“R U Down w/Me” is the latest tune from The Bliss Machine. It is a groundbreaking collaboration with The Roaming Bandit(s), who shared vocal duties; Roman G. brings his rich yet gritty and baritone voice to the sound of the band.

The Idea…

This song was inspired in part by the concept of the Luxury Belief Death Spiral as penned by Max Borders. Vegan crumpets, Decepticons (the Transformers arch-enemy), Soylent Green, rock festival Bonnaroo, the notion of Thought Contagion (conceived of by the late author and physicist Aaron Lynch) and econocide get mentions.

All told, “R U Down w/ Me?” is a social commentary on peer pressure and the ephemeral nature of “cool”. A timeless theme along the lines of “What is Cool” by Tower of Power or “The ‘In’ Crowd” as performed by Dobie Gray/Bryan Ferry…albeit with a modern twist. With The Bliss Machine take on the concept, the defrocking of being “strategically” down comes to the fore.

The Music

The song includes several innovations and musical Easter Eggs featuring interwoven back-and-forth vocals and an overall Fibonacci-inspired arrangement that follows a: A-B-C-D-E-B-C-D-E-F-B-C-C-D-D-A or roughly 1-1-2 pattern. Together with several other unique musical elements, “R U Down w/Me” creates a disturbing and unusual feel weaving together an unsettling sonic experience.

The intro, bridge, outro and overall arrangement were inspired by the Fibonacci sequence, adding a layer of mathematical intrigue. Listen closely to the bridge to hear the sound of the Black Hole at the center of the Perseus Galaxy Cluster, enhancing the song’s cosmic depth. from “The Face of Evil.”

• Intro Countdown features a Fibonacci count down: 21, 13, 8, 5, 3, 2, 1, 1…
• Bridge During this section the Fibonacci-inspired lead guitar descends over the sonification of the Black Hole at the Center of the Perseus Galaxy Cluster.
• Post-Bridge The Phi Point occurs 61.8% through the song at the climax as the pre-verse guitar swirl ends the first Whovian reference pans from hard-left to right in the listeners field of hearing – marking the last section of the song
• Outro The song concludes with another Whovian nod, “The very powerful and the very stupid have one thing in common. They don’t alter their views to fit the facts…they alter the facts to fit their views…which can be uncomfortable, if you happen to be one of the facts that needs altering.” – The Face of Evil (1977)

All these elements blend together into a funky, post-punk bouillabaisse, making this track an edgy piece of art rock that may be unforgettable.