Portraits - Monad Syllabus

“Every branch of human knowledge, if traced up to its source and final principles, vanishes into mystery.”

~Arthur Machen

The Portraits Monad syllabus is a complete album companion for listeners who want to do more than scratch the surface. From the first look at the album artwork, and from the first listen, it is apparent that Monad has many layers of meaning. During the creation of the album, dozens of books and journal articles began accumulating for each song, and back stories were created to probe the topics in a deeper sense than the lyrics alone.

Complete with original artwork and content that has not been revealed anywhere else, the syllabus delves into the world behind the album, discussing in detail the progression of the songs into a cohesive whole, and explaining the influences and meaning behind each song. Philosophical and musical topics are illuminated with an academic lens, and the relationship between song meaning and artwork is explored. Some secrets in the album are revealed, and marginalia provide hints to other hidden meanings to be discovered on your own. References to original sources are provided for those who seek to explore on their own works by authors as varied as Plato, Nietzsche, and Darwin.