Art I’m enjoying: ‘Epic’ the indie musical
The cover for Epic: The Cyclops Saga, album art by Zwist, music by Jorge Rivera-Herrans.
I need to say something I’ve never reveled to anyone.
I’ve never read The Odyssey.
I don’t know how this happened. I — a fantasy fan who minored in classical studies — don’t have a good excuse.
It’s a book I’ve tried to read a good handful of times, mostly in middle school and early high school before it was something I would have really clicked with. The point where I think I could have turned around, read the book, and enjoyed it was senior year of high school and, by then, I was busy with senior projects, graduation, and all that jazz.
So, with that in mind, I can’t speak to how good the musical known as Epic is as an adaptation. Still, the 20 songs that have been released as part of this proof-of-concept musical are tracks I’ve been listening to on loop over the past year or so.
Epic is a musical retelling of The Odyssey conceived of by Jorge Rivera-Herrans, he’s been assembling these songs over the past few years and gaining traction online by posting clips on TikTok and Youtube. Thanks in part to the help of other internet talent and a groundswell of online popularity, he’s been releasing this epic undertaking in chunks of 3-5 song EPs every couple of months. (The Lightning Saga is the next one, set to release on July 4.)
The songs are very pop music, which wouldn’t normally be that enticing to me, but the project makes liberal use of Odysseus’ crew as a mass of masculine backing vocals. I can’t lie, hearing a dozen or two voices chanting “We’re up we’re off and away we go,” or “Brace for a stoooooooooooorm” really hits for me.
I think the nature of the story it’s adapting does give some of the songs — particularly in The Cyclopes Saga — some of the flavor of folk music (that likely being my favorite music genre by default). There’s a lot of examination of morals for the characters for this section in particular. This is also a heavily percussive section that helps sell the odds as insurmountable (I’d say even beyond what some of the objectively more deadly threats later on achieve).
The lyrical work is all around solid with no real lows (though there are a few rhymes I’ve found myself squinting at on occasion). There are, however, lyrical moments that I personally adore. Lines like:
“It’s just an infant, it’s just a boy — what sort of imminent threat does he pose that I cannot avoid?” - “The Horse and the Infant”
"You were reckless, sentimental at best — that’s not a teaching of mine.” - “My Goodbye”
“Ruthlessness is mercy upon ourselves.” - “Ruthlessness”
“I see a song of past romance, I see the sacrifice of man, I see portrayals of betrayals and a brother’s final stand. I see you on the brink of death, I see you draw your final breath; I see a man who gets to make it home alive — but it’s no longer you.” - “No Longer You”
I just find myself repeating these lines throughout my day. (Which might say more about me than the lines.)
While I don’t think the concept album holds a candle to something like Hadestown (a.k.a. the greatest piece of art to yet be created on this planet) I’ve genuinely had a lot of fun with it. I’d say one or two of the songs have even managed to ascend to my iPod “favorites” playlist. (Yes, I still use an iPod … and an MP3 player — they’re separate devices that I use in slightly different ways that I can’t possibly get into right this moment.)
It is odd because, if you asked me how much I like Epic, I’d probably say “It’s cool, I like it but I don’t love it.” I think what’s drawn me to it is just really rooting for this guy whose tackling this massive undertaking and really making it happen. On top of that, I do think this release of “chapters” of the story in chunks really helps keep me coming back to see how the new songs will progress the story and musically reference the earlier material.
The starting point would be The Troy Saga which, I think, does a pretty good job of encapsulating the project. That said, clicking through some of the other tracks isn’t a bad option to see if you click with anything. (I do think most of the songs in this project work better as stand-alone songs than most 40-ish track musicals tend to.)
If any of what I said sparks your interest, check out Epic! Despite some heavy themes, it’s a pretty easy listen and doesn’t require a knowledge of the source material to enjoy!
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The Wilderlands is available now for pre-order on Kindle here, on Nook here, on Kobo here, and on Apple here. More formats, digital and physical, will be available for purchase and pre-order soon. The Wilderlands is scheduled to release on Oct. 29, 2024.