Relic:  The 17th CD by FT. 

The album's title refers to its significance in FT's history. When I listen to Relic in the year 2015, the music will place me back at Bedside Studios in 2005 with Theron's cat, Georgia mewing at my feet. This is the theme of Relic, capturing a moment in time through art, addressed through such songs as "Living in the Now," "Precious Time," "Journal," and "Artifact."

Songs (mp3):

  1. Living in the Now

  2. Magnifikahn

  3. The Hawk's Well

  4. Journal

  5. Precious Time

  6. Loveless

  7. Miracles

  8. Simplicity

  9. Artifact

  10. Outside My Window

Movie:  "Creating a Relic," 56 Meg, 23.5 minutes, A short film depicting the creation of FT's CD, "Relic."

Music (pdf):

Music and Lyrics by:  Theron Welch and Matthew Reiss
"Loveless" was written by Eldon Jones
"Outside My Window" was written by David Dault

Relic Lyrics

In Matt's words:  Relic took a few years to create, but it was definitely worth the wait. This album is the culmination of a new creative process for FT. I set up a small studio at my house and started recording vocal tracks. I would email the tracks to Theron, who would drop them into the songs at his studio in Seattle. Then he would send me the latest mix, and I would redo the process if necessary. This meant that much more attention was paid to the vocals. In fact, I probably spent as much time perfecting the vocals for Miracles, as I spent singing the entire Visions, Dreams and Nightmares album.

The additional attention to vocals also allowed us to explore some complex harmony parts. All told, Relic is FT's greatest vocal achievement. When combined with Theron's acoustic melodies, accented by the electric guitar, the result is a new direction for FT.

Musically, perhaps the biggest departure is Magnifikhan. Featuring a collection of samples, it's quite an atypical FT tune, full of power and grace. It is the flag bearer for an album of firsts.

In Theron's words:  For the new album, I wanted to go in a completely new direction.  In some ways, I was worn out from all the complex layering and orchestration of previous albums.  I wanted something more organic, natural, and simple.  At first, I toyed with the idea of a completely acoustic album, but this felt too artificial (that, and I could never depart from the electric guitar).  Eventually, both Matt and I settled on what is now "Relic".  It is unquestionably a big departure from previous albums.  For one, there is much more emphasis on acoustic instruments, both guitar and voice.  In all of my recordings, I strived to record tracks in only a few takes, the focus being on keeping the songs real and not focused on perfection.  I think this album really wins in this regard; while less effort was placed on technique, the recordings sound just as good and more real. 

It is voice is the real centerpiece of this album.  With improved microphones (finally), Matt and I focused on quality recordings, using as many takes as possible.  We also employed harmonies much more heavily in the past, which was only rarely.  On Relic, there are plenty of thick vocals.  There is only one song with no real harmonies - Miracles, but that song uses doubled vocals to spice up the quality.

Another big departure is the length of the songs.  Each song is as brief as it needs to be.  As a result, most songs are under three minutes.  Notable exceptions are our two cover songs, "Loveless" and "Outside My Window."  We wanted to cover friends' songs as a small tribute to them and the long musical journey that we've all been on.  Look for more in the future.

Copyright 2005, FT, Theron Welch, Matthew Reiss, The Bedside
Artwork by Jason Wood.  www.jasonwood.us