when i'm with you

i kind of knew i would love this song before i even heard it. the title struck me as the perfect name for a pop song. if you've never heard the original, check out best coast here: www.myspace.com/bestycoasty

electric apostles

thanks so much to our friend ken for posting these videos from our show at union hall last month!

evangeline

This song's about getting through hard times, together. I wrote the melody on the piano in my front room, and i've been walking around with in my head for a couple months. Took me a while to get the words down.

If you listen closely, you can hear my 7 year old son Jackson shredding along on his little red flying v, towards the end.


here are the lyrics:

Evangeline
The storm is over now
I love the way
The sun burns through the clouds
I'm still the same
I'm still the kid you knew
For all we've lost

Evangeline
I hear the breaking waves
I'm drifting off
I swear I'm not afraid
Down by the shore
Everyone's rushing round
I'm standing still

Evangeline
You are my sweetest friend
We can't stay here
Can't go back home again
I turned my back
Remembering everything
Must find its way

Evangeline
You've seen me through it all
The pavement shines
The cherry blossoms fall
Our love will grow
My heart is keeping time
Evangeline

the best and the brightest

I’m not one of those people who looks back much. As far as music goes, I think this is probably the most amazing time ever to be a fan and an artist. But I was thinking the other day on how it used to be. These days things don’t really stay obscure in the same way – everyone has access to everything. When I was a kid, you could be a fan of a band sometimes and it felt like you were in your very own secret club. It’s like the world was made up of a thousand different secret clubs. This song is about how it felt to share a favorite band with a friend of yours, and how it could be a bond between you, that no one else understood. At least until you met someone else who was also part of the club.

Here are the lyrics:

The best and the brightest
Were our favorite band
They played the songs in the keys that only we could understand
When my mind is hazy
When I’m fading away
I’m listening to the b-side to “Destroy a Holiday”

I’m on your side
Be on my side
Cause I’m on your side
Be on my side

Radio Daydream
Was my favorite song
When my head is empty
When the days get long
We were looking for something
Someone we used to know
And now the ancient circle’s separating slow

I’m on your side
Be on my side
Cause I’m on your side
Be on mine

Freedom will wait
If you dare to escape
So hold on
Hold on
It won’t be long

I’m on your side
Be on my side
Cause I’m on your side
Be on mine

collage

a friend of mine asked a bunch people to make all the different letters of the alphabet for her a nursery for her nephew that is about to be born. i chose the letter "b" here's what i got.

the world is ours

This track was a fun one to make, I built the song on top of an instrumental track Dan Bills recorded in his apartment. Its the first song we've written together, we're working on another one now.

The lyrics are pretty optimistic, kind of just about going for it. As Royal Tenenbaum would say,

"I'm not talking about dance lessons. I'm talking about putting a brick through the other guy's windshield. I'm talking about taking it out and chopping it up."

In other words, its go time with the go team.



Here are the lyrics:

Grey veils over blue skies
You came calling for me
I was stumbling along
Still singing those songs
In the skeleton keys

Waiting on a revelation
Till the sun burns through
I was writing a scene
For a new books of dreams
I was looking for you

Lets drown in our revery
Out here beneath the stars
We don't know what comes next
But we know the world is ours

Its go time with the go team
And if you're looking for me
I'm with the queen of the slipstream
Back where I wanted to be

All the people walk in darkness
Broken satellites
I'm writing letters to you
Because I wanna get through
Make you feel alright

There's no more looking back
Now that we've come this far
Way up and down the line
We know the world is ours

Lets drown in our revery
Out here beneath the stars
We don't know what comes next
But we know the world is ours

There's no more looking back
Now that we've come this far
Way up and down the line
We know the world is ours

geography

I kind of felt like writing a song that was stranger, and more impressionistic. With most songs I go for a pretty tight pop structure, and lately I've been writing lyrics that are more direct. With this track I wanted it to be more spontaneous. That was one of my goals undertaking this two song a month thing-to be a bit more carefree and not overwork things. Sometimes you write song to try and save the world. Other times you just want to be psychedelic.

I think this song is about letting go of the things that you don't need.



Here are the lyrics:

Tell me what you see
When you close your eyes
Are you in too deep?
Are you sick of goodbyes?

Your geography
Is an I. O. U.
In a feedback loop
Where the light burns through

In a brokedown car
On the ferris wheel
In a ring of fire
We backed out of the deal
We backed out of the deal

When the roof caved in
We were in a trance
And beyond harm's way
In this graveyard romance

We could let things go
Walk around the block
How our teachers cried
How our parents were shocked

On Saturn's rings
With your heart displaced
On a copper wave
You dropped out of the race
You dropped out of the race