The Secret of Prag 83's "The Silent Earth"

January 31, 2018

prag

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Reading works like The Metamorphosis or The Trial feels intrusive, a glimpse into the mind of depression’s apogee. In fact, if Franz Kafka’s wishes were granted, his name would be lost to history. His posthumous success was an act of betrayal, his close friend Max Brod choosing to publish his acclaimed works of existential fiction rather than burn them, and yet, the world of fiction wouldn’t be the same without this deception.

There is a similar sort of dreadful enjoyment in listening to Prag 83, the works of one mysterious “Herr K.” Continuing his project’s tribute to Kafka, though less overt than his debut Metamorphosis, the stark, gothic singer/songwriter folk found on Fragments of Silence are a trial all their own. Though pastoral, if even neofolk-esque, there is a flickering, fluorescent quality to Prag 83’s sophomore effort, something dismal and urban, reflecting Herr K’s focal hero’s own loneliness in a bustling metropolis. Paying tribute more so than acting as communicant now, there is more of a personal touch to Fragments of Silence, and, as a result, Prag 83 is suddenly warmer and more delicate. In moving away from another’s vision, Herr K’s own aimless emptiness unveils itself in grey melancholy. It feels intrusive, like we shouldn’t hear it. Are we meant to?

Fragments of Silence will be released on March 9th through Nordvis. Listen to an exclusive premiere of “The Silent Earth” below.

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