We’ve updated our Terms of Use to reflect our new entity name and address. You can review the changes here.
We’ve updated our Terms of Use. You can review the changes here.

Untu - Rats of Oran

by Untu

/
  • Streaming + Download

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

    Also included is the complete album art, lyrics, and all of the gamelan notation (kepatihan) used for these compositions.
    Purchasable with gift card

      $7 USD  or more

     

  • Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    Small run of CD's available with artwork by Addison Fischer.

    Includes unlimited streaming of Untu - Rats of Oran via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ships out within 3 days

      $10 USD or more 

     

1.
Rats of Oran 10:18
Who sees the sea? No one knows. Beyond the gates, closed in clenched claws Our end, Oran, through the lines, ‘round the sun Our endless rising, you cannot escape, you cannot. Oran, when will you die? (by JK, inspired by Anna Greki) Rats, emerge from the streets and they rot Blood seeps infection Michel, the first to die, the bulging eyes Black flesh, the ganglia, a raging thirst Time, is all we’ve got left and it slips Hope fades away Cottard, chalk on the door, a secret shame This fear, consuming a life, jail of the mind Abscess, lanced with a knife, the oozing pus Say it, the symptoms are clear, we face the plague Pleading, arms outstretched, she’s dripping red Night air, the menacing breeze, now shut the gates Proclaim the plague (by SH)
2.
The Plague 09:09
Fever boils As their eyes fell on stigmata A dreary gaze incriminates An inquiry of quarantine under contingency The fantasy of your escape You’re not alone You lost your mind You have no time You could not hear Broken cries of grief Blood, frogs, lice, flies, pestilence, boils, hail, locusts, darkness, firstborn slain (by JK, inspired by Passover Seder) Trapped within Oran Memory serves no purpose How long can this go on? They beg for mercy One grows out of pity When it’s useless A plague sent for your sins No, Rambert, you can’t escape these walls Let me go, let me go There’s no chance in hell Inside this town, these gates, this mind What am I, what am I? Must I stay and die? (by SH)
3.
The nameless shrouds Must be cast into the pit Rich and poor alike Find no rest in a common grave The smell of quicklime bubbles Bursting in the air Disintegrate what’s left of who you were There’s nothing but the dirt we share (Mijil by Mangkunegara IV from the Salokatama 16) Kayektine pangkat ageng alit Kang luhur kang asor Sugih miskin kabeh sasamane Yen ginulung sarta den condhongi Adoh kang sok serik Cedhak sukanipun Translation: (Soesatyo Darnawi) (Actually people of high rank or low Who are glorious or servile Rich or poor, are all the same If we could all live together Dissatisfaction would fade away And people would be happier) The suffering of a child The bread of our affliction Accept or deny everything Detect, condemn, what choice do I have? To know or to cure, a life or a soul? The weight of my exhaustion, a blessing in disguise I can’t feel the fire, though it burns (by SH)

about

Untu is the metal incarnation of Gamelan Suara Baru, a Javanese gamelan collective based at California Institute of the Arts.

This album is based on "La Peste" by Albert Camus.

credits

released April 13, 2019

Concept, lyrics, gamelan composition by Sean Hayward.
Sindenmorph vocals/lyrics/electronics composed by Jessika Kenney.
Metal band parts co-composed by Sean Hayward and Chuck Gloria.
Cover design by Addison Fischer.

Recorded by Andrew Piepenbrink and April Gerloff.
Mixed by John Baffa at TV Tray Studios.
Mastered by Daniel Eaton at Little Castle Mastering.

Alberto Cruz – bonang panerus
Sara Dowling – saron barung
April Gerloff – synthesizer
Chuck Gloria – bass
Kevin Good – saron barung
Jim Jeffrey – saron demung
Jessika Kenney – voice
Manak Khamvongsa – saron demung
Kayle Khanmohamed – kendang
Sean Hayward – guitar, voice, gender
Julian Lozos – saron peking
Komang Negara – bonang barung
Keane Nwede – gong
Dan Wingo – saron barung
Sean Woodman – drums
Tyler Vander Maas – kenong
Shih-Lien Eugene Yen – saron barung

license

all rights reserved

tags

about

Sean Hayward Los Angeles, California

A composer, performer, researcher, lecturer, and ethnomusicologist based in Surakarta, Central Java and Los Angeles, California. I love making new and interesting combinations of seemingly unrelated sounds, often to tell stories. Some of my favorite sounds include calung Banyumas, Javanese gamelan, minimalist music, Balkan folk, extreme metal, and ancient tuning systems. ... more

contact / help

Contact Sean Hayward

Streaming and
Download help

Redeem code

Report this album or account

If you like Untu - Rats of Oran, you may also like: