rejuvenation
Rejuvenation, the upcoming (May 2012) second album by Mark Bowers is a rich vibrant escape. Filled with ethereal piano, deeply textured synth pads, emphatic orchestral percussion and airy vocals, this sophomore project features a broader sound--both stylistically and technically--and features the collaborative efforts of James M. Klein (percussion) and Michele Barr (instrumental vocals).
Whereas One Day was a dreamy, peace-filled journey following the emotions of a day--from the rising of the sun to its setting--and was a boon to insomniacs and the over-stressed everywhere, Rejuvenation is far more vibrant and has been designed to promote healing--of the mind, body and spirit. Through the depths of pain and loss, to the heights of praise and joy, Rejuvenation revitalizes. It brings new life.
the story of rejuvenation (extended liner notes)
REJUVENATION [ri-joo-vuh-ney-shuhn]: to restore to a former state; make fresh or new againThis album is a journey from //darkness// to //light//. For all those experiencing pain, grief from loss--this will help you through the passage. //darkness// is dedicated to three friends who passed early--Cynthia Tilles (cancer, age 34), Marissa Najarian (cancer, age 33) and Aaron Whately ("natural causes," 35). Mars, I think of you often, miss you, and will see you again some day. This song includes the piano piece Bittersweet Memories, composed following Cynthia's funeral.
//descending to pain// may sound ominous, but it doesn't last forever, for then //healing begins//.
Our first emotional high arrives with //a moment of peace//, a soothing synth solo that evokes the image of amber grain bending in a gold-tinged breeze. With any loss, the journey from the depths to the heights is not a swift rise straight to the top, but a gradual climb--with many pauses for re-evaluation, backward glances at where we started--it is a //path of hope//. //walking the path// has repetitive notes which show one's progression down the trail, which ends //by the pool//.
So often we struggle through life's chaos //seeking peace//, seeking a quiet secret place, but when we forget to ask the One Who grants the peace, our seeking tends to be fraught with stress. True //rejuvenation// happens when we cry out to the One Who gives life, and then we begin //finding hope//.
//ascension// is not just a song about rising up to the heights, but it is in many ways a "song of ascents"-musically and thematically. Imagine getting to the top of a high mountain after slogging for what seemed forever, through the depths. Upon reaching the summit you //raise your hands in praise//. This journey has been long and it has not been easy, but you are so filled with new life, hope, and praise that you begin to //dance before His throne//. You know Whose throne I'm talking about--the One Who rejuvenates, the One Who is Living Water, the One Who IS hope and Who gives hope! We are now bathed in //light//.