Two Headed Emperor with Alessandro Monti - We're Not On The Moon Yet (Double CD)
SKU:
£15.00
£15.00
per item
DISC 1
01 Ghost Valley Boots
02 Curvy Birthday Song
03 Village Hall Slideshow
04 A Cascade Of Weightlifters
05 The Creeping Picnic Disaster
06 Sailor Mouth
07 Snake Snack
08 Shining On The Sea
09 No Aim
10 Slow Hysteria Roses
11 Tango Cargo
12 Troubled Man On A Bicycle
13 Hello Lovely
14 Perfect Boss Dance
DISC 2
15 A Handful Of Lizards
16 Nameless Souls
17 Hum Drummer Plumber
18 Magical Minimalist
19 Phantom Man
20 The Tragedy Of Many Man
21 Taken To The Cleaners
22 Up And Down The Elevator
23 Il Fume Sa Pipe
24 Any Questions
25 For The End
In early 2023, musical visionaries Barry Lamb and Peter Ashby of Two Headed Emperor joined forces with the mastermind behind Unfolk, Alessandro Monti, to create a truly unique project in the world of musical improvisation.
Using a groundbreaking approach, each musician created stems that were placed into 25 numbered folders, every folder with its own unique theme but without specific instructions on instrumentation, mood, timbre, texture or structure. From there, they individually created 25 tracks using at least one stem from each musician within each folder, and named them without any further direction from each other. The result is three sets of 25 tracks made from the same ingredients, each with its own identity, but intrinsically connected.
Now, the world gets to experience this unprecedented collaboration with the release of two versions of the album. Two Headed Emperor presents the English version of the album, "We Are Not On The Moon Yet", featuring Peter Ashby's vision of the tracks under Barry Lamb's project direction. Meanwhile, the Italian version of the album is released under the name Alessandro Monti and Two Headed Emperor's. This album is entirely made up of Alessandro's vision of the tracks.
But the collaboration doesn't stop there. Another version of the album is in progress, this time through the lens of Chris Cutler, known for his work with Henry Cow, Art Bears, News from Babel, Pere Ubu, Gong/Mothergong, and The Residents. The project showcases that unity is not uniformity, with each release having its own life but birthed from the same seeds.
"We Are Not On The Moon Yet" is a groundbreaking album that challenges the traditional boundaries of music and brings together three masterful musicians in a unified collaboration. It's a unique statement that gives each project its own identity while highlighting their connection and the artistry of the musicians involved.
"We entertained a number of different ideas about how to present this selection of tracks. There was no easy solution. We ended up with 75 tracks plus a couple of afterthought pieces. If you have been around the world of two Headed Emperor for any length of time you will know that we think of each project in terms of old school vinyl LP or EP length. The shortest set clocked in at a double LP with bonus EP (think Stevie Wonder "Songs In The Key Of Life"), to piece them altogether would cover at least a 4 album boxed set.
We pursued the idea of the best possible 45 minute LP length version and we all felt that to be an impossible task. The 25 tracks each seemed to a follow an interesting sequence despite the randomness in which some of the stems were distributed to the folders. In the end we opted to release two sets of mixes. Pete's collection most closely carried the hallmarks of a Two Headed Emperor album since it was not that far removed to the way we usually work on a project Alessandro's mixes offered a really interesting different perspective and atmosphere and we felt that these two double albums (plus) should be immediately released. My mixes, Chris Cutlers selection and some other remnants from the sessions will appear at a later date."
- Barry Lamb, April 2023
Using a groundbreaking approach, each musician created stems that were placed into 25 numbered folders, every folder with its own unique theme but without specific instructions on instrumentation, mood, timbre, texture or structure. From there, they individually created 25 tracks using at least one stem from each musician within each folder, and named them without any further direction from each other. The result is three sets of 25 tracks made from the same ingredients, each with its own identity, but intrinsically connected.
Now, the world gets to experience this unprecedented collaboration with the release of two versions of the album. Two Headed Emperor presents the English version of the album, "We Are Not On The Moon Yet", featuring Peter Ashby's vision of the tracks under Barry Lamb's project direction. Meanwhile, the Italian version of the album is released under the name Alessandro Monti and Two Headed Emperor's. This album is entirely made up of Alessandro's vision of the tracks.
But the collaboration doesn't stop there. Another version of the album is in progress, this time through the lens of Chris Cutler, known for his work with Henry Cow, Art Bears, News from Babel, Pere Ubu, Gong/Mothergong, and The Residents. The project showcases that unity is not uniformity, with each release having its own life but birthed from the same seeds.
"We Are Not On The Moon Yet" is a groundbreaking album that challenges the traditional boundaries of music and brings together three masterful musicians in a unified collaboration. It's a unique statement that gives each project its own identity while highlighting their connection and the artistry of the musicians involved.
"We entertained a number of different ideas about how to present this selection of tracks. There was no easy solution. We ended up with 75 tracks plus a couple of afterthought pieces. If you have been around the world of two Headed Emperor for any length of time you will know that we think of each project in terms of old school vinyl LP or EP length. The shortest set clocked in at a double LP with bonus EP (think Stevie Wonder "Songs In The Key Of Life"), to piece them altogether would cover at least a 4 album boxed set.
We pursued the idea of the best possible 45 minute LP length version and we all felt that to be an impossible task. The 25 tracks each seemed to a follow an interesting sequence despite the randomness in which some of the stems were distributed to the folders. In the end we opted to release two sets of mixes. Pete's collection most closely carried the hallmarks of a Two Headed Emperor album since it was not that far removed to the way we usually work on a project Alessandro's mixes offered a really interesting different perspective and atmosphere and we felt that these two double albums (plus) should be immediately released. My mixes, Chris Cutlers selection and some other remnants from the sessions will appear at a later date."
- Barry Lamb, April 2023
Two Headed Emperor And Alessandro Monti – We’re Not On The Moon Yet!
This masterwork is a collaboration between British Progressive/Artrock band Two Headed Emperor and Venetian Indie artist Alessandro Monti. Although the kitchen sink is not present on these recordings, I am pleased to inform you that Peter Ashby’s washing machine on spin is. The broad array of natural sounds, musical instruments and goodness knows what else on this album is mind boggling, fronted as ever by the thought provoking and amazing vocals of Barry Lamb. Listening to this three pronged collaboration of a band is like discovering Neptune’s trident on the moon. A fish out of water as it were but perfectly placed in a dreamlike landscape.
The CD artwork reminds me of the covers of the mid 20th Century Astounding Stories Magazines which is indeed
apt as there are so many astounding sounds on this work of art. This is a double CD helping of challenging, yet heart warming ambience, grooves and sonic explorations. This kind of thing is food for the soul as far as I am concerned. It is a departure from the previous Two Headed Emperor albums and yet it is still very much connected by a silver
compositional chord to the poetically astral progressive music that this band creates; Otherworldly, imaginative, inventive, determined, and a treat for the ears. There are many beautiful and intriguing moments and the conjuring of lyrical imagery on wonderful songs like "Nameless Souls", a thing of beauty and an essential addition to your
music collection if you like real music.
This is new and follows no fads, something so sadly lacking in a lot of such derivative, rehashed musical output these days. We’re Not On The Moon Yet! is truly a breath of fresh air, art for art’s sake with the best of intentions. Like a voyage of discovery, this album opens up the more you hear it. Like so much of Two Headed Emperor’s work, the more you hear this album, the more you hear in it. Excellent production and guitar work from Peter Ashby, this music doesn’t have a category, it just is. Originality is the key word here. These three musicians work so very
well together, creating a superbly atmospheric sound and I eagerly await their next release.
Tim Jones – June 2023
This masterwork is a collaboration between British Progressive/Artrock band Two Headed Emperor and Venetian Indie artist Alessandro Monti. Although the kitchen sink is not present on these recordings, I am pleased to inform you that Peter Ashby’s washing machine on spin is. The broad array of natural sounds, musical instruments and goodness knows what else on this album is mind boggling, fronted as ever by the thought provoking and amazing vocals of Barry Lamb. Listening to this three pronged collaboration of a band is like discovering Neptune’s trident on the moon. A fish out of water as it were but perfectly placed in a dreamlike landscape.
The CD artwork reminds me of the covers of the mid 20th Century Astounding Stories Magazines which is indeed
apt as there are so many astounding sounds on this work of art. This is a double CD helping of challenging, yet heart warming ambience, grooves and sonic explorations. This kind of thing is food for the soul as far as I am concerned. It is a departure from the previous Two Headed Emperor albums and yet it is still very much connected by a silver
compositional chord to the poetically astral progressive music that this band creates; Otherworldly, imaginative, inventive, determined, and a treat for the ears. There are many beautiful and intriguing moments and the conjuring of lyrical imagery on wonderful songs like "Nameless Souls", a thing of beauty and an essential addition to your
music collection if you like real music.
This is new and follows no fads, something so sadly lacking in a lot of such derivative, rehashed musical output these days. We’re Not On The Moon Yet! is truly a breath of fresh air, art for art’s sake with the best of intentions. Like a voyage of discovery, this album opens up the more you hear it. Like so much of Two Headed Emperor’s work, the more you hear this album, the more you hear in it. Excellent production and guitar work from Peter Ashby, this music doesn’t have a category, it just is. Originality is the key word here. These three musicians work so very
well together, creating a superbly atmospheric sound and I eagerly await their next release.
Tim Jones – June 2023