Telepathic Last Words - Course of Empire
Early in my teens - when I had a few CDs but didn’t yet feel like I had “enough” - I was browsing the “heavy metal" section of a local record shop (now closed) and noticed a cheap one by a band I’d never heard of before. The cover art looked cool and nothing else was tempting, so I bought the CD and took it home. This was the first time I’d ever do this, but not the last.
The album was Telepathic Last Words by Course of Empire, and since then has remained one of my favorite albums. I cannot overstate my extreme good fortune that on the one day I decided to take a chance on something completely unknown, it turned out to be this good. To this day, more than a decade later, I am noticing new things to appreciate about both the music and the lyrics.
When I first bought the album it was shelved under “heavy metal,” and Wikipedia describes Course of Empire as “alternative/post-punk,” but I can’t say either label sits very well with me. So, like Rattlin’ Bones a few reviews ago, I’d encourage people to listen to it regardless of their genre preferences. It might surprise you. For those who shy away from metal’s often-screechy vocals, rest assured that the lead singer of this band never screams. He sings. Keep in mind, though, that there is loud, heavily-distorted guitar. But also less-distorted, easier-on-the-ears bits as well. It’s a mixture.
The music is heavy on percussion, which is understandable considering the band has more than the typical amount of drummers. In many songs, it seems that the drums are at the center of the instrumental landscape, with guitars and even vocals serving merely as a decorative flourish accentuating a steady, yet intricate, beat. Some portions, such as the last few minutes of the song 59 Minutes, consist of nothing but percussion. I’ve always been especially fond of drums, so I’m happy.
The lyrics are mainly very dark, vaguely social-commentary-ish, and full of poetry. They don’t always make sense. When they do make sense, I think they’re nonspecific enough to inspire a range of intellectual responses. I’ve never gotten a sense from one of their songs that it was about any specific thing.
When listening to this album, I find it difficult sometimes to remember what song I’m listening to without checking, but not because they all sound alike. They do not sound alike. Nor is it a concept album, with some thematic common thread connecting the songs together. But they do go together, in a way I’ve never quite been able to explain, to an extent that I have never been able to think of it as a collection of individual songs. Some of the songs do come close to being individuals, such as Respect, the penultimate track. But its deeply creepy, distorted instrumentation and disturbing lyrics simply have more impact when you’ve already listened to the eleven tracks coming before it. I’ve never gotten just one of the songs stuck in my head; if I’m thinking of one, I’m thinking of the whole album. They just go together.
Listen to it late at night. Listen to it in headphones while staring at your bedroom ceiling, like a teenager. Listen to it while under the influence. Listen to it over and over for half your life. You’ll never feel a thing / I’m swimming on your brain / I’m pulsing through your veins...
Next: Initiation
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