from the label: "Stelzer got the ball rolling on this old school transatlantic collab with the sounds of kids playing, some bass guitar and dozens upon dozens of layered cassette tapes played outdoors and in hallways. A pile of stuff from unrelated or subconsciously-related sources, hung together by crossed fingers and willpower which he then sent to Campbell in the wilds of West Yorkshire who proceeded to add electronics, guitar and percussion. The resulting, almost hour long piece, is a Rorschach rumble that will keep yr gravy wet for the foreseeable."

* * *

I wrote a piece of music out of the sounds of children playing, some bass guitar, some outdoor ambience... wanted some pleasant upbeat tunes as the season changed, y'know. I think the working title for this was "Summer Song". When it was was completed, I followed my usual editorial procedure: let the thing sit for awhile, then return to it with fresh ears only once I'd forgotten precisely what I'd done. Months passed as I allowed my mind to wander back to "real life"... job, family, groceries, other music projects and so on. After a suitable interval, it was time to review "Summer Song". And... well, it was okay! I still liked it, sure... it still sounded like what I'd wanted it to be... and yet, something was missing. Hmm. I kept on listening to, trying to place exactly what it needed to become complete.

Turns out, the thing that was missing was not a thing at all, but a person: Neil Campbell! It's a widely known fact that anyone with working ears and good taste will be a huge fan of Neil Campbell. That's obvious. In fact, children should be given Astral Social Club CDRs starting in the lower grades, and "Boomerang Is Love" once they're in middle school. Required listening. So I sent "Summer Song" to Neil and gave him my take on it: I liked the piece, but something's missing... and asked him if he'd finish the music.

And did he ever! Mr. Campbell kept my overall structure and component sounds in place, but added layers of guitar and whatever-it-is-he-does, buoying some bits with additional sonic color and complementary textures. It turned out beautifully. But the overall tone shifted somewhat, so it wasn't a Summer song anymore... it was a brand new baby. Our Crowning Achievement. See us wearing crowns in the picture? Neil had a crown already, but mine is drawn on. It still counts.

Someone once asked me if this album was, indeed, my "crowning achievement". I replied that it was unquestionably the greatest music that Neil Campbell and I ever created together.

- HS
Ashburnham, MA 2020