01 The Imperial March
02 The Hostmen of Tyne
03 Full Spectrum Dominance
04 The Territorial Imperative
05 The Regulator Plot
06 The Great Unconscious
07 The Wonderful Wizard of Ounce
08 The World Without Us
09 The Feminine Void
10 The Neuroses of Nostalgia
March 2008, in one of the most unusual events in contemporary
music history, notable electronic/alternative musician David
Thrussell is commissioned by DARPA (the Defense Advanced
Research Projects Agency -- a funding body of the U.S Government
and the Pentagon) to produce a recording that reflects the
ideals and reality of Vision 2020, a futuristic military
strategy program that first saw the light of day in May of 2000.
The design was twofold, says DARPA media liaison Thomas Steel,
to deliver to the men and women working in some of the
PentagonÆs most challenging fields an inspiring soundtrack to
their daily working lives, but also to present to the general
public information and a view hitherto unconsidered of some of
the lesser known branches of our military.
Working with a sizeable budget and unprecedented access to
defense installations and personnel, Thrussell took over a year
to complete the project and wove many field recordings as well
as the sounds of sensitive hardware and technology into the
final product. One of the greatest thrills for me, says
Thrussell, was setting up a full P.A. inside one of the ICBM
silos at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California to run and record
the final mix on the title track Full Spectrum Dominance -- room
ambience and all! Incorporated also are actual recordings of top
secret military activities in the upper ionosphere generated
from the HAARP base in Gakona, Alaska, If I told you what they
were up to there, not only would you not believe me, but IÆd
still have to shoot you!, chimes in Thrussell with a wry smile.
Asked if he sees any conflict between his latest project and his
past stance as a sometimes critic of government and military
activities Thrussell is quick to retort, No, not at all. I see
my role first as a musical journalist -- to present the
information -- there's plenty of time for editorialising later.
And..., he continues enthusiastically, I've even invented my own
sub-genre to describe the albumÆs unique, crunchy, downbeat
sound -- Grave-step.... He smiles another beatific smile without
the faintest trace of irony.
The project, comprised as it is of both motivational tunes and
immersive soundscapes, has already been deemed a success by the
personnel at Vandenberg, if play counts on iPods and over the
base address system are anything to go by. The DARPA Arts
Liaison Fund is proud to present the new Black Lung album Full
Spectrum Dominance...
"Full spectrum dominance" sounds more like black lung than any
previous record: a unique and powerful mixture of electro
textures perforated by sudden breaks and lashing aural
outbursts. pounding synthetic and acoustic beats carry a heavy
load of variety ranging from clicks'n'cuts, cinematic
soundscapes and dub-oriented sub basses up to complex sequential
patterns qualified for any kind of motion.
>>DOWNLOAD : Full Spectrum Dominance
