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Careers

by Chamber Band

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nateums
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nateums DOPE AS FUCK Favorite track: Love Left.
Sean Jannay
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Sean Jannay One of my absolute favorite records of all time. As an album it stands up to Zeppelin IV, Metropolis pt. 2, and any other classic record you can think of, and as an unofficial part of the Hunger Games universe it is more important to me than the books. The number of times I have screamed along to Chris’s and Ellen’s vocal parts in my car is more than I could hope to count. Band members, if you read this, I love you all. Favorite track: Abernathy.
TheFifthSister
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TheFifthSister Amazing, energetic and moving! If you don't buy this album then you're a fool. Favorite track: Victory Tour.
Debbie Winter
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Debbie Winter Danceable, intelligent, makes time stand still. All the marks of great music. As good for a rainy afternoon as for a dance party.
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  • Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    Includes immediate download of the album. Features highly aggressive bird-on-bird cover art by Jason Alexander Byers.

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  • Full Digital Discography

    Get all 4 Chamber Band releases available on Bandcamp and save 70%.

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of Careers in Owego, Governor's Square, Careers, and Deities. , and , .

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1.
i was kneading dough in flour, as it were and looked outside to see a figure in the shower it was her i held, secret from my father, a life line and though she thinks of me as something of a savior she was mine
2.
i convinced myself to make a killing after watching winners on the tv i found farming life so unfulfilling i found myself asking, hey why not me?! and lately you’ve been saying i’ve been winning battles but not the war that i can’t bring myself to suck it up and see what i’m fighting for but i ain’t coming home to you unless i’m coming through on my victory tour now i raise my hand at every reaping as you notch the nights in the post of your bed and my little sister is lying at home, wondering when her big brother will get back his head betcha that’s why she said that lately she’s been thinking i’ve been winning battles but not the war and i can’t bring myself to suck it up and see what I’m fighting for but i ain’t coming home to you unless i’m coming through on my victory tour the district sigh as the cannons count to one the bloody fight keeps carrying on no sleep tonight, till i see my allies die till i hear great caesar cry, i have won! and when your darling son arrives in his capitol cloths smell of blood on the rose will you remark to empty rooms that this isn’t the boy that you’ve always known? and when the banners disappear and you are given everything you could imagine piled high inside your mansion blessed with every satisfaction the envy on your peers will you still stroke his hair? say that it’s won say that it’s done there’s nothing there will you still say that all that he’s done makes you proud? what was it for? wonder no more look to the crowd
3.
Careers 03:35 video
all hail the king! i break my back to bend to kiss his ring it wasn’t always so but winners must adapt into their time i see no crime once misbehaved to think on all the friends i could have saved i have some deep regrets, as you have yours it’s in the past now, friend rebellions end life, it appears is nothing more than an excess of years i could fight, and i could die or i could learn to turn to the careers money in hand slipping through my fingers silvered sand what goods a holiday? what goods a break? buy a silken pillow sate your pain all cost, no gain i will not let you down i will work hard and true from 8 to 6, i’ll ply my trade and do my part to keep your aid but when the time has come and what needs done is done will i cry? i should atone for something in me hateful must have grown i will not say a word i’ll double down and focus on the facts: it’s this or the axe
4.
you lie, burning under big lights telecasting all night weighing out every word your man, teeth as white as snowbanks forcing you to fire blanks like a scared little bird and inside your heart is still broken from feeling for your lover so clutch hard on your little token and read the teleprompter cause it’s all propo ain’t it all propo? when you don’t want them to know things ain’t going so good? and you can always win by giving him a big grin and let the people begin to think hell maybe you’re good to think hell maybe you’re the next thing prepped so pretty and clean draped in all the nice things biting hard on your tongue always wearing your best force field forced to never let yield always under the gun and inside your heart is still broken from feeling for your lover so clutch hard on your little token and read the teleprompter cause it’s all propo! ain’t it all propo? when you don’t want them to know things ain’t going so good? and you can always win by giving them a big grin and let the people begin to think hell maybe you’re good to think hell maybe you’re a phoenix rising, self sufficient righteous victim, honest witness decent creature, fraught with pity so unhappy oh so pretty
5.
written by: jakob dylan so long ago, i don’t remember when that’s when they say i lost my only friend they said she died easy of a broken heart disease i listened through the cemetery trees i’ve seen the sun coming up at the funeral at dawn the long broken arm of human law now it always seemed such a waste she always had a pretty face i wondered how she hung around this place hey, come on try a little nothing is forever there’s got to be something better than in the middle but me & Cinderella can put it all together we can drive it home with one headlight she said it’s cold it feels like Independence Day and i can’t break away from this parade there’s got to be an opening somewhere here in front of me through this maze of ugliness and greed I’ve seen the sun up ahead at the country line bridge saying all there’s good and nothingness is dead we’ll run until she’s out of breath she ran until there’s nothing left she hit the end it’s just her window ledge this place is old, it feels just like a beat up truck i turn the engine, but the engine doesn’t turn well it smells of cheap wine & cigarettes this place is always such a mess sometimes i think i’d like to watch it burn i’m so alone i feel just like somebody else man, i ain’t changed, but i know i ain’t the same but somewhere here inbetween the city walls of dying dreams i think her death, it must be killing me
6.
i awoke with a hole in my breast my heart still beating, nowhere close to death when I opened my eyes to find no bloody mess, realized a weight had been lifted off of my chest once familiar moans I'm starting to forget phantom in my bones has been laid to rest no voices haunting me at night, lying in my bed feels like a weight has been lifted off of my chest that was the morning that love left i made my coffee strong (love was gone) grabbed my keys (love was gone) turned the radio off (love was gone) got ready to leave (love was gone) as I ran for the train in the summer rain I didn't even notice that my heart had changed thought it'd be forever pumping through my veins but I was wrong and love was gone something deep inside of me has shifted gears i’ve been trying to learn to drive a stick for years 'cause automatically I'm speeding up to all my fears my soul's growing cold and I won't shed a single— tears that once escaped by running down my face now have moved away to a distant place i wish I could have said goodbye, but I had no say ain't no one to fight and sure as hell no one to blame hell no one to blame love left without a trace
7.
written by tom waits & kathleen brennan the women all control their men with razors and with wrists the princess squeezes grape juice on a torrid bloody kiss what will you be wearing there? the lion or the raven hair? the flesh will all be tearing, but the tail will be my own in the colosseum tonight this one’s for the balcony and this one’s for the floor as the senators decapitate the presidential whore the bald headed senators are splashing in the blood the dogs are having someone who is screaming in the mud in the colosseum tonight now it’s raining and it’s pouring on the pillaging and goring and the constable is swinging from the chains for the dead there is no story no memory no blame their families shout blue murder but tomorrow it’s the same in the colosseum tonight a slowly acting poison will be given to the favorite one and the dark horse will bring glory to the jailer and his men it’s always much more sporting when there’s families in the pit and the madness of the crowd is an epileptic fit no justice here, no liberty no reason, no blame there’s no cause to taint the sweetest taste of blood and greetings from the nation as we shake the hands of time they’re taking their ovations the vultures stay behind in the colosseum tonight
8.
The Nut 03:52 video
all stop the sirens keep blaring so loud we’re still on edge you watched a mountain fall to the ground i watched you beg and i heard something then in your voice i had hoped to god that i would never have to hear again ah, i must have lost it then such grace when i saw you walking through the old town you know, that old grave so sweet was the sound of your song the song replayed and i heard something then in your voice i had hoped to god that i would never have to hear again ah, i must have lost it then
9.
my boy lost his way ever since a tiny tot of two he had no sense of play another night, an empty bed just pull the wool over my eyes my little killer hauled away i guess that he was old enough my son takes the stage standing with his hands behind his back looking half his age another night, empty bed just pull the wool over my eyes my little killer hauled away i guess that he was old enough to die and old friends sit with me and call out all the callous commentators talking on tv and i hum soft and slow the song you used to sing we used to sing and wait for them to go and all rise and raise your hands again and say the wind is gonna change some day (but no one’s saying when) and all’s fair, but nothing’s fair at all so here i sit amongst constituents and wait for them to call and now in the games i watch the only man i’ve ever loved bring his family fame another night, an empty bed a closet full of coats to cry my little killer hauled away i guess that he was old enough to die (oh god i dreamt the other day they had come) i guess that he was old enough to die it doesn’t matter cause he gave ‘em a run i guess that he was old enough to die
10.
thought i saw another devil at my door thought i saw another face i’d seen before and the ghost i see is of a friend number 23 i see again and again i woke myself still alive not sure how i’d made it not sure how i’d played it there’d been a blast and a dive and the hand i was holding, i’d never been holding to my recollection some sort of protection two bandits beating the odds to the brutes go the takings we outsmarted their makings and focused on those careers flaws and then combined our bases in the best hiding places and practiced never sleeping long nights of silent breathing every evening we came to a crux in time all alone in our dealings all stooped in our feelings and crossed some invisible line and as she was leaving and as i was seething i could hear the drumming of the careers coming but i think i’m done running i was given such a boon when i survived but i never slept another sober night and this glass i pour is for a friend number 23 i see again and again
11.
Avox 03:26 video
and when she’s alone i’ll be there, watching silently a small silhouette of the man that i used to be at one with the wall, stumbling out of the scenery at her beck and call, nodding yes so voraciously i’ll never look back on the way that i used to be a thorn in her side, all alone, my own enemy i was on the mend walking through woods, under fence, to the rivers end and i had said some things my aim was to arm but my words only clipped her wings would i be a better friend with no tongue in my head?
12.
Ignite 04:37 video
now I'm bursting at the seams, where my skin meets the air barriers torn down as if they were never there how can I describe what you ignite? i’m awake and I'm alive i’m alive i promise you I will fight anything to keep you safe when every breath is a test of life and each step a test of faith how can I describe what you ignite? i’m awake and I'm alive i’m alive we struck a match and started a fire that night i told you to run, 'cause I couldn't watch you- we fostered the flame we fostered the flame we fostered the flame and let it burn inside

about

PRAISE FOR CAREERS

"It’s so rare in the modern age of over-stimulation and content-overload to find something truly unique. I found that special uniqueness in Deities, but Careers bumps it to the next level on all fronts. The music is experimental, breaking out of the “indie rock” mold and into a mature and stunning piece of musical literature." - Alec Stutson, @padawanovelist

"From start to finish, frantic guitars, stirring piano, pounding drums, driving bass and witty, yet insightful lyrics seep love and passion into every second of music produced." - Lauren Furze, Nerdy Show

"...easily one of my favorite releases for the year. It actually had me before I reached the end of the first song and just continued to deliver, song after song... It actually makes me want to go read the books (or at least cheat and watch the movies) so I can grok the songs even better. - Chad Walker, Fandomania
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Tote bags and t-shirts available at www.chambermerch.com
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LINER NOTES:

Written and recorded by Chamber Band in 2014 and 2015, in equal parts capitol and country.

Music by Anthony Cerretani, Chris Littler, Sam Monaco, A.Sarr, and Ellen Winter, with additional parts below. Mike Flannery workshopped and arranged all of the songs and did the remix of "Old Enough." Ellen & A.Sarr arranged the horns on ”Victory Tour”, “All Propo”, “Careers”, “In the Colosseum” & “Avox." Lyrics by Chris Littler & Ellen Winter, with the exception of “In the Colosseum”, which was written by Tom Waits & Kathleen Brennan, and “One Headlight”, which was written by Jakob Dylan. Kelly Tieger gave us a lyrical assist on “Old Enough."

Anthony Cerretani performed the bass guitar and the Grendel Drone Commander; Chris Littler sang vocals, played acoustic and electric guitar; Sam Monaco performed the drums and other various percussive devices; A.Sarr performed electric guitar, acoustic guitar, Rhodes, & piano; Ellen Winter sang vocals and played piano; Mike Flannery performed violin, addtl. guitars, synths, bells, tambourine, clapped, added noise, and sang backup vox. Eric “the Tait” Tait performed that wack-nasty trumpet, with Pete Creekmore on the flute and saxophone, and Rafael Davila on tuba.

Tracked by Eric Tait and Mike Flannery at The Farm Studio in rural Pennsylvania. Essential guitar advice came from Stephen Maxwell. Solid vibes and long nights of M:tG provided exclusively by The Tait. Additional tracking by Mike Flannery at Bass Hit Studio, in NYC.

Mixed by Mike Flannery. Mastered by Michelle Mancini at The Mastering Palace, in NYC. Original cover image is by Jason Alexander Byers, with a few tweaks by Sam Monaco & Chris Littler.

Produced by Chris Littler & Mike Flannery. Co-produced by A.Sarr, w/ Chamber Band.



This album would not have been possible without the financial and moral support of our Kickstarter backers, with Thomas Littler, Margo Dittmer, Max Teicher, Aaron Levitz, Harlan Muir, Kelly and Danny Tieger & Gene Wulff deserving special notice. (Thank you, thank you — a million times thank you.) Chris Atkins demo’d this album with us in a toxic Bushwick closet and for that we owe him our lives. Greg & Annie welcomed us into their home and barn to see what barn life was like before we committed, and made us many amazing breakfasts. Brittany Wilson is the most dependable and loving manager we could have asked for. Thank you Brittany!

Our families and friends and fans have been incredibly supportive during this whole process, with too many people to name here, but we’d like to particularly call out the following souls: Rachael Clarke Hendel, Ken Breese, Aaron Nestor at Death to All False Metal, Mark Scheppe, Ieva Urbaite, TJ Dumser (for some much needed Farm advice), the Stinnett family, Charles Wanless, Patrick Foss, George Bronos, and Zack Akers (for giving us the gift of sight). On that note: we owe Dave Darlington some kind of blood debt for allowing us into his studio while he wasn’t looking.

This album also would not be what it is if Suzanne Collins hadn’t penned such an amazing series of novels. And, of course, another big thank you to Tom Waits, Kathleen Brennan, and Jakob Dylan for allowing us to repurpose their incredible lyrics.

Anthony would like to dedicate this album to his father:

Dad, from that first bass you gave me to all the concerts we went to, I'll never forget your love for music and the love you gave me. You showed me the dream and never doubted my vision. My playing on this album is dedicated to you. I miss you every day. Keep on rockin' in the free world and stay forever young. Love, Anthony   

credits

released October 6, 2015

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Chamber Band New York, New York

Love, heartbreak, dragons.

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