Mad Myth Science - Mad Myth Science (2023) [Hi-Res]

Laughter erupts onto the scene like a mighty roar. Melodic riffs burst forth from the saxophone amid the lush tones of the vibraphone. The cello cuts across in thick, chocolatey slices, fading into a whisper at times. From out of the primordial darkness, a shapeshifting voice materializes, inviting us to partake in the ritual.

The stew simmers and they begin to appear. Creatures from the vivid imaginations of these pioneering musicians, crawl, flap, slither, and swim across the soundscape communicating with each other in electric jubilation.

Like plants unfurling their fingers for the first time to a welcoming sun, I am led into a deep state of meditation. Colors are summoned, molded into different forms with a spontaneity that is palpable and at times bewildering.

Suddenly I see these words flash across my mind: “a volcano does not ask for permission to erupt.” It is this life force, this natural momentum of the spirit that is being channeled through the instruments, chiseling out a newly imagined world with its own mythological genesis.

Chords clash in dissonant explosions in the sky and screams from deep within the earth rise like incense between each breath, each stroke, each line.

Darkness, whiteness. Forces deemed diametrically opposed, commingle in tempestuous dance. Hand in hand, leading each other towards unification. It is precisely at this junction, where the pull of these forces is at its peak, that Mad Myth Science has cultivated an extraordinary relationship based on a kinship that goes far beyond any individual ego.

I feel this intimate bond in the manner in which the narrative unfolds. It does so organically, each voice holding space for the other, at times amplifying each other, at times giving way. In this manner, though each sound exists as a distinct, autonomous, and valid proposition, there is also a level in which they exist as a single voice. The individual spirit cannot, however, be understated. Each decisive stroke of the mallet, each powerful breath running through every part of the saxophone, the calloused hands reaching and grasping for the woody notes of the cello, the vulnerably confident play of the voice, tells of the journey each artist has undertaken– their time spent in the state of "becoming".

Therefore, this work not only presents us with a creation of its own design, it also celebrates the very process of creation itself, a process that is inherent to our lived experience. Our own becoming.

There is also a call to freedom. By weaving a wide cast of diverse sounds together, Mad Myth Science clearly demonstrates that it is a freedom that we each have a hand in constructing, our mythological futures arising from each and every single voice coming together and coming apart.

—Joel Garcia

Molly Jones: saxophone, flute, toys
Julian Otis: voice, electronics
Wilson Tanner Smith: cello, harmonica, bells & whi

Tracklist:
1.01 - Mad Myth Science - We Instruments (4:09)
1.02 - Mad Myth Science - The World Spins On Its Axis (9:04)
1.03 - Mad Myth Science - When They See Us (Meditations) (11:30)
1.04 - Mad Myth Science - In The Weather Together (6:43)
1.05 - Mad Myth Science - Nourishment (5:59)
1.06 - Mad Myth Science - Freedom Is A Feeling (7:09)