Owlet Nightjar – Album Release – The Regenerative Principle

Owlet Nightjar is a new project from Newtown Rocksteady guitarist Tim Key. The Wellington-based band features Thomas Friggens on drums (Brockaflower, Bazurka etc…), Blain Fitzpatrick on bass (Raw Collective, etc…) and Tim’s Dad Ted on keys, with various friends and special guests dropping in. They play a unique blend of soul, dub and blues incorporating elements of pop, reggae, psychedelic rock and hip-hop. They’ve just released their debut album The Regenerative Principle, which is a concept album about trees and the Hindu god Shiva.

Check out the album on Bandcamp at owletnightjar.bandcamp.com

ALBUM BLURB 

“Only when the flower dies do we get the fruit.
Only when the fruit is destroyed do its seeds come out.
Only when the seed breaks open can the new plant emerge to give us more flowers and fruits once again.”

– ‘Understanding Shiva’ by D.K. Hari and D.K. Hema Hari

The Regenerative Principle is a concept album based on this quote and the principle, or tattva, embodied by the Hindu god Shiva that it summarises.

On one level, taking the quote quite literally, each track relates to a stage in the life-cycle of a tree. But on other levels, the fractal nature of reality comes into play. Synchronicity abounds. As above, so below. The album becomes a microcosm to any macrocosm you choose. A self-contained monad reflecting reality back to itself through the medium of consciousness. Or maybe it’s just a bunch of great music!

Genre-wise it’s a blend of soul, dub and blues, with elements of reggae, pop and psychedelic rock. The resulting fusion is more-or-less what the band think trees would sound like if they could jam.