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In Lieu of Essays

by Plumes

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1.
Harvard 01:58
lyrics
An excavator’s digging hand The foundation found on which they stand With a few who knew they stood on stone Come to find they are the kind on sand All your favorites from the neighborhood At a party that they never could Have gained admittance if it weren’t for The spy providing them the guided tour Half of us assuming room are greeted by a guarded door, oh no A drunken adolescent misdirected pisses on the floor, oh no And the truest trial yet When they kidnapped Juliet Some found the abduction quite a bore With the subjects of your conflict gone All the witnesses would party on Taking time for sharing their two cents On who to blame for when it all went wrong Exchanges by the snacks relaxed in relevance reveal contempt, oh no Cracks in his consistency reveal his is an ex exempt, oh no Try to picture her Fucking your best friend And tell us bout your next still friends attempt
2.
Bad Faith 02:57
lyrics
A felon made of any man who leaves a strange neck bruises You’re the man, the jury jeers, the evidence amuses Looks a baseball struck my arm, some consequence to reap Betrays its owners antics and the company he keeps Scott and Toby sang a few to occupy the air Loud enough our sounds weren’t emanating up the stairs Waterfalls of shitty whiskey landed in this cup Down direction satisfied now struggle for the up Hold on, Ally, where’d I go wrong? Enthusiasm, your orgasm, we got along, but then You make your offer; I’m not prepared Emasculated morning me regrets the affair, so I Pervert my memory; she weren’t so cool A bad faith face to save, ashamed, will poison the pool She weren’t so cool A bad faith face to save, ashamed, will poison the pool Been so long since I’d sunk my home state’s ship Roslyn’s song reasserts its ownership The other who you pointed to her status undermined That competition-killing-move a step in your design All was well; I couldn’t tell intentions were behind You couldn’t rest until your interests overlapped with mine The sofa hosted both of us private as we could find An expedited effort with a public plan in line Focus shaken, issue taken with the suction’s strength The lifespan of the branding longer than the badge’s length Hold on, Ally, where’d I go wrong? Enthusiasm, your orgasm, we got along, but then You make your offer; I’m not prepared Emasculated morning me regrets the affair, so I Pervert my memory; she weren’t so cool A bad faith face to save, ashamed, will poison the pool She weren’t so cool A bad faith face to save, ashamed, will poison the pool
3.
Radiant Blue Arm 03:19
lyrics
Would you believe my luck? I thought I'd see you here I can't help but suspect your quota's once a year You lead me on with that "what cheer?" I'll chew it up despite my fear You got your wingtip shoes Walking blues Elusive in the summer but you're leaving clues Should've thought, if caught, that's what you'd do Yesterday was warm; today is colder What happened to the nights when you would look over your shoulder? Left me dumb when I dared to be bolder So please let my transmission through and tell me what you want to do I threw a "Hail Mary," tried being frank Can't shoot you through the heart; you only loaded blanks I guess I've only got myself to thank Cause mine's not the first ship you sank Do what you want Debutante Don't let cynic's lyrics stop your nonchalance Cause many men have minds you've yet to haunt Yesterday was warm; today is colder What happened to the nights when you would look over your shoulder? Left me dumb, when I dared to be bolder I hope my growing doubt's not right, that you were full of shit that night April--Was it? --On the floor The only light streamed through the door Tiles cold came tiles warm But layers still concealed your core And they've been there all year But know you're here Should we run a second trial sometime near? We can't if mine's a voice you cannot hear Yesterday was warm; today is colder What happened to the nights when you would look over your shoulder? Left me dumb, when I dared to be bolder So don't say we should spend some time if waiting to's a waste of mine
4.
Sorry, Sam 03:20
lyrics
Do I dare take a seat next to That female human cross the room? A surge of courage dictates that I do Have we met? (No) Nice to meet you too Some morose movies have me feeling blue. Maybe we can fend off solitude We would thrive if we want us too Perhaps compatibility is manufactured by desire's drive It's taboo but we'll both make do Given requisite similarities, enough attraction, and proximity Are you there or is it just me? Hoping that convenience will not fail to churn out sexual release From then on we'll find what we need And I'll change myself, for who is she? And we'll go along even if we're wrong Impressions of each other miss the mark of our subjective selves Continue for some time, we'll shift the paradigm Do our best to bridge the gap between your you and mine Turned a bit and I saw her there Sitting but a few short feet away, too far to warrant a hello Did it show, that I saw her there? Beaming at a faceless blonde, fast running out of well-rehearsed canards Hit me hard but I turned back to A plate of food that suddenly had fallen down the list of my concerns What a turn when I saw her face And she walked away and I walked away Will I ever know by what names they go, The nature of the noises vibrating between their ogling eyes? Wherever did I lie? Would I be a spy To listen in or am I not at all contending with this guy?
5.
Curtain Falls 02:49
lyrics
I'd swear we were last two on earth each time I'm taken by those eyes Processor pause, it's a lost cause; that stare's effect I cannot hide Will we collide? Can I confide? I've kept some distance from your door I fear I'll want to want you more and find my void left unrestored Curtain falls; will my hand be in yours or the applause? Standing by to enter, has there been a proper cause? All the lines this protagonist has said so far have not Given clue as to where we will be next time the curtain draws It's true. It's likely, anyhow, that you already knew Cause I wear it on my face just what I think of you Oh, with a passing glance I will feel a flood of dopamine and hope I have a chance But what's more, I really have no clue if you'll reciprocate And although I have my hopes I won't initiate You're far too good to scare away If the little that I get of you is all I'll be okay So play on, I might be in the audience for now But if you want I'll take a minor role and stick around I would love to be cast for the second biggest bow No matter where I am when the curtain falls, you're the best thing that I've found Frustration hits and fatal doubt of ever us is gaining clout But with a look into your eyes, oh, the number of my faculties that you can compromise If at all, will my hand be in yours or the applause? No matter where I am when the curtain falls, you're the best thing that I've found
6.
Rm. 516 02:53
lyrics
Dear Mrs. Gately, can I tell you, lately, I’ve felt so alone Walls stand for separation, privacy, to make a home Isolation, though, a bedfellow of private space to own If this house were glass, despite admonishment, I’d throw a stone It’s unclear how long I’ve been here, fear it’s more than you’d condone Volunteering for a night shift spite a student’s daily drone 4 A.M.’s a bitter time to face how little one has grown Longer I’m entranced return’s hard hit further fractures the bone It’s a search but there’s proof of treasure there All the golden fingered voices linger as I sit and stare At a sign made by the seasoned reading “shovel-ers beware” For the finds are placed unevenly and access isn’t fair Dear Mrs. Gately, if you knew how spoiled I am with a view Cross the river, look upon the lights, the bright the dark accrues Others out there, maybe other clients, writing songs for you Quiet, waiting for their percolating absence to balloon It’s a search but there’s proof of treasure there All the golden fingered voices linger as I sit and stare At a sign made by the seasoned reading “shovel-ers beware” For the finds are placed unevenly and access isn’t fair I could hedge my bets and focus or continue digging down Hoping all the mounds of progress won’t condemn me to the ground Maybe for the thought of closeness: “It’s too late to turn around” Or I can’t see above the dirt displaced and luck must soon be found
7.
Mind Misfit 03:40
lyrics
Sunsets in the corner room and summers alone Hours too abundant lead to too many blown Unaware this solitude, too close to be shown Few among his species ever known Most who came before him planned on beyond their bones Most would never live among some millions unknown Most were never asked to build a life all their own Staunch ancient needs forgot by power grown How many others have this view of the sprawl? Everyone is here but I know no one at all Running out of spring, can I escape by the fall? Most of us quite anonymous ‘til the sure unsure call Tell me that it’s more than just a chemical scare Tell me that I’ve got an obligation to care Tell me cosmic unimportance puts it unfair Don’t name a value I just have to share I don't want to ignore it more I don't want to ignore Engage the questions, answer please, look me in the eye And tell me what this instinct is for How many others have this view of the sprawl? Everyone is here but I know no one at all Running out of spring, can I escape by the fall? Most of us quite anonymous ‘til the sure unsure call Once a likeness image, now a gift of the gears One amazing product of 14 billion years Lonely understanding it will all disappear But in awe of all they saw Lucky to perceive at all Hope to walk above the crawl In spite of their fear
8.
Beacon of Buswell 04:32
lyrics
Why’d you leave on your light Like the beacon of Buswell tonight? Sitting there in the frame You lean out and ask me my name And I hope it was all a charade Deeper interest you would not betray Cause that lie, from this side, meant to hide that I sing yours all day Two stories distance is all If I fail to scale, fatal the fall Two stories that could converge Yours and mine looking to merge But the traffic is heavy and slow While there’s no other place I would go I move back to my lane, still our parallel plane’s all we know As I recall the ball’s in your side of the court The courtship’s mast is split, no progress to report The hungry masses eagerly await your word Was hoping for one evening of your life absurd? A stick and carrot, was it fixed there by my hand? Preoccupation with a pleasant project planned If she were closer would despair sooner derail? Were she further stronger effort still would fail Will we ever look back Having timing and placement to thank? Will I pine for some time And move on once my memory’s blank? Friends laugh when I call out your name It’s a funny obsession to feign But it does underwrite, since that night, how my hope’s been sustained Now this privately public display Is a publicly private dismay Will I open my eyes and get wise to the way that she plays?
9.
Soren's Giant Dodos 04:54
lyrics
Hooray, I’m saving money on the turnstiles Today, exist for days in spaces same To see, that stream of light leaked from the outside A line, broke by the bolt’s span from the door into the frame Because the montage of their memories set to music A parade of passing outer history Makes the inner slow and sour, uneventful The climax comes but always atrophies Outbound and I’m alive Meet me down on platform three if you can make the 1:05 Providence Stoughton line Eight stops straight from Back Bay, stairs to climb, meet me State House side Portrayal, quick cuts forgo the navigation The time, pruned down to keep only the most familiar shape Because the minutes seem like hours on the inside And theirs will feel like ours on the outside June afternoon to nine tunes from the Rip Tide A southbound cruise for good news, Phenix, West Side Outbound and I’m alive Meet me down on platform three if you can make the 1:05 Providence Stoughton line Eight stops straight from Back Bay, stairs to climb, meet me State House side Don’t apologize, I got past the disguise No one will be wise, to the distance size Outbound and I’m alive Meet me down on platform three if you can make the 1:05 Providence Stoughton line Eight stops straight from Back Bay, stairs to climb, meet me State House side
10.
Willingly Marooned 08:23
lyrics
Pink hydrangeas in the rain Island shoreline makes Providence mundane Greener grasses, salty air Mainland worriers relax without a care Parents having fun, 1991, drunkenly she done a karaoke tune That was long ago, not forgotten though, breezy bungalows and mazes made of dunes And after 20 years have happened here we’re willingly marooned Bicycles on cobbled roads Crescent beaches meet and form a rocky node Narrow houses, withered sides Framing windows keeping watch over the tides Parents having fun, 1991, drunkenly she done a karaoke tune That was long ago, not forgotten though, breezy bungalows and mazes made of dunes And after 20 years have happened here we’re willingly marooned Warm and windy, Jim and Cindy, friends from college too Beating softly, sun is awfully nice in interludes

about

This album contains 8 of the first 15 songs in the Plumes catalogue, making this album our aggregate oldest material. Thus, this album is a precursor to our first releases.

A more chronological release of material was impossible for two reasons; our limited recording capability and band organization. Unlike others, these songs were always meant to be played by a band and only in this last year has ours gotten off the ground. So, as a first order of business, we worked to record our proper debut. We've gotten a lot of help, and we've had some luck, but the experience certainly didn't pass before we got the chance to put in a great deal of effort, learn a lot, and grow as a band. We're really excited to share it now that it has finally arrived.

A consequence of all this 3-4 year delay in release is that we have amassed a large backlog of songs. Some of those are in major keys, some in minor, some full band, some acoustic, some poppy, some songwriter style, some rock n' roll, etc. Looking at that crowd of material has actually been greatly focusing and clarifying; we have been able to sonically organize our material into groups of a cohesion that would be totally lost in chronological groupings. (Willingly Marooned and Harvard, for instance, were later additions.) This album has grown with time, in part because we have refined the songs individually, but also because the album is greater than the sum of its parts, and we waited long enough to have the right parts. As we release more albums, and you hear the old songs that weren't included here, we hope you'll hear that too.

credits

released September 19, 2018

Music by Plumes
Bass and Words by John
Guitar and Harmonies by Tim
Drums and Harmonies by Ben


Produced and Engineered by Fred Kelly
Recorded at the Harvard student center studio and Fred's home studio
Mixed by Josef Thorsen
Mastered by Jake Furgason
Additional Mixing by Tim and John
Album artwork by Sophia Richardson


Special thanks to Erin Trousdale, Julie Joyce, Aidan Connell, Caroline Fortin, Kyle Brassil, Zachary Torres, Taire McCobb, Melina & Savanna Illinger, and Leo Blais for their artwork, Alasdair McKenzie and Kobe Yank-Jacobs for their mixing advice, Aaron Yang, George Woods, Prateek Poddar, and everyone in the Boston scene who has helped us get our start, Rick and Cheryl Long, Ed Green and Nancy Green, Jim and Cindy Thorsen, Biz and Lee, Margie and Yao, Fred and Alicia Kelly for their support, all our Floor 2 friends for their feedback and listenership, and our friends James, Zach, Cullen, Kimmy and especially Katie for their patience in proximity to practice.

- Plumes


Finally, an apology offered to all my professors whose classes I underperformed in, missed, skipped, slept through, hid from, didn’t finish, dropped or failed: This is what I was up to.

- John

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Plumes Boston, Massachusetts

Plumes is Ben Long (on the drums!) Tim Green and John Thorsen. Music- listening to it, learning to play it, writing more of it- has been one of few things we've taken really seriously for the last 7 years. These songs grew through many late nights and missed appointments. Our songs are all really about something. It's sincere and sometimes naked. Hope you like it ... more

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