F5point6 - Clinical Trials (2023)

After a short hiatus, See Blue Audio returns for its second release of 2023 and the eighth from f5point6. Last year's 'A Matter of Light and Depth' earned much critical praise and radio support for its exploration of sound creation, and, as we've come to expect from f5point6, the musical guise of multidisciplinary artist R.Cleveland Aaron, his latest album represents another change in direction. 'Clinical Trials', the forty-third release on See Blue Audio, is an audio chronicle of one person's struggle to survive in a dystopian world.

Beginning with his earlier 'KaleidoSound' series, the f5point6 aesthetic has always been a fusion of atmospheric moods and textures with storytelling and personal reflection, underpinned by a highly cinematic sensibility. With the honing of his production skills, the storytelling aspect of Cleveland's work has become increasing sophisticated and reaches new heights on 'Clinical Trials'. As the title hints at, this is a narrative about power versus the individual; namely, a young woman, Raluna, who volunteers to take part in a government funded clinical trial. These trials have primarily been set up to test a treatment for young adults, between the ages of 18 and 25, who suffer from low attention span and fatigue.

This ten-track collection opens with ‘17 Days and 16 Nights’, a period in which the volunteers for these trials are tested and monitored, night and day. For Raluna, the rhythm of realisation ignites sporadically as she floats along an endless journey to a destination few will remember. On ‘Second to the Intended’, she starts to experience things she can't explain, a side effect perhaps, and an imaginary future as the present slips from her grasp.

Subsequent tracks depict a growing conflict between humanity as social animals and providers of data through our electronic devices. This reaches a crescendo on ‘Mantra’, a trance-like soundscape inspired by John Carpenter’s 1988 movie, ‘They Live’, in which subliminal messages are embedded into everyday life to keep us subservient. Raluna is the only participant in the trials who can see these messages, and she starts to piece together the ultimate plan.

With increasing clarity, she recalls ‘the before’, a time of face-to-face interactions in human history that was erased in the quest for profit and efficiency. This could just be a placebo, of course, and part of the trials, where secrets and distrust reign. As we reach the beatless serenity of ‘The Extension Phase’, the conclusion of ‘Clinical Trials’, the tests are over and Raluna will soon be travelling home with only a hazy memory of her experiences. As her mind wanders, she is filled with a feeling of inner peace.

In customary f5point6 style, things never finish quite as you would expect, and ‘[Outro – Thank You for Your Participation]’ provides an epilogue to the story. As Raluna joins her fellow volunteers to watch a short film before being discharged, she sees a screen that is only displaying static, but the others are all smiling. Losing consciousness and subsequently reawakening, she is consumed by the feeling that things might not work out well. The story has ended where it began; Raluna is living the same experience in a constant loop without any memory of actually being tested.

With its extended soundscapes, 'Clinical Trials' is both a meditation on authority and obedience, and the soundtrack to an imaginary science fiction film. To further depict Raluna’s struggles, Cleveland has also made a short film to accompany ‘Mantra’, with the complete version only available to purchasers of the full album through Bandcamp, who will receive a PDF with the link and password for private viewing and free download of the film.

Artwork and photography: R.Cleveland Aaron.