This album has gone through some conceptual changes since it was first recorded.  The music is quite passionate, and at first I thought of it as romantic, though cautious and tentative.  But as the time of recording grew more distant, I started to see the music as not romantic at all.  It is passionate, yes, and there are moments that are quite tender.  But the overall feeling of the music is much more brooding than I initially realized.  Also the hesitancy and tentative nature is not just present, it is probably the most notable characteristic of the album.

As long as I can remember, there has been real concern about the direction in which humanity is heading.  When I was young, the focus seemed to be on nuclear war and overpopulation.  I remember there was actually a HIT song titled, “We’re On the Eve of Destruction!”  Today, the concern seems to be more about climate change, which is maybe less immediate or glamorous, but no less apocalyptic.  Maybe this sort of doubt is somewhat endemic to the species, centering around the subject du jour.  I don’t know.  Civilization certainly brings compromises and stresses that were not as present in a more rural, peaceful, or stable lifestyle, and it has been doing so for thousands of years.

Maybe it is just the added concern of the pandemic, but the present level of real consternation over our future seems more widespread lately.  In this album, I try to deal with this angst from both an intellectual and emotional point of view.  Though there are many who are convinced, or at least hopeful, that technology will bale us out of our present crisis, others are daring to look over the edge and imagine what it might be like on the other side.  The possibilities and emotional impact are not always pleasant, nevertheless we carry on, but hopefully we engender an enlightened sense of environmental commitment..