we had written a song that was the title track, "I Gave You the Moon", that appears on this release as the half studio version and appears on the IGYTM demos as my home version, and though that song never quite hit the mark, i felt there was a beauty in that riff and progression.
after some playing around, i stumbled across this arrangement.
this version is the closest home version to the studio recording.
from this, we re-recorded the keyboard part (still using a Fender Rhodes Mark II plus another key sound with the same MIDI overtop for some additional bite), re-recorded vocals, drums, and guitars. but all the rest of the MIDI instruments (strings, recorders, FX) were kept.
the best part of that second batch of IGYTM sessions was that we were able to utilize those things i spent hours experimenting on at home since, for once, they were all done to a click track. if it weren't for that foresight on my part, and that ability for me to mess around in the privacy of my basement in the wee hours, this song wouldn't have happened and much of what this record became wouldn't have happened.
real bands with real budgets have the time to do this stuff in the studio, but i never did, so it was a blessing to be able to noodle around at home and bring that to the studio and build on it.
i would take the experience with this song and others (things fall apart, diet coke, etc) and build on that with the next record, where i fleshed everything out top to bottom with the idea of finalizing the key instruments in the studio but keeping the weird effects and edits from my home recordings intact.
lyrics
it's a long life without any others, with a whipping wind at your back
dust has collected on my covers, i've been waiting for you to come back
and i've been reckless, i haven't been sleeping
cause it hurts to see you in my dreams
and the distance i feel isn't measured in miles
it's measured in memories
we keep in contact but what's the motive?
what's the answer that you seek?
cause i have questions for every hour of the day but
you never answer me
it's easy to move on if you never stopped to look around in the first place
i am stunted, staring at your footprints
wishing you would've stopped with me
since there's nothing left for me to say
i think it's better if i go on my way
yeah
but the exits are never flawless
more an entrance to lonely nights
and though the moon's high, and the stars are shining thru clouds
i'm alone here in this field for the rest of my life
if you'd come back, we could start it over
get married one day, settle down
with the white fence, a 9-5 gig
find the love that was never around
and since there's nothing left for me to say
i think it's better if i go on my way
the distance that i feel isn't measured in miles
it's measured in memories
i believe there's love to be found
i believe in love
oh, the moon's high and the stars are staring at me
we're laying in a field side by side
i tried to reach you but you were miles from me
you were already lost in my eyes
so that night i lost my shot at the moon
cause i was busy counting stars
though you were only a few feet over
you had never been so far away
credits
from 2014,
released December 20, 2021
casey k: keys, programming, guitars, vox
straightforward, no huge production or walls of guitars, but Chris tickles the heartstrings with melody, and that's the true hallmark of a great songwriter. The Insurrectionists
From the first moment I heard Will Toledo's washed-out screams on Boxing Day, I knew he'd "make it". Here we are, 2 years later and he's on Matador records. Sometimes, the world rewards talent. The Insurrectionists
In Adrian Snood’s songs, soulful vocals and slow-moving alt-pop swirl together to create something distinctly moving. Bandcamp New & Notable Apr 1, 2023