Born within the walls of a medieval castle, during soundcheck at a small Italian festival, “Babylon” is a six-minute journey, and first preview of Every Dawn’s a Mountain. Tamino calls it a “cornerstone” of the new album, as it continued to evolve through the time he spent in Brussels, New Orleans and New York – three monumental cities, each their own modern Babylons.
“Just as fire can erupt with great force, most of these songs seemed to burst their way into existence. Unabashedly and without warning, they demanded my attention and determined the course of my days. They say the faster the flame burns, the harder it is to catch. Similarly, capturing the right feel while recording proved challenging at times," Tamino explains.
While most of the songs were written in the Manhattan apartment he recently moved to, he also recorded in a New Orleans church, Brussels studio, and scattered hotel rooms while on tour with Mitski, who sings with Tamino on “Sanctuary”.
"I’ve never really approached music conceptually. Usually, songwriting feels more like carving away into a self-revealing sculpture rather than carefully implementing a pre-existing blueprint," he continues. "After recent developments in my life, however, I did feel a tremendous urge to build a metaphysical altar for what had been lost. The end result, though at times eclectic, feels like the most harmonious record I’ve made to date, with all 10 songs strung together by a same sense of honoring and letting go.”
Tracklist:
- My Heroine
- Babylon
- Every Dawn's a Mountain
- Sanpaku
- Sanctuary
- Raven
- Willow
- Elegy
- Dissolve
- Amsterdam