Always Becoming Album Release
The second Realizing Resonance album, Always Becoming, drops today, September 13th, 2024. It is a collection of rock songs with memorable riffs, catchy hooks, and passionate lyrics about the human condition.
Always Becoming is a big leap forward from the first Realizing Resonance album. I love the songs on The Labyrinth, but the musical arrangements on the first album does not have real guitars, because I didn’t own a guitar when I made it. I completed 2 of the songs from Always Becoming using synth guitar, but after getting a new Stratocaster on Labor Day 2023 I have been laying down riffs and solos ever since. Always Becoming is a guitar driven rock album throughout.
Always Becoming has 11 tracks, including the 5 singles I have released so far in 2024 and 6 unreleased songs. Let me take you through the tracks with the intention of intriguing you into listening to the album.
01 I Play My Guitar Because I Want To
The album starts with a short solo guitar instrumental. I’ve had this little piece for over 20 years, but never named it, so I used the title of a philosophical blog article I wrote about the nature of free will. In my view, free will exists, and playing guitar is an expression of that for me.
02 Always Becoming
The title track is the longest song I have written at 6:32. Although not an instrumental, it has sparse lyrics and repeated lines. “Always Becoming” is built around an infectious riff that remains a strong motif throughout. Yet, the track doesn’t get boring because no bar is the same as another, with a constantly changing dynamic and texture. The title, lyrics, and theme of constant change come from the pre-Socratic philosopher Heraclitus, who argued that reality was based on processes rather than things. I use two of his famous sayings in the lyrics, “a person never steps into the same river twice” and “never being, always becoming.” Process philosophy is compelling to me, and the concept felt very fitting for a second Realizing Resonance album.
03 Into the Light
This is a rocker with an upbeat tempo, driving guitar riffs, and a shredding solo. The lyrics are about existence, mystery, and enlightenment, expressed in the catchy chorus, “Into the light of a shadow.” This song was released as a single in March 2024, and represents the first Realizing Resonance song to have real guitar playing on it, marking a change in sound. Realizing Resonance is a sound that is Always Becoming, if you will. I wrote “Into the Light” about 30 years ago, and it’s the first song I ever wrote. I originally recorded it back in 1996 with my old band Fallacy, so this is a cover version of sorts.
04 Valentine’s Day
Another rocker, “Valentine’s Day” was the first single released from the album back in February 2024, and this was to line up with the holiday of the same name. The song is not about romance, but the loss of a friend on that day, along with a hopeful message that everyone should “be as they may.” A fundraiser for The Trevor Project called “Be As You May On Valentine’s Day” was launched alongside the single, and donations are always welcome.
05 Cassandra
So far, “Cassandra” is my most popular song with over 100k views of the music video on YouTube. “Cassandra” is an emotional ballad and story of love, with a twist. It’s from the perspective of a time traveler who is in love with Cassandra, Princess of Troy, and he travels back in time to rescue her from her ill-fated death in the Trojan War. Cassandra was cursed by the God Apollo to know the future perfectly, but to also have no one believe her. So, she would seem like a mad woman to people of her time, but someone from the future would know that she was right.
06 Cruel Reverie
This is a groovy rock track with bluesy guitar riffs and solo, with some aggressive rock vocals. The driving beat even includes some cowbell! The idea of a “Cruel Reverie”, as captured in the lyrics, is a daydream of something you want to do, but if you never do it in real life it just tortures you. For me the song is about making music and sharing it, rather than just daydreaming about being a rock star. This music video for this song stars my daughter, Willow!
07 Future Told
Keeping up the pace, “Future Told” is a hard rock track with heavy distorted guitar riffs, tense soloing and intense vocals. The lyrics paint a bleak future that is all too predictable because it’s just more of the same, with greed continuing to dominate our lives. If dark dystopian rockers are your thing, then this song won’t disappoint.
08 The Grove
The style of this song is much different than the rest of the album, and it’s the only track to be in a major key throughout. With an odd beat and timing, chaotic guitar parts, and an organic flow, this song has a dreamlike quality. “The Grove” is about an imagined scene from a novel idea I have been bouncing around in my head for many years, so it’s a bit fantastical.
09 Paradoxes
The last rocker of the album, “Paradoxes”, borders on heavy metal. It charges right in with the chorus over dual harmony guitar riffs, and packs two frenetic guitar solos in between each verse and pre-chorus. As the title would suggest the lyrics delve into philosophical paradoxes and fallacies. This one is a head banger and a head scratcher.
10 My Heart Goes Out
War is hell. Terrorism is hell. This song is about the sad reality of conflict over land and how heartbreaking it is to see it continue throughout my life. If war ever truly ends for any real length of time it will be a first for human history, so it isn’t surprising that it continues. But it is incredibly sad. “My Heart Goes Out” is my ode to all the humans who have suffered at the hands of other humans.
11 It Is Good
The last song of the album is a textured acoustic ballad with an intensity to rival any of the rockers on the album. I wrote this one over 20 years ago after a breakup with a girlfriend, and given the folksy acoustic arrangement, I can safely say it is the closest I have come to writing something like Taylor Swift. Maybe that name drop will entice some swifties to give it a listen.
Listen to the Album!
I hope that you listen to Always Becoming and enjoy it. If you do listen, please leave a comment. ~ Jared Endicott
Realizing News 
Leave a comment