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by Immediate Family

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1.
In the backseat.. Just a passing glimpse, but I suspect alarming innocence. From a tightrope, oh so vulnerable. Stumble once, recoil into the cause. Justify the means to brush it off. A thousand formless faces, names I haven't learned. Collecting all my passions, an accident rehearsed. In the backseat voices pass through me. They sell the stereo uncomfortably. In a daydream.. A subtle light cracks my swollen head so I cannot begin to comprehend. False director, stop parading. Stop portraying focus as an art. They're characters, their lives aren't yours. Get your story straight. So long, be safe. May the light sincerely fade. Images, impartial bliss, projecting warmth onto my friends. A frame that's warped, the colors bend. I can't watch this. Dissonance, an instrument correcting words I might have meant. The sound distorts a perfect bend. So I can't hear you.
2.
Shall We See 02:35
Strip the bark gently. (Dig the child from his tree.) Skin to sun peeling. (Glowing raw potential.) Newborn slave, can't you feel your weight? Don't you feel the weight? Build the boy from scratch. (Heart in ragtime. limbs attached.) Taught to talk too fast. (Sorting out a pattern.) Newborn slave can you hold your weight? Shall we see the traps are set. Shall we see the line's been cast. Shall we see? Come on, keep up. Children command the crutch. Age with grace or simply sit this out. We still stand arms length apart. Pick up the pace if you must.
3.
Four cross-eyed dolls sit on the shelf. (Lay low) Love their only tool. None chosen, strike the wedding bells. (Dance slow) Heard you had the nerve to plant the seed. A kick to set you free. A shame for livelihood. A fair, but frightening curve. Learn to follow first. Ballrooms where flowers bloom from oil. (Dance slow) Love their fairy tale. The pageant plays no favorites down. (Lay low) Heard that daddy's girls watch from the crowd. Applaud to shut me out. A fair, but bitter storm. A shame for livelihood. A prayer for Sister Sideways. Learn to follow first.
4.
Goodbye, age of anger fearless piece of mind. Are you really satisfied? Hello, self-sustaining ocean of no shore. Do you really need to know? Fever dream, how I appreciate your company. Welcome, self-sufficient forest of no growth. Do you really want to know? Fever dream, how I appreciate your mystery. It's always your call.
5.
Listener, all is quiet. I've done all I can do feeding you the concept of the womb. So if i set the stage, part the shades. Will you lay there entertained? Listener, I've expired and I'm sure you have too. Starving before intermission's through. Listener, let me explain: There are some words I cannot use. There are nine versions of the truth, each insulting. So if I set the stage, say it straight, turn the page on innocence. Will you stay here for the end?
6.
Mercy My 03:14
Leave the lion be, instigator. Trouble not the proud. Let the joyous lead, demonstrator. They will feel you all around. Leave the loyal be, liberator. Worry not the weak. Set the humble free. They will feel it. Come forth, nurse your heavy heart. Breathe out, drain your filling lungs. Mercy, my only instrument. Forward, nurture not the frail. Breathe out, lungs sprout into sails. Mercy, my only instrument.
7.
Elevens 11:11
I must have lost my head when I was young. I used my teeth to move across the floor. Daddy kicked me around just for sport. We can call that love because there's no other word. I must have lost my heart when I was twelve. I'd blame a girl, but hell, I just blame myself. I was baptized in this public school of a hell. ..When I couldn't measure up. I must have lost my head when I was young. Mommy kept me warm inside her womb. The day I left, well, she left too. We can call that love because there's no other way to measure up. I must have lost my head when I was young.
8.
Since we're all uniquely loved, we sing. Equal only when protesting fear. Built from stone and sound advice, we sing. Obsessing over what we cannot see. Slave, stand opposite your master. Build character, break the wise man's spell. Since we've come to terms with art, we sing. Focusing the fever into form. Placed beside a fate desired, we sing. Projecting onto it the passing storm. Slave, congratulate your master. Break character, state the obvious. Peaceful and painless, our garden grows. Our garden grows.
9.
My god, I've been cruel. Since all is forgiven let's kiss like children. Oh god, I've been cruel.
10.
Exit Smiling 07:09
Welcome home, thankfully destroyed. Have my word, smile when you're sure. Since we must hold each other up, I'm somewhere else. Welcome home, appropriately bored. Rest assured the storm will find you first. Take my word, smile when you're sure. So we must hold each other up, I'm nowhere else.

about

Recorded a couple winters ago with my then casual acquaintance and now dear friend Justin Watson. We holed up at a cabin in Virginia for two months and figured each other out. A lot has happened since then, but I still turn to the music we made and the experience we shared for inspiration. Though we live on opposite ends of the country now, I know we couldn't reallyyy lose touch if we wanted to.

My apologies to Kenny McClure who invested so much time helping me mix and remix what you're hearing here. We were on to something great but I fucked up, couldn't contain the music I was writing post-cabin, and eventually totally lost track of time and control. Attempting to sort through everything I left on the back-burner last year proved itself to be an unrealistic task and it has become necessary for me to move on. Being able to reunite with Kenny in Baltimore was priceless, and even though I didn't end up using the mix we (tirelessly) worked on, I have certainly been applying everything I learned from him to the music I'm recording now.

The reason I've decided to post this album now, after all of these years, isn’t complicated. One of my best friends, James, just got on a plane back to Maryland after having visited our new place for the first time. His stay was short, but it felt like we had never parted ways almost immediately. Naturally, now that he's gone I'm realizing everything I've missed and am going to miss about him and all the people I left back home. I was lucky enough to grow up with some of the most amazing guys and talented musicians from our area. We all got better at our instruments together, then we all got better at writing songs together, then we all got better at recording ourselves together, and then we stopped seeing so much of each other. Though that's truly unfortunate, I’d like to think that James’ sudden presence and sudden absence just now has done something positive for me. It’s incredible that all it takes to wash away the distance sometimes is a healthy reminder. It’s so easy to forget how subtly your most significant relationships go to work on you when you’re not paying attention. Having people that understand you, and that you understand is everything, whether it be now or before or there or here or in the future or all the time. The art of remembering and reminiscing fondly is not something to shy away from or take lightly; I’m beginning to cherish my ability to do so. Whenever I feel ungrateful, or whenever I miss my friends, I’m simply going to pay attention and forfeit control to the memories I am fortunate enough to have. It isn’t complicated. I'm nowhere else.

Finishing this album is a huge relief for me, and I can’t thank all the people that helped Justin and I along the way enough. I’m speaking a lot about the past, but completing something like this frees me up for the future. All the people I love are still into the same shit as I am, are still making great music, and are still part of this immediate family.

Justin’s band: Circular Human Geography, Bandcamp coming soon!
Justin's old band: Boy in the Well boyinthewell.bandcamp.com
James and David’s band: bravestarr.bandcamp.com
Danny, the guy who had the balls to move to Portland with me, and the guy I will be working with from here on out’s band: dannywelch.bandcamp.com
Stephanie, the love of my life: www.behance.net/stephaniesenn

Thanks again :)

credits

released June 10, 2014

Additional guitar recorded by Caleb Fry.
Additional vocals/whistling recorded by Stephanie Senn and Kelsey Sweetman.
Album Artwork: Stephanie Senn

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Immediate Family Portland, Oregon

Immediate Family is what happens when I (Brett) work on something for so long that I learn to stop worrying and love the process again and again and again and

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