New Active Object is my first proper album since 2017 and I consider it the first of a new phase in my music. Here's a fun dive into the lyrical and aesthetic inspirations for the record.

The lyrics jump between three different perspectives:

the active object: a game object mystified and frustrated by the weird instructions its maker hands down, as well as the idiosyncracies and limitations of the childrens' software it seems to be trapped within

the maker: an adolescent amateur game developer whose identity and self-worth becomes increasingly entangled with his craft

the Maker: the Architecht of the universe, Stitcher-Together of human souls, etc.

For New Active Object I limited myself to using only source samples from the sound libraries of 90s childrens' game making software Klik & Play and The Games Factory, sax/clarinet/flute/guitar/vocals excluded. This meant a whole lot of fiddling with an often silly, largely non-musical set of sounds. Listen to a few here:

Here are the full credits:

Jay Tholen - Composition, Production, Voice, Mixing
Christine Tholen - Voice (1, 7)
John Ringhofer - Trombone, Glockenspiel (2), Voice (2, 7)
Jake Xie - Saxophone (1, 4)
Joonas Turner - Electric Guitar (2)
Josh Plotner - Clarinet (3), Flute (7)
Talha Kaya - Guitar (5)
David Brimer - Electric Guitar (7)
Juanig - Saxophone (7)
Mastered by Angel Marcloid at Angel Hair Audio
Art by Jay Tholen
Song title graphics by Jack Grimes

Quick links: New Active Object on Bandcamp | Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube (lyrics) | YouTube Music

Image of God (2020 Single, Art-Pop, Digital Fusion.)

I started making music in 2004 after discovering the program ModPlug Tracker. 2004 also marked the first time I'd ever taken an interest in active listening, due in large part to a teenage Prog Rock epiphany.

Don't know what Prog Rock is? Sounds like a good opportunity for me to introduce my "What is...?" sidebar system:

What is... Progressive Rock? Progressive Rock (Prog for short) is a music genre defined by rock compositions that integrate elements of romantic, classical, baroque, jazz, and 'world' music. Prog bands are known for recording long, complex, multi-part suites that last upwards of 25 minutes. Prog lyrics are often esoteric, heady, fantasy/sci-fi informed, and/or spiritual. This stuff is like catnip to certain strains of dorky teenager. Popular examples of the genre are Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen, or most music by Pink Floyd. Yes, King Crimson, 1970s Genesis, and ELP (Emerson, Lake & Palmer) are the four big genre-defining acts.

In 2006 Ableton LIVE became my primary Digital Audio Workstation and I still use it today.

Since 2007 I've recorded around 32 EPs and Albums. I'm embarrassed by much of my older work now, though ironically I still enjoy my earliest work released between 2008 and 2011. I knew little music theory (though I did have time signatures down) and relied on my ear to guide my productions. In essence that meant fiddling endlessly and re-recording sections until everything sounded 'right'. My 2011 EP Vainglory is my favorite release of this era.

I'm particularly embarrassed by sections of my 2017 album Celestial Archive. It was recorded during an intense period of study and I threw out tried-and-true production methods in favor of new techniques I still only half understood. It's not the worst thing in the world but yeowza some parts are hard to return to.

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