“Two possibilities exist: either we are alone in the Universe or we are not. Both are equally terrifying.” ― Arthur C. Clarke

By astronomers’ current best reckoning, the universe is approximately 13 billion years old, and the Earth about 4.5 billion years. Homo Sapiens first appeared just 315,000 years ago; barely a blink of an eye, geologically speaking. How did this not-particularly-impressive ape – devoid of fang, claw, or armor – manage to become not just an apex predator, but the dominant species, capable of transforming the world?

Our Own Little World explores this question using music and sound to convey the development of our planet & our species through time. From the earliest hunter & gatherer societies to the development of agriculture; from migration by land to crossing whole oceans; through the human constants of war and death; to the modern world of industry, mass communication, and the conquest of space; the story of humanity & our Earth unfolds across the album’s twelve instrumental tracks.

The early years of the 1960s were a period of great optimism. After the horrors of the first half of the 20th century, with two world wars and a global depression behind them, everyone was ready for some good news. Technological progress was making life easier for millions. Colonialism was falling, with one subject country after another gaining their independence, while in the U.S. the civil rights movement was making real progress toward equality. The Space Race was beginning, offering the United States and Soviet Union an opportunity to compete non-violently. The assassinations and tumult of the late 60s were still a few years off, and for Americans, at least those in the newly-minted middle class, life was good.

In addition, the prosperity of 1950s America had brought with it a plethora of consumer goods, not least of which were new possibilities in home entertainment. By the early ’60s, televisions had come into their own, and high fidelity stereo systems were turning up in suburban living rooms. Cheap, mass-produced electric guitars and amplifiers were widely available. New styles of music were emerging to take advantage of the improved sounds of 12 inch long play records (LPs). Some artists, like the composer and bandleader Esquivel, were making music to highlight the stereo effects of the new systems. Others, like Les Baxter and Martin Denny, turned outward to incorporate music from Africa and Asia into their jazz-inflected sounds, finding an audience in the many American men who had been overseas for the first time during the war. Surf music was everywhere, and between that and the aforementioned stylings there were a lot of instrumental records on the pop charts.

Pop Moderne, Volume 1 is an homage to this period of early ’60s societal optimism, technological growth, and globally-influenced pop. From the rockabilly twang of Duane Eddy to the Mod scene in London, listen to a musical exploration of the nexus of rock ‘n’ roll guitar and the stylistic innovations of the time.