"Cardiac Compass (Path to Preservation)" ("I've Been Thinking..." Thought Process Series 1/12)

"THOUGHT PROCESS" series (behind the tracks of "I've Been Thinking...")

Hey AllOne Family!!
INSANELY  EXCITED TO ANNOUNCE:  My latest full length album, “I've Been Thinking...” released on the Savannah based label DopeSandwich Records and Tapes May 3^rd is a collection of concepts and narratives that I've written over the last few years featuring instrumental contributions from coast to coast and outside of the country as well (From Alexa Dexa, Tommy Beets, Tony Mahoney, Sik Sense, Drip 'N' Drive, Wise 1, NoOne Music, Hi-Q of  Kill The Inventors (remember our collaboration "Dystopiates"?), . Looking over the collection I'd opine that it is some of my finest work to date (one would hope). What have you been thinking? Over 12 days I'll be releasing a behind-the-music sort of blurb for each track I'm calling the "Thought Process Series"! If there are any questions or comments regarding the songs please submit them and I'll do my best to answer and fulfill them! I hope this series is of interest and that the music does something for you!

Track 1: “Cardiac Compass (Path To Preservation)”

     Onto the track opener!  This song has a rather interesting past. The lyrics came from the cutting room floor of a collaboration with my friends Dyslexia and Sik Sense for a song called “Preservation of Man”. (Here's a song that DID make it to the public ear... click here to listen to “Warm Love”). 

     The lyrics began to formulate as I was walking on a cool weekend night through the sidewalks littered with belligerent crowds of partying people on the town of Patchogue on the south shore of Long Island. I began freestyling in my solitary wanderings (as I often do). That turned into me walking with my nose in a notepad and scribbling down the lyrics that eventually grew into this song. When I came up with the concept of doing this record, I knew that I wanted to revitalize these lyrics somehow because I was proud of them and felt they represented a lot of both universal macro issues/observations and personal micro concerns of mine. My talented multi-instrumentalist/producer friend Austin Sandick aka Drip N Drive had worked with me on another unreleased song and while he was in town he asked if I wanted to work on a song with him, as he was eager to get some vocals on production he had been working on. Austin showed me some loops he was working on and obviously this was one that drew me, one he called "Life Aquatic".  I rifled through my lyrics and decided these were fitting for the vibe. I decidedly “book-ended” this long verse with the chorus//refrain and we composed and recorded it in his room over the course of two sessions.   He added the little guitar solo at the end at some point to break things up, and Frank Bones mastered the track. As for a fun fact, I recorded the opening vocals on my Iphone through a small coffee pot for an analog lo-fi effect! 

Why the first track?

Discovering the right track-order for this album was unprecedentedly difficult, but I knew from the get-go that this song would most likely be the opening track. For me, this song represents a lot of the themes on the album and being it's wordplay heavy/ literary reference laden approach, I felt it also served as sort of a blood-relative transition from my last full length LP 2012's, “The Inevitable Effort” (I even make a reference to my mentality being influenced by a few darker authors that I referenced a lot on that album/during that time).  This song also introduces a lot of topics that come up across the album so I thought it was an appropriate lead-in.

What are you talking about?!

 Some of those aforementioned topics include: my concern with the brevity of time, my dedication to my craft, my ever-present insistent mantra of reminding everyone that they are to fulfill their own personal legend (as the wonderful author, Paulo Coehllo calls it in his must-read book, “The Alchemist”) as well as admitting my struggle with cynicism as I age and vowing to do my best to steer my mentality and that of those I encounter into a more positive space because, if anything I know I/we need that, whether desperately hoping or doubting. Knowing that we have so little time should be a spur to get us focused on doing what we love and affecting others productively with it. 

     Thank you for reading and listening. You'll never live this specific present day again... I'm grateful you took some of this precious, fleeting day to read this and listen to my song! 

 Take flight with me towards your dreams with me here: 

Www.allonevoice.bandcamp.com/track/cardiac-compass-path-to-preservation  

Return tomorrow for a run down of the second track "Zoom In (There's Life Here)"!!
All'ways yours,
-Bruce "AllOne" Pandolfo

Bonus Blurb:  "Between The Lines" (Links to the references)

I often weave  many references to books I read, people I've learned about or films I've watched into my lyrics.  In addition to this showing the influences of mine and being a fun way to cleverly carve new meanings into the titles and authors and performers whose work I've enjoyed, it is mostly an attempt to expose those who listen to my music to media that I've been inspired by in hopes that you may pursue them and will get something out the art that I've taken in. Here are links to a few people/things I reference in this song.  Enjoy!!

J.D. Salinger - "Catcher In The Rye"
Stephen King (aka Richard Bachman)
H.P. Lovecraft's "Herbert West: Reanimator"
Paul Coehllo - The Alchemist
Richard Bach - Jonathon Livingston Seagull
Hermann Hesse - Siddhartha
Isaac Asimov - Fantastic Voyage
Jules Verne - 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea
Kurt Vonnegut