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The Radiant Obscurity Collective

by The Radiant Obscurity Collective

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1.
Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art Thou my best Thought, by day or by night Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light Be Thou my Wisdom, and Thou my true Word, I ever with Thee, and Thou with me Lord, Thou my great Father, Thine own may I be, Thou in me dwelling, and I one with Thee.
2.
Burnt Norton 02:30
Time present and time past are both contained in time, Present and time past are both contained in time, Present and time past are both contained in time. And the pool was filled with water out of sunlight, And the lotus rose quietly, quietly, They were behind us reflected in the pool. Footfalls echo in the memory of the passage we did not take, Towards the door that never opened, Into the rose garden. Time present and time past are both contained in time, Present and time past are both contained in time, Present and time past are both contained in time.
3.
The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary, -- And she conceived by the Holy Spirit Ave Maria, gratia plena, Dominus tecum. Benedicta tu in mulieribus, et benedictus fructus ventris tui, Iesus. Sancta Maria, Mater Dei, ora pro nobis peccatoribus, nunc et in hora mortis nostrae. Amen. Behold, the handmaid of the Lord -- Be it done unto me according to thy Word Ave Maria ... And the Word was made flesh, -- And dwelt among us Ave Maria ...
4.
I am a poor, wayfaring stranger, While journeying through this world of woe, But there's no sickness, toil, or danger, In that bright land to which I go. I'm going there to see my Father, I'm going there no more to roam, I'm only going over Jordan, I'm only going over Home. I know dark clouds will gather o'er me, I know my way is rough and steep, Yet beauteous fields lie just before me, Where God's redeemed their vigils keep. I'm going there to see my Mother, She said she'd meet me when I come, I'm only going over Jordan, I'm only going over Home. I want to wear a crown of glory, When I get home to that good land, I want to shout salvation's story, In concert with that blood-washed band. I'm going there to see my Savior, To sing His praise forever more, I'm only going over Jordan, I'm only going over Home.
5.
My Lord, I see your Love being returned to you by my sister, Water. Useful, humble, and precious and chaste. Alleluia.
6.
My Lord, I see your Love being returned to You by my brother, Fire. Alleluia. Through whom you light the night, And he is beautiful, playful, robust, and strong. Alleluia.
7.
My Lord, I see your love being returned to You by my sister, Death. From whose decay no man is too long delayed. She is the enemy of your enemies, She is the friend of your friends. The second death will do them no harm. Tantum ergo Sacramentum Veneremur cernui: Et antiquum documentum Novo cedat ritui: Praestet fides supplementum Sensuum defectui. Genitori, Genitoque Laus et iubilatio, Salus, honor, virtus quoque Sit et benedictio: Procedenti ab utroque Compar sit laudatio. Amen. Alleluia.
8.
The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary, -- And she conceived by the Holy Spirit. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women and Blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, Now and at the our of our death. Behold the handmaid of the Lord, -- Be it done unto me according to thy Word. Hail Mary ... And the Word was made flesh, -- And dwelt among us. Hail Mary ... Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God -- That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ Let us pray: Pour forth we beseech you, O Lord, thy grace into our hearts, That we to whom the Incarnation of Christ, thy Son, Was made known by the message of an angel, May by his passion and cross be brought to the glory of his resurrection. Through the same Christ, our Lord, Amen.
9.
We play it as an instrumental, but there are lyrics! Let us break bread together on our knees, let us break bread together on our knees. When I fall on my knees with my face to the rising sun, O Lord, have mercy on me. Let us drink wine together on our knees, let us drink wine together on our knees. When I fall on my knees with my face to the rising sun, O Lord, have mercy on me. Let us praise God together on our knees, let us praise God together on our knees. When I fall on my knees with my face to the rising sun, O Lord, have mercy on me.
10.
This World is not Conclusion. A Species stands beyond - Invisible, as Music - But positive, as Sound - It beckons, and it baffles - Philosophy, don't know - And through a Riddle, at the last - Sagacity, must go - To guess it, puzzles scholars - To gain it, Men have borne Contempt of Generations And Crucifixion, shown - Faith slips - and laughs, and rallies - Blushes, if any see - Plucks at a twig of Evidence - And asks a Vane, the way - Much Gesture, from the Pulpit - Strong Hallelujahs roll - Narcotics cannot still the Tooth That nibbles at the soul.
11.
The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary, -- And she conceived by the Holy Spirit. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women, and Blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus. Behold the handmaid of the Lord, -- Be it done unto me according to the Word. Hail Mary ... And the Word was made flesh -- And dwelt among us. Hail Mary ... Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, Now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
12.
The New Rule 06:20
I: It’s the old rule that drunks have to argue and get into fights. The lover is just as bad. he falls into a hole. But down in that hole he finds something shining, worth more than any amount of money or power. Last night the moon came dropping its clothes in the street. I took it as a sign to start singing, falling up into the bowl of sky. The bowl breaks. Everywhere is falling everywhere. Nothing else to do. Here’s the new rule: break the wineglass, and fall toward the glassblower’s breath. II: Inside this new love, die. Your way begins on the other side. Become the sky. Take an axe to the prison wall. Escape. Walk out like someone suddenly born into color. Do it now. Your covered with thick cloud. Slide out the side. Die, and be quiet. Quietness is the surest sign that you’ve died. Your old life was a frantic running from silence. The speechless full moon comes out now. III: I used to want buyers for my words. Now I wish someone would buy me away from words. I’ve made a lot of charmingly profound images, scenes with Abraham, and Abraham’s father, Azar, who was also famous for icons. I’m so tired of what I’ve been doing. Then one image without form came, and I quit. Look for someone else to tend the shop. I’m out of the image-making business. Finally I know the freedom of madness. A random image arrives. I scream, “Get out!” Only love. Only the holder the flag fits into, and wind. No flag.
13.
We do it as an instrumental, but there are lyrics! Come, Thou Fount of every blessing Tune my heart to sing Thy grace Streams of mercy, never ceasing Call for songs of loudest praise Teach me some melodious sonnet Sung by flaming tongues above Praise the mount, I'm fixed upon it Mount of Thy redeeming love. Here I raise my Ebenezer Here there by Thy great help I've come And I hope, by Thy good pleasure Safely to arrive at home Jesus sought me when a stranger Wandering from the fold of God He, to rescue me from danger Interposed His precious blood. Oh, to grace how great a debtor Daily I'm constrained to be Let that goodness like a fetter Bind my wandering heart to Thee Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it Prone to leave the God I love Here's my heart, oh, take and seal it Seal it for Thy courts above.

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Liner Notes:

Since time immemorial, prophets, sages, mystics, and people of faith have found that the most profound presence of God is experienced in the midst of darkness. In the light of God, we find “light itself” – yet, paradoxically, this light is too bright for the mortal gaze and is experienced as darkness or absence, paired with a few precious moments in our lives when we see the Face of God in all its glory and grandeur. This is the experience of faith for women and men across religious traditions. As the Radiant Obscurity Collective, we try to portray that experience through music and in time. As such, our program and album are in the form of a sort of ‘day,’ punctuated by three settings of the Angelus Domini, a traditional Catholic prayer that is prayed in the morning, at mid-day, and in the evening. The remainder of the program includes original settings of works by poets who have each dealt with experiencing the transcendent in his or her own way: T.S. Eliot calling to mind the mystery of God’s presence experienced in time; St. Francis of Assisi recognizing that our natural state in life as Creatures is to praise the Creator; Emily Dickinson hinting at the realm of the ‘really real’ that underlies our experience of the world; and Rumi proclaiming that the end of all religious belief is a self-emptying that that leaves “only love, only the holder the flag fits into, no flag.” Finally, we included hymns, the songs of God’s pilgrim people, expressing their own faith.

The project would not be possible without the support of the Society of Mary – the Marist Fathers & Brothers in the United States – who have generously encouraged my own work within the realm of sacred music. There are few joys greater than making music with one’s friends, and the exhilarating bond of music and friendship that took shape as we wrote all the music for this program in six weeks, spent two weeks on tour, and then nearly a year making the record – that bond is one for which I will be forever grateful. I also wish to thank the members of Radiant Obscurity and our engineers, Brad and Nate, for their beautiful artistry, attention to detail, and patience throughout the year-long process of making this album. May you, dear listener, enjoy it and in it find meaning, remembering that, “what is said to you in the darkness, speak in the light.”

credits

released October 15, 2018

The Radiant Obscurity Collective:
Christina Smith (voice)
Michael Enwright (composer, piano, organ)
Danny C. Miller (piano)
Eli Roberts (composer, guitar)
Nik Rodewald (composer, saxophone)
Asa Spring (composer, bass)

Guest Artist: Josiah Contreras (bass, “This World is Not Conclusion”)

Produced by Nik Rodewald and the Radiant Obscurity Collective
Recorded by S. Patsfall and Bradley Robertson at Studio 1867, Our Lady of Victories Catholic Church, The Cloud Club, and The Record Company, Boston, MA.
Mixed and Mastered by Nate Patsfall, Artifact Audio.
Cover art by Christina Smith

Special thanks to Nate and Brad for their patience and hard work on the project, Josiah for lending his artistic voice to the group, the Marist Fathers & Brothers in the United States for their support of this project, and to all those who supported us during our tour.

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The Radiant Obscurity Collective Boston, Massachusetts

Musicians making music about the transcendent and striving for authenticity. Living simultaneously in the darkest abyss and the brightest light of faith.

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