[Cover photo credit to Patrick Carew]
LA-based singer/songwriter Scott Fisher has previously announced his upcoming album Kingdom of Ego and previewed the album with the single “Once in a While” featuring bass guitarist Tim Lefebvre (David Bowie, Elvis Costello, John Mayer) and drummer Jeff Anthony (Sheryl Crow, Chuck Prophet).
As with Fisher’s previous album, 93 Million Miles, production for the new album took place at the analog-friendly Sonic Ranch in Tornillo, Texas with a main theme of “ego distorting reality” providing a through-line for many of the songs.
We’re delighted to premier the second single from Kingdom of Ego on Wildfire today, titled “Hour of Great Contempt” which will be released this Friday, June 30th, 2023. With the new track, we do indeed see the theme of ego distorting reality as well as a concern that human beings seem to be proving themselves unable to evolve.
The song feels grounded in a familiar reality because it opens with the idea that we may find love and we may achieve a stable lifestyle, but still face the problems of an “age of discontent”. Looking towards a future that’s purely ego-driven and doesn’t take into account communal goals, Fisher acknowledges that humans may leave “nothing to remember” in the long run. Fisher drew the title and some of these thoughts for the song from Nietzsche and showcases a concern that human beings should normalize caring and wanting to build a better world.
Sonically, this is one of Fisher’s most energetic tracks to emerge, opening with a driving beat, which evolves throughout the song along with the seriousness of the subject-matter. But the tone of the song also shifts to a more reflective state, becoming more dancy than driven, while the emotion remains center-stage. Those following Fisher’s recent releases may remember that he and Tim Lefebvre also worked on a cover of Bob Marley’s “She’s Gone”, so it’s tempting to look for potential Reggae accents in this new track that contribute to this plea for a better world to live in.
Fisher shares:
‘The hour of the great contempt’ is for Nietzsche a way of describing the point at which one realizes that one’s earlier ideals were petty and mean, and aims for something higher. It’s also a reference to the moment when we become contemptuous of humanity as a whole for our inability to change and evolve. It fits with the general theme of the upcoming album. Ego and self obsession over community. Profit over people etc..
Scott Fisher has been making music for over two decades, crafting a sound that blends Jazz, Rock, Psychedelic, and Indie elements. Originally hailing from Portland, Oregon, Fisher relocated to Los Angeles to work in music and became part of a recording studio producing music for various television shows, including Shameless, Parks and Recreation, Better Call Saul, Raising Hope, Gossip Girl, Brothers and Sisters, and The Good Doctor.
Fisher is multi-cultural in his background, with parents who are both French and American, and he studied classical piano from exiled German concert pianist, Ilse Glassel. Fisher has opened for artists such as Brandi Carlile, Augustana, and Pink Martini.
