A year after I thought I had released my final song, I ended up putting together a compilation of song pieces I had never released, woven into one cohesive album. Like a collage.
The album artwork is an art piece by one of my favorite designers, Stijn Van Hapert.
To me, this painting captures the emergence of your true self, the creation and discovery of it, through a process that is wild and unpredictable. That was the essence of Audio Polaroids. So I asked Stijn if I could use it for the cover, and he gave me permission.
Each song on Audio Polaroids is paired with a short poem that attempts to get somewhere near the lesson of the song through words.
once upon a time
in a world preordained
you found something surprising
and it changed you
I. one man can have two faces
you have no one sized up
in a minute
or in a lifetime
they will always surprise you
but the most surprising one of all
is yourself
II. anthem of new school
the moment you are secure
as the new generation
you are already being destroyed
and will be obliterated
with little warning
and no remorse
by the strange one that follows
III. story of the summer
we pursue
with desperation
that which reminds us we are not alone
and we find it
when we accept
that we are
IV. moment v memory
joy in the moment
but later
a memory tinged fondly with pain
though nothing has changed
but you
V. staring at the world
don’t be fooled
there is far more suffering in the world
than what you see on tv
and far more good
VI. out of this dark
the leader of the greatest army
even he,
when no one is looking,
questions his course
and wonders
if he has the strength
exactly as you
VII. hope
hope comes and goes
to have it is to remember
when it seems gone
that it will resurface
it has never left
and you have only forgotten
VIII. somewhere like mexico
you are not judged
by number of dreams realized
but by amount of hope shared
IX. miles above you pt ii
flying high in your mind is nice
but better to come back down
and break stones here on earth
than to clutch clouds in your dreams
for handfuls of nothing
X. i will return
i will see you again
in a different form
or in a different universe
but until we meet again
remember
there is more
