John Oswald Grateful Dead
Grayfolded

This is an act of love towards A/THE track by the Grateful Dead: "dark star".

The operation by Canadian John Oswald with the collaboration of the Dead's bassist Phil Lesh is a bit crazy. The album in question is not a true album by the Dead themselves, but a side/parallel project to the band’s official discography. Oswald is the creator of "plunderphonics", a sort of subtrack indexing, somewhat like the Goldberg variations performed by Glenn Gould in 1981 for Columbia: a single track with many indexed subtracks.

The work comprises two CDs: "transitive axis" and "mirror ashes" and, as mentioned earlier, it is a devoted homage to the ultimate Dead track: "dark star"; honestly their only well-known track (that can be recalled quickly) which will be passed down to future generations (and one of their few tracks that can be defined as "psychedelic", before devoting themselves forever to an average classic American rock, living off this reputation eternally). In this magical track, Jerry Garcia lets his Gibson SG soar towards almost unreachable astral goals. Those who know the classic version contained in "Live Dead" know what I am talking about. This now mythical track, which has prompted many trips for many receptive and twisted minds, is here expanded enormously over two CDs.

Oswald has developed a "dark star" to the nth degree, ultimate, deriving it from over a hundred original performances (listed in the inner leaflet) and seamlessly connecting them in the studio in such a way as to build an unstoppable, dreamlike, and doped single sound flow. If you want to escape the miserable reality that oppresses us, give this work a chance. It contains music that is sometimes melodic, other times dissonant and atonal, droning and mesmerizing, drugged, that will make you travel towards Sirius and Orion only to gently glide you onto a soft cushion, before plunging back into your/our daily melancholies.

Peace & love.