T.G. Copperfield - All In Your Head (CD)

Thoughts become words. And words become actions. On his new album, ALL IN YOUR HEAD, TG Copperfield explores the power of the inner self.

These are bad times, and they're getting worse. War, hatred, resentment, stupidity, social inequality—escalation as far as the eye can see. All these very real factors have their origin in someone's mind. Every act of hate speech, every injustice, grows from a singular thought that plants itself in the consciousness like a rotten seed and—fed by fear, greed, or insecurity—carries its poisonous fruits out into the world.

These are the kinds of processes that interest TG Copperfield in his art: the mental loops and vicious cycles, the twilight, the gloom, and the anti-heroes. The one step before and the one over the abyss, the second before the break. He delves into the human psyche, exploring its detours and dead ends. "ALL IN YOUR HEAD has a rather dark undertone, like all my records, actually ," the restless musician explains about his twelfth studio album. "You'd have everything better under control if you resisted those damned beginnings that start in your head."

Sonically, Copperfield embeds these considerations in straightforward blues rock. The majority of the tracks on ALL IN YOUR HEAD, produced by blues specialist Martin Meinschäfer (Henrik Freischlader, Kai Strauss, among others), are forward-moving, moving directly into the bones. With the irresistible grooves of Copperfield's Electric Band, his magnificent guitar work, his relaxed vocals, and their urgent immediacy, the songs move body and soul.

After his desert trilogy (SNAKES & DUST, OUT IN THE DESERT, STEPPENWOLF), rock 'n' roll dominates here – the magnificent opener "Mule" sets the sonic tone for the entire album. In the following track, "I'm On My Way," the devil is already waiting at the door, while "Living On A Knife" lives up to its title, exuding a sense of utter catastrophe. In "Kicked Down By Love," the inner carousel of thoughts spins relentlessly until it's dizzying. "Redemption Blues" explores the psychological nature of human self-pity, and "Not Your Game" poses the question of which inner battles are worth fighting. The title "World War III" speaks for itself. When Copperfield cries out, "This is not my World War III," these unmistakably articulated feelings of powerlessness and disgust resonate deep within. Despite these weighty themes, a touch of irony, a sly wink, shines through here and there. For example, in "Have Mercy On Me," a track that's simply fun without any hidden agenda. Or "The Needle Hit The Groove"— "a Dadaist song that you can interpret in any way you like, and everything is somehow wrong ," as its creator explains with a grin.

Then there's the title track, "All In Your Head," a list of all the thoughts that spiral in the wrong direction even during their creation. But there is a glimmer of hope: what is bad can also be good. What goes wrong in the brain can also go right. At least if you change your own attitude. And then there is this one, but perhaps most important aspect of all: art begins in the mind. TG Copperfield's new work also once began as a single thought. And now you can hold it in your hands. So there is a little light in the darkness after all. You just have to look closely.

01 Mules
02 I'm On My Way
03 Not Your Game
04 Have Mercy On Me
05 Living On A Knife
06 Kicked Down By Love
07 Redemption Blues
08 World War III
09 All In Your Head
10 The Needle Hit The Groove