Derivatives is the name of a series of cover versions of (mostly) instrumentals dear to the heart of The Laconic.

"A Monday", from Devin Townsend's album Ki is so short that I'm always left wanting more, but that feeling can be good in itself. It's a perfect nugget just as it is. 

Erik suggested I continue on into the next song from Ki, "Coast", but that seemed too much of a stretch. "Terminal", though, was possible, playable, and nearly, mostly in my range. "Terminal" holds a special place in my head -- while "confusion" could indeed be my epitaph, "terminally out of phase and ill-disposed" suits me down to the ground.

"Collapse The Light Into Earth", from Porcupine Tree's album In Absentia, was originally recorded by me on piano, but after reviewing the demo with Erik and my cousin-collaborator August, it was clear that it wanted the Rhodes all along.

"The Belldog" is from After The Heat (1978) by Eno, Moebius, and Roedelius. In high school I spent a lot of time at the public library, and scoured its music collection for anything remotely proggy. This album has always stuck in my head since then, especially "Broken Head" and "Tzima N'Arki". And when I finally re-acquired the album after a few decades, "The Belldog" was what I obsessed about.

"Spanish Tune" is an excerpt from side 2 of Hergest Ridge (1974). The first time I listened to HR, in the small hours of the morning, the manic week that I wrote what would become "Refuge", this section hit me as something special. Recording was a challenge, involving more than one instrument that I had to learn to play well enough that the result would be listenable. But in the process, I was able to justify my purchase of a mandolin.

"I Robot" is from the album of the same name (1977) by The Alan Parson Project. 

"Themes" is from the album Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe (1989) by the band of the same name. This features an exceedingly rare appearance by myself on (backing) vocals. For lead vocals, Juan connected me with Paula, who was extremely qualified for the job as the lead vocalist for the tribute band Close To The Yes. "Themes" is the reason I got a Chapman Stick.

"The Brazilian" is from the album Invisible Touch (1986) by Genesis. "Follow Your Bliss" is from the album Cosmic Thing (1989) by The B-52s. Both are instrumentals, the last songs on their albums, and I always thought they deserved to be better known.