Inside the Cable Temple
Inside the Cable Temple is the second album by Chinese rock band Omnipotent Youth Society. The album was the band's first release in a decade, and was inspired by the natural landscape of the band's home province of Hebei and in particular the Taihang Mountains.
Development
The album was initially inspired by a train ride the band members took through the Taihang Mountains surrounding their home city of Shijiazhuang. The lyrics are inspired by the relationship of humans to nature and the natural landscape of Northeast China. Because of its past as a manufacturing center and geographical position, the city of Shijiazhuang is one of the most polluted in the world. The surrounding Taihang Mountains are heavily affected by unregulated private mining. The aftereffects of this inspired the lyrics and music of Cable Temple. For instance, the tracks 泥河 and 采石 relate to the impact of technology on both people and the natural environment, with "Quarry" expressing the destruction of the Taihang Mountains. The track 河北墨麒麟 describes a qilin forced to breathe polluted air. The final track on the album, 郊眠寺 concerns the class divide and pollution.Compared to the band's first album, it has a more mellow, bluesy sound, punctuated with moments of intense drama. The album is a mix of jazz, folk, prog rock, and chamber folk. It was intended to be listened to as one continuous work, but, in consideration of typical listening habits, the band split it into 8 tracks.