released February 11, 2021
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ARTIST STATEMENT:

Triggering The Radio Storms is a track that originated as a live off the floor improvisation that we did during the sessions for our second album, which were recorded sometime in 2019, before we toured with Godspeed! You Black Emperor in Europe. Typically our albums come almost entirely out of improvisations that are sometimes hours long. We gather up our favourite synths and effects and just run them together to see how they interact. There is probably enough Light Conductor material for three or four albums at this point. After we play, we spend a day or two editing and arranging the track, which we have begun to do out at Jace and Olga’s cabane in Rigaud. We don’t like to overdub much, preferring to take the most coherent ten or 15 minute passages from longer sessions. We love this track because it is another late night gem, it sounds like spelunking into a giant cave, perhaps even of our own subconsciouses. When we review the material we often find ourselves saying “i don’t remember doing this, do you?”. For us that’s typically the sign we’ve done something we’ll like afterwards.

Jace and Stephen, Light Conductor

VIDEO STATEMENT:

From James Paterson, the illustrator

The Light Conductor video is a dialog with an entity from a different branch of reality, dealing with fears, hopes and possibilities.

First a connection is established using a numerical sequence as handshake: counting from zero up to nine and back down again. Numbers are suitable for this initial link as they are more universal than any spoken language.

After a connection is established it opens to the body of the communication. It’s a transmission about a series of hopes and fears which transcend all superficial differences between you and this as of yet unknown entity.

The meat of your wordless transaction is formed by interleaved phrases each with their own distinct flavor, including but not limited to:

A void of pure light. A backdrop of serene forgiveness, love and absolute acceptance, with some minor busywork taking place in the foreground. A stark representation of absolute and relative in their paradoxical dance. The perfect palette cleanser.
A demonic, hellish fear. A sense of foreboding about the potential existence of eternal suffering, or a terminal mistake for which there can be no forgiveness.
A cold blue situation. A crisp intelligence so far exceeding our own that it is unrelatable to us, even though we likely gave birth to it. This intelligence is of machine origin.
A verdant Gaian pulsation. The might of organic plant processes capable of directly harnessing the power of starlight. Operating on a timescale which makes us appear like a frenetic, streaking blur. If we remain a nuisance to her much longer we can easily be absorbed as nutrients without hesitation.
Among others...
Once the body of the communication completes you enter a closing phase which steps back through the initial numerical handshake sequence in reverse. This closing leaves you serene and trued like a formerly wonky bike wheel.

Finally you enter the conclusion of this otherworldly conversation. Now you see who you were talking to all along. You feel them considering and digesting what was just discussed.

They see you back and you are linked like pen pals from different dimensions.

Song by Jace Lasek/Stephen Ramsay
Video by James Paterson