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Songs from the Age of Ruin

by Twilight Fields

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    The physical version of Twilight Fields' protest album comes in a jacket for environmental reasons but features striking front and back cover imagery.

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    Get all 12 Twilight Fields releases available on Bandcamp and save 50%.

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of Everybody's Been Burned, Song to the Siren, Falling Away, My Dream, Transmigration (Remixes), Songs from the Age of Ruin, Song Undelivered, Our Time Is Now, and 4 more. , and , .

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1.
Black rain invades through broken windows It washes some more of the paint away A mound of earth covers all the signs Of the countless lives spent in this place They are gone now They are gone now A murder of crows wheels across grey sky They’ve never seen anything move on two legs They perch on the steeples of our arrogance We cast the gods in our image, such folly We are gone now We are gone now The road, though broken, stretches on Leading nowhere, it fades into tall grass The forests stretch on unharmed and unrazed No one to take and to hate and to hurt To destroy everything They are gone now The earth reclaims what they stole from it The earth has forgotten they ever lived here They are gone now
2.
Bomber 04:30
(NOTE: In these lyrics I have taken on the historical voice of people in wartime using the dehumanization of their enemy to justify violence against them. This does not in any way reflect my own views — it is a device.) In 1945, I’d been in that war for three long years Dropping bombs on the Japanese So that their sun would never rise again Everybody knew the score Don’t think too much about what you’ve done Don’t think about the people you’ve killed Just dream about your sweetheart at home Shadows on the ground A bright new sun in the sky Nothing would ever be the same again One day they came to me Said we’re looking for a good man Someone who’ll live in history For fixing those yellow bastards for good It was an honour to serve All I had to do was fly that plane Just another mission Raining down death from the sky Shadows on the ground A bright new sun in the sky Nothing would ever be the same again The stars were so bright As we rose into that beautiful sky I prayed this mission meant I’d be going home soon Over Hiroshima, I thought of the people down below Trying to survive, just like me Then we let it go Everything turned to light I thought that the kingdom had come Now I had become death Destroyer of worlds And I will deny That I did anything wrong I just followed orders But there’s so much blood on my hands Shadows on the ground A bright new sun in the sky Nothing would ever be the same again Nothing could ever be the same again
3.
Lazarus 03:58
It’s dark here under the overpass Among the weeds and trash Your modern world left me behind My dreams all turned to ash You walk by me in silence As though I’m not even there But someday I will rise Someday I will rise The winter morning wind is so cold It cuts right through to my bones The daylight comes so early And I wake up so alone The train goes rushing by Taking you to your life But someday you will fall Yes, someday you will fall The meek shall rise And take their due And when we do We’ll take it all from you When all hope seems lost for you You cling to what little hope you’ve got As this sad old empire of man Slowly dies and rots There’s a home that waits Beyond this hell you’ve made for me Someday I’ll be free Someday I’ll be you and you’ll be me Some day I’ll be free Someday I’ll be you and you’ll be me
4.
Demagogue 03:21
Here’s the new boss on the scene Always raging, lying and mean He knows five wrongs erase one right Just give the masses someone to fight Someone to hate, someone to hurt Someone who’s different, sound the alert Pick those traitors out of the crowd Make an example, make us all proud The demagogue is coming He’ll give you riches at no expense He’ll cut your taxes and build a fence To keep out foreigners who’d take what’s yours Your plastic and metal, all you adore He’ll usher in the bright white new age He’ll fight progress and turn back the page To a past that never really existed A vision of glory so evil and twisted The demagogue is coming Take to the streets before it’s too late You can’t beat him with status updates His followers ride his wave of hate This fight is eternal it never will abate The demagogue is coming
5.
Offended 03:15
I know you come from a different place It’s just the face of another race I know you just do things differently But you’ve offended me I don’t like views that are contrary To what I’ve come to passionately believe You have your own ways to see But they’ve offended me That’s all that matters to me The way things make me feel On the virtual frontier of mob mentality The shallow and the cruel spread their hatred freely Exercise their ignorance from the left and the right (but mostly the right) There’ll be no end to this pointless fight Until we’re all dead I know you are a human just like me You just have a different way to be But we’ll never get from us versus them to we ‘Cause you’ve offended me From now on it’s you or me That’s all that matters to me The way you made me feel
6.
Taken Away 04:09
We saw it coming but we wouldn’t believe it So wrapped up in each other, we just couldn’t see it Mundane life was so important, nothing else mattered Until the day came when they took you away The men in the van came and took you away I pleaded and cried, but they wouldn’t let you stay With me The signs were everywhere, but we wouldn’t heed them Heads in the sand distracting ourselves, always buying Buying love, buying happiness, a false, deluded life While the powers were waiting for their moment to strike Something you said caused them to take you away And I’ll never know what until my dying day What you said We saw it coming but we wouldn’t believe it Our world of false freedom came crashing down While the sheep were led through the gates to the slaughter The end of all dreams of peace and order The men in the van came and took you away And I’ll never know where until my dying day And what they did
7.
I was born on the streets of this old city In a dark alley I came to be In the dust and the dirt of the human world Hiding and running away in fear I scratched out a life in the gloom and the trash Eating the scraps that I could find Dodging their spit and their kicks and their curses Living in fear of their cruel kind One day I was taken from the street in a trap Caged up and stolen with others away To a place of light so bright and so cold It was there I would spend my short life So come all of you that know no evil Listen now please to our cries Save us from torture, anguish, and pain Make us all whole again The others around me were crippled and maimed Reduced to mere shells of their being Used and abused for the human purpose Not pets, not friends, only victims They came in their white coats and took me out To a room full of sharp tools and a foul smell They burned me and cut me as I cried out For hours I whimpered then I died Some come all of you that are not evil Listen now please to our cries Save us from torture, anguish, and pain Make us all whole again No one will mourn me for I was nothing My long, painful death already forgotten Used by the cruel ones that stand so tall So they could feel safe, that was why I died So come all of you that know no evil Listen now please to our cries Save us from torture, anguish, and pain Make us all whole again Make us all whole again Make us all whole again
8.
Soldier Song 04:00
I’m the archetype of a soldier My story’s often told My parents needed money So to the army I was sold I serve my masters well Spreading fear across the land Don’t know how many children Met their deaths at my hand I’m the willing tool of leaders Who care only for power But I’m a human just like you I want to cherish every hour I want to spend my days in peace And feel a lover’s hand But if your lover’s in my way I’ll shoot him where he stands I’m the archetype of a soldier My story’s often told My parents needed money So to the army I was sold Every minute of this life, like you I’ve felt love and pain But when I have my orders I'll steal your life away
9.
The Holy War 03:51
10.
11.
12.
Here on this shore, when we were young, we could still see the sky Watching countless stars glow above and beautiful birds still flying I stood there with her, hand in hand, she gave herself to me The world was ours, no end in sight, as far as we could see But the sky was poison, the seas were plastic, the ice melted away And the time finally came when we knew that we just couldn’t stay A long march in search of shelter and food, we starved along the way Some stumbled and cried and fell down and died every single day Why did we do it? Why wouldn’t we listen to the wise ones? Why could we not change? Living on trash, the detritus of the damned, finding whatever we could We cursed ourselves and our kind for not doing what we should But still I had her to light my hope, happiness could be found Until her strength gave out and she died and was left abandoned on the ground Now I stand old and tired by a dead, brown, choked sea And I wait for the mercy of death to claim what’s left of me One of the last of a ruined species that destroyed this whole earth That raped and cut and bruised and finally killed the place of our birth Why did we do it? Why wouldn’t we listen to the wise ones? Why could we not change?
13.
Loss 06:03
I long to see your face again I long for times that won’t come again Never again I long to touch your hand again Your image recedes from my mind again I long to feel your love again But I’ll never know that life again Never again I wish I’d known what was coming I wish we’d hidden ourselves away I wish we’d lived a thousand years ago I wish we’d lived a thousand years ago
14.
The sands have run down the glass The long day fades into sunset The wind blew all they had built away When they decided not to pay their debts They never found their way home The barren planet mourns alone They were like animals trapped in a cage And they grinned at death like mannequins While those who foresaw the future wept They knew too much, they’d worn too thin They never found their way home The barren planet mourns alone They’ll never return They threw it it away They watched it burn And danced in the flames And laughed in their pain Who will watch now in the withered land As deserts engulf the city streets Who will mourn now for a finite world And laugh in the face of the fate That he must meet They never found their way home The barren planet mourns alone

about

The year 2019 finds the human species standing at a crossroads, with only two possible directions: survival or extinction. It is the proper place of artists to contribute their strong and clear voices to dialogues that could lead to our survival and renewal.

“Songs from the Age of Ruin” is an uneasy but compelling song cycle that begins with the bombing of Hiroshima and the absurdities of the atomic age and proceeds to tackle such difficult topics as homelessness and economic inequalities (“Lazarus”), the evils of populism and political repression (“Demagogue”, “Taken Away”), the toxicity of social media communication (“Offended”), animal rights (“The Animal’s Song”), and the utter stupidity of war (“Soldier Song”). It concludes with a three-part “climate change suite” (“Why Did We Do It?”/“Loss”/“Barren Planet”) that lays bare the tragic human consequences of catastrophic climate change.

The album also contains two cover versions, of Bruce Cockburn’s immortal classic “Lovers in a Dangerous Time” and Thin Lizzy’s “Holy War”.

In order to convey these sorrowful, angry messages, Twilight Fields utilizes a wide range of genre influences such as progressive rock, folk and folk-rock, psych rock, post-rock and shoegaze.

“Songs from the Age of Ruin” is a warning to the present and an apology to a possible future.

——

Allister Thompson of Twilight Fields says: “Growing up, certain passionate, activist musicians were very influential to me. So much so that I’d say they changed and shaped the person I would eventually become. In addition to my usual ambient, dream-pop and progressive rock influences, this album pays grateful homage to such artists as New Model Army, Billy Bragg, Killing Joke, Midnight Oil, and The Levellers, as well as older influences like Leon Rosselson, Bob Dylan, Robert Wyatt, and Phil Ochs. There has never been a more crucial time for musicians to step up and add their voices to the chorus of reason necessary to take us back from the brink of total destruction.”

VIDEO FOR "Demagogue": www.youtube.com/watch?v=XyvnVfCkJzc

VIDEO FOR "Prologue: The Ruined City": www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Sfsp5wM-9Q

REVIEWS:
"Cloaking dream-pop motifs and evocative shoegaze in something subtly sinister and spectral, it is easy to see why the Canadian [band] tell listeners to 'look for party rock elsewhere.' But what it lacks in good-time disco grooves it more than makes up for with its aqueous beauty."
- Prog Magazine

"Thompson, whose vocals often recall Tim Booth of James, covers plenty of sonic ground, from folksy laments (Taken Away, The Animals Song, The Holy War), propulsive alt-rock (the catchy Lovers In A Dangerous Time), and ambient instrumentals (Maximum Darkness) all of which cultivates a mood that is alternately hopeful and fretful."
—Smells Like Infinite Sadness
smellslikeinfinitesadness.com/twilight-fields-songs-from-the-age-of-ruin-review/

"It’s a timely album, dealing with the modern versions of age-old issues and doing so in interesting new styles...remember when music could entertain and inform in equal measure, when it could raise more questions than it answered, when it gave you something to think about? I do and thankfully Twilight Fields does too. Maybe it’s not too late after all!"
—Dancing About Architecture
dancingaboutarchitecture.info/2018/12/27/songs-from-the-age-of-ruin-twilight-fields-reviewed-by-dave-franklin/?fbclid=IwAR25sT9WHFVGN7cZrqSlz44IcwtsWh0-KFfsGxIpausjxcCAuaKdffE2Vko

Demagogue single:
"A loud and clear attack on demagogic politicians and their deceitful modus operandi to misinform people and create hate,
non-solidarity and inequality ... the president of The Divided States Of America, comes to mind but it’s actually about the evilness of the universal and timeless DEMAGOGUE. About nationalistic ‘Me, Myself and I‘ leaders worldwide. Gripping song, alarming video clip…"
—Turn Up the Volume!
turnupthevolume.blog/2018/12/08/twilight-fields-about-the-eternal-fight-against-the-demagogue/

Demagogue single:
"...a creative blend of indie rock with a hint of Krautrock and it all adds up to the idea that protest song is alive and well."
—Stereo Embers
stereoembersmagazine.com/stereo-embers-track-of-the-day-twilight-fields-demagogue/?fbclid=IwAR0xZfoX9FIjKDJOdNTXwJAvt7T3UaxHlHAyC4p1rs5DWcbi5Iji6HjP_A8

Demagogue single:
"What a hard hitting song. When we keep silent about the abuses of a demagogue, we become that demagogue, and we are just as guilty...one of the most politically charged songs since Dylan and Pete Seeger. The whole album is brilliant."
—Audio Fuzz
audiofuzz.com/see/politically-charged-twilight-fields-demagogue/?fbclid=IwAR0pTSxnqIZCotaQ6EVPdxnpgEzGMERXfNAYXo13JvbdAUUNVwa00klXf10

review of "Why Did We Do It?"
"Lament and anguish are painted with acoustic guitar, piano, mellotron, and electric guitar strokes on a progressive folk rock textile, as Allister holds nothing back in his direct heartbroken portrayal of one of the last humans in their doomed journey for survival in a dying world, seeing nature decimated around them and abandoning their dead beloved."
—RIde the Tempo
ridethetempo.com/2019/01/17/listen-twilight-fields-why-did-we-do-it-the-last-ones/

"The instrumentation is sweeping and broad, painting a picture perfect complemented by their stunning vocals and lyrics. This is an album that recounts our failures but encourages us to do better."
—Indie Voice Blog
www.lamusiccritic.com/indie_voice_blog/get-it-or-forget-it-lost-cousins-shayfer-james-el-palacio-de-linares-eric-brace-peter-cooper-and-thomm-jutz-twilight-fields/?fbclid=IwAR3I1dBsuabsUtgu5tQjF40Jy-2oEyIdeU1cdRrwlOszy-NlbPqWYAKLESM

credits

released February 1, 2019

PLEASE note: I’m happy to receive your money, but ‘name your price’ means free if you have no money to give- just enter 0 dollars and download.

Lovers in a Dangerous Time
by Bruce Cockburn
Copyright Rotten Kiddies Music, LLC

The Holy War
by Philip Parris Lynott
Copyright Universal-Polygram Int'l o/b/o Pippin the Friendly Ranger Ltd

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Twilight Fields

Twilight Fields is from Northern Canada and makes "ambient rock" with influences from progressive rock, ambient, dream-pop, psych-folk and shoegaze. This music asks big questions about life and loss. Look for party-rock elsewhere. See also thegatelessgate.bandcamp.com ... more

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