The front and back for the album Genesis Caldera by Seven Years of Innocence, same people behind another album, Dead Horse Camp.
The front of the album features the lead vocalist of the band Seven.
While much of their actual appearance was makeup and photo-shop, leftover pictures from the photo-shoot itself, shared by the band, only further fanned the flames of the rumours surrounding Seven.
This album and Dead Horse Camp came before Seven took to the stage, so the general public was still speculating if they were a regular person or a chimera.
But enough about Seven, let's talk about the album itself!
Later interviews with the band would provide more insight on the general 'story' so to say, with the album, confirming that the album was more or less about conception and birth.
"It started with the idea of migration, oddly enough." Said Mae, the lead drummer for the band. "We had finished Dead Horse Camp around the ass end of summer, so by the time we got together again to make another album, it was autumn."
Seven would add that autumn is generally the time when life is grinding to the standstill of winter.
"We're not exactly sure where or when migration turned to... Well, motherhood, for the album." Seven said. "At first I was a bit of a jackass over it, because I was worried the album was losing it's identity, becoming aimless, y'know? But I'm glad I trusted the process and saw it through with everyone else."
Uma, backup singer and guitarist would comment on the first track of the album, saying. "Mu Cephei My Beloved was Seven's idea. It was their idea, their lovechild. It was also our bargaining chip when he got difficult."
Mu Cephei My Beloved
The first track of Genesis Caldera is a love song to a star, Seven confirmed themselves that at the time, they found themselves fixated on the star, and thus, dedicated a love song to it.
When asked about the process in making Mu Cephei My Beloved, Seven said this. "I know it's an inanimate object several light-years away, and I guess that's why my love for it is so bittersweet... So I really wanted to emphasize this feeling of loving something you can't have, this feeling of deep endless yearning that, maybe you think, is deep enough to close the distance, if that makes sense."
Raid of Rushing Water
According to Mae, the Raid of Rushing water began as two separate tracks, one written by Jax, their keyboardist and pianist, and Seven.
Seven was working on a sequel to Brazen Brigade of Brackish Water from Dead Horse Camp, and Jax was working on a track inspired by salmon runs.
Mae recalls with a chuckle. "It started with Seven arguing with Jax that salmon runs don't count as migration, they got so heated over it I guess they never noticed that they'd taken each other's binders home with them until they actually opened and saw that they had the wrong music inside."
"Long story short, next day Jax and Seven show up and decide to scrap their ideas and instead combine them into one track."
The band generally agrees that Raid of Rushing Water can be interpreted in two ways... A migration, or conception.
"I remember seeing this clip on YouTube, of these horses crashing through the water, disturbing this flock of flamingos, I think it was flamingos... Anyways, it was because the stallions were trying to corral the mares." Seven said in regards to the nature of the track. "So it really can be either or, migration or something trampling through water in trying to catch up to the opposite sex, I guess..."
Mother Maroon
When discussing this track, the band recalled the difficulty in trying to achieve the balance between gentleness and intensity with the track.
"We were trying to achieve that gentle comforting feel of motherhood, yeah, but we also wanted to show off the nitty gritty of motherhood." Explained Jax. "In the end, what we got was this bittersweet track, I was, to be honest, disappointed we didn't get the intensity we were aiming for..."
The band would then redo the vocals of the track without Seven, and rather Uma instead.
"It took a while, Uma wasn't used to being front and centre, but Seven was really helpful in coaching her in how to REALLY put her voice into it." Mae said. "While it did leave her sore for a bit, everyone agreed it was worth it, the track sounded so, so much better with her vocals."
Originally, the track was going to be a nod to neolithic paintings of black cows and the nursery rhyme 'Hey diddle diddle' with the title 'Ebony Heifer and Mother Moon' but this was scrapped.
After Uma's vocal performance was added to the track it became known as Mother Maroon.
IVory Amroury
IVory Armoury as a track tells two stories in both title and the music itself.
The song features heavy use of percussion, especially in mimicking heartbeats.
The band did in depth research in the labour process when making the track, which, out of all of the bands tracks up till then, rounded out to being their longest one yet.
The title of the track started as a typo.
"IVory Armoury was supposed to only have the I capitalised, then I looked at it and thought it fit since, well, childbirth is pretty damn trecherous. I saw the IV in Ivory Army and it just... Clicked." Said Seven. "IVory Armoury itself could refer to skeleton, the skeleton of the mother, I mean, protecting the unborn offspring, or it could be an egg."
Graceful Ebony
The band is as divided as listeners on the meaning of the final track, each member giving their own take.
Uma said... "I think it refers to death, like the mother didn't make it out of childbirth, but like, even in death they still look graceful, I recall how neolithic tribes would bury people who died in childbirth alongside warriors, because to them, it was the same thing."
Jax agreed with Uma's take, though Mae had a different idea.
"I think with IVory Armoury it's from the perspective of the offspring inside of an egg, so, of course it's gunna be dark in there, but you still can hear and feel what's happening around you, just can't see it, not yet. So you know the world outside the shell is beautiful, graceful even, but right now it's just... Dark." Said Mae.
When asked for their take, Seven said. "I like Mae's take, but I don't think it's an egg. I, personally, especially when I was doing the vocal work, pictured it as a womb, someplace warm where you're still part of something else, something graceful, but like Mae said, it's still so dark..."
OOC - I have not done one of these roleplaying posts in a while, I gotta make more media for my setting so I hope I can do this more often. :3
