nothing of any consequence is unfolding.<\/em><\/p>\nThis set of imaginary sign-off music may evoke nostalgia in older listeners and seem like sci-fi to younger listeners. \u00a0The clever \u201cTelevision Set\u201d CD packaging adds to the allure. \u00a0\u201cKKZ96 (Wonder People\u201d) begins with piano and ethereal chords, as if the mind is soaring into the imagination. \u00a0As drums are folded in, one thinks of Little Nemo\u2019s Adventures in Slumberland. \u00a0The mind is left to wonder what events might be unfolding in the in-between time, unrecognized, unreported and most importantly, unbroadcast. \u00a0And who are the wonder people? \u00a0Are they a separate race of people active only in the invisible hours, or the images that we miss?<\/p>\n
The beatless \u201cKCBS (Electric Lights)\u201d dances like its namesake, without the use of percussion. \u00a0The chords ebb and flow in hypnotic fashion, capturing Branch\u2019s sense of magic. \u00a0At the time, television was relatively young, and grandparents could remember when they were able to scrape enough money together for their first set: the TV itself was a wonder, a gift. \u00a0Almost any\u00a0<\/em>broadcast seemed magical, as opposed to today, when thousands of options are available yet few possess that early allure.<\/p>\n\u201cKHQ6 (Visitor)\u201d has the feel of an early black-and-white film about invaders from Mars, or from the deep, or from the Antarctic. \u00a0Something otherworldly is already here<\/em>, and the race is on to get other people to acknowledge their existence. \u00a0It\u2019s late at night, and Branch\u2019s parents have gone to bed and may or may not know their son is watching; despite the fact that he has seen wonders, he cannot wake them up for fear of being punished. \u00a0The next piece continues to play upon such fears, albeit gently; the chiming tones both settle and alert, an electronic pulse developing like the lights of a quietly descending spaceship, then fading slowly like a phantasm.<\/p>\nThe finale, \u201cWTVF,\u201d bridges the gap between the sign-off and the sign-in, hours later; guitar chords are laid atop a mysterious drone as the synthesizers vibrate, the fifteen-minute length creating a trance-like effect. \u00a0Then at the very end, voices buried in static. \u00a0The precocious child drifts off to sleep with one salient question on his mind: What\u2019s on TV tomorrow? \u00a0<\/em>(Richard Allen)<\/strong><\/p>\n
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<\/a>Those of a certain age remember when television stations used to sign off for the night. \u00a0A cheerful TV announcer would share the station identification and a pleasant goodbye, music would play (most often the national anthem) and the station would either display a static image or simply go dark. \u00a0If this were the only station broadcasting, the person watching would turn off the set, and watch as the lights condensed to a dot before a final pop. \u00a0Then it was time \u2013 really\u00a0<\/em>time \u2013 to go to bed.<\/p>\n