I Hope by Vortex Navigation Company

Vortex Navigation Company Unearths "Cynodont Dreams," A Long-Lost Improvised Psychedelic Journey After Two Decades

"I Hope" is a long form improvisation recorded live in 2003 by Vortex Navigation Company including surreal improvised vocals by Sean P Connaughty. The track is a single from the soon to be released full length album Cynodont Dreams. "I Hope" begins spare, slow and contemplative and gradually builds in urgency and melodic intricacy into full on shoegaze.

Sounds Like: Salamander, Ash Ra Tempel ....

Cynodont Dreams Press Release:
MINNEAPOLIS, MN – June 23, 2025 – After more than two decades in the archives, Vortex Navigation Company is thrilled to announce the upcoming release of their long-awaited album, "Cynodont Dreams." Recorded live in 2003 and unearthing a wealth of free-form psychedelic rock, this electric guitar-centric opus showcases the profound improvisational chemistry between guitarists Wes and Sean, delivering a timely collection of sonic exploration.

The music for "Cynodont Dreams" was captured during an intense two year period from 2002-2003 at a sixteen-track recording studio in Bryn Mawr, Minneapolis. Sound engineer and drummer Bryce, alongside alternating bassists Scott Puhl and Dave Onnen, anchored these live, no-overdub sessions, which were recorded directly onto sixteen-track ADAT tapes. These long-form improvisations, mixed down by Bryce to digital files, remained unreleased for twenty years, living quietly on a shelf until now.
"The music has been waiting," states Sean, reflecting on the album's unexpected release. "I truly feel this music was always supposed to be released in 2025."

"Cynodont Dreams" brings a heavy psychedelic rock vibe, traversing moods from somber reflection to ecstatic mayhem. Electric guitar feedback is masterfully woven in as a melodic element, with Wes and Sean occupying frequencies with interrelating melodic lines. The rhythm section provides a powerful, propulsive drive, leading the music into heavy overload, while ambient passages offer moments of introspective calm. On two tracks, Sean’s free-association lyrics paint surreal landscapes, contemplating space, time, and human nature. This music is a testament to the deep, intuitive connection and responsiveness of all the musicians involved.
About Vortex Navigation Company: Vortex Navigation Company emerged from the vibrant Minneapolis music scene in the early 2000s, centered around the improvisational guitar duo of Wes Morden and Sean P Connaughty. With Wes's background as a busker and frontman for Middle States, and Sean's history with the psychedelic rock outfit Salamander and solo work, their collaboration created a mind blowing sonic tapestry. Joined by sound engineer/drummer Bryce and bassists Scott Puhl and Dave Onnen, the band cultivated a heavy, psychedelic sound rooted in live, unadulterated improvisation.

Tracklist

1.	Vortex Navigation Company - I Hope	15:39

Lyrics

(Hope)
You would not know it
If it came up and bit your hand

How would you grow it?
In the soil or in the sand?
Its tender hearted center
Stays green all through the year
Preserved against the winter
A shell against the burning sand

It’s time for you to make it
It’s time you knew
It’s time that you know it
This time it’s true

Good Bye Good Bye Good Bye

I hope you had a nice time
I hope you met all the ones who could never forget 
And I hope you will remember me when its o’er
when its o’er

I hope you find your way to Paradise
Isn't that what we’re all looking for?
You might as well be what they want you to be
You might as well become another cloned
Unfriendly soul
I hope you don’t become an unfriendly soul
And I hope you find all the words to the poem
The words to the poem

A skill in life is walking through it alone 
You’ll find yourself on a narrow stairway to home
Made of foam
Made of foam

I hope the new asparagus comes
I hope the new girl’s physician is told
So cold

I hope I get there before it gets cold
I hope I get there before the sun goes away

I hope I get there in the winter time
I hope I get there with a limousine on the floor
On the road

I hope you find your way to enjoy the Tome
I hope you find a way to get off of the road

I hope they don’t embarrass us all
I hope you won’t be long with me in the home
In the home

I hope the new asparagus is in
I hope the Ghûls are gonna get spears for my host
For my host

What do you know?
I can roll with it though
I hope you find your way back home
I hope you find your way back home

I hope the new asparagus comes
I hope the new tangerines don’t have mold
Hope they don’t have mold

I hope they don’t embarrass us all
I hope they don’t get angry with all the gold
Patch it there
Patch it there

What will we do when they carry em home?
What will we do when the end of the road has been known?
And all we’ve known
Has been overthrown?

I hope they don’t embarrass us all
I hope they don’t take me and us to the Home
To the Home

Now half the people running scared
Intubated
Top of prey don’t get Man
it’s ok it’s who you know
Who you know

My baby’s there all alone
My baby’s there
In the Home

improvised lyrics by Sean P Connaughty 2003

Credits

released October 5, 2025
Musicians:
Wes Morden (electric guitar)
Sean P Connaughty (electric guitar and voice)
Bryce Kastning (drums)
David Onnen (bass)

Improvised lyrics by Sean P Connaughty
Engineering and mixing by Bryce Kastning 2003.

Recorded live at Bryn Mawr studios Minneapolis MN USA onto sixteen track ADAt in 2003.

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