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Wooden Shoe

by Silica Gel

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1.
Honey come in here cry no tears change your mind give me time Honey I can never relax ready to crack got your knife in my back i'm falling down bleeding out Honey come in here cry no tears change your mind give me time Honey I can never relax ready to crack got your knife in my back i'm falling down bleeding out please please please leave Goddamn motherfuckin soulsuckers in my town again Goddamn motherfuckin soulsuckers on my street again Goddamn motherfuckin soulsuckers in my house again Goddamn motherfuckin soulsuckers in my brain again
please please please
2.
In the form in the form of seven headed beasts perched high in towers suckin your blood suckin your hours In the form in the form of water creepin up right to your door hell of a storm hell of a storm In the form in the form of demonic gods / svengali gods who hide like cowards wizard of oz wizard of oz In the form in the form of people who believe that they're actually free deep in a dream Capital D
3.
Frogs 03:03
4.
Alabama Song 03:17
Oh, show us the way
 To the next whisky bar 
Oh, don't ask why
 Oh, don't ask why 
For we must find
 The next whisky bar 
For if we don't find
 The next whisky bar 
I tell you we must die 
I tell you we must die 
I tell you, I tell you 
I tell you we must die

 Oh, moon of Alabama
 We now must say goodbye
 We've lost our good old mama
 And must have whisky, oh, you know why Oh, moon of Alabama
 We now must say goodbye
 We've lost our good old mama
 And must have whisky, oh, you know why Oh, show us the way 
To the next pretty boy 
Oh, don't ask why 
Oh, don't ask why 
For we must find 
The next pretty boy 
For if we don't find
 The next pretty boy 
I tell you we must die 
I tell you we must die
 I tell you, I tell you
 I tell you we must die Oh, moon of Alabama
 We now must say goodbye
 We've lost our good old mama
 And must have whisky, oh, you know why
5.
The king has been a prisoner, And a prisoner long in Spain, And Willie of the Winsbury Has lain long with his daughter at home. "What ails you, what ails you, my daughter Janet, That you look so pale and wan? Oh, have you had any sore sickness Or yet been sleeping with a man?" "No, I have not had any sore sickness, Nor yet been sleeping with a man. But it is for you, my father dear, For biding so long in Spain." "Cast off, cast off your berry-brown gown, And stand naked upon the stone, That I may know you by your shape, If you be a maiden or none." And she's cast off her berry-brown gown And stood naked upon the stone Her apron was low and her haunches were round, Her skin was pale and wan. "Oh, was it with a lord or a duke or a knight, Or a man of birth and fame, Or was it with one of my serving men Who's lately come out of Spain?" "No, it wasn't with a lord or a duke or a knight, Nor a man of birth and fame, But it was with Willie of Winsbury, I could bide no longer alone." Now the king has called on his merry men all, By thirty and by three, Says, "Fetch me this Willie of Winsbury, For hanged he shall be." But when he came the king before, He was clad all in the red silk. His hair was like the golden strands, His skin was as white as the milk. And "It is no wonder," said the king, "That my daughter's love you did win. For if I were a woman, as I am a man, My bedfellow you would have been." "Oh will you marry my daughter Janet, By the truth of your right hand? Oh, will you marry my daughter Janet? I'll make you the lord of my land." "Oh yes, I will marry your daughter Janet. By the truth of my right hand. Why yes, I will marry your daughter Janet, But I'll not be the lord of your land." And he's mounted her on a milk-white steed, And himself on a dapple grey. He has made her the lady of as much land As she shall ride on a warm summer's day.
6.
The mages of the moon in bloom send electricity but you'll never leave my haunted heart tears are prisms prisms of knowing The blood flow to my brain lemonade equations of love that you'll never solve when darkness falls What i meant to say What i meant to say   Can you read my thoughts? My beautiful friend by God, let this never be that out of jealousy we cling to harm Tears are prisms prisms of knowing Prisms are tears tears are growing and let me crush the cruel part of us if i shimmer a little like this Tears Are prisms of knowing of knowing of knowing
7.
Fog 02:04
The fog comes
 on little cat feet.

 It sits looking 
over harbor and city 
on silent haunches 
and then moves on.
8.
Steamboat Joe Steamboat Joe Everybody knows Steamboat Joe Crawl inside his brain As he drives through the pourin rain Such a dreamer, a mighty fine leader Sailin us down the river He drives his boat with his eyes closed Rooster done crowed, time to come back home We clean up after the party Sweep in, sweep out, weekend freakout Steamboat Joe Steamboat Joe Everybody knows Steamboat Joe His right hand steers to the left bank his left steers to the right lookin to score, sneakin through the back door of the Savings & Loan tonight Sheriff moves mighty slow but he's got the drop on Joe then like 94 ounces of pure maple syrup his blood oozin' on the floor Steamboat Joe Steamboat Joe Everybody knows Steamboat Joe There's a billion suckers livin cross this land and they're all invited to the big river jam We clean up after the party While we were out back, somebody's throat got slashed Well skip to my lou, buddy was that you He knows where to hide the body Tide in, tide out, weekend freakout Roll Tide Roll
9.
“Yes I see you looking at my reflection. That’s not your reflection, it’s mine. Why are you crying?” “Your daughter’s taxes took ages…… “It’s time to go back to work because a long time ago we had given up water in favor of wallpaper -  seasonable, fashionable, and according to  our whim.” “I like to say I see you, I hear you  And…..i wrangled that damn machine like a champion I like to say Crack open another brewskie buddy ……. Healing in progress Healing in progress I say I am the inverted sun and let me crush and strike the jealous, before I depart from here   My beautiful friend by God, this never be: that out of jealousy one scoffs at my harm   What I meant to say   Can you read my thoughts?   If I shimmer a little like this   Prisms   Tears   Are prisms of knowing
10.
Fungi 02:13
11.
Coming Age 07:12
struck dumb by lady luck feel like a million bucks lost in the lust of life I bled right into the night dreams deeper than a well so hard to break the spell buried in the easter egg gonna climb right outta my head climb outta my outta my head all shall pass dancing thru the looking glass lost can be found as the wheel turns all around sing for the comin' age hear it come again lovely spring crimson flowers in your hair color of the wasted earth nothing like surrender everybody gonna take a ride on the death ship valentine beyond all certainty social machinery's buried in the garden bed gonna climb right outta my head climb outta my outta my head all shall pass dancing thru the looking glass dreams in the air crimson flowers in your hair castles will fall though our hard times are not done at all lost can be found as the wheel turns all around sing for the comin' age hear it come again lovely spring crimson flowers in your hair dreams deeper than a well so hard to break the spell buried in thee easter egg gonna climb right outta my head climb outta my outta my head

about

Silica Gel adapt medieval texts into lush noise ballads & compose original art songs for two voices, custom electronics, percussion & various strings. Their sound is a unique synthesis of Early music with improvisation and folk elements that create a spacious & highly textured soundworld. Their debut album from 2020 adapts a series of art songs from the 12th-14th centuries including the political satire Roman de Fauvel. Coming out of the Birmingham, Alabama experimental music scene, they have toured nationally.

Wooden Shoe is a playful concoction that warps folk song elements into kaleidoscopic new forms. The album spins like a cart wheel, traversing a richly varied sonic terrain, moving both forwards and backwards in time. The sounds are ancient yet futuristic….wurlitzer organ, mandolin and autoharp combine with bent circuits and digital artifacts in a song cycle that progresses like a hauntological play. On this their second album, Silica Gel deepen their exploration of art song by using elements of clapping games, round songs, hockets, vaudeville and folk balladry to fill out a thoroughly hand crafted songbook. The enchanting voices of Laura and Lauren weave harmonies around the listener like the dreamy revolution of a glowing carousel. The song Coming Age sums up this effect perfectly with a circular melody that could go on forever as if bound for the stars…a hymn embodying the infinite dream of a better future.

credits

released December 15, 2022

All songs by Silica Gel, except:

Track 4: by Bertolt Brecht & Kurt Weill

Track 5: Scottish traditional

Track 7: poem by Carl Sandburg, music by Roy Harris

Laura Thomas: voice, claps

Lauren Jones: voice, wurlitzer organ, drums, krotales, accordian

Jasper Lee: bass, drums, flute, guitar, autoharp, pyraharp

Joel Nelson: electronics, glass, mandolin, banjo, guitar

Gary Wheat: clarinet

Recorded & mixed by Jasper Lee at Sweet Wreath, 2021-2022

Mastered by Eli Winograd

Artwork by Jasper Lee

Noumenal Loom 2022

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