Nashville Recordings Vol. 4: Wear and Tear
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1. Unfinished Love (2:48)
2. Her Loves's So Hard (2:38) 3. These Are Burning Days (3:44) 4. Accretion Blues (2:21) |
"...draws on a broad palette, blending elements of the folk singer-songwriter, with shades of sixties West Coast psychedelic/progressive music"
— Americana UK
The title of of this collection derives from a song that ultimately didn’t make the cut — though “The Ten Thousand Ways” did a wonderful rendition of “Normal Wear and Tear” years ago at the Lost Church for the second my (mostly) annual birthday show. Still, I grew rather attached to it as a moniker for this set of songs, each of which has had its own special journey to the point where they were included on this volume, “What happened to Volumes 2 and 3?” I hear you cry… well, fear not Volume 3 is on the way and I will leave it to the true fans to suss out Volume 2.
Once again East Nashville based producer Kenny Schick delivers some wonderfully atmospheric backdrops for my lyrics and I’m pleased to have Amberly Rosen again adding some fiddle to three of the tracks. Kenny’s wife Sabine (aka ArtemesiaBlack) also provides some backing vocals and she’s had some especially kind words about this batch of songs.
— Americana UK
The title of of this collection derives from a song that ultimately didn’t make the cut — though “The Ten Thousand Ways” did a wonderful rendition of “Normal Wear and Tear” years ago at the Lost Church for the second my (mostly) annual birthday show. Still, I grew rather attached to it as a moniker for this set of songs, each of which has had its own special journey to the point where they were included on this volume, “What happened to Volumes 2 and 3?” I hear you cry… well, fear not Volume 3 is on the way and I will leave it to the true fans to suss out Volume 2.
Once again East Nashville based producer Kenny Schick delivers some wonderfully atmospheric backdrops for my lyrics and I’m pleased to have Amberly Rosen again adding some fiddle to three of the tracks. Kenny’s wife Sabine (aka ArtemesiaBlack) also provides some backing vocals and she’s had some especially kind words about this batch of songs.
Unfinished Love
"The imagery on this track, which smells of the dust of the arid states, strikes the imagination."
— Boulimique de Musique
— Boulimique de Musique
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Lyrics
I’ve got some Unfinished Love for you I’ve got some Unfinished Love for you Mmmmm..... mmmmm... It’s still a little rough Just give me some time Yes, it’s a bit unpolished But I’m sure it will shine I’ve got some Unfinished Love for you I’ve got some Unfinished Love for you Ohhhhh..... Ohhhhh... You can go ahead an’ take it Have whatever’s left Don’t let it go to waste or Just evaporate My love is resilient My love will survive My love will remain Unfinished As long as I’m alive I’ve got some Unfinished Love for you I’ve got some Unfinished Love for you My love is resilient My love will survive My love will remain Unfinished As long as I’m alive I’ve got some Unfinished Love for you I’ve got some Unfinished Love for you For you For you For you For you... |
Credits
E.G. Phillips: lead vocals Kenny Schick: guitars, banjo, keys, percussion Produced, Mixed & Mastered by Kenny Schick - b3pmusic Lead vocals recorded at ToneFreq in San Jose Written by E.G. Phillips (c) 2024 Ducks With Pants Music Notes The ideas for songs can come from the most unusual places. For instance, I was in an unfinished furniture store one day and the idea of the title “Unfinished Love” came to mind — and thus this creation was born. There’s a bit of play here, toying with the notion as to what it could mean for a love to be “unfinished” before settling on a notion of triumphal endurance. The song was originally part of a collection of instrumental music I called “Morphology” where I was playing a bit with form — in this case the dramatic shifting of keys from the chorus to verse. |
Her Love's So Hard
"...illustrates the painful ambivalence and profound complexity of unrequited love and emotional dependency...an essential piece for lovers of sophisticated lyrics"
— Nene's Butler
— Nene's Butler
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Lyrics
Her Love’s So Hard And she love’s so much Until it bleeds her dry And she leans on it ‘cause it’s become such a crutch She’ll dance with the one who brought her She’ll dance by the pale moonlight She’ll dance ‘cause she thinks she oughtta Even when it doesn’t feel right She’s ruled by her passion She’s ruled by her heart She don't seem to know How she could possibly tell them apart She’ll dance with the one who brought her She’ll dance by the pale moonlight She’ll dance ‘cause she thinks she oughtta Even when it doesn’t feel right Her Love’s So Hard And she loves so much But she don’t love me At least not enough to be keeping in touch She’ll dance with the one who brought her She’ll dance by the pale moonlight She’ll dance ‘cause she thinks she oughtta Even when it doesn’t feel right |
Credits
E.G. Phillips: lead vocals Kenny Schick: guitars, keys, percussion Sabine Heusler-Schick: backing vocals Amberly Rosen: fiddle Produced, Mixed & Mastered by Kenny Schick - b3pmusic Lead vocals recorded at ToneFreq in San Jose Written by E.G. Phillips (c) 2024 Ducks With Pants Music Notes I was playing this song once at an open mic and a fellow San Francisco songwriter, who preceded me and goes by the name Troubadour Fools, performed a song he calls “Taylor Swift.” This led me to quip that my song was also about Taylor Swift. I have since been introducing this song as a song that is NOT about Taylor Swift, despite what rumors people may have heard. |
These Are Burning Days
"masterfully blends traditional elements of folk music with influences from progressive rock"
— Nenes Butler
"...a theatrical, atmospheric folk song that flirts with progressive rock...the vocal performance recalls the charisma of Nick Cave on this track brimming with intensity. The exceptionally rich musical arrangements easily capture the attention of this remarkable creation."
— Boulimique de Musique
— Nenes Butler
"...a theatrical, atmospheric folk song that flirts with progressive rock...the vocal performance recalls the charisma of Nick Cave on this track brimming with intensity. The exceptionally rich musical arrangements easily capture the attention of this remarkable creation."
— Boulimique de Musique
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Lyrics
Vineyards vibrant as Van Gogh’s palette Vineyards vibrant as Van Gogh’s palette The ashes of Napa are painting the skies In ribbons of indigo and scarlet A fire crew wrangles its manic cattle A fire crew wrangles its manic cattle The front line resembles a lightning bolt or The earth’s crust cracked to mantle These are burning days These are burning days The chaotic winds spur the blaze Of our burning days The horse broke loose ‘n fled the stable The horse broke loose ‘n fled the stable A herd of storms lashes the land With the rage Cain held for Able These are burning days These are burning days The chaotic winds spur the blaze Of our burning days These are burning days These are burning days The chaotic winds spur the blaze Of our burning days You want me to hold all of your anger You need me to metabolize your pain While so much is vying for our eyeballs By trying to hack our brains The car’s a corpse of twisted metal The car’s a corpse of twisted metal Piles of stones where chimneys once stood The taste of smoke’s now bitter |
Credits
E.G. Phillips: lead vocals Kenny Schick: guitars, keys, bass, drums Amberly Rosen: fiddle Produced, Mixed & Mastered by Kenny Schick - b3pmusic Vocals recorded at ToneFreq in San Jose Written by E.G. Phillips (c) 2024 Ducks With Pants Music Notes The devastation caused by wildfires that have struck the Bay Area in recent years was the inspiration for this song's imagery. Although the fall is a time of beauty in wine country with the leaves of the vineyards turning their autumnal hues, in more recent years it has become smoke season and the accompanying destruction from the fires can be heartbreaking. But these aren't the only "burning days" being alluded to. This track features some searing, mystical violin work by Amberly Rosen. |
Accretion Blues
"The joie de vivre of the performance contrasts with the seriousness of the lyrics on this track, which is equal parts sweet madness and bitter lucidity."
— Boulimique de Musique
— Boulimique de Musique
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Lyrics
Heartaches accumulate over time I got a glacier of them rolling ‘cross my mind Coral reefs are build’n up in the shallows of my soul And my ticker gradually gets replaced by limestone Past losses have piled up and formed an island chain Supporting entire ecosystems of different kinds of pain I’m losing plasticity in my brain As memories are scraped up and dumped into moraines That fly buzzing ‘round my ear won’t go away The constant drip of rumination’s carving out a cave Each new love has to bear the weight Of wounds that won’t calve off or get broken up by waves Heartaches accumulate over time I got a glacier of them rolling ‘cross my mind Coral reefs are build’n up in the shallows of my soul And my ticker gradually gets replaced by limestone |
Credits
E.G. Phillips: lead vocals Kenny Schick: guitars, keys, bass, drums Amberly Rosen: fiddle Produced, Mixed & Mastered by Kenny Schick - b3pmusic Vocals recorded at ToneFreq in San Jose Written by E.G. Phillips (c) 2024 Ducks With Pants Music Notes I am the son of a geographer, and in fact have a degree in geography myself and that comes out in full force in this little country blues ditty. The inspiration in fact comes from something I once read about Simon and Garfunkel’s album “Bookends” — Bud Scoppa wrote “the record is a meditation on the passage of life and the psychological impact of life's irreversible, ever-accumulating losses" — accumulating losses… accretions, if you would. |