Tomorrow's Harvest (Palindrome Sequence)

[2020k]

What do we think about it? I know there's been discussion, but I'm surprised there's not a dedicated topic on it after all of these years. There's kind of a discussion here, but it's mostly about Collapse.

Gemini
Semena Mertyvyk
Reach for the Dead
Come to Dust
White Cyclosa
New Seeds
Jacquard Causeway
Sundown
Telepath
Nothing is Real
Cold Earth
Uritual
Transmisiones Ferox
Split Your Infinites
Sick Times
Palace Posy
Collapse

More context: From Mike Sandison, in The Guardian: "...Some things are just simple structural things. For instance, Come To Dust, the second-to-last track, is a musical reprise of Reach for the Dead, which comes in as the second track. There's a palindromic structure centred around the track Collapse in the middle. There's actually more use of subliminals on this record than on any previous album we've done, so we're interested to see what people will pick up on."

I almost made a topic called "The Subliminals," but I'll leave that up to somebody else.

I think this version makes the album flow a lot better and puts things into context better. I love White Cyclosa into Jacquard Causeway on the original tracklist, and I love how Gemini slams into Reach For the Dead, but Reach For the Dead into Come to Dust is magic

[Fredd-E]

[steeldancer-x]

A lot of interesting questions I had were answered after listening. Debating on whether I should give it a go on my next seasoned session.
Never would've guessed that Sundown was Jaquard Causeway's sibling. Dear god the implications that has given me alone

[aseagullinyourmind]

I would agree - the palindromic structure flows so well. I got lambasted for expressing this view on the BOC subreddit some time ago.. I’m glad it isn’t just me who agrees with this..

[Dmitrii]

I was struck by Sundown + Telepath combo, they are like heaven and hell versions of the same musical idea.
But these two are not paired unless we look at the tracklist as a spiral, that starts with Gemini and ends right at the middle with Collapse - just as a web of white cyclosa spider

Spoiler: show

[luminousdusk]

I love this Palindrome sequence.

I've made an amazon music playlist of it

Check out this playlist on Amazon Music: Tomorrow's Harvest Palindrome Sequence
https://music.amazon.co.uk/user-playlis ... 2s4ALtC5uX

[Radiobuzz]

Not a fan of the sequence. Also I don't understand why the tracks should be rearranged? A palindrome is the same forward and backwards, so in any case the rearrangement of tracks should be in reverse order. Pairing similar tracks would be the equivalent of spelling 'racecar' as 'rraacce'.

[NTFMTS]

Not a fan of the sequence. Also I don't understand why the tracks should be rearranged? A palindrome is the same forward and backwards, so in any case the rearrangement of tracks should be in reverse order. Pairing similar tracks would be the equivalent of spelling 'racecar' as 'rraacce'.

Radiobuzz more like Radiobuzz killer!

I'm being silly but to be honest I think the songs work much better together in this order. Especially when you get to Transmisiones Ferox. In this order it feels like as if the album arises at a really central psychedelic moment where everything focuses in on pure nuclear energy, and it's all getting reduced to the atomic level.

It's where everything gets really abstract. It reminds me of the scene in Annihilation where the main character peeks under the microscope and witnesses the novel human "shimmer" cells. Really cool scene.

In this way the song fits way better, cuz otherwise it just seems out of place and has a bunch of specific, unique effects on the track that stand out from the rest.

But this is just like, my opinion

[Moz]

It is cool I guess but I don't get it either. I can hear how the transitions between tracks fit but it doesn't really click with me. I got too used listening to it in normal order.

[tonx]

I still hold out that their statements are pointing to something other than alternate track order and maybe something beyond just the overall thematic structure.

Maybe something more like the TH ARG thing they did with the two overlayed wav files? For a record that they're telling us has more subliminals than their earlier stuff, feels like we haven't uncovered any deep secrets yet.

[μasch]

Meh, some tracks flow better but it sacrifies the narrative coherence and TH is probably the one of the main four wich has the most narrative. Semena and the beginning and collapse at the end makes no sense to me.


I prefer the original.

[boredoms]

I still prefer the original sequencing but I really love this palindrome verson as well! It works pretty seamlessly. "Collapse" is such a key song that I kinda ignored for years but lately I've been appreciating thanks to this palindrome sequencing. IDK, it kinda works both as the centerpiece and as the final track, but either way it's basically the sonic thesis statement of what the album's about. When i hear it I picture searchlights, perhaps alien/AI ships, scanning over a vast deserted landscape, scanning, scanning, looking for signs of life... there are none. FIN

[Scories]

I think this sequence makes more sense :

01 "Semena Mertvykh" – 3:30
02 "Gemini" – 2:56
03 "Come To Dust" – 4:07
04 "Reach For The Dead" – 4:47
05 "New Seeds" – 5:39
06 "White Cyclosa" – 3:13
07 "Sundown" – 2:16
08 "Jacquard Causeway" – 6:35
09 "Nothing Is Real" – 3:52
10 "Telepath" – 1:32
11 "Uritual" – 1:59
12 "Cold Earth" – 3:42
13 "Split Your Infinities" – 4:28
14 "Transmisiones Ferox" – 2:18
15 "Palace Posy" – 4:05
16 "Sick Times" – 4:16
17 "Collapse" – 2:49

It starts with the end, then moves on to the credits (like in some movies). The rest just flows naturally.
It seems a more logical to me.

[Chodlington]

I've never understood why this running order is referred to as a palindrome, as that's not what it is. The sequence of a palindrome reads the same backwards as it does forwards, so it the order would need to be this, which would be silly:

Gemini
Reach For The Dead
White Cyclosa
Jacquard Causeway
Telepath
Cold Earth
Transmisiones Ferox
Sick Times
Collapse
Palace Posy
Split Your Infinities
Uritual
Nothing Is Real
Sundown
New Seeds
Come To Dust
Semena Mertvykh
Come To Dust
New Seeds
Sundown
Nothing Is Real
Uritual
Split Your Infinities
Palace Posy
Collapse
Sick Times
Transmisiones Ferox
Cold Earth
Telepath
Jacquard Causeway
White Cyclosa
Reach For The Dead
Gemini

[Scories]

You are right. The album's official tracklisting is already in some kind of a palyndrome form (with Collapse in the middle).
The so-called palyndrome playlist is more like a grouping of the twin tracks. As a result, it feels more homogeneous than symetric.

[2020k]

Bumping this since someone mentioned it in the normal TH thread.

Also, I think that we refer to the sequence as a palindrome not so much because it is an actual palindrome, but because BOC mentioned that certain songs on TH follow a palindromic formula. So, we put together that the tracklist works as a sort of back and forth.

BOC also confirmed that Come to Dust is a reprise of Reach for the Dead, so, in a tracklist that "mimics" what's happening sonically, RFTD should come before CTD. The "palindrome" accurately slaps them side by side.