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Death of a Salesman is the fifth album from The ILLusionists. It follows the band members over a three year period: struggling with a dead-end job, balancing that 9-5 life with a music career, and eventually making sacrifices to escape from corporate retail. The album features actual recordings of past bosses, and real life write-ups (though somewhat obscured) are visible in the artwork.
But the real life catalyst for this story is stranger than fiction. The ILL opened a show for Eyedea & Abilities, and struck an unlikely bond with their heroes. After sound check, DJ Abilities listened to the entire ILL IS ALL record, and began mentoring ILLusionists co-founder Web The Free Range Human.
This newfound connection led to a remix version of E&A's last album, By The Throat, produced entirely by Web. Eyedea was so enthused about the project that he began recording new vocals for the remixes just before he passed away in 2010.
But E&A didn't only influence the group creatively. Eyedea also introduced them to friends Sadistik and Kristoff Krane. The ILL later toured with Krane and has opened for Sadistik in several cities. This eventually led to collaborations that appear on the new album.
Blueprint, Ecid, Crescent Moon, and Kristoff Krane were all carefully chosen to help The ILLusionists complete the album narrative. All of the features on Death of a Salesman are from the Midwest, and were friends of Mikey's.
"pwnd" is the first single from Death of a Salesman (www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kc9uFNrkto4). The lyrics channel years of frustration, amid the staggering fear of finding new life as a starving artist. The video coincides with the album art, as Sammy Warm Hands confronts his boss for the last time. This alludes to the group's "I Quit My Job For This" tour in 2011.
Track listing:
1. Groundhog Days (featuring Blueprint)
2. pwnd
3. Death of a Salesman #1
4. The Stage (featuring Ecid)
5. Brave Little Toaster
6. Death of a Salesman #2
7. Insects & Parasites (featuring Crescent Moon)
8. Center of a Tension
9. Not Alone (featuring Kristoff Krane)
10. Death of a Salesman #3
11. Unsatisfied
12. Finally (featuring Jori Teran)
13. Victory Lap
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credits
from Death of a Salesman,
released June 4, 2013
Music by Web The Free Range Human
Ass chewing by Kenny Ryan
Hidden voice recorder by Sammy Warm Hands
Sammy Warm Hands & newcomer Ogar Burl destroy mics on a boom bap set featuring Carnage, Zac HB, Joe Beats, Span Phly, and every member of The ILLusionists. The ILLusionists
supported by 6 fans who also own “Death of a Salesman #2”
I have been listening to variations of this album a long time. I remember I was living in a cardboard dumpster when some young guy was like yo dude it's gonna rain come crash on my couch. He played The Many Faces of Oliver Hart for me. I fell in love, I set my favorite track as Rain because we looped it when the rain came. That was one of the early acts of kindness I received in the nearly 20 years I've been homeless. @NomadRoamsFree