Get all 9 The Nomad Communion releases available on Bandcamp and save 30%.
Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of Boots, Bones and Bridges to Home, cube cube cube, Chronicles of Amul N'kaan: Vol I (Tales from Amenari), To Take A Life, Hollowed Sorrow: In Her Name, A Fire, Horizon: Origins OST, There's A Dead Man's Face On My Lips, Hollowed Sorrow, and 1 more.
1. |
--- Foreword ---
03:00
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Right, hello, and welcome to the Bandcamp edition. Today, you get to take a life, and if you want to hop straight into the music then skip to the next track.
But before you get started, I just wanted to take a few minutes to tell you what To Take A Life actually is, and how it works.
This album probably looks bit weird the way it's displayed here on Bandcamp, so let me explain how I've formatted it.
To Take A Life is a story in the form of a narrative-driven audio-drama experience. It's part of a larger project that I've been working on for two years now, consisting of multiple music albums, a book, and other forms of interactive medium, and the story it tells comes from an angle that I don't think I've ever seen explored before.
It's exciting, unique, and while the full novel and accompanying music albums won't be released for a long time, it's a really interesting project, and one that I'm putting a great amount of passion, energy and detail into. I want to go above and beyond and make something truly expressive, memorable and important. Something to help bring the music to life.
Below this introduction song you'll find the first ten tracks of the album. This is the audio drama, with the foley elements, dialogue and exposition.
This is where the meat of the story is, and it's where I'm experimenting with the storytelling and medium a little bit.
Below those tracks is another ten tracks, purely consisting of just the music from the album, for those of you who just want to listen without the exposition, if you're adding it to playlists and stuff.
Below that you'll find the instrumentals, the songs with vocals ...without the vocals. I'm sure you know what an instrumental is. I'm uploading these because I'm not majorly happy with my vocal performances here, as they were all recorded while I was recovering from some medical complications post-surgery, issues of which that have damaged my vocal chords and made it harder for me to talk, let alone sing. I'm not a very confident or good singer, but the lyrics are really important, and the album wouldn't be the same without them, so it felt wrong to not include them.
This project was actually really difficult to distribute because of how it's set up, so I wanted to give you the choice of how you listen to it in your downtime.
To Take A Life is designed to be listened to all in one sitting, and I've found it's great to fall asleep to. It's something of a bedtime audiobook that you can get lost in.
I'm really proud of how the project is developing, and it should go without saying I'm super excited to bring this story to life in its entirety over the next few years.
Do let me know what you think, of the sounds, the voice acting, the music, everything, along with any theories you have on the story. I appreciate any and all feedback you have to give.
And with that, I'll let you get on. It's your turn to take a life.
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2. |
To Find A Home
04:20
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There comes a point where you realise you've ran out of stories to tell. What happens, then, when your kids have heard them all? What do you tell them now?
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3. |
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I didn't think any of this would happen, at least, not in the way that it did, I s'pose. It was tough, but ...I kept moving. Most people keep moving. That's pretty much the point, isn't it? Because one day, you stop moving. One day, you stop being a 'you'. You stop 'being'. All those stories, all that you are... just stops. And you drift away. Does that scare you?
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4. |
To Hold A Fate
06:45
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Man, you used to write all kinds of shit. Kind of inspiring, really. You did ...so much. For everyone. And you always had such a level-head. Gah... I wish I could be more like you. I wish I could've been MORE... to you. But wishes don't always come true, do they.
Do you think it's worth making wishes even if there's no one left to grant them?
---
"Hope is finite. Everyone runs out eventually."
Why did you write stuff like this?
Well, my hope will prove you wrong. I know I can't be the last one. They worked too hard to not have a backup plan. I'm sure of it. There used to be so many people in the world, infinitely more powerful than I am. And I was afraid of every single one of them.
But now, they're all gone.
So tell me. Why am I still so afraid?
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5. |
Seek Us Under
06:50
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"A thousands circles for every body, but the body alone does not a 'you' make."
Another page I don't understand. Maybe it's not for me to understand. Maybe it's better that I don't think about this stuff.
You always seemed troubled, like something was stuck to your brain. On the surface you looked calm, and you always seemed to know what to do, but... I don't know.. sometimes... sometimes I caught a glimpse of someone else in there. What was going on in that head of yours? I wish you'd tell me. I could help. I guess I have to leave you to it, don't I?
----
All the things that you brought to life are sleeping now,
Biding their time to say farewell; gathered to hold the slumber.
When the hope and the coals have died, who'll stop the fire?
There's no one left to tend the flames, or sound the thunder.
Seek us under.
Oh seek us under.
Seek us under.
Oh seek us under.
There's nowhere left for you to die,
waiting to fall asunder.
You'll only sleep to pass the time.
Silence; how sweet the slumber.
Seek us under.
Oh seek us under.
It's only fate for faith to die,
destined to seek us under.
---
Slowly but surely, the bugs are coming back. I wonder if they know what they are. If they can think. Act. Hope. Maybe they're just as clueless as we are.
I don't know what I'd prefer.
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6. |
To Suffer A Purpose
06:35
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What about this page? Looks pretty old, like it was one of the first things you'd wrote. "We all have something we fight for. Something we bleed for. To feel is to live. It's the 'being'. But 'being' is never easy. And nothing 'easy' is worth bleeding for. To struggle is the real triumph; it means your soul is building itself. How much do you think that's worth?"
---
Bollocks. Looks like the storm caught up to us. We should head back down. Grab the books. Nah, let it burn out; it's not like it's gonna hurt anyone.
Are you... gonna be alright? Yeah, no... you, you just sound a bit off. Maybe you should get some sleep.
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7. |
Like Poetry
07:07
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It just reminds me what of what I found you writing about, the whole art debate. You were really caught up in that stuff, huh. I still have your books around here, somewhere. A lot of stuff got ruined after... y'know, everything that went down... Anyway. It's getting late. I suppose I'll talk to you tomorrow... Yeah, I'll try and be up early. Sleep well buddy, ye? See you later.
---
There's secrets in the sand
They've come for me
Foretold to take me underneath
But I'm not going willingly
A face without the hands
Uncertainty
The stones are waiting patiently
Thousands, inclandestine
Seek them under,
I'll seek them under,
Calling to me, I'm wandering
Seek them under,
I'll seek them under,
Yearning for me like poetry
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8. |
To Lose A Soul
05:06
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9. |
Inconceivable
08:11
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That was in another book I found.
"To close the book early would destroy the soul, but to skip to the end would take a life all the same. Let me propose a better question for you. What do you want to happen next?"
I wish I knew what you meant by all this stuff. I mean, I get what you're going for, I guess. You know me, I'm not the wordy guy.
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10. |
Concrete God
07:45
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What about that cathedral you went to as a kid, the one you told me about, before the war - do you think that's still standing? I remember you said how pretty the architecture was. You liked all the gothic stuff didn't ya. The way you described it here - the long, streaming banners, red candles with the wax pooling onto the sand, how you could see the spire all the way from St. Donovans'... I wish I could see it. Maybe if we end up going East again, we'll find it, eh? I hope it's still there. Heh, you wanna climb all the way to the top, huh? I'll try and catch ya, but, no- heh I can't make any promises.
---
Hey. I know I said we wouldn't talk her any more, but... do you think she was right? That a God exists? Or was she just ...I don't want to say 'delusional', that seems a bit harsh, but you know what she's like. She probably would have taken that as a compliment, knowing her. It was something about her conviction... Did I use that right? Her perseverance, y'know, her determination. She just seemed so sure of herself, of her beliefs, almost like she knew she was right. As horrible as a person she was, I kind of admired her for that.
Eugh, you know what, nevermind. Feels like she's watching me whenever I talk about her. Hell, maybe she WAS God. She's the one that caused all of this. She's the reason you're... the reason you're not here right now. All of this was her fault. If it weren't for her, you'd have got to finish all of these books. And you wouldn't have left 'em with me. I don't know what the fuck to do with 'em.
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11. |
To Take A Life
08:39
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I think you did well, all things considered. God, it's so hard to believe what's happened. When we first met, I... well, honestly, I didn't think much of ya. Wouldn't have guessed it was writing that kept you alive. You loved stories. Loved reading them, loved writing them, all that philosophy and shit you were so keen on.
It's when you stopped writing that I started worrying. Made me wonder if you'd finally ran out of steam. Do you want some advice? Just remember that a story can be made out of anything. There could be a story about there being no more stories left to write. Hell, there could even be a story about us.
This time, I guess I'll be the one who's writing it.
---
To find a home, a town called out to us
We strayed alone, no need to rush
A paper soul gathering dust
I wonder how it's worth it
I wonder if it's what I'm supposed to do
I wonder who'll be hurt if I don't come home to you
I wonder why it's working
I wonder what it's like to see those lights
but I wonder why she yearned for it; she chose to take a life
To take a life (like, 8 times)
---
There used to be so many of us, before. Now it's just me. Even if there was someone out there... I wouldn't be able to find them. Not on my own. I'll... nah. I'll just wait here. There's food. There's heat. Light. Company... OK, this probably isn't the healthiest thing to do, but...
I'm gonna pretend that you're still here, just away from me, from everything that's happened, everything that she did; that you're just stuck in your work, dreaming about it, obsessing over it, the same way I obsess over mine. You wrote about everything. If I had to guess, you're probably writing about all of this now. You always found a way to see the art in things, even the bloody apocalypse. Hell, got me thinking... Maybe I should write about it as well. It's been a few months, but I think I have a good starting point.
Let me know what you think of this:
"There comes a point where you realise you've ran out of stories to tell.
What happens, then, when your kids have heard them all? What do you tell them now?"
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12. |
To Take A Life [Full Album]
01:06:42
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Full disclose here: Unfortunately this full album track is 670MB, which is 70MB over Bandcamp's 600MB file size upload limit, so I've had to compress this FLAC at half bitrate to make it available here.
Due to this there is slight decrease in audio quality on this full album track. So if you've purchased the album, and you want the FULL LOSSLESS 670MB FILE, please contact me from the side panel and I will send it to you!
I tried lots of things to further decrease/compress the file size but I still couldn't get it under 600MB. I'm very sorry this happened - Bandcamp is where most of my attention goes to for each release, as you often get bonus goodies and extras with your purchase, so to not have the full album track available in its highest quality, especially given this album is designed to be listened to in one sitting, is CRUSHING me. So let me know straight away if you want the higher quality file and I'll be more than happy to send it over.
Thank you!
- The Nomad Communion
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13. |
To Find A Home [Audio]
03:59
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14. |
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15. |
To Hold A Fate [Audio]
05:02
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16. |
Seek Us Under [Audio]
05:25
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All the things that you brought to life are sleeping now,
Biding their time to say farewell; gathered to hold the slumber.
When the hope and the coals have died, who'll stop the fire?
There's no one left to tend the flames, or sound the thunder.
Seek us under.
Oh seek us under.
Seek us under.
Oh seek us under.
There's nowhere left for you to die,
waiting to fall asunder.
You'll only sleep to pass the time.
Silence; how sweet the slumber.
Seek us under.
Oh seek us under.
It's only fate for faith to die,
destined to seek us under.
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17. |
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18. |
Like Poetry [Audio]
06:06
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There's secrets in the sand
They've come for me
Foretold to take me underneath
But I'm not going willingly
A face without the hands
Uncertainty
The stones are waiting patiently
Thousands, inclandestine
Seek them under,
I'll seek them under,
Calling to me, I'm wandering
Seek them under,
I'll seek them under,
Yearning for me like poetry
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19. |
To Lose A Soul [Audio]
05:06
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20. |
Inconceivable [Audio]
04:05
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21. |
Concrete God [Audio]
05:21
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22. |
To Take A Life [Audio]
04:50
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To find a home, a town called out to us
We strayed alone, no need to rush
A paper soul gathering dust
I wonder how it's worth it
I wonder if it's what I'm supposed to do
I wonder who'll be hurt if I don't come home to you
I wonder why it's working
I wonder what it's like to see those lights
but I wonder why she yearned for it; she chose to take a life
To take a life (like, 8 times)
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23. |
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24. |
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25. |
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The Nomad Communion UK
I make music to challenge you.
To Take a Life [2023] - a narrative-driven audio drama,
exploring isolation, morality and conscience. Out now!
Horizon: Origins OST [2022] - a sci-fi horror adventure soundtrack for Horizon, a survival game set in the hostile wastelands of Mars.
Hollowed Sorrow [2021] - a psychological descent into discomfort, exploring humanity, mortality and eventuality.
... more
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