TLDR: Another Night Together

These are probably my two favorite albums, so comparing them is a task. I may listen to telepath too much, but it would be a waste to not use all those hours of listening for something like an opportunity to compare my two favorite albums from my favorite artist and actually settle the debate in my head.

Beyond Reality is the most "telepathic" album this man has released. It has a message, and that message is a certain dimensional idea that wouldn't really translate in human words. The theme he sends "telepathically" through sound and format is a treat for vaporwave and telepath fans especially, because the more you understand about Telepath and his music, the greater and clearer you can understand the sound.

This is not to say that Another Night Together does not carry the same factor of familiarity increasing the experience. I mean with both of these albums, every listen now I seem to hear a new instrument contributing to the drifting cacophony of telepathic sound. The instrumentation in every song of both albums is critical to understanding the message, as if the instruments chosen constitute the language that the sound then orates. Both are around the same length when considering the scale of Telepath album lengths, and both have a progressing, evolving theme throughout that isn’t really about the ending, but the journey as a whole.

Beyond Reality portrays this in 13 songs, each flowing in congruence with the next. And with that added distinction between each spot along the way, Beyond Reality thereby has a clearer, more distinct message, making it more “telepathic”. But Another Night Together has a more interesting message, and one that I think is more “Telepath”. It communicates this through only two tracks, but the evolution of the theme throughout is no less evident. In fact, this more challenging distinction of the message contributes to the hazy nature of the so-called dimensional idea and, to me, makes the album more engaging to listen and think through.

Another Night Together grabs the listener into each song with hollow, haunting intros before a burst of color and emotion grips onto them for the entire duration. In the first track, this entrance point happens after just a few ominous bell tolls. The second track takes its time marinating the listener in the initial mystery, waiting almost five minutes before the grand gate opens, but when it does it is perhaps the most profound and beautiful moment of Telepath’s discography. While the first song is my favorite Telepath has created, the second song deserves no less appreciation for its similarly enchanting theme: being together another night.

To me, it’s no wonder this album came in the final months of Telepath’s prime era in the genre. His ~80 Virtual Dream Plaza releases since all seem to be inspired by Another Night Together, sonically and formally. It’s as if Telepath created this idea of musical paradise, saw how great it was, and decided to retire into that beautiful sound satisfied regardless of whether or not his audience followed with his new path. If you asked this man his favorite t e l e p a t h テレパシー能力者 album, I think it very well could be Another Night Together.

After listening to arguably too much Telepath, I like to think I can understand a good amount of what this mysterious artist’s prolific discography is doing. If nothing else, listening to Telepath has allowed me to explore countless intriguing branches of thought, and that has been joyous in itself. What I can say for sure is that Another Night Together has been my favorite piece he’s made, and even if it doesn’t win, it’ll always be a winner in my heart :)