R-Three

You can stream samples of the complete "Perceptual Distortion" album on our web site at: http://r-three.com/
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Applied synaesthetic sensibility to a diverse pallete of acoustic, electronic & hybrid instrumentation creating journeys bittersweetly familiar, with flavors original & unpredicted. Reminiscent of work by Brian Eno, David Bowie, Peter Gabriel, David Sylvian, Russell Mills, Can, O'Rang, Radiohead, Talk Talk, Thomas Dolby, the Cure and Neil Finn: This CD is yummy.

“We are suffering a spiritual corrosion…”

In and amidst the backbeats, guitars and unnamable eastern instruments, the voice over the cell phone observes (warns?) “We are suffering a spiritual corrosion”. The song is The Wolf I Feed, an ambient/electropop piece inspired by the after effects of 9/11 (rather than the tragedy itself), from the album Perceptual Distortion from Rhett Redelings’ “ground-breaking artist collective” R-Three. It is somewhere in the midst of things that you realize the cell phone voice, which seems to come back again and again though out the album like a 21st century ghost, doesn’t say “spiritual erosion”, the oft-repeated complaint of religious groups the world over. The voice uses the word “corrosion” as if to imply that a dangerous, unnatural, external substance is eating away at our spiritual lives, though the voice never has a chance, or perhaps inclination, to give a name to the spirituality in question. Rather, Perceptual Distortion explores the various causes of the erosion itself.

Conceptually "Perceptual Distortion" might be a distant relative of Chuck Palahniuk’s “Fight Club” and Roger Waters’ “Amused to Death”; but while it explores many of the same themes about clarity, spiritual “wholeness” and the “…distorted perceptions that are promoted by our success driven, consumer oriented, possessive minded society.” The album takes the listener on a very different kind of journey.

Not easily dismissed as “electronic”, “alternative” or “progressive rock”, Perceptual Distortion is a 50 minute musical exploration of the human condition from the perspective of our own ability to accurately perceive and thus understand, our own experiences. The album opens by looking within as a way to understand the world without; and ultimately takes a critical look at the 21st century world as it starts to disappear beneath the slick veneer of the “perception management” that disguises and brands consumer culture, corporate greed and political injustice.

But to label Perceptual Distortion a political album is to miss the raw humanity and emotion that R-Three founder/singer/producer Rhett Redelings delivers through his passionate, "earthy vocals" and the group’s uniquely cinematic approach to song structure.

By blending ambient soundscapes, infectiously instrumental electropop and acid jazz numbers with a handful of skillfully crafted alternative/post-rock songs, R-Three has created an original work that is best described as a “cross genre piece of work that is neatly stitched together on a centrally themed cut of silk”.

Little bitter love – Acid jazz inspired ‘Little bitter love’ opens Perceptual Distortion by introducing some of the conceptual and musical themes that weave and twist throughout the album. One looks out at the world and all it’s suffering, unable to save those in need and frustrated at how little things change, only to realize that the greed, envy, hypocrisy and the persistence of ego are not so easy to overcome when you discover it within.

Secrets – “The Problem is not propaganda but the relentless control of the kinds of things we think about” – Brian Eno. Secrets is a song that uses a number of leitmotifs to address the secret agendas behind our political situation(s), our consumer culture and the perceptual distortion of the mass media that is changing the face of our world.

The Wolf I Feed - "A Native American grandfather was talking to his grandson and said 'I feel as if I have 2 wolves fighting in my heart. One is angry, vengeful, & violent while the other is loving & compassionate. The grandson asked 'Which wolf will win the fight in your heart?' The grandfather answered 'The one I feed.'" The Wolf I Feed is an infectious electropop number that uses Middle and Far Eastern musical elements combined with traditional western rock beats and guitars to express a personal reaction to 9/11 and the hope for a balanced, well considered response to the tragic event. Sadly those in power chose and continue to choose to feed the wrong wolf.

Elsa Green - The deliberately understated vocal, melancholy piano and subtle rhythms that gradually elevate the song, all set the tone for this soft, sad and intoxicatingly off-beat ballad about loving who you are before loving the one you’re with. Any woman, who believes she needs the approval of her man to be whole, beautiful or strong, needs to hear this song.

Celluloid Erosion – Celluloid Erosion is “incredibly melodious in parts and brilliantly dissonant in others. It grooves, it trips and it seriously warps your head. I can't help feeling that this is what Fred Frith or John Zorn would come out with were they to jump on the electronica bandwagon. A bandwagon that suffers from a lack of originality in most cases. Well, if you thought that applied to most electronica, here is one of those wonderful exceptions that fiercely sticks its fingers up at authority and rips the rule book up.” –Gordon Bell, Babbler Online

Perceptual Distortion – The title track of the album, Perceptual Distortion takes it’s musical inspiration from the groundbreaking works of electronic/ambient pioneers Karl-Heinz Stockhausen and Brian Eno to create an aural exploration of the “…distorted perceptions that are promoted by our success driven, consumer oriented, possessive minded society.” – Kerry Dennis.

Lazy I is an electropop tune that grooves along for the sake of the groove. No message, just the love of good music.

The Golden Center was written for a dear friend who died too young by accident/on purpose. There’s something in his story for the rest of us and The Golden Center is relevant for every person who buys “the right car”, takes “the right drug” or hangs out with the “right crowd” in order to feel attractive and complete. The Golden Center isn’t a song about death; it’s a song about life.