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Straight Jacket

by Cities & States

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1.
[START ALBUM] Open your eyes and let me in I wanna look through you I just wanna be near you, again No one thinks twice about tomorrow Let go of your sorrow Let go of your sorrow (Chorus) I have been awake in your arms before And we were a piece of cake in the middle of the floor You can take it all away Please, won't you take it all away? (Guitar Solo) Open your mouth and spit it out I'm dying to hear you I just wanna be near you, again Without a doubt wolves in the wild Make a meal of a child I can be such a child (Chorus) I have been awake in your arms before And we were a piece of cake in the middle of the floor You can take it all away Please, won't you take it all away? You can take it all away Please, won't you take it all away?
2.
I'd give anything to feel that way again I'd do anything to be with you No one knows it but me I'd go backwards in a forward moving world I'd go any which way you want me to No one knows it but me (Chorus) Sometimes I feel alive Sometimes I wanna die Sometimes I feel alright Sometimes I stay inside I'd go out of my way to call you my close friend I'd go out of my mind to marry you No one knows it but me I'd crawl out of my skin to tell you my first name I'd grow extra arms to carry you No one knows it but me (Chorus) Sometimes I feel alive Sometimes I wanna die Sometimes I feel alright Sometimes I stay inside (I wanna stay inside, I wanna stay inside)
3.
There's nothing we can do now There's nothing we can do now There's nothing we can do now There's nothing we can do now But run run run, run run run away Lacing up shoes now Lacing up my shoes now I'm lacing up shoes now Lacing up my shoes now So I can run run run, run run run away (Chorus) I don't know where I'm going But I'm taking you with me I don't care where I'm going Cause you're making me happy Oh I'm trying not to lose now Trying not to lose now I'm trying not to lose now Trying not to lose now So I just run run run, run run run away Breaking all the rules now I'm breaking all the rules now I'm breaking all the rules now Breaking all the rules now I'm gonna run run run, run run run away (Chorus) I don't know where I'm going But I need you so badly We get through without knowing The details exactly Lying on the ground and I don't mind having you aroooouuuunnnnd Listen to the sound Of the leaves in the trees and the peace of your voice when you sleep There's nothing we can do now There's nothing we can do now There's nothing we can do now There's nothing we can do now
4.
I thought I knew you You thought you knew me The circumstances, what do I know, what do I know? I took some classes You took some chances The circumstances, what do I do, what do I do? (Chorus) You never know what I'm talking about You just seem annoyed Where do I go now that I'm so alone I don't see the point I brought you flowers You took a shower The circumstances, oh what do I know, what do I know? They could be roses Without romances The circumstances Oh, what do I do, what do I do what do I do, what do I do, what do I do? (Chorus) x2 You never know what I'm talking about You just seem annoyed Where do I go now that I'm so alone I don't see the point Oh no, away we go Never to meet again Oh yes, who could've guessed We could predict the end Oh no, away we go (You never know what I'm talking about) Never to meet again (You just seem annoyed) Oh yes, who could've guessed (Where do I go now that I'm so alone) We could predict the end (I don't see the point)
5.
We could be a roller coaster We could be a shooting star It doesn't really matter what we are We could be a movie poster We could be a slide guitar It doesn't matter what we are, we are (Chorus) I don't care what the future holds Cause it can't touch me with a 10 foot pole I don't care if you're young or old It'll come for you and it'll take you whole We could be a helicopter We could be a brand new low It doesn't matter don't you know We could be the last survivors We could be the first to go It doesn't matter don't you know, you know (Chorus) I don't care what the future holds Cause it can't touch me with a 10 foot pole I don't care if you're young or old It'll come for you and it'll take you whole [OUTRO]
6.
(Guitar Solo) I fell in love with a natural blonde Her golden hair was a bit too long She combed it out, a lion's mane I found it in the shower drain (Guitar Solo) (Chorus) La da da da da La da da dahhhh I fell in love like a natural fool Her fashion life was a bit too cool She wore me out and what was more She left me on the bedroom floor (Chorus) La da da da da La da da dahhhh I fell in love with a natural blonde Her golden hair was a bit too long
7.
I feel pain The falling rain Something wrong inside my brain Then it came I went insane I got out, you moved away (Chorus) I don't know when it changed But it sure as hell didn't stay the same I'm aware you rearranged For the life of me I can't explain What is wrong I have no dreams No future schemes Nothing is the way it seems I hold no key To set me free Jesus get away from me (Chorus) I don't know when it changed But it sure as hell didn't stay the same I'm aware you rearranged For the life of me I can't explain What is wrong What is wrong? Is something wrong? Is something wrong? What is wrong? Is something wrong?
8.
Ostrich 02:59
Tell me baby, where do we go from here? I'm gonna make you see it all so clear It comes at a time, it's on my mind, and it's obvious Love is blind, elusive, and mysterious (Chorus) And I don't wanna live with my head in the sand I don't wanna live with my head in the sand I don't wanna live with my head in the sand I don't wanna live with my head in the sand (Guitar Solo) Tell me baby, where do we go from here? I'm gonna make you smile from ear to ear I'm just a pile of bones, I'm all your own so take a bow I'm a rolling stone, I ain't got no home so take me now (Chorus) And I don't wanna live with my head in the sand I don't wanna live with my head in the sand I don't wanna live with my head in the sand I don't wanna live with my head in the sand I don't wanna live with my head in the sand I don't wanna live with my head in the sand Tell me baby, where do we go from here?
9.
(Guitar Solo) I will Wait a long time For you To finally be my girl I can Remember when you Came in in yellow high heeled shoes (Chorus) I am trying to reach you But I am so beneath you I am dying to meet you I hope you wear something see-through I'd do Anything for Someone To stick it out with me We could Roll the blinds up And let in Let the sunny-side up too (Chorus) I am trying to reach you But I am so beneath you I am dying to meet you I hope you wear something see-through I just wanna be beneath you (Guitar Solo)
10.
Sex Appeal 03:31
The worst is now behind you honey And all you gotta do is carry on The past ain't worth the time or the money Cause all that you remember is long gone The wind is at my back and it's sunny But all I wanna do is stay in bed The simple things in life seem funny When everything is strange inside your head (Chorus) Oh, I want you to know I need a reason to show The feeling I get is real When you come around With your sex appeal The center of the road drives easy If all you ever do is tow the line The drunken saint says "Don't be silly," "The water's any good it'll turn to wine". (Chorus) Oh, I want you to know I need a reason to show The feeling I get is real When you come around With your sex appeal When I'm going nowhere I'm not going anywhere You can have me anytime We don't have to fight it If there's a spark to light it I can read what's on your mind (Chorus) Oh, I want you to know I need a reason to show The feeling I get is real When you come around When you come around When you come around With your sex appeal
11.
Slow Motion 04:07
I'm still in love with you I don't know what to do It feels like everything is moving in slow motion I sleep alone tonight I wanna hold you tight It feels like everything is moving in slow motion (Chorus) I don't wanna be the one With a finger on the gun I promise not to break your heart I can see it in your eyes You have seen through my disguise And now we have to be apart I feel the ups and downs And when I come around Still seems to me that we are moving in slow motion I wear a different crown It weighs a hundred pounds And when I walk it feels like moving in slow motion (Chorus) Only speaking for myself This is heaven, this is hell And it's no one's fault but mine I keep the secrets I could tell And play the hand that I was dealt I know tomorrow I'll be fine Oh, I know tomorrow I'll be fine I know tomorrow I'll be fine [END ALBUM]

about

I wrote and recorded every stitch of this record between July and December 2013 in my Salem, MA home. I immersed myself in the process of writing music and lyrics, and tried to be as positive and non-judgmental as possible. Without the proper material, a craftsman cannot work on his/her craft, and by categorizing my songs as malleable/transient, I was able to consciously dive into an uncharted territory. As long as I moved forward, there would be positivity.

Following my recording session, I was lucky enough to have my good friend Earl Jhainish Sinnatamby mix the album in his loft studio. The songs really took shape during this process. We tinkered, we stripped away unnecessary frequencies, we laughed, we cried, and developed an everlasting bond that only two people in such circumstances could.

On April 1st, 2014 I took the album to Jeff Lipton at Peerless Mastering in Newton, MA. We worked until 4AM, and "Straight Jacket" was unofficially born.

On this May 13, 2014 a 10:00AM EST, I present Cities & States' debut album "Straight Jacket".

credits

released May 13, 2014

Joshua Richard: Music, Lyrics, Recording Engineer
Earl Jhainish Sinnatamby: Mixing Engineer, confidante

Mastered by Jeff Lipton at Peerless Mastering, Boston, MA
Assistant Mastering Engineer: Maria Rice

Artwork:
Concept by Sam Brown & Josh Richard
Photo taken by JP Ivie
Graphic Design by Dave DiAngelis

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Cities & States Nahant, Massachusetts

Cities & States' sophomore album, aptly named "Sophomore Slump", is a massive work displaying the breadth of Richard's palette, Sinnatamby's engineering mastery, and Bickerton's command of the kit. This collaboration has revealed a palpable necessity for expression, and a greater need for exploring the far corners of an endless musical landscape. Step inside their world with "Ambulance Racer"! ... more

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