PREMIERE | Memory Keepers, "Forskalii"
Memory Keepers from left; Amarah & Jared Boulanger; press photo courtesy of the artists.
In the midst of quarantining in the face of an international pandemic, a worldwide uprising against systems of authoritarian oppression and an ensuing economic apocalypse — the world is rapidly undergoing a difficult and necessary transformation. From being boarded up, sequestered at home, to showing solidarity in the streets; we are witnessing wild changes and evolving challenges in real time. Everything has changed. From methods of business, to how we communicate with one another, to how we demonstrate dissent, how we create, how we topple down the antiquated and outdated orders and how we choose to carry on.
Austin, TX electro vanguards Memory Keepers, the duo of Jared and Amarah Boulanger (also of The Sour Notes fame), have been reconfiguring their approaches to recording and performances during a time when the live music outlook is currently less than stellar. Taking a moment to dig deep into the archives, MK discovered the unfinished electro demo “Forskalii” that has been completed for a 7” of the same name. Held over from the late 90s, the track coasts on extra-terrestrial synths that soar like a UFO over percussive stems that pulse and pop with a snare styled like a late night, early morning clandestine rave afterparty. Memory Keepers arrange the track with an IDM approach that sounds at home with the Warp Records catalogue of the early oughts that discovers new green worlds of splendid sentiments in the digital age.
Featuring a cover of the eternal Primal Scream classic “Shoot Speed / Kill Light” on the flip side — the duo accentuate the limitless possibilities of rhythmically guided rock & roll. The result is an homage to all the multidisciplinary luminaries of the 80s and 90s undergrounds respectively; shining a light on the blueprints of how to fashion electrically energized instrumental arrangements into choice sonic weapons. Memory Keepers remind us that the perceived limitations, prohibitions and restrictions in place today point toward a greater developed and explored resourcefulness that our world has not witnessed, until now.
Jared Boulanger shared the following reflections on creativity during contemporary challenges and the thrill of discovering unfinished projects:
It’s challenging finding the time for music when everybody’s world just flipped a 180 and government failures are a constant issue. Music also used to be a refreshing change of pace after our day jobs, but the motivation is trickier to dial in after spending all day working from home and it feels like a 24-hour workday with no change of scenery. I’ve definitely been spending a lot of time re-arranging my living room and hanging more art for inspiration, fearing how long live music closures may continue. Social distancing has also made rehearsing with our other band The Sour Notes more difficult, so Amarah and I have been focusing on new Memory Keepers songs from our makeshift home studio. Our new 7” Forskalii stems from tracks I never finished, during my time in art school back in 1999. The b-side “Shoot Speed / Kill Light” is a cover of one of my favorite Primal Scream songs. That band’s eclectic catalog really influenced me when I started making music.
For a limited time, we will be donating all digital + vinyl sales of this 7” to the 400+1 Bail Fund via our Bandcamp.
Cover art for Memory Keeper’s Forskalii 7”.