Article by Ey@el and music & lyrics by EOB

Original en français

I don't know about you but I feel like we're sitting on the edge of a gigantic pressure canner about to blow... or implode anytime. Never mind, there's a big bang in the making, that's for sure. Whereas the energies of 2020 are supposed to promote pragmatism, accountability, solidarity and balance, given the current state of the human condition and the extent of the damage done to a great many of our disconnected peers, I have serious doubts about an alleged transition to a golden age. I assume it won't be for everyone. And I do not mean to sound elitist, arrogant or whatsoever, I'm just being realistic. It has nothing to do with your culture, your level of education, you social class, your age or you physical condition, but only with your commitment to do the necessary inner job that will impact the morphic field we're all steeped in. This is no abstract construction but a well-documented and proven scientific reality. Inevitably, it has been officially repressed and massively ridiculed because division and the delusion that all power resides on the outside are the building blocks of the current powers that be.

So no, love won't fall on us and turn us all into Beanie Babies as seen in the musical clip below, but the upcoming energies will certainly incite us to find it within ourselves and align our vibrations on its frequency (which is the highest on the vibratory scale). So, until we receive “new codes” from a possible incoming solar flash (see my previous post), I wanted to share with you the magic of this beautiful soulful, uplifting track which is all about reconnection and revelation. In French, magic sounds like soul operating. And you know what? It only takes two letters to turn music into magic (yes, that bloody 2 again, it's everywhere!). So here is the gem EOB granted us last month and which I have since been listening to in a loop every day, (eagerly) awaiting the release of his next single and forthcoming album (at long last) that should come out very shortly.

Brasil

This bad dream has got me
Falling like... I'm falling like...
It's in me and it's in you.

As above and so below
Falling like... I'm falling like...
How much more of this to take
To see you smile and laugh again?
But you can't.

Feeling like I'm on my knees,
Darling, darling can't you see.
I think I know
That it's time to go.

But there's no way home,
The flame is gone.
It's over now
No one to blame, no.
And there's no fear now
But you know...

Eden days,
Golden nights
Spent with you :
I love you.

And I feel the love falling,
Feel the love again...

And I feel the love falling,
Feel the love again...

And I feel the love falling,
Feel the love again...

And I feel the love falling,
Feel the love again...

© Ed O'Brien, 2019

About this song

EOB, as previously mentioned (see Related articles), is Ed O'Brien, the second last member of Radiohead to embark on a solo career besides his activities with the band — Colin Greenwood (who actually plays bass on this track) has not taken the leap yet.

“‘Brasil’ is a state of mind, not a place or time” says Ed. For him, it all started at the end of his tour with Radiohead in 2012 when he and his family moved out to Brasil.

“We had a truly profound experience living in that extraordinary country, made new connections with people and places, and happened to go to Carnaval in Rio in 2013. Truly the greatest show on Earth: an explosion of light, melody, rhythm and love. For me, one of those musical eureka moments. As our time out there came to an end, we headed home and I found myself intuitively heading for the Welsh Hills. With a copy of Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass, a couple of guitars, an amp, and some pedals (of course), I rented a cottage in the Cambrian Mountains and the songs that make up the album started to flow out.”

“At this time I also happened to come across Carl Sagan's beautiful words which accompany that iconic photo of the Earth, known as the Pale Blue Dot. Check them out if you don't know them. Truly words for our times.”

Unsurprisingly, this two-in-one song, which starts as a folk ballad before shifting into some sort of rhythmic trance induced by Colin Greenwood's ubiquitous bass over clear-ringing guitars and synths, is all about unconditional love. And the pictures of Andrew Donoho, who confesses Radiohead is the reason why he gravitated towards directing music videos, really add an extra dimension to this nearly 9-minute track — a rather unusual length for a single.

Lovecraft, Kubrick, and Junji Ito are amongst Ed O'Brien's favourite sci-fi authors, but unike his bandmate Thom Yorke, whose experimental album Anima depicts the quite murky atmosphere of his nightmares, he's always wanted to “to reinterpret their horrific premises into a more poetic and optimistic notion.”

“‘Brasil’ was one of those tracks just dripping with magic from the very beginning,” recalls Andrew Donoho. “Everything started clicking very quickly. Empathy, togetherness, wonder, spirituality, and exploration resonated from the song and the references, and I wanted to write a large scope, otherworldly concept weighted in humanity. Ed and I both shared a love of space and the abstract concepts surrounding time, so I started building a narrative around transcending the physical barriers of our bodies and the temporal barriers of linear experience.”

“What if an alien or higher being were to come to earth to help us achieve a greater existence, and not to destroy us? What would it look like if everyone on earth shared thoughts, experiences, and actions?” asks Ed. “The theory that humans, as a species, actually represent one large, singular organism has always fascinated me, and I wanted to explore that concept visually through a variety of different character perspectives, mediums, and impressionistic visual effects. All these layers and ideas culminated into our narrative for ‘Brasil.’”

Those of you who have been following me for a long time and probably start to know me well by now may certainly understand why I was so eager to share this with you at the start of this new year. Clearly, there will always be someone to call him an old 50-something high-flying hippie. Well, as John Lennon would sing:

I may be a dreamer
But I'm not the only one.
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one.

 "Imagine", John Lennon (1971)

Ey@el