A mix of influences and an occasional flurry of sounds. With this debut album, Ian Bennett tried to take his love of many varying styles and musical elements, and create an album that he wanted to hear. The result is a unique blend of sounds that is sometimes difficult to classify into a single genre. You will be hard pressed to find another album that sounds just like this one, yet there is a familiarity that comes from its tracks. Ian describes himself as primarily a bass player who enjoys trying to create unique and original compositions that marry intellectual stimulation with something that you can feel and connect to on an emotional level. He plays all of the instruments on this album, as well as handled all of the recording and engineering duties. He is quoted as saying "If there's anything that sucks with this album, than you can blame it all on me". The album comes out punching with "Backward", featuring heavy hitting lead guitar rock that blends into electronic tones, that crescendos into an almost Pink Floyd-like calm. The end result puts your head in a blender. It is one of the most jaunting, experimental, and risky tracks on the album. With lyrics like "Fear and Comfort, Control and Relinquish" - the words overlay the musical tension and the journey for balance. But it sets a tone for the album and makes a statement - you aren't going to anticipate what's around every corner, but if you're willing to go along for the ride, it's going to reward you. "Forward" gets you right back into things, with a driving, funky groove. It's almost like Tool and Stevie Wonder hooked up to make a song. For those of you more musically inclined, this song features multiple time signature changes, but doesn't make them obvious or in the forefront of the song. The key thing always seems to be about where the song is going and less about highlighting technical achievements. This song features one of the most emotional and haunting sections of the album, once you hit its somber mid-point. "ErrorEncoding" deals with the struggles of living two lives, a futuristic look at the complications of being a double agent. When the person that you're programmed to be and the person you want to be end up in dire conflict - this is what can happen. "Slam Pig" is an epic. It's heavy riff rock finding its way to Post-Rock tones and infused with a modern, electronic flare, in some places almost having a classical dance-y feel. The story being told deals with some very serious and edgy themes. In its essence, it's a cautionary tale. But there is a depth to the way the story is told, it unfolds as a mystery. This song is worth riding out. "Reflection" is placed in a way that its name implies. The ambient tune gives pause for all of the events and themes that have come before it. It gives you time to ponder the pieces and the picture that the album is putting together. "SomethingSomethingSomething" is one of the most straight forward songs on the album. It's a driving electronic beat, with classical elements on top. The ghost like leads also leave way for the repeating vocals. The song is a search for the answers and like many other things in life, the answers might not be readily available. "Urgency" is placed as almost the -hit- track of the album. It's electronic rock, with an almost 90's feel. The moral of this song is that there is a cause and effect. There's always change. There are repercussions for actions or inactions alike. "Escape Key" leads the album out. The song feels like you're wandering through the final stages of a video game. The only question is if you can find what you need to make it out safely? I don't want to give all of the details of the album away. I left some things vague on purpose. You SHOULD be surprised when you listen to it. You should form your own conclusions on what each song on the album ultimately means and what the greater message is to take away from it. Even if you don't like to think too much about your music, there should be something for you to take away here. The songs stand by themselves. Many of the tunes have a dream-like quality to them and it's easy to just got taken away by them. You can work, drive, write - really do anything you want to them - or really sit down and study them. You should pick up this album and pay attention to more things coming from Ian Bennett. Ian lists some of the influences you might hear in this album: Tool, Radiohead, Meshuggah, A Perfect Circle, Opeth, Jaco Pastorius, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Jojo Mayer & Nerve, If These Trees Could Talk, Sigur Ros, Alice In Chains, Sufjan Stevens,This Will Destroy You, Tower of Power, Thrice, Charles Mingus, Imogen Heap, Crystal Castles, Justice, The Meters, Mogwai, MuteMath, Jeff Beck, Beck, Dave Holland, John Coltrane ---- Hey, So, this album took me a while to finish. I know some people were anticipating it and I apologize for the long wait. I live a busy life, balancing my work as a software engineer with trying to create music. The work side has a tendency to win out over other things. But, the advantage of that was that I think the album came out much better than it could have if I finished it quickly. I was able to take the time and really let these songs have a life of their own. I think the wait will have been worth it. I'm not going to say much more, other than I hope that you enjoy this album. I really had a lot of fun writing and recording. This was something I loved doing. That in itself is the reward, it's just a bonus if anyone else enjoys it. I do, however, want to thank my father, Joe Bennett for influencing so much of my musical life. Growing up, listening to him play guitar and write songs in his bands, was a great experience. He owned a small recording study that I used to get to sit in on sessions with him. I picked up so much just from being there. I wouldn't be the man I am today without him - or my mother for that fact. But, beyond that, he also helped give me some review on early mixes of the album that really helped make them sound more polished. Also a quick shout out to Jon Blanck. If you haven't heard Jon, you need to. He is one of THE BEST saxophonists and all around musicians there is. He's a great guy to work with. He's the first person to ever pay me for my music. He gave me some fresh ears and great feedback on early mixes. He deserves all the success in the world, so go and look him up. Then there are other people and events that influenced the contents of this album, but you should already know who you are. Much thanks to everyone, everything always finds a way of working out. Thank you again :). -Ian