The Gatekeepers Return: Digital Dystopia Never Sounded So Good

From avant-rock opera to digital detox: The experimental collective's ambitious second album takes aim at our screen-addicted society

The Algorithm Strikes Back

When The Gatekeepers emerged in 2021 with their debut – an avant-rock opera about an artist navigating a labyrinth of indifferent gatekeepers – few could have predicted they'd return with an even more ambitious target: our entire digital existence. But on November 15, they're doing exactly that with "Nostalgia for The Great American Monoculture," a funhouse mirror reflection of our content-gorged society.

From Rock Opera to Digital Detox

While their debut focused on a linear narrative about artistic rejection, this sophomore effort takes a more kaleidoscopic approach. "This time, it's more 'concept album' and less 'musical,'" the collective notes, promising "a slightly more casual listen" – though "casual" might be underselling an album that blends progressive rock, left-field jazz, folk, and lo-fi electronic into something that would make Frank Zappa and Henry Cow proud.

A Star-Studded System Update

The guest list reads like an alternative music lover's fever dream:

• The Residents bring their iconic eyeball masks and surreal sensibilities
• Folk legend Shawn Phillips adds authentic analog soul
• Lo-fi pioneer R. Stevie Moore proves DIY culture hasn't lost its edge
• The Muffins' Dave Newhouse injects progressive complexity
• Experimental icon Amy Denio delivers sonic disruption
• Molly Harvey provides haunting vocal landscapes
• Plus Renaldo M, Bill Brovold, Wally Scharold, and more digital-age collaborators returning from their debut

Tracklist

1. The Good Old Days (2:28)
2. A Knight in Shining Tanktop (3:25)
3. Regulating Entrepreneurial Nirvana (4:01)
4. Zero Interest Self-Financing (4:53)
5. Trail of Cookie Crumbs (4:09)
6. The Immovable Type (3:34)
7. Phishing for Pigs (3:56)
8. Someone Else is Me, and I Feel Fine (4:14)
9. How to Act Real (4:03)
10. All the Content (6:19)
11. The Bad New Days (1:29)

Bonus tracks (CD/Digital):
12. Zero Interest Self-Financing (Cult With No Name Remix) (3:54)
13. A Knight in Shining Tanktop (Hollywood Edition) (3:40)
14. Phishing for Pigs (Persuasive Mix) (3:37)
15. Trail of Cookie Crumbs (demo) (3:30)

In a delightful irony for an album about digital culture, the vinyl edition is limited to just 100 copies. The CD edition includes a lyric booklet and four bonus tracks, including remixes and demos that extend the album's themes into new territories.

Accept These Terms & Conditions

"Nostalgia for The Great American Monoculture" arrives November 15, 2024, offering what might be the most entertaining digital detox you'll ever experience. Side effects may include spontaneous device unplugging and an irresistible urge to compose emails in iambic pentameter.

How to Experience It:

• Collect the limited vinyl edition (100 copies only)
• Grab a CD copy with bonus tracks and lyric booklet
• Stream on your preferred digital platform

Warning: No algorithms were harmed in the making of this album, though several may have been gently mocked.

Order: https://tlak.rocks/gatekeepers2