WHAT'S WRONG SPACEMAN- KAMVE
GNARLY'S ALBUM OF THE WEEK| 5
Lucid, phased-out, and sort of controlled chaos. Like other planets imitating Earth, but in the best way possible.
Like Daniel Caesar’s Pilgrim’s Paradise was delicately wrapped around prog rock with a sombre disposition and whiskey-braised midwest emo(or just folk) with clear elements of neo-soul and early Taylor McFerrin or James Blake synth; all amalgamated in a series of multi-dimentional plight reserved for feelings of dejectedness and wearyness, but groovy- in light of the otherworldly vividness, “What’s Wrong Spaceman?” is a story told to fill a void.
WHAT’S WRONG SPACEMAN
GNARLY’S Top 3
Our last dance
Trouble in the city
Let’s call it a night
After a very informative conversation with Kamve, I realised that my understanding of “What’s Wrong Spaceman?” was a vague interpretation of what loss can be and how much of an effect it can have.
Approved by Kamve himself, “What’s Wrong Spaceman?” is simply about “Unraveling within the shackles of ego death”. When life can somehow imitate the treasures of heaven for a moment, it can also turn upside down—setting fires and causing episodes of dishevelled madness, chaos swimming and dragging you down the treacherous waters.
“So as much as the sound and imagery alludes to a different world, I think the content drags you back down to earth“ -Kamve
Back to Earth through the debris, the sunken evidence of your lost life and the blistering fire. But what matters most is facing that fire head-on, letting it burn you until you become immune to it.
Although the album’s niche is space-related, alluding to a different world with both the lyrics and the sound itself; inter-related to space, escapism also plays a major role in pouring out the message of the album. In my conversation with Kamve, he states that “What’s Wrong Spaceman?” is about a young boy turned young man experiencing the constaints life could offer him in the process of carving out who he is in the face of the world. After the creator lost his job after a year of work, his life had to take a huge stance, and a lot was lost- from commitments to his sense of self and the dejection came into place, losing him into a downward spiral.
The album was sort of a sonic documentation of that downward spiral- the sequence of its birth towards the trial of its demise. He states that “Unearthly Fate” speaks about the heartbreak and desperation that came from the loss he endured, with “Rambling Mind” speaking of the inescapable void that sunk within riddled, with dark thoughts and the need for someone to help him forget and “Trouble In The City”, also dealing with the desire to escape, then “Let’s Call It A Night”, simply closing the chapter with the sought for closure.
When things were re-arranged and set far from their vantage points, all you can do is question what went wrong…
“A vision I had a lot when I was making the album was my younger self looking up at the moon and seeing a man on the moon terrified of the things he has encountered on his space journey but him not being able to explain anything to my younger self because I’m so obsessed with the idea of going out and finding myself (the unknown) out here in the world”
-Kamve
As the dark times consumed Kamve, his love for music had a greater grip. In his series of plight, he was accompanied by King Krule’s 3rd album, “Space Heavy”. Although the comfort of King Krule’s “sandpaper sighs” and raspy vulnerability could not push him out of his zone, it was the first step towards the creation of “What’s Wrong Spaceman?”.
Saving grace, is what I call it. The act of creating with intent consumed him, allowing all his vulnerabilities to seep into something productive and creative; something that garnered him the answers he needed to find, reversing the heavy effects of ego death and bring light and slight certainty to circumstances. This is what makes “What’s Wrong Spaceman?” GNARLY’S ALBUM OF THE WEEK. It fully encapsulates the power of creation at its most genuine and curious form. Showing us how much art is a healing property at its greatest capacity.
RATING: 7.5/10
PARTS OF THE INTERVIEW
most of the time art can be a receptor to experiences and circumstances that one could undergo and also become an ode to the media we consume and life itself. When i listened to 'WHATS WRONG SPACEMAN', i couldnt help but fall into this sonic universe, having me entranced into this mass of synthwaves synchronized into your own insanely cool way. From what I understand, '' What's Wrong Spaceman?'' is a story of unraveling within the shackles of ego death and finding your way to let go and come to terms with what the situation has come to. Out of interest, can you let me know how you channeled all your experiences into this amazing piece of work? What allowed your vulnerability to come through and use the studio and your passion for experimentation as your canvas for what you have to come to terms with?
“Yes! “Unraveling within the shackles of ego death”, that’s a perfect way to put it. I was in a very rough place in my life. I had just graduated then unexpectedly lost my job after a year, which forced me to cut out some commitments I had built up because of finances. All of that just put me in a very deep and dark place and I pretty much let myself go after some time. My musical journey at that point was non existent and I was just making random music for the fun of it (I still do but then I didn’t care much about what I was doing). That all changed when I listened to King Krule’s “Space Heavy”, btw im the biggest King Krule fan in the entire world lol.
That album was my escape for quite some time but I was still in a really dark space. It got to a point where I couldn’t even remember the last time I was sober and my mind was just filled with the most negative thoughts imaginable. At that point I’d done pretty much anything to stay sane. That’s when I started writing and producing the project, initially it was a synth heavy project with a bunch of distortion but over time I started writing and just talking any problems. The vulnerability came naturally because I didn’t really care much about anything and just needed an outlet. All the sounds (synth, distortion, glitches) are a reflection of my anxiety at the time and what my mind felt like, the dark album cover and lyrics also add onto that. Overall the album was more of a “screaming into the void” type of thing for me.”
So, escapism; could it be one of the themes of the album? Losing all could be a humbling experience that leads you to a crash course of reminders of the coarseness of the world and the desire to become a tiny forgettable speck of dust. You mention that "Trouble in the City" speaks about being alone in the world faced with temptations and escapes and “Rambling Mind” speaks of needing someone to help you escape the war inside your rambling mind and also considering the fact that you used creating this project as an outlet to distract you from the negative thoughts and unhealthy habits caused by how your life took a turn at that point, Is the space a metaphor for escapism? And does spaceman symbolise a very withdrawn version of you?
“Yes definitely, the spaceman is the individual that had a very vague understanding of the world, their own limitations and was blinded by their ignorance. You know growing up in a small town, you have a very close minded view of the world and other peoples experiences
I was pretty much isolated from the whole world before I moved to the city and experiencing so much in short span of time after going out into the world alone, that made me question a lot about the world and what exactly my own purpose is. A vision I had a lot when I was making the album was my younger self looking up at the moon and seeing a man on the moon terrified of the things he has encountered on his space journey but him not being able to explain anything to my younger self because I’m so obsessed with the idea of going out and finding myself (the unknown) out here in the world
What really kept me going when working on the project was envisioning my younger self asking the man in space “What’s Wrong Spaceman?” "
Speaking of King Krule and how your relationship with creation was totally elevated by creating this album, can you tell me the sequence of inspirations for the record? Sound wise, it really does sound like early- before freudian- daniel caesar, sucked and distorted synth and the kind of lucid guitar you hear in movies when someone is alone at a bar in a drunken stupor all merged together in an amalgamation of extraterrestrial storytelling for something so intimate and vunelrable for you, the creator. Can you tell me what you wanted it to sound like and who's mark you wanted to be visible in this creation?
“Apart from King Krule, the imagery and overall mood was heavily inspired by “Lief Vollebekk”. There’s this video of him performing his song “Vancouver Time” in black and white, he perfectly captured that drunk vulnerable energy that I then put into my own album. I wanted the album to sound heavy and “anxiety personified” if there’s such a thing. From a sound perspective I would say I always want to sound like myself, I have alot of influence from other musicians but in terms of sound an arrangement my mind is always blank and I just do what I like. So ultimately my goal was not for it to sound like anyone else, I wanted whoever listened to the album to think to themselves “this sounds weird and different” and I wanted that to be an introduction to me as a creative and as an artist. When you listen to my stuff, you get transported into this world of strange sounds and “weirdness” basically 😂”
So spaceman is the explorer who jumped fast into the idea of leaving and reinvention or changing with a very warped idea of the world he is going to and soon, after enduring all the culture clashes and differences between the world he grew into and the world he thought he was moving into, he revels into all the isolation and hardship he goes through- helping him properly find himself? Does spaceman find it so crucial to kind of meet the standards and desires of his younger self? Does he think he failed his younger self?
“Quite the opposite actually, the spaceman finds himself in a position now where all worldly desires are useless and what matters is what’s inside. However the urge to go deeper into the world to find this “unknown” further adds to this whole conflict and digging yourself into a deep hole. If you believe in the concept of Superposition within the context of us as humans existing in multiple states then this paints a clearer picture. The spaceman almost serves as a warning to the young kid, but there’s nothing you can do change what’s coming”
Would you maybe say that as the young boy asks the spaceman whats wrong with him, the spaceman would tell him all the bad things that occurred to him? and also, wouldn't that dig a deeper hole for the boy- showing him that his life is going nowhere but the direction of hardship?
“Hey. It would indeed dig a deeper hole. The spaceman can’t tell the young boy anything about what he’s encountered and even if he did that wouldn’t sway the young boy’s curiosity. The song “Trouble In The City” points to this, where I say “And I know your eyes have seen things I wouldn’t believe, but I’m not afraid of anything, so take it easy on me”
So it now becomes a situation of finding yourself in an unbreakable cycle or ‘generational curse’ cycle”
I'm not sure if you're religious, but do you think the making of this album was a spiritual experience? Perhaps something that would've brought you closer to a higher power due to the answers you've gained and the lessons you've learnt? I am asking because this album seems to have saved you from falling inside the whole you've dug yourself after things started falling apart.
“Yes I am religious, I grew up in a Christian household but I think during that period I found myself sort of drifting off and “finding my own self”. In that journey I started doing more and more “worldly” things and it got to a point where I felt like I wasn’t living my true life. You know I’ve always been “that kid in the corner”, just sort of doing my own thing and living in my own little bubble. When I tried to leave that I started trying to become something other people like or want. Writing and producing the album allowed me to find that base I tried to let go, the reception to the album also reinforced the fact that I should probably just keep my “weird” self and not try to fit in. So it definitely was a spiritual experience and it made me accept and appreciate who God made me to be and the type of person I should be for other people, which I guess is just being myself 😂”