‘Fur Roach Music Collection Volume Two with LooNurGooSe & element66’ has 16 cult classic fan favorites spanning from 2013 to 2021. There’s a little bit of something for everyone in this collection, with 8 songs from LooNurGooSe and 8 songs from element66. Enjoy!
No One Else To Blame
First released in 2014, ‘No One Else To Blame’ is a lyrical throwback to the element66 song ‘For You’. This brand of futuristic alternative space rock has become a vibe that element66 is now so very well known for.
The foundational music for the song ‘No One Else To Blame’ was originally written for Chad Hamlin’s LooNurGooSe solo project. You can hear the birth of the music come from the song ‘Alien War Drums’ from the 2014 LooNurGooSe instrumental demo album ‘Code Name Jabberwocky’.
Forsaken
At some point in time, we’ve all felt neglected for one reason or another, and it was this desolate feeling that influenced Chad Hamlin’s lyrics for the LooNurGooSe song “Forsaken.”
For those that claim they’ll always stay loyal but end up abandoning what was once sacred. This is dedicated to you. “I’ve forgotten who you are when you’ve forsaken me.”
Redesign
Redesign went from concept to reality thanks to our good friend James Anderson on guitar. James and Kenny had worked on a demo song titled ‘Fire’ in the early years of element66. This song ended up in the element66 demo vault and resurfaced late in 2013 as a possible choice to be reworked.
Kenneth Fisher and Chad Hamlin decided to recreate the song, and to their surprise it ended up developing and entire new live altogether. Being true to the roots of what was once the musical foundation of ‘Fire’, it had now become so much more. It was still missing that one last ingredient, and that was the chunking guitar rhythms that came from their long-time friend James Anderson. Once James got involved with the project it took on a totally different dimension with the heavy edge that the song had needed. After some solid studio production James, Kenny, and Chad had created a heavy and dark element66 creation, mixing crunchy guitar riffs with the guttural growling tone belching forth from Chad’s six-string bass guitar. As always Kenny came through with amazing vocals that are perfectly interwoven with in the dynamic of the music.
In The Darkness
“Obscure insanity it’s all that’s left of me. Her voice is like a stain that won’t wash away. Her face is like a cloud that follows me around.” Losing someone you love is painful, and it feels as if the wound will never heal. This song is my way of peeling off that scab and exposing the horrible festering truth that will forever haunt me.
Make It Go Away
This powerfully catchy song was first released with ‘The Dysprosium Collection’, then it went on to be re-mastered and released with the Zombie Apocalypse album. Now, years later it was chosen by the fans as one of the cult classics for this collection. After all the time that has passed since this song first hit the radio air waves, it still feels like an anthem for the times.
Reflection… Unveil Your Disguise
A reflection of the mind, wishing for what could have been. We’re just ghosts of humanity, slaves to our electronic devices. There’s no more you, there’s no more me, just the words typed on the computer screen.
Abandon
This demo song almost didn’t make it on ‘The Dysprosium Collection’, and to find out that it was the first song to get radio air play truly amazed Chad Hamlin and Kenneth Fisher. “We weren’t even going to put it on the album, and it’s still a fan favorite all these years later by so many people, strange how things work out.”
Dirt Bitch
Have you ever heard the saying “Love is Beautiful?” As nice as that sounds, it isn’t always true. Reinforcing this fact by examining just how terrible and revolting love can be, this song tells the gruesome story of a necrophillic mortician who becomes so enamored with one of his dead “customers” that he vows to change his wicked ways. He’s convinced that if he can bring her back to life, it will not only prove his love for her, but it will also help to cure him of his attraction to the dead, and they might live a happy, normal life together as husband and wife. The concept for this song inspired early working titles such as Z.I.L.F. and Cemetery Girl, but it was Dirt Bitch that made the cut. These are the kind of lyrics you get when Erik Libbert comes off his leash and is free to develop song concepts on his own.
House of Cards
Our World is in a constant flux of change, but as humans we adapt to the ever-expanding chaos that we call life. Chad Hamlin and Kenneth Fisher of element66 voice their concerns about the moral decay that is collapsing the fragile framework and destroying the delicate balance of our House of Cards.
Just as sure as time passes, so do fads and trends as they consume each generation. Dummied down to a simplified version of thinking, this follow the herd mentality is sapping the moral essence from the fibers of our character as a species. It’s heartbreaking watching the collapse of not just our society, but also the corrosion of humanity as we contaminate the planet and poison ourselves along with it. The once was, sadly will never be again unless we wake up with eyes wide open to the future.
Leaving a message that means something imbedded in the music was once considered the responsibility of the voices of each generation, but it seems that most of today’s popular music is all about meaningless drivel and bootie shaking. House of Cards delivers a significant message with a call to the masses to shake up this deteriorating system before it’s to late. Only united as one Race, (The Human Race) will we endure the trials that await. The focus of long-term survival for our species should be priority number one. Conceptual ideas such as asteroid mining, space exploration and eventually off world colonization will not only expand the longevity of our civilization, but it will also prolong the life of our planet as well.
Brutally harvesting our Home World until there isn’t anything left for our children’s children is a reality that shouldn’t be allowed to continue. Mother nature will eventually strike back and clean the filth of Mankind’s destructive ways off Her surface. As the “Once Was” is forgotten and the “What Is” degrades itself at an ever-expanding rate, the balance of humanity is in question; will we consume, or will we be consumed? When one card falls, they’ll all come crumbling down. This is our House of Cards, and together we can make it stand.
Look Into The Future
‘Look Into The Future,’ a glimpse at tomorrow might not always be what you’d expect. A network of nefarious whisperers has been using the dead as antennas, sending grim images of bleak possibilities to those that are in tune with the supernatural.
When Erik Libbert paroled, (July 30th, 2019) he left behind a handful of guitar tracks for Chad Hamlin to tinker with. Some of those riffs ended up being used to spawn life into the 2019 Halloween release ‘Look Into The Future.’
‘Look Into The Future’ has a dark toothless maw, with an insane grin that will tickle you silly. The Music feels like a chemically induced rhythm that’s been baptized with an electronic pulse. Its heavily laced psychedelic synth instills imagery of kinky, yet passionate robotic lovemaking. The percussion mingles seamlessly between the basslines and the strange melodic cadences. The chant like vocals creep-up between the guitar and the beat, giving it that unique ‘LooNurGooSe vibe.’ This musical energy invokes a feeling of being abruptly awakened, drenched in the audio intensity of a bizarre, hypnotic alien porno.
Mud
‘Mud’ is an anthem against drug addiction, highlighting some of the struggles that so many people battle with in their continued fight to overcome a life as an addict. Kenneth Fisher fought against his own drug induced demons for years until it almost destroyed his life. ‘Mud’ is his lyrical tribute to the awakening he had when he realized that he had been worshiping the God of Drugs.
When Happiness Dies
Intended as a Dubstep infused crossovers, this song is one of the most unique LooNurGooSe creations to date. From the opening synth line to the song’s schizophrenic outro, ‘When Happiness Dies’ will take your ear on a journey that it might not be prepared for. The Korean intro lays the foundation for the entire song’s theme. Roughly translated, it means: You are as cold as ice. Still, I always return to you. Erik Libbert’s obsession with Korean culture made an interesting impact on the lyrical content of LooNurGooSe from 2017 to 2019.
Stay
Creating something musically unique and invoking the power of the Universe while exploring the songwriting process from different perspectives has always kept the element66 chemistry fresh. ‘Stay’ is a great example of unconventional percussive electronic grooves, gritty synth, and spacey guitar riffs, overlaid with Kenneth Fisher’s heart felt raw emotional poetic lyrics.
Lean On
Originally performed by Major Lazer, DJ Snake, and Mo, this song proved that music doesn’t need to be intricate or complex to be amazing. It became an over-night sensation, spawning a multitude of covers, including this version, which is also the first-ever LooNurGooSe cover song to be released. And though Chad Hamlin and Erik Libbert had their way with it musically, Erik also felt the need to alter the lyrics with a dark sense of sorrow and loss. “We tried our best to stay true to the source of our inspiration by maintaining the haunting beauty found in the original version.”
Monarch (Featuring Aaron Kraft)
Aaron Kraft can’t help but to hit a homerun every time he works with element66. ‘Monarch’ is an extremely passionate song with Aaron exposing his heart to the world. “I’m feeling like a puppet on a string, not made to think, not meant to feel anything. In my plastic brain, my thoughts are fleeting. My synthetic heart is barely beating, gathering dust, neglected, so alone. Upon my shelf, the only home I’ve ever known.”
U Think U Know Me (Wasted Time Remix)
Told from the tragic point-of-view of Chad Hamlin’s own personal experiences, ‘U Think U Know Me’ tells a story of love gone horribly wrong. As humans we seem to be chasing the idea of love our entire lives, and when we finally succumb to this blinding emotion we are overtaken by its power. The chemical imbalance that love creates in our brains can lead to irrational decisions, and it is those choices that inspired the lyrics for, U Think U Know Me.
“When I first recorded the demo for, U Think U Know Me, I had no idea it would stay locked away in the archives for so many years. I honestly think that I wasn’t quite ready at the time to release it. They say time heals all wounds, but I don’t think I’ll ever get over the pain I’ve caused from the actions of my past.
Writing lyrics can be a therapeutic way to deal with deep-seated issues, allowing a person to cope with internal problems. I’m glad that I finally shared it, because so many people have told me how much they’ve enjoyed it. I was just always afraid that the world wouldn’t understand, it’s such an incredibly personal and painful song for me.
This was the first song I recorded on my little micro-studio after being approved by the prison administration to record and release music. I’ve come a long way since recording my first LooNurGooSe demo, but those earlier songs are part of a greater story, all told from the perspective of a man’s trials and tribulations from a prison cage.
My friend Aaron Kraft did a short stay here at the prison with me, and he not only got involved with my LooNurGooSe project, but he also wrote three songs on the element66 album ‘Voodoo Doll’. As with most of the songs that I had collaborated with Aaron, I had already written the music and the lyrics. Aaron was always a good sport about following the sketch vocal tracks that I had laid down, and he did an amazing job with his vocal parts. With the help of Aaron’s powerful vocals and Erik Libbert’s amazing guitar work, we took the foundation of the original demo music for, ‘U Think U Know Me’, and remixed it into something fresh and new. Erik created another dimension to the song by showcasing an elegant opening guitar piece as the intro, which he titled ‘Best Intentions’, so in fact this song is a two-for-one, Best Intentions /U Think U Know Me.
A lost demo brought back to life just for you. I hope you enjoy it.”
Sincerely,
Chad Hamlin
Fur Roach Music
