“Fever Song,” the compelling digital album by experimental musician Howard Stelzer, is more than just a collection of sounds; it’s an immersive sonic experience deeply rooted in personal illness and the symbolic destruction of industrial giants. Released in December 2019, this track, aptly named “Fever Song,” captures a period of intense physical struggle and the subsequent clarity that emerged from recovery.
Stelzer recounts the genesis of “Fever Song” during a period of sickness in late 2019. Initially dismissing a cough as a common seasonal ailment, he soon found himself battling a persistent fever. Diagnosed with pneumonia, Stelzer spent a month confined to bed. This period of physical confinement and mental haze became the unexpected crucible for his creative process. He describes a blurred stretch of time, punctuated by movies and fragmented attempts at reading, a stark contrast to his usual appetite and energy. Reflecting on this experience, Stelzer suspects it may have been an early encounter with Covid-19, though definitive evidence remained elusive at the time.
The lifting of the fever marked not just a return to health but also a surge of creative urgency. Emerging from his illness, Stelzer immediately channeled his pent-up musical ideas into reality. “Fever Song,” a piece that would typically gestate over a year, was completed with remarkable speed, fueled by “profound relief.” The compositional groundwork had been laid in the “haze of half-awake delirium,” the decisions already formed in his subconscious, awaiting the return of his strength to be fully realized.
The album’s sonic landscape is as intriguing as its origin story. Stelzer masterfully blends sounds derived from processed instruments using cassette tapes with recordings of controlled demolitions, specifically targeting the cooling towers of the Brayton Point Generating Station in Somerset, Massachusetts. This juxtaposition of the intimate and the industrial defines the album’s unique character. His long-standing fascination with power stations, structures he describes as both “amazing and terrifying,” finds expression in “Fever Song.” While his previous work, “Brayton Point,” captured the power station in operation, “Fever Song” delves into its deconstruction, using the sounds of dynamite dismantling these colossal structures.
Stelzer’s decision to release “Fever Song” digitally reflects this sense of urgency and perhaps foreshadowed the global shift towards online music distribution. Breaking from his usual preference for physical releases, he opted for immediate accessibility via Bandcamp and other online platforms. The album art, a simple post-it note on a kitchen floor, further emphasizes this raw, immediate quality. Ironically, the world soon mirrored Stelzer’s urgency, as the pandemic forced artists to embrace digital releases amidst lockdowns and logistical disruptions.
In retrospect, Stelzer connects the personal experience of overcoming illness with a broader societal unease. Written in June 2020, his notes accompanying “Fever Song” reflect on the ongoing pandemic, political turmoil, and social unrest. The personal victory of recovery feels muted against a backdrop of global crisis. He presents “Fever Song” as an offering, built from the sounds of a “massive, dangerous power structure being taken down by force,” a potent metaphor resonating with both personal and collective experiences of overcoming adversity and dismantling oppressive forces.
“Fever Song” is available for streaming and download on Bandcamp, inviting listeners to experience this powerful auditory journey. For those seeking deeper engagement, a subscription option provides access to Stelzer’s extensive back catalog and exclusive content, promising a continued exploration of his unique sonic world.
