1. |
Prognosis
02:46
|
|||
|
Well I'd thought I might be right but I'd hoped I might be wrong;
The years are here at the door.
From outside you'd never know - inexorably slow -
But I aged today in a curious way that's not counted in days:
The future is here for the facing,
There's a nervous twitch in these hands of mine,
And in the fleet hands of time we're a-racing.
I think I've known awhile that there's a mutiny inside:
My orders don't always get through.
It's not so much the shock of an enemy attack,
As like the world standing still,
As I realise that the sly double agent was you!
The future is here for the facing,
There's a nervous twitch in these hands of mine,
And in the fleet hands of time we're a-racing.
Well I'd thought I might be right but I'd hoped I might be wrong;
The years are here at the door.
|
||||
2. |
Peter's Out
03:42
|
|||
|
Back on the boat to Gennesaret
Sharing recollections of a day we'll never forget
It was a fine day, bizarre day
Just heard the word from a friend of mine
Unfortunate news of a tragic kind
It was a strange day, a sad day
Searching for a hideaway where we can mourn
The loss of a friend and brother who's gone
Slain on the whim of a powerful but cowardly king
Where's the justice in that?
There's no hope in that
When you're looking for a place to hide
Is exactly when you don't need a crowd ten thousand wide
The hopeful, the hungry
The method was a mystery
Too tremendous for a sleight-of-hand
We followed our directions:
Divide and multiply, divide and multiply, divide and multiply
Thousands satisfied
Still in the boat, should be home by now
See the sky darken; the ocean swell
Concentration tightens, conversation peters out
Tired eyes strain in the darkness
Is that a ghost or a trick of the light?
A familiar voice calls out through the storm
And to our consternation
Peter's out of the boat
Plunging over the gunwale
And pounding across the waves [are you out of your mind?]
The surface of the water holding the prints of his feet for a while
And as we look on [and as we look on] in amazement and elation
There's a faltering in his stride [tumblin’ over]
The great white doubts of fear and reason circling in [comin’ to getcha!]
Confidence failing, sees the wind [blow me down]
Treacherous waters liquid again
Save me!
And he says "why did you doubt?"
|
||||
3. |
The Watchmaker's Waltz
04:30
|
|||
|
"It was just like seeing the centre of the universe"
Dropped, stopped, "I think I can mend her"
Here starts the watchmaker's curse
She could not quite see the attraction
Of tiny wheels in shining array
Though their lives meshed with slick interaction
She felt the moments ticking away
A growing obsession of levers and hairsprings
Pinions and rockers and fine ruby bearings
With magnify-lenses and rock-steady fingers
Over his sweetheart he lovingly lingers
He lives for the joy of the grand complication
And he does it to prove he has nothing to prove
"And as soon as I've mastered this new fabrication
I will make, yes, I'll make some time for you"
He began to resent her second-wasting demands
He dreamed of escapements and places
Where he'd have time on his hands
The gravity forces of planets in motion
Are here recreated with skillful devotion
She found a new method to gain his attention
And hefted a hammer above his invention
He lives for the joy of the grand complication
And he does it to prove he has nothing to prove
"And as soon as I've mastered this procrastination
I will make, yes, I'll make some time for you"
He lived for the joy of the complex creation
And he lived it as if he had nothing to lose
"But if I could repeat this past incarnation
I would make, yes, I'd make some time for you
I would make, yes, I'd make some time for you
I would make, yes, I'd make some time for you"
|
||||
4. |
Outrun
04:53
|
|||
|
Thought I'd left him for dead many moons ago
Turns out he was only biding his time
Ain't no gentleman; no qualms to kick you when you're down
Uncanny accuracy where you're weakest; viper, coiled to spring
Through the darkness in my head he pursues me
Lurking in the shadows between a memory and a dream
Bone-weary and worn by this relentlessness
The last rushing stream lies miles behind
Now this marathon is replaced by a fight to survive
And though we know the hero always triumphs
The nemesis refuses to die
All my energies just to cover up my trail
But I just can't seem to shake him off my tail
Off my tail
Maybe I could try a little harder every time
But I can't see what difference I'd make
If I resolve to steel myself and flee away next time...
What will it take to send you, Snake! back under your stone?
Back under your stone?
This desert I will cross if it's the last thing that I do
And I will outrun you, I will outrun
And all the while my eyes search the horizon for a sight
Of anybody who can patch the snakebite in my waterskin
Punctures in my waterskin
Fang holes in my waterskin
Oh, can anybody mend the snakebite in my waterskin?
|
||||
5. |
Drones
11:40
|
|||
|
[a. Blue Skies]
Zubair Rehman (13): “I no longer love blue skies. In fact, I now prefer grey skies. The drones do not fly when the skies are grey, and for a short period of time the mental tension and fear eases.”
[b. Drones]
It's been {months in the making - furtive preparation / all in a day's work - careful calculation}
In {shadowy back / calm control} rooms
And they won't see this coming
They won't see this coming, no no
Twisted words of {frenzied fanatics / pressured politicians}
Am I brainwashed? Do they really deserve to die?
And {as the hour of recompense / now as our destination} draws near it comes down to this:
Do you really believe that you can {blast yourself a doorway through to heaven? / judge intention from a satellite image?}
Won't you give me a fair fight?
Won't you look me in the eye?
Or are you afraid that when you do
You'll discover we're not so different, me and you
Give me a fair fight
And one day you just might begin to see
I'm not the monster that they've made me out to be
Why {here? Who / me? God} knows{? / !}
{I‘m just employed / I volunteered} to pull the trigger
And is this courage or cowardice?
I {don't even have to be there / give my everything} to strike you
{when I can send a robot in my place / - the consequences I will never face}
[c. Insomnia]
[d. Hellfire]
[e. Shockwave]
[f. The Hollowness]
[g. Groundswell]
|
||||
6. |
Still Life
04:42
|
|||
|
Languid and listless sad clowns and bears
High on the sill sit sidelined
Of these poor pretenders none can compare
Nor would the thought cross their minds
Fur polyester was never so grand
Nor plastic eyes so agleam
Sharing her pillow the sentinel stands
Watching her peacefully dream
In the eye of the storm
Time moves less hurriedly here
Maybe it's only the deadening sting of emotion
A shadowed heart clutching at sunbeams
Or perhaps here's a Thin Place where Heaven lies closer
And, guard down, irrationally, I see
His stance is commanding, regal, alert
Expression so kindly and knowing
Sorrow shared with you, yet wild with delight
Comforting joy overflowing
Silent questions are answered there:
Does nothing but bleakness remain?
And all of a sudden an answer unshakeable
Is superimposed on my brainwaves
In a voice full of triumph with hope that’s unbreakable
Proudly the big cat declares:
“Mine
Mine
There's no need to fear
Death's not the end of the line
Time
In time
The plan becomes clear
Someday we’ll all be alive”
|
||||
7. |
Parallax
06:23
|
|||
|
Hold up the prism to the light: fractured rainbows trapped inside.
Why is it that I spy the spectrum; you view perfect white?
You and I admire photosynthesis and fire.
Magnets and planets align, atomic hexagons form spires of ice.
I need the mysteries to keep me thinking
I need the wonder to keep me from sinking
So many wonders inspire: moons in motion, Rayleigh skies;
To one it's a marvellous creation, the other sees
Stupendous great anthologies of infinitely arbitrary chances.
Gaze at the galaxies alight: same old friendly pinpricks shine.
Speaks of benevolence divine, grace of God and worth of human life
Or are we alone in the night?
I need the mysteries to keep me thinking
I need the wonder to keep me from sinking
I need that beauty claiming my attention
I need those queries that lead me to the brink
Before they firework into countless other questions
Emptiness or fullness? Absence or presence?
All of Heaven’s love to sing.
Consequence, meaningless? Family resemblance
Or evolutionary fling?
I need the mysteries to keep me thinking
I need the wonder to keep me from sinking
I need that beauty claiming my attention
I need those queries that lead me to the brink
Before they firework into countless other questions
What's the difference between us?
You think one way, I think twice.
Faith that’s a gift of the Almighty
Or a mind blessedly clear of senseless lies?
The same things solicit our attention, but different things we see
But why should that surprise me?
After all, a rainbow or reflection or a constellation’s
All in your perspective.
|
||||
8. |
There Is No Plan B
03:07
|
|||
|
They come in pairs and hover at my doorway,
One to proffer prophets, the other to agree,
Concerned to know if I have given due attention,
To the end of the world.
Will we decline or overcome?
Are we the all-sufficient ones?
Is the future in our hands?
Can you see what's coming
Towards the nose of our interstellar refuge?
Live and die before there's anything to see,
Two by two, will our cleverness defend us?
Daddy, when will we reach the stars?
Will we decline or overcome?
Are we the all-sufficient ones?
Is the future in our hands?
Can you see what's coming?
And we're taking the world apart
We mine the earth for precious dangers and dig for information in our cells
And though we've barely made a start
Perhaps we can impose a little order, tame the hurricane, rebuild ourselves
Will we decline or overcome?
Are we the all-sufficient ones?
Is the future in our hands?
Can you see what's coming?
Are we really in control?
Can you see what's round the corner?
Are the numbers rolled in advance?
(Hey, who's driving this thing?!)
|
||||
9. |
Alea Jacta Est?
01:12
|
|||
10. |
The Music In My Head
05:35
|
|||
11. |
I've Seen Enough
04:32
|
|||
|
You and I inhabit an expansive experiment
With a sample size of precisely one universe
When it comes down to the searching questions
It seems to me that there's as much faith in science
As science in my faith
Whenever I think of this
There isn't room in my head for ideas this heavy
I have no proof of this
But my reason won't let me away with any other decision
No single sign, moment or answer
But a steady stream of hints and pointers
That flow into a deepening perception:
The gradual build of pressure behind the dam
Enough sense that I can't dismiss as nonsense
Too many answers for coincidence
Enough artistry to make me want to meet the artist
Enough pain to make me want to look beyond
Enough injustice to want a standard
Enough sadness to want peace
So much mystery; I want clarity
Inexplicable, give me answers;
Unbelievable, give me belief
Enough evil to want a rescuer
Enough brokenness in me to need a saviour
Enough uncertainty to want a friend in the future
I've seen enough to make my decision
There’s a logic to this, I persuade myself
Whenever I think of this
There isn't room in my head for ideas this heavy
I have no proof of this
But my reason won't let me away with it
Whenever I think of this
There isn't room in my head for ideas this heady
I have no proof of this
But my reason won't let me away with any other
My reason is pulled from one view to another
My heart and my head will conspire to form another decision
|
||||
Jo Wilson Inverness, UK
New album, The Grand Complication, is out now!
Part-time complicated music, made at
home when Jo's brain gets too full and some of it escapes, and brought to life with whatever instruments can be found lying around.
Read more about the album at www.jowilsonmusic.com
Older music can be found at dldown.bandcamp.com
... more
If you like Jo Wilson, you may also like:
Deep soul melodies and elastic funk grooves light up the latest from Sivu.
go to album
Thin Lear's sophisticated rock music is tempered with soaring chamber pop accents and an undeniable gift for melody.
go to album
Self-Quarantine - A Collection of Recordings for the Greater Good
by Self-Quarantine Compilation
Twenty-three delightful indiepop and bedroom folk tracks that emphasize small arrangement and huge hooks, benefitting Feeding America.
go to album
featured on Bandcamp Radio Aug 2, 2016
go to album
Nobody Knows Anything
by Alex Highton
featured on Bandcamp Radio Dec 9, 2014
go to album
A Pillar of Salt
by Noah Gundersen
Noah Gundersen writes deeply felt acoustic songs haunted by memories, given new life through gentle melodies.
go to album
Recorded on the Grecian isle of Hydra, this is blissed-out psych pop with stacked falsetto harmonies and luscious arrangements.
go to album
