TRAILS

Vibrant jungles and flourishing waters encompass the entire Earth, except for the scarce ice-covered north. The Natives of jungles often warn each other: "Stay along a path or feel the Gods' wrath." Four men awaken tied to each other, far from any trail; criminals drugged to forget the past six days and be led astray without defiance. Two have no recollection of the violent acts that brought them to exile.

Tilor talks a mile a minute, Bellrose puts on a hard front, Dando speaks gibberish, and Yhurt, a drug addict dying of withdrawals, thinks of a way to untie him and the three other agitators from their binds.

The men quickly build and equip weapons for protection from predators. The four offenders follow a slightly visible track to the volunteers who brought them to justice, two men and two women from their tribe who relate closely to the deceased or badly injured victims of the accused. Pressured by the interceptors, the banishers convince the culprits they will return them to society and expunge them of guilt. Instead, the eight Natives journey deep into jungles perilous and unexplored by humans.

The next morning, the four felons recall what occurred two days ago. The day after that, the misdoers reminisce on the second most recent date missing from their consciousness. Each day, for six days, the drug the outlaws were forced to ingest fades. The memories of their actions return in sequence.

After first hearing the album Aethiopes by rapper Billy Woods a few days ago, I've listened to its tracks multiple times and will continue to do so.
Lyrics are inspired and impose depressive, murky landscapes to convey weighty visuals and abstract mind states; words are delivered with intrepid surety.
Instrumentals are homogenous and dignified. An amalgamation of vintage, perhaps Medieval, sounds.
The album title is an Ancient European term for African people.
The album cover is a tinted portion of the painting Two Moors by Rembrandt.

"Asleep at the wheel
Gently over the guardrail, flipped heads or tails
One died, she survived
Asked why, replied, "God's not real"
Ducked the question
In a hospital room full of flowers, I plucked the best one
In a world full of cowards, it's bound to be tension"

- Christine (featuring Mike Ladd) written by Billy Woods and Preservation