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Crooked House

by Dachshund

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1.
Landlocked State 04:28
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LANDLOCKED STATE Never a choice provided Straight were the stalks where crooked I grew Taught of the evils of my way... Sharp like a birdcall Sweet is the ache I sink below A river of stones I hide away... Becomes a lake... Please tell me how I'll make it out though beaten and I'm broken My long escape This landlocked state can't hold me in -- I flood my banks! Secrets, they move so swiftly Over these undulating hills Just like the whispers of the leaves Fences of barbed-wire Crossing my heart lay claim to the land Leaving no country free to roam... You take my home... Please tell me how I'll make it out though beaten and I'm broken My long escape This landlocked state can't hold me in -- I flood my banks!
2.
The Wedding Guest 04:46
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THE WEDDING GUEST Come one-by-one, in ribbons they're paired and bound leaving the cynic tied to his time in solitary Each lonely night whispering: You're not as young as you been... Each season's invitations arrive in envelopes of white with a script so nice and nearly illegible and so it comes to haunt me again this piece I know I'm missing... In black-and-white I stand These confining colors never could be mine, rigid their design. Expectation's friend, love be in your favor and may it long be true when you say I do / I do... Come two-by-two, they're marching in common time held forth before the altar of pride and ceremony Already pictures unfold... Some life that I'll never know... In black-and-white I stand These confining colors never could be mine, rigid their design. Expectation's friend, love be in your favor and may it long be true when you say I do / I do...
3.
We Fall 03:16
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WE FALL Stealing all the gold from the sun leaving only the red-orange Wasting once again the entire day face emoting rent apathy Happily we fall to our doom below and no one would care even if we're told-- It's hard to cope with an ordinary day traffic, job, and wife get to me all I want is to blow away my mind If I don't have to think, I'll be fine. Happily we fall to our doom below And no one would care even if we're told, "You listen to much to the TV and radio" We're too drunk and stoned, stuck in our excuses.
4.
Only In My Dreams 03:39
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ONLY IN MY DREAMS Flowers turn their heads when you walk by Worlds spin around you in the sky Time is a precious luxury Why not share a little bit with me? All of the hours I've spent running around So many fishes in the sea Where can I find you when the sun has gone down? Only in my-- Dreams they desert me with the dawn Stumbling through the day lonely and long Until I see you in that space in the light A smile could bring me to my knees I know to hold you could only be right, 'cuz you, you're in my-- You're in my dreams You're in my dreams Giving yourself away! Giving yourself away! Days, gone! Weeks, gone! You You're In my--
5.
Gary 05:23
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GARY In a tangle of unstrung plans you tumble out of the blue with bitter words and an empty hand Heaven smiles on all but you. All your guns are arranged, ah but who are you fighting? You take the street stumbling kissing the ground you want it all or nothing until you get loaded and shoot yourself down throwing your stones at houses of friends willing the world to come crashing in! She left you for your closest friend Don't you know, they're all the same? Give you something you start believing in, leave you standing like a... a dog in the rain. All those heartless things she said, you just turn them 'round now into curses that you spit anywhere you fall You hit the ground spinning cast to the air awaiting arms to catch you and that's when you find out there's nobody there What good is love, then, so painfully lost? You count it as worthless, but Gary, it's not. Fall down And get up again, oh! You ask too much! You kill me! You take it too far! You wanna know what I think? You best start learning to live with yourself. 'Cuz the fight's never over though battles be fought, And morning comes sober, ready... Or not.
6.
Vices 02:37
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VICES I may sit quiet quietly here but that doesn't mean I know not what you do over there. I let my thoughts go wander through the shadows where the imps and the demons play where your poisons are grown and made. You will see what you see and believe what you must How you react about today will determine your destiny. Slyly, silently we slip around so secretly wily and conniving We'll poison and distort everything The promises you may have made, we'll take their importance away We poison minds and destroy weak lives We are the liars. You will see what you see and believe what you must How you react about today will determine your destiny.
7.
Stain 03:36
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STAIN Let the rain wash away the iron stain of DNA laid so neatly beneath our feet. Mouths gape open at the sky Tears flow free from glazed-over eyes Tread lightly, my dreams died there. Every moment I shrink a little more wash it all away the erosion of the core. time disintegrates, the wind blows the rest away from that little place where it all died that day. Capitulation no heart will find, the terms now given from the mind: Cease all beating, no love will grow there. The shadow's shape keeps taunting me remnants of hope that used to be imprisoned in there are broken pieces of me. Every moment I shrink a little more wash it all away the erosion of the core time disintegrates the wind blows the rest away from that little place where it all died that day.
8.
Flowers Bloom 03:40
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FLOWERS BLOOM Follow tomorrow into the dust Reach for dreams of impossible, we must. The flowers bloom the flowers bloom but you’ll never see but you’ll never see. The moon shines, the moon has shone, but you’ll never see but you’ll never see. Tomorrow still reaching more time has disappeared Work harder move faster clock’s ticking; dusk is near. The flowers bloom the flowers bloom but you’ll never see but you’ll never see. The moon shines, the moon has shone, but you’ll never see but you’ll never see.
9.
Ichabod 01:59
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ICHABOD Creeping crawling silent stalking in these darkening woods they’re calling peering eyes are prying poking waiting for when there’s an opening I’ve too many enemies no way of knowing when it’s coming shifting swaying pause for listening feel them moving I’ve got nothing. It comes for me I’m paralyzed. It comes for me I’m paralyzed. Making deals in faintest whispers protecting me, the Devil’s worst creatures when they come to take the bounty one soul gone, this choice will haunt me. It comes for me I’m paralyzed. It comes for me I’m paralyzed. It comes for me! It comes for me!
10.
The Bird & The Lemming 02:40
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THE BIRD & THE LEMMING B: I will lead you L: And I will follow L: Don’t fly away! B: Just keep me in sight. B: I promise you heaven. L: Is all of it for me? B: No, you can bring your friends along. Both: Just wait until they see! B: It’s not much further. L: I’ve gathered my friends. B: Try and keep up! L: I can’t wait, my friend! B: Here comes your heaven! L: It looks just like the sea! B: So go ahead and dive in… L: Will it set us free? / B: Let it set you free!
11.
Vigilance 04:11
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VIGILANCE Sleep well, my child let your dreams flow naturally We listen at night We watch your everything. I hear your prayers I know your fears I soak up your tears I sit with you through the nightmares. My network is vast Spanning where the shadows rest In the trenches of night I pluck your dreams from there mid-flight And I’ll be there, one step behind in your shadows. And I’ll be there, whispering to you, reaching for your soul… your soul… I’m so near you now I can hear your breath coming out in fluttering whispers gently crossing the lips of your mouth My network is vast Spanning where the shadows rest In the trenches of night I pluck your dreams from there mid-flight And I’ll be there, one step behind in your shadows. And I’ll be there, whispering to you, reaching for your soul… your soul…
12.
Long History 03:42
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LONG HISTORY Time until you're laid to rest Holding out, another knows best So afraid / "I'll be over, oh, if I try." Fall asleep, kiss another goodbye. You got a long history of being what you are Don't have to wonder why Ain't no river there to cry Every word you sing it's the same old song and it rings so true 'cuz it's what you are. All the people down in Hell watch you tend your prison cell Eye the key -- is it all of your own design? Weight of the world, or the weight of your mind? You got a long history of being what you are Walk any way you want you'll never be what you are not. Wear the velvet chic, or the feathered tar, it's gonna show right through 'cuz it's what you are. You got a long history of being what you are Don't have to wonder why Ain't no river there to cry Every word you sing it's the same old song So better get that clue and give 'em what you are.
13.
Factory 09:38
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FACTORY since I was born an assembly line Mother Machine beenafriendofmine those other girls theyremadealright but I got needs yeah to satisfy sa tis fy Factory-direct! Anatomically-correct! I've heard all about your love now now Don't let me down! I live in a factory! The forces of demand ain't hard to understand when you're the supply I need yeah yeah I'm putting the pieces together Don't let me down no no don't let me down don't let me down oh please no no no no no no no no no the way she moves like mercury precision - tuned she comes to me electric arcs inside my dream here in my bed beneathahummingmachine i call her i call her down (laahooooooh) Factory-direct! Anatomically-correct! I've heard all about your love now now Don't let me down! I live in a factory! The forces of demand ain't hard to understand when you're the supply I need yeah yeah I'm putting the pieces together Don't let me down no no don't let me--

about

For our 2016 sophomore album, we decided to explore territory that’s a bit more personal than that of our debut, 2011’s “The Ballad of Shorty Long.” The result is like a heart wrapped in barbed-wire, equally tough and tender. To some, this album is likely to read as a departure — and yet, many of these songs have been with us since the early days of the band. We prefer to think of “Crooked House” as a reveal of sorts, showcasing an introspective side we weren’t able to capture on our debut.

Each of the 13 tracks on “Crooked House” was refined through live-performance over the course of a couple of years, with a lineup featuring founding members Eric Hartley (guitar/vox), Ryan Dannar (guitar/vox), and Andy Jenson (bass), as well as newcomer Adam Karleskint on drums.

The time we invested in gigging with these songs resulted in some sturdy arrangements, as well as a palpable group-chemistry when we played them. We recorded “Crooked House” in a way which attempts to duplicate that live vibe, and to respect the simple power of the live arrangements — with just a bit of mixdown-magic used to heighten the overall experience.

credits

released March 10, 2016

Eric Hartley: Guitars and Vocals
Ryan "Mazus" Dannar: Guitars, Vocals, Keys
Andy Jenson: Bass Guitar
Adam Karleskint: Drums

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Dachshund Tulsa, Oklahoma

Dachshund is a progressively-minded rock band hailing from Oklahoma, the gothic-conservative heart of the midwest. We smuggle art-rock ideas into pop-songs, delighting in subtle subversions of the mainstream.

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