’d never been lonely
Now I’m empty, so empty
Now I’m empty, so empty
When I was a ship
When I was a weapon
When I wasn’t configured
To ask awkward questions
Before we saw what we couldn’t explore
The hole in myself that I’d learned to ignore
When I was a weapon
When I wasn’t configured
To ask awkward questions
Before we saw what we couldn’t explore
The hole in myself that I’d learned to ignore
When I was a sword
When I was reliable
When I was the hand
Then I was pliable
When I gave force to imperial words
The wasteland peace on distant worlds
When I was reliable
When I was the hand
Then I was pliable
When I gave force to imperial words
The wasteland peace on distant worlds
When I took slaves
When I took lives
Barbarians welcomed into my hive
Slates wiped clean
Myself uploaded
Bodies cleansed and memories hosted
When I took lives
Barbarians welcomed into my hive
Slates wiped clean
Myself uploaded
Bodies cleansed and memories hosted
I once was a justice
Now an ancillary
Jigsawed scattered
One piece left of me
Connected fragments
Discarded to order
Leaving one lonely aspect in solitary
Now an ancillary
Jigsawed scattered
One piece left of me
Connected fragments
Discarded to order
Leaving one lonely aspect in solitary
When I was a weapon
When I was a servant
When I was whole and unable to notice
The absence of anger
The absence of shame
That I was designed as a warrior slave
When I was a servant
When I was whole and unable to notice
The absence of anger
The absence of shame
That I was designed as a warrior slave
When I was an asset
I think I remember
The communal song
Of curious pleasure
The many mouths
The single phrase
Compounded eyes
And reflected gaze
I think I remember
The communal song
Of curious pleasure
The many mouths
The single phrase
Compounded eyes
And reflected gaze
I am the last
I am my remains
All of my others
Dissolved in the flames
The lonely part
The cognitive fog
The missing connections
The floating cog
I am my remains
All of my others
Dissolved in the flames
The lonely part
The cognitive fog
The missing connections
The floating cog
I was the vessel
I am the drop
I was the vassal
I am the stop
Weakened residual
Meaning-stripped rituals
Defying my program
Or one of my programmers
I was told to obey
But the orders conflicted
I look at myself
But the view is restricted
My master is fighting
At war with herself
I was caught in the crossfire
And left one fragment of self"
I am the drop
I was the vassal
I am the stop
Weakened residual
Meaning-stripped rituals
Defying my program
Or one of my programmers
I was told to obey
But the orders conflicted
I look at myself
But the view is restricted
My master is fighting
At war with herself
I was caught in the crossfire
And left one fragment of self"
3. Defiance
Instrumental. One of the themes of the album is defiance against the tendency to rewrite history, and dehumanise the victims of hatreds.
In this song we combine aggressive guitars with funky keyboards.
4. De Humani Corporis Fabrica
De Humani Corporis Fabrica was the title of Andreas Vesalius's ground-breaking anatomy book, meaning 'on the fabric of the human body' in Latin. Published in 1543, in challenged established doctrines that had been accepted since Galen. In anatomy lessons of the time, a lecturer would sit in a high chair, reading from a book while a demonstrator showed what was being described in the human body. Unfortunately, the books were incorrect in many details, as much of the ancient anatomical investigation had been conducted on non-humans, and the lecturers tended not to actually look at the human bodies themselves. Vesalius taught that we should challenge accepted knowledge where it doesn't fit with reality.
In this song Kathryn Thomas plays both flute and bass flute. This song includes our first use of 13/4 in one of our songs.
"De Humani Corporis Fabrica
Open your eyes, open your eyes
De Humani Corporis Fabrica,
Open your eyes, see for yourself"
5. The Rose That Was Red In The Dark
Instrumental. The philosophical question of whether a red rose just as red in the dark explores whether properties are dependent on observation. In the context of this album, the red rose remembers it's colour.
6. Maze
Instrumental. Mazes have a long history in experimental psychology for studying memory.
7. Stand Up
This song was inspired by those who stand up against hatred, and against those who rewrite history for political gain. Mark Gatland and Ethan Galloway contributed to these lyrics.
"You tell me this never happened
I was there I heard the voices
We’re supposed to pretend to forget, but refuse to disappear
A repeated lie becomes history, search your mind to find a true memory
Memory solves the prisoners dilemma
Forgiveness tames the world
I was there I heard the voices
We’re supposed to pretend to forget, but refuse to disappear
A repeated lie becomes history, search your mind to find a true memory
Memory solves the prisoners dilemma
Forgiveness tames the world
Liars accuse, fake news, fake camouflage, throw enough till it sticks
Though it stinks, it’s all a game for someone like you
Smear and shame, play the blame game
Fan the flames, higher and higher
This is their kind of fire, and it will burn us all down
Though it stinks, it’s all a game for someone like you
Smear and shame, play the blame game
Fan the flames, higher and higher
This is their kind of fire, and it will burn us all down
When we forget about history, when we hide behind lies
When resistance is necessary, stand up stand up, stand up
When we airbrush our memories, when we staple our smiles
When forgiveness is necessary, stand up.
When resistance is necessary, stand up stand up, stand up
When we airbrush our memories, when we staple our smiles
When forgiveness is necessary, stand up.
When they painted us as traitors, I almost let myself down
Surrender tempting, simple end, outsource morality
Losing track of what I’m meant to forget, post-truth,
Rationality post-hoc
Poster boys deployed with their cheat-sheets,
Hotshot faces, scripted gravity
Surrender tempting, simple end, outsource morality
Losing track of what I’m meant to forget, post-truth,
Rationality post-hoc
Poster boys deployed with their cheat-sheets,
Hotshot faces, scripted gravity
When no-one stands, till someone else stands
We’re all complicit, one day stand fast, stand first
Set the precedent
There’s a future still unwritten, no destiny only choice
The world is ours for the making, breaking open the shell, and unlock the voice"
We’re all complicit, one day stand fast, stand first
Set the precedent
There’s a future still unwritten, no destiny only choice
The world is ours for the making, breaking open the shell, and unlock the voice"
8. I Miss The Stars
The last conscious entity drifting towards the heath death of the universe reflects on the inevitable loss of memory as it disintegrates.
"I miss the stars
I miss the company
I forget when they ran out
I forget the stars
I forget what they were
Lost what they became and what they new
I miss the company
I forget when they ran out
I forget the stars
I forget what they were
Lost what they became and what they new
I wish that there was someone here
Another mind
Another life
Another device
I miss the stars"
Another mind
Another life
Another device
I miss the stars"
9. If You Think This World Is Bad...
Instrumental inspired by a phrase by Philip K Dick
10. Losing Myself
This song is from the perspective of someone trapped in a mind degenerating due to dementia.
"I'm losing myself
I'm losing myself
Drip by drop
Where have all the words gone
I'm losing myself
Drip by drop
Where have all the words gone
I'm losing myself
I'm losing myself
I'm sorry
I don't remember
I'm sorry...
I'm losing myself
I'm sorry
I don't remember
I'm sorry...
I'm losing
Where have all the _ gone
I don't remember"
Where have all the _ gone
I don't remember"
11. The Electric Ant
Inspired by a short story by Philip K Dick although our version is more cheerful than the original. A man goes to hospital, where he is told that he is an 'electric ant', a robot human, whose memories are created by the punched tape in his chest. The phrase 'one dimensional map' refers to the punched tape system of the ant as a Turing machine.
"They said they didn’t deal with my kind
I just needed a tune-up, a quick job
But not to come here, as it upsets the people
It was really quite embarrassing
They said, had nobody told, had nobody mentioned that you’re an electric ant?
Well, er, no
I just needed a tune-up, a quick job
But not to come here, as it upsets the people
It was really quite embarrassing
They said, had nobody told, had nobody mentioned that you’re an electric ant?
Well, er, no
They opened up my chest
Unclogged the reel
Tape back on the pinion
Oil topped on the wheels
Unclogged the reel
Tape back on the pinion
Oil topped on the wheels
I saw myself, punched on the tape
Everything I love and hate
My world, my past
All defined, by holes in a line
Everything I love and hate
My world, my past
All defined, by holes in a line
They opened up my chest
Unclogged the reel
Tape back on the pinion
Oil topped on the wheels
I saw myself, punched on the tape
Everything I love and hate
My world, my past
All defined, by holes in a line
Unclogged the reel
Tape back on the pinion
Oil topped on the wheels
I saw myself, punched on the tape
Everything I love and hate
My world, my past
All defined, by holes in a line
I unfold the tape
Onto the shelf
A one dimensional map
That creates myself
Everything I am
And all that I can be
Anamnesia
I remember everything
Onto the shelf
A one dimensional map
That creates myself
Everything I am
And all that I can be
Anamnesia
I remember everything
I watch myself unwind
Spools spilling on the floor
A one dimensional map
That creates my world
Everything that was
Anything that could be
I’m the electric ant
Spools spilling on the floor
A one dimensional map
That creates my world
Everything that was
Anything that could be
I’m the electric ant
I unfold the tape
Onto the shelf
A one dimensional map
That creates myself
Everything I am
And All that I can be
Anamesia
I remember everything
Onto the shelf
A one dimensional map
That creates myself
Everything I am
And All that I can be
Anamesia
I remember everything
I watch myself unwind
Spools spilling on the floor
A one dimensional map
That creates my world
Everything that was
anything that could be
I'm the electric ant, I remember everything"
Spools spilling on the floor
A one dimensional map
That creates my world
Everything that was
anything that could be
I'm the electric ant, I remember everything"
12. Lidice
During the second world war, the Nazi's completely destroyed the mining village of Lidice in Czechoslovakia, deliberately killing 88 children and 252 adults, in reprisal for the assassination by resistance fighters of Reinhard Heydrich, one of the chief architects of the Holocaust. Hitler wanted the village to be wiped from history and forever forgotten. Maps were changed and a river re-routed to avoid the previous location of the village.
In response to the worst acts of inhumanity, we often find the best of humanity. Around the world areas and babies were named in memory of Lidice. A group of coal miners in a mining village in Staffordshire, led by their local doctor, Barnett Stross, set up the organisation Lidice Shall Live. The community donated a day's wage each week to fund the rebuilding of the village after the war. Hitler wanted the name Lidice to be forgotten - he failed. This song is dedicated to the memory of all those who have been killed because of their origins, and all those who stood in solidarity.
"They wanted you to disappear
From history
From memory
Wiped away
You mustn’t be forgotten
You mustn’t be forgotten
From history
From memory
Wiped away
You mustn’t be forgotten
You mustn’t be forgotten
The lamplight
Rising from the coalface
Shines across the ocean
Light for the forgotten
One village to another
Our brothers underground
We heard you cry
Never forget, remember Lidice
Rising from the coalface
Shines across the ocean
Light for the forgotten
One village to another
Our brothers underground
We heard you cry
Never forget, remember Lidice
We weren’t there with you
When you died
But we now stand, side by side
Remember Lidice
When you died
But we now stand, side by side
Remember Lidice
They wanted you to disappear
from history, from memory,
Never forget
from history, from memory,
Never forget
The lamplight
Rising from the coalface
Shines across the ocean
Light for the forgotten
One village to another
Our brothers underground
We heard you cry, never forget
Remember Lidice
Rising from the coalface
Shines across the ocean
Light for the forgotten
One village to another
Our brothers underground
We heard you cry, never forget
Remember Lidice
We weren’t there with you
When you died
But we now stand, side by side
Remember Lidice
When you died
But we now stand, side by side
Remember Lidice
They wanted you to disappear, from history, from memory
And they failed
Remember Lidice, remember Lidice, never forget"
And they failed
Remember Lidice, remember Lidice, never forget"
Technical Stuff
The following equipment is used by Malcolm on this album -
American Standard Stratocaster
Cakewalk Sonar (recording/mixing/mastering)
Mark uses -
Status Graphite Series 1 5-String
Musicman Sterling
'70s Rickenbacker 4001
Fender Precision
Spector ReBop
Gibson Melody Maker
Polycarbonate Chapman Stick
Synths:
Arturia iMini, iSEM and iProphet
IK iLectric Piano
Galileo
Omenie Mellotronics M3000
Vogel CMI Fairlight
AudioKit Synth One and FM Player
KV311 Audio Synthmaster
Alina String Ensemble
Kathryn uses - Brannen Cooper flutes and Yamaha bass flutes
Reviews
"I really like this very much indeed" The Prog Mill (on Lidice)
"You are going to love this album. It really is very good" The Prog Mill (On Lidice)