Young UK prog rock quintet The Paradox Twin release their second album Silence From Signals this Friday, October 15.
Thematically, the new album takes its cues from mainman Danny Sorell's personal life experiences. Around the same time of the debut album release and the same time his new son was born, Danny's eldest was diagnosed with autism. The collision of both positive and negative feelings sparked a train of thought that then became a story told through music and lyrics. Silence From Signals is a tale of two twin siblings (a neurotypical sister and a neurodivergent brother), and the trials and tribulations they go through trying to navigate the brothers' struggles through life.
"I wanted to do something a bit different on the album, making people aware of something they have probably heard of but don’t know much about, by creating some powerful music and lyrics that will hopefully move people emotionally," he explains. "This is an album I am extremely proud of, and one where I feel I have literally ripped my soul out and converted to words.".
Armed with a new dual vocal approach this time around, the juxtaposition of Danny and Nicole's is not too dissimilar of bands like Anathema and White Moth Black Butterfly, who successfully combine both male and female vocals to emotive and celestial effect.
Here Danny talks us through each track on the emotive new album, which you can pre-order here...
Paradigm
This is very much a scene setter. Designed to drag you into the chaos of the boy's mind. Originally when I wrote this song, it was part of Wake Vortex. I was never happy with it, and I didnt want another long song on the record, so I decided to split the song into two - and it worked out great. A short instrumental, atmospheric and dark. When I was writing it, I had a vision of the boy sat on the edge of a cliff, crossed legged, with the wind blowing in his hair - almost meditating, I guess thats where I got the idea of the wind and monk sounds that you hear at the beginning.
Wake Vortex
This was one of those songs that happens to song writers from time to time, where it falls from the stars. I was sitting in the studio around 1am in the morning, and literally started playing the intro keyboard piece. It came from nowhere! The story is about the boy being scared to go to sleep. The fear of being left on his own, with just the darkness and silence. You really have to be in the mind of someone in that scenario, it must be terrifying knowing night is coming and there is nothing you can do. The chorus is Nicole singing from the aspect of the sister, open you mind and wait for me to come to your heart - i.e dont be afraid of your mind, think from your heart.
Sea Of Tranquility
"The path is here, I can show you" - was a line I had in my head for many months. This song is about being shown the world by his sister, and believing in himself. He may be different but the world is beautiful and so are you. The story is based around living by the sea, where the boy and the sister would spend their happiest times together.
I Am Me, I Am free.
This was an opposite scenario to Paradigm and Wake Vortex, where this was two songs which I merged into one. Originally the song ended at the guitar solo. Albeit still a great song at that point, I just felt it wasn't enough and I sat on this song for a while. It wasn't until I started writing more music on the guitar that I came up with the heavy guitar riff, and then carried on writing the second half. A monster of a track and certainly a song of two halves - which in retrospect like the boys mind. A mind of two halves if you like. This is the point in the story where the boy is questioning himself and how unhappy he really is. "I feel the world is ruined, and the day seems different to me". Even though he cannot swim very well, ultimately being in the waves is where he is happy, and this is where he wants to be all the time as the outside world is frustrating.
Prism Decesent
The idea for the song title came to me in a nightmare. I was stuck in a glass prism, descending down through the floor. It literally didn't stop and it was terrifying. This song is ultimately about being stuck in a nightmare - awake and asleep! Looking through the crowds, being scared all of all the people, noises and empty spaces. The ending section I always envisioned running away. Doing anything you can, to get out of the situation at all costs.
Haptic Feedback
This is where the album takes a very dark turn. Abuse and medication. The father is extremely abusive to the boy. So not only does he not understand why he is so different to his sister, he is also abused and neglected by the family and fed medication. "I take it, but nothing cures the pain". "I drink it, but the visions still remain". The melancholy section where Nicole sings, is essentially where the medication is taking affect... he feels calm for a moment... but its the calm before the storm! It's making him fall deeper into his black hole.
Specular
I had the beginning acoustic part written for a while. I would regularly sit on my own singing it. It's very sad, and a very moving beginning to a song. The song title means "Specular reflection" - he is sat on the top of a cliff staring down at the sun reflecting off the water. This is a spot he has visited before and will ultimately be his last. He cannot continue any longer. He is sitting waiting for the right moment to fall to his death. The end section is meant to represent him falling in slow motion, while thinking of his sister.
Perfect Circles
Even though he knows he cant swim, he ties a weight to his leg to ensure it doesn't go wrong. A sad ending to a very dark tale. He's drifting into the deep, a mixture of feeling come over him. They say the moment before you drown, you feel a sense of euphoria and warmth. Whilst in this state of mind your life flashes before your eyes. He pictures his sister for the last time. This is where she sings to him for the last time. He pictures bubbles made of "perfect circles".
