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True Power

by Desert Magic

/
  • Streaming + Download

    Pre-order of True Power. You get 1 track now (streaming via the free Bandcamp app and also available as a high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more), plus the complete album the moment it’s released.
    Purchasable with gift card
    releases May 1, 2024

      $10 USD  or more

     

1.
2.
The Highest Good Is Like Water
3.
A House Full of Gold and Jade
4.
Can You Be Like a Bird?
5.
Accepting Disgrace
6.
The Cosmos (In All Its Fiery Wonder)
7.
Heavy Is the Root of Light
8.
Good Walkers Leave No Tracks
9.
The Strength of the Spirit
10.
The Way Is Hidden
11.
True Power
12.
Why Death Enters Us
13.
Lakes and Rivers

about

This album is a collection of songs that primarily uses Ursula Le Guin's version of the Tao Te Ching as text. These verses include metaphors found in the Tao Te Ching such as "the valley spirit," "water," and "true power." Le Guin translates the word "te" as "power" instead of more common translations (i.e. "virtue"). In doing so, Le Guin shines light on Lao Tzu's subversion of mainstream conceptions of power. In the Tao, power does not come from force and rigidity, but from bending like a bow. The album's themes illuminate the virtues of emptiness, yielding, and finding richness in that which most would reject. Working with such enigmatic verses is a practice in humility; they often seem like starting points to understanding the mystery of the Tao. We hope that these songs are more than sign posts though. With these arrangements, we strive for the music to embody the text in an experiential way, as well as in a semantic way. Thanks for listening!

-Alex

credits

releases May 1, 2024

Alex Wand - Vocals, Viola Da Gamba, Guitar
Steven Van Betten - Vocals, Guitar
Logan Hone - Vocals, Drums, Woodwinds, Piano
Heather Lockie - Vocals, Viola, Violette
Stuart Wheeler - Vocals, Organ
Brock Stuessi - Upright Bass
KCM Walker - Hurdy Gurdy, Lute

Composed by Alex Wand
Arranged by Desert Magic
Mixed by Louis Lopez
Mastered by Daniel Eaton
Booklet design and artwork: Stephanie Layton

Tex Source: Two editions of Lao Tzu's Tao Te Ching translated by Ursula K. Le Guin & Gia-Fu Feng / Jane English

Copyright 2024
desertmagic.org

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Desert Magic Los Angeles, California

Desert Magic is an LA-based music collective that specializes in musical interpretations of the cosmos, natural phenomena, and the Tao Te Ching.

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