PHI-108 – Conditions Of Re-Entry

PHI-108 – Conditions For Re-Entry – EP Review

What a strange, warped reality we can live in at times…ain’t it beautiful?

I made a whole bunch of comments about polarizing music throughout the comparisons I made to PHI-108 when writing about them last year in a review of their album, Solve For Why.  I also talked a whole lot about identity in music too, and how crucial that can be in terms of longevity in this music business.  After having a listen to the Conditions Of Re-Entry EP, all these previous things I said came flooding back to me…I know why I said the things I said and of course I stand behind every word I wrote like I always do – but it sure got me thinking about how we all see the world from different perspectives, and hear it from different perspectives as well when it comes to music.  What I’d be willing to listen to or invest my time in likely isn’t going to be the same as everybody else…I get that…that’s largely why I’m here doing what I do.  In this case of PHI-108, I think what I’m getting at is that there ARE many folks out there that are fully willing to go down the rabbit hole in search of something new to listen to (and I love y’all for it) – but even when the adventurous types of listeners do that, it’s not like it’s a forgone conclusion that we’ll all hear the same things or notice the same stuff.  In fact, it’s more of a forgone conclusion that we won’t.  Hence this warped reality where it seems like we’re all listening to the same thing, but we’re also not at the same time.  I love the fact that it’s a possibility no two people would hear PHI-108 in the same way and that what interests me about them could very well elude someone else entirely, and vice versa.

Heck, I think that sentiment even applies to OURSELVES in the case of PHI-108.  I know what I instantly respond to as I sit here while I’m listening, because we all know what immediately resonates with us as individuals, but it makes things really interesting when I’m basically having a whole conversation with myself about the rest, debating the details back & forth.  That in itself might not be something that everyone would be looking for in the music they’re listening to, and I understand that – but to me, that’s always a sign of something that’s got some authenticity and life in its veins.  “I was not made to entertain you,” they say as “Die Young” starts up the set-list of Conditions Of Re-Entry.  While I’m sure there are a ton of theories we could posit for a line like that as to what that would mean in this particular song, I think there’s an element of truth to what they’re saying there in broader terms of the music they’re making as well.  Both Alfred and Alan from PHI-108 came back to the scene after spending time away from it…and I suspect that the time away gave them a new perspective on the craft overall.  So no…they’re not just here to entertain us…they’re here to make ART, on their own terms, and I fully respect that.  Is their art going to be for everyone?  Probably not.  Is yours?  Probably not.  Art is very rarely, if ever, universal.  In that respect, we’re all polarizing to a degree…it’s just pronounced more clearly in the work of some over others.  I’ll say this with respect to “Die Young” – it’s almost as if this first cut is like…the concept of what a single should be?  It’s like you can hear an attempt at writing a song that might lend itself to a higher degree of accessibility when it comes to the design of the hooks or the lyrics – and some of that stuff is good.  What interested me the most felt like it was everything that was outside of that though…the spaces in between choruses and verses for example, or the eventual transition they put in around the ninety-second mark that hints at the most brilliant moment of the song to follow in that last switch around 2:05.  That’s where they end up in this like…good lord it’s freakin’ stellar…it’s like a Modest Mouse type of all-encompassing moment where you can feel the music flow right through you.  It feels tremendously organic, and that’s what I personally tend to respond to most.

“The Measure” has PHI-108 going from what would appear to be a more accessible sound into a more artistic and ambitious adventure.  Yes, you can read that as being a slower, deeper cut on Conditions Of Re-Entry if you like…because that’d be the truth.  It’s one of the spots where PHI-108 dips into the more Art-Rock based terrain you’d remember bands like Marillion or ELO exploring.  I don’t know who’s doin’ the low-voiced backing vocals, but good lord almighty those are heckin’ impressively low notes.  “The Measure” is an interesting tune on a structural level…it’s got Prog elements to it for sure, but rather than how a song is typically held together by its instrumentation, it’s actually the vocals that keep this particular track intact.  That’s not me saying that the vocals are THE reason to listen to “The Measure” – that’s me saying that you’d be listening to sections of almost pure silence were they not to be included.  “The Measure” is often quite a threadbare tune when it comes to the music involved, but it’s actually a fairly bold tune at the same time…it’s got a haunting clarity to it that gives every ticking second the opportunity to make an impact on ya.  It’s got a decent amount of drama to it as well, which will likely be taken as melodrama by some, but I think for the most part, fans of PHI-108 will enjoy the vibrantly expressive & artistically-inclined performance to be found here.  I suppose that’s the real crux of it all – every song we listen to has different priorities…in this instance, the performance is priority number one.  Some folks respond to that, and others need the kind of hooks and sing-along aspects to what they listen to or they ain’t gonna listen at all.  I’m sure PHI-108 has already made peace with that and they’ve made the choice to cater to what they want to do as opposed to some notion of trying to please the restless masses.  I will say this though…they’ve got an extraordinary hook around the 4:35 mark that they don’t add until the song is practically done…which makes for both a strong finale to “The Measure” and also has you somewhat wishing they’d found a way to work that into this song a little more as well.

In terms of the song that caught my attention and interest the quickest, I’d say it was found right here in the middle of the record, with “Heaven Knows.”  Love the keyboards & bells & extraneous instruments that drive this song, it’s all fantastic, and for the first ninety-five seconds, I’m always convinced that that’s what I love most about this third tune…until that fiery guitar solo comes into play, and then I’ll quickly be reminded that there’s so much to love about this song it’s practically impossible to choose a favorite piece or part of it.  Like, the backing vocals and orchestral elements that appear right afterwards for example – that’s like, cinematic stuff you do NOT wanna miss out on!  To me, “Heaven Knows” finds the sweet spot in between what they established in the first and second tunes on the EP…so you get this like, more organic approach to some noticeably single-worthy hooks, but with the incredibly artistic direction & ambitious ideas that they create so well.  It’s a MEATY listen…and you’re rewarded greatly for taking the journey with them by another kickass guitar solo towards the very end.  For real y’all – great technique is one thing to listen to, and that’s always wonderful to behold…but when you combine that with the kind of vivid, irresistible 3D tones that they have in the guitar on “Heaven Knows,” a moment like that becomes something else altogether, and one of the main reasons to come back again and again for another spin.  Now…all that being said…are there opportunities to tighten-up a song like this even further?  To a degree I’d say yes…but at the same time, I think we have to acknowledge that music can be much more about the journey than reaching the final destination or the spots we like most – as in you, shouting ‘get to the chorus’ in the back there…you’ll have to stay patient in a case like this.  I like to think “this long and winding road” leads to quite a satisfying listen from my own personal perspective, even if I’d also be the first to tell you that PHI-108 has about ten song’s worth of ideas inside this one singular experience.  There’s obviously no wrong way to go about creating something, but it is also fair to say that when you’ve got so much included, you can also be potentially speeding past some stuff we’d wanna spend more time with too – make sense?  I have at times thought that PHI-108 and I would clearly have differing opinions on the parts of their songs that listeners would gravitate towards most, but I also experience that disconnect between artists and their audiences in just about every record I ever listen to at some point along the way.  At the end of the day, I think they’ve really got a smorgasbord of stuff to listen to on “Heaven Knows,” and that at some point along the way, they’re bound to offer your ears something they’ll love to discover.  And then that’s how it all really starts y’all – you find that thread you can pull, and you start to unravel the rest…all of a sudden, it becomes that much easier to like another part of the song, so on and so on, until you find a way into the whole thing.  Every piece is interesting…the rhythm section is straight-up outstanding & keeps this structurally intact, but credit to the color that the rest adds to every moment – “Heaven Knows” is quite admirably unique.

While it’s not always easy to parse out what the meaning would be in every song unless you’re staring at the lyrics for every tune directly, as I understand it, Conditions Of Re-Entry largely revolves around the concepts of mortality and the icy finger of the reaper selecting us as next to go.  We might only have mere “Seconds To Go” – and none of us really know, do we?  Maybe we’ll live to a hundred years old, or maybe we’ll spontaneously combust on the toilet from pushing too hard…it’s impossible to predict, but ain’t that part of the fun of it all?  I suppose it’s all about how you choose to look at it.  I can tell you this much for certain – I absolutely love the rhythm of the guitar on the way into this song, it’s addictive groove always gets me in the mood to listen to this song again.  Solid highlight for the vocals fairly early on too where you hear the line, “you think we would know better by now, but no…” – it’s a great hook for the sound, but also for the way the line engages our mind and has us wondering about all the things that we SHOULD know better about, yet the choices of society keeps us swimming against the current well-beyond our control.  The idea that we have made, or could “make this world a funeral home” through “mutually assured destruction” is pretty damn grim, however realistic it might be conceptually.  I also really liked how “Seconds To Go” has us questioning our own individual roles – “am I just a domino?” – that’s another insightful line you’ll find in this song, and there are plenty to be found on this EP if you’re paying attention.  Like everything we listen to, we internalize the lyrics & project a meaning that’s likely way far off of what the creators intended, but I think we usually find points where the original concept and what we think it’s about will intersect, which makes the material relatable to us.

There might not be a single line that carries more weight to it though, than the one that opens up the final track, “Wanderers.”  Check this out – “We are eternity.  I can’t kill you, and you can’t kill me.”  If you’re into your philosophy & such, that’s a moment that’ll continue to turn over in your brain long after the music has stopped.  Definitely one of my favorite spots on the entire record, and I love that it comes right at the beginning of this last tune, basically daring you to keep listening to what will be undeniably substantial content you’ll be forced to consider.  You’ll find a plethora of interesting lyricism in this last track…absolutely exceptional stuff to be found in the verses of this song.  Love the additional depth that the piano adds to the sound of this track as well…it gives this cut both the light and the dark, depending on which part of the song you’re listening to & from what angle you’re considering it from.  We’re all “Wanderers” at the end of the day, aren’t we?  We’re just renting skin, and however difficult it may be, we have to find a way to be comfortable with that.  “It’s gonna be alright,” as PHI-108 will tell you – and I like to think that’s true.  I might not know what, but I personally choose to believe there’s something else awaiting us after death, mainly because it would almost be stranger for this to be all there is to our consciousness, wouldn’t it?  We created nuclear bombs and a valley of malls…and there just has to be something a little more cohesive & meaningful behind it all, doesn’t there?   Maybe I need that to be the case so that I don’t go insane…or maybe there’s some truth in that.  I suspect that none of us know until we reach the final chapter.  “There will be a light,” says PHI-108 as they fade this final moment out in a comforting way that feels like the conclusive ending you want to find on a concept record about our own conclusive endings…which also in turn, opens the door for fantastically unimaginable possibilities ahead.  If PHI-108 continues to keep focused like this, and finding impressive ways to engage with our thoughts every bit as much as they entertain our ears with their sound, they’ll always be in great shape & put their music in a position where it can be universally enjoyed on a variety of different levels.

Find out more about PHI-108 from this multi-link here:  https://linktr.ee/phi.108

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