“...Can you hear the angular melodic twists?” “That’s what death sounds like, I know... It’s like a leitmotif; it keeps coming back to my mind.” The musical motifs that run throughout this entire album represent several core themes of humanity’s journey as observed through the eyes of our main character, Teaston; the most persistent motif being that for Death. It is laid plain in the track, “I Know What Death Sounds Like,” but also weaves its way throughout The Olive Woman and Lucio’s themes in “Faces in Foam,” as they must face death in their own ways. This persistent theme makes appearances as well in “The Elusive Everyman and Her Majesty” -- the track representing, in musical allegory, Teaston’s struggle with the Whiteness, when his thoughts are chaotic and disjointed, and simply will not leave him be. Thus, a host of distinct motifs from across the entire album make their appearances in this track, one on top of the other, vying for attention until they at last culminate into the blinding whiteness of white noise. “Phillipy [also] is Fragmented,” as can be heard clearly in this track: the rhythms fit with clockwork precision (hear Phillipy “knock three times”), and musical phrases lead meticulously from one thought to the next. However, in the end, Phillipy cannot escape the call of the Cliff, and, with a wistful sigh from the strings, he succumbs to the foam below. “Sweet Camila” remains Teaston’s one light of hope and strength, and, accordingly, her theme is enduringly innocent and carefree. However, when Teaston reaches the end of his patience with life’s idiosyncrasies, “Solitude’s Hypocrisy” takes the themes of Phillipy and Camila -- two of Teaston’s most meaningful companions -- and weaves them into a solemn lament, for, as Teaston grieves, “The ever-shifting world throws me into a lonely corner when I need someone. And when I crave solitude, my skull lets everybody into my mind.” “Born of Everyman” expresses the search for oneself, and it is not until Teaston merges with the water in “ I Am Water” that he finds wholeness at last. This special, “Existential Edition” features a quality remastering of tracks 1, 3, 4, 7, and 9 by Devoye Folkes, as well as the rerecording of tracks 2, 5, and 6. **Purchase the novel and accompanying artwork on Amazon!** Lyrics for Lucio’s Song in “Faces in Foam”: Alma Redemptoris Mater, quae pervia caeli Porta manes, et stella maris, succurre cadenti, Surgere qui curat, populo: peccatorum miserere. (Translation:) Sweet Mother of the Redeemer, the passage to the heavens, The gate of the spirits of the dead, and the star of the sea, aid the falling. Mother of Him who cares for the people, have pity on us sinners. Lyrics for “Born of Everyman”: “Born of Everyman, I am No-one; Yes, I’m No-one. Fluid, I am All; And I’m Nothing, I am lost among the Foam. Can I know who I am? Shadows covered by the White... I cease to exist; our faces become None. Born of Everyman, I am No-one; Yes, I’m No-one. Sinking, I am All; Yet I’m Nothing, Peeling layers of my soul away. ...Fire helps us to forget.... I am Everyman, and I’m No-one; Yes, I’m No-one. Light shines in my brain; Ever, will I? I’m a Book without a Name.... Can I know who I am?” Thank you to all of the following who made this album possible: VIOLIN 1 Brett Bird Christina Burbano-Jeffrey Lynne Cuneo Lisa Grzanka Darrell Peries (concertmaster) Lainey Elizabeth White VIOLIN 2 Joshua LeMaster Erin Lysne Kat Mieding James Taylor (principal) VIOLA Cathy Alonzo (principal) Riley Ormiston Sharon A. Ray Ryan Villahermosa Preston Yamasaki CELLO Darren Chang Jenna Ford (principal) Anne Sherrill BASS John Hester Dennis McNutt Jay Rubottom (principal) PERCUSSION Kevin Brown Keith Buerger (principal) Mark Converse Ayla Draper Lippencott RECORDING, MIXING, & ENGINEERING Mauricio Gasca Tracks 1, 3, 4, 7, and 9 recorded on location at The Master’s University in Santa Clarita, CA. Tracks 5 and 6 were recorded in the greater Los Angeles area.