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HeartSongs - 20180209

  • Published in Columns

Welcome to HeartSongs, our regularly scheduled (probably) look at songs and the people who write them. We spoke to Tyler from California’s Cloud about their recent single ‘Wildfire’.

(unlisted / private until Feb 9th)

"This track is a study of the forces of life. I listen to it now with a interesting sense of irony as the state I live in, California, has been engulfed by some of the largest fires to date. My good friend’s home was burnt down entirely, a chimney remained and the outlines of a bathroom. 

“Every flame wants to be a wildfire,” sums up my views on life as a sheer force of wild intentionality and the consequences that come with these forces “untamed”.  Greed is an easy parallel. I wanted the song to be as chaotic as a flame’s dance and as pulsating as an orgasm which is a big point of focus in the album; looking at this sensation we live with from a distance and with much skepticism, bewilderment, and awe. 

The music video is one that I conceived, produced and directed myself. I used a fairly large pool of actors that I’d worked with on a number of short films. The piece was actually developed with quite a narrative which to me still shines through but I found through the collaboration of a fantastic editor, Carson Lund that the story is best told via fractals.  A story about weariness for “the third home,” meaning the place you consider home that isn’t your house or workplace.  I’ve studied this area in our culture and it fascinates me. 

To me, it seems like a total opportunity of commiseration and community.  But in my hometown and many many other places I’ve traveled in the U.S., I find that our third homes are in danger of being tarnished by ill-intention not too dissimilar to the greed I spoke of earlier.  That’s how this video came to be.”

Wildfire lyrics;

Every flame wants to be a wildfire

Every day needs to lead to something says my mind

Looking back to when it all was better

Hard to see photos of my smiles

 

I know if I want to live

Something’s got to give

 

Every night goes on as I’m mindless in it

Every light’s racing towards the ends of everything

Hard to hold photos of the one’s who left us

Every orgasm makes you wonder oh, “is this it?”

 

This is it

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CHUCK’s Final Single – ‘Happy Birthday’

  • Published in News

Brooklyn (via Massachusetts) based bedroom musician CHUCK (aka Charles Griffin Gibson) issued his acclaimed final album, Frankenstein Songs for the Grocery Store, on August 18 through Audio Antihero Records. Combining a lush classic pop sound with elements of ‘80s new wave, ‘90s alternative and ‘00s emo, it was a foggy, eclectic, emotional and lyrical LP. The album’s third single ‘Happy Birthday’ is the album’s most ambitious and conflicted moment. Accompanied by a stunning VHS-chic music video and backed by gorgeous non-LP B-Side ‘America’ and a new remix from Benjamin Shaw, this release shows CHUCK’s characters at their most desperate and their most toxic.

“This was initially written when I was in a weird situation with an ex. I think this was around 2012. We had dated a few years prior in a different city, and then one day we found ourselves both single and living in Brooklyn. We tried rekindling things, but it didn't work. As I wondered why, I sat down and cranked out ‘Happy Birthday’. The specifics of my situation were too sappy and abstract for a CHUCK song, so it morphed into something more sinister for this weird narrative.

For the video I tapped friend and filmmaker Chris Boniello. He listened to the song for a few weeks and came up with a concept. It's on point! The video is about searching through memories and moments in your mind for something or someone. It really synced up with the original inspiration for the song, and I think we can all relate to that journey on some level. Shout out to the legendary Benjamin Shaw for his fantastic b-side remix, and also, included in the single is ‘America’ - an unreleased track from 2009. It's the single that keeps on giving. Enjoy.”

 

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