Will Cooper Guitar
Image: Isaiah Bayliss
A Malfunction in Time Travel
Released: 2-5-2023
Neon Caravan's debut EP, A Malfunction in Time Travel is a throwback to 70s hard rock and progressive rock, but with digital recording and modern production. The album's opener, "Animate Object", hits like a sledgehammer and addresses the concerns yet inevitability of job automation. Tracks like "Lady of the Lake" and "Requiem of a Fallen Angel" are more sentimental, and balance mellow introspection with hard-rocking guitar solos. Finally, the closer, "Cryostasis", is a straight up prog epic about cryogenic freezing, but with a catchy chorus and of course, guitar solos.
Where do I begin when describing the process of making an album? Every step along the way, from the first melody to the final mix, is filled with such joy. Yet hardship, toil, and stress. Each time you get a little closer, finishing a song, recording a demo, getting into the studio, you feel accomplished. But get complacent. You think the hardest part is over and the rest will be downhill. But that most likely isn’t the case. Whether it was hours of recording demos, frantically texting everyone to find a time to record, weeks of comping takes, and overdubbing parts, every step is a journey within itself. The creative part is really only a fraction of what is involved. Being an organizer, being a leader, and being assertive on the logistics is truly the name of the game. This could have been 100% DIY, and in this day in age, that is not uncommon. But I wanted this to be the best it could possibly be, so getting some help was my plan from the beginning. And I think the results speak for themselves. Hearing the ideas from your head slowly become a professional mix with human performances is one of the most rewarding things I have ever experienced. If I could do it all again, I would have done the audio editing much sooner, perhaps right after the sessions, and set deadlines along the way, not just at the end. But had I done so, I would not have learned as much, and wouldn’t be rewarded as such. When you listen to the album, think about how much emptier our human experiences would be if we undid all of our mistakes. This is A Malfunction in Time Travel.
Personnel:
All music and lyrics by Will Cooper
Lead recording engineer: Nolan Monigold
Assistant vocal engineer: Nolan Moore
Produced by Will Cooper
Mixed and mastered by Nolan Monigold
Lead and background vocals: Pranav Venkataraman
Lead and rhythm electric guitars, Mellotron on “Requiem of a Fallen Angel”: Will Cooper
Bass guitars: Kainan Shank
Drums: Brandon Carroll
Organ and Synthesizers on “Cryostasis”: Zach Reich
Cover art by Isaiah Bayliss
Concept by Will Cooper
All vocals, Rhythm Guitars (tracks 2-3), and bass (tracks 1-3) recorded at the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. Drums, bass, and rhythm guitar 1 on track 4 recorded at the Monastery Studio. Everything else was recorded from the comfort of our own homes. :)
Special thanks to the people at the College-Conservatory of Music for unlocking the studio for us. Will would like to thank Mom, Dad, and everyone else who listens to the EP, including you!