San-3
Original Release Date: 12/14/9999 (4999 AM)
On the cusp of the new millennium, there was a flood of albums that took one of two perspectives: either pining for the past or yearning for the future. San-3 (the third lineup configuration after San-1 and San-2, with only founding member and keyboardist Gilga Tormish surviving) had been toiling in the automated logistics factories of the not-so-happy-go-lucky conglomerate Cadabra Petchem Industries (CPI) routing packages across the Universe for very little pay, and even fewer bathroom breaks, when they were secretly informed about a plot to unionize its workers. Sensing the tide rising (as well as famously ebbing and flowing), San-3 agreed to hack their factory's sound and communications system to blast their music to those who perhaps stood on the fence, or entirely against them. Better benefits, pay, and working conditions were on the table, as well as the opportunity to drive change and rebellion with their music. Except, the biggest strike in nearly 2,000 years never materialized. Hunted, imprisoned, or worse, the contracted workers of CPI did not outlast the deep pockets of the Board of Directors, with their array of "negotiation tactics" forcing workers into compliance. Now, without a job, San-3 could not decide whether the past or the future were worth memorializing. Instead, the present became the rallying cry and the shine of anarchy melted. What were they to do with the time left? And how long could they maintain anger in the face of adversity that would always be stacked against them? Ninety-Nine Percent became a working-creature's solace amongst a sea of loud and brash artists who screamed with ferocity, but never materialized change. San-3 decided to sink into the misery and bring down a generation of disenfranchised. And, dear Audionauts, it worked. Spurred by the tempered beats onboard Ninety-Nine Percent, productivity plummeted (even among non-organic workers), and CPI lost heaps of already planned revenue, damning their investment portfolio and Glorkmas bonuses. Refusing now to go back to work, even with their demands met, an entire generation clambered into the year 10,000 (5,000 AM) with apathy and a pedantic mindset. CPI collapsed within months, and others soon followed (Ziggle, Macro Particulates, Omnipresent Terrestrial Products), humming the beats that simmered throughout Ninety-Nine Percent. Rebuilding the consumerism market became paramount as planets across the Universe began to see their products piling up, rotting in warehouses, while creatures cut back on their spending and buckled down until real change would come to pass. We're still waiting for the next wave of hope, but until then, the eight beats that drive Ninety-Nine Percent will guide us down the river of uncertainty.
Side A
Wave of Change
Not My
100 Minus 1
Down
Side B
Limping
What Could You Possibly Love?
No Breaks
Darkest of Nights