s h u n b a n a l i t y
Bellatrix
Released: April 2022 · Length: 54:29
This 10th collection of alternative instrumental music in the vein of isthmian goth hop, named after the shiny blue star in the constellation of Orion, or is it after the latin word for ‘female warrior’, or is it yet after one of the parental nicknames of a certain young lady, features fourteen pieces that couldn’t be more discrete from each other, while staying true to Arcachata's elemental sounds, themes, and arrangement styles.
-A.S.
"‘2021 Seasons’ prepares the listener for an unsettling ride. The vehicle is a tiny piano melody that strives to survive its own repetition throughout the eight-minute opener. It’s changing moods like there’s no tomorrow, going from jazz to rock/metal-ish and from there, to wherever Arcachata feels like exploring. This whole process of one thing changing forms endlessly is the epitome of experimental in the making. Like trying to learn the laws of Alchemy."
-The Music Sanctum
Read the full review here.
Featuring "2021 Seasons"
An imagination of a year in the life of a contemporary man in any of the world's many liberal democracies.
Featuring "Alhulumuqahron"
Loosely translated to English as "The Dream is Compelling”, Alhulumuqahron is a reminder to stay true to ideals – within the bounds that insulate those ideas from tampering with those of others – throughout the voyage of life. The song features variations of a scale also featured on “The Doll Incidentals: A Slippery Slope”, which drives the piece forward.
Featuring "Stemming From Hummed"
“Stemming From Hummed” is perhaps the lightest track on the album. Featuring some electronic sounds, a heartfelt trumpet solo and an easy beat. And no humming.
Featuring "Jefe de condestables Tsewang Paljor, parte 1: Ascenso y muerte"
On May 10, 1996, three officers of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police, Tsewang Samanla, Dorje Morup, and Tsewang Paljor, were part of a six-man expedition to reach the summit of Mount Everest. Delayed and facing a storm, the three decided to disregard orders and press on while the rest of the team turned back. Around 18:00 the climbers radioed their expedition leader back at base camp to inform that they had reached the summit. While credited with summiting, whether they actually reached the summit or not is to this date debated.
These two songs wouldn’t exist if not for the irony surrounding the perishment of one of the climbers, Tsewang Paljor. The irony is that Paljor became famous not in life but in death and simply because of the fact that his lifeless, frozen body, which no person or entity cared to remove from the side of the trail for at least 19 years, ended up becoming a landmark and reference point to climbers, his humanity reduced to an almost comical nickname stemming from the mountaineering boots on his feet and their bright yellowish-green color. A Google search today of the keywords “Tsewang” and “Paljor” brings up, as the first result, a Wikipedia article entitled not “Tsewang Paljor”, but “Green Boots”.
“Jefe de condestables Tsewang Paljor, parte 1: Ascenso y muerte” is my reflection on Paljor’s resolve to climb, then the climb itself, then the summiting (or the thinking they had summited), and finally the descent and the exhaustion, confusion, and acceptance of defeat that probably came with it and the probable realization of impending death that frozen night as he lay curled up on his side, donning his brightly-colored mountaineering apparel, under a crevasse at the side of the climbers’ trail at 28,000 feet.
“Jefe de condestables Tsewang Paljor, parte 2: Fiesta en Leh” is an imagination of a summer day that Tsewang could have enjoyed as a young adult in his hometown’s capital, Leh, with friends and perhaps one or two love interests at hand. An experience he might have remembered about during those few final minutes of his life.
-A.S.
"‘Jefe de Condestables Tsewang Paljor, parte 1: Ascenso y muerte’ gives off a folk-ish aura like the soundtrack of a fairy tale. There is not much experimentation or abstraction here but a clear image of a story being told through music instead."