Nexus Soundtrack
Artist: Sola-Mi (Derek Webb, Latifah Phillips, Josh Moore)
Label: SOLA-MI
Release Date: June 5, 2012
Duration: 9 tracks, 27:19
Unique and unusual combinations often fail, sometimes
blossom into something new. When the
later occur the outcome is occasionally unusually beautiful. Such is the case with ‘Nexus’, the offspring
of three unique and unusual Nashville talents.
Derek Webb (a unique artist of CCM background and past Caedmon’s Call
band member known for pushing the limits of his genre), Josh Moore (composer,
producer, past member of Caedmon’s Call among other bands), and Latifah
Phillips (lead singer of The Autumn Film and Page CXVI) have joined their
considerable talents to provide this offering known as Nexus, a presumed soundtrack
to a movie of the same name, under the band name of Sola-Mi.
Under much speculation, many have reported that the movie
Nexus and band name of Sola-Mi are fronts for a new and different musical
offering. The mystery surrounding both Nexus the movie and Sola-Mi the band has
been bantered about on the web. Indeed,
finding anything on the movie Nexus by Solomon Mentes or any information on
Solomon Mentes are difficult and shady at best.
Interestingly, when broken down:
- Solomon – a song of David,
10th century B.C. king of Israel, proverbial for his
wisdom, Solominian – wise or
reasonable in character
- Mentes -
Latin, a mind, is the complex of cognitive faculties that
enables consciousness, thinking, reasoning, perception, and judgment - a
characteristic of human beings, but which also may apply to other life
forms.
- Sola-mi – Sola - by
oneself; alone. Mi – Latin- my| mine the 3d tone of the
diatonic scale in solmization – origin, Medieval Latin, from the
syllable sung to this note in a medieval hymn to St. John the Baptist
- Nexus - a means of
connection; tie; link, a connected series or group, the core or center, as
of a matter or situation.
Just to add to the chaos of speculation, we might introduce
the thought that:
- Solomon Mentes refers to a
wise and reasonable mind
- Solo-Mi refers to one
being alone / lonely
- Nexus refers linking
Solomon Mentes and Solo-Mi together.
After carefully listening to the message in back of the song
collection, a story connects this inference of man’s mind growing to the point
of loneliness due to losing individuality and breaking out to the freedom each
of us serves as a unique and loving individual.
Similar in feel and sensation to ‘Metropolis’, the 1927 German expressionist science-fiction
film directed by Fritz Lang, Nexus creates a mental image of the future
where human kind has been reduced to emotionless, robotic-like meanderings and
loss of individualism. In total, the
composition provides an example where the person breaks out of the common mold
to find their individualism.
Sequentially, each component of
this collection builds the story of the lonely, disenfranchised human condition
brought on by technology and its impact on community. Beginning with “Keynote”, a vocal sampling of
old and new science narrative regarding
artificial intelligence ending in a cacophony of like voices, the stage is set.
“Mother Mother” questions this reality, opening with solid percussion encasing
a melody much like a Cirque du Solei song.
The listener will immediately give notice to terrific vocals by Phillips.
In three
parts, “The Naming” continues this thought of the hollowness creating
robotic-like perfection in artificial intelligence. The instrumental musically colors:
“Degustation” (the action or an instance of tasting especially in a series
of small portions) with fast pace electronic samplings
“Certificate” (certified for selection) with paced
instrumentation
“Selection”
(act of being selected) a focused, slower paced contribution
Phillips
vocals again stand up on “Crowd Of Silent Strangers” telling a story of
emptiness with ‘meaningless, this meaning is
so meaningless, feelingless, this feeling is so meaningless without you’. Her soft, easily digested vocals are underlined
by fuzzed electronica in background setting an emotional plateau. This emotion
continues with “The Blessing Of Being Bloodless”, with like vocals,
’…apocryphal world without end…’ picturing vague remembrances of human kind.
Hope
begins its glimmer at the end of the tunnel with “Trust Falling” depicting the
journey from robotic like existence back to human joy with “I am letting go of
everything, I am opening my mouth to sing, to the space, till I will till this
place, I am in awe’. Finally, “Silver
Grizzly” explodes with the feeling of being uniquely alive, awake and full of
life.
Nexus bravely explores new musical ground with resounding
success provoking new and powerful emotions through song. The combination of
talent and melding of direction is truly worth a listen or two or many. Like
Pink Floyd before it, please listen to the whole album in headphones without
distraction, it is worth the time spent to hear the entire offering. Rumor has
is that Sola-Mi will open for Derek Web this fall during his CTRL tour for his
album of the same name – check it out!
So, the question remains! Is this really a soundtrack to
movie? Is there really a movie? Is there really a Solomon Mentes? Interestingly,
I had the opportunity to interview both Derek Webb and his wife Sandra
McCracken prior to one of their summer concerts this year (see my related
interview in this edition of Phantom Tollbooth). When I mentioned Sola-Mi and
Nexus along with the mystery and stirrings of the web they both made immediate
eye contact sharing wry smiles. Could there be something to my speculation!
Scott S Mertens
4 tocks
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