‘Volumes by Rotation’
The idea behind my first EP, ‘Volumes by Rotation’ came from a subject in calculus where shapes are created by the rotation of graphs. This made me think of underlying harmonic and symmetric geometries that construct the laws and nature of our universe, that I believe use music at its core to express reality. Thus spawned ‘Volumes by Rotation’, a collection of pieces that act as an ode to science. Science has always been a large part of my life, and to be able to study both physics and music has shown me the vast and powerful connections between the two. I knew my first EP or album release would be dedicated to the connections of physics and music, and am excited to express what has been on my mind.

‘Paramind’
‘Paramind’ was originally written and recorded for a school assignment, and my love for its cosmic nature grew as I developed it more and more. It contains samples of Carl Sagan, along with a spoken word poetry reading. It was primarily inspired by a word Bon Iver used in his song ‘29 #Strafford APTS’, that stuck with me, in combination with a sleep paralysis experience I had during COVID-19 quarantine. Themes of Awareness are prevalent throughout, entailing the state of consciousness that this in-between state of wakefulness and rest provided. The way Justin Vernon of Bon Iver describes Paramind is multiple minds existing in one, which is how I view cosmic Awareness, as many egos wrapped up in what they conceive as their own minds, only to be pure Awareness at their cores, interconnected with the rest of the universe’s cosmic Awareness.

‘Cosmic Background Radiation’
‘Cosmic Background Radiation’ spawned from a sound that a 15-dollar Casio keyboard contained in its settings that gave a sense of space. It grew to becomes a piece where I would incorporate the sound of the Cosmic Microwave Background, the earliest radiation in the universe that notably creates a portion of TV-static. I found the resonance of this sound to create a detached feeling of objective reality (if such a thing exists) which inspired the mysterious nature of the piece. In my mind I imagined meditation through some sort of psychological resonance with the sounds of CMB, like the image from the movie ‘Poltergeist’ of the little girl staring into the static of the television.

'Volumes by Rotation I'
‘Volumes by Rotation I’ spawned originally from an idea of considering the clouds as shapes and sculptures of the universe projected on to our celestial sphere. This reminded me of my middle school science class, learning about different clouds, their shapes, what they mean, as well as a weather video I made with my friends (which I sampled in the beginning and end of the piece) for a project. I thought of Bill Nye’s explanation of condensation and cloud formation which is why I included samples of his voice explaining the water cycle, condensation, and clouds. I wanted to tie this all into the realization that there is artwork projected in our sky that comes from geometries, rotations, matter, and the filling up of space, which is why the piece takes an ethereal tone, and bends and curves as the clouds do. The idea of sound creating shapes and structures that reflect deep underlying geometries of our universe is why I chose this piece to be the title track of the EP.

'The Shimmering'
‘The Shimmering’ was a project I’ve been working on for nearly as long as ‘Paramind’ and began as a simple guitar line I created in Cherry Springs, PA, on an astronomy trip. It then began to take shape as a token piece of ‘Volumes by Rotation’ with its flowing nature, reversed tracks, and shapes constructed in the mind through the guitar solo. Later on, I witnessed ‘The Shining’ for the first time and wanted to somehow incorporate the idea of the shining, a paranormal psychic sense that pervades reality and is not accessed by most people. I figured this track was perfect for it with the ghostly static and materialization of sound, and thus, an ode to the paranormal and the unknown that binds us all together was created. Whether it be physical ghosts or ghosts of one’s memory, the sense of time passing through the awareness of the present creates a ghostly understanding of time itself, which is what I saw in ‘The Shining’.

'The Theory of Everything (Unified Field Theory)'
‘The Theory of Everything (Unified Field Theory)’ was based on an idea I’ve felt and struggled with for a very long time, the idea of music as the deep underlying structure of the universe and its “code” that produces the laws of physics. I’ve wondered this as a result of meditative states that music has provided for me that begin with a tingling spine and beautiful imagery as I imagine the notes being played out. Though the evidence for something like this is anecdotal, I prescribe to the belief through my studies of oscillations and harmonic motion that both gravity and electromagnetic forces create, an orbiting orchestra. I wanted to give the sounds of this piece an Earthy and natural feeling, which is why I sampled the sounds of creaking wood and used vocal distortion to provide a voice that speaks from within the Earth. The creaking wood also created a sense of volume as the audio reverses and goes forward once again, which forms a sense of form that both in creation and malleable, perhaps like the universe coming into creation.

'Volumes by Rotation II'
‘Volumes by Rotation II’ came from a desire to make an instrumental piece where only harmonies and melodic lines could construct shapes through their sound, as part 2 of the title track ‘Volumes by Rotation I’. Trumpet was the perfect instrument to construct such shapes as a wind instrument that can really bend however you want. I included samples from Frank, the giant bunny in ‘Donnie Darko’, since the shapes I was creating reminded me of the time spears that are in the movie, as a formulation of volumes, matter, curves, and bends in physical reality, created by an underlying scientific mystery as discovered in the movie’s ‘Philosophy of Time Travel’. This underlying mystery is the direction of time and timelines as unchangeable “channels”, in which the universe flows, that Donnie learns to see, recognize, and follow.


SPECIAL THANKS:
Ella, Eli, Aidan, Addy, Gracie, Mom, Dad – Thank you for always believing in me and letting me express myself and my interests no matter what. Volumes by Rotation wouldn’t exist without your unconditional support. My dad, Joseph Coscia Jr.’s artwork inspires my every day and the cover art he created that is used in Volumes by Rotation has tied the entire EP together. My mom, Patricia Coscia’s poetry also inspires me every day, in the style of spoken word that is a strong theme throughout the EP.

Emma, Subhan, Edy – You guys are always there for me and always there to listen to my weird thoughts and theories about the universe, music, and physics. Thank you for your undying support as I explore these interests through my artwork.

Preston, Lauren, Eric, Kalvis- Thank you guys for always supporting my art and being amazing! It's to great to be around a group of people who always create an adventure. All of the art each of you makes (whether it be drawings, music, theatre, etc.) all of your work is super inspiring and motivating to me, to be with people who love to create.

Steve, Dave, Chris, Michael L– Thank you all for being such amazing teachers who have guided my learning in such an inspiring way. I miss all of you and hope you are doing well!

Emelie – Emelie, your vocals in ‘Paramind’ built my inspiration for the track and its cosmic nature. Your voice has such a unique timbre that acts as the foundation for this piece, and I’m so glad to have worked on this with you.

Luke – Luke, you’re an amazing drum player and never fail to help me with the music I’m writing by adding a creative and technically excellent recording. Your work in ‘Volumes by Rotation II’ added so much direction to where the piece was headed, and I cannot thank you enough for that.

Michael G – Michael, thanks for being an awesome guitar teacher. Your help with the EP these past few months has been really useful as you’ve inspired me to keep working and put out artwork. Thank you for all that you’ve done.