New Music From John Carpenter, “Distant Dream”

John Carpenter shared a new track, Distant Dream, from his upcoming album Lost Themes II. 

Here’s what label Sacred Bones Records has to say about the release:
john-carpenter-lost-themes-II

On Halloween 2014, the director and composer John Carpenter introduced the world to the next phase of his career with “Vortex,” the first single from Lost Themes, his first-ever solo record. In the months that followed, Lost Themes rightfully returned Carpenter to the forefront of the discussion of music and film’s crucial intersection. Carpenter’s foundational primacy and lasting influence on genre score work was both rediscovered and reaffirmed. So widespread was the acclaim for Lost Themes, that the composer was moved to embark on something he had never before entertained – playing his music live in front of an audience.

2016 will host the first ever John Carpenter tour and in true Carpenterspirit, a sequel to Lost Themes: Lost Themes II. The follow-up brings quite a few noticeable changes to the process, which result in an even more cohesive record. Lost Themes’ cowriters Cody Carpenter (John’s son) and Daniel Davies (John’s godson) both returned. Cody was recently also heard as a composer for Showtime’s Masters of Horror series (Cigarette Burns and Pro-Life), and NBC’s Zoo. Davies was a composer for NBC’sZoo, as well as the motion picture Condemned.

All three brought in sketches and worked together in the same city, a luxury they weren’t afforded on the first Lost Themes. The result was a more focused effort, one that was completed on a compressed schedule — not unlike Carpenter’s classic, notoriously low-budget early films. The musical world of Lost Themes II is also a wider one than that of its predecessor. More electric and acoustic guitar help flesh out the songs, still driven by Carpenter’s trademark minimal synth.

Keep your eyes peeled for John and his co-writers to hit the road next year performing both lost and newly found themes, in addition to retrospective work from Mr. Carpenter’s multi-generational career. Long live the Horror Master.

Lost Themes II is scheduled to be released 4/15/16. It’s available for pre-order on iTunes and via Sacred Bones.

6 thoughts on “New Music From John Carpenter, “Distant Dream””

  2. When he worked with Alan Howarth, the whole feel, and the fact the instruments at that time made them work in a certain way, just gave this classic sound that these new albums don’t have. They sound laptop produced to me, like a poor man’s pastiche.
    Pity, Howarth was obviously more integral than Carpenter in the music back then.

  3. The loudness war mastering totally destroyed the first album, which was a real shame. The music was great, but sounded dead. I don’t think “laptop production” is to blame, just abuse of maximizers.

    I really hope there are some improvements on the new album. From what I hear, loudness war is officially ending even in mainstream radio music.

    1. Nothing to do with loudness or compression, there was just a distinct lack of character and depth, and that organic feel of un-quantized parts. Most importantly all of the instruments sounded virtual analogue to my ears, nothing 3D at all, just very lazy and mostly done by people who I think do not understand the old music or production techniques and sound design that gave it such a unique sound.

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