I talk about The Diggs alot. They're probably my favorite band. They're also great friends. All their songs mean alot to me but this one especially, for lots of reasons. The lyrics are taken from the unfinished novel of a friend of ours who passed away a few years back. From the first time i heard it the melody of this song pulled me in. It's sort of always with me.
This is for Brendan.
you can hear the original version of the song here (via music is art)
This is a song about getting your hopes up, and allowing yourself to dream of bigger things. My wife Liz called me out on something recently - I always play down my ambition, either with self-deprecating humor, or just a calculated lack of imagination. I make plans and get excited about things, but only to a certain point. If I don't get my hopes up, I don't allow myself the chance to fail. Under the guise of being realistic, I shelter myself from the possibility of dissappointment. I know this sounds new age-y, but fuck it. The truth is I want big things for Beat Radio. Beat Radio is about ambition. This song is about laying it all on the line, and expecting everything in return. It's about believing in your dreams.
here are the lyrics:
I'm getting ready for the golden age All my trouble's gonna fade away And I can remember when I felt so small Next thing I know I'm ten feet tall
Sunday morning, there's a fever in the street I'm going back to the places where we used to meet Its been a long long time but I feeling the pull my head is open, my heart is full
I feel a little bit nervous but I'm not afraid I wanna make good on the plans we made I love you now like I loved you then And I'll never make those same mistakes again.
I'm letting go of all the things that I can't control Got may headphones on, playing "silver soul" All my dreams are real All my debts are paid I'm getting ready for the golden age
I'm getting ready for the golden age All my troubles gonna fade away And I can remember when I felt so small Next thing I know I'm ten feet tall Now I don't feel anything at all
I was going somewhere Letting go of what I held so close Cause everything follows once you've given up the ghost
I was on my way home You were burning in effigy I was singing for the punk rock girls With the tattoo sleeves
Can't go back to feeling like it did before Cause its just not who we are anymore You said "its not fate, its just circumstance." And its our last chance And its our last chance
But I'm sending transmissions and memories And I'm Pounding sonnets into typewriter keys Because I can't wake up from this sea sick trance And its our last chance And its our last chance
Red and yellow roses Letters that I sent to you Paperbacks and mix tapes I couldn't take away your blues
You're an actor's actor A luminary of the screen and stage Electric apostle Of the modern age
The show is over now, everything fades away No more songs to play
Can't go back to feeling like we did before Because its just not who we are anymore You said "its not fate, its just circumstance." And its our last chance And its our last chance But I'm sending transmissions and memories And I'm Pounding sonnets into typewriter keys Because I can't awaken from this sea sick trance And its our last chance And its our last chance
this is a new song called "cold war." i wrote this song with evan duby. he plays guitar in beat radio now. he also writes his own songs, knows daniel johnston, and created a cartoon about a superhero version of john oates' moustache. it's like a real cartoon. we also wrote "follow you around" together. i like collaborating. it's fun. also, brian ver straten took this photo, and played drums on both of these new songs, which was super exciting for me, first time trying to record drums in here in my basement. also, this song started out with an instrumental track of me making weird sound collages out of 4-track tapes i recorded in high school.
here are the lyrics: I woke up late to find Out I'm alone
And its heavy on my mind And I Wanna know
Where have you been? You're dissapearing all the time
Are you back now With your old friends? Just a vampire For the weekend? In your old hometown Does it bring you down To be back again?
And the party's over now I'm on the street When I'm lost amongst a crowd I feel so free Got a restless heart And we've lost our way somehow
And I'm hiding From the daylight Its a cold war But I'm alright In your old hometown Do familliar sounds Keep you up at night?
Are you back now With your old friends Just a vampire For the weekend Have I seen you for the last time? Will I know you In the next life? And I'm hiding From the daylight Its a cold war But I'm alright Are we close now To the free fall? Did you break down The berlin wall? Should I venture Into slipstream? Are we working Toward the same dream?
just wanted to say thanks for all the support this year. i feel like 2009 was kind of a long road back into action, and i'm dreaming up big things for 2010.
after completing the album, i feel kind of liberated to keep making recordings out of my basement studio. i'm thinking about things in a different sort of way. it's a really exciting time to be in a band and making music. we're going to be putting out lots of new music in 2010. if you're not on our email list, please sign up here so we can keep you posted with new things on a monthly basis.
unrelated, i really like this song by this band small black, who are also from long island:
But I did really like these songs in the calendar year of 2009:
Lisztomania - Phoenix Freeway - Kurt Vile Walkabout - Atlas Sound (feat Noah Lenox) Satellite Skin - Modest Mouse Northern Lights - Bowerbirds Blood Bank - Bon Iver Mexico City - Jolie Holland Love is a Wave - Crystal Stilts Feeling the Pull - The Swell Season No Hope Kids - Wavves
