Yes, yes I know the EP name is a pun. A pretty bad pun. It has multiple levels. It's pretty deep. You wouldn't understand. (exaggerated eye roll) I just couldn't pass up the chance. (But it's mainly meant to stand for Transcendentalism or something like that, I dunno.)

[This album was composed as part of an English senior seminar focusing on Transcendentalism. The main point pretty much is thus: the EP serves as a wolf-to-dog metaphor of man's transformation throughout life as he becomes more aware of life itself, the first song representing man's image and understanding of himself prior to enlightenment and the second song representing man's image and understanding of himself post-enlightenment. This metaphor was supported by our seminar's readings of the Transcendentalist Henry Thoreau and his personal beliefs. Therefore, I attempted to communicate a cooperative image of our shared interpretations of man while also adding in a bit of my own personal beliefs in Christ. The following description will explain some of the process of crafting the songs, provide my impression of their end product, and expand on the extended metaphor of the wolf-dog. Thanks for reading and listening and all that jazz and have a wonderful day!]

// Introductory Overview and Reflective Statement

As I sat down to write these songs, I found myself approaching them with some peculiar difficulty. This difficulty arose from multiple angles and purposes, but primarily found itself rooted in the impossibility of neutrality or detachment within their writing. When I craft songs, what is most important to me is that I express through them the truths that I personally believe. I am staunchly opposed to using song writing as a form of emotional fiction, particularly communicating fictional representations of personal convictions. If I am to create a work, I wish to share exactly what it is that I believe through that work. Therefore, in writing these songs, I was met with the challenge of accurately communicating the stances of Thoreau as it relates to changing human nature while not ignoring my personal convictions and stances. The outcome, I believe, balanced these two often-opposing forces quite well, but perhaps they may be a bit too heavily tinged with authorial intimacy.

The overall message I hoped to convey and translate into song was this: man has a transforming nature throughout his life, beginning with a greatly broken, seeking soul and hopefully ending with discovery of what truly satiates that soul’s desire. As Thoreau writes in “Higher Laws,” “We are conscious of an animal in us, which awakens in proportion as our higher nature slumbers…He is blessed that is assured that the animal is dying out in him day by day, and the divine being established.” In line with Thoreau’s inclination towards nature, I chose to convey this message by using the metaphor of wolves and dogs. The first song, written from the perspective of the lost, newborn wolf, displays those predispositions towards the rabid and self-preserving as seen in “Higher Laws.” The second song, written from the viewpoint of a docile dog, the evolutionary outcome of man-controlled wolves, demonstrates the difference in world understanding post-enlightenment and its ensuing self-restraint. The two songs, paired together, serve to display the difference in rabidity and docility between those who have discovered their soul’s longing and those who have not. Yet, just as Thoreau asserts, remaining animalistic behaviors still break through, “It is reptile and sensual, and perhaps cannot be wholly expelled,” no matter the education or illumination reached in this life.

Recording the songs also proved to be extremely difficult and largely time-consuming. While I am definitely content with the outcome of the metaphorical lyricism, as it communicates everything I sought to, the recording quality of these songs is below what I desired. Spending long evenings in our apartment bedroom, attempting to record the various lines and instruments in between neighbors watching Star Wars and the howling wolves of Muncie (also known as ambulance sirens), I was able to squeeze out songs that are acceptable, but, to me, are a little too poor on quality. Additionally, I attempted to stretch my vocal limits on these songs, and in some cases this caused the microphone to peak, resulting in poor vocal quality. I am probably just too downright self-conscious about these sorts of things and the songs actually sound just fine, so I will leave the interpretation of these thoughts up to the audience! The following pages will provide the lyrics of each song, the Thoreau passages or research citations referenced beside the lines, and a brief explanation of the song’s formation and purpose.