Here's the first single from the Penelope's Thrill second album, "Message on the Moon," which will be released on April 11. 
"Things Are Falling Down" is an upbeat song paradoxically about global warming and climate change. The infectious reggae-infused bass line and scratchy guitars make the listener perk up and listen...and eventually realize what the song is about. So it's a bit of sugar to get people to come to the table and think about the mounting crisis we're all facing...and maybe dance off some of their stress too. 
Cover painting is "Amor Fati" by Kelli Hoppmann, my favorite artist who also happens to be from Madison. Big thanks to Kelli for permission to use her paintings on the singles and the album. 
In fact, Kelli's paintings played a big role in the gestation of the new album. A few years ago, my wife and I bought one of Kelli's paintings that featured a moonlit woodland scene with phantasmagoric characters (like the "Amor Fati" painting above). That painting, which is titled "August Night," greets me each morning as I come downstairs. Eventually, it served as the inspiration for several songs on the album, including the title track, "Message on the Moon," and “August Night,” which is a song about the painting. A main theme of Kelli’s paintings is metamorphosis, which is also the main theme that runs through the songs on Message on the Moon. All six of the singles from the album also feature cover paintings by Hoppmann. (All those singles are now up on Bandcamp, Spotify, etc, and will be uploaded here as well.)
On this track, I play a vintage modified Stratocaster, a classic 60s Telecaster, and a Gretsch hollowbody--a combination I particularly like.

LYRICS:
“Things Are Falling Down"
Words & Music by Timothy Walsh	
			
Half a minute and you won’t be here.
Half a minute and you’ll be gone.
Make your fictions so you don’t have to know our days are numbered.

Take your pictures and post them online.
Make your mixtures of rum and coke.
Maybe you just think it’s all a joke, but the seas are rising.

Make a million so you won’t know.
Play some music on your stereo.
Shop online to preserve your status quo while the world is crumbling.

CHORUS:
I don’t say the things I know.
I don’t say I won’t go—looks like things are falling down.
When I would take you down,
when I would bring you round—seems like things are falling down.

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall.
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.
Now we’re fragile as eggs if you recall the way that story ends.

Jake was nimble, Jake was quick
when he jumped that candlestick,
but Jack and Jill are feeling sick about the way we’re going.

Cinderella had it right, but Rapunzel gave delight
when she lowered her hair from the tower top (where is our ladder?)

CHORUS

I remember going to the islands, lounging there on the sandy bay,
but now those islands have washed away beneath the waves and…

Now we scuttle our dreams and future.
Now we huddle on the rec room couch
while our conscience says, “you’re such a slouch,”
and the trees are whispering.

PRECHORUS and CHORUS

Things Are Falling Down

Download

Debut Album Now Out!! "Twilight on Tunnel Road"
Available now on Bandcamp: https://penelopesthrill.bandcamp.com/
(and streaming everywhere....)
For an immersive experience of the new album, visit the new Penelope's Thrill website at:
https://www.penelopesthrill.com/
Penelope's Thrill is a lucky accident. Lured out of musical retirement by son Andrew, Timothy Walsh dusted off his guitars, including his favorite vintage Guilds and Gretsches, and picked up where he left off 25 years ago playing in garage bands in New Jersey and Boston. 
Tim founded Penelope's Thrill as the vehicle for his new songs, often pulling in other musicians from Madison and from around the world for particular tracks. Son Andrew occasionally appears on guitar or adding vocals. Wife Barbara also appears on keyboards and backing vocals.

     ***All tracks are recorded and mixed by Timothy Walsh at Yew Tree Studios (that is, a tiny upstairs room in my house nestled amid century-old yew trees). Recent songs are recorded with Logic Pro using hardware tube preamps, compressors, etc. Earlier tracks were recorded direct to a Zoom R8 recorder.

>>>Downloads available at Bandcamp:
https://penelopesthrill.bandcamp.com/
>>>Tim's poetry & writing website:
http://timothyawalsh.com/
>>>Andrew's writing website:
http://andrewjwalsh.com

Also check out our re-post and playlist page, Penelope's Playlists:
https://soundcloud.com/penelopes-playlists