Spectra is an album exploring the spectrum of joy that we feel. Mainly split into two parts, it is also an experiment on marching-pace music as well as more band-based music. A mix of the old and new, Spectra remixes some familiar melodies from my previous works but also includes some new tunes.
Created over several months in FL Studio, I am proud to present this album as the best set of music that I have made yet. I hope you'll like them.
The final album is primarily available on Bandcamp.
Tracks
There are two parts to the tracks in Spectra. The first part is called "In The Open" and the second is called "Behind Closed Doors". An intermission piece, Lightning Alert, separates the two parts.
Bandcamp
Together we stand
Along with the changing winds
United as one
Serving as the introduction to the album, March of the Changing Winds is a military band inspired piece that provides a powerful entrance with its melody and lyrics.
Bandcamp
Join us in this song
Championing this worthy cause
Believing in dreams
Our Common Dream is a nice follow-up to March of the Changing Winds, using the same pacing of a marching band/military band song. A reimagining of Gateway from Dreams, the addition of the marching percussion infuses it with more gusto and melody than done previously.
Bandcamp
Symbols of our pride
Flying high above the crowd
For all our honour
Representation matters when we seek to express ourselves. Drapeaux Flottants' cheerful melody reminds us all to respect the symbols that represent us and our honour.
Bandcamp
Sacrifice plenty
To obtain our happiness
A worthy trade?
Pour Notre Bonheur serves as a reminder of our mission and our sacrifices; to carry on as who we are and to embrace the truth. The purposeful backing of the track mixed with the melodic strings drives forward the passion we have, while the ending is a stark reminder of those we lost.
Bandcamp
To bury in sound
Evade any suspicion
Your truth cannot show
Steganographic Septure takes a step back from the positivity of the previous tracks and expresses sorrow for those who have passed on. Its mournful melody masks messages meant mostly for those who can decipher them.
Bandcamp
Recollect their names
With reverence and respect
We lay them to rest
Taking inspiration from the first half of Awakening in Dreams, Remembrance follows up from Steganographic Sepulture with a slither of hope within its soundscape. Its more cheery tunes as compared to Remembrance reflects the hope for the future as we lay the past to rest.
Bandcamp
Seek any shelter!
Get out of any danger!
Hide safely inside!
Lightning Alert serves as the experimental intermission piece between the two halves of the album. With the thunderstorm fast approaching, it serves as a reminder to hide when danger approaches.
Bandcamp
Some of our secrets
Of which we are scared to show
Shall remain hidden
Leading the second half of the album, Mystères Sombres incorporates leitmotifs from Sergei Prokofiev's Dance of the Knights to invoke vastness and grandeur while still leaving room for a sadder side to take over.
Bandcamp
What was done outside
Is when we hide our true selves
Welcome, it begins
Winds of Change is a piano-led piece that references the feeling of being in the open in the first half. The simple instrumentation also calls into question how much hope we should have for the future of the different spectra of joy.
Bandcamp
Foreshadowing
Before the event begins
A façade to show
The waltz of Exordium prefaces the real event in Chasing Maxima. The slow dance invoked by the tempo hints at the excitement that follows the melody of the waltz, while hiding its true purpose from those unaware.
Bandcamp
Seeking soaring heights
Pursuing our ambitions
Chasing Maxima calls in the main ideas of Nightmare in Dreams to evoke the feelings when we succumb to temptation. It is enjoyable, but consequences must be borne.
Bandcamp
Everything we do
Has consequences to bear
Worth our happiness?
A remastering of Hidden Secrets from 7125, the melancholic melody of Ergebnisse serves as a stark reminder of the consequences one has when pursuing joy. Long lasting effects after the short burst of elation linger in the back of our minds.
Bandcamp
Our kind, being shunned
Overlooked, overshadowed
But we are still there
We Exist is a melancholic piece expressing the hope that an often shunned and forgotten part of society still exists. It is an updating of Gout Nimoc from 7125 with the sounds and tools available in FL Studio, and I am happy that We Exist has its intended soundscape.
Bandcamp
Those before helped us
We work for those yet to come
For our future peers!
Again taking inspiration from Awakening in Dreams, the more band-based instrumentation of Vers Notre Avenir, along with its faster tempo, shines a light on how we should strive for our future.
Bandcamp
Be proud of yourself
Despite traits to be hidden
Accept who you are
Cette Fierté Cachée is the final track of Spectra. Featuring melodic guitar tunes with tempered piano tunes, this track serves as a fitting farewell to the album with its slow pace and calming melody.
All in all, finishing Spectra is one of my proudest moments. Creating 15 tracks in time for June is really no easy feat for me, and I am just proud to be able to accomplish it in time and be able to create an opus that I will look back fondly on.