About Paradise – Gains and Losses
This album takes us on a journey not yet taken. It was composed for a Mage Adventure still waiting to be played and set in the Caribbean (because we all agreed it was time for a holiday).
The story begins at the coast, moves through a vibrant, restless city, and drifts on to a remote, seemingly idyllic fishing village. But something stirs beneath the surface, and for reasons yet unclear, the path leads deeper inland, into the jungle, where ancient ruins and the presence of the Loa begin to emerge.
Expect a soundscape of steel drums, congas, shakers, and tribal percussion, woven together with mellow, haunting melodies, marimbula plucks, and hypnotic rhythmic chants.
Feel free to invent your own journey while listening.
Welcome to the Edge
Welcome to the edge of the sea,
Golden sun is calling me.
Shadows hide beneath the tide,
Secrets you cannot deny.
Welcome, welcome, to the edge,
Step across the water’s ledge.
Paradise with hidden cost,
Find what’s gained, and what is lost.
Hear the drums, the island sings,
Every wave a promise brings.
But the wind will test your name,
Nothing here will stay the same.
Welcome, welcome, to the edge,
Step across the water’s ledge.
Paradise with hidden cost,
Find what’s gained, and what is lost.
Ooooh… welcome, traveler…
Ooooh… cross the line…
Ooooh… sun and shadow…
Ooooh… yours and mine.
Welcome, welcome, to the edge,
Step across the water’s ledge.
Paradise with hidden cost,
Find what’s gained, and what is lost.
Streets of Smoke and Dust
[Verse 1]
Engines roar and the market cries,
Painted signs and a thousand eyes.
Children run through the heat and haze,
Streets alive in a burning maze.
Streets of smoke and dust,
The city never sleeps.
Voices rise, promises rust,
The dark is where it keeps.
Broken glass where the alleys turn,
Neon flickers and wires burn.
Taxi sways through the noise and heat,
Every shadow hides a beat.
Streets of smoke and dust,
The city never sleeps.
Voices rise, promises rust,
The dark is where it keeps.
Honking horns, shouting men,
Radio plays the same refrain.
Hands reach out, the lights are dim,
Every corner wears a hymn.
Streets of smoke and dust,
The city never sleeps…
Streets of smoke and dust,
The city never sleeps…
Working, Fishing, Waiting
Instrumental
Nets in the Dark Water
Instrumental
Under the Tidal Moon
Instrumental
Those Good Times (Never Last)
Instrumental
Eyes in the Canopy
Instrumental
Stone and Vine
Instrumental
The Shrine Breaths
Instrumental
Sin and Sacrifice
Instrumental
At the Crossroads of Bones
Open the way, open the door,
Speak the name, forevermore.
Crossroads open, bones will dance,
Death is watching, life’s last chance.
(Papa Ghede voice mocking, fragmented, layered with laughter):
Ho! Ha! Ha! —
Who knocks? Who prays? Who stays?
Nothing is the Same
Instrumental
Gains and Losses
(Instrumental)