The Interzone Mantras
Encyclopedia
The Interzone Mantras is the sixth album from Canadian rock
group The Tea Party
.
Named after William S. Burroughs
' book of short stories Interzone
and the band's interest in eastern mysticism and esoteric philosophies, the songwriting on The Interzone Mantras builds on the subtle electronica and ballads of Triptych, whilst returning to the familiar territory of their earlier albums with 70's rock and world music influences. Jeff Martin explained that the album was a return to basics:
Lyrically the album draws from the works of modern writers Aleister Crowley
, Mikhail Bulgakov
, Wim Wenders
, to ancient Greek mythology (Morpheus
on "Lullaby
"). The lyrics themselves written by Martin when holidaying in Prague
, after the music was written from jams in the band's rehearsal space.
The first 100,000 Canadian copies of The Interzone Mantras were packaged with a special lenticular
cover, with Alessandro Bavari's depiction of Shiva
moving depending on the viewing angle. Although not as commercially successful as previous albums, The Interzone Mantras is The Tea Party's highest charting album in Australia (debuting at #6 on the ARIA
chart) and is certified Gold in Canada. It was also nominated for "Rock Album of the Year" at the 2003 Juno Awards.
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
group The Tea Party
The Tea Party
The Tea Party is a Canadian rock band with blues, progressive rock, Indian and Middle Eastern influences, dubbed "Moroccan roll" by the media. Active throughout the 1990s up until 2005 when the band broke up, The Tea Party released eight albums on EMI Music Canada, selling 1.6 million records...
.
Named after William S. Burroughs
William S. Burroughs
William Seward Burroughs II was an American novelist, poet, essayist and spoken word performer. A primary figure of the Beat Generation and a major postmodernist author, he is considered to be "one of the most politically trenchant, culturally influential, and innovative artists of the 20th...
' book of short stories Interzone
Interzone (book)
Interzone is a collection of short stories and other early works by William S. Burroughs. The collection was first published by Viking Penguin in 1989, although several of the stories had already been printed elsewhere, including an earlier publication entitled Early Routines...
and the band's interest in eastern mysticism and esoteric philosophies, the songwriting on The Interzone Mantras builds on the subtle electronica and ballads of Triptych, whilst returning to the familiar territory of their earlier albums with 70's rock and world music influences. Jeff Martin explained that the album was a return to basics:
"The last two records, Transmission and Triptych, were very much creations of the studio - meticulously built. With this record we felt that we wanted to put a spark of passion underneath our asses.
"So many people have told us that we're this great live rock band, and I just wanted to see if, as producer, I could capture that on this record. I put us in a rehearsal space, the three of us, faced each other with just guitar, bass and drums - no toys - and, you know, 'let's Rock!'" The new approach fired the band up to such an extent that the album was recorded in just twenty days - "unheard of" for The Tea Party, Martin says.
Martin has special praise for drummer Jeff Burrows, who he proudly proclaims to be "THE best rock drummer going", and who did every drum track in one take.
Lyrically the album draws from the works of modern writers Aleister Crowley
Aleister Crowley
Aleister Crowley , born Edward Alexander Crowley, and also known as both Frater Perdurabo and The Great Beast, was an influential English occultist, astrologer, mystic and ceremonial magician, responsible for founding the religious philosophy of Thelema. He was also successful in various other...
, Mikhail Bulgakov
Mikhail Bulgakov
Mikhaíl Afanásyevich Bulgákov was a Soviet Russian writer and playwright active in the first half of the 20th century. He is best known for his novel The Master and Margarita, which The Times of London has called one of the masterpieces of the 20th century.-Biography:Mikhail Bulgakov was born on...
, Wim Wenders
Wim Wenders
Ernst Wilhelm "Wim" Wenders is a German film director, playwright, author, photographer and producer.-Early life:Wenders was born in Düsseldorf. He graduated from high school in Oberhausen in the Ruhr area. He then studied medicine and philosophy in Freiburg and Düsseldorf...
, to ancient Greek mythology (Morpheus
Morpheus (mythology)
Morpheus in Greek mythology is the god of dreams, leader of the Oneiroi. Morpheus has the ability to take any human form and appear in dreams...
on "Lullaby
Lullaby (The Tea Party song)
"Lullaby" is a song by Canadian rock band The Tea Party. It was released as a promotional single in Canada. The music video was shot in Toronto on 10 September 2001, under the direction of Don Allan and Miroslav Bazak."Lullaby" is a three-piece rock song....
"). The lyrics themselves written by Martin when holidaying in Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
, after the music was written from jams in the band's rehearsal space.
The first 100,000 Canadian copies of The Interzone Mantras were packaged with a special lenticular
Lenticular printing
Lenticular printing is a technology in which a lenticular lens is used to produce images with an illusion of depth, or the ability to change or move as the image is viewed from different angles...
cover, with Alessandro Bavari's depiction of Shiva
Shiva
Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...
moving depending on the viewing angle. Although not as commercially successful as previous albums, The Interzone Mantras is The Tea Party's highest charting album in Australia (debuting at #6 on the ARIA
Australian Recording Industry Association
The Australian Recording Industry Association is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry which was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers which was formed in 1956...
chart) and is certified Gold in Canada. It was also nominated for "Rock Album of the Year" at the 2003 Juno Awards.
Track listing
- "Interzone" – 3:39
- "Angels" – 4:54
- "The Master & Margarita" – 4:13
- "Apathy" – 3:55
- "SoulbreakingSoulbreaking"Soulbreaking" is a song by Canadian rock band The Tea Party. It was released as a charity single in Canada to assist the White Ribbon Campaign. The charity single was issued in standard and limited quantities, with 100% of the proceeds from the sale of the limited edition of 400 individually...
" – 4:45 - "LullabyLullaby (The Tea Party song)"Lullaby" is a song by Canadian rock band The Tea Party. It was released as a promotional single in Canada. The music video was shot in Toronto on 10 September 2001, under the direction of Don Allan and Miroslav Bazak."Lullaby" is a three-piece rock song....
" – 4:19 - "Must Must" – 3:59
- "White Water Siren" – 4:54
- "Cathartik" – 5:00
- "Dust to Gold" – 4:20
- "Requiem" – 4:30
- "Mantra" – 8:00
Credits
- Jeff MartinJeff Martin (Canadian musician)Jeffrey Scott Martin is a Canadian guitarist and singer-songwriter best known for fronting the rock band The Tea Party. Martin began his career as a solo artist in October 2005, when The Tea Party disbanded....
- production and recording - Nick Blagona and Don Hachey - engineering
- Recorded at Studio Morin Heights, (Morin Heights, Quebec) and Metalworks StudiosMetalworks StudiosMetalworks Studios is a music recording studio in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. It was established in 1978 by Gil Moore of the Canadian rock group Triumph.-Music Artists:*Alexisonfire*Adriana Lombardo*Jason Dawson*Kate Voegele*Demi Lovato*Fair to Midland...
, (Mississauga) - Jeff Martin and Nick Blagona - mixing at Metalworks Studios
- Nick Blagona - mastering at Metalworks Mastering
- Stuart ChatwoodStuart ChatwoodStuart Chatwood, is a Canadian musician, best known as the bass guitar and keyboard player for the rock band The Tea Party. The Tea Party are known for fusing together musical styles of both the Eastern and Western worlds, in what they call "Moroccan roll"...
- art direction - Alessandro Bavari - artwork
- Antonie Moonen - design
- David GiammarcoDavid GiammarcoDavid Giammarco is a Canadian-born television personality, actor, journalist, and author of the book For Your Eyes Only: Behind the Scenes of the James Bond Films.-Background:...
- Special Thanks
Guests
- Marc Oulette - string arrangements
- "Soulbreaking", "Requiem", "Mantra"
- Joanna Morin and Francois Pilon - 1st violins
- Élise Lavoie and Pascale Gagnon - 2nd violins
- Brian Bacon and Juie Dupras - Violas
- Vincent Bernard and Élisabeth Dubé - Cellos
- "Interzone", "The Master and Margarita"
- Muhammad Abdul Al Khabyyr - TromboneTromboneThe trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
- Jean-Pierre Zanetta - BaritoneBaritone saxophoneThe baritone saxophone, often called "bari sax" , is one of the largest and lowest pitched members of the saxophone family. It was invented by Adolphe Sax. The baritone is distinguished from smaller sizes of saxophone by the extra loop near its mouthpiece...
, TenorTenor saxophoneThe tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor, with the alto, are the two most common types of saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B, and written as a transposing instrument in the treble...
and Soprano saxophoneSoprano saxophoneThe soprano saxophone is a variety of the saxophone, a woodwind instrument, invented in 1840. The soprano is the third smallest member of the saxophone family, which consists of the soprillo, sopranino, soprano, alto, tenor, baritone, bass, contrabass and tubax.A transposing instrument pitched in... - Maxine St-Pierre - TrumpetTrumpetThe trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
- Francois D'Amours - Tenor and Alto saxophoneAlto saxophoneThe alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments invented by Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax in 1841. It is smaller than the tenor but larger than the soprano, and is the type most used in classical compositions...
- Muhammad Abdul Al Khabyyr - Trombone
- Paul Atkins - additional percussion on "Interzone", "The Master and Margarita", "Lullaby", and additional vocals and percussion on "Must Must"