Ambiguous Poems About Death

by Spray

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freewithpurchase Real music made by real people for real people. Favorite track: Get Normal.

Firegrl I really should be getting hammered in an airport..... Favorite track: Hammered in an Airport.

Geoff Spray do it again! Incredibly catchy, cutting wit, great lyrics and great fun. Favorite track: Get Normal.

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1.	Blurred in the Background 03:45	lyrics	buy track
History is written by the photogenic Winners are the ones who have charisma and appeal Me, I've no endeavour to put in that kind of effort Vanity is just an uphill grind to me. I wanna be Blurred in the background Respected but uncrowned The one who forgot to bring a comb If they still pay me I don't care if I'm hazy I'm the one who would rather be at home No more hurly burly I'm a fan of leaving early Let the sycophants push past me - fine by me Redefining nondescription, relaxed in my jurisdiction I'll be a plus one eternally I wanna be Blurred in the background Controlling the showdown Guiding the pieces nonetheless Behind the curtain You can always be certain You won't be the one targeted for death
2.	Félicette (Space Cat) 04:14	lyrics	buy track
I heard her story over wine one night The first female astronaut, and feline at that Taken from the streets and put to the test She had to show that she was better than the rest Felicette Space Cat Off into the sky Felicette Space Cat Braver than you or I She was chosen like a talent show queen Thrust into the atmosphere who knows what she'd see? The tales she could have told us not knowing her fate A true space traveller we only now appreciate Felicette Space Cat Off into the sky Felicette Space Cat Braver than you or I Felicette Space Cat She's the reason why Felicette Space Cat Oh to see her fly I hope she got some Dreamies I hope she was well paid That she enjoyed the ride And wasn't too afraid Felicette Space Cat Off into the sky Felicette Space Cat Braver than you or I Felicette Space Cat She's the reason why Felicette Space Cat Oh to see her fly Felicette Space Cat Off into the sky Felicette Space Cat Her story made us cry
3.	Mindless Insincere Ooze 03:47	lyrics	buy track
Sometimes I feel that my connection to humanity's weak And I don't live in the public domain There ain't a manual, a handbook or a guide to technique So I'll resort to pop culture again All these stars down the age from the screen to the stage They all seem to get by, so let's take their advice Now the radio's on, and it's song after song All the words are the same, just the order will change Love romance commitment promise Passion necessity obligation guarantee How does that mindless insincere ooze count for anything these days? How does that mindless insincere ooze meet the minimum these days? How does that mindless insincere ooze count for anything these days? How does that mindless insincere ooze convince anyone these days? To gauge the people you must view the people that they admire So those in charge are the creme de la creme They're intellectual, exceptional and always on fire Oh the executive are in bed by ten Now I know that it's nice to be clear and concise Don't confuse - make a plan everyone understands But it seems comin through that you hear on the news All the words are the same, just the order will change Work hard working harder Passion necessity obligation guarantee How does that mindless insincere ooze count for anything these days? How does that mindless insincere ooze meet the minimum these days? How does that mindless insincere ooze count for anything these days? How does that mindless insincere ooze convince anyone these days? Passion necessity obligation guarantee How does that mindless insincere ooze count for anything these days? How does that mindless insincere ooze meet the minimum these days? How does that mindless insincere ooze count for anything these days? How does that mindless insincere ooze convince anyone these days?
4.	It's an All Skate 03:54	lyrics	buy track
It's complicated and no concern of mine That notwithstanding I must opine Oh it's an all skate! Everybody on the floor Oh it's an all skate! Signifying this is war Skill intimidates me, proficiency the same What's in it for them? Hey, what's their game? Oh it's an all skate! Everybody on the floor Oh it's an all skate! Signifying this is war
5.	Hammered in an Airport 03:52	lyrics	buy track
We should be dreaming We should be reaching We should be striving We should be flying We should be castaways We should be led astray We should be lost in thought We should be getting hammered in an airport We should have mindsets We should have sunsets We should have cheesecake We should have heartbreak We should have reveries We should have memories We should have afterthoughts We should be getting hammered in an airport We could have destiny We could have alchemy We could have infinity We could be getting hammered in an airport
6.	Ted Talk 04:05	lyrics	buy track
Sometimes (not often though) during your working day A training session is a welcome break A little enforced fun As long as no role play But then they start a film to Make You Think Overly confident and self-satisfied - they summarise in the first few lines With a glance to you as if to say "bet you never thought of that" No I don't wanna hear your TED talk No I don't wanna see your TED talk In normal life I find I don't need lecturing About the best way to stand in a room To commandeer a crowd have them surrendering To my sales pitch and make them consume The gestures and the pacing all copied carefully And it's from 2012 so references are wrong Are you still talking? No I don't wanna hear your TED talk No I don't wanna see your TED talk Thankyou for coming to my TED talk No I don't wanna hear your TED talk No I don't wanna see your TED talk Thankyou for coming to my TED talk
7.	Enough of the Small Talk, Where's My Money? 03:37	lyrics	buy track
Don't think this is one of those songs about capitalism How it's done the world all wrong Sixth form poets wiser than me have already claimed all the metaphors and similes This is just a workplace review aimed at Keeping me in the standards I'm accustomed to Clear this up with no more delays the solution is staring you in what's left of your face Dig deep, dig deep Do you think we're millionaires? Enough of the small talk, where's my money There's the cashpoint over there Enough of the small talk, where's my money We think we've been very fair Enough of the small talk where's my money Have I been too laissez faire? Enough of the small talk where's my money Webster's Dictionary defines as a "Medium of exchange be it in goods or kind" "Mongeese are carnivorous stoats with long nody and tail and grizzled or a banded coat" Hey this book's a goldmine of facts but don't Think I'm distracted from the pressing circumstance This whole verse has simply flown past, you know If you were smart you'd have used it digging up some cash Dig deep, dig deep Do you think we're millionaires? Enough of the small talk, where's my money There's the cashpoint over there Enough of the small talk, where's my money We think we've been very fair Enough of the small talk where's my money Have I been too laissez faire? Enough of the small talk where's my money
8.	Get Normal 03:19	info	buy track
9.	Douche Canoe 03:56	lyrics	buy track
There's a tradition of songs in the lexicon Of criticizing the foibles of your loved one Then realizing the subject ain't all that bad Concluding "love conquers all", and you're back on track "My baby don't talk sweet he ain't got much to say" If that were only the case we'd have brighter days But all that you say and do puts me right on edge And though the outcome is bleak I will make this pledge You're such a douche canoe You're such a douche canoe You're such a douche canoe And I won't tolerate you You mispronounce foreign words ostentatiously Refer to all politicians satirically Retweet replies to the tweets, not the tweets themselves You've spent a week organising your Zoom bookshelves You buy up vinyl from ASDA to put in frames You won't eat food if it's been near to mayonnaise You drive a car irregardless of right of way You laugh at me celebrating the cat's birthday You're such a douche canoe and I won't tolerate you You're why there's warnings on silica packs of gel And you'll deny that it's all down to you as well You have a system for what goes where in the fridge You have a favourite biscuit and will not switch It could be worse, but not much, and that seems to be Quite why we do stay together eternally I'm just too lazy to leave and it may be true That in the great scheme of things we're both douche canoes You're such a douche canoe and I won't tolerate you
10.	The Emergency Exit Man 04:24	lyrics	buy track
Not lying in the slightest I met the perfect man this evening He's famous, cool and stylish And what's best - he's always leaving In need or feeling frightened? He lets you know not to be too hasty He's well turned out and silent He cares about your safety I'm in love With the emergency exit man Well groomed and tantalizing He's mysterious and centered He's focused all the while and His career is full of splendour "This way" he signals clearly Lets you know there is calm and brightness "You first" he signals clearly He cares about politeness I'm in love With the emergency exit man Chivalry is dead they say I disagree there right away You're looking from the wrong perspective You could be much more objective Look for the internal pureness Look for calm and reassurance Look outside your self set guidelines Happiness is in the sidelines I'm in love With the emergency exit man
11.	The Big Idea 04:51	lyrics	buy track
Down in the depths of your soul There's a thought and you know that it's gold It's the idea of an age Now to take it from neurons to the stage Rollerskates on the stairs Disdain from millionaires But you really don't care, you plough on And you run and you run Fighting advice from everyone Because you've found it And the big idea Will be engineered For the pioneers By the volunteers And the big idea Will rock and change the world Change the world And the big idea Will be engineered For the pioneers By the volunteers And the big idea Will rock and change the world Change the world I think you know it will Once you'd get untold support Raised on shoulders and roundly endorsed Oh you made friendships for life Or it might be the pound signs in their eyes But then plaudits come in And the phone starts to ring It's those colleagues who thought you were dead They say cease and desist And they tell you you've been dismissed They've monetized it And the big idea Will be commandeered By the financiers For the racketeers And the big idea Will stock exchange the world Change the world And the big idea Will be commandeered By the financiers For the racketeers And the big idea Will stock exchange the world I think you knew it would It's not just that everybody wants something from you That's a basic part of humanity Everybody loves you when they don't understand what you're doing Then you're expendable But it don't need you And it don't need me Cos the big idea It's roaming free And it's gonna live Long after copyright expires When you can't contain That burning flame The big idea Will rise again And the big idea Will rock and change the world
12.	We'll Look Back on This and Laugh 03:56	lyrics	buy track
I run a pretty tight sinking ship One I inherited as a kid Projections all foresee a downtick And the doomsday clock ticks on Oh I've got a natural verve No concern I'm a connoisseur An auteur Couldn't go broke if I tried Everything gonna be alright tonight I'll be alright We'll look back on this and laugh if we live (which we won't) From the bestseller nobody read The film that no-one's going to see Now my to-do list drifts to to-don't I've got that 'can't do' spirit Shady operations rise Sneak into the abandoned bars and shops Couldn't go broke if they tried Paraphrase yesterday's malaise You're part of the franchise We'll look back on this and laugh if we live (which we won't)

about

Much beloved sibling duo Jenny McLaren (vocals, guitars) and Ricardo Autobahn (synths) have built an enviable following of devotees throughout their career of producing a brand of danceable and subversive indie disco pop under the Spray banner. Their musical DNA can be traced all the way back to The Cuban Boys, with plenty of shenanigans in between; including topping the John Peel Festive 50 Charts (twice!), Eurovision adventures, and collaborations to invade the UK singles charts on an irregular basis. Now, Spray are ready to entertain us once again with their new album Ambiguous Poems About Death.

This will be Spray’s second full album for the label following on from the critically acclaimed Failure Is Inevitable released back in May 2019. Jenny and Ricardo have used the intervening time wisely; writing, terrorising social media, working with puppets, and embarking on a number of live performances including August 2021’s first post lockdown real life affair in Liverpool. The gig saw the duo debut a couple of the new album tracks in front of actual people receiving a, let’s be honest, rapturous reception.

Ambiguous Poems About Death kicks off its twelve tracks very much as it means to go on, as Blurred in the Background and lead single Felicette (Space Cat) set the bar and tempo high, encouraging you to get up and dance. In fact, there’s only a brief respite when you get to It’s an All Skate and normal service quickly resumes with Hammered in an Airport.

“In early 2020 we bought a Behringer TD-3, one of the company's excellent Roland TB-303 knockoffs,” says Ricardo talking about the gestation of the new album. “We had an idea of putting out a quick acid house-style album in the summer, something short, spiky and electropunk. This did not come to fruition as like many, Spray found themselves locked down in separate locations, in their case on either side of Lancashire.”

Undeterred by great distances (across the plains of Lancashire) recording and production duties were split between Spray Studio 1 (decaying, seen better days) and Spray Studio 2 (shiny, newly refurbished, sweet smelling) as the album took shape with the TD-3 employed in all the songs, somewhere. But had events forced Spray into a certain direction for the new album?

“Hammered In an Airport and We'll Look Back On This And Laugh were the only times we allowed ourselves to comment on ‘The Global Situation’ as we figured it was a topic that would become a cliché amongst hack songwriters like us before too long” continues Ricardo; “The rest of the songs follow Spray's tried and tested formula of overblown escapism.”

Such escapism is amply demonstrated in the lead single Félicette (Space Cat) along with an admirable dedication to research. “I bought wine that had cats in space suits on the front,” says Jenny, “as this is pretty much how I choose my wine. On reading the back of the wine bottle I discovered Félicette, who in 1963 became the first (and only) cat who went into space and had been pretty much forgotten about in the history of space travel.”

Packed full of acerbic wit with tongue firmly in cheek when needed for maximum effect, the band lampoon certain public figures (Mindless Insincere Ooze), ongoing dysfunctional relationships (Douche Canoe) and …er… faded stars trying to top the highs of yesteryear (Get Normal). Ambiguous Poems About Death will delight fans new and old from the first listen.

In a year where another criminally underrated music duo with a penchant for acerbic off kilter pop have enjoyed an uptick of interest (Sparks, of course), don’t you dare miss out on the chance to enjoy this amazing band, and definitely don’t leave it until Spray’s 50th anniversary.*

*This may or may not happen in 2048.

credits

released November 26, 2021

Composed, performed and produced by Spray
Spray performed by Jenny McLaren and Ricardo Autobahn
Music engineered at Spray Studio 1 (Lancashire)
Vocals engineered at Spray Studio 2 (Liverpool)
Additional vocals by Terri MacDonald and Phil Fletcher
Mixed by Morgan Lorentz
Published by Copyright Control/23rd Precinct Music Ltd.

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about

Spray Lancashire, UK

Ric and Jen were members of 21st century pop terrorists The Cuban Boys, who topped John Peel's Festive 50 and the UK singles charts.

Their offshoot project Spray predicted the electropop boom, unfortunately much too early for them to cash in. They released two albums in 2002 and 2006.

In 2016 they released their first full length studio album in 10 years - 'Enforced Fun'. ... more

shows

Oct 20

La Machine du Moulin Rouge

Paris, France

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