Tricks of the Light
"...music that is wonderfully and deliberately out of pace with modern music"
— Dave Franklin, The Big Takeover
"This is not music for background listening. this is music for those who still sit with songs like stories."
— Tamara Jenna, Independent Music Weekly
"It’s music for long walks, solitary evenings, or the moments just before sleep when memory, myth, and meaning swirl together."
-- Austin Sher, We Write About Music
"E.G. Phillips doesn’t chase trends; he carves out a world of his own, and it’s one well worth entering."
— Chris Mariotti, Edgar Allen Poets
— Dave Franklin, The Big Takeover
"This is not music for background listening. this is music for those who still sit with songs like stories."
— Tamara Jenna, Independent Music Weekly
"It’s music for long walks, solitary evenings, or the moments just before sleep when memory, myth, and meaning swirl together."
-- Austin Sher, We Write About Music
"E.G. Phillips doesn’t chase trends; he carves out a world of his own, and it’s one well worth entering."
— Chris Mariotti, Edgar Allen Poets
This EP is a suite of a half dozen songs I recorded with two time Grammy winning producer/arranger Nahuel Bronzini (Mixing Engineer, Fantastic Negrito) and his musical counterpart Felipe Ubeda (aka Cigarbox Man).
My music is often described as “cinematic” in nature so it only seemed natural to have them scored as such. I had in mind some particular soundtracks — in particular the animated short The Rain Horse by John Zorn but also scores by Jon Brion and Carter Burwell. So in addition to Felipe handling the guitar part, we have a small chamber group consisting of Omree Gal-Oz on piano, Curtis Aikens on upright bass, and Chloe Mendola on cello. They are occasionally joined by Daniel Riera on flute and Sarah Bonomo on clarinet.
My music is often described as “cinematic” in nature so it only seemed natural to have them scored as such. I had in mind some particular soundtracks — in particular the animated short The Rain Horse by John Zorn but also scores by Jon Brion and Carter Burwell. So in addition to Felipe handling the guitar part, we have a small chamber group consisting of Omree Gal-Oz on piano, Curtis Aikens on upright bass, and Chloe Mendola on cello. They are occasionally joined by Daniel Riera on flute and Sarah Bonomo on clarinet.
"There’s a yearning romanticism about it, and more than a hint of classic Leonard Cohen."
— Graeme Smith, York Calling
— Graeme Smith, York Calling
|
“Tyger, tyger burning bright / in the forest of the night / what immortal hand or eye / could frame thy fearful symmetry”
— William Blake Credits: E.G. Phillips: vocals Chloe Mendola: cello Felipe Ubeda (Cigarbox Man): guitar Omree Gal-Oz: piano Curtis Aikens: upright bass Recorded at Airship Laboratories in Richmond, CA Neil Godbole: recording engineer Recorded & Mixed by Nahuel Bronzini Mastered by Andrés Mayo Mastering Arranged & Produced by Nahuel Bronzini & Felipe Ubeda Written by E.G. Phillips (c) 2025 Ducks With Pants Music |
Lyrics:
Tramping briskly through the boreal forest Stippled by a blissful dusting of snow The stillness out here is scarcely broken By the whisper of underbrush under my soles What’s that I think I’ve spotted? Is that a tiger I’ve spied? From the Corner of My Eye Glimpsing the pattern of her striped mantle Shatters my apathy and leaves me in awe Such sinewy strength and dreadful splendor She could snap me in two with her jaws Don’t want her to startle So I watch, so petrified, From the Corner of My Eye I want so much to meet her gaze Stare deep into each iris so black And the amber that surrounds them Be drawn in and become trapped ‘till I’ve felt the pulse of the prey she’s ensnared And know the jungles and wilderness she’s roamed And she will hear the songs that my heart carries And understand what it’s like to be so alone She does not pounce, she does not roar We share the suspension of a moment of time Before she bounds off between the trees Propelled by her limbs out of my sight And I am left to wonder Was that a trick of the light? From the Corner of My Eye? |
"a rare blend of folk, jazz, and avant-garde influences all interlaced into a piece that feels ancient yet somehow entirely new."
— Chris Mariotti, Edgar Allan Poets
— Chris Mariotti, Edgar Allan Poets
"...image-laden and mythical ... an atmosphere that’s wonderfully dreamy"
— Graeme Smith, York Calling
""a layered, cinematic, and emotionally resonant piece of art that rewards careful listening"
— Haymai
"so interesting, so adventurous… so damn compelling"
— Dave Franklin, The BigTakeover
— Graeme Smith, York Calling
""a layered, cinematic, and emotionally resonant piece of art that rewards careful listening"
— Haymai
"so interesting, so adventurous… so damn compelling"
— Dave Franklin, The BigTakeover
Credits
E.G. Phillips: vocals Chloe Mendola: cello Felipe Ubeda (Cigarbox Man): guitar Omree Gal-Oz: piano Curtis Aikens: upright bass Recorded at Airship Laboratories in Richmond, CA Neil Godbole: recording engineer Recorded & Mixed by Nahuel Bronzini Mastered by Andrés Mayo Mastering Arranged & Produced by Nahuel Bronzini & Felipe Ubeda Written by E.G. Phillips (c) 2025 Ducks With Pants Music |
Lyrics
A hunter spied Artemis Bathing with nymphs in the forest She turned him into a stag Even though it’d been an accident He found himself charmed and spellbound Then ripped apart by his own hounds Or so goes the myth The mother of Mesuline Promised to marry a Scottish King On the condition he never witness Her bathing their three offspring When he broke his vow and saw her mermaid form She left with the children for a distant shore And her daughter grew up to do the exact same thing There’s nature and nurture There’s volition and reflex — and There’s what’s hardwired in To that damn double helix The Light You Reflect Is like a special effect It defines in my mind An image I can not forget Whether a deliberate attempt to entice Or a byproduct of your passing by My eyes get directed towards you The light we reflect Lets us connect I’m sad what they said Made you so upset Sometimes when the neurons fire It really feels like they’re on fire And we are subject to our response |
"a mercurial blend of the classical and the rootsy, the graceful and the groovy... soaked in ethereal cosmic folk harmonies"
— Dave Franklin, The Big Takeover
— Dave Franklin, The Big Takeover
"the atmospheric yet grand production swells with delicate layers of instrumentation"
— Austin Sher, We Write About Music
"a laidback and contemplative soundscape that instantly intrigues... highly immersive and atmospheric"
-- Jeremy Bregman, Mesmerized
"draws together the traditional classical tone of the orchestra and the wistful ambience of dreamy indie-folk"
— Nicole Mendes, The Other Side Reviews
— Austin Sher, We Write About Music
"a laidback and contemplative soundscape that instantly intrigues... highly immersive and atmospheric"
-- Jeremy Bregman, Mesmerized
"draws together the traditional classical tone of the orchestra and the wistful ambience of dreamy indie-folk"
— Nicole Mendes, The Other Side Reviews
Way I remember it, albatross was a ship's good luck, 'til some idiot killed it.
— Capt. Malcolm Reynolds, Serenity This song is my contribution to the cause of rehabilitating the reputation of one our fine feathered friends which has been much maligned by a poem. I released the original more raucous version of this song as the opening track to my second album “At Home at Sea.” I of course love the madness of that version — its wildness, its exuberant brass... its unhinged number of choruses. But it is a song that exists in two forms in my mind. In addition to its mercurial sibling, there is also this more mellow, more contemplative vibe that it closer to its protean state when I first started messing with the chords to an old cowboy song one Thanksgiving day and clearly had birds on the brain. Credits E.G. Phillips: vocals Chloe Mendola: cello Daniel Riera: flute Felipe Ubeda (Cigarbox Man): guitar Omree Gal-Oz: piano Curtis Aikens: upright bass Recorded at Airship Laboratories in Richmond, CA Neil Godbole: recording engineer Recorded & Mixed by Nahuel Bronzini Mastered by Andrés Mayo Mastering Arranged & Produced by Nahuel Bronzini & Felipe Ubeda Written by E.G. Phillips © 2025 Ducks With Pants Music |
Lyrics
The bowerbird is quite creative when it comes to decoration Starlings follow simple rules that dictate their murmurations But wanton salt marsh sparrows and curious little chickadees I know there’s only one companion for me, for… When you’re with an albatross Don’t you know you can’t get lost ‘Cause you’re never truly lost When you are at home at Sea… Does your restless spirit wander yet get hopelessly attached? You’re barely bound to this world, yet you dread it’s bound to collapse? If Noah sent you from his ark to fetch some branches from a tree Might you not return? Just drift perpetually? Well… When you’re with an albatross Don’t you know you can’t get lost ‘Cause you’re never truly lost When you are at home at Sea… In the straits of Magellan or rounding the Cape of Good Hope Death and disillusionment will gamble on a ghost ship for your soul No… No… When you’re with an albatross Don’t you know you can’t get lost ‘Cause you’re never truly lost When you are at home at Sea… More Reviews
"emanating a storyteller’s allure that makes the lyrics resonate on a personal level" — Faithfulness, Dulaxi "as if Sinatra joined Dylan" — Biro Ramoniko, Music For All "brimming with musical subtleties" — Boulimique de Musique "The mellow atmosphere feels like a fireside confession, an invitation to reflect rather than simply listen" — Michael Jamo, SongWeb |
"...a whimsical yet poignant meditation on love and our perception of the world"
— Tina Sollosky, Indie Emergente
— Tina Sollosky, Indie Emergente
"...illuminates the absurdities of life and highlights the contrasts between beauty and decay, hope and disappointment, instinct and intellect. "
— NenesButler
“The wonderful, romantic melody with its magical touch makes everything around seem more beautiful"
— Nagamag
— NenesButler
“The wonderful, romantic melody with its magical touch makes everything around seem more beautiful"
— Nagamag
Sorry it took me so long to answer, I was just thinking about how weird it is that we eat birds.
— Tracy Jordan, 30 Rock It is the above quote from one of our most esteemed philosophers that inspired me to write this song, which could be thought of as “romance in miniature, in reverse.” There are the obvious allusions to Slaughterhouse 5 and MacBeth, but the true connoisseurs will appreciate the subtle nod to a classic Doctor Who serial. Credits E.G. Phillips: vocals Chloe Mendola: cello Felipe Ubeda (Cigarbox Man): guitar Omree Gal-Oz: piano Curtis Aikens: upright bass Recorded at Airship Laboratories in Richmond, CA Neil Godbole: recording engineer Recorded & Mixed by Nahuel Bronzini Mastered by Andrés Mayo Mastering Arranged & Produced by Nahuel Bronzini & Felipe Ubeda Written by E.G. Phillips (c) 2025 Ducks With Pants Music |
Lyrics:
Watch a movie as it plays in reverse It all makes its own sort of sense Broken shards spring up to form a wine glass Dig a man up from the earth Then he comes to life Entrust an orchid into her care Return to a discolored wilted nightmare She shrugs her shoulders and flips back her hair What is the use in owning in a flower That doesn’t thrive on its own? On a planet of feast and famine Its course so perverse We subsist on a diet Of half empty words The milk of human kindness And the flesh of birds Buy her a snow globe as a keepsake Enjoy her delight as she gives it a shake See the enchantment slip from her face Before the whirlwind she’s created Has even settled at all She's posing for art classes when we first meet I sketch out her figure in turquoise and green My choices perplex her “What does this mean?” It was an instinct, it was an impulse Those colors chose me On a planet of feast and famine Its course so perverse We subsist on a diet Of half eaten words The milk of human kindness And the flesh of birds Watch a red tail wheel around in the sky How its wings harness the air to power its flight Yet the shadow its casts is a menacing sight An awareness embedded in our subconscious That allowed our ancestors to survive On a planet of feast and famine Its course so perverse We subsist on a diet Of half murmured words The milk of human kindness And the flesh of birds |
"...gentle sounds and a melancholy atmosphere provide an opportunity for reflection"
— Nenes Butler
— Nenes Butler
|
“If there's a bright center to the universe, you're on the planet that it's farthest from.”
— Luke Skywalker, A New Hope Credits E.G. Phillips: vocals Chloe Mendola: cello Daniel Riera: flute Felipe Ubeda (Cigarbox Man): guitar Omree Gal-Oz: piano Curtis Aikens: upright bass Recorded at Airship Laboratories in Richmond, CA Neil Godbole: recording engineer Recorded & Mixed by Nahuel Bronzini Mastered by Andrés Mayo Mastering Arranged & Produced by Nahuel Bronzini & Felipe Ubeda Written by E.G. Phillips (c) 2025 Ducks With Pants Music |
Lyrics
Clawing my way through earth on all fours Lost between the surface and core A droplet of sun? A glimmer of sky? I’m a hatchling drawn to the luminous shore Thought I’d break out into the open I’d be overlooking a glittering ocean Standing on the edge of white crystalline cliffs Stiff winds a sip of ambrosia I was wrong… I was wrong… I was Mistaking a trick of the light for The place where tomorrow shines the brightest — I was Mistaking a trick of the light for The place where tomorrow shines the brightest Unmoored and storm tossed in a morass of desire As irrepressible as ancient Greek fire It crumbles to sand I rub from my eyes As I float back into my mundane quagmire I had felt the filling of the sails The lift of the hull riding the waves A burst of speed carried me forward Farther in moments than I’d moved for days Now it hurts… Now it hurts I must erase all memory from sight of The place where tomorrow shines the brightest I must erase all memory from sight of The place where tomorrow shines the brightest When I’m with you I like myself best Want to feel your pleasure Under my fingertips Now you’re a galaxy overtaking my cosmic horizon Time is cruel, time heals our wounds Its measurement seems so crude It’s running out, it’s wasted now Where does it go when it eventually moves? There’s a universe inside us both There’s the universe we share I wish I could synchronize them all Or learn somehow not to care I want to go back… I want to go back… And retrace my steps and bridge the divide with The place where tomorrow shines the brightest Awake in the morning with you at my side in The place where tomorrow shines the brightest The place where tomorrow shines the brightest The place where tomorrow shines the brightest |
"A beautiful procession of somber strings and serene acoustics build into a stirring character depiction"
— Mike Mineo, Obscure Sound
"With its blend of classical and jazz, its style feels timeless. Its sound feels expansive and immersive, and its lyrics feel like poetry."
— Good Music Radar
"The song has that descriptive charm and romantic blues that is reminiscent of Sinatra’s era."
— Lost In the Manor
— Mike Mineo, Obscure Sound
"With its blend of classical and jazz, its style feels timeless. Its sound feels expansive and immersive, and its lyrics feel like poetry."
— Good Music Radar
"The song has that descriptive charm and romantic blues that is reminiscent of Sinatra’s era."
— Lost In the Manor
THE DOCTOR [on screen]: People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect, but actually from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint, it's more like a big ball of wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey stuff.
SALLY: Started well, that sentence. THE DOCTOR: It got away from me, yeah. SALLY: Okay, that was weird. Like you can hear me. THE DOCTOR: Well, I can hear you. — Doctor Who, Blink A cinéma vérité examination of modern para-sociality via Tin Pan Alley-esque folk jazz. One of my guilty pleasures of late has been react content — this where you watch someone watching something else so you can watch how they react to it. Completely ridiculous. And yet someone how quite addicting. There is an element of nostalgia to it plus the vicarious thrill of reliving what its like to experience your favorite moments from TV or film for the first time through somebody else’s eyes. At the same time the best reactors themselves become so involved in the story that they enthusiastically cheer the protagonists on, excoriate the villains, and cry inconsolably when tragedy befalls the heroes. Even their interactions with their viewers through the lens of the camera can ape that of a child with an imaginary friend. The overall series of interactions is a bit of para-social möbius strip. My gateway drug for react content was Doctor Who. This song is my ode to my favorite YouTube react content steamer. |
Credits
E.G. Phillips: vocals Chloe Mendola: cello Sarah Bonomo: clarinet Felipe Ubeda (Cigarbox Man): guitar Omree Gal-Oz: piano Curtis Aikens: upright bass Recorded at Airship Laboratories in Richmond, CA Neil Godbole: recording engineer Recorded & Mixed by Nahuel Bronzini Mastered by Andrés Mayo Mastering Arranged & Produced by Nahuel Bronzini & Felipe Ubeda Written by E.G. Phillips (c) 2025 Ducks With Pants Music Lyrics
She shares gossip, the weather, and laments her split ends As she talks to the camera like an old friend Then sums up her thoughts on the ongoing story arc And she loves it When It Gets Dark She’s determined to avoid any and all spoilers As she predicts the plot points of passé pot-boilers Warms slow to new faces but mourns when they depart And she loves it When It Gets Dark If there’s a grisly murder or Giants rats stalk the sewers She’s bubbly and effusive And though answers are elusive She becomes intrigued… yes… She becomes intrigued How she adores those handsome young men on her screen Their charm, their sweetness, and yes, their physique Like figures out of myth or the lives of Plutarch And she loves it When It Gets Dark |