23 April (Europe)
8 May (USA)
TRACK LIST
CD1:
01] The New Real
02] Pink Beatles In A Purple Zeppelin
03] Parental Procreation Permit
04] When I’m A Hundred Sixty-Four
05] E-Police
06] Don’t Switch Me Off
07] Dr Slumber’s Eternity Home
08] Yellowstone Memorial Day
09] Where Pigs Fly
10] Lost In The New Real
* Bonus CD Rom section: “Behind The New Real”
CD 2
01] Our Imperfect Race
02] Welcome To The Machine (Pink Floyd cover)
03] So Is There No God?
04] Veteran Of The Psychic Wars (Blue Oyster Cult Cover)
05] The Social Recluse
06] Battle Of Evermore (Led Zeppelin Cover)
07] The Space Hotel
08] Some Other Time (Alan Parsons Project Cover)
09] You Have Entered The Reality Zone
10] I’m The Slime (Frank Zappa Cover)
* Bonus CD Rom section: “The Artwork”
Since finishing the latest Star One album last year (2010), Arjen has been hard at work on his next release: a solo album, titled Lost in the New Real. Releasing a solo album is something he’s wanted to do for a long time:
I’ve been wanting to record a solo album with just me singing for about 10 years now. But I always seem to come across singers whom I would like to work with, so my last solo attempts have turned into an Ayreon, Star One and Guilt Machine releases instead! But now the time is right and I feel very inspired!
Arjen is handling the lead vocal duties as well as playing all the guitars, keyboards, and bass. There is one guest vocalist helping out with backing vocals, and some guest instrumentalists as well. The album also features screen acting legend Rutger Hauer in the role of the album’s narrator.
What should fans expect with regard to the album’s sound and style? As Arjen puts it:
This is turning out to be quite an eclectic album, with widely varied styles like prog, folk, psychedelica, atmospheric, and a heavy bit here and there. So with all this variation, you could say that this is an album for open minded listeners! As a reaction to the dark feel of my last album, this album has a more positive, upbeat feel overall. Conceptually it could be compared to a song-oriented Ayreon album (without all the guest singers, of course), as all the songs are linked to a central theme. At this stage it’s still too early to reveal any details about the concept, but I can say that it’s a highly personal album, one from the heart. I haven’t enjoyed myself like this in years!
We’ll be updating with more information and sound samples later down the road, so stay tuned! Until then, Arjen’s Facebook Page is the best place to get up-to-the-minute updates and interact with the man himself.