THINK LIKE A KEY MUSIC

Imagine if the music industry decided to write its own tell-all autobiography, but instead of a book, it came out as a mind-bending concept album. That's "The Gatekeepers" in a nutshell - a 12-song (plus 3 sneaky interludes) odyssey through the treacherous terrain of artistic creation, where marketing cynicism and mainstream appeal duke it out with the pure, unadulterated spirit of creativity.

This isn't just an album; it's a musical funhouse mirror reflecting the twisted path from inspiration to iTunes. It's as if prog rock had a lovechild with satire, then sent it to jazz camp and finished its education in a folk commune. The result? A sonic tapestry that's part "The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway," part Of Montreal fever dream, with a dash of Kurt Weill's cabaret, a sprinkle of Canterbury prog, and just enough Zappa to keep your ears guessing.

Mastermind Alex Wroten has assembled a veritable Justice League of musical misfits to bring this saga to life. We're talking vocals by The Residents (yes, those eyeball-mask wearing weirdos), the legendary Shawn Phillips, DIY king R. Stevie Moore, and a host of other voices that read like a "Who's Who" of "Wait, who?" in the best possible way, such as Elaine di Falco (Yugen, Caveman Hughscore), Mont Campbell (Egg, National Health), Bob Drake, Amy Denio, Deborah Perry (Thinking Plague) and CHEER-ACCIDENT.

But wait, there's more! The instrumental cast is equally bonkers. We've got drummers who've kept time for Frank Zappa, guitarists who could outplay your computer, and multi-instrumentalists who probably dream in sheet music. It's like someone raided the green rooms of the world's weirdest music festivals and convinced everyone to join in on the fun.

The result? An album that's occasionally hypnotic (like that one time you tried transcendental meditation), sometimes turbulent (like your last attempt at sourdough baking), and always captivating (like that Wikipedia rabbit hole you fell into at 3 AM). It's DIY meets hi-fi, lo-fi with a high IQ, and proof that you can, in fact, herd cats if those cats are insanely talented musicians.