THE DAMAGE — PART 1 + PART 2 [1991 FORT SMITH DARK ALT SHOEGAZE NERD-POP MATH ROCK] [Dark Arkansas alt-rock, early shoegaze haze, nerd-pop melody, quirky math-rock rhythms, anxious melodic punk, basement intimacy, ugly-beautiful guitar noise, restrained verses → huge blurred choruses] [1991 ONLY: live acoustic drums, roomy snare, imperfect timing, tube-amp overdrive, chorus guitar, fuzz bass, jangly clean guitar, analog delay, spring reverb, cassette saturation, cheap room mics, NO modern polish] [GUITARS: interlocking crooked riffs, odd accents, suspended/dissonant chords, ringing strings, repeating fragments with shifting notes] [BASS: melodic counterline, slight overdrive, follows guitar geometry] [VOCALS: intimate Fort Smith Arkansas drawl, nervous conversational delivery, restrained verses, breathy doubled choruses, imperfect human pitch, slightly buried in guitars] [INTRO] [FOLEY: cassette click, amp hum, cable thump] [AUDIATION: clean 5-note guitar figure; second guitar enters one beat late with shifted repetition] [DRUMS: distant count-in, two stick taps] [VERSE 1] I don’t know if it’s my mind Or if it’s in my bones But there’s always something telling me I’m meant to be alone I try to crack a joke It falls flat on the floor I try to play it cool But I’m trying way too hard for sure Every mirror tells me I’m not built for this Like the world got handed love And I got handed the miss So don’t hang your heart on me It’s like playing with fire Smoking wire Cutting and burning [PRE-CHORUS] [AUDIATION: chromatic bass climb, blooming feedback] What a detriment To you Or is it me? Ignorant in my bliss Is no excuse [CHORUS — SHOEGAZE WALL] [DRUMS: full crash, tom fills] [GUITARS: fuzz, chorus, feedback, overlapping chords] [VOCALS: doubled lead + distant octave] Don’t hang your heart on me It’s like playing with fire Smoking wire Cutting and burning I keep mistaking The ashes for warmth Calling it comfort But choking on the smoke I think I’m self-aware Right up to the point Where I stop seeing The damage [VERSE 2] [AUDIATION: clean intro figure returns, one note missing] I filled the empty spaces With whatever I could give When I couldn’t find affection I found something else to live with I wear my failures openly Like that should make them small As if confession Could undo it all My mind tells me lies “Just trust me, you’ll be fine” I know the warning signs I know where this will end Still I keep pretending I’ll learn this time [PART 2 — INSTRUMENTAL FRACTURE] [FOLEY: amp buzz, pick scrape, stick click] [AUDIATION: verse melody displaced across crooked rhythmic groupings] [DRUMS: stop-start math-rock accents] [BASS DESCENDS / GUITAR ASCENDS] [PRE-CHORUS] What a detriment To you Or is it me? Ignorant in my bliss Is no excuse [CHORUS — WIDER / DIRTIER] Don’t hang your heart on me It’s like playing with fire Smoking wire Cutting and burning I keep mistaking The ashes for warmth Calling it comfort But choking on the smoke I think I’m self-aware Right up to the point Where I stop seeing The damage [BRIDGE — HALF-TIME DREAM] [AUDIATION: sustained feedback drone, fading bass] [DRUMS: floor-tom heartbeat] Knowing isn’t changing They’re not the same Seeing every fracture Doesn’t make it go away Every scar I create Eventually fades in my eyes Maybe that’s the danger Thinking I can see it all While missing my reflection In the fall [FINAL CHORUS — EVERYTHING COLLIDES] [DRUMS: frantic fills] [GUITARS: three interlocking patterns + screaming feedback] [VOCALS: lead, whispered doubles, distant harmony] Don’t hang your heart on me It’s like playing with fire Smoking wire Cutting and burning I keep mistaking The ashes for warmth Calling it comfort But choking on the smoke Don’t waste your spirit Trying to save mine I’ve spent so long believing I’m meant to be alone Some things don’t heal Just because they’re seen And knowing there’s damage Doesn’t mean I know How to stop it happening [OUTRO — COLLAPSING] [DRUMS CUT] [AUDIATION: lone clean 5-note figure; fuzz guitar slowly detunes] [FOLEY: amp hiss, cassette click] Wave goodbye To the beginning Don’t hang your heart on me My mind tells me lies “Just trust me… You’ll be fine…” I think I’m self-aware Right up to the point Where I stop seeing The damage. [FINAL: feedback sustains → hard tape stop]
