Track 35 is called “The City And The Stars”, which if you’re an old SF nerd like me, you will recognize as the title as an Arthur C. Clarke novel. This tune is directly inspired by that track. I’ve been on an on and off kick of reading “Dying Earth” sub-genre SF books lately. “City at the End of Time” by Greg Bear, “The Night Land” by William Hope Hodgson, and this one are the notable exemplars to me.

This track is modeled on the tension between the last two settlements of Humanity present in that novel, Diaspar and Lys, and their relation to each other. Which part represents Diaspar and which one represents Lys is a decision for the listener. I have my own opinions, but I also have good arguments for either interpretation, so there is no right or wrong answer. Contrasting timbres and tempos, but still closely related to one another, make this song very unusual compared to most of my other work, but still kind of ties together with it as well. It’s a possible contender for further development in my 2023 project.

I hope you enjoy this one. I’m rather fond of it.