ince its debut in 1898, The War of the Worlds has been one of the most pliable and inspirational stories within the science-fiction genre. From the unforgettable 1938 radio adaptation and the terrifying 1953 motion picture to a 1978 rock opera, a late-1980s TV series and a 1998 computer game, the ageless adventure has been morphed and modified through innumerable productions in a variety of formats. Randy Greif's new War of the World CD presents a fascinating and fresh interpretation of the tale, intermingling snippets of the vintage radio program with a diverse assortment of artificial and organic noises.
The overall album is separated into three acts. "Part One—Exhale," which itself is divided into three movements—"Octopus Robot," "The Dead Silence (Really Impressed Him)" and "Let Us Pray"—fuses snatches of coded messages, random broadcast signals and animal sounds into an eerie, ethereal aria. These works, which represent various electronic transmissions emitted by the human race over the past 80 years, are ostensibly intercepted by extraterrestrials seeking to acquire knowledge from other beings.
In "Part Two—Meeting," the creatures arrive on Earth and conquer humanity. Segments of news reports, enraged rants and strange sirens mix with resonant tones on "Grover's Mill," "An Extremely Angry Man" and "2X2L," the trio of tunes featured in this section. "Nostalgia," "Folding Into Light" and "The Soothing Data Waves," the compositions that comprise the album's concluding portion, "Part Three—Aftermath," contain noises that presumably would still be reaching distant areas of the universe long after our planet's demise. The sounds are heavily processed and distorted, yet
they also reveal a somber, soothing ambiance that emphasizes elements of sadness, hope and remembrance.
Arresting and ahead of its time
Folks expecting a straightforward musical interpretation of H.G. Wells' enduring yarn should prepare themselves for a shock upon first hearing this CD. Although the work by and large remains true to the spirit of the original story, War of the World is a dense, demanding deconstruction that's part audio collage, part political treatise, part industrial symphony and altogether ahead of its time.
Spurred to craft the album by his experiences during the 1994 Northridge, Calif. earthquake, Greif's recording offers a fascinating simulation of the information (and misinformation) overload that would doubtless occur during a cataclysmic disaster. "Octopus Robot" spotlights not only otherworldly squeals and tones, but also a droning voice spouting random letters that mimics the mysterious "numbers stations"—commonly believed to be part of shadowy spy networks—that are readily heard on present-day short-wave bandwidths. "Let Us Pray" touches upon the likely religious responses to an
invasion, showcasing chime-like bells and a solemn voice that intones, "Let us pray that we're not having a war." Segments of Orson Welles' famed radio show—one of the first programs to reveal the persuasive power of broadcast media—are incorporated into "Grover's Mill" and "An Extremely Angry Man," nicely echoing fears of the past and, with the addition of other frenzied, futuristic samples and noises, serving as a cautionary warning for coming generations.
While not always easy on the ear—one brief segment within "Folding Into Light" is particularly cacophonous—War of the World expertly encapsulates the disruption, chaos, anger and fear that would almost certainly accompany a global catastrophe. The album obviously isn't a literal interpretation of Wells' classic story, but it is a creative and compelling reading of a truly timeless SF tale.
