History

2003–2010: Early years

Cooper chose the name Radical Face upon seeing it on a flyer. He later learned it was a plastic surgery flyer for a 'Radical Face-Lift' with the word 'lift' ripped off.\n

Cooper's first album to be recorded under the Radical Face pseudonym was The Junkyard Chandelier (2003). The album was never formally released but has since been available as a free download online. Ghost, released in 2007, was the first official studio album by Radical Face.\n

2010–2016: The Family Tree

On November 16, 2010, Cooper released a six-track EP titled Touch The Sky, which served as a prelude for an announced trilogy of albums called The Family Tree.\n

The Family Tree albums follows four generations of the fictional Northcote family, and is narratively based in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Comprising over 30 songs, the trilogy details the lives of an extensive list of family members as they confront war, death, progress, and the supernatural abilities certain family lines possess. Cooper uses different instruments to represent certain family members throughout the trilogy, utilizing only instruments that would have been available at the time the stories take place.\n

The first entry in the series, The Roots, was officially released on October 4, 2011; however it was accidentally released to users outside of the US on iTunes in August. It was followed by The Branches in October 2013, and The Leaves in March of 2016.\n

Leading up to the release of The Roots, the first of four EPs of songs that did not make the final cut on the main albums called The Bastards: Volume One was released track by track. The Bastards: Volume Two was released in 2013, following the release of The Branches, and volumes three and four were released in 2015, prior to the release of The Leaves in 2016.\n

2016–2023: Missing Film and EPs

The sixth Radical Face album, Missing Film, was released in 2018. The album is fully instrumental, and was released under an open license with the intention for the songs to be used by independent filmmakers without the need for paying royalties.\n

Since 2017 Radical Face has released a number of EPs, the first being SunnMoonnEclippse, released February 10. The EP's full video is available on a website of the same name.\n

Starting in August 2020, Cooper released a monthly mailer named \"Hidden Hollow\". A new song was included with each letter. The last letter posted in February 2021, and the six songs were released as the “Hidden Hollow, Vol. 1 EP.”\n

2023-present: A Light in the Woods

A Light in the Woods is a multimedia project that, according to Cooper, seeks to combine music, writing, and visual art into a semi-animated fairy tale. Through the format of a narrated story with accompanying art, a score, and several songs, Cooper seeks to explore fears and existential questions about life. Since 2018, when Cooper first began working on the project, it has grown to encompass unique worldbuilding and characters whose stories are told explicitly through narration and songs. Once completed, the story will consist of 28 songs, over 50 pieces of score, and around 1000 animated paintings, split over six 40-50 minute long videos called books.\n

The story is set in a fictional world where a species called the walking wood, beings born from the acorns of great trees, resides. They live within secluded villages where the residents rarely, if ever, leave the confines of the village walls. The main character, Vagus, is one such walking wood who, unlike the rest of his village, is not content with staying put. After experiencing a mysterious dream calling upon him to explore what lies beyond his village, he ventures out on a perilous journey into the mysterious woods surrounding it.\n

The first book called Hidden Hollow, including three songs, was released on October 20, 2023. The songs were also released separately from the story at the same time.\n

In popular culture

The single \"Welcome Home\" has been featured in a number of ads, TV shows, and films. It was used as theme in Nikon's worldwide campaign \"I'M NIKON\".\n

The song \"We're On Our Way\" was used for the official trailer of the 2012 motion picture The Perks of Being a Wallflower.\n

Several songs from The Family Tree Albums have been used in films and commercials: \n

\"The Mute\" was featured in the soundtrack of the 2014 comedy-drama Wish I Was Here
\"The Crooked Kind\" is featured in the Elementary episode \"The Diabolical Kind\"
\"Ghost Towns\" is featured in the Into the Night season 2 finale \"Asil\".
\"The Gilded Hand\" is featured in the Criminal Minds episode \"Burn\" and in the Bones episode \"The Conspiracy in the Corpse\".
\"Glory\" and \"All is Well (Goodbye, Goodbye)\" were featured in the 2016 motion picture Buddymoon
\"The Road to Nowhere\" was featured in a 2021 commercial for Google

The American crime thriller television series The Blacklist featured the songs \"Welcome Home\", \"Baptisms\", \"Always Gold\", \"The Road to Nowhere\", \"Summer Skeletons\", and \"Letters Home.\" In 2021, Radical Face released the song \"One Last Dream,\" composed for the season 8 finale of the show.\n

Discography

Albums

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EPs

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Singles

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Music videos

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References

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External links

Official Page
The Sounds & Sights of Radical Face - Short documentary by Justin Mitchell Archived 2016-03-10 at the Wayback Machine
Radical Face Live in San Francisco - 2011 Behind the Scenes video By Connor Ellmann

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Radical Face

Broadcast History