Prince of Space (2:47) (listen)
Music by Daniel Lewis
(c) Ingram Music LLC, All Rights Reserved
Commentary from Benjamin:
What can I say? Daniel wrote this when I wasn't even in the same state. But I like it. Instrumental - very sparse, very Daniel. Sounds like the stuff he wrote while in music theory class in college.
Commentary from Daniel:
What can I say? I wrote this when Ben wasn't even in the same state. But I like it. Instrumental - very sparse, very Daniel. Actually, I wrote this song for music theory class while in college. Only then the song was called "King of Cheese." At the time, I was stuck with an ancient analog synthesizer -- the kind you had to program by re-routing wires and turning knobs. Somehow all the sounds that I came up with for the song just sounded horrendously cheesy - lots of saw waves. I like the Roland sounds much better. Incidentally my music theory teacher hated it. He said it was too sparse and that my music was 'minimalist'. At the time I was vaguely offended and now I still am.
Make It Me (5:10) (listen)
Music by Daniel Lewis
Lyrics by Benjamin Hatfield
You know what to do to make me
I know what to say to make you Be
All of the things you know you are
And all you'll see
What do you want?
That's what I'll be
What do you need?
I'll make it me
Time is something I can never hide
Inside this love for you now
Alone again with your skin
Soft beneath my hand I
Feel your breath on my cheek
Alone with you and your need
To be with you when I sleep
The darkness deep
What do you want?
That's what I'll be
What do you need?
I'll make it me
You are left alone with your sight
Of something we could become
To me and know that I wait
For all that has to pass by
For all that lies ahead try
To see with your mind our bond
Stronger than time and lie still
Feel my will
What do you want?
That's what I'll be
What do you need?
I'll make it me
Take your time with my soul and know who
You need as your goal and know why
My love is controlled by your smile
At me when my time has arrived
To take your offer inside
And build on the fact you can't hide
That your need is greater than mine
And I'll be fine
What do you want?
That's what I'll be
What do you need?
I'll make it me
(c) Ingram Music LLC, All Rights Reserved
Commentary from Benjamin:
When we first heard my lyrics put to this, we thought it would be flat - your basic fluff album cut. Now that we're done, this is one of my favorites. What's more, the lyrics were the hardest to come up with. It almost came out completely differently as a song called "I Saw You Smile" - thank god I came to my senses. This serves as a reminder not to prejudge the vision before we've carried it out. What's it about? Well, the lyrics are not all that obtuse.
Commentary from Daniel:
When I first heard Ben's lyrics put to this, I thought it sucked. Well, I was wrong. This song continues to vie for my attention as my favorite song that we've done. It was the first tune written on my new used vintage Japanese re-issue Strat and I was going for a very staccato sound. I got it.
No Regrets (6:13) (listen)
Music by Daniel Lewis
Lyrics by Benjamin Hatfield
I was running alone in the evening air
Thinking time was on my side
And as I gazed ahead my thoughts refracted
Through the mirrors of my mind
We'll never know the things we missed
As we took those forks in the road
Our lives are within our control
All we have to do is to understand
That we made all the parts to our souls
The years walked by so slow
I remember the sun in the afternoon
How it pressed into my back
As we walked along on our way back home
Down that abandoned railroad track
My arms were full but my feet were free
And time was not within my sight
We were too young to understand
That our youth was ours by right
Life is a combination of
Our choices and the rules
But it's clear regrets are for fools
As long as what we do is for ourselves
There is no ghost that can haunt
But are you smart enough to know what you want?
I remember time when I sat alone
And stared at the lighted screen
The door was closed and down the hall
She was living her new dream
I could not bear to see her face
As she brought my life to an end
But time has shown me
That it is neither enemy nor friend
We'll never know the things we missed
As we took those forks in the road
Our lives are within our control
All we have to do is to understand
That we made all the parts to our souls
The years walked by so slow
I told you once that our time was through
And I'm damn sure glad I was wrong
But you didn't miss the opportunity
To show me you were strong
Time is on our side again
And I can see your road from here
There's no need for compromise
And there's no need for fear
Life is a combination of
Our choices and the rules
But it's clear regrets are for fools
As long as what we do is for ourselves
There is no ghost that can haunt
But are you smart enough to know what you want?
(c) Ingram Music LLC, All Rights Reserved
Commentary from Benjamin:
A song about looking back with no remorse. Not about wanting to go back, just looking back and realizing that the past is the past, good and/or bad.
Commentary from Daniel:
Wrote this song the day Andy Soul died. Andy was my wife's friend and soccer coach. It was very strange but the sound patch on the Korg A3 that was used on the guitar was called 'Andy S.' I didn't know he died until after I finished the song. The lyrics are excellent and I love the line about how 'I could not bear to see her face as she brought my life to an end.' I have felt that way on several occasions and the whole stanza speaks to me. To quote Morrissey: 'This is the fierce last stand of all I am.'
Signals (5:07) (listen)
Music by Daniel Lewis
Lyrics by Benjamin Hatfield
I sit alone at night
And wait for your phone call
I like the thought that you're going to call
We talk a while and then I tell you I love you
Then, I hang up the phone
And I stare at the wall
I think of seeing you, I think of holding you
The thought of love, It's all that I have
I think of having you, I think of loving you
The thought of love, It's all that I have
I lay alone at night and think of you sleeping
I like the thought of us lying in bed
We'd talk a while then I'd tell you I loved you
Then, I'd turn out the light
And we'd make love instead
I think of kissing you, I think of touching you
The thought of love, It's all that I have
I think of holding you, I think of loving you
The thought of love, It's all that I have
I say I love you, You say you love me too
Love is the open door
But I'm afraid to feel anymore
I lay in bed at night, You're lying beside me
I like the thought that you're here after all
We talk a while, Then I tell you I love you
Then, I turn out the lights
And I stare at the wall
I think of kissing you, I think of touching you
The thought of love, It's all that I have
I think of having you, I think of loving you
The thought of love, It's all that I have
I say I love you, You say you love me too
Love is the failure to hide
Love is the letting inside
(c) Ingram Music LLC, All Rights Reserved
Commentary from Benjamin:
This is the first set of lyrics I wrote for the album. I like it - and I mean it.
Commentary from Daniel:
This song took me 7 years to write. I first came up with the hook -- the refrain part -- in 1991. I kept messing around with it in the intervening years but could never find anything to put around it. Then when I really got fired up about writing all new songs for a whole new album, somehow, the rest of the song just worked itself out.
An Alternative to Love (4:29) (listen)
Music by Daniel Lewis
Lyrics by Benjamin Hatfield
I've given you space, I've given you time
I've given you all, I've tried to hold the line
I've denied what I felt for so long
I've taken it slow, I've taken my time
I've tried not to care what I'm feeling inside
I've denied what I felt for so long
I know you, you know me
Is there another way for us to be
I want you, you want me
Is there another way for us to be
The last time we touched
You pulled back your hand
It's taken time for me to understand
You separate sex and love
The last time we loved
You broke down and cried
I'd never seen the pain you carry inside
You separate sex and love
I know you, you know me
Is there another way for us to be
I need you, you need me
Is there another way for us to be in love
The last time we talked
Was the last time I heard
Both of us mouth
Those three throw away words
Talk is cheap, it's all that we can afford
The last time we said
What we really meant
Was so long ago
I can't recall our dissent
Talk is cheap it's all that we can afford
I know you, you know me
Is there another way for us to be
I want you, you want me
Is there another way for us to be in love
We're both afraid
That what me might say
Takes us so far apart
That our love can't be saved
So let's find an alternative to love
I love you, you love me
Is there another way for us to be
In love
(c) Ingram Music LLC, All Rights Reserved
Commentary from Benjamin:
Why does every song have to be about relationships? Because that's about all we have, in the end. From a little different perspective.
Commentary from Daniel:
I wanted a relatively fast paced distorted song. I also wanted to use my wammy bar on my new Strat. I did both. I tossed in the sequencer base line in the background to tie it all up. It came out better than I expected.
Obsession (4:41) (listen)
Music by Daniel Lewis
Lyrics by Benjamin Hatfield
I don't know why
You cry for me
Sitting there alone again
Thoughts of me your only friend
Can't you see that I am gone
Can't you make your life your own
There's no need to sanctify
There's no need to live the lie
I was gone before I left
You lost you the day we met
You wrapped yourself around my heart
Squeezed 'till I was torn apart
I became the only one
Your guiding light and burning sun
You loved me and no one else
You had no time to love yourself
Your skin is soft, your eyes are bright
Obsession's not a pretty sight
I don't know why
You cry for me
I said I'd always lived alone
You'd moved in when I got home
I said short hair'd look good on you
You cut it off that afternoon
I mentioned that I liked a band
You became their biggest fan
In the furnace of our love
You prayed to me your god above
I should not have come alone
You should not have left your throne
Your love for me just cannot hide
The hate for you you hold inside
I want to love the you I see
But all you are is love for me
Your skin is soft, your eyes are bright
Obsession's not a pretty sight
I don't know why
I cry for you
(c) Ingram Music LLC, All Rights Reserved
Commentary from Benjamin:
It's a long-standing tradition with Laconia Corporation that we never do an album without a reference to someone on a throne somewhere, so here it is.
Commentary from Daniel:
It's an even longer-standing tradition with Laconia Corporation that we write songs with these notes and chord progressions in them. I think this is about the 5th song I've written with these same chords. I like it the best. The airy choirs in the background added the perfect complement.
Consolation Prize (3:25) (listen)
Music by Daniel Lewis
Lyrics by Benjamin Hatfield
You took your shot
Spun the wheel
It's not your fault
I know how you feel
You bet it all
But there's no shame
At least you won the home game
I'm just your consolation prize
Just a cracker jack box suprise
The pet you get when your first one dies
I'm just your consolation prize
You watched the field
Waited your turn
It's not your fault
That you got burned
You waited 'till your time came around
But the best ones went in the first round
I'm just your consolation prize
The horse the second place jockey rides
The pet you get when your first one dies
I'm just your consolation prize
Your second choice is hard to make
A medicine that's hard to take
Your serve was long, over the line
But you said the judge was blind
You played your numbers
Didn't win
Someone else got the jackpot again
Them's the breaks and that's so sad
But five out of six ain't bad
I'm just your consolation prize
The horse the second place jockey rides
The pet you get when your first one dies
A value meal you can't super-size
I'm just your consolation prize
Just a cracker jack box suprise
The pet you get when your first one dies
I'm just your consolation prize
(c) Ingram Music LLC, All Rights Reserved
Commentary from Benjamin:
Daniel handed me this one on a tape and said, 'It's called Consolation Prize, but I don't have any more lyrics than that.' Talk about constraints when you're writing. But where else can one work in the phrase 'the pet you get when your first one dies' and have it work?
Commentary from Daniel:
Ben's lying on this one. I handed it to him on a CD. Another tune that I wrote a long time ago (1990 I believe) that never came together until this album. All I knew about it was that the refrain was 'I'm just your Consolation Prize' because I was stuck in a long distance relationship at the time I wrote it and that was how I was beginning to feel towards this girl. I was something that was good enough until something better came along. Which ended up happening shortly after I moved out to be with her.
Endymion (4:28) (listen)
Music and lyrics by Daniel Lewis
Lying here all my life
The Eon's pass, no time to cry
The Seasons come, the seasons go
An echo from when I used to know
My life was mine and time was slow
How could you ever really love me so?
Why do you need to keep me below?
Oh please, oh please won't you let me go?
Fickle goddess haunting me
She doesn't care, she only sees
A pet to keep, give me a label
A conversation piece on her west end table
Everyone come, look what I've done
Look at my prize named Endymion
Fairest of all, beautiful sun
I'll be the envy of everyone
Heaven sent, heaven blessed
Lay me down, lay me to rest
Give me time, an eternity
I'm nothing new, now I'm dead you see
Your gift to me, never to be
How could you think that this is charity?
I've done no wrong, just caught your eye
Now here forever it's my fate to lie
A final verse the scene will close
When will it end? Only Luna knows
Take my hand, lift me out of this dream
Don't leave me here for another year
My life was mine and time was slow
How could you ever really love me so?
Why do you need to keep me below?
Oh please, oh please won't you let me go?
(c) Ingram Music LLC, All Rights Reserved
Commentary from Benjamin:
This is vintage Daniel. Ancient Greek myths. Mystical, image-evoking lyrics. The idea that one person's happiness can be another's sorrow. Classic Daniel.
Commentary from Daniel:
So I suppose this is vintage Me. All my songs are basically about the same thing - some kind of loss. In this case, I was writing the song and had the guitar part all down. I was messing around with keyboard sounds and stumbled across the one you hear throughout the song. The sound was called Endymion on the U-220. I had no idea what Endymion was so I looked it up. I found out that Endymion was a shepherd in ancient Greece. There are many different versions of the story but the basic one goes that Dianna the goddess of the Moon found Endymion so beautiful (far beyond any other mortal or immortal) that she put him to sleep for all eternity to preserve his beauty and allow her to gaze on it for all time. I found that to be just about the worst thing I could ever imagine and it reminded me of situations in regular life where one person in a relationship is 'in control' or 'has the upper hand'. People only control you if you allow them to have that control. I do that a lot.
La Femme Belle (7:19) (listen)
Music and lyrics by Daniel Lewis
Loneliness survives but tenderness can die
Love can be so fleeting and dead men tell no lies
It always seems to go like that
I don't even know why
But I'd have you in my life
For just as long as I could try
It can't go all the time
Some things could last forever
Fires can burn brightly from the embers of our lives
Re-kindled in a wind of momentary paradise
And when I find myself looking straight into your eyes
So many things I want to say, but so afraid to try
It can't be all the time
Some things should last forever
Just give me one more heartbeat
Time is never on my side
It steals away the moments and then we say goodbye
But like as not tomorrow the sun will surely rise
Revealing all the good and light and sadness and suprise
It can't be all the time
Some things can last forever
I once believed there was a love
A kind which never died
But then I came to know that it was only borrowed time
It always seems to go like that, I don't even know why
But I'd have you in my life
For just as long as you would like
It can't go all the time
Some things can last forever
(c) Ingram Music LLC, All Rights Reserved
Commentary from Benjamin:
Also vintage Daniel. Another universal theme: the transient nature of love. Comes from being a philosophy major, I think. I find it haunting and beautiful, and I studied physics.
Commentary from Daniel:
I never really thought of this song as haunting and beautiful. I don't know. I really just like the saxophone. And I always wanted to do a song that ended in a string section playing the same notes as the song - not too much unlike U2's 'All I Want Is You' off Rattle and Hum. So I did. And yes - the ending sax solo - I stole the horn riff from that Squeeze song 'Up the Junction'.
