“Collected Pieces – Part 1” by In The Branches out now on Bandcamp

Listen or download “Collected Pieces – Part 1” on Bandcamp (recommended)

Coming soon to YouTube and all major streaming services.

Collected Pieces – Part 1, as you may have guessed from the title, is a compilation of In The Branches songs from various parts of the project’s catalog. This is perhaps the most versatile In The Branches album since Vivid Memories and Particles Collide.

1.	Transience II 03:16
2.	We Are Limitless 04:50
3.	See You in the Stars 07:18
4.	The Opposite Universe 04:29
5.	Requiem for Forgotten Forests 06:00
6.	Traveling Back Through Time 09:57
7.	Transience I 13:48
8.	Coming Home 07:19
9.	To Change My Last Words 02:58

Tracklist for In The Branches – Collected Pieces – Part 1

about

A collection of new songs along with a few that some of you may recognize from Bandcamp exclusive EP’s, live recordings, and remixes. All tracks were remastered in late 2020.

Part 2 will follow in the coming weeks.

Transience II and Transience I were originally released as an EP on Bandcamp in early 2018. The guitar improvisations were recorded in Montana (most likely), and they include field recordings from an unforgettable summer spent in Great Falls, Missoula, and the surrounding areas of western Montana.

We Are Limitless was released as a remix by The Adaptive before it was finished as its own song. If I’m not mistaken, the song starts with Kevin Tool in the background saying, “It’s hot in here, man”, then him or I hollering about something in a sing-songy voice. Something like a beer cap or a percussion instrument falls over. I would have never kept things like this in songs in the past, in the name of perfectionism. Now I believe they give the music a breath of life and unique identity.

See You In The Stars was originally called “February 29”, though I’m not 100% sure if it was recorded or simply discovered on the latest February 29 (2016?). It was almost released with that name, but I’d started getting this sense that it should be given more of a personal title, whatever came to mind that felt right while listening back to the recording. Without effort, the new title appeared.

The Opposite Universe was nearly saved for “Expanse Sessions III” instead of appearing here. I’ve since realized that songs can appear on multiple albums; it’s not that big of a deal. I’m not sure if this one will be on Expanse Sessions III or not; but it feels very fitting for the album. If you enjoy how this song drifts off into eternal space, you may like “The Forever Kind” album from 2018.

Requiem for Forgotten Forests is the newest song on the album, a track created for an upcoming fundraiser EP dedicated to those who work to protect our forests from these devastating fires. From Montana to Idaho to Oregon and Arizona, everywhere I have lived has been heavily affected by massive forest fires.

Traveling Back Through Time is another song that would be at home on “Expanse Sessions III”, so it too could find its way to that upcoming album. I have no memory of recording it (this is intentionally the case with most ITB and Quiet Sector music), but I believe it’s a newer recording from 2020. I feel that songs like this are the epitome of the “In The Branches sound” I’ve been exploring since 2015.

Transience I (see above for details). Same as the EP, but remastered with better equipment.

Coming Home was my contribution to a compilation on Ecstatic Dance Records, which unfortunately shut down during quarantine/lockdowns.

To Change My Last Words is another brand new song, and I don’t know much about it. I usually prefer to keep it that way, to let the song speak and not surround it in too much context. The title is the key to an underlying concept of this compilation: Traveling Back Through Time / Coming Home / To Change My Last Words.

credits

released January 1, 2021

All music and visuals by Shane Cotee.

Instruments used: Fender Telecaster, Fender American Telecaster, Schecter Damien 7, various effects pedals from Strymon, Eventide, AMT, Origin Effects.