Get all 14 Adam Stafford releases available on Bandcamp and save 25%.
Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of Large Print Western (August Version), Pop's Lowly Status: An Introduction To Adam Stafford (Compilation, 2022), Improvised House Arrests (LP, 2022), Trophic Asynchrony (LP, 2021), Diamonds Of a Horse Famine (LP, 2020), The Acid Bothy (LP 2019), Taser Revelations (LP 2016), Imaginary Walls Collapse (2013), and 6 more.
1. |
Fire & Theft
03:05
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I am right
and you are wrong
is what you said before
you sang along
Sunny days for number one
and numbered days
for everyone else involved
Verse cast-in, a steely voice
to whip your bones
and plant the seed of doubt
that will berate you tomorrow
The forecast says
that we're all dead
and this house is
going to heaven alone
The coldest wind
has bitten down
on the night
fall out on frozen ground
Sunny days for number one
and numbered days
for everyone else involved
Birds fly in, a steely voice
to whip your bones
and plant the seed of doubt
that will berate you tomorrow
The forecast says
that we're all dead
and this house is
going to heaven alone
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2. |
Cold Seas
03:49
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When the truth is compromised
you climb out
onto a mountain side
all by yourself
(Into the light, unto the rain)
Indelible fingers steal
the singers
Their voices stretched
and scratched and full of pain
(Into the light, unto the rain)
When the spear hits
your arm you cry out
the yellow bruises rise
into your skin
(Into the light, unto the rain)
Certain you closed
the blinds behind you
the ceiling cracked
the fish tank caving-in
(Into the light, unto the rain)
And then the silence
hits you through a window
the branches stretch
across the room
It wasn't your fault
you know that you didn't need to
spiral in and down
into decay.
When your speech is compromised
you hide out
in a sinking tank
all by yourself
(Into the light, unto the rain)
Incurable fingers slice up singers
their skin is stretched and scratched
excreting paint
(Into the light, unto the rain)
When the needle hits
your arm you scream out
the bloody bruises
rise into your skin
(Into the light, unto the rain)
Certain you'd closed
the blinds behind you
the ceiling cracked
the fish tank caving-in
(Into the light, unto the rain)
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3. |
Phantom Billions
03:28
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I'm running when
I'm fast asleep
you'd never cradle me
you'd never make me
feel so cheap
The only time
I'd ask you to
is if I stayed awake
inside the tangerine
Sometimes when I get close enough
to see the fruit divide in two
at last! I'm caught legless
in the court of a pessimist
Give me all you can
and work for nothing in return
y'know, you're such a shirker!
And then declare
just what you earn
Your phantom billions
is what we all deserve
Sometimes when I get close enough
to see the fruit divide in two
at last! I'm caught legless
in the court of a pessimist
You never think about
You never think about
You never think about
this life
or next lives
Watch your money filter through
into our laundry room
We'll casually design
your doom
As if we've nothing better do!
Your phantom billions
is what we all deserve
Sometimes when I get close enough
to see the truth divide in two
at last! I'm caught legless
in the court of a pessimist
You never think about
You never think about
You never think about
this life
or next lives
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4. |
Ghostly Arms
03:42
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A scrape on Sunday night
a scrape across my heart
and I thought I was getting better
I didn't understand
that our house was built
of sand
and that blood would taste
so bitter
I didn't know how to read
I didn't know how to take it
It's something that a child can see
and an adult's eyes
to erase it
From beneath the sheets
the ghostly arms
have spilled out
onto this lowly weather
La-la-la-la-la
La-la-la-la-la-ah
You saved a map I drew
standing on the avenue
(and you) thought it was
a picture
Describing sunshine to
someone you once knew
is like crawling into thistles.
I didn't know how to read
I didn't know how to take it
It's something that a child can see
and an adult's eyes
to erase it
From beneath the sheets
the ghostly arms
have spilled out
onto this lowly weather
La-la-la-la-la
La-la-la-la-la-ah
La-la-la-la-la
La-la-la-la-la-ah...
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5. |
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You gave in
Scratching your nails
across the sink
And dive in
Into this war
we're living in
and the swell...
swelling sea behind us
and over us
(HAH!)
You saved up,
Oh, saved up for that summer weave
but the moths
in the winter had
eaten into it
Because you came and
you wanted to show
the world
that you hadn't been
swallowed up
into the fluttering wind
(HAH!)
Whoa, just swim!
So just swim
Whoo-hoo-hoo-hoo
Whoa, just swim!
Because you came and
you wanted to show
the world
that you hadn't been
swallowed up
into the fluttering wind
(HAH!)
You sewed up
the holes in your summer dress
but you said
it was still too cold
for you to wear
Because you came and
you wanted to show
the world
that you hadn't been
swallowed up
into the fluttering wind
(HAH!)
Whoa, just swim!
So just swim
Whoo-hoo-hoo-hoo
Whoa, just swim!
(Because you came and
you wanted to show them
that you hadn't been
swallowed up
into the fluttering wind)
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6. |
Let a Little Love Inside
03:21
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Let a little bit love
Inside your heart
and sing it true
Let a little bit love
inside your warm bed
next to you
And when the demon
stands so tall
he'll be inside of you
Let a little bit love
inside your heart
and sing in tune
Won't be scared
all my life
onto the knife
with edges frayed
All my days
will just become
the reeds that I've
been floating on
Let a little bit love
Inside your heart
and sing it true
Let a little bit love
inside your warm breath
capture you
And when the people
stands so tall
they'll be inside of you
Let a little bit love
Inside your heart
and sing it true
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7. |
Vanishing Tanks
04:26
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Is it strange that
the light from the candle
has brought you
back to mind?
Through the curtain
I trace the outline
of your teenage poltergeist
You had tapes of
him crying all night
by your bedside cabinet
that you played for
the priests and skeptics
on your father's old cassettes
Is it true that
the sound of vanishing tanks
follows you around?
You can see their
tracks as they tear
their way above
the ground
Give them purpose:
A life of languish
in a parsonage of sleet
Will you keep all
my footfalls in a bed
of broken sleep?
Won't let you walk your way
won't let you walk your way
won't let you walk your way
out of here now... (X3)
Won't let you walk your way
won't let you walk away-hey-yay
away-hey-yay!
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8. |
Ruptured Telecine
03:30
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Foundling has died
Inside a bright
Pearl-encrusted horse shoe
Seek out the kite
Sailing up heights
Prehistoric statues
I'm in the right
If you're inclined
I would rather doubt you
Such as things are
Now we're at war
But I've never met you
Worm light
in five tongues
Radicalised maternal
violence
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9. |
Atheist Money
04:33
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He gave you everything
for nothing in return
the sweetest bird can sing
but won't define anything
The rebel inside
is just a cipher baby
I will not rise to you and,
You will not lie to me
Submerge yourself into the
river of chance endeavor
Hold on by your skin
and just deny everything
The rebel inside you
is just a cipher baby
I will not rise to you and,
You will not lie to me
A solitary thing
pistons under its wings
The saddest bird can wail
but won't design anything
The rebel inside you
is just a cipher baby
I will not rise to you and,
You will not lie to me
I gave you everything
For nothing in return
I dithered by your side
but didn't learn anything
The rebel inside you
is just a cipher baby
I will not rise again
I will not rise again
I just dithered by
your side, the saddest bird
(He gave you everything,
for nothing in return)
Darlin' woo-hoo-woo-oo-ooh!
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10. |
Please
04:48
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Whoa God!
Is bigger and faster
than you thought he would be
and you
have been crushed underneath
this impunity
Crawling on all fours
it won't make you a star
it won't make you alive
Sliding down the walls
you won't reconfirm your strength
you won't galvinise
But please,
don't make me cry
Oh youth!
Has dogged me with inconsistency
And prime,
has released from the bowels
of a century
Crawling on all fours
it won't make you a star
it won't make you alive
Sliding down the walls
you won't reconfirm your strength
you won't galvinise
But please,
don't make me cry
You've gotten what you wanted
you've gotten what you came
here to risk
But please,
don't make me cry
You've gotten what you wanted
you've gotten what you came
here to risk
But please,
don't make me cry
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11. |
History of Longest Days
02:26
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I was always
dressed for Sundays
sucking me soul off
for the Avenue key
Someone cursed my
resting guilt face
someone threw
my diamonds in the sea
I was bleeding
under blue skies yonder
over the mountains
and underneath me
I was sure that
I had chivalry
sewn-up into
the back of me
It will always by
dress-down Mondays
as long as I'm alive
and in poverty
Someone cursed my
resting guilt face
someone shot you
a summer wannabe
I was bleeding
under blue skies yonder
over the mountains
and underneath me
I was sure that
I had chivalry
sewn-up into
the back of me
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12. |
Step Up, Raise Hands
03:38
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Shake your hips
and start dancing
like you're born again
you'll never want it
you've never had it
like that
In the midst,
in the grips of a hurricane
You'll always crave it
you'll always play it
like that
Give me static!
`cause girl, I'm automatic
and someday something bigger
will just blow-up
on the dashboard
with a busted hubcap
the wheel spins out of motion
It's time we stepped up
to raise hands!
Wipe the grit from
the needle on the phonograph
You'll always have it
you'll always carry like that
Force my face into
the crotch of the monograph
You'll never have it
You shouldn't brag
about that
Give me static!
`cause girl, I'm automatic
and someday something bigger
will just blow-up
on the dashboard
with a busted hubcap
the wheel spins out of motion
It's time we stepped up
to raise hands!
Shake your hips
and start dancing
like you're born again
you'll never want it
you've never had it
like that
In the midst,
in the grips of a hurricane
You'll always crave it
you'll always play it
like that
Give me static!
`cause girl, I'm automatic
and someday something bigger
will just blow-up
on the dashboard
with a busted hubcap
the wheel spins out of motion
It's time we stepped up
to raise hands!
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13. |
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When you look at me
I can see that the light
deep in your eyes
turning blue
I stare back
and you turn your head
to the room
to reveal my old tomb
Never let me go
and never look inside
`cause you'll find my
lungs turning white
but you will just smile
the whole day through
When you sleep at night
be aware that my mind
creeps around the room
Don't need an alibi
I can hear you cry
my name in the gloom
Never let me go
and never look inside
`cause you'll find my
lungs turning white
but you will just cry
the whole day through
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14. |
His Acres
04:40
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Have you walked
his acres?
Would you like to be
buried with his people?
All alone
in your home
on your own?
In the sunburn
of your quiet life
with caskets lined up
neatly on top of
tree trunks
All alone
in your home
on your own?
Will you laugh?
Will you sing?
Will you wheel?
Will you wing?
Will you surface into the
night sky?
Depends on how long
You are planning
to go on, to go on.
Will you shout?
Will you cry?
Will you love till you die?
Will you gather all
the fragments up
in your breast?
Left un-cared for
in the night sky
you were heard exclaiming:
"Whooo-ah-whoo-ah-hoo!
I'm a let-down!
I'm undignified!
Whooo-ah-whoo-ah-hoo!
I'm a let-down!
I'm undignified!
Whooo-ah-whoo-ah-hoo!
I'm a let-down!
I'm undignified!
And I can't explain
I've myself to blame
so hold me down
while they strap me in!"
Have you walked his foothills?
Would you like to be
cheered-on by his people?
on your own
All alone
in your home?
In the living room
of your burned-out,
plastic terracotta cardboard seafront
All alone, all alone,
on your own.
Will you laugh?
Will you sing?
Will you wheel?
Will you wing?
Will you surface into the
night sky?
Depends on how long
You are planning
to go on, to go on.
Will you shout?
Will you cry?
Will you love till you die?
Will you gather all
the fragments up
in your breast?
Left un-cared for
in the night sky
you were heard exclaiming:
"Whooo-ah-whoo-ah-hoo!
I'm a let-down!
I'm undignified!
I said:
Whooo-ah-whoo-ah-hoo!
I'm a let-down!
I'm undignified!
I said:
Whooo-ah-whoo-ah-hoo!
I'm a let-down!
I'm undignified!
And I can't explain
I've myself to blame
so hold me down
while they strap me in!"
"Whooo-ah-whoo-ah-hoo!
I'm a let-down!
I'm undignified!
Whooo-ah-whoo-ah-hoo!
I'm a let-down!
I'm undignified!
Whooo-ah-whoo-ah-hoo!
I'm a let-down!
I'm undignified!"
Whooo-ah-whoo-ah-hoo!
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15. |
Crushedheart Steamroller
02:56
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It's been a long time since
I was creeping on you
shudder on ley lines that
we plan to go through
Cross my heart by steamroller
words are not my strongest point
give them an inch but they might take up a few
Ploughlands, foul hands that we filter on through.
Crush My Heart by steamroller
Words have no control over her
Sorry about my mood horseshit pollutes
Shedding my skin by pipe ember it's true
Crushed my heart by steamroller
words have no control over her
All the trees in the woods voted for you
A wooden-handled axe
that they can't see through
Crush my heart by steamroller
words are not my strongest point
It's been a long time since
I was creeping on you
shudder on ley lines that
we plan to go through
Crush my heart by steamroller
words are not my strongest point
I've been down an awful lot
but at least I've learnt to kill it.
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16. |
Walking For Two Hours
04:07
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Why do they come when you're always raining?
Why can't they make a sound?
And seeing the other ones fall back down
Because you're so far from home and you're wailing
Why do they come when you're always raining?
And why can't they make a sound?
And seeing the other ones fall back down
Because you're so far from home and you're wailing
You're so far from home and you're wailing
And watched it grow in a small dark corner
And why can't they make a sound?
And watching the other ones fall back down
And I've watched you go cold and there's no tears left
And why do they come when the light stops raining?
And where have the colors gone?
And wiping their way across and now it's all gone
Because you're so far from home and you're wailing
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Adam Stafford Falkirk, UK
Adam Stafford is a musician and short film director from Falkirk, Central Scotland.
Stafford is known
for his intense live performances which incorporate soul-pop, post-punk avant-garde and a capela experimentalism to dizzying effect.
... more
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What a delight being able to hear these tracks now. Been a fan forever but am thrilled that my current favourite songs, Reggae Song For Paula, Bon Voyage and Fuck-a-Doodle-Don't I didn't know even existed until this week!
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Live in Liverpool 2005
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Music For Mass Transit
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Minimalist electronica is just experimental enough. Wear headphones.
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New tunes sit next to remixes (including one by Devendra Banhart), plus a bonus 40-minute live performance.
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I Have Heard The Signal, I Am Waiting For The Call
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Krautrock meets ambient in the full-length from Youth Team, a lone producer twiddling knobs in one of Scotland's most remote locales.
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A group that I know only too well, I’ve been with them for nearly 30 years; from their Glaswegian basement origins to their current status as Arena band. My enthusiasm for their later output may have tempered somewhat as the mighty ‘Gwai evolved their sound to avoid pigeonholing, but there is nothing better than when they lay waste to a venue via the sheer euphoria of ‘Helicon 1’. They’re still devastating live and, after all those years, THE authority in Instrumental Rock music.
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