Tantalus by Nathan Moody

A human who is trusted to dine with the gods betrays their hospitality, and is doomed to spend eternity thirsty and hungry, all sustenance just out of reach. This ancient myth is put through a uniquely modern lens by Nathan Moody in his new EP, "Tantalus."

Tantalus is an otherworldly journey of dark majesty and tragedy, told through an utterly unique sound palette: SOMA Lyra-8 synthesizer, transducers that vibrate cymbals, singing bowl, kemenche fiddle, violin, electric cello, Appalachian dulcimer, and wind instruments made of PVC pipe. Rhythms are revealed between the beating and modulation of oscillators, polyrhythmic extended techniques, and the scrappy repeats of noisy delay lines. Traditional western scales dissolve into custom harmonic intervals as tension rises and falls like the tide, moments of ecstasy surface like sunrises, and cycles of consonance and dissonance keep the compositions active and evolving...yet resolution seems, just like the myth, eternally just out of reach.

Whichever of the two main versions of the myth one subscribes to – that Tantalus stole the gods’ food to share with humanity, or he killed his own son and attempted to feed him to the gods – the album Tantalus asks us to consider what we have stolen or sacrificed for the sake of comfort, hubris, power, and self-image.

Tracklist

1.	Act I - Invocation	1:53

2.	Act I - Banquet	5:05

3.	Act I - Nectar	4:10

4.	Act I - Ambrosia	4:48

5.	Act II - Theft	9:48

6.	Act II - Torment	6:12

Credits

released November 10, 2022

All music composed and produced by Nathan Moody
Mastered by Nathan Moody
Cover image by Michael Cobra

Cloudchamber Recordings Edition #CC36

License