Meemo Comma Unveils Fifth Album 'Decimation Of I'
A Cinematic Exploration of Alien Landscapes and Ego Death Set Against the Backdrop of Global Climate Disasters
Brighton-based electronic musician Meemo Comma is set to release their fifth album, 'Decimation Of I,' a project deeply inspired by the Strugatsky brothers' 1971 science fiction novel, Roadside Picnic. The novel, famously adapted into the Russian cult classic film Stalker by Andrei Tarkovsky, serves as a foundation for this album's exploration of surreal landscapes and profound existential themes.
The album was conceived against the backdrop of escalating global climate disasters, where the environment is rapidly becoming less hospitable, and powerful nations engage in acts of occupation and genocide. This modern-day context parallels the haunting themes of Roadside Picnic, where a select group of characters navigates a land forever altered by extraterrestrial visitors. Though the aliens themselves are never seen, their presence is felt through the mysterious artifacts they leave behind, turning the environment into a character in its own right—a place where the boundaries between Earth and alien worlds blur, prompting deep introspection on humanity's role in the face of overwhelming change.
Meemo Comma’s album begins with the ethereal flutes in 'They, spoke,' and progresses through the disorienting electronic soundscapes of 'The Soldier,' leading into the Terry Riley-inspired clarinets in 'The Poet.' These tracks, marked by intertwining synth organ drones, nod to the 1970s electronica of Wendy Carlos and Eduard Artemyev. Tracks like 'P3Alpha Exotoxin' and 'Area X' incorporate Bach-like melodies, drawing listeners into primal, noise-laden undercurrents. The disintegrating melodies reflect humanity's gradual dissolution, revealing profound, incomprehensible truths.
As the album reaches its emotional midpoint with 'Spectral Alignment,' listeners are transported to a hazy prairie landscape at dawn. The French horn, woodwinds, spatial arpeggios, and warm drones evoke an emotional pause as soldiers awake in the dewy morning of an alien world, unaware of the last remnants of their humanity.
The album culminates with 'As It Is Written,' inspired by the final sentence of Roadside Picnic: "HAPPINESS FOR EVERYBODY, FREE, AND MAY NO ONE BE LEFT BEHIND!" This closing track challenges listeners to reflect on whether the characters' total annihilation of self is a product of homeland propaganda or the awakening of their own autonomy in the battle against a foreign land and its inhabitants.
'Decimation Of I' is not just an album; it's a sonic journey through alien terrains and the psyche, a reflection on the human condition amid environmental collapse and existential crises.
