"The Philosophy of Velocity" was Brazil's 2006 dystopian-victorian rock opera, an album that mysteriously disappeared for 18 years, now reclaimed by the band themselves. Join us in re-releasing this lost cult classic the way it was meant to be heard.
Hello world, welcome to our first-ever crowdfunding campaign!
We're thrilled to announce the reissue of our farewell album "The Philosophy of Velocity," originally released in 2006 on Immortal Records, now soon to be available on multi-colored collector's keepsake edition vinyl via Jonathon's label Death, Love & Broken Records.
It's been a long time since we've banded together to put something out into the world, and we're beyond excited to give something special back to old and new fans alike. Our master recordings have been locked in industry limbo for the last 18 years, hiding away in a dusty vault.
But thankfully, that changes now.
Watch this space, because this will be where we post frequent updates, new videos, and other surprises.
About Us (or, The Life and Times of a Rust Belt Band)
Photo by Nico Routzen.
If you're new to the band Brazil (2000-2008), we were an eclectic and often misunderstood rock band from Central Indiana. We managed to release three albums into the world and criss-cross North America over many thousands of miles of touring, building our fanbase from one city to the next, one person at a time.
"Dasein" was our first foray into the national scene, emerging from the same DIY mold as bands like Elliott and Mineral, and branding us with the "post-hardcore" label critics of the era seemed to love. Our followup, "A Hostage and the Meaning of Life," was an epic storyscape of robots and soot-stained cities against a sonic backdrop of psychedelic prog-rock.
But if "Hostage" could be considered our Ridley Scott album, "The Philosophy of Velocity" was our Terry Gilliam album. A multi-threaded frame tale about a frustrated writer on the edge of insanity. A story of ghosts, dark secrets, and time travel. And a story we never got to fully tell until now.
No one likes to think they're throwing money into a crowdfunding abyss, so here's a breakdown of where your pledge money is going.
And at the end of the day, we'll just be happy to have the vinyl accounted for. But these things will occasionally take on a life of their own, and if we are so lucky, we'd love to extend our gratitude with some stretch goals.
Check out our Community Space to see the stretch goals and their progress!
Every crowdfunding campaign has a unique set of risks. Especially in a situation like ours, where we don't have the backing of a traditional label with a staff whose full time day job is posting quirky things about us and packing orders.
That said, we think our campaign sidesteps a lot of these risks. The album and artwork is already produced, and we're working with one of the world's best vinyl manufacturers known for exceptional quality and turnaround times.
Rest assured, we have been doing-things-ourselfs for most of our lives and we have our system down pat. There is virtually no risk of losing anything by supporting this little endeavor of ours, and tons to gain!
The first 250 Vinyl Basic bundles (The Ghost) will ship within a week of the campaign ending.
Bundles with obscure handcrafted items will come shortly after the final numbers come in and we get to work making them in the workshop. Expect to receive deluxe bundles and their ilk no later than the end of Q3 2026.
You can change or cancel your pledge up until the close date. However, once the campaign is successful and production begins, funds are committed to pressing, packaging, and fulfillment. At this stage, refunds are generally not possible, as costs are already incurred.
ANOTHER NOTE ABOUT SHIPPING: Shipping fees are collected after the campaign.
Panegyrics & Plaudits (Which Here Means Thank-Yous and What Certain People Did)
Eight years of human velocity.
This album would not exist without the help, support, and expertise of the following people:
Dave Fridmann at Tarbox Studios for thinking we were weird and interesting enough to work with.
Greg Calbi at Sterling Sound for mastering us like he did with Talking Heads, David Bowie, and Lou Reed.
Carl Byers at Clandestine Arts for the outstanding vinyl remaster, and for being an old friend with a golden ear.
Zak at Pirates Press for outstanding customer service in the wild world of vinyl manufacturing.
Matt Hay at The Forefathers Group for being willing to work with us again on artwork he dreamed up nearly two decades ago.
Happy Walters at Immortal Records for graciously handing us the keys.
Scott Bradford for doing the legalese.
Tim Anderl at Sweet Cheetah for the amazing PR.
Blaze James at Rock Nation for guiding us back in the day, even if we were admittedly a bit bratty at times.
Ron Perry at Songs Music Publishing for setting us up for modest success in the publishing world, particularly with the Simlish version of "Candles" in SIMS Pets. (Sul sul, wabadebadoo!)
All the bands back in the day who supported us and let us tag along: Looking at you Coheed and Cambria, Sparta, My Chemical Romance, Underoath, mewithoutYou, Codeseven, Minus the Bear, and tons of others. You know who you are. 🖤
But let's get real...
The support that has always mattered the most to us is the support we got from you, the fans. You wonderful folks who still have our scratched jewel case filed under "B" in your CD wall, who still have an old Brazil shirt tucked away in a closet, or who at least harbor fond memories of the time we came to your town during the most intensely enjoyable, challenging, satisfying and nerve-wracking 8 years of our lives.
It was always an honor to write for you, record for you, perform for you, and to see you sing along at the shows and tackle us at the end of our blistering grand finales. We gave our all and you showed up for us, and we want to give something back in return.
Consider supporting this project, and help us raise the Brazil bat symbol one last time!
