Released Jun 2001 on Warner Music Canada (WEA)17 tracks over 45:21 minStudio Album
“Night after night, I was pretty much forced to yell for 90 minutes in order to be heard by anyone. It shredded my throat.”
— Explaining the origin of his gravelly voice from touring with poor club sound systems
Buck 65 Substack, 2022
“The main criticism seems to be that it's kinda preachy and/or self-indulgent. I couldn't agree more. Aside from maybe two obvious parts, it's not to be taken seriously at all. I almost feel like I should have released it under a different name.”
— Self-critique of Synesthesia in Buck Speaks mailing list, January 2002
Buck 65 Mailing List — Buck Speaks (2000–2002)
“This is the record with the simplest ideas. I was also thinking about how the songs would translate live more than before. It's mostly fun stuff with a few scary moments thrown in.”
— Self-description of Synesthesia for Exclaim profile
Exclaim!, 2002
“I re-made Synesthesia. First time around, I made it in a rush and I wasn't happy with it. Now, it's an entirely different album, with new songs and different artwork. I think you'll agree it's a 100% improvement.”
— On remaking Synesthesia as essentially a different album, from buck speaks June 2002
Buck 65 Mailing List — Buck Speaks (2000–2002)
“This is the record with the simplest ideas. I was also thinking about how the songs would translate live more than before. It's mostly fun stuff with a few scary moments thrown in.”
Exclaim!, 2002
1 / 5
Release overview
2001 album on Endemik Music. Originally intended as ONE continuous track — a manufacturing error split it into separate tracks. Additionally, the original release was remade entirely: June 2002 mailing list: 'I re-made Synesthesia. First time around I made it in a rush and wasn't happy with it. Now it's an entirely different album, with new songs and different artwork.' Two distinct versions exist: the OG 3-track version (work-synesthesia-og, confirmed on Bandcamp: Shape 1/2/3, Sep 2001) and this remade 17-track version. Buck 65's elemental metaphor: 'Man Overboard is bent spoons and standing on one finger.'
Recorded out of restlessness during the long wait between recording Square and its release. Buck set himself a challenge to write and record an entire album in a compressed timeframe. The beats are strong and the turntable work is his best, but he dislikes the self-righteous tone on several songs. This album marks the beginning of the 'gravel era' in his vocals, caused by having to yell during live shows due to poor sound engineering. Two versions exist: the original (more scrappy, less gravel, different beats, shorter) and the replacement version which he considers a big improvement.
Two distinct versions of Synesthesia exist. The original was released but Buck 65 was unhappy with it. June 2002 mailing list: 'I re-made Synesthesia. First time around I made it in a rush and wasn't happy with it. Now it's an entirely different album, with new songs and different artwork.' This means the Synesthesia in circulation is the rebuilt version — the original is effectively a lost or suppressed record. The remade version has different songs (not just different mixes) and different artwork. This is an extremely rare scenario: a complete album replacement rather than a remaster or expanded edition.
Synesthesia marks the beginning of the 'gravel era' in Buck 65's vocals — the gravelly, hoarse vocal quality that appears on Talkin' Honky Blues and subsequent Warner-era records. Cause: touring life. Sound engineers nightly forced him to yell to be heard over mixes (the 'one, two, CHECK!' charade). His response: start recording in the same shredded-voice state for consistency between live and studio sound. Quote: 'So night after night, I was pretty much forced to yell for 90 minutes in order to be heard by anyone. It shredded my throat.' He later regretted this: 'There's no gravel in my vocals on the King Of Drums album. I think it sounds way better.' Synesthesia was made as a self-imposed challenge (write and record an entire album in a week) during the peak touring period. The post also foreshadows his Warner-era critique: 'I recorded five albums for Warner between the years 2003 and 2014 and I would erase those years from history, if I could.'
The first version of Synesthesia (the original release, before the remake) has been posted by Buck 65 to Bandcamp. From Vertices: 'In case you've never heard it, I've posted it up on Bandcamp.' Details: 'It's a bit more scrappy. There's less gravel compared to the final version. The beats for a bunch of the songs are different. It's shorter.' This means both versions are now accessible: the original (Bandcamp) and the remade version (the widely circulated release). The first version was also confirmed to have been made in less rush; the second version is described as 'a big improvement.'
Synesthesia came out of a challenge Buck 65 gave himself to write and record an entire album in about a week, during a restless period near the end of summer 2001 while waiting for the delayed release of Square.
Buck 65 considers Synesthesia to feature his best turntable work across his discography, recorded during a peak in his DJ skills around 2001.
After receiving a Radiohead endorsement around 2000, Buck 65 began working with a publicist, lawyer, and agent. He toured continuously for three or four years, eventually giving up his apartment and living with no fixed address.
The gravelly voice heard on Synesthesia onward resulted from years of being forced to yell on stage to be heard through poor club sound systems. Sound engineers would push him to project more forcefully, shredding his throat. He then started recording with his hoarse touring voice for consistency between live and studio performances.
Buck 65 criticizes himself for coming across as a self-righteous asshole on three or four songs on Synesthesia, a tone he finds uncomfortable in retrospect.
Buck 65 recorded five albums for Warner between 2003 and 2014 and states he would erase those years from history if he could. He does not like any of those albums except for isolated moments.
The original Synesthesia was recorded top to bottom in two days, made quickly so Buck 65 would have something new to sell on tour. He acknowledged wishing he'd spent more time with the songs. For the Warner re-issue, it was taken back to the studio and touched up.
Synesthesia was supposed to be one continuous track but was accidentally split into multiple tracks due to a manufacturing mistake, which Buck 65 confirmed was a production error, not an artistic choice.
Buck 65 announced in his June 2002 buck speaks mailing list that he completely remade Synesthesia: 'it's an entirely different album, with new songs and different artwork. I think you'll agree it's a 100% improvement.' This predates the Warner re-issue and confirms the album exists in at least three versions: original Endemik release, the self-remake, and the Warner re-issue.
