“The earth is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena. Think of the rivers of blood spilled by all those generals and emperors so that in glory and in triumph they could become the momentary masters of a fraction of a dot.” – Carl Sagan
In a portion of his book, Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space, astronomer Carl Sagan explores the vastness of the universe and the unique position of the human race in relation to it and within it. The phrase “momentary masters” resonated with Albert Hammond Jr.—at first he found something humorous in this egotistical notion that one could fully master anything, but it also underscored the truism that every triumph is fleeting.
“I feel like the best songs I’ve written, as soon as I was done, I was like, “Oh my God, I did it!’ But in that split second that it comes, that feeling goes,” he explains. “It’s the same thing when you find complete happiness, you find this complete low. I feel like that’s what being creative is: It’s you bouncing with emotion and what you capture in those bounces. Accept where you are and use it.”
Thus Hammond Jr. has called his third solo album Momentary Masters—due to drop on July 31st in the US via Vagrant Records. Many years have passed since the release of his two solo records, 2006’s Yours to Keep and 2008’s ¿Cómo Te Llama?, and truthfully, the person who created those songs is in a very different place now. Back then Hammond Jr. was swept up in a whirlwind, one-fifth of The Strokes, indulging in an intoxicating cocktail of excess and all-consuming romances. When he finally sobered up, getting back into writing music was a daunting challenge.
“The earth is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena. Think of the rivers of blood spilled by all those generals and emperors so that in glory and in triumph they could become the momentary masters of a fraction of a dot.” – Carl Sagan
In a portion of his book, Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space, astronomer Carl Sagan explores the vastness of the universe and the unique position of the human race in relation to it and within it. The phrase “momentary masters” resonated with Albert Hammond Jr.—at first he found something humorous in this egotistical notion that one could fully master anything, but it also underscored the truism that every triumph is fleeting.
“I feel like the best songs I’ve written, as soon as I was done, I was like, “Oh my God, I did it!’ But in that split second that it comes, that feeling goes,” he explains. “It’s the same thing when you find complete happiness, you find this complete low. I feel like that’s what being creative is: It’s you bouncing with emotion and what you capture in those bounces. Accept where you are and use it.”
Thus Hammond Jr. has called his third solo album Momentary Masters—due to drop on July 31st in the US via Vagrant Records. Many years have passed since the release of his two solo records, 2006’s Yours to Keep and 2008’s ¿Cómo Te Llama?, and truthfully, the person who created those songs is in a very different place now. Back then Hammond Jr. was swept up in a whirlwind, one-fifth of The Strokes, indulging in an intoxicating cocktail of excess and all-consuming romances. When he finally sobered up, getting back into writing music was a daunting challenge.
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