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Swarm of Flies Post New Single “The Jaunt”

swarm of flies group jaunt

If the vibe of the second Swarm of Flies single strikes you as having a different vibe from the first, that’s at least in part because it’s also got something of a different lineup. While project-spearhead/guitarist Ken Wohlrob and bassist Davis Schlachter make a return — they’re bandmates in End of HopeWohlrob also fronts Eternal BlackSchlachter doubles (triples?) in Reign of Zaius — they’re joined by a Philadelphia contingent of Thunderbird Divine‘s Erik Caplan and Clamfight‘s Andy Martin.

It’s Martin to whom the vocal duties fall on “The Jaunt,” and he weaves a tale of sci-fi paranoia and conspiracy that’s only suited to whatever clever name history will someday give what we’re now calling “this moment” that we’re living through. It’s a spoken word piece, and the music behind is correspondingly atmospheric, which itself is a departure from the prior “Mine All Along” (posted here), but if the end-goal of Swarm of Flies is to create an album’s worth of collaborations, the Wohlrob and Schlachter serve a vital function in tying it all together.

But really, what’s a guy gotta do to get an invite to do a track, huh? Is it ‘sit here and be jealous?’ Because that I can do.

Here’s info and audio:

Swarm of Flies The Jaunt

Pandemic-project Swarm of Flies releases second single, “The Jaunt,” featuring members of Eternal Black, Clamfight, Thunderbird Divine, Reign of Zaius, and End of Hope.

A few words from Ken Wohlrob (Eternal Black, End of Hope):

Swarm of Flies is a collaborative musical project made up of musicians from well-established underground bands. The goal is to continue to release new music during the coronavirus pandemic. Our second single, “The Jaunt,” is now available as a name-your-price download on Bandcamp (swarmofflies.bandcamp.com) and is also available via online streaming services including Spotify and Apple Music.

The Song

As always, the S.O.F. lineup changes with each track. “The Jaunt,” features Andy Martin from Clamfight on vocals, Erik Caplan from Thunderbird Divine on guitar, drones, and harmonica, Davis Schlachter from Reign of Zaius and End of Hope on bass, synthesizer, and piano, and myself on guitar, Moog, and programming. This song is a strange one and the journey it went through from a somewhat minimalist dirge into a sort of space-rock epic speaks to the collaborative process. Erik is a flurry of creative ideas and threw so many layers at me that the challenge became finding the sonic bandwidth to make all the parts fit. The piano part added by Davis became an important counterpoint to all the electronic noise and his bassline anchors the whole thing in the Bad Seeds tradition. Andy had the idea for a spoken word part early on, but when we finally heard what he cooked up, we were stunned. It sets this dark tone and then builds to a great revelation. We handed it over to our good friend Joe Kelly, of Suburban Elvis Studios, to mix and master it, as well as add some additional percussion. It is a headphones song. You’ll keep hearing different layers every time you listen to it.

Comments from Erik:

“‘The Jaunt’ initially arrived as a sort of a puzzle challenge from Ken. The song is in an awkward key, and it’s in a janky time signature. It’s gloomy and moody. Once I figured out the progression, I had to figure out where I fit into the equation. This isn’t a song for guitar shredding, and it’s not a rocker or a doom jam. So I did a little Doors surf guitar and added some drone manipulations. I think the end result is simultaneously trippy, intense and organic.”

Comments from Andy:

“Lyrically, ‘The Jaunt’ was born of a collision between astrological alignments of Neolithic monuments, the Space Race during the Cold War, and the Repo Man soundtrack. The world we currently exist in is one that’s both isolated and unintentionally intimate. People are cut off from each other yet we can broadcast every moment of our lives to the those in our social circles. That made it easy to imagine being isolated from someone while having intimate access to their last moments.”

Who?

Here is a list of musicians who have participated in the Swarm of Flies project so far:
Andy Martin from Clamfight
Erik Caplan from Thunderbird Divine
Davis Schlachter from Reign of Zaius, Clothesline, and End of Hope
Earl Walker Lundy from Shadow Witch
David Richman from Witch Taint, St. Bastard, and End of Hope
Joe Kelly and Kol Marshall from Suburban Elvis Studios
And myself (if you don’t know who I am) from Eternal Black and End of Hope

https://swarmofflies.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/swarmoffliesband

Swarm of Flies, “The Jaunt”

Swarm of Flies, “Mine All Along”

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