Art Schop’s Latest Single “Farm On Mars” Is A Cautionary Tale From Outer Space
To forge the remote, otherworldly soundscape, Art Schop used various instruments, most notably a microKORG synthesizer/vocoder. This tricky, unassuming keyboard helped to create a hypnotic, pervasive line that evokes the strange monotony of the farmer’s existence. The lyrics and production go hand-in-hand, communicating the loneliness and isolation upon cultivating on the fourth planet from the sun. “I walk the red lime fields / Beneath the cool thin sun / A moon in each hand / of my outstretched arms,” he croons to the universe, who can only echo back with the resonance of faraway, heavenly voices.
The full-length LP, Starguide will be released on July 23rd.
Starguide has two themes that connect: It puts our existence into perspective relative to the vast universe with its trillions of stars and hundreds of billions of galaxies, and it explores a problem that faces the human race today — the lack of faith in reason and truth. The goal of the album is to raise awareness that this planet is a miraculous home, and the human race needs to look outward to understand that we are all in this together. We won’t have this home forever, and we’d better work together if we’re going to survive.
Art draws inspiration from artists who follow their own path, who have their own voice, who are searching for truth rather than writing in a genre. Some notable influences for Art’s style are Nick Cave, Tom Waits, Grizzly Bear, David Bowie, John Grant, Midlake, and Bonnie Prince Billy. Very different artists, but what they have in common is that their songs are typically deep and philosophical on some level.
About Art Schop:
Brooklyn’s Art Schop is the solo project of contemporary rock musician Martin G. Walker. Exploring historical and modern ideas, Art Schop’s music is skillfully crafted with earnest consonance and poetic lyricism that inspire people to see the world in new ways. Born in the UK, Art Schop studied Physics at the University of Oxford, where he learned he would not be a physicist. After a stint as a consultant in London, he realized he was no better suited for commerce. Thus, he moved to New York and reconnected with his musical roots. For him, songwriting is nothing short of miraculous: pieces emerge and live in the world while also speaking his inner truth.
As a songwriter with an intent to make a difference, Art Schop strives to communicate beautiful and uncomfortable truths about human existence. Inspired by Schopenhauer’s World as Will and Representation, the artist developed an original theory that connects the universal laws governing the physical world with the foundation of morality and the meaning of life. This philosophy informs his life and art, and, particularly, pulses through his upcoming album Starguide. Art Schop is an explorer of ideas, calling for awareness and deep connection. His previous albums, Death Waits I and Death Waits II, were recorded over several years in collaboration with musical genius Jimi Zhivago. Reminiscent of Nick Cave, John Grant and Tom Waits’ ground-breaking voices, Art Schop’s vanguard sound beckons those following their own paths and searching for truth beyond the ordinary.
Through ingenious and otherworldly soundscapes marked by vocals rich in cosmic wisdom, Starguide, out in Spring 2021, highlights the profound miracle of planet Earth in relation to the universe with its trillions of stars and hundreds of billions of galaxies.
