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Adaptations to a Modern Age

by Scott Steven Erickson

supported by
David Raffin
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David Raffin Eclectic, creative, catchy. I would endorse this even if I were not singing in the background on some of the tracks. Favorite track: You'll Be Missed as a Superhero.
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1.
Community 03:46
Call me old-fashioned, but I miss the days of folks on their front porches Who'd enjoy each others' company, to the neighbors open wide Before everyone retreated to private decks in their backyards That is, on those rare occasions when they'd actually go outside Call me old-fashioned, but I miss the days of lovingly-cooked dinners When community was shared around the enjoyment of good food Before instant meals in microwaves wolfed down in front of TVs Food bereft of nutrients, sense of community subdued Chorus: Tell me what is happening to communication? What is happening to community? What is happening to community? Call me old-fashioned, but I miss the days of human interaction And by human interaction, I mean good ol' face-to-face Before conversations transformed into acronyms on screens With people separated in both emotions and cyberspace Chorus Well I guess I am old-fashioned because I like corporeal people I prefer them to these abstract avatars on screens But I guess, in that regard, I'm of a shrinking minority
2.
I just saw a smartphone barcode on a banana I just saw a smartphone barcode on a semi truck I just saw a smartphone barcode on an aerosol can There's no escaping it with any quantity of luck I don't even have a smartphone, yet they penetrate my psyche Telling me they have all this hidden information to reveal Just scan this blotch of black and white to activate their secrets Though I must confess, I'm slightly curious about what they do conceal "From now on, I will call you 'Rock God'" "Here is what I found for you" Vonnegut was right, we're taken over by machines Soon enough, there'll be no further need for human beings Our technological ends will trump our biological means Your phone is now your best friend - a robot with lip service And all your human interactions are vicarious, through screens And Big Brother is keeping tabs of all your transgressions All your online data now conveniently linked! I just saw a smartphone barcode on a banana I just saw a smartphone barcode on a T-shirt I just saw a smartphone barcode marketing a smartphone There's no escaping it despite how underground you lurk Though I will admit, it is not all bad And I'm not really a Luddite, I am just a drama queen The age of information does have its benefits Just beware the side effects behind that tiny screen!
3.
The world's end is the edge of the porch, and we stare into the abyss While my bike lays imprisoned in the ice It's a full moon - you'll be leaving soon You'll be gone before the cycle is through In the library's possibility to bring me to life Through a glowing soul who radiates the urge to revive All the ways we've forgotten to live and to thrive In a world that's preparing to die You represent so much of what I yearn to become And you've taught me to do it myself Though I must confess, to some degree, to the system succumb But I've made a few steps backward with your help In the library is somebody to bring me to life Through a glowing soul who radiates the urge to revive All the ways we've forgotten to live and to thrive In a world that's preparing to die
4.
A body of knowledge Knowledge of the body The body, knowledgeable subject of fear Knowing all the ways this beast can defeat you Can shorten your lifespan Destroy your career Statistics unlikely A small probability Just enough to ignite paranoias Pertaining to each others' bodily workings The untouchables are everywhere lurking Inhibit the urges of our diseased bodies Prohibit the actions of those who are naughty Inhibit, prohibit, inhibit, prohibit, inhibit, prohibit Inhibit our disgusting bodies Please don't touch me I wouldn't want to expose you to my germs Blood-borne pathogens And leprosy You'll catch them unless you learn Disease and infection Result from erections So might as well reuse that Christian shame Use latex and rubber To go undercover Spelunk that enticing, forbidden terrain Still nothing's enough for complete peace of mind Abstinence-only is the only kind Of sure-free protection Shameful resurrection And even those damned monosexuals go blind Please don't touch me I wouldn't want to expose you to my germs Blood-borne pathogens And leprosy They'll catch you unless you learn How to hide from human skin 'Cause you see, it's such a thin Boundary Which will hardly protect you From the unspeakable horrors That lie within Let's go even further Become safe and sterile Eliminate each inescapable risk No contact! Or touching! Or Platonic cuddling! We'll wear rubber gloves to touch even a fist Round up these infectious, disease-ridden bodies We'll trap them in someplace they'll safely exist Electronic voids we can view through a screen So we can avoid all the dangers That phyisical contact will bring Inhibit the urges of our diseased bodies Prohibit the actions of those who are naughty Inhibit, prohibit, inhibit, prohibit, inhibit, prohibit Inhibit our disgusting bodies Please don't touch me I wouldn't want to expose you to my germs Blood-borne pathogens And leprosy You'll catch them unless you learn How to hide from human skin 'Cause you see, it's such a thin Boundary Which will hardly protect you From the unspeakable monstrosities That lie within
5.
Some people approach a conversation as if it were a fight Using nonexistent statistics to prove who's in the right Well I don't want another reshuffling of winners and losers I'll approach a conversation as if it were a dance Because when you talk, you don't learn anything But when you listen, you do Does this mean I'm another derelict of postmodern ideology? Too open to alternatives to form a solid opinion All I learned from four years of taking anthropology Is that everything is relative and nothing's absolute And that there is no such thing as a universal truth Because when you talk, you don't learn anything And when you listen, you do So sometimes, I verge on nihilism But what's it even matter? Who cares where an opinion falls in the arbitrary wrongs and rights? It's a gray scale of nothingness on a background of oblivion In the span of all infinity, I'm an insignificant blip!!! So what's it even matter? Everything is nothing!! What's it even matter? Everyone is doomed!!! But then, I snap out of it Think of all I have to live for! Think of all the pleasures abounding on this earth Think of chocolate and kitty-cats Accordions and pho Studio Ghibli and Bjork The Simpsons and used bookstores Leinenkugels, narwhals, musicals The taste of fresh-ground coffee on the threshold of your lips Or the blissful revelry of a lover's hands upon your hips Think of all the possibilities to be done with mind, and hands All the creations in the ether, waiting for innovative beings To set their cogs in motion, to roll out shape the universe Think of all you can experience, think of all you can achieve Or you could say it's all meaningless and fade You could say it's all meaningless and fade You could say it's all meaningless and fade into lonely obscurity!
6.
Life is like a runaway train Careening around every hill Caressing around every curve At a slightly-more-extreme-than-comforting pace But no matter which ways my caboose will swerve I'll approach each horizon with grace
7.
You hate the bourgeoisie 'cause it reminds you where you're from You hate the proletariat 'cause it makes you look dumb Instead of fighting a class war, you're sitting on your ass While mooching off your friends who, by the way, are working class An armchair revolutionary full of righteous talk But you rarely take an action, you just love to sit and squawk You reprimand your roommates which they do all your dishes And instead of contributing, you get lazier and vicious Lazier and vicious! x8 You'll pinpoint every detail of each activist group's flaws Which you use as your excuse for never fighting for a cause You're even more judgmental of those who are employed While you exploit their hospitality, get confused if they're annoyed You say "if they really wanted to, they could give me the boot" But your excess gamer lifestyle and the streets do not compute! You're in denial of your privilege for you know that you'd be shunned If your hypocrisy was revealed through your hefty trust fund! Hefty trust fund! x8 So instead you play it off as though you come from rags and dimes And ignore the same scenario you've caused a dozen times When your host becomes so fed up with your shit that they take flight But you still remain oblivious - you're just a parasite! Just a parasite! x16
8.
I am a social butterfly, I'm also a busy bee And though I try not to be careless, I am carefree And I'm sorry, but I cannot be the man of your dreams But if it's any consolation, I can be me Long ago, I gave up on my delusions of Mr. Right Because all the good he did was to render me blind To the admirable qualities in those who were right before my eyes But didn't reach the perfection of my unobtainable prototype I can be a city mouse, but I'm more a country bumpkin I'd like to live in a quaint little house lined with tomatoes and pumpkins But no matter where, I'm happiest when you are by my side Even though we don't quite match each others' fantasies of Mr. Right In many ways, we have contrary perspective of the world And differing opinions of where our lives should unfurl But over all, the overlap is vastly similar Our reflection in each others' eyes is quite familiar Goldfish and elephant both describe my memory Though I yearn for moderation, I still end up with extremes But luckily you seem to know how to balance me out You dig down to the root of what my bias is about To be honest, you're probably the closest match I've found yet Your qualities compliment mine more than anyone I've met And I sure am glad I gave up on my delusional prototypes Because you're so much better than that asshole, Mr. Right!
9.
You say end of a coma, but I say end of a chapter At least for everyone here who's been graced with your laughter I hope you know you'll be missed, Lupe! Lupe, you once told me Olympia Is the worst place that you've been As far as people making a huge deal About the pigment of your skin It's ironic in a place boasting to be about Breaking down systems of oppression That limiting people to their demographics Is the popular obsession But you see your friends foremost as people And not by the ways they're identified Because everyone is equal to your non-judgmental eyes I hope you know you'll be missed, Lupe! You'll be missed for your awesome threesomes You'll be missed for your hospitality You'll be missed for your ability To make each birthday a special formality You'll be missed as a yoga princess You'll be missed as a superhero You'll be missed for all the times you baby-sat Kai, Scarlett, and Bandito I hope you know you'll be missed, Lupe! You say end of a coma But I say end of a chapter At least for everyone here Who's been graced with your laughter I hope you know you'll be missed, Lupe!
10.
Life is like a runaway train Careening around every hill Caressing around every curve At a slightly-more-extreme-than-comforting pace But no matter which ways my caboose will swerve I'll approach each horizon with grace
11.
Is it pathetic that one of my main motivators for success Is nothing more than a ploy to prove my worthiness to my exes? I'd like to make the perfect album And achieve just a little recognition So I can say "Hey, look at this! Look at what I've accomplished! I've made something remarkable all without your involvement, Now here I am without you, so just look at what I've become" But when I think of it, this method of reaching toward success Is probably not the best, or healthiest rule of thumb So when I peel off the layers, and analyze my psyche I realize it's not my ex I'm actually trying to impress I'm just desperately trying to convince myself Of my own worthiness Because nobody truly made me feel insecure, except for me Their rejections were nothing more than my own self-doubts embodied It's that monster who sometimes glares at me, Hiding deep behind my eyes And peeks out when I look in the mirror, Grumbling from time to time Telling me I'm not thin enough, Or that my sense of style is tacky That my eccentricities are just too much! And that coolness I am lacking It tells me to work harder, To become much more attractive In personality and dress, In appearance and in action It says "How would anyone ever even consider loving you?!" And I just sit there and take it, knowing damn well it's not true So now that I've unveiled the monster's mask I begin the tedious, but worthwhile task Of realizing my belittlement is primarily done by me I'll start with my empowerment, make a list of my accomplishments And I'll keep it somewhat serious, but a little bit silly You see, I'm a relentlessly curious explorer of humanity I'll approach each new perspective, and assess it eagerly And I have the ability to achieve my heart's desires I am beautiful, I am powerful, and amazing! I'm a vessel of creativity, and I truly love to sing With spiritual conviction, and insightful clarity And I am filled with so much passion that it often overflows Spilling out in waves of love, down the many paths it goes And I am a light-bearer, invoking souls to share the light Passing it on and glowing, leading vestigial wings to flight And if I truly love someone, but the sentiment's not shared It's not due to my character being flawed, or impaired It's just a slightly offset match, so I shouldn't take it so personally Because I am very desirable, I'm attractive, I am worthy
12.
When you feel the weight of the world pressing down on your shoulders And its magnitude makes it crude to even go one more day And each dismal glimpse of humanity you see on the news Keeps adding one more hue to your ever-growing bruise And you feel so powerless to actually make a change When you have so many burdens, so many debts to pay And none of your old remedies are working anymore And you find it hard to survive amongst so much that you abhor When all you can do is cling to this lawn chair on the deck Of a catastrophic ship that's about to be wrecked And all you can foresee is cataclysmic events And you consider just ending it now so you can escape this mess But instead of giving in to the undertows, Here's a consolation that I propose: We'll have an apocalyptic party Let's just go out with a bang! So if you bake the cupcakes, then I'll call the bands And we'll throw a great big festival to commemorate the end We'll send out invitations through snail-mail and text Let's invite everyone we know, since we don't know when we'll see them next! And use the time we have before this party ends To let it be known how much we appreciate our friends 'Cause they're all we have left when we get to this state Of being too nihilistic, having too much on our plate So we'll shoot off some fireworks, and write one last song But since it's Armageddon, we'll all have to sing along So just sing your heart out, and hold my hand And let's cherish every moment until the utmost end So just sing your heart out, and hold my hand And let's cherish every moment until the utmost end! So as the ship's about to sink, we'll look up at the stars And revel in our gratitude for how lucky we are To have had the chance to sing and dance in merry frivolity To have been lucky enough simply to be So as we watch the fireworks as the world explodes And it's like we're watching time-lapse as the Earth erodes We nostalgically reflect on all we did and saw Until all there's left to say is "Ooh" and "Awe" Oooooooohhhh Aaaaaaaaaahhhh x3
13.
Memento Mori 03:46
I don't believe in omens, so let this not be something morbid A reminder of impending death should not be merely mournful And I don't believe in God, at least the evidence hasn't convinced me And I'm well aware, in all likelihood, this life is all there is But 'tis no reason to despair; eternity is daunting How can one appreciate a life that never ends? There is beauty in finality, the end result of something precious It's a one-shot opportunity to have had truly lived So I refuse to waste it on a promise or a gamble In servility to a structure based on collective wishful thinking Or stifled by the framework of its cultural conventions Ubiquitously ingrained, but with which I don't agree My life is brief, but valid, with works that could outlive me Echoing affirmations down the span of centuries But even if it's not so, and my work's lost with my body That would still be no excuse to let my talents atrophy So with that being said, I declare this proclamation: To fulfill each of my endeavors to the best of my abilities!

credits

released August 25, 2013

Musician Credits:
Scott Steven Erickson: vocals, piano, accordion, ukulele, trombone, harpsikorg, organ, cell phone
Chelsea Baker: pennywhistle, vocals (track 9)
Biscuit: vocals (5 & 13), metal bowl
Matt Buscher: percussion, bass, SodaStream
Double Decker Bus Culture (Kelli Branch): viola, vocals (9)
Laureyn A. Grand Pa: vocals (1 & 5)
Jason Leher: tenor sax, flute
Lucian: cello
Olympia Free Choir*: vocals

*Double Decker Bus Culture (Kelli Branch), Laureyn A. Grand Pa, Marcy LaViollette, Lucian, David Raffin, Sven

Writing Credits:
“Community”: words by Scott; music by Phil
“You’ll Be Missed as a Superhero”: words by Scott, Ricky Manthey, Fishbone McRotten, Náté by Nateshirt, and Whitney; music by Scott
“Leading Vestigial Wings to Flight”: words by Scott (with an homage to “Letters to Friends”); music by Náté by Nateshirt and Scott
“Memento Mori”: words by Scott and Biscuit; music by Scott
All other songs: words and music by Scott
All guest musicians wrote or improvised their own parts

Tech Credits:
Recorded, mixed, and mastered by Matt Buscher at Neanderhall in Olympia, WA
Produced by Scott & Matt

Art Credits:
Designed and illustrated by Chelsea Baker
Cover art and banana drawing by Scott

Special thanks to: Ricky, John, Ashlea, Lupe, Zack, Dug, D. Grindle, Julie, Kay, Nur, Mike, Elaina, Patrick, Mattie Newts, my family, and all my aforementioned friends who contributed to this album.

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Scott Steven Erickson Olympia, Washington

Upbeat, quirky, and just a tad bit nihilistic.

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