THE CINEMATIC UNDERGROUND/NATHAN JOHNSON: Annasthesia

The Cinematic Underground/Nathan Johnson

Annasthesia

© 2004 Nathan Johnson (665776513620)

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Annasthesia is like a film trapped in a CD - music combined with a stunning graphic novel that will blow you away. This album redifines what a concept album can and should be.

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notes

"The best concept album this side of Lift to Experience's The Texas-Jerusalem Crossroads, Johnson's existential tale unfolds over thirteen expansive tracks that intermittently evoke Mark Kozelek, Sparklehorse and Radiohead."
One of the top local Albums of 2004
-Dave Hererra, Westword Magazine

"Lyrically beautiful, mind blowing...A masterpiece of a tale. Nathan Johnson has achieved in one release what many musicians spend their whole life trying to achieve."
-Chad Mitchell, PastePunk

"If Coldplay's last album was an innocent underage beer, this is heroin."
Ian Mathers, Stylus Magazine

"Annasthesia is a postmodern epic. It has the pathos, and even the structure - note the chorus of workers on 'Carparks & Cubicles' - of Greek tragedy. The depth of insight and breadth of beauty expressed here is very rare. I strain to think of another narrative presentation as intriguing as this - on the visual, lyrical and musical levels. It excels as a short work of literary fiction, as a dramatic play, as a musical composition of the highest quality, and as a series of beautiful visual works of art. This is a tremendous feat as a work of art in general, and as a concept album in particular."
-Jeremy Bryan, Figureheads

Included with Annasthesia:
1) 24-page Graphic Novella-as-Liner Notes, useful for reading while listening to the entire album if you're the kind of person who has that sort of time and dedication. If not, it is still fairly useful as a beautiful picturebooklet featuring the haunting full color reproductions of Zachary Johnson's original artwork (roughly 30 pen/ink/watercolor pieces layed out in comic book format with the complete lyrics to the story).

1) Jewel Box, useful for throwing away after you import the album into iTunes, or perhaps after you transfer the disc and liner notes into your 200-cd carrier. Could also be useful for the visual hints it provides to understanding the structural form of the album and, thus, the theme, if that is not already uncomfortably apparent.

1) High-quality-laser-etched plastic disc, useful for conveying the sounds that were recorded over a 6 month period using minimal means (mostly in a bedroom) and mixed with loving care by the creators in a loft in the city.

It should be noted that by clicking the blue text on the upper-left side of your screen, you can hear samples of the album's 13 tracks. I recommend starting with The Evening News.

It should also be noted that by clicking the shopping trolley icon prominently displayed at the top of this page, you may securely enter your credit card details in exchange for your very own copy of Annasthesia, which will be swiftly mailed to you by the lovely people at CD Baby.

Enjoy,
Nathan Johnson
& The Cinematic Underground

reviews

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  • PERFECTOOOOO!!!
    author: Amanda M. A.

    Honestly...nothing can be more unique than CU. It was a memorable show. Brilliant...fascinating!

  • blows my mind
    author: Carrie

    This CD... makes me feel happy and sad and amazed and I love it all over. I gave it to my bro for Christmas and he was so excited! I will continue to give this CD as a gift to cool people for as long as I am able to continue to buy it.

  • bittetr sweet, beautiful, honest, quality
    author: nipper

    first thing: this is a piece of musical quality. review bit: bitter sweet, honest account of day to day life summed up in music, how clever. met nathan johnson this year, he's a top chap, buy it, peace

  • bittetr sweet, beautiful, honest, quality
    author: nipper

    first thing: this is a piece of musical quality review bit: bitter sweet, honest account of day to day life summed up in music, how clever. met nathan johnson this year, he's a top chap, buy it, peace

  • Deserves a Grammy and an Oscar
    author: Chris

    This is honestly like nothing i have ever heard before my life. It is a beautiful and depressing story told through the music and the comicbook-esque linear notes. This album is a complete experience, I highly reccomend it.

  • the best
    author: phil dupertuis

    you will find nothing better here. buy this album!

  • I loved it! There is really nothing else out there with your sound!
    author: Jenn

    Glad to own it. (Sorry, not a music critic.)

  • Creative story about the Human Condition
    author: Patrick Kennedy

    An amazingly creative perspective on the Human Condition. The Motif of a man who lives life without purpose, searching for fullfillment through Work and a Girl, but finds that these things are annasthetics. In the moment of Annasthesia he realizes that Work and a Girl are not going to fill that space in his heart, the space that was made only for God. This is a story that everyone can relate with...Very compelling, and enriching.

  • Progressive, Thought provoking, Manic creation of passionate storytelling, Brill
    author: JG FEN

    The Cinematic Underground bottles up an intoxicating story, which at it's best moments provide true orgasmic sensation to the listening ear. The tension surrounding the explained versus the unexplained riddle the listener with questions that pursue a much deeper meaning through an ultimate thought provoking encounter. Although Mr. Johnson could have benefited from a little of JG BONES vocal production, overall, he did a spectacular job directing this masterpiece towards a glorious and passion filled result.

  • perfectly formed, beautifully realised
    author: ana

    a competely beautiful album, the lyrics are poetically masterful, the story will break your heart. the music is perfectly balanced to compliment the story, and will at points leave you breathless. the cinematic underground have shown with this album that they are pushing musical boundaries & making the idea of the 'concept album' a GOOD idea. moves from melencholy to excitment, to lost hopes & found dreams & will carry you along to experience all of them. it really is unique & very good.

  • Absolutely fabulous! Touches the soul in a way that music always should!
    author: Jen Kent

    After hearing about this cd from various people, I finally purchased it for myself. I can't find proper words to describe how much I'm enjoying it. I have been mesmerized from the beginning by the amazing music, lyrics and the artwork on the cd jacket. I would highly recommend this to anyone!! It is, by far, the best cd I've purchased in recent past.

  • Cinematic underground at Greenbelt UK ROCKED!!
    author: Richard Ternouth

    The CD was performed live at Greenbelt festival in Cheltenam England. promoting the performance by driving around in a rusty car with half a number plate skidding in the mud giving out free tickets. there was so much emotion put into the performance i was transfixed by every riff, every beat, every word. glancing occasionally at the screen to see the images from the album... was incredible. the story of the album unfolded and the crowd was waiting in aticipation for the next song to be unleashed. an awesome performance from an awesome album... great stuff buy it!

  • Good. Very Good.
    author: Jonny Spankdollar

    Good. Very good. Very very good. Very very very good. Very very very very good. Very very very very very good. Very very very very very very good. Very very very very very very very good. Yes.

  • read the inlay at the same time as listening and it swallows you up!
    author: jon newman

    I sat down and decided to listen right through witht the inlay art story. It was an incredible experience, it swallowed me up, very emotional and amazingly interesting. If you like musical innovation, with rich interesting sounds, this is it, track 2 is amazing but dont listen to one track even though you will get hooked on some listen to it all as a whole to get the full effect

  • author: drawingstars

    At first look and listen this album has all the tale-tale sings of over-production, at best, and spirit-crushing pretension at worst ... but then it's catchy, noisy and beautiful at all the right moments, often unexpectedly so; it is Nathan's sincerity and its beauty, however, in the quiet, bare moments that both make and save this album. The Cinematic Underground provide a strong and cleverly executed setting for the story being told, in both daringly complex arrangements and stripped down clicks, hums and strings, but their influences are at times all too apparent, making me ache to hear more of just Nathan and his acoustic guitar. Either way, Annasthesia is a rewarding litsten every time over if you are willing to give it your attention. Well done.

  • best cd this year (so far)
    author: Philippe Pierquin (the one from Belgium)

    Just like Hazyz. For me, the new Nathan Johnson’s cd is definitely the best cd I’ve heard this year and believe me I’m listening to a lot of cd. This one is catchy and innovative, progressive and challenging, personal and universal. If you like bands like, say, Radiohead or Elbow (but be sure it’s not some copy, it’s just some hints to get you interested), then you will love Annasthesia. Nathan is definitely America’s best kept secret. Hope his recent move to UK (where this kind of music is really popular) will make him huge. He deserves it more than most signed bands.

  • This is art
    author: Chara

    This album is not just another CD, it's art on every level. The music is awesome, the lyrics are poetic, the pictures in the jacket are so expressive, plus, these three aspects intertwine to make one single great piece of art! I've never seen anything like it. Wow!

  • Listening to Annasthesia reminds you of the enormous creative potential of a hum
    author: marke

    Buy it for the insightful critique of our escapist postmodern world, its clever and innovative structure, its redefinition of what a concept album can and should be, or its many-layererd themes echoing modern writers from Guy Debord to James Joyce...but listen to it for its pure, haunting, and beautiful songs. The 'story' is based upon the old archetype of impossible love; however the barrier is not merely an outside force or physical limitation, but the protagonist's own internalization of our postmodern society of escape. The tension on the album is palpable, nowhere so much as on the chiasmic title track "annasthesia." Here, brilliantly, the incessant rapid pulsing of muted guitar is paced against the torturous, measured chord changes, perfectly illustrating the conceit of a man at war with himself. The work is a study in polar opposites, juxtaposition, and the hard, wonderful tension that is life. It has been said that the only way for a writer to write about all people in all ages is to write about himself in his own age. Which explains why listening to Annasthesia feels timeless in a strange new way. The paradoxical label of a "modern classic" just might apply in this case; and the fact that this is only Nathan's sophmore effort is somehow infuriating - at least until one realizes the sheer amount of time, effort, and vision Nathan put into this album while collaborating with the numerous artists of the enigmatic and eclectic Cinematic Underground. This is intellectual art to be absorbed and digested. Don't attempt to put it on in the background or listen to only a few songs. On numerous occasions I have started the album playing in the background, only to find myself an hour later laying in front of the stereo, artwork in hand, and late for whatever appointments I may have had. I have sat in parking lots unable to turn off the car until the album finishes. It engages you mentally and emotionally all at the same time in a way that beckons you to escape into the lush world that is "Annasthesia"...at least until you realize that this is the exact behavior being critiqued. Another paradox, Nathan? Of course.

  • A masterpiece of shear genius. It’s infectious.
    author: Anna

    A masterpiece of shear genius the likes of which I could never have even imagined. So much more than an album of sensational music, but just that too! I remember when I had my first ‘tastes’ of the album, I thought then that it was the best new music I’d heard for a very long time. Now that I have a personal insight into the deeper chiasmic journey I can’t stop listening to it, even sat at my desk at work right now, headphones on… it’s infectious. So true: you find yourself slipping right into the ‘film set’ alongside the characters (if only I really was the eponymous 'Anna'!) Every element is so beautifully composed, chaotic but calming. And that artwork - incredible.

  • The most well-executed concept album I know of
    author: Jer1

    I honestly don't know what to say. I felt it a tremendous privilege to receive so masterful an art work in my mail!! On top of that, I know the artist a little! This thing is absolutely magnificent! It has the pathos of Greek tragedy and the breadth of a beauty that hurts. When I got home from a Gillian Welch concert and found the package, I danced and jumped and ran around for 25 minutes straight. We spent 11pm to midnight absorbing the entire work. You, sir, have created the most well executed concept album I know of. It reaches me. Wow. How can I purchase numerous copies and help promote what I hope will be heard by thousands upon thousands of willing ears. I want 10 for starters.

  • My favorite album of the year.
    author: Hazyz

    Annasthesia, is truly a work of the most masterful art. It is now my favorite album of the year and I don't think that anything else will match up to it for the rest of the year.

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