John Carpenter Has Both a New Album and Live Shows Scheduled
He may not have directed any films in a while, but John Carpenter is sure as hell keeping busy. He’s currently working on a new album titled Lost Themes II, which can be pre-ordered via iTunes, but he’s also got some live shows planned in both the UK and Iceland. Full details can be found below.
From the Press Release:
On Halloween 2014, the director and composer John Carpenter introduced the world to the next phase of his career with “Vortex,” the first single from Lost Themes, his first-ever album of non-soundtrack material. In the months that followed, Lost Themes rightfully returned Carpenter to the forefront of the discussion of music and film’s crucial intersection. Carpenter’s foundational primacy and lasting influence on genre score work was both rediscovered and reaffirmed. Lost Themes was also a milemarker in its label’s catalog, being one of the best selling albums in Sacred Bones’ eight-year history. So widespread was the acclaim for Lost Themes that the composer was moved to embark on something he had never before entertained – playing his music live in front of an audience.
Today, Carpenter announces a sequel to Lost Themes: Lost Themes II, which is due for release on April 15th via Sacred Bones. He also announces his first ever live shows at Primavera Sound, ATP Iceland, Manchester’s Albert Hall, and London’s Troxy – details below.
The follow-up album brings quite a few noticeable changes to the process, which result in an even more fluid and thematic record. Lost Themes’ co-writers and musicians Cody Carpenter (John’s son) and Daniel Davies (John’s godson) both returned. Unlike their first album, when they often worked over the internet exchanging themes over the course of several years, this time all three brought in sketches and worked together in the same city, a luxury they weren’t afforded on the first Lost Themes. The result was a more focused effort, one that was completed on a compressed schedule — not unlike Carpenter’s classic, notoriously low-budget early films.
During this time, the three of them also composed and recorded the main titles theme for the CBS drama “Zoo,” and Daniel also scored the feature film Condemned. Cody was previously known for his work on the “Masters of Horror” series, and Daniel provided music for Lakeshore Entertainment, MTV, and Warner Bros. Television.
The musical world of Lost Themes II is also a wider one than that of its predecessor; more electric and acoustic guitar help flesh out the songs, still driven by Carpenter’s trademark minimal synth. This manifests itself brilliantly in songs like the lead single “Distant Dream,” which hitches a familiar Carpenterian beat to an expressive drum performance and rides it to a thrilling conclusion. The eerie “Angel’s Asylum” lets an ethereal synth line command the first three quarters of the song, before turning over the melody to an acoustic guitar, and “Virtual Survivor” delivers a blast of the sci-fi menace that characterized his great scores for films like Assault on Precinct 13 and They Live. Lost Themes II delivers eleven compelling new tracks with which fans can continue to score the movies in their minds.
John and his bandmates will hit the road this year performing both lost and newly found themes, in addition to retrospective work from Mr. Carpenter’s multi-generational career.
Long live the Horror Master!
John Carpenter live dates:
Jun 2 – Barcelona ES, Primavera Sound
Jul 1-3 – Ásbrú IS, ATP Iceland
Oct 28 – Manchester UK, Albert Hall *2nd show added!*
Oct 29 – Manchester UK, Albert Hall
Oct 31 – London UK, Troxy
Lost Themes II tracklist:
1. Distant Dream
2. White Pulse
3. Angel’s Asylum
4. Hofner Dawn
5. Windy Death
6. Dark Blues
7. Virtual Survivor
8. Bela Lugosi
9. Last Sunrise
10. Utopian Façade
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