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Life For Cowards

by Toy Bastard

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Inky
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Inky This guy seems pretty neat
The Blinds Band
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The Blinds Band I am a huge fan of this album! It is probably in my top 5 of 2020! Just wanted to thank you again for your help and contributions to our music! Can't wait to hear more! Favorite track: 300 Floor Hotel.
crazycat33
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crazycat33 In “Life For Cowards,” Ethan Ives channels the work of various post-grunge artists, including Live and the Screaming Trees. Cutting vocals and powerful solos are masterfully recorded and mixed- quite a feat for Ives’ first ‘professionally mixed’ record. Favorite track: Resignation Letter.
Shmud Nurmu
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Shmud Nurmu Proving himself to be vastly more than the CSH lead guitarist, Ethan's solo release instantly rivals the larger band's 2020 album. He's literally channeling the rock god energy of The Foo Fighters, Neil Young and Bowie to make some instant hits here. The killer guitar work obviously comes through on this project, but the dynamic vocal delivery somehow manages to outshine everything else even when the melodies sink into distorted walls of guitar. Really incredible work on this one. Favorite track: Resignation Letter.
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1.
Vaccines give you autism And other short stories by Some fucker you've never heard of But at least you've got to give him a try What if the broadcast comes down from space And my child turns into the State I'm pulling our son out of school But I think it's too late It's my child I'll do what I like I took my children to the field By the light of the moon I said don't cry now babies I promise that we'll get there soon We looked so pretty all hand-in-hand And I wiped their tears in the corn I said look into the stars my babes A silver ship is coming, and when you see it we will be reborn It's my child I'll do what I like In my dream I'm drowning in the romance of the automobile Everybody is inventing the wheel when they come of age In a world where we're suffering like Scanners A mistake that no words of love or magnet's pull Or bomb or beating shall anull It's rotten luck, baby rotten luck I'll say the name if someone can get my groceries today I feel like a nosebleed At the graves of Philip K Dick and Jane
2.
Candyland 05:43
It's my first day of school I'm thirty-five years old And every day the germ of the bastard is in me I grew up in Candyland Lived there my whole life It's alright The love's so thick it rots your teeth It's the average census lifestyle You'll search for every day In scholastic bookfairs And highschool hallways I grew up in candyland Lived there my whole life And drank their wine In Volkswagons while summer died
3.
Snake Song 05:27
Goodbye house and goodbye porch Goodbye walls and goodbye doors I'm moving on Don't cry, don't cry I'll come back soon Turn the key and find my old room The man in my closet is still in there I wrote down all my things like I thought I might die I cancelled my subscription to every magazine And I prayed Goodbye porch and goodbye house Goodbye hole and goodbye mouse The stars are just a metaphor now Stay empty always when I'm gone Sweep the Autumn off the lawn I'll pick up the keys And start up the car (I'm going away)
4.
While you were asleep They blew up the embassy A 300 floor hotel With just one fire escape Former life hippies with eyes that gleam A Zippo-lighter greatest generation dream I'll kneel and say a prayer for you I'll kneel and say a prayer to you We had a real good run At the commune today We achieved full contact for over six hours Shouting July, July, July But then we got real tired And the buildings keep getting taller But the people Stay the same You've feathered your nest, and you've spirited away each spectacular Year in the bed where you lay. Now clucking your tongue, what must Be must be, oh what a terrible shame for my friends and me. And I Saw Britannia walk into the rain, a three-hundred story hotel with just One fire escape. Oh, but you bit the bullet, you inheritors of the stars I'll bet you gave up on your children the way you gave up on Mars. So Simple to say, so easy to take, when the lives are a stage show and the gunshots are fake. So drink up your wine now, the red and the white, but you could have done something. You could have left on the light.
5.
I'll spend the rest of my life Waiting at stand-to The war is over but the trenches come home This happened once before A hundred years ago If only we could find a name for this war we could end it Johnny on the spot says It's the last Christmas The century is over and you're never going home Never do bad for the rest of my life I will never do bad for the rest of my life
6.
Maybe I'll stay up all night and drink ten beers Nothing matters outside of ten years It's a modern world You can die in the comfort of your own home Melt my G.I. Joes on the burner Smoke ten packs because it doesn't matter If this is the future What's the point in taking care of myself I cast my vote Did everything I knew how to do In all of my dreams all I do is scream at you If the weather don't improve, I am going to- If I die in Albuquerque What's the difference gonna be And if I live until tomorrow What's the difference gonna be Every song I'll never write is closing in on me You can't make me fight in the trenches You can't make me live in a shelter It's a modern world And I can go whenever I want It's a modern world You can't fire me cause I quit
7.
I Am Marked 03:00
I am marked I am planned For something That I don't understand I am set I am made Who I am I play the role I am the fool I see your dark eyes of hate Across the room When I sleep When I dream When I wake We are planned We are marked We're set up before we even start Set apart We are set We are damned

about

This album has had an incredibly long and pained gestation; some of the songs originate from demos I'd kept as early as 2015. For reasons that are still a complete mystery to me, it somehow took from then to now for this 35-minute record to get made. It wasn't for lack of caring or trying. Don't ask me why!

This is the first time I've ever mixed anything semi-professionally. Inevitably it will not be perfect. But getting to teach myself mixing essentially from Chapter One, Page One, has been one of the best parts of this project and I'm extremely grateful for that. Maybe I'll mix for other people, in my big boy pants someday.

This album means a lot of weird, different things to me. It took a lot of time and a lot of miserableness to make it happen. I hope it does something, anything at all, for you. Tschuss!

__________________


This album was recorded in late Nov/early Dec 2019 at Soundhouse studios, Seattle.

Thanks to:
Robin, with love
Grant and Henry
Aubrey, David, Leland and 'Meesh from Don Babylon
Fernando Perez, my Captain
Jonathan Sherman (rest in peace)
Mark Fisher (rest in peace)
Tim O'Brien
Paul Fussell

credits

released June 25, 2020

Ethan Ives: Songs, Guitar, Vocals, Hammered Dulcimer, Harmonica, Keyboards, Mixing, Mastering
Dave Patterson: Bass, Puns
Michael Squillace: Drums

Mike Sebring: Engineering
Greta Enloe: Logo Lettering
Jason Wang: Cover Painting

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Ethan Ives Seattle, Washington

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