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Totalis

by C.W. Franz

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about

This piece has its genesis in an unaccompanied spoken album by my friend and sometime collaborator Naythen. After hearing his work, which was filled with so much beauty and humor, pain and torment, I realized I hadn't written a long experimental poem in some time. The poem at the center of this took shape in about fifteen minutes, with a couple minutes revision spent later that day. It reminds me of Joyce in its allusions and Ginsberg in its personal scope. I used two takes; the second one I was able to read it all the way through and replaced some words of the original poem on the fly. I like the way they sounded. From 4/13 to 4/15 I worked on the musical accompaniment, built around the harmonies of canto a tenore, throat singing from Sardinia. I first heard this style on Instagram of all places. I will credit the group in the description. Very rarely does a performance knock me out completely, but canto a tenore is just utterly breathtaking to listen to. There's a synth on it based on the mathematical approach to composition of Iannis Xenakis, tremolo cello that Messiaen would like, improvised Rileyesque passages on a digital synth's "modeled" version of a clavichord, and much more. I don't think I would've been able to do this at any other time in my musical career. It is a singular achievement, coming from someone who doesn't like to brag about his work. Listen.

lyrics

I have lost mounds of my flesh in between the loved and damned pshah pisgah was the name of ancient text closed to Christ we have all been swindleraped by doom and fools sycophants if Man not so haughty the Fall was it to seek and know not confident of either but my right hand in my mull ludes my multitudes they walk and I love and the can’t express catharsis off THC and gentleness taught by a spore daemonic in allegory (10), imagined (60 mg antihistamine vitamins) and real (E V I L) unimaged to be human unimaged to be godless and trite why are you so stubborn, can you not see the pyre that you have made of memoriessins unrepentant even to noGod true self rustic environs caromed innocence wish could access more old chant didactical’66 fire truck genius halting friendship blurred with time Sodden trollop male make so I rust purple paragraph in no sentience the conflagration has no name repetition bears no face are you sleeping Jacques are you dreaming can’t get dreams to wet spot anymore digital hire, foam insulation hole in thy side the purple flower any flower contains all seven Semitic sentences similar the same though bird’s eyes din expect ex-pant slowly green slip haughty August dress regal bound to the wind somewhere bound to the wind somewhere inside a lattice of love divinity proclaimed finely to all fair and two but one man but one man but one but one but unum patris est and pater besides loosed in language let loose with nothing let me be still for eight hours and the coremittant pleasure in the name of Grace I pray, miss muse relocated, impact profound minimal and come back to center now that’s it ok stop are feel it everything and the rumble of perpetuity dearest T, R, L and L, A, Isabelle and Daisy racked on my shore of rock conscience all must be healed, αμήν, αμήν, αμήν, maker of Forms, eternal colossus we desire build. All must be healed, love must re-mane and remain, all must be healed, balance of stream, equanimity and thought, action too. αμήν to the wind, αμήν near kindness one day before realize remember wrinkle feel smooth blanket not like wisdom of her though, to the ineffable, αμήν. And so it goes and so it goes, to infinity and through infinity. To the ineffable, αμήν.

credits

released April 15, 2024
C.W. Franz:
vocals, keyboards, sampling, Paulstretching, mixing, production

Tenore Supramonte Orgulloso:
singing

Tenore Supramonte Orgulloso is:

Franco Davoli (Vohe)
Guiseppe Paulis (Hontra)
Salvatore Floris (Bassu)
Antonio Garippa (Mesu Vohe)

Cover art is "The Opening of the Fifth Seal" (1608-1614), by El Greco

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about

C.W. Franz Chicago, Illinois

Enterprising poet with a strange taste in music. Butchering everything from folk to musique concrete or something.

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