If Primea was a Playlist

2nd place winner of Yishan Wong's 2021 Solarpunk Art Contest! 🎉
medium.com/@yishan/solarpunk-art-contest-2021-winners-d935df357c84

Lyrics:

A city in ruin
But only for the blink of an eye
A pitiful tune
But only for a moment in time
In the long run

We came back to these old streets
When the barriers had all gotten
Buried at sea
And when these buildings all
Turned green
We agreed
It’s better than it used to be

How long has it been
Since we last felt fear of the sun and the wind
And how long will it be till we feel
The Metropolis of Eden we live in is real?

A city in bloom
A city with that adapts to survive
A little more room
For underdogs and misfits to thrive

In the rooftop gardens
The Purple Finches are pecking out the eyes
Of the wild yellow sunflowers
Smiling at vanilla skies
And you and I are finally free
To do the things we like
Be it making art or making out
And stargazing every night, and oh
How sweet would it be
If an Eastern Phoebe nested
On the balcony, and oh
How sweet to begin
Seeing life as a gift,
Not a contest to win

We came back to these old streets
When the barriers had all gotten
Buried at sea
And when these buildings all
Turned green
We agreed
It’s better than it used to be

How long has it been
Since we last felt fear of the sun and the wind
And how long will it be till we feel
The Metropolis of Eden we live in is real?

How long has it been
Since we last felt fear of the sun and the wind
And how long will it be till we feel
The Metropolis of Eden we live in is real?

A city in bloom
(We can do the things we like)
A city in bloom
(We can do the things we like)
A city in bloom
(We can do the things we like)
A city in bloom
credits
releases December 24, 2021
Music & lyrics by Stephan Nance
Arrangement by Stephan Nance

Piano/vocals/synths - Stephan Nance
Percussion - Mathias Kunzli

Mixing & mastering by Thaddeus Moore, Liquid Mixing & Mastering

Recorded in Portland and Los Angeles

Artwork by Leif Holt
Graphic design by Chad Lowe

Metropolis of Eden

Ta-da!
Today
The headache finally goes away
The headache finally goes
Ta-da!
Today
I feel the harmony between
My heart and body and my brain
Everything will be okay

And if you ask what bird I want to be
I'll say a blue jay
If you ask what time I want to leave
I'll change the conversation
If you lean in close and kiss me
I won't mind
I’ll probably respond in kind

Ta-da!
Today
I find the energy to play
I find the energy
Ta-da!
Today
I hear a friendly melody
In every enemy refrain
Everything will be okay
Everything will be okay

Ta-da!
Today
I see the light across the bay
Ta-da!
Today
A sudden symphony
is somewhere out there trumpeting my name
Everything will be okay

And if you ask what bird I want to be
I'll say a blue jay
If you ask what time I want to leave
I'll change the conversation
If you lean in close and kiss me
I won't mind
I’ll probably respond in kind
I’ll probably respond in kind
I’ll probably respond in kind
I’ll probably respond in kind.


credits

released January 7, 2022
Music & lyrics by Stephan Nance
Arrangement by Stephan Nance

Piano/vocals - Stephan Nance
Percussion - Mathias Kunzli
Electric bass - Jeni Magana
Trumpet - Jackie Coleman

Mixing & mastering by Thaddeus Moore, Liquid Mixing & Mastering

Recorded in Portland, Los Angeles, and New York

Artwork by Rebecca DeMoss
Graphic design by Chad Lowe

Blue Jay

I am living in the eye of the storm
Winded and unwound
Down on the floor
Trying to find the door
Trying to find the door
Trying to find the door

I can’t see for all the dust in the air
Could wave it away
But I wouldn’t dare
Some of it might be you
Some of it might be you
Some of it might be you

Every day and every night
You were the
Soundtrack of my life
And now it’s all a
Silent film
Every cloudy afternoon
Your voice rang out and
Lit the room
But now it’s always
Dark and
Oh so quiet

I don’t even know where to begin
I don’t even know where to begin
Sometimes the days were long
Sometimes the days were long
Sometimes the days were long
But the years were so short

I am living in the shell of a home
Never dreamed I’d feel so
Sad and alone again
Didn’t we have more time?
I thought we had more time.
Couldn’t we have more time?

Every day and every night
You were the
Soundtrack of my life
And now it’s all a
Silent film
Every cloudy afternoon
Your voice rang out and
Lit the room
But now it’s always
Dark and
Oh so quiet

I don’t even know where to begin
I don’t even know where to begin
Trying to find the door
Trying to find the door
Trying to find the door

Silent Film

Played by The Crane Wives...
Kate Pillsbury - Emilee Petersmark - Ben Zito - Dan Rickabus

featuring their friends…
Steven Leaf - Savannah Buist - Katie Larson - Seth Bernard
Justin Dore - Ian Gorman - Michael Dause

Produced by The Crane Wives & Ian Gorman
Mixed by Ian Gorman
Engineered by Ian Gorman & Ben Zito
Recorded at La Luna Recording & Sound in Kalamazoo, Michigan
Mastered by Glenn Brown at GBP Studios in Lansing Michigan

Artwork by Rebecca Green

Thank you ~ our loving families, Ian & Rachel Gorman, Edith the Kitty, Carmen & Javier Vargas of Mi Pueblo in Kalamazoo, Rebecca Green, Joey Schultz of Chickenbach, The Accidentals, Seth Bernard & May Erlewine Bernard, Steve Leaf & the Ex Pats, Sean & Sarah Lamborne, Arlo Lamborne, Tyler Rehm, 88.1 WYCE, Matt Jarrells, John Sinkevics at Local Spins, Amber Buist, Josh Gibson, Bill Chesney, Lindsay Lou & the Flatbellys, The Appleseed Collective, Kris Kessel, Marianne Fisher, Leah Pillsbury

Special thanks to our PledgeMusic campaign donors. We would not exist without our fans! We are so grateful.

Metaphor

Rockslide

Hard Sell

Unraveling

Allies Or Enemies

The Moon Will Sing

Envy

Disembodied Mind

Disembodied Mind (Remix)

jar of sand captures a moment in a bottle, traveling across the waves, all the way to you... reminiscent and rare, this dreamy pop gem pulls you out of the suburbs, into the town square, and leaves you with a summer romance for the ages.

jar of sand

November

Sparkbird

I Am Not a Stranger Here

Varied Thrush

Rainbow Connection

Keep You Safe

http://stephannance.bandcamp.com/
Music and lyrics by Stephan Nance
Stephan Nance - piano, vocals
Tim McLaughlin - bass, guitar
Merlin Showalter - drums, percussion

Mixing and mastering by Matt Greco, MGRECORDS

Lyrics:

Santa filled my stocking up with dust
And my breakfast bowl with
Nothing but a big chunk of pudding crust
Scraped from the bottom of Rudolph's trough
Most off-putting, gag-inducing,
Oozing with a glowing red goo

That's not to say it's not okay to be a reindeer
Just the snot gets in the way of an already paltry meal
Reindeer themselves most elves feel to be our allies
Though there are those who fail to see
(Their sight obscured by bigotry)
Through the lens of intersectionality
The similarity between their and our captivity.

Well, I for one have had enough
of these power dynamics
I'm gonna cut in line to see Santa,
shut him up and give him a piece of my mind,
Tell him: who do you
think you are?
who do you think I am?
I'm not some ceramic garden gnome
I'm a living, breathing elf, man!
Man, oh,

Jingle bells
Jingle bells
Jingle your own damn bells, damn bells
Jingle your own bells
Tinker away at your toys
And fly your sleigh
Without exploiting the reindeer
and elves
and elves
and elves

Old Saint Nicholas stuffs his ruddy face
with jumbo gelatin-laced marshmallows as big as mugs
And he chugs gallons of hot cocoa from gigantic jugs
And he makes a crude analogy
to Mrs Claus's anatomy;
How she puts up with his misogyny and stays kindly
is a mystery to me!

She's an inspiration to us all
Whenever Santa's at the mall
Our labor shifts from free to fair
She pays us out our proper share
She has her hubby's chefs prepare
A wholesome feast of vegan fare
And over cupcakes we compare notes
As we plan the revolution

Nutmeg and Holly volunteer
to lead the popcorn ball volley
Hopscotch and Foxtrot and their teams
load up their slingshots
with royal riviera pears
And pairs of reindeer
line the entryway

When Santa barrels through the door
in the morning,
caterwauling carols
reeking of the sauce and apple fritters
his weakened cognitive and motor skills
leave him at a loss
at the sight of
fruit in flight,
confections being tossed—
in a moment,
he is falling, then
caught by reindeer
in midair
wrapped up
in tinsel
propped up
in his chair

Then the littlest elf hops up on his lap
and presents a big bright bow
and we're all silent
as they stare at one another—
time stands still...
until...
the littlest elf
slaps the bow on Santa's mouth and says

We've all had enough
of these power dynamics
Tired of waiting in line!
It's our turn to speak our minds:
Who do you
think you are
to treat us like you do?
We're not claymation figures
We're alive
and every bit as good as you!

[Jingle bells...]

Reindeer with noses of color
Shouldn't have to work harder than all the others
Sleigh-guiding leaves them stressed
Get some LEDs and a GPS

Gender non-conforming elves
shouldn't be ghettoized and made to work outside
in the harsh conditions in groundskeeper positions
that you made up because you couldn't decide
which assembly line to assign:
girls' tea party sets or boys' fighter jets?

(It's time you)
Move beyond the binary
Integrate your factory—
You'll find greater diversity
makes for greater harmony.

And you have the ability
to pay everybody equitably
and offer benefits
that extend to our families.

Then Mrs Claus says, "Nick,
we all deserve respect
you can learn to show it to us if you try
If you don't recognize their union
you can kiss yours and mine goodbye.

"Jingle bells
Jingle bells
Jingle your own damn bells, damn bells
Jingle your own bells
Tinker away at your toys
And fly your sleigh
Without your wife
and the reindeer
and elves
and elves
and elves!"

Nick acquiesced to our requests
Then in a week or so he resigned
and moved out to the guest house
And in his absence, we've been
more productive somehow...
Maybe it's because
Mrs Claus is Santa now!

Jingle bells...

Stephan Nance — Song for Santa (Jingle Your Own Damn Bells!)

Wake up and look out the window
Half the yard is burning and
The other half is covered in snow

Is it Arbor Day?
Is it Boxing Day?
I’m sure today must be a
Minor holiday

Season’s grievings to us, one and all
Once we get the hang of it
We’ll forget to get upset

Bearing each unsettling new pall
So adaptable
We’re so adaptable

So adaptable
We’re so adaptable
As the world is ending
We can keep pretending

That none of this will matter in an hour
First we lose the polar bears
Now we lose the flowers

Not a summer’s day
Not a winter’s day
Not a summer’s day
Not a winter’s day
Shall I compare thee to
The Judgment Day?

Is it All Saints’ Day?
Is it All Souls’ Day?
Is it All Fools’ Day?
Is it All Saints’ Day?
Is It All Souls’ Day?
Is it All Fools’ Day?

Is it Arbor Day?
Is it Boxing Day?
I’m sure today must be a
Minor holiday

And the world is ending
And we keep pretending
That none of this will matter in an hour

---

Music & lyrics by Stephan Nance
Arrangement by Stephan Nance

Piano/vocals - Stephan Nance
Percussion - Mathias Kunzli
Strings - Yoed Nir
Upright bass - Jeni Magana
Backing vocals - Greta Gertler
Clarinet - Lisa Parrott

Mixing & mastering by Thaddeus Moore, Liquid Mixing & Mastering

Recorded in Portland, Los Angeles, New York, and Sydney, Australia!

Minor Holiday

I listen to far too much music and just found out soundcloud has 100x better sound quality than spotify and im basically feral over it.

If Primea was a Playlist

Kilanova