"Drinking Songs" puts an emphasis on distant voices and ethereal ambiences. Guitars and keyboards are getting softer, almost affectionate, sometimes overwhelmed by drum n’ bass beats that carry the song upward. Choirs and echoes give an almost mystical dimension to the album. Marinated in cafÊ piano, mournful strings, and delicate guitar, "Drinking Songs" is another hard step away from the atmospheric jungle textures of Third Eye Foundation. Here Elliott has drawn further inspiration from Eastern European folk and cabaret music, his stately compositions achieving a melancholic drama with impressionistic vocals, as on the sanguine "The Guilty Party", where his layered voices recede almost imperceptibly into the background until barely distinguishable from the rest of his quietly nodding solo orchestra. As the album progresses, Elliott broadens his narrative scope from the relatively prosaic romantic miseries of "Trying To Explain" and "What's Wrong" to the epic tragedy of "The Kursk", which is based upon the sunken Russian submarine of the same name, sending loosened voices curling from every corner until their assembled force approximates a shadowy chorale rising as one from the seafloor. And though this 11-minute piece opens with various indistinct thunderstorm and shipwreck sound effects, Elliott handles the material with enough subtlety and melodic dexterity to avoid a descent into trite melodrama. Matt Elliott has a real gift for carrying the listener to parallel worlds, for appealing to memories and imagination. All the songs hold the audience spellbound. His music floods the room and creates an insistent and hypnotic atmosphere, both lascivious and violent. This album invites introspection, never taking the easy way out. Matt Elliott delivers a marvel of sensitivity, a precious moment of lucidity and perceptiveness. An alchemic instant.
00:00 09:21 12:00 19:15 23:24 34:58
40:14 46:06
F a c e down Taste of blood again
Know that you three
Were the last thing that I’ve seen
& F A
U G
C
K A
E I
D N
3:33
& thanks for
&
bran
for de
the mantles
ding
stroying what
cracked
&
I found that I'm not the man
& you're just
like
you trou ble
the sombre
&
me
a
we can never erase
fai
joy
I
lure
had
turn ing
back
that I fuck ing think I am
fuck
me when I
way
a
ing
try
ghost
to
you held your
all
ie
sleep
face
the stu pid things we say
And I hope that you're dreaming of me The way I'm forced to dream of you And so you've won I'll get the gun Cos...
And the tear stained cheeks never end We only seem to respond in kind An eye for an eye only leaves us blind
19:15
Kursk-141 Launched: 1994 Class: Oscar II submarine Length: 154.0 m Beam: 22.0 m Draft: 9.0 m Speed: 59 km/h Test depth: 300 to 500 m Fate: Sank 12 August 2000 with all 118 hands in 100 m of water in Barents Sea
32: 52
It will always A N hurt, it will always S hurt, it willO always hurt, S it will A always hurt, it will always A L hurt, it will always hurt, O it will alwaysF hurt, it will
U
35
S
D always hurt, it will always hurt, it will always hurt, it will always hurt, it will always hurt, it will always hurt, it will always hurt, it will always hurt, it will always hurt
Y L
19
And the craters remain from the last time you came And seemingly our only crime was wrong place, wrong time And that's why we died Decisions were made by some corporate ingrates Put a price on all of our lives, happens all the time
â€
And that's why we died And that's why we died And that's why we died And that's why we died And that's why we died And that's why we died That's why we died
50:
25
1:02 :30
F
a
I
L
I
n
G
S
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n
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S
To succeed to “Drinking Songs”, because it’s really about songs, “Failing Songs” turns Matt Elliott into a true songwriter. He assumes completely his voice and sings very personal and dark texts Songs whose subtle melodies contrast with the hardness of the words because "Failing songs" is a hard failure report. Between despair and cold anger, the texts talk about the liberal military evolution of the world that the author rejects. The Titles are as sublime as melancholic, bitter and sad, impressed by Slavic music, Greek, and besides, sometimes punctuated of Spanish guitars (the guitar which is from now the instrument of predilection, omnipresent although often combined with the violoncello’s languor). “Failing songs” is one of these discs which we appreciate with several peoples or alone, an album which holds you and doesn’t leave you anymore, of those which one doesn’t arrange because their place is right next to the CD player. A sad music’s party which however reduces the heart of its listeners...
"Failing Songs is kind of part 2 of the "Drinking Songs". It was all recorded at home except the violins which were recorded over night(s) in the village church. It's always hard to talk objectively about ones own music so I won't.Without wanting to put anyone off, the songs are mainly about our failures both personal & political & no objective person can really look at the world without accepting the fact that we as a species are basically a failure. I'm definitely one & glad to admit it. Incidentally i believe that the lyrics of at least one song will contravene some of the new laws passed by the British government to curb our basic freedoms in the name of counter terrorism but given that they are so out of touch with modern culture it shouldn't cause too much trouble." - Matt Elliott
00:00 03:37 08:47 13:13 17:26 22:13 27:28 31:09 33:02 35:11 39:23 42:51
And the world was lost some years ago...
When the tyrants upped & seized control And we lost our lives to worthless toil
And we’re worth less
than our weight in oil
But the stockholders all had their pay but it’s we who clean their mess anyway. And that revolution never came. And we’ll never see that chance again. ¶ (1:35) And hurt is all we know and hurt is all we know and hurt is all we know and hurt is all we know and hurt is all we know and hurt is all we know and hurt is all we know and hurt is all we know ¶ the dirt is all we know and hurt is all we know and hurt is all we know and hurt is all we know and hurt is all we know and hurt is all we know and hurt is all we know and hurt is all we know and hurt is all we know and hurt is all we know the dirt is all we know
We're nothing more than slaves my dear
But our chains are made of gold
We're free to do exactly what we're told We're free to buy what we're sold We're nothing more than slaves my dear But our chains are made of gold We're slaves, we're slaves, we're slaves We're slaves, we're slaves, we're slaves Though our chains are golden They're still just fucking chains
03:37
†One more day And we're on our way And like all good pawns We'll sing As we fall Honor and pride And a soldier's life It's easy to kill With god On your side Our way of life Is for what we strive And we'll see our goal No matter How many die One more day And we're on our way And like all good pawns We'll sing As we fall
31:09
17:26
When people ask me I always say that targeted assassination is the only way They might promise a better day but it's false & it's false yeah it's false. They've stopped asking so how can we explain? By the people for the people that was yesterday They'll keep taking more & more away 'til it's gone & it's gone & it's gone So take your snipers rifle in hand & do a massive favour to the people of these lands Assassinate a corporate billionaire or their heirs or their heirs or their heirs.*
42:51
18: 34 ~ There's a special place in hell reserved for them
Best to stand and die than live and crawl
Here we stand alone again, divided by the same old men. Hands behind our backs again and our backs against the wall. Again.
We as beasts of burden take the fall Though they'll break our backs, won't share the spoils. Time to put some backs against the wall. Best to stand and die than live & crawl.
Excuse us if we take offense, each action has a consequence. And yours cause nothing but laments And our backs against the wall again.
Our hands are forced. Against the hordes. Who heard is this all that we're put here for just to hoard, Just to hoard.
I pray our pain will be your pain As you use and hold us back again And profit from our loss again, until the straw that breaks this camel's chains.
Though they'll break our bones, they'll break our bones Though they'll smash our homes, they'll smash our homes
Some day soon the time will come To rid the world of greedy scum When that day come, I'll get my gun.You'll be the first against the wall my friend. ~ 29:11
Đ–
endless
talking
saying
Let's just go through this one more time Can't quite see that look in your eyes Or hear the cries I'll feign surprise Like every time we always Run through This shit Over again Let's just go through this one more time I've nothing better to do with this life Than this endless strife The endless cries All contrived You're talking
nothing
34:24
40: 19
40: 20
WE WILL BE
WE WILL BE
GO NE
T H E I R
B I R D S
S T O P S O N G
W E
L O S E T R I P O N A W A Y
WE WILL BE
GO NE
WE WILL BE
WE WILL BE
GO NE
GO NE
O N A U N T I L
T R I P
W E
O U R
T R I P
O N A G R A V E
GO NE
WE WILL BE
GO NE
* They hold us back & keep us in our place They lie & cheat & steal from our plate If we were just we'd resign them to their fate with a gun with a gun with a gun We're falling asleep at the wheel fellow slaves We must rise from this bed that we've made & Never forget that we're all on our way to the grave to the grave to the grave
44:00
C.F. Bundy Trying to Explain The Guilty Party What’s Wrong The Kursk What The Fuck Am I Doing On This Battlefield? A Waste Of Blood The Maid We Messed
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Our Weight In Oil Chains The Seance The Failing Song Broken Bones Desamparado Lone Gunman Required Good Pawn Compassion Fatigue The Ghost Of Maria Callas Gone Planting Seeds
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12