From the album "Parcels & Polaroids" by The Pawnshop Manual.

There are at least three versions of this song, written and recorded with completely different verse melodies and lyrics. The other versions had a melody that was much more accessible, strongly adhering to the tenants of Western pop music. My goal though was to convey a complexity of emotions that ultimately burst into a strong chorus – but the complexity wasn’t being conveyed very well. In what turned out to be the final version, I decided to go in a different direction and incorporate Indian influences. I’m particularly happy with how this song flows from “Falls Over Whole”. There’s a simple guitar line that is repeated throughout the two songs, connecting the two ideas. In essence, “Falls Over Whole” and “We’ve Become Here” are one song – the former is about the sense of loneliness, the latter is the realization that everyone else is also struggling to make something out of their lives.

We've Become Here (Bonus Single Version)

From the album "Parcels &amp; Polaroids" by The Pawnshop Manual.When writing songs I usually write the chorus last – it’s arguably the most important part of the song, and I labour over it for weeks, months, even years. In this case though, I had the rare instance of having an idea for a chorus first. In fact, the verses weren’t written until at least a year had passed. There are so many songs that talk about peace, changing the world, promoting fairness – we hear them daily, and some have even become ingrained within the social fabric. We all want better, to be better. Yet there’s a certain element of design to the way we live, like an assembly line of things to do in life. Anything outside of it presents serious challenges to money, comfort and security – unless you’re really lucky. But if we’re honest with ourselves, it’s not hard to see that an assembly line life – and the things we accomplish through it – perpetuates the very things we sing against. We become living hypocrisies, healing our egos through various forms of distraction. This song is about that moment when you realize you’re far from where you want to be, but feel the enormous pressure to stay on course – and a strange sense of loneliness. You don’t want to cheapen your convictions, but you’re hitting a glass ceiling of what you can do with your life, what you can change in the world.

Also check out the awesome <a href="http://soundcloud.com/virginmagneticmaterial/the-pawnshop-manual-falls-over" target="new_window">Downtempo Electronic remix by Virgin Magnetic Material</a>

Falls Over Whole (Bonus Single Version)

From the album "Parcels & Polaroids" by The Pawnshop Manual.

Also check out the Acoustic IDM remix by <a href="http://soundcloud.com/mfrazer/nostalgia-the-pawnshop-manual">Dj em eff, over here.</a>



Nostalgia

From the album "Parcels & Polaroids" by The Pawnshop Manual.

Although this is the shortest piece of music I’ve ever written, it continues to be one of my favourites. It is by far the oldest song on this album, recorded more than four years ago. Written, recorded and mixed in one day, it’s a combination of several ideas I had at the time: Sampled Gagaku (Japanese Imperial Court Music), sampled radio signals from Saturn, Dostoevsky, and polyrhythmic ingredients that play differently depending on how the piece is played. If you play the song regularly, it asks a question in 4/4 time – but if you play the track in reverse, the answer is given in 3/4 time. The frustration of being unable to change the world, as well as feelings of anger and defeatism are the central themes of this album, so I see this song as a fitting opener. The first step to a solution is within the question, but only if we approach it from a different angle.

Five Inch Step

Parcels and Polaroids

One of my favourite times of day is dawn. Particularly if I stayed up all night with a good group of friends – that crisp air on the way home seems to cleanse even the dirtiest of streets. This song is about that time of day and how it feels, in a figurative sense. There are two ideas here: not letting my own tribulations and rejections define me as a person, and not letting the problems of the world define humanity as hopeless. I choose to live in hope. I was originally trying to write full English lyrics to this, but English words just didn’t seem to produce the right type of sounds for the verse. The inclusion of the erhu (a bowed Chinese instrument) adds a really unique texture over the whole song, and it’s one of my proudest artistic choices. I love how the instrument quivers, as if it is not completely sure of itself. It’s also the only song where I utilize an alternate tuning for the guitars. In the verses, I talk about several things: dawn and the feeling it gives; the more you’re fearful the more yo

4:37am (Things That Follow)

I make music with my project "The Pawnshop Manual".  It's available for pay-what-you-want (i.e. free) at the official webpage. People say it's radiohead/arcade fire/bjork. I try to treat music the way photographers treat the world: Depending on the angle, depending on what you can do with it, there's lots of amazing things you can capture in all sorts of music. 

The Pawnshop Manual make intellectual and infectious pop that satisfies the listener's yearning for music that asks big questions and mulls the answers thoughtfully and creatively. Parcels and Polaroids is dynamic and evocative from beginning to end, and its aural meandering will stay with you long after the road trip is over. 

If you would like to remix any of my songs, I would be extremely flattered! Let me know, and I'll even provide you with the original multitracks (if time/space permits).