Search - Touch Rx :: The Challenging Discourse

Touch Rx - Much More than Thoughts by: luna 09 Jun 2002 Touch Rx | The Challenging Discourse Touch Rx The Challenging Discourse 2002 Many musicians have crossed my path in this life, and they all have many things in common: they are driven by a force unknown to them, a need to release the creativity they have no control over. Music to them could never be called a hobby, because it is a way of life......an urge to communicate on a higher plane that we have yet to understand the power of. This is a fair description of Jordan Lucas, the musical Merlin behind Touch Rx - The Challenging Discourse. Beyond that which I consider common in musicians, there is very little description that can be applied to Lucas and his catalogue of music, ranging four albums of impeccable production quality and released independently on his own label, TD Records. His secrets and subtleties are all inlaid in his music like the floor of Atlantis's town square: possibly forever hidden to anyone who attempts to navigate the depths of it. The Challenging Discourse is a series of fleeting impressions for me, one blurring into the next in a way that is neither cohesive or easily described. This review will from this point portray that, as I listen from beginning to end, from my headphones, to the pen, to your eyes, and hopefully to your ear. Prelude: The beginning screams.....the wrenching horror of the internal corridors of the mind. The understanding here is that the prelude is the reason for the need to create......everything after this disturbing opening is a purge, a salve to the painful wounds. Radio Friendly: This is one of my favorite songs on the album. Lucas gives a time structure here, he has been doing music since an age where most of us were still trying to master the art of junior high school. To say, "I feel so lucky....being 14...." and then 20........he skims over so much that has already been documented in these six years with his previous albums and projects. It is an eloquent summation. The song is dark, the feeling of furrowed brows and fistfuls of hair, pure frustration giving way to anger and understanding. The guitar is rich and permeating, the kind that gives you chills. This song is always over to fast for me, but the maze now turns to another emotion Lucas has in store.............. Conceiving Factor S: A worshipful love song that contains the joys of having compatible lovers, however fleeting their interest. Musically, the joy of the song belies the sadness of the situation described lyrically.....you understand that memories can paint a more joyous portrait than a heart scorned. I hear undertones of survival instincts, with the guitar and bass doing double takes..... Unusual Circumstances: one of the most beautiful songs on the album. Absolutely heartfelt. This is Lucas at his finest: acoustic guitar, voice, perception. He describes a premonition of his fate, how the fate remains unchanged in the end, no matter who or what enters the between. It is an invitation to join in this resignation, and to enjoy the scenery along the way. Crystal Mystique: This is a remake of the original that appeared on Lucas's first album, Bliss - Flux. After listening to all his albums, I think it was wise to pull this one up to the present, it is an early indication of what was to come, and it meshes well with his current efforts. Comparing the original to the recent version, it is clear how far Lucas has come vocally.......he has the versatility for grinding screams and serene wistfulness......and the same ability to write the sweetest lyrics that counteract with the power with which they are portrayed. Jesus' Hero: An opening conversation between Lucas and his bassist from Touch, Corey Grashel, is drenched in chemicals, ants, and hilarity. This song starts out in a bottle, which soon explodes into another realm of powerful chords and lyrics. Full of power and grace......and at the end, it seems to skip back down the roa