Imaginary conversation with a new subscriber.
Subscriber: I’m confused. I signed up for a newsletter called “Carmina Formosa,” but the tagline says “the official newsletter of the art rock collective [ai].”
[ai]: Sorry for the confusion. The name of this band is [ai].
Subscriber: Oh, I see what you did there with the Talking Heads allusion. Clever. So the band’s name is [ai], but what the hell does that mean? And how do I even pronounce “bracket + lower-case a + lower-case i + bracket”?
[ai]: [ai] is a phonetic transcription with many possible meanings. On a basic level, you can think of it as pure sound or a kind of mantra. In English, it could refer to the first person singular pronoun I, the ocular organ known as the eye, and/or the word aye, which denotes both “yes” and “forever.” It may also refer to Ei (the German word for “egg”), 愛 (the Chinese or Japanese word for “love”), and ay (a Spanish cry of distress, as in the song Ay, ay, ay, canta y no llores). There may be other meanings in other languages that [ai] are unaware of. Listeners are encouraged to make their own associations in whatever languages they please, although [ai] do not endorse any connection between the band and the technology known as AI.
Subscriber: I—or rather [ai]—see. But why did you pick such a stupid name for your band?
[ai]: All the other names [ai] considered—Useful Idiots, Moderate Rebels, False Flag, Hazmat, Pomelo, Hot Pot, Hao Bu Hao, Red Envelope, Amah, Pornosonic, Ladyfinger, Plunderpussy, Braintree, Novelty Act, Sky Lantern, Umbilicus, Here and Now, Shapesphere, Dungmound, Lunar Sisters’ Celibacy Club, even I and Eye—were already taken or otherwise rejected. [ai] at least had the advantage of being unique, and it is no more stupid than the name ZZ Top (a band [ai] adore, by the way). Also, it encourages multiple interpretations, which [ai] very much favor. And the fact that the name is a phonetic transcription highlights the band’s focus on the science of sound or what [ai] call “sonic alchemy.”
Subscriber: Got it. But if Carmina Formosa is not the band’s name, what exactly is it?
[ai]: Carmina Formosa is the title of [ai]’s first album, which was released in 2016. Since social media platforms do not allow the use of brackets in URLs or hashtags, [ai] use the phrase “Carmina Formosa” for marketing purposes on FB, Twitter, YouTube, etc.
Subscriber: OK, but what does “Carmina Formosa” mean?
[ai]: It is a Latin phrase meaning “pretty songs,” which [ai] hope is an apt description of the music [ai] produce, but there is also another element to it: “Formosa” is an epithet of the island known as Taiwan, which is where the band was founded and is currently based.
Subscriber: Hey, I just realized it also sounds a bit like Carmina Burana, that song cycle by classical composer Carl Orff!
[ai]: Nothing gets past you, does it?
Subscriber: Don’t be snarky or I’ll unsubscribe! Where can I see [ai] play live?
[ai]: You can’t. [ai] is a studio band, like XTC and the Beatles in the latter stages of their careers.
Subscriber: So [ai] will never play live?
[ai]: Never say never, but at the present time there are no plans for any live shows and it’s unlikely that will change even after the Covid insanity has passed (assuming it ever does). [ai] prefer to focus on writing, recording, and releasing music which has been perfected in the studio and can be shared with fans all over the world.
Subscriber: So is [ai] really a “band” at all? And who is in this “band”?
[ai]: As David Lynch might say: No hay banda. There is no band. Or rather there is and there isn’t. [ai] is essentially a musical collective under the direction of Texas-born singer-songwriter Mark Will. He writes and sings all the songs, plays bass, hires the other musicians, books the studio time, promotes the releases, conceives the artwork and music videos, maintains this Substack account, etc. Mark E. Smith once said: “If it’s me and yer granny on bongos, it’s The Fall.” The same might be said of Mark Will’s relationship to [ai].
Subscriber: That seems unnecessarily complicated. Why doesn’t Mark Will just go solo like Bob Dylan, David Bowie, Neil Young, Van Morrison, Lou Reed, Tom Waits, Bob Marley, Stevie Wonder, Nick Drake, Leonard Cohen, Joni Mitchell, and other singer-songwriters?
[ai]: Good question. He may do that at some point, but he has already invested a lot of time and energy—not to mention money—in the [ai] project and he plans to at least finish what he is calling [ai]’s Far East Trilogy.
Subscriber: Say what?
[ai]: The Far East Trilogy consists of three albums, each of which is associated with a country in East Asia: Carmina Formosa (2016) and Carmina Formosa Deluxe (2020) constitute “the Taiwan album,” the forthcoming No Cure for the Princess Disease is “the Korea album,” and Sakura (written but not yet recorded) is “the Japan album.”
Subscriber: That’s four albums, not three. How can you call it a trilogy?
[ai]: [ai] was never very good at math, but Carmina Formosa Deluxe is actually a remix of the Carmina Formosa album, so Carmina Formosa and Carmina Formosa Deluxe may be counted as a single endeavor.
Subscriber: Fair enough. I’m a busy person and I don’t have time to listen to [ai]’s entire catalogue at the moment. Can you recommend one song that would give me an idea of the kind of material [ai] puts out?
[ai]: [ai] experiment with a variety of rock and pop styles, so there will almost certainly be at least one song in [ai]’s catalogue that you will like. But for now [ai] will recommend the track that so far has probably received the most notoriety: “Dystopian Theme Song.” It was “song of the day” on the Media Monarchy morning program, which features “real-deal independent protest music.” Here’s a link to the video on YouTube:
Subscriber: That was a banger! Let me hear more!
[ai]: The song “The Kinkster” was honored as “most bonobo song” of 2016 by sex therapist Dr. Susan Block and since then has become the unofficial theme song of her podcast and radio show. It’s a bit transgressive lyrically and consequently YouTube sent Mark Will an email threatening to pull the video down, but so far they haven’t. Here’s the link:
Subscriber: Wow! “The Kinkster” has quite a different vibe from “Dystopian Theme Song”!
[ai]: Eclecticism and variety are key components of the [ai] aesthetic. Check out the other songs on Carmina Formosa and Carmina Formosa Deluxe to verify this at your leisure.
Subscriber: Will do! What about new material?
[ai]: The new album, No Cure for the Princess Disease—that is, “the Korea album” in the Far East Trilogy—is set for worldwide release on November 12.
Subscriber: That’s less than two weeks from today! Where will I be able to find No Cure for the Princess Disease?
[ai]: The album will be available everywhere—iTunes, Amazon, Spotify, Tidal, TikTok, and all the usual suspects.
Subscriber: Awesome! I can’t wait!
[ai]: [ai] thank you in advance for your continued support. Please also follow [ai] on Spotify, FB, Twitter, Instagram, etc. and subscribe to [ai]’s YouTube channel. And if you have any other questions, feel free to ask them in the comment section below.