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Radiate, Satellite

by Makeunder

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1.
As the morn awakes the flowerbed I stare into the sky not quite at the sun And see the satellite radiate As the midday soaks the concrete porch I stare at the hummingbird wondering how fast his heart pumps But I can’t help but feel the weight of my own flesh as it fades away But I still see the satellite And it radiates As the twilight glows like ember I stare into your eyes And feel such warmth But I can’t see you like I used to. As I approach my midnight I stare into the sky Not quite at the sun And see the satellite radiate But my own flesh - it fades away
2.
I smell the demilune These farms used to dance in its fane Out of the hills the lupines smiled As the carburator sang to the swain And I see the sunrise we have nothing to our name And oh how the tank fell empty But oh how the sky was aflame It seems like the best thing to do is wait it out But as we drove across this state my heart intoned "I can't believe we found this place And could make this home to raise our own" - That is, if you love the purple on these hills as I do What if we bought a little hovel And I'll work on cars all day? Follow the geese out to the valley As the cotton mill sang to the swain I hear the sunset The wise old man told us of nil Improvise this quartet Like a dicot your mind stood still It seems like the best thing to do is wait it out But as we drove across this state my heart intoned "I can't believe we found this place And could make this home to raise our own" - That is, if you love the purple on these hills as I do As I lay here in my bed I have no regrets to face Bring no ceremony with you As I leave you with some grace
3.
This town has become a place where no one lives That won’t last past the year We should pack our bags Because I hold nothing So I fold my arms When I go please - just spread my ashes Don’t bring any ceremonial lights or important statues We should pack our bags Because I hold nothing And so I fold my arms
4.
I have a theory That I could fix anything If I had the time I built my own recreational van With these two hands And other cars of mine I have an air compressor That I wheel out to the ladder So we can get the house cool again Though I cannot get on the roof I am far from the aloof And I’ll let my son do the job
5.
Was it a dream? ‘cause I fell asleep at my wedding Here we are with our gifts on par with the house Now that I’m yours to keep I’ll never play trumpet again Then she plugged in every electric gift from a friend, I had to get my generator But it overloaded and the generator explode and knocked my teeth out Now that I have no teeth I’ll never play trumpet again Never again The long night - What do I bring to our knot, When all that I have is my intention? I am an orphan, at least I feel that way But it is hard for me to explain But oh, I’ll never play the trumpet again The long night Long after the mystery is spent And all I have is the fragment of my youth And all of my innards cry for the solitude I yearn Well it is hard for me to explain Oh no - I’ll never play the trumpet again

about

Radiate, Satellite was written and recorded over five early mornings on a laptop's internal microphone as frontman Hamilton Ulmer cleaned out his childhood home. During its brief runtime the album recounts scenes from the the life and death of a rural Californian family, told from the perspective of its peaceful patriarch. Using only an alto saxophone, an old violin, a small hand drum, and layers of vocals, Radiate Satellite flits through shades of classic soul, Stravinskian arrangements, and 40's big band flourishes. It is a love letter to a long-forgotten era and style of music.

The title track is a modernist cowboy song, with our aging, nearly blind protagonist musing at the flicker of a satellite crossing into the sun's glaring rays. The song unfolds from a simple soulful melody into stark angular stabs of creaky violins as the narrator shifts his focus from the mundane events occuring in his tranquil backyard to his own impending mortality.

"Important Statues" depicts the abandonment of a small city by its inhabitants. The narrator croons his frustration toward the lost town as reckless, interlocking sax figures threaten to overwhelm the patient, pattering percussion and plucked strings.

Since the EP's completion, Makeunder has expanded into a sextet, with members culled from the fringes of San Francisco's experimental music scene. The ensemble is currently recording an EP, "Dirt Flooding the Streets", and a full-length LP, "Ord", both of which are due in late 2013.

credits

released July 24, 2012

Written, Recorded, and Produced by Hamilton Ulmer
Justin Sachs - Mixing Engineer
Jeremy Rosenblum - Mastering Engineer
Gabriel Schama - Album Art

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Makeunder Oakland, California

Led by songwriter Hamilton Ulmer, Makeunder wrestles diverse tastes - from Renaissance motet, to art rock, to 90's R&B, synth pop, soul, & modern orchestral music - into powerful songs about death, survival, migration, & loss.

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