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Greetings one and all,
It was five years ago today when The Romantic Dysthymia was first released into the great wide open.
The concept behind it was providing an “emotional narrative.” Basically it’s about a young man who goes into the city to try to have a “night out on the town.” He however feels alone and alienated. Consumed by this depression whilst walking on the city streets, he reaches the “conclusion” that he should end his internal suffering by jumping into the nearby river.
It accomplished two major goals I had at the time. The first one was to make a continuous and cohesive work with multiple sections/parts and that could be played from beginning to end. This reflects a lot of artists I personally like where the focus is more on albums than on individual songs. Thus I wanted to do the same thing with my own music. The second one was to channel a lot of internal emotions and thoughts that were bothering me even before I had the idea of The Spangle Maker.
Looking on it now, I still stand behind it because it represents both what I felt and what I could do at the time. There are some things that I did in it that I wouldn’t do now. However, unlike other artists I know (both directly and indirectly), I don’t dismiss the early work just because it’s early. While the Derek Power of 2012 is different than the Derek Power of 2007, they are both the same person. Furthermore, I’m experimental in the dictionary sense: I test out an idea and produce a result, and as long as I obtain data from it, I consider it a success.
Finally, I appreciate greatly both Natalie Garland and Andrew Thompson for their contributions to this particular release … the release that started it all and not just The Spangle Maker. Thank you.
All the best, DP
The Spangle Maker 