1. |
Something Good
03:39
|
|||
|
i sat staring in the dead of night
at a carving of an ancient cat
empire present and empire past
cops in tanks and the kids with masks
kanye says he'd rather be a dick
i think i would rather swallow some shit
do you flush or do you just let it stand
on winter break
you played a melody, and then it stuck with me
so it's hard to say
if this is yours or mine, let's just call it a tie
oh that'd be nice
i think we both should play, it's just the natural way
for us to be
i'm done with pretending that you're not interesting
it's been three years since we occupied
your face is thin with your tired eyes
do we know better this time around
running uphill and we can't slow down
walk you over to your car at last
thanks for coming to the big protest
don't leave me dying on the street at night
|
||||
2. |
Out of Town
04:45
|
|||
|
you and i were driving home on southbound 95
while you were sleeping i was busy turning minutes into miles
and it's nice to take a break from yacking all day long
it's when i'm in the presence of your absence that i understand
we won't always be around
but i still love hearing the sound
of when the leaves are turning brown
i wish that you were with me now
let's launch a new youth campaign and call it 'what's the rush'
we got a world that's burning up and it's time to reprioritize
and we've got to put to rest our insecurities
they've been a burden on my mind and i'm trying to decolonize
i don't wanna be around
when you get back from out of town
|
||||
3. |
Pick me up
03:37
|
|||
|
for you, you know i am waiting
for you
and i'm waiting around for you to pick me up
a nip in the air and a cheerful strut
we wake and we talk and we take and we walk and it's never enough
isn't it amazing that every day there's still something to say
and i'm looking around for when you pull up
my head full of clouds and my eyelids shut
i'm jerking awake to the brakes of a bus and it isn't tough
to picture my clumsy body being launched to the heavens above
you know i am waiting
for you
i'm following someone a block behind
he's smoking and glancing from side to side
and there's something obscene in this soul of the night
looking so exposed as he lurches on in the pallid light
i'm looking around for your grey hyundai
you'll be coming from downtown it's safe to say
i dance to resist all the death and the wind and it steals my breath
can't wait to be inside of that warm car with you
for you, you know i am waiting
for you
|
||||
4. |
501c3 Blues
05:02
|
|||
|
working on an application
it's a grant from this foundation
they don't fund our general operations
so we have to come up with some kind of side project
like worker cooperatives or an arts collaboration
a cultural festival with a face-painting station
it's the worst kind of small business
we're in a state of nearly constant fiscal crisis
i wonder what would happen if we shared the wealth
with the workers off whose backs i write these touching anecdotes
maybe then we'd see some member retention
free up their schedules to organize an action
when you think about catching up
you gotta leave yourself behind
wealthy kids saying they're so poor
claiming working class status, stressing out about work
and if it seems like there isn't any hope
well don't tell the kids i wouldn't want
that they know how bad it really is
what would they think of us
feeling kind of sentimental
all this cold weather, it's dredging up these feelings
that i haven't felt all summer long
i guess that's what we get for living in new england
maybe one good thing about living up here
is at least once a year you question what you're doing
when you think about catching up
you gotta leave yourself behind
kicking each other but we're smiling
nothing but ashes in the fire
and if it seems like there isn't any hope
well don't tell the kids i wouldn't want
that they know how bad it really is
what do they think of us
|
||||
5. |
Big Break
02:10
|
|||
|
watching, waiting
tables 'til my big break comes
l.a., aging
the sun stays warm only for so long
so we go to my place and smoke
and everything that we say is gold
couldn't we just write some shit
what was that line you just said
i'm gonna voice record it
there goes my agent
it's alright i didn't need him anyway
watching the ratings
fall and fall so we go back home
and take some shrooms and then
everything is scary as hell
maybe we should go back east
i think that maybe i was meant to teach
|
||||
6. |
Beatles in my Dreams
01:56
|
|||
|
oh the beatles in my dreams
they come to me in scenes
of palm leaves in the breeze
i'm rolling up my sleeves
they sound just like tom petty
and i'm playing the keys
oh we're golfing in the keys
we're hitting off of tees
and swinging for the trees
and then a swarm of bees
is stinging paul and me
we run into the sea
the beatles in my dreams
oh it's sunset on the beach
we're writing with our feet
hoping someone will see
the messages we leave
we pack into our van
and put on our cd
|
||||
7. |
Problem #1
01:48
|
|||
|
i have dreams where i'm the problem in my family
flood the bathroom and i leave it for someone to find and clean
and why do i feel guilty in my dreams if i'm alright
if in my waking life i try to be kind and do it right
there is something deeper and i won't give it a name
it's why people go insane, why we can't control our brain
it's why looking out and seeing all the ugliness is hard
why we'd rather just believe that it's not in our back yard
|
||||
8. |
Friend Visit
04:19
|
|||
|
in the great divide between the kids and parents
there is in place of love a strange dependence
i come to see you though you don't want me to
if i'm sewing seeds then you're pulling weeds
i've stayed too long i want to keep your friendship
you'd rather be alone and taking chances
i see you're tired of my incessant questions
we've never been as close as i remember
we both know long visits are no good for friendships
in the times when we made movies with our cousins
there was a lake to which we flocked by dozens
patching my jeans, she's still in my dreams
with tears in her eyes she's waving goodbye
|
||||
9. |
How Long
05:07
|
|||
|
saw you in the street last night
while you were smoking in the orange light
i saw you smile and look up at the sky
you got me thinking about the freedom of the night
days pass like an afternoon
with little effort and it's over soon
and in a week's time we are just the same
as when we started and we look out at the rain
i know there's a place that's filled with memory
i feel it drawing near as i fall into sleep
you've been trying to tell me something for so long
but all i ever heard was that something was wrong
when you're not with me i'm becoming someone else
and everyone is thinking everything at once
i can see you're trying not to let it show
you know it might be easier just to let me know
how long do you think we'll last
until the snow melts and the winter's passed
the things you thought but that you never said
are gonna haunt us as we lie awake in bed
wake up and it's all i feel
is how i love you and i always will
we both are dreaming of a sunny place
for just a weekend, get some color in your face
and i don't wanna go home
|
||||
10. |
For Another Day
01:27
|
|||
|
take a ride with me
i promise not to take you anywhere you've been before
took a chance on you
and you lied to me, i knew what i was getting
i was not myself today
neither were you so it's okay
we could drink the night away
or leave each other for another day
i'd forgotten how it feels to be an enemy
and i'm struck by how familiar being evil seems to be
i can feel it growing thicker, i can feel it digging in
and when i look into your eyes i must be careful
must be careful not to grin
|
||||
11. |
I Was Asleep
02:22
|
|||
|
i don't think too much or too well
and no, i don't have great stories to tell
i was asleep before you came
and now you are here, and i must explain
i come from a place
and you will never find it without me
so mister please hear me
or can we just agree to disagree
and let me be, and he
'there isn't any way i'll let you free,
so come with me'
and we were off in his humvee
i come from a place
and you will never find it without me
so mister please hear me
or can we just agree to disagree
and let me be, and he
'there's something you're not telling in your story,
how could you be asleep
in times like these'
|
||||
12. |
Dogwood
03:38
|
|||
|
and when the trees are falling down
don't forget about
the trees that you might plant in your own backyard
and when your mom is on the phone
try to be a friendly boy
she's calling to see how you're doing today
and when the plants need watering
try to forget about
the other things and just go water the plants
when your friends are at the door
open it and smile
and be thankful that your friends are at the door
and when there's snow and freezing rain
and you gotta shovel
well take your time 'cause the roads are slick as hell
and when your dog is on the phone
hey dog get off the phone
you better put that back right now
|
||||
Daniel Stern Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
If you like Daniel Stern, you may also like:
Echo Dancing
by Alejandro Escovedo
The legendary Alejandro Escovedo returns with another country-rock scorcher.
go to album
Our Chemistry is a Tightrope
by porcupine
Hopscotching from jangle pop and post-hardcore to math rock and shoegaze, these Minnesota rockers have a gift for musical multitasking.
go to album
Genuine Pleasure EP
by Genuine Leather
Effervescent pop without a drop of irony, perfectly geared for fans of the more dance-oriented side of indie music and Tears for Fears.
go to album
London upstarts splice giddy power pop with bubblegum grunge, producing charmingly caustic results.
go to album
Lush Life
by The Belair Lip Bombs
This eclectic debut from the Melbourne indie outfit features vibrant storytelling.
go to album
Away From The Castle
by Video Age
Video Age make cute and upbeat power pop that's both quirky and classic at the same time.
go to album
The latest from indie rock outfit Activity has a charmingly sinister feel, blending in stark rhythms and washes of dark ambient.
go to album
