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Abandoned Mansions acoustic EP

by J. Robbins

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wigilo
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wigilo Great way of getting reacquainted with some old favorites. Favorite track: Aviary.
Stephen Reeder
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Stephen Reeder I've been a fan of J's music for a very long time. Some of the best songs from the entirety of J's discography (Jawbox, Burning Airlines, and Office of Future Plans) are re-recorded here with very stripped-down instrumentation. J's singing voice only gets stronger and more eloquent with the passage of time.
The acoustic version Lorelei gives me goosebumps, and the recording of "68" nearly brought me to tears.
A must have for anyone who's a fan of J.s music. Favorite track: 68.
needsmorerage
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needsmorerage Really moving alternate takes on some classic songs and some newer cuts. This whole EP is a fantastic display of the breadth of J. Robbin's songwriting abilities. Love it. Favorite track: Aviary.
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1.
Aviary 02:04
now clarity lost out to desire I married the madness in her eyes a ceremony with a serried edge what's the price to fly in a cage of wire displaying the scars where my hands were tied from martyr to sinner in record time while she took the orange from the autumn sky so sublime so we said goodbye what's the price to fly in a cage of wire boys spin by like a mobile inside her knowing ambivalent mind but isn't this one more alive? where am I? and where's my right mind? outside of the aviary tonight would I still fly?
2.
Lorelei 02:09
from the tower of temptations the king of calculations celebrating his salvation sends out the doves at last, in love past and present: complications ambitions and way-stations is Lorelei losing her patience folie a deux the lost, in love I should close my eyes who am I to moralize? we could all survive the most violent divide but you lie lie lie do you get the truth from Lorelei? what you want, and what you’ve given you live in the division get rebirth, forget redemption this kind of love i’ve seen enough
3.
no the years really haven’t been kind central booking at sunrise in the red at the edge of your eyes let it blur as you drive by grand abandoned mansions from a better time rotting out from the inside if you dig, what d’you think you would find it’s a tomb, not a gold mine it’s the creche of the creatures who climb over each other’s bent spines giants in the earth and bullets in the sky little castles in their never-ending lines rotting out from the inside if you dig what d’you think you would find “resignedly beneath the sky the melancholy waters lie and from the towers in the town death looks gigantically down” giants in the earth and bullets in the sky grand abandoned mansions from a better time bars and churches in their never-ending lines rotting out from the inside
4.
Spoiler 02:48
what you already know should be more than enough to cut this two-bit show down with the dust target: wires and the seams induce the rush of disbelieving lies that aren't your own spoiler, spoiler come just to turn it over spoiler, spoiler if you could kill it slower working the wrecking ball maybe you feel less small religion for the mean 'cause disbelief suspended for the sake of nothing more than empty insides humming is sending you to sleep spoiler, spoiler come just to turn it over spoiler, spoiler if you could kill it slower ah, vindication isn't what it used to be
5.
68 03:17
I got the message calling me back home don't ever let go 6-foot-deep hole their paths are cut so deep from 30 years of sleep walking from a quarry to a wall rationalizing all compromises their paths are cut so deep from 30 years of sleep walking from a quarry to a wall and all they try to keep is slipping piece by piece in spite of all attempts at holding on I got the message calling me back home
6.
Salamander 04:53
in the kingdom of the dead we don’t talk about the weather when their vision is your prison, there’s no surrender who listens now you’ve run yourself to ground arms and arson, broken hearts heavy weight, sins of your fathers come to life, trouble the waters they knew you’d drown or run yourself to ground all dreams of breaking out will end in breaking down welcome to the present tense let’s put your theory into practice tear up those criminal commandments here and now we only go to ground all dreams of breaking out will end in breaking down salamander, salamander step into the fire when you can’t see another way toward a brighter day

about

This studio recording is a partial document of J. Robbins' acoustic set: versions of songs originally written for the bands Jawbox, Burning Airlines, and Office of Future Plans, along with the new song "Abandoned Mansions."

credits

released June 25, 2014

J. Robbins: voice, acoustic guitar
Brooks Harlan: keyboards, voice
Gordon Withers: cello
Recorded by J. Robbins and Shane Stanton at the Magpie Cage.
Mastered by Dan Coutant at Sun Room Audio.

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all rights reserved

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about

J. Robbins Baltimore, Maryland

J. Robbins has been the singer/guitarist and principal songwriter in several DC-and-Baltimore-area post-punk rock bands since the late 1980s, most notably Jawbox, Burning Airlines, and Channels. He is also owner and operator of the Magpie Cage recording studio in Baltimore MD.
T-shirts and other J. Robbins-related merch are available at www.shirtkiller.com/jrobbins

Photo by Shane Gardner
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