Artist: Hermitofthewoods
Title: Land of the Lotus Eaters
Format: 12″ Vinyl LP / CD
Release date: May 14, 2013
Produced and mixed by Scott Da Ros
Vocals and lyrics by Hermitofthewoods
Music by Hermitofthewoods and Scott Da Ros
Recorded at the Hermitage Brewery, Halifax, NS and Spaacemoon Snoowcaat, Montreal, PQ
Mastered by J. LaPointe at Archive Mastering
Additional Musicians:
Michael Feuerstack (guitar on 2, 10 and bass on 5, 10)
Paul Vienneau (bass on 2)
Tim Crabtree (vocals on 3, 10)
EMC (vocals on 3,8)
Kyle Cunjak (bowed bass on 10)
Brendan Rutherford (water pipes on 1)
Breagh Potter (vocals on 4)
Artwork layout and design by Migwel
Photography by MXBX
Track List
1. Once Upon A Time | 2. Last Call | 3. 10,000 B.C. | 4. Give Us Time | 5. Shibboleth | 6. Break the Chains | 7. Alive Under the Sun | 8. State of the Union featuring EMC | 9. Mic Check (Mic Check) | 10. The Light of a Thousand Year-Old Explosion
Last Call
Give Us Time
Break The Chains
State of the Union feat EMC
Quotes
“…one of the more ambitious albums you’ll hear this year. Hermitofthewoods and Scott Da Ros set out to make something different, not your typical hip hop album, and the result is something special. It’s dark, but not depressing. It’s strange, but not alienating. It’s not perfect, but it’s a wonderful experiment in style that works more often than not.” – Scratched Vinyl
“…”Land Of The Lotus Eaters” has two artists scratching the surface on something which is called perfection…already reserved itself a place way up high in the Top lists of 2013.” – Dead Magazine
“Creative hip-hop that is sonically sound and lyrically looks to create a better future is rare, but Hermitofthewoods and Scott Da Ros have accomplished just that with Land of the Lotus Eaters. And they’ve done it well.” – Exclaim
“The songs take you on weird and unexpected journeys, but journeys that you are more than happy to take as soon as you give the artists the control and just follow along. One of the best albums I’ve heard so far this year.” – Beats, breaks & big smiles 2.0
“the music is way thicker than paper and the back beats are straight out of a post-rock wet dream.” – In Your Speakers
“(Last Call) reaches a place where it seems Busdriver met The Deftones in a smoky bar.” – KFJC 89.7 FM Los Altos Hills, California
““Give Us Time” opens with the ticking of a clock and the fascinating drum work that identifies Land of the Lotus Eaters.” – Grayowlpoint
About the Album
Hermitofthewoods is a hip hop and spoken word artist based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Since 2004, energetic live shows have been complimented by regular appearances at political rallies and demonstrations, and by facilitating youth workshops exploring social justice through hip hop culture. Hermit’s self-produced debut album, The Woods Are Burning, was released in 2007. His second self-produced album, 2009s Love’s Dark Season, was nominated by Music Nova Scotia for Rap/Hip Hop Recording of the Year and named by The Coast as one of the year’s best local albums. A three-time member of the Halifax Slam Poetry Team, Hermit has competed at the Canadian Festival of Spoken Word in 2009 and 2011. He has also featured at the TD Halifax Jazz Festival (2009), on CBC Radio’s All the Best (2012), and co-curates Halifax’s Oral Tradition poetry series. In 2011, Hermit started to work with Scott Da Ros (Triune Gods, Deadly Stare) on a project that would become Land of the Lotus Eaters. This new album brings together hip hop, spoken word, folk, rock, and primitive signal coding in a collection of songs about a man caught up in an invisible revolution.
“Those who ate the honey-sweet lotus fruit no longer wished to bring back word to us, or sail for home. They wanted to stay with the Lotus-eaters, eating the lotus, forgetting all thoughts of return.” – BK IX 63-104
Land of the Lotus Eaters lives in a world where reality is obscured by fantasy and everything is thrown into question. It is about televised talent competitions getting more votes than the people who rule over us. It is about intelligence being synonymous with arrogance and mediocrity being celebrated at every turn. It is about the trumpeting of religion over reason because science is complicated. It is about opinion pushed as fact in popular debates. It is about celebrity having more value than integrity. It is about pickpockets at the fireworks and con artists on the campaign trail. It is about breaking free. It is about choosing to do better. It is about hope and possibility. It is about all of us. Land of the Lotus Eaters is available through Endemik Music.