Music Spotlight: Arcane Atlas “Constellation Plus” Album

So some big news: Project Maganda is now officially one year old!!! I’m so thankful for everyone who has helped me keep this blog going. I really hope to continue with PM for many more years to come, and I hope that you all will continue to read as the blog grows and changes.

This music spotlight is a very special one to me. One of my best friends, Drew Brown, is the frontman and bassist for the modern progressive rock band Arcane Atlas, along with Eric Bezner on guitar and Destin Frost on drums. The band just came out with its first full length album, titled Constellation Plus.

I could not be prouder of these guys–the album is an amazing feat and such a work of art. The album sports intellectually compelling lyrics in tracks like “Estuary” and “Static Perception”, challenges traditional song structures and chord progressions in  songs such as “Ataraxia”, and features breathtaking guitar and bass solos in “Fellowship/Thought of Reason”, “In Motu Vero”, and “Once Tomorrow, Then Always”. There is such a variety of musical influences, and yet Arcane Atlas manages to create a sound all its own.

Each member of this three-piece band has his own special talent: Eric’s melodic writing is some of the most creative and inspiring content I have come across in years; Destin’s drumming is insanely tight and practically flawless in technique, all while keeping up with some of the craziest time signatures I’ve ever heard; and Drew’s lyrics and bass licks evoke such a strong passion for music that you can’t help but smile when you see him perform.

Seeing all the work my friends have put into the writing, rehearsing, recording, and production of this album absolutely blows my mind. I never truly understood just how difficult it is to put a project like this together, but now I can pinpoint the keys to its completion: talent, determination, and a great producer. Huge props to producer and guest guitarist Marcus Wanner for recording, mixing, and ultimately making the album, as it stands today, a possibility.

Constellation Plus is an album that makes people think, a trait sorely lacking in music today. I feel as though I learn something new every time I listen to it, whether it be noticing something in the music I hadn’t before or identifying with the lyrics in a new way and on a stronger, personal level. I strongly encourage you to invest a bit of your time into this album–I promise that you will find yourself emotionally invested in the band when you’re finished, just like me. If you really want to hear a true, raw, young passion for music, this is your album.

There’s nothing else I can say other than once again stress how proud and in awe I am of these guys. I truly, from the bottom of my heart, love them to death–not only as a band, but as individuals as well. They have proven to be some of the kindest, talented, and most inspiring young men I know, and I’m so glad I was able to become so close with them over this past summer.

Drew, Bez, Destin: I wish for great success for all of you as you pursue different paths in life. Let this album be a reminder of high school years, a platform for future musical endeavors, or an anthem to a major life shift for all three of you. Whatever it means to you, you’ll have that experience forever, and no one can take that away from you.

Again, I am so proud of you all and so grateful that you let me be a part of the experience. I’ll always remember it.

Much love,

Erin

***Constellation Plus is on sale in the iTunes store now***