‘Same Wheel’ by Confusions | New Album, ‘Muck of Morale’
Exclusive video premiere of ‘Same Wheel’ by Confusions, taken from the upcoming album, ‘Muck of Morale,’ out March 10th via Earth Libraries.
Columbus, OH experimental pop artist Confusions (the alias of Ben Turner) recently announced a brand new LP entitled ‘Muck of Morale’. ‘Same Wheel,’ a rhythmic and structured track that plays once again on the darkness and grief of reality under Capitalism, a theme that weaves throughout the LP. ‘Same Wheel’ follows ‘No Praise,’ with a mechanical, assembly line-like harmonic and rhythmic rigidity that cracks open into a textural and bouncy, ambient pop track. It features an audio sample of political analyst Jared Yates Sexton, tracking the “purpose of the public education and school to employment pipeline,” before Turner sings the observation and question, “Same pick and choose as right now, was talk of great beyond/Is something wrong?” processing uncomfortable feelings brought on by thinking about tactics of control. Cueing a sonic change, a faint sample, “You will receive the inheritance as your reward” might reveal a tactic.
Interested in a spectrum of lofi and hifi sounds and approaching music as a space, Turner values the process of creating songs and soundscapes through experimentation, and what that teaches him about his life and relationships. Confusions have been described as “genre-bending” with lyrics that could “provide the subplot for a short film.”
Turner found himself inspired by the approaches and philosophies of Animal Collective, Brian Eno, Conny Plank, J Dilla, Suzanne Ciani, as well as the catalog of artists on Earth Libraries, while creating the new record.
The sound of a broken machine signals the start of a journey into the ‘Muck of Morale’ on ‘No Praise’. The percussion and bass; musical human-machine interactions, arrive like a rowdy pair in a dune buggy or rickety roller coaster. It’s as if they pick you up and take you for a ride through a colorful, polyrhythmic pop atmosphere.
Confusions welcomes the listener with verbal audio samples, sharing thoughts on communication. Vocal harmonies, and a variety of synthesizer textures, express the need for new ways to communicate in American culture, finding inspiration in nonviolent communication. Turner embraces the sonic influence of Animal Collective’s ‘Strawberry Jam’ on the track, while retaining his own sound.
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