One of four albums released in 2013, 「健忘症」 (Kenboushou) returns to digital services on Oct. 27, 2023, remixed and remastered.
The albums preceding 「健忘症」 mostly consisted of music written in the 1980s and 1990s, but 「健忘症」 had nothing but newly-written material at the time of its initial release.
But the excitement of showcasing new songs resulted in a rushed album with a subpar mix. So Eponymous 4 went back to the original tracks and gave them thorough renovation. While the source material stayed the same, the new mixes inject a sense of energy missing in the original release.
Pre-order for the digital download is available on Bandcamp.
The debut EP from Eponymous 4 gets reimagined by Service Pack Three, a new Observant Records project. Eponymous 4 originally released enigmatics in 2008 and reissued it in 2013. More than 15 years later, this five-track EP exploring electronic and new age music gets a makeover.
“enigmatics II” is the first single to emerge from this remix project. The double A-side single features the Upgrade Mix by Service Pack Three and the Update Mix by Eponymous 4. The single arrives on Bandcamp and streaming services in August 2023.
Originally released in 2015, 「今」 (Ima) coupled a track from the album 「健忘症」 (Kenboushou) with a pair of newer songs. The 3-track maxi single gets a reissue on June 20, 2023.
The three tracks have been newly remixed and remastered, with one song (“Long-Distance Lover”) getting a revised arrangement.
Pre-order for the digital download is now available on Bandcamp.
Another remixed and remastered track from the album 「健忘症」 (Kenboushou) arrives to digital services on May 26, 2023.
「高速」 (Kousoku) is loosely inspired by the NOVA television special based on physicist Brian Greene’s book The Elegant Universe. The lyrics take a basic understanding of theoretical physics and asks how it can affect destiny, all set to a pair of guitars and a New Wave beat.
The single precedes the reissue of 「健忘症」, slated for a fall 2023 release.
“What I Deserve”, the final track on the album 健忘症 (Kenboushou), has been remixed and remastered for release as a single on Oct. 28, 2022.
The song has served as something of a single, with a music video shot in 2008, but it was never formally released on any digital platform.
The new remix launches a multi-year reissue campaign where Eponymous 4’s first four albums get a sonic overhaul.
健忘症 is the first album to undergo such refurbishing. The fully remixed album should be out by summer 2023.
If you interpret the title of this post to mean Eponymous 4 is going on hiatus or breaking up, you would not be mistaken.
On April 25, 2008, I filed paperwork to use Eponymous 4 as a business name, but I had already assumed that identity in 1999.
Which ever way you count it, it’s a long time.
In my mind, I signed a seven-album deal with Observant Records, and I’ve released all of them.
I have an idea for an eighth album, but I don’t want to work on it just yet. I spun off new projects to explore other interests that would be an uneasy fit for Eponymous 4.
And I want these projects to be heard.
At the same time, I’m not satisfied with how the majority of Eponymous 4 releases turned out. Back in 2013, I reached a point where I had been working on four albums-worth of material that I wanted them done. And I declared them done, even though they weren’t.
So I’m splitting the difference.
Eponymous 4 is not going to release a new album until the other projects have released theirs. Empty Ensemble has a number of pieces waiting to be finished. Penzias and Wilson has been sidetracked for more than 5 years.
Then there are other endeavors whose names were shit-posted on Facebook: Mine Da Gap, SERVICE PACK 3, NEMESIS VEX. Yes, my long-time Internet handle is finally forming his own one-man band.
Instead, Eponymous 4 is going to salvage the projects suffering from bitrot — many of them created before 64-bit was a reality — and give them the time, attention and proper tooling they need.
In a way, it’s fortunate Eponymous 4 has flown under the radar for most of its existence. I can pull a George Lucas and revise history.
By the time this post is published, I will have removed all my releases before 2017 from the digital services. Those versions will become archival material available only to Observant Records subscribers starting April 25, 2022. Physical versions of those albums will still be available over at Bandcamp for a steep discount.
While I work on new music for my other projects, Eponymous 4 will reissue those albums with new mixes. I don’t expect to change the underlying arrangements, but I do aim to improve the sound quality.
In fact, I’ve already remixed most of the album 健忘症, a work that suffered the most under a rush to get it out.
So no, there will be no new Eponymous 4 album in the near future, but I have no intent to keep quiet.