400 LONELY THINGS presents: "The Sentimentalist"

 I am beyond happy to finally get to share the great news that the album "The Sentimentalist" by acclaimed drone/sound artist  400 LONELY THINGS is in production and coming soon!

  This album is a collaboration of sorts between myself and Craig Varian, the human behind the 400LT project.

As you might have seen in an earlier post, when Craig and I first connected after I discovered his wonderful sound art musique, we found a shared love for obscure genre cinema, art, music, and many other subjects. He became enamored with one of my older drawings of a fellow known as "the Sentimentalist", and asked to use it for an album he was working on at the time; since the drawing was not only gone to a buyer I cannot remember, but also (in my eyes) not good enough for his project, I redrew it for him. As our friendship grew, and our correspondence evolved, what was originally going to simply be a drawing commission for an album cover mutated into a monolithic audiovisual collaboration spanning 5 illustrations and over an hour of  masterful, musical soundscapes.

(Note: I did not collaborate AT ALL with the musical aspect of this project. The magic on this album is all Craig. I just move the pens around on paper...)

It has been a couple of years since Craig and I first discussed combining our art, and a lot has happened: moves, jobs, other art projects, albums released on prominent European labels, cats, floods, sociocultural catastrophes...through it all, Craig and I have become close friends, and my life has definitely been enriched by his presence in it. If you're out there, thank you, Craig!

Before I start blathering about my drawings and other selfish things, I would be remiss not to advise you to check out 400lonelythings.bandcamp.com if you have any interest in sound art of the longform, introspective, textural variety. Pick any album and win. In my opinion, this is the best music to draw to.

With that...

 the Sentimentalist

the Concourse of Lesser Fevers

                                                   the Ascent to the Beacon at the Threshold

                                                              Meeting the Intelligence

                                                            All Good Things at Longlast

All drawings are 8"x8". There is a linear narrative here that echoes the traditional "hero's quest", but there are lots of secrets and side stories and lost pets and friends in there, too. I am beyond humbled and honored to be part of this project. 

The album is a magnificent 70+ minutes long, and will be available exclusively in CD form with a 6 panel booklet. The release date coincides with my art reception (more on that later) at Flicker Gallery in Athens, Georgia on November 25, where copies will be available for purchase. If interested in obtaining a copy but unable to attend the exhibit, contact me at spidermountain9@gmail.com