06 The First Trip Backwards

This album is one-half of a music-text experience. The music is here; the text is at www.mikemonsoon.com. Collectively, they form a psychedelic, horror-tinged, time-traveling musical puzzle that tells the story of a man facing a reality-shattering question: If you could go back and change things, would you…or did you? The more you listen, the more you read, the more you discover. Come and explore the joy–and occasional horror–of creativity.
 
Reviews:
 
“In a cultural moment when attention spans are among the scarcest of natural resources, Mike Monsoon's Song Journal doesn't just demand your focus — it earns it … However it is that you're drawn into this storytelling matrix, the Song Journal keeps you hooked as you jump from chapter to song, year to year, clue to clue. It's an ingenious package of narrative elements ...” --Neil Janowitz, Editor, Vulture.com
 
“Captivates with sly winks and homages to classic rock operas. The songs vacillate between straight-ahead, 3-minute verse/chorus/bridge pop and more adventurous compositions that use imaginative arrangements in service of longer and more complex narratives … shades of Queen, The Beach Boys, Pink Floyd, The Clash, The Rolling Stones, David Bowie, The Who, Phish, and The Flaming Lips ... rife with intriguing layers … the fun is putting the pieces together." -- Lorne Berman, Rolling Stone
 
“An oasis of great songwriting and unique production work woven into a concept record that is truly unforgettable.” -- Mike White, founder, MPG Music Production School