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Skywritten Memory

by Nectarine

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1.
01 Snowbirds 02:43
of all the things I've walked into a hole in the fence and a hidden room I never took a thing I just looked at their lives look at what I've walked into the snowbirds came home much too soon I never caught their eyes hidden in plain sight I can breathe again no one saw my feet hit the ground angels rushed in, so did fools the russian doll died in its womb (gunshot wound) I never took a thing I just looked at their lives
2.
Did you feel me watching you stand there? You turned around, I saw your eyes. I know by now you won't remember me. I think you see me as another guy. The cashier's talking so you turn away. There's a price for it. And you'll have to pay. And as I leave you're walking right towards me. Your're walking right through me... and then you're gone. You're the ghost I see But you don't see me. Did you feel me watching you stand there? You turned around, I saw your eyes. An orphan looks for someone everywhere. An orphan is a thousand mile stare. You're the ghost I see But you don't see me.
3.
you were running towards me and fading away as my family drove a few states away it's the life I knew, it's just passing through the annual tearing out by the roots i follow the thread of a memory of a melody the friend in the dream whose name hangs in the air insists that it's there but you can't get it back. you vagabond you battered running shoe love comes in shades of blue. when you make a wish you close your eyes here in the real world you improvise what's the street price for a beat up soul? the shadow of your song seems to know. i follow the thread of a memory of a melody the friend in the dream whose name hangs in the air insists that it's there but you can't get it back. you're a gordian knot to undo love comes in shades of blue
4.
Slivered moon Slides into view as I drive to you These dappled chords Sway in the breeze like rippling leaves All the weight of the day I feel it drifting away And the ceiling of sky Disappears for the night Accompanied I trace the shape of a melody Perched on lines The birds look like music against the sky And the song played on As the miles flew by And the slivered moon Followed me in the sky Night flight Half remembered in the daylight The gravity and broken wings Once I Dreamed that I was flying through space And woke up thrashing in a cage Slivered Moon Slides into this room conjures a quiet mood Here with you I listen to the silence shared by two When I was alone My nights were sleepless 'til dawn This fading prison cell Was self-made all along
5.
He was a member of a secret society, "The League Of Compulsory Win". She made her fortune by patenting vanity Her "Permanent Botox Grin". They were soon a cactus and a balloon. And everyone knew what it meant. They're just a pair of heart-shaped magnets, Constantly flipping polarities. They were like an earthquake that kept on aching And everyone knew what it meant. You probably think that this time you'll get your way. You'll summon the devil and then you'll tell him to behave. You probably think that it's under your control (uh-oh uh-oh) Money talks to you. It's just that it doesn't tell the truth Money talks to you. They'll iron out your wrinkled brain They'll spin and rinse yesterday's stain. Impress imaginary friends. He was a human collector who pinned her wings Into a shadowbox world. With more past than future. Money talks to you. It's just that it doesn't tell the truth Money talks to you. They'll iron out your wrinkled brain They'll spin and rinse yesterday's stain. Impress imaginary friends.
6.
Counter Clockwise Counter Clockwise Where have you been Tom? Things got rough... you disappeared. It was a long Fall into Winter And Mary doesn't need you here Counter Clockwise Counter Clockwise You? You think you're telling me something I don't know? I wasn't given a choice I had to go And by the time I'd cleared my head I found that Mary was the one thing that never left. Counter Clockwise Counter Clockwise And Mary standing unnoticed by the door said How can I be sure anymore? So is there anything else? She sighed There's a whole universe, Tom replied.
7.
Rain sprayed the lane washed away The sound that we found yesterday You glow a stained glass soul I am the rain on your window Why cries the night into blame play the opposite game so breathing body and soul I am the rain on your window It's just a little salt water some gets spilled now and then that's just the taste in your kiss that's your skin too thin So here we go stained glass soul I am the rain on your window Cloak as the day turns cold You glow from the memories you hold You glow as a stained glass soul I am the rain on your window
8.
You're fine, you're sublime, you're lit from the inside Let's take it outside, yeah, let's go for a ride Let's let the sun and our skin coincide I know a great place by the riverside Listen to me Miss Creme de la Creme It's our lives and ours alone to reclaim Come outside and just forget your name I want to take your spark and make it a flame You feel the impulse this is such an easy sell A million reasons why you shouldn't do it yourself Please let me be your latest infidel. The great escape by way of laughing stairwell Listen to me Miss Creme de la Creme Come outside and just forget your name If you've ever complained that it stays the same I want to take you spark and make it a flame If you come with me we'll be there by night We've got a little time before things ignite A few loose ends it's not completely airtight A power outage before those things come to light Once last glance at the city from your glass hive One last sweep of the room for the rest of your life You're fine, you're sublime, you're lit from the inside Let's be alive
9.
Cassandra It's ten minutes to show time Are you alright? 'Cause we have to go through with it The greasepaint smile And the costume fit. When the storm ends Those words hanging in the air When the storm ends The rain still is falling from the trees down there You know it'll be effortless The props, applause and the spotlight We'll put on these last few shows We'll give them something they've never seen anything like It's only for a few more nights When the storm ends Those words hanging in the air When the storm ends Rain still is falling from the trees down there Daddy's girl Daddy's hope He smiles in time to save the scene Daddy's girl Daddy's home Home is a receding horizon on the road Cassandra We can't wait any longer Listen Your mother loved you so much When the storm ends Those words hanging in the air When the storm ends Rain still falling from the trees down there
10.
just me and my dog being nonchalant. and there's god turning up the volume of the dawn there's reason to believe my dog's got it all figured out I'm surprised to find I've tied myself in knots my dog is just who she is that's all the two of us at daybreak and I'm the one untying knots all it takes is being my dog. just me and my dog head on my knee she wags her full body my dog she doesn't get 9 lives one is enough if you run through it right. the two of us at daybreak and I'm the one untying knots all it takes is being my dog.
11.
A minor third of trains in the night The outside world, the inside of her smile With winter crawling through the seams He stokes the fire 'til it glows with heat. Shivering girl wrapped in wool blankets A broken jewel without complaining. Midnight running through the woods And breaking into a cabin's solitude and so He'll protect her from any more of their abuse In the blink of a bruised eye two lives uprooted. This is illegal, but it's the right thing to do He'll take the heat because he doesn't confuse the two and so Until the sirens slice the silence The boy with no money and his runaway bride.
12.
You didn't think I saw... You didn't think I saw your sleight of hand... You stacked the deck... and smiled your little smile. You didn't think I saw... You didn't think I saw your sleight of hand... I'm not gonna buy what you're selling. Rear view mirror drowning wave You turn away for another game. "It's all relative"... when it's not your heart that breaks. You didn't think I saw... You didn't think I saw your sleight of hand... You stacked the deck You shaved the dice It's all a game of shells... you smiled that smile. Did you guess who's calling out as you're turning the volume down? It's the one you were before... the one that you grew into... The one you shut out. You didn't think I saw... You didn't think I saw your sleight of hand... We'll play this game... you and I can't face... what we became... or that we're the same.
13.
Do you love me? It's ok if you don't Some of you will, Some of you won't I dream a scene so mystical Lovers float in a Chagall Just before sunrise Those watercolor skies The painters smile Now and then a hidden light that has no end Can break through and shine the inside Of the most broken life The peace of your sleeping face The curve and the trace The brushes and the paint and all that you are... That drew me to this place Do you love me? It's ok if you don't Some of you will, Some of you won't
14.
Going through the vinyl section Looking for a hidden gem. What's the name of that song you played me? With the autumn colored trumpet? The way the light's reflecting in the groove. The way the rhythm's making everything in the room move. Just consider this a love song for a record store. Let the needle drop on the third track. The hooks get in you and there's no going back. I don't believe in magic. But there it is in music. Round spinning round spinning rounder Sound spilling sound spilling outward. Love song for a record store. Love song for a record store.
15.
You're hard to find, but not hard enough. She thinks it's time you joined the family. It takes pressure for a diamond ring. Temporary bandage on a permanent wound. You can't control everything. Bridgetown Blue. It takes pressure for a diamond ring. Ivy League meet Sicily. You knocked up a very wrong teen. That's just the way it is until it isn't anymore.

about

"My first play of this CD was sitting in the dark on a very cold evening watching snowflakes fall under a lone streetlight and opener "Snowbirds" certainly changed the mood sounding like a forgotten Crowded House tune, both ornate and catchy. Classic Bread, the sophisticated sounds of Prefab Sprout, The Blue Nile as well as the pop smarts of Jellyfish are colorfully brushed across Nectarine's sundappled musical palette and it's a winning mix with expertly crafted songwriting and uplifting, at times haunting melodies that lingers long after the disc stops spinning. Ellis and Eaton both share lead vocal duties and harmonize beautifully often recalling 60's pop masters The Association and while it's hard to pick a favorite cut with so much quality on display, the XTC meets Jellyfish pastiche of "Summon The Devil" sure hits the spot".
Eric Abrahamsen - Glory Daze

"From the first notes to the last haunting refrain, listening to Nectarine is like putting on your favorite coat and nestling in for the winter. Evocative acoustic guitars and pristine songwriting combine to generate an emotional response missing in so much of today's music. Fans of XTC and Jellyfish will find a new favorite band, and hopefully this is the first album of many from this exceedingly tasty duo."
-Steve Turnidge, Mastering engineer at Ultraviolet Studios and author of "Desktop Mastering" and "Beyond Mastering"

"It's not too often these days that you can listen to an album and immediately recognize that a specific group has got "that certain something.” In an era when too many rock bands have assumed the “we have limited talent, so we’ll use computer enhancements” formula, it’s great to hear a band that produces sincere songs with the fervor - and yes, the skill - that we’ve been missing in much of the Power Pop of today. Skywritten Memory will take you back to the great songwriting and airy, atmospheric sounds of such notable singer-songwriters as Paddy McAloon and Prefab Sprout, and Crowded House. You will definitely hear influences from the past in Nectarine’s music. But make no mistake, this band is certainly a refreshing, unique pleasure to the ears. Once you start listening to Skywritten Memory you won’t want to stop."
-Raina LeGarreta The Elk Grove Citizen Newspaper, and Souls & Sounds Productions

"Nectarine's 'Skywritten Melody' is an exquisite collection of songs, each one beautiful. They flow into each other, and the lyrics are so haunting and poignant, they evoke involuntary memories. Paul Ellis has captured moments in his songs that we can all relate to, and this album has become my favorite."
-Patti Johnson

"Excellent album. The whole thing works. I love the shift to the jazzy chords, the terrific vocals, chord progression, the lyrics are smart, sly and off-center but hit the mark which is what I love about your tunes. You really know how to craft an economical song time-wise like in the 60's. There is an art to that. I am a big fan of your work and am amazed what gems your songs are. You have a real gift with observation. That's what I find compelling about your work."
-Tom James

These dappled chords, sway in the breeze like rippling leaves.
My taste in music spans most forms of popular music and many genres outside of the popular music spectrum. Shades of Baroque and Orchestral Pop with traces of Jazz and 70's singer-songwriter and soft rock make this a perfect companion piece to a Sunday morning comedown. The lyrics are literate yet accessible with narratives that are quite diverse and unconventional for music that, on the surface, might sound like easy listening, but these aren't silly love songs! At 15 songs and 43 minutes, the album does not overstay its welcome. Even if its easy going nature does not grab hold right away, it is the type of album that is layered well enough that it reveals its charms with repeated listens. It's definitely a grower.
The first cut was pleasant enough, but it was the second track "You're the Ghost" that really pulled me in. The song waltzes along with a vocal that is almost otherworldly and yet, inviting with soft guitars, light percussion and strings that transport you into another dimension. Lush harmonies carry you along for the ride. Another highlight from the record is the majestic and jazzy "Slivered Moon." "Summon the Devi" bounces along with swinging piano and tasty guitar licks. "Let's Be Alive." glides along with pleasant harmonies and a melody that sticks in your head. Many of these songs remind me of early 70's-America and "Odyssey and Oracle"-era- Zombies. "The Painter's Smile" is a sad lament that could bring a tear to your eye. "Love Song For A Record Store" is about a beloved record store that any record collector and music lover, who has ever spent hours digging through vinyl, could appreciate.
This record has an ethereal and haunting quality at times and many of the songs are easily suited for a cloudy, chilly autumn day. My suggestion is to pour yourself a cup of coffee and put the headphones on and allow yourself the opportunity to explore the world through the eyes of this unique duo known as Nectarine.
-Jon Williams

credits

released October 12, 2013

All songs written by Paul Ellis
Vocals by Terry Eaton except for tracks 4, 7, 11, 13

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Nectarine Portland, Oregon

Click the album cover to hear the songs. Clean acoustic recordings with atmospheric production. Miniature Pop Nouveau slice of life songs that reward repeated listens in both the music and lyrics. Inspired by the Baroque Pop and Chamber Pop counterpoint, textural and harmonic flows of the 60's styles to Acoustic Singer Songwriter song forms and Art Rock textural production techniques from the 70 ... more

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