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Better Life

by A Year Afar

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Rodent
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Rodent Tufan's distinctive songs, pretty voice, and snappy-crisp arrangements make this a really pleasant recording. Deserves to be better known.
Kyle Johnson
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Kyle Johnson Just an excellent album. Well done, catchy, mostly light, jazzy instrumental tracks with an incredible vocalist and clever lyrics. The whole album gels together incredibly well too. Favorite track: Lucy.
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1.
Lucy 04:57
I'm leaving you Lucy there is nothing I can use I put it in storage but it still doesn't make sense Lets not pretend that we still understand each other I'm leaving you Lucy I'm leaving you for your brother She stands takes one more look and decides it's all wrong. And if you don't understand Look at the man He's a Graceful soul on an unpleasant planet And if you don't know why just ask me And I will tell you I don't love you I don't love you without Battin an eyelash We were so brave once yeah and I was awfully new We were afraid of what was me and what was you We didn't want to fade so we made ourselves black and blue But I've been drinking too much Lucy and I've turned into one big bruise And if you don't understand Look at the man He's a Graceful soul on an unpleasant planet And if you don't know why just ask me And I will tell you I don't love you I don't love you without Battin an eyelash How ridiculous do you think I am How dishonest how cruel I should never have gone to carpentry school All I got was a wooden spoon And now I wanna hit you with it I wanna feed the whole world with it Feed all the hungry girls and the boys with it Never could I do right by you never could I do right Never could I do right by you I'm leaving this country with a load on my back I imagine its full of magic tricks and good conversation The antidote to your indifference is my vulnerability I can put the emphasis on any cyllable I need I'm not offended Lucy goosey that you're not sittin on your window sill Watching the mad mad woman And if you don't understand Look at the man He's a Graceful soul on an unpleasant planet And if you don't know why just ask me And I will tell you I don't love you I don't love you without Battin an eyelash I will tell you I don't love you (repeated)
2.
Witness 02:56
Several days ago I found you lyin on the road You were bleeding from a fight you had earlier that night You looked pretty bad and so I asked you If you had any help comin' You said I guess my help is you I guess my help is you I guess In your eyes is a vision of infinity And just how little I am But there's no end to the red water running No matter how hard I push upon it See the difference you've made it appears in my face I'm a kinder one So won't you put a little pressure on it If you breath with me I promise There will be a day In space for us In space for us There's a red one and a yellow and a green one But nobody is stopping I won't go without you I could carry you I could if only Headlights were not streaming Tires on pavement screaming there way to here We are light as a feather as we lift off And I can feel the world come off And you are brave And I am brave
3.
Peter 04:15
Peter I believe you I always have Peter what you're feeling you know it's just sad And have you been lonely for a long time Like hell I know its a paradigm Peter I believe ya I waited all day down by the food carts The rain kept the beating just like the day we started But you're not comin no you're not comin Your obligations keep me waiting like they keep you runnin' Peter Slow down and be here Hungry hungry get in line what you want that you can't find Everybody seems to know which direction they should go Hungry hungry get in line what you want that you can't find Everybody's looking round they don't see what they just found Peter take your time and don't you hurry Life will pass us by in a flurry And all those stories that you tell yourself They're no help no help for lovin me Peter You get to be here
4.
Do It 03:16
The paintings not what I painted But I can't erase it till I get acquainted love Living in the lap of loss Do you see me oh what you seein I wish I could John Malcovich your brain So I could see me that way But I'm a misanthropian caffeine queen Walking these streets I'm a nicotine machine I've been watching my life's fight Like a ringside mother fucker What what It's insidious yes indeed When the fear comes into feed Love I need to have my body freed Oh my lady chain of lies I weigh in as heavy as a meteorite I'm livin' in the helotry But I will do it do it dammit I'll do what I can I won't just stand like a mannequin man I've been watching my life's fight Like a ringside mother fucker What what A cuckoos nest has fallen on my head and it's Giving me ideas about what you said And I think it's all about me The whisperings in the kitchen You're a ranger give up your badge man I can see the sun inside wherever you stand Love I will be your ebony And we will face it do you want to know why This arrangement pulls us by our hearts into the sky Love kiss me I'm a remedy And we will do it do it dammit we'll do what we can We won't just stand like mannequins man I've been watching my life's fight but I'm gonna be inside the gauntlet tonight I've been livin my life to long Like a ringside Mother
5.
I Know You 03:35
I know you like the boat knows the water I know you like the ocean knows the changing tide and I know you like the leaves know the seasons and I know you like my hair knows the breezes I'm glad you did her and not just me I'm sure it was great and much better than we And if we ever had fun it sure wasn't on a run I couldn't keep up with the illnesses and all And if my heart don't prevail it isn't your fault We never went fast And I never did fall And I'm sure it makes sense that you and I'd fail Cuz after all I know you like the boat knows the water I know you like the ocean knows the changing tide and I know you like the leaves know the seasons and I know you like my hair knows the breezes I'm glad you did her and not just me I'm sure it was great and much better than we And I'm glad we're still friends after all this time Even though you're not mine our lives intertwine You're a very good chap, though you never looked good in a hat And look at your face I'd take her place anytime you asked me to You don't know the truth But I know you
6.
Moon Man 04:51
There is a moon man asleep here aaaah I know he likes to make believe Playing with the shadows on the blinds But everybody knows he's only making fun With his lonely time in the sky without the sun So keep your head upon that pillow even though it's lumpy there is nothing Grumpy you can't fight Ha ha ha With a white sheet and a good dose of moonlight And there is a moon man asleep here aaaah I know he likes to make believe Playing with the shadows on the blinds But everybody knows he's only making fun With his lonely time in the sky without the sun and this is what the years sound like this is what the tears sound like this is what the years sound like This is what the tears sound like So keep your head upon that pillow Even though you feel the blackness it could kill you You will fight ha ha haaa With a white sheet and a good dose of moonlight And this is what the years sound like This is what the tears sound like this is what the years sound like This is what the tears sound like And there is a moon man asleep here aaaah
7.
Capitol Hill 03:12
He lives on Capitol Hill but He gets his trust from the hoops yeah Californ ya body California sit uh your body down I wear my lavender hooplah And get my chin hoverin right over you just Californ ya body California sit uh your body down Cuz he has got the roundest sounds Comin out of his mouth Are you the man who's up Did I fall for the boy who was down Trophy calendar you are not But you are the man I found in these two towns so What did you go lookin for If you didn't wanna see a rat caught in the door well Californ ya body California sit uh your body down Did I catch in the rata hatcha too fast Oh well Californ ya body California sit uh your body down Cuz he has got the roundest sounds Comin out of his mouth Do you like the pictures I sent you I want to mention you He lives on Capitol Hill but He gets his thrust from the hoops just Californ ya body California sit uh your body down Cuz he has got the roundest sounds comin out of his mouth And I'm gonna let those round vowels come and get me now
8.
You are on my mind Today I gave you a yellow basket Full of all the things you needed Technological devices Photographs that make you laugh And video games Don't you think I'm Brave I gave you a yellow basket And I watched as you unwrapped it Out jumped tiny little men With swords to slay when you summon them Cuz life's your planet CHORUS I'm gatherin all the things all the things That you want Tell me that you love Everything that I got Wish that I could take Away So much already But I'll just let it be Cuz we are not as we seem And the possibility of dreams Is sittin in my basket CHORUS And gatherin all the things all the things That you want Tell me that you love Everything that I got And if you still think that it is not enough Just zip your lips And fake a funny cough Lover will I stay for a day Or awhile CHORUS

about

The debut album from Portland, Oregon band A Year Afar.

From Willamette Week's Jeff Rosenberg:
On debut EP Better Life, A Year Afar adorns striking vocalist Suzanne Tufan with savvy support from Box Set guitarist Jim Brunberg, longtime Holcombe Waller collaborator Ben Landsverk and Blind Pilot’s Dave Jorgensen, conjuring a cohesive identity—though no two tracks sound alike. Landsverk and Jorgensen constitute the rhythm section, but it’s their contributions on cello, trumpet and keyboards that flesh out the arrangements, alongside Brunberg’s variety of guitar textures. Tufan’s elastic vocal range and unbridled melodies recall eccentric chanteuses like Kate Bush and Mary Margaret O’Hara, though her slightly more mannered approach ends up closer to the prosaic quirks of, say, Natalie Merchant. Her lyrics betray multifaceted interpersonal drama: The album’s opening gambit, “Lucy,” pays off with, “I’m leaving you for your brother,” rubbed in by the refrain, “And if you don’t understand/ Look at the man,” before getting to the heart of the matter: “And I’ll say that I don’t love you/ Without batting an eyelash.” Love of language shines, as on the swooning “Capitol Hill”: “’Cause he’s got the roundest sounds comin’ out of his mouth/ And I’m gonna let those round vowels come and get me now.” You’d do well allowing A Year Afar to do the same to you.

credits

released August 19, 2014

Recorded and mixed by Jim Brunberg except: Sean Flora recorded & mixed Do It, Peter, and basics on Yellow Basket and Witness. Mastered by TImothy Stollenwek. A Year Afar: Suzanne Tufan, Jim Brunberg, Ben Landsverk, Dave Jorgensen. Josh Lava played drums on Capitol Hill. Josh Segal played bass clarinet and sax on Lucy.

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A Year Afar Portland, Oregon

A Year Afar’s music is meticulously and lovingly crafted to stand the test of time. United by a shared desire to create fresh, engaging, and boundary pushing songs, vocalist Suzanne Tufan’s expressive lyrics and vocal melodies paint vivid, personal images while Jim Brunberg, Ben Landsverk, and Dave Jorgensen’s lush musical arrangements draw deeply from the pop and rock genres. ... more

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