No Words

Half Hour photo

Who are you?

Cast of Characters:
xian3-- @xian3 – Christian -- vocals and lyrics
Holger Engel—bass, seed idea
J.J. Terrell-- @j-j-terrell—JJ-- electric piano, synth
mistermark-- @user-432503709 -- Mark-- electric piano
Llanpsych-- @llanpsych -- mix, and production
K2 and the Three [and the Four]--@k2andthe3, @k2-kara –Ken–drums
Entheogenic Psychonaught (Josh Clary)-- @josh-clary-1 – guitar and four-string fretless bass
 
This song began with Christian's friend Holger Engel coming up with a melodic bass line and sharing it with him to use as a seed stem for a project. Having collaborated successfully with him before, Christian thought of Josh and decided to pass it along to him to see what he could build with it. Josh was excited to work on another of Holger's creations. His bass line was in a high octave on the instrument, so Josh added a similar, complimentary bass line on the low octave to give it some heft. He invited Ken onto the project, and after doing their little rhythm section give and take, Ken laid down some powerful, yet tasteful drums. Mark was brought in next, and added some very fitting, wonderfully melodic electric piano, which he added in the choruses. Josh also asked JJ to add some electric piano to the verses and synth to the whole thing, which he did in a very mind-bending syncopated way. Josh then added some guitar to the high end to thicken things up a bit.
  We then sent the finished product back to Christian to add his thoughtful, inspired lyrics and signature vocals to his song. This is what Christian had to say about how the lyrics came about. 
  "[Being an avid reader], I came along the sentence, 'We write and make art to show our wounds to the world,' reading an interview with Paul Auster (1947-2024). He died earlier this year, yet his novels are legendary. There was talk about creativity, manifoldness and what the personality consists of. 
  "I can’t remember where that interview was and basically I wrote the lyrics around this sentence attributed to him. 
  "I quote another writer, Goethe (1749-1832), with a famous quotation from "Faust,“ 'Two souls, Alas, housed in my breast...' That points in the right thematic direction in my opinion.
For sure the lyrics also contain other layers of meanings, much more personal…
I am also happy about the title of the song 'We Are Many'. I think Tez came up with it. I was unsure for very long, what’s the name of that song… :)"
  After we had it in the bag, we asked mix-master Tez to produce and mix it, so what you hear is also his creative vision for the project. We hope you enjoy listening to this as much as we enjoyed creating it.
 
Original "We Are Many" lyrics by Xian:

1
To me it seems very obviously
That my I is not a unity
Rather a bunch of personalities
I got a problem with multiplicities

ref
We write and make „art“ 
To show our wounds to the world
We write and make „art“ …

2
I am no self-contained identity
Cut off by other possibilities
No border guards set up at the boundary
Enforce the claim to exclusivity

ref
We write and make „art“ 
To show our wounds to the world
We write and make „art“…
„I“ writes and makes „art“
To heal the wounds of the heart

3
„Two souls, alas, housed in my breast…“
We hope, that if we do confess
To get rid of this fallacy
And collect the splits of personality

ref
We write and make „art“ 
To show our wounds to the world
I write and make „art“
To heal the wounds of my heart

out
There is
A consolation in round things
There is
A consolation in round things 
A consolation in round things
Oh, ohh,
„I“, „I“,
Oh…

We Are Many (Eclectic Collective with Xian3 and Holger Engel)

Recorded in Modesto, Ca.  Featuring Gibson 335 Guitar solo. Alto Saxophone solo. Vibraphone solo. Steinway Brothers Acoustic Piano Rhythm. Vibraphone Background, Rhythm. Godin Acoustic Nylon Guitar Rhythm. Acoustic standup Bass. Drums Full kit Acoustic drum set. Percussion Tambourine, Cowbell, Ago go bells, 22" Zildjan Ride & Crash Cymbal.

Cannery Row

Pacific Grove

Sparkle

ANARS ! Le sentier obscur

Little Flower

Latin Night Coffee

Lifeline

[Verse 1]
These paper walls
Yeah, they cave and fall
I’m tryna keep my lungs still
I never say I need help
My heartbeat’s in my skull
Feels like my chest is full
Always tryna save myself
But I’m running out of runway now

[Pre‑Chorus]
‘Cause it’s too late… yeah, I feel it coming on now

[Chorus]
Is this the end?
Time’s up  goodbye, my friend
Look at me now, I’m high in the clouds
Crash‑land again, God, what a shame to choke it all out
Is this… is this the end?

[Verse 2]
It hits me harder every time
I’m slipping through the hourglass line
Would you breathe easier if I just didn’t climb back?
There’s too much weight in my past
The room is tilting, I’m seeing red
How’d I quit drinking just to black out in my own head?
The door’s dead‑bolted, no way in
I’ll lock it tighter ‘fore I ever let you in

[Pre‑Chorus]
‘Cause it’s too late… yeah, I feel it coming on now

[Chorus]
Is this the end?
Time’s up  goodbye, my friend
Look at me now, I’m high in the clouds
Crash‑land again, God, what a shame to choke it all out
Is this… is this the end?

goodbye

Celestial Tides-music for a film

Sparkle

Omnisedan