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CAPITALISM BLUES

by OTHERPEACE

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1.
I had both kinds of trouble yesterday I didn’t choose existence, but I chose harm’s way Both kinds of trouble, not a thing that went my way But maybe tomorrow they may I’m full of resentments tonight Yes I’m full of resentments tonight I started to die but there’s no end in sight Now I’m full of resentments tonight I’ll have more of the same tomorrow I’ve more of the same tomorrow More of the same’ll help keep me insane I heard conviction brings clarity for some I heard conviction brings clarity for some Conviction brings clarity for some Maybe in a week I’ll get it done Yeah maybe in a week or two I’ll get it done Sink into the earth or float up past the sun Maybe in a week or three I’ll get it done I sing to you now from the future Yeah I sing to you now from the future Now and then I’m too depressed to relay all the rest But isn’t it good just to know that there’s a future? Yeah isn’t it nice to know that there’s a future, baby? A future, baby? Future, baby? Future, baby?
2.
Lost as we are, sick in our heads Surviving this season by staying in bed Nobody’s thriving, and I'm sick of the death Calling on friends to see how we feel Most of our reasons are feeling too real Feeling around in the dark, creating a wheel Fooling around in the dark, creation’s a wheel Show me out of this age and teach me to breathe Put your breath on my mouth and help me to see Daydreaming when, of wherever we can And nothing is rationed, and we all have plans And please don’t remind me just yet, that it’s out of my hands Confront me with failures, there’s blood on my hands Show me out of this age and teach me to breathe Put your breath on my mouth and help me to see How long is a day on the sun? Would anyone mind if I showed anyone? Does anyone know whether anything’s real? I just need to know, what if anything’s real? I just need to know, what if anyone’s real?
3.
Get outside, it’s the first day of the world, baby Submit yourself, I think it’s May Shuffled hair and ruffled feet, it’s the morning, baby Let’s go see if it’s a fake Infinity’s a figure-eight I got a fifty-foot long list of boundaries, baby And none of them are fake I got a fifty-foot long list of boundaries, baby And none of them are fake Sunglasses on for the first sunrise to happen, baby How does it feel to be awake? Does it sting? Do they sting when they’re with you, baby? Cardiod or figure-eight? Infinity’s a figure-eight I got a fifty-foot long list of boundaries, baby And none of them are fake I got a fifty-foot long list of boundaries, baby And none of them are fake
4.
We were raised in the land of over-thinking A piece of coastline and a whole lot of drinking Always too hot, always too cold Buying copper to sell as gold And if all you want to do is have fun I think you’re not in the right one Hope I die before I get cold Our piece of coastline’s gettin’ old I hope I die before I get cold Our piece of coastline’s gettin’ old When I get down, Immediate Sound When I get down, the ‘Bo’s around And when I find I’m lost, there’s a lost and found And when I need a ride is when I’m on the ground And if we’re second in line for blood I think you’re not in the right one I hope I die before I get cold Our piece of coastline’s getting old I hope I die before I get cold Our piece of coastline’s getting old Our piece of coastline’s getting old Our piece of coastline’s getting old
5.
Hoosiers 03:45
Hoosiers, they’re winners and losers What the fuck’s a Hoosier anyway If they’re anything like the ones we’ve got They’re drinking and drugging towards an early grave They like things store bought, still they thrift a lot Na-na-na-na-na-na-na Who’s a Hoosier What the hell’s a Hoosier anyway Had a friend at the record shop She kept a room above a cool cop’s Paid her rent with some ditchweed pot And kept him high on classic rock But my friend she fell behind on some bills And that cop had some quotas to fill She tried to catch up with some cocaine and pills And now she’s doing some years Hoosiers, they’re winners and losers What the fuck’s a Hoosier anyway If they’re anything like the ones we’ve got They’re drinking and drugging towards an early grave They like things store bought, still they thrift a lot Na-na-na-na-na-na-na Who’s a Hoosier What the hell’s a Hoosier anyway Now that cop’s out a tenant, and it ain’t for lack of looking But half Allen County knows what he did Now he’s months behind with the patrolman’s credit union An’ once a week he gets his windows busted in But my buddy she got out in a few She got a few jobs cleaning bars Spends her nights dodging shitheads up in Fort Wayne Kendal Kost, this song’s for you Hoosiers, they’re winners and losers What the fuck’s a Hoosier anyway If they’re anything like the ones we’ve got They’re drinking and drugging towards an early grave They like things store bought, still they thrift a lot Na-na-na-na-na-na-na Who’s a Hoosier What the hell’s a Hoosier anyway Busting windows in a Crown Vic every day
6.
I should love you for your mysticism I should love you for your criticism But I love your forgiveness, woman Love you for forgiveness, woman I should love you for your inquisition I Should love you for your new position But I love your forgiveness, woman I love you for forgiveness I should want you for your revolution I should care about your retribution Just need your forgiveness, woman I need you for forgiveness, woman Love you for forgiveness, woman Love you for forgiveness
7.
“It’s 5am on Black Friday somewhere” they said And half-off’s such a holy state of mind They’re two for one, they’re completely new, And they’re obsolete in a week or two Looks good on them, then it’ll look good on you The problem’s them, the problem’s never you Bought those capitalism blues, got those capitalism blues From the price tag on my hat, down to the price tag on my shoes Bought those capitalism blues, can't sell those capitalism blues Can’t afford to not try and keep up with you Well the more you spend, the more you save, But the more you get, the more you crave And the less it costs, the less that you get off Attention deficit, and a surplus of bullshit And an algorithm that knows when you get paid If swiping left to feel alright, then surveillance needs you up all night We’re evolved past needing to get laid We’re scrolling past knowing how to get laid Got those capitalism blues, got those capitalism blues From the price tag on my hat, down to the price tag on my shoes Bought those capitalism blues, can't sell those capitalism blues Can’t afford to not try and keep up with you Illusion of choice is up next on the voice If everything’s on sale, then nothing is Well the more you spend, the more you save, But the more you get, the more you crave And the less it costs, the less that you get off Yeah the less it costs, the less that you get off Got those capitalism blues, got those capitalism blues From the price tag on my hat, down to the price tag on my shoes Bought those capitalism blues, can't sell those capitalism blues I can’t afford to not try and keep up with you No I can’t afford to be this kind of blue No I can’t afford these capitalism blues
8.
If they’re asking, why not answer? If they’re asking, why not answer? If they’re asking, why not answer? Set aside your fear, don’t satisfy their fear If they wrote it, why not read it? If they wrote it, why not read it? If they wrote it, why not read it? And set aside your fear, don’t satisfy their fear You’ve satisfied your fears You’re done with all those years You won’t get all those tears back anyhow So let them do their thing They already took the ring And they never needed permission anyhow If they’re calling, you’ve been called on If they’re calling, you’ve been called on If they’re calling, you’ve been called on To set aside your fear, don’t satisfy their fear You’ve satisfied your fears You’re done with all those years You won’t get all those tears back anyhow So let them do their thing They already took the ring And they never needed permission anyhow There’s others, but they’re the only There’s others, but they’re the only There’s others, but they’re the only one So set aside your fear, don’t satisfy their fear If you love them, why not let them? If you love them, why not let them? If you love them, why not let them? Set aside your fear, don’t satisfy their fear
9.
Better lies Broken wings Microphones And everything These are things That I could see But I caused Some misery Now I’m blind Now I'm blind Lover’s eyes Borrowed rings Herringbone, and endless snow And everything These are things That I could see But now they’re just Just memories Now I’m blind Now I’m blind Doctor always said I’d lose my sight Still it came as a surprise Like when the prologue says they’ll die at the end And then the actors get it right The actors get it right Now I’m blind Now I’m blind Now I’m blind Now I’m blind

credits

released April 1, 2022

Matt Clark: vocals, guitars, Wurlitzer electric piano, drums
&
Stephen "The Kid" Howard: bass, electric guitar, drums
Rob Jensen: drums
+
Scott Ligon: Clavinet, Hammond organ, Mellotron, Wurlitzer electric piano
Mike Burns: electric lap steel guitar
Mark Greenberg: Mellotron

Recorded and Mixed by Mark Greenberg at The Wilco Loft, Summer & Fall, 2021
Mastered for digital by Todd Rittmann at The Shy Diamond, Fall, 2021
Cover photos by Matt Clark

All songs written by Matt Clark (By Lightning to the Womb Music / ASCAP)

OTHERPEACE is the new nom-de-chanson of Matt Clark, the Chicago-based singer-songwriter and guitar player. He spent his formative years in Joan of Arc, and was a founding member of Pinebender, White/Light, Love of Everything, and Ambulette; he is also a longtime musical contributor to This American Life. He has collaborated with Kim Gordon, Leroy Bach, Disappears, Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe/Lichens, and Rhys Chatham's Crimson Grail, and performed at The Cartier Foundation Paris, Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, Lincoln Center, Oprah, and Lollapalooza. Clark has received* two Grammys.

Capitalism Blues features contributions throughout from Clark's old friend/longtime collaborator/bandmate/fuzz aficionado Stephen "The Kid" Howard (Pinebender, Mike Lust, James McCartney, Blue Man Group) and new friend/sweet soul Rob Jensen (Wandering Boys, Redwalls), with Scott Ligon (NRBQ, The Flat Five) and Mike Burns (Electric Hawk, Blue Man Group). Deftly recorded and mixed by Mark Greenberg in Chicago at the Wilco Loft.

*His old roommate won them, and Clark signed for the delivery. RECEIVED. TWO. GRAMMYS.

--
Bob Mehr (NYT bestselling author, 'Trouble Boys: The True Story of the Replacements' and Grammy winner, 'Dead Man's Pop' liner notes writer) via Instagram, 4/9/22:

A CONFESSION: This is a picture of me, caught by my wife, singing along (poorly) to my favorite new record.

Honestly, not a lot of new music has moved me lately. Probably a byproduct of the pandemic, which has had me craving familiar comforts (“Hello L.A.M.F., my old friend”). But a few months back I got an advance of the best thing I’ve heard, and been moved by, in ages: an album called “Capitalism Blues” by OTHERPEACE, the new project from Matt Clark.

Some of you–esp. Chicago folks–will know Matt as a guitarist (White/Light, Pinebender), a member of Joan of Arc, a musical contributor to “This American Life,” a collaborator with Kim Gordon. Despite what the indie-art punk-noise resume suggests, Matt went and made a roots record (for lack of a better term).

"Capitalism Blues" was cut at the Wilco Loft with Clark's longtime foil, Stephen “The Kid” Howard, as well as ace players from Wandering Boys, NRBQ, Electric Hawk, and was recorded & mixed by the great Mark Greenberg.

Not sure if Matt will agree–what are records if not Rorschach tests for those listening–but “Capitalism Blues” sounds like it could be part of Neil Young’s Ditch Trilogy (a Quadrilogy?). Or what it would’ve sounded like if Warren Zevon had made a country record between his Imperial album and his Asylum debut.

It’s got some of that cosmic-narcotic-pastoral quality of Smog and Bonnie Prince Billy, but there’s something pure in how the record moves and plays. It has the feel of a certain kind of cinema: scripted by Rudy Wurlitzer, directed by Monte Hellman, with Matt as Warren Oates, sitting under a tree pondering fate: “I had both kinds of trouble yesterday/I didn’t choose existence, but I chose harm’s way."

The lyrics are funny, desperate, brooding and beautiful-with killer opening lines: “We were raised in the land of over-thinking/A piece of coastline and a whole lot of drinking/Always too hot, always too cold/Buying copper to sell as gold."

No point in me going on. I am confident you’ll get it once you listen.* “Capitalism Blues” by @otherpeacemusic is available now on Bandcamp (link in bio).

*This record comes with the Bob Mehr Guarantee®: You'll enjoy it or you can pound sand."

--

Some new kind words from Chicago Reader:
"Otherpeace kicks off a Hideout residency to support a restorative, rootsy debut album," March 2022, by Leor Galil
"(OTHERPEACE's) self-released debut, Capitalism Blues, charts the space between the introspective ambience of Clark’s back catalog and the rough-hewn nuance of relaxed roots and country. When the music dissolves those sounds into each other, it creates a soothing elixir: the melodies are droning and moody, and the ambient passages contain bits of twang like bubbles in amber. Clark’s guitar playing is animated but unfussy, and his gently soulful singing sometimes drops into a half whisper. OTHERPEACE is witty and thoughtful, like Clark’s down-to-earth personality, and those traits are underlined by subtle touches from his collaborators."

Some old kind words from Bandcamp:
Matt Clark's "Impossible Lows" awarded BEST EXPERIMENTAL MUSIC ON BANDCAMP, MAY 2019, by Marc Masters:
"To make his first full-length album, Chicago guitarist Matt Clark—a former member of Joan of Arc and Pinebender—spent 10 days recording first takes and sticking with them. The result, 'Impossible Lows,' doesn’t feel like a sketchbook, but rather a thought-out series of instrumental statements with firm moods and self-contained environments. It’s also sonically diverse; Clark is capable of delicate avant-folk, thickened drones, extended riffs, and more. Most compelling is the eight-minute odyssey “Zola Mae,” which opens with gentle, distant tones, and gradually builds into a thatch of noise guitar that sounds like it’s being broadcast through a faulty transistor radio. Such textural variety seems to come naturally to Clark, giving 'Impossible Lows' the kind of durability that rewards repeat plays."

UPCOMING SHOWS: TBA

PAST SHOWS:
2/10/22 @ Schubas, Chicago, IL w/ Young Man In A Hurry
2/11/22 @ The Bur Oak, Madison, WI w/ Young Man In A Hurry
3/24/22 @ Hideout, Chicago w/ Keener Fam & Official Claire
4/10/22 @ Golden Dagger, Chicago w/ Douglas McCombs & Amalea Tshilds
4/28/22 @ Hideout, Chicago w/ Touched By Ghoul & David Zollo
5/26/22 @ Hideout, Chicago w/ McCombs/Rumback duo & Amalea Tshilds
6/5/22 @ Big Grove Brewery Tap Room, Iowa City, IA w/ David Zollo
6/29/22 @ Space, Evanston, IL w/ Craig Finn & The Uptown Controllers
7/9/22 @ Fitzgerald's, Berwyn, IL w/ Hayes Carll
9/17/22 @ The Lift, Dubuque, IA w/ Kristina Marie Castañeda
10/13/22 @ Hideout, Chicago w/ The Deer
11/3/22 @ Judson & Moore, Chicago w/ Hemlock, "OTHERPEACE & Hemlock Play LA Songs" (songs about Los Angeles and Louisiana, respectively)

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OTHERPEACE Chicago, Illinois

AKA Matt Clark. Singer & songwriter. Guitar player for White/Light and Pinebender. Ex-Joan of Arc and Love of Everything. Musical contributor to This American Life.

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