Weird album alert: 456 tracks written in Morse code then transposed for piano

The Pocket Gods are one of the UK’s most interesting bands and for some unusual reasons. Formed in London a quarter-century ago and headed up by Mark Lee, the band holds the record for the album with the most swears and the album with the most tracks (300, all about 30 seconds long), although Guinness gives that record to Orlando “Jahlil Beats” Tucker.

Well, Mr. Tucker, you’re going to have get back to work to beat the new Pocket Gods effort.

The band has recorded an album featured 456 tracks, again all about 30 seconds long. They figure that since Spotify pays out after 30 seconds of listening, why bother recording anything much longer than that. And there’s a pandemic twist to the new record.

The period from March 23, 2020, the first day of the pandemic lockdown in the UK to June 21, 2021, the day the UK is supposed to open up, is 456 days. Each of those days was converted into Morse code and then transposed into a piano score. The result, called 500 x 30, can be found on SoundCloud. (Scroll down to listen.)

Why do this? Lee says it’s a protest against the continuation of the British lockdown and is dedicated to all those who have suffered mental strife because of the pandemic. Lee himself has had to have treatment for PTSD which manifested in panic attacks, severe anxiety, and even a failed suicide attempt.

One more thing: There are some hidden messages within the tracks. If you’re a Morse code fan, consider it a project.