energy & minerals

EMcover_Small.jpg

divided states : 10/30/20

“There are definitely some years accumulated on this record,” said Shannon Edgar, front man of energy & minerals, about the debut album Divided States.  “I haven’t released a record for more than a decade, but a body of work had been coming together and this Fall was the time to pull back the curtains.”

For a debut release titled ‘Divided States’ you could expect a politically focused record, but the name also references the states of matter.  When substances change state, it is because the spacing between the particles of these substances are changing due to a gain or loss of energy.  So, the reference to a divided state is both socially aware yet also metaphysical.  

“Our world is in a constant stage of change, and it feels more accelerated and chaotic at the moment,” comments Shannon.  The album opens with a sparse, delayed guitar on “Circus Tent”, then vocals lyrically acknowledging this metamorphosis and our interconnected lives.  “Running on Empty” is up next with a driving bass and drum line, building into a chorus reflecting on the mental and physical exhaustion prevalent in our current state.

The album was recorded virtually in the personal spaces of the musicians.  It was an opportunity for friends and past bandmates to reconnect: Lance Konnerth (electric guitar), Sean Hurley (bass), Craig Macintyre (drums), Peter Adams (keyboards), and Shannon Edgar (vocals and acoustic guitar).  The musicians exchanged basic tracks and ideas digitally and kept building and refining the songs.  Ultimately, Shannon wrapped up vocals and edits at home in Massachusetts and the completed record was sent to Todd Burke in Los Angeles for mixing.

“At first the process was strange but necessary due to the global pandemic.  But it ended up being a liberating way to work,” said Shannon.  It's standard for musicians to work collectively in the same studio as a group, but for this album the musicians had the freedom to express ideas independently, in their own personal time and space. “Pulling up a drum pass, or a bass line and hearing it melding together with the other ingredients and taking it in for the first time is a gratifying process.  It allows you to listen with an open mind without distractions.”  The musician can work singularly within their own voice, which then ultimately becomes part of the whole.

The topics range from climate change to income inequality.  “Something” was written about the Westside School shooting in Jonesboro, AK where children 11 and 13 years of age fatally shot classmates and teachers.  Among the sadly growing list of school shooting tragedies, this one hit close to home with Shannon’s father being born and raised in Jonesboro. 

At the core, this album came to be a way to reflect on what's happening to our humanity at both the community and individual level and the pursuit of who we strive to be. What internal or external forces have led us to where we are today? Is there a greater good?  Is there a higher power?  Where does evil and virtue intersect?  

The 11 song debut album, Divided States, from energy & minerals will be released on October 30, 2020.  A full track listing is below.

energy & minerals

Divided States

  1. Circus Tent

  2. Running on Empty

  3. Abdication

  4. Poison Well

  5. Testament

  6. Mother

  7. Habeas Corpus

  8. Something

  9. Jungle Heart

  10. Up in Flames

  11. Borrowed Time

“Optimism is a strategy for making a better future. Because unless you believe that the future can be better, it’s unlikely you will step up and take responsibility for making it so. If you assume that there’s no hope, you guarantee that there will be no hope. If you assume that there is an instinct for freedom, there are opportunities to change things, there’s a chance you may contribute to making a better world. ”

— Noam Chomsky