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The Best of​.​.​.​.​.​.​.​Electronic Rockers

by Walter Ehresman

/
1.
Your Supersonic Stare (©2011 Walter Ehresman) What a flashy future, now the war's come to an end; Technology will save us, and our style is on the mend; Roarin' through the city on my throbbing new machine-- us cowboys are all confident that the girls know what we mean. All that silver gleaming; sound of thousand violins-- smooth lines are important, but we gotta have those fins; Radio waves crackle as you roll up to the door; Situation critical, but I've got to have some more (of) [chorus] Your supersonic stare; your supersonic stare; I've got to duck and cover from your supersonic stare. [rap break] When you keep your room so clean, our hair grows fine, our eyes don't gleam; That ol' bunker mentality will never get the best of me; And I don't need the sun to shine when you're down here with that behind; There's just one thing that makes me trip-- you scare me when your goggles slip.
2.
Blue-Eyed Devils (© 2014 Walter Ehresman) My eyes, they multiply across the firmament --the better to see you, again; My ways, they permeate the color of your skin --you'll no longer be "you," my friend. Constant exposure across the aether waves brings saturation to a culture you can't save; Your friction just delays you doing things our way (with a flash of light). [chorus] Blue-eyed devils proudly kicking down the door; Blue-eyed devils with a force you can't ignore; Your family cowers as you wait for the encore (with a flash of light). My hands, they slip beneath the blouse of privacy --the better to feel you, again; My greed, it eats away every wall of sovereignty --the better to use you, my friend. You've seen the way we treat the masses of our own— that should tell you something 'bout the hand that holds the stone; Your needs are swallowed by the reach of the blast zone (with a flash of light). [chorus] [chorus#2] Blue-eyed devils sing their hymns pitched at a roar; Blue-eyed devils calculate the final score; Your family cowers as you wait for the encore (with a flash of light).
3.
A Big Day For the Lizards (© 1989 Walter Ehresman) It was a big day for the lizards, as he crawled to his place on the throne. He slithered past the honor guard; Benediction with a long forked-tongue. The front row is the donor list– smiling only if a reptile could smile; Puff adders in the owner’s box, and spitting cobras riding big crocodiles. Komodos in the limo (those seats, you know we’ll never get clean); Gila monsters down on K Street, making deals to feed on you and on me. The carnage getting thicker now, the bodies piling up to our knees; It’s feeding time all the time.
4.
Xenophobia 03:21
Xenophobia (© 2003 Walter Ehresman) We're sitting in our pews, with our nationalistic views; And you shall not question what we say-- you have no right to choose. And we strong-arm the UN-- are you foe or are you friend? And our god has got his eye on you, and he's about to count to ten; (but) [chorus] You can keep your xenophobia; Genocidal red myopia; Compensation (small libido), wrapped up in your flag burrito; You're a monster truck Napoleon; Pay them off with blood samoleons; And your factions don't mean diddley, and your schism sure ain't witty. We are so incomparable-- you'll find no stink on we; And our culture is so venerable, our stuff should not be seen. We're all living in this place, and you know we'll save our face; And you know that all your "new world" laws we won't allow to cause disgrace. (Hey, you wanna come up to my country and see my etchings? Well you can't!)
5.
Sharpened to Bits (English lyrics) (© 1987 Walter Ehresman) Got to pick that proper station-- don’t get caught messin’ ‘round. Cultivate the look that says “I gave it no attention”; ‘long as it seems that you don’t care; Get that funky stuff out of your hair. Conversation on the latest thing-- all the people will see you scoff. Look into your window and I see you watch Madonna, I don’t know if it makes no difference the sound is off (‘cause you) [chorus] Gotta keep that image sharp, hey! Gotta keep that image sharp, oh! Gotta keep that image sharp, hey, Sharpened to bits! (bop badda doo da, did did did did, etc.) Hey, god don’t whittle that thing off. See a trend, say “Fuck it; I’s got no need to know. It’s a full time job ignoring all the shit that goin’ down; You won’t see that shit on me; me’s the only thing I’s got to see see see! (baby, I got to see)” “To tell you the truth, I’ve got my personal own trend; You may see that once, but you will see me again (‘cause I)” [chorus]
6.
I Must Post! 02:22
I Must Post! (© 2015 Walter Ehresman) It does not happen, if I don’t see it through my lens; It never happened, if I can’t Share it with my Friends. I must post! I must post! There are no boundaries; There are no rules; I’ll snap my pictures, and post them anywhere I choose. I must post! Is it compulsion? Well, it has that kinda smell; It is pervasive? Well, I’m kinda shocked that you can’t tell.
7.
Some Old White Dudes (© 2009 Walter Ehresman) Things in the Old Dominion got a little run down; White column paint is peeling, and the stores have all left town. But deep in this comedy of manners there's a tragedy of hubris and blame; Some old white dudes gave morality a bad name. Clinging to a tattered flag, grey flannel stained in beer; This "Southern Pride" diversion ain't the reason it hangs here. Your antebellum daydreams are apparent, and it strips our gears to see you don't feel shame; Some old white dudes gave morality a bad name. [break] But, oh--those Southern nights (crosses on the lawn) Cicadas and magnolia fill the air for you and I; And we dance on your veranda (fires burning bright) and close our eyes to all but what's behind, what's behind. That little church up on the hill--now busting at the seams; A heater for the pool; put in an ATM machine. The red light says the satellite is ready, but you know we'll have you home before the game; These old white dudes gave morality a bad name; Some old white dudes gave morality a bad name.
8.
The Wrong House (© 2002 Walter Ehresman) Wandering in this place; puzzled by the architecture; Sliding down the walls; tripping on the nomenclature; I cannot see the structure, and I cannot find a path to learn; I've heard these words before, but from your mouth they form no pattern. I'd always told myself I had a certain facility-- a way to understand through blueprints of complexity; But all this seems so foreign, so random and so volatile; These hallways are rejecting me, these conflicts will not reconcile. [chorus] This house is the wrong house You did not fly that flag; The labyrinth is masked; Attempting desperate measures to scramble my way back; A casting of the entrails to try to read the signs; The last grasp of the drowning-- the false hope of divine. There is no common language for me to speak to you; The spider of illogic spins a web of solitude; And the silence, it is deafening as I finally crawl outside; And you're left with words and circles, now, in the abscess of your mind.
9.
Tamdin Goes to Washington (© 2007 Walter Ehresman)
10.
Bad Faith 03:36
Bad Faith (© 2009 Walter Ehresman) The rest of us are done talking to you; Those are moments of our lives that we will never get back; You would argue to the death to say the sky is not blue; You would change your own name to say I said it incorrect. Bad faith--in everything that you say; Bad faith--we won't negotiate that way; It's a waste of all the good people's time, and evolution marches forward and it leaves you Flat Earther's behind. Serious problems call for serious men, and your 15 minutes are just about up; You're running interference for the nobles on the hill; 3-card Monty with a crucifix (more jack for the corrupt). Bad faith--in everything that you say; Bad faith--when she winks her eye and prays; It's a waste of all the good people's time, and evolution marches forward and it leaves you Flat Earther's behind. You go Pinocchio on the cable news, and perpetuate a rot into the national mind; So I'm calling for a gut-check in the land of the free, and for marginalization of the purposely blind. Bad faith--in everything that you say; Bad faith--distort, destruct and delay; It's a waste of all the good people's time, and evolution marches forward and it leaves you Flat Earther's behind.
11.
Get Your Hand Outta My Pocket (© 2004 Walter Ehresman) I know we live in times with no reason or rhyme and the end is smelling nearer and nearer; And with that look on your face (all avarice and no grace), I think the future's getting clearer and clearer; I see a strong disconnect between the truth and the drek, and double-standards seem to fly every day; And with no guilt and no shame, your body madly aflame from all that power that you snort off the mirror. [chorus] But get your hand out of my pocket, you son-of-a bitch; Get your hand out of my pocket, you son-of-a bitch; 'Cause I'm settin' out a bear trap to bag me the rich; Get your hand out of my pocket, or else I'm gonna slice it away. I had let down my guard, I saw no cause for alarm, so like a beef cow I believed what they said; They had me sign on the line, above the print that was fine, and now my checkbook's bleeding three shades of red; And when I found their mistake (too late to put on the brakes) I went to see them just to see what they'd say; And with no hint of remorse, they set an offensive course--I had become the enemy in their head. [break] Where is integrity? (You son-of-a-bitch) Accountability? Responsibility? Even your loyalty? Where is the Golden Rule among you royal tools? I won't be made a fool by sad pickpockets like you. It is the Age of the Reptile, with mankind in exile, and the corporations ruling the day. Where is your sense of absurd for actions louder than words?--because the chasm swallows everything they say; And when all fruits of the kitchen go to some legal fiction while the middle class begs crumbs from the table, we see the poor of the world ground down to grist for the mill to buy some CEO a platinum bidet.
12.
The Anthem for the Ministry of Art and Jump (© 2003 Walter Ehresman)
13.
But, You Broke a Rule....... (© 2001 Walter Ehresman)
14.
Ladonia--For Thee I Fling (© 2002 Walter Ehresman) Waaaall! My spleen yearns for Wotan City; My spleen yearns for Wotan City; Omfalos esta' kaput; Nimis, Arx endure! My liver calls to Wotan City; My liver calls to Wotan City; Omfalos esta' kaput; Nimis, Arx endure! Omfalos..... No oertug at the center of the world; Omfalos.....
15.
Alien Processional (© 2004 Walter Ehresman)
16.
When They Burn the Man (© 2000 Walter Ehresman) Glowing arms reach for the sky; No one there will ask you why; Another way to say goodbye to the life you're leading; it's a vestige that you're feeding-- find a way to make it grow. If you don't go then you won't know. Gather in the driest place; Creative storm transforms the space; When you leave, you leave no trace of the poisons you brought in-- hatred, fear, ideas of sin, freedom lost inside a plan; Will you scrape it from your skin, when they burn the Man? [break] Won't you step inside the hive (one without collective mind) Your better self will start to shine; Strange things glow out in the night; You haven't seen this stuff before; Your lips are dry, your throat is sore; You may feel things are out of hand; But I think you'll understand, when they burn the Man.
17.
Bad Faith (© 2009 Walter Ehresman) The rest of us are done talking to you; Those are moments of our lives that we will never get back; You would argue to the death to say the sky is not blue; You would change your own name to say I said it incorrect. Bad faith--in everything that you say; Bad faith--we won't negotiate that way; It's a waste of all the good people's time, and evolution marches forward and it leaves you Flat Earther's behind. Serious problems call for serious men, and your 15 minutes are just about up; You're running interference for the nobles on the hill; 3-card Monty with a crucifix (more jack for the corrupt). Bad faith--in everything that you say; Bad faith--when she winks her eye and prays; It's a waste of all the good people's time, and evolution marches forward and it leaves you Flat Earther's behind. You go Pinocchio on the cable news, and perpetuate a rot into the national mind; So I'm calling for a gut-check in the land of the free, and for marginalization of the purposely blind. Bad faith--in everything that you say; Bad faith--distort, destruct and delay; It's a waste of all the good people's time, and evolution marches forward and it leaves you Flat Earther's behind.
18.
Your Supersonic Stare--instrumental version (©2011 Walter Ehresman)

about

2017 marks 30 years of recording his songs for release out into the world and, to celebrate this milestone, Walter Ehresman is releasing a series of "Best of......" compilations throughout the year, organized by style and mood. They draw from the over 200 songs he has written and released, across 16 solo and four band albums, between 1987 and 2017. No song will be repeated across any of the collections.

As those of you familiar with his prodigious output know, Ehresman tends to jump genres on pretty much every song on any given album. As he said in February of 2017, "....This is because I take the musical inspiration as it comes, and also have just never wanted to release an entire album of songs all in the same genre, with the exception of 2007’s experimental dark ambient album “The A.D.G. Project” (written for use with a large art installation at Burning Man that year).......Like many musicians, I rarely think of genre at all when I write and record.....I just pursue the idea wherever it leads, and in the end it 'is what it is,' as they say.

"I never have a good answer when asked by people: 'Oh, you’re a songwriter…..what kind of songs do you write?'...... Some songs are in recognizable styles, and some I frankly don’t what genre you’d put them in. But given all that, I think all my songs can be sorted out into a few general categories that have as much to do with mood as with a recognizable genre."

Nine compilations are planned, and this fifth one covers the electronic rock songs scattered throughout Ehresman's catalogue. He explains "Back when I started getting serious about listening to music, in the '70s, the term 'electronic music' meant something very different than it does today.....From the beginning, I was a fan of Tangerine Dream, Vangelis, Synergy (Larry Fast) and other pioneers of synthesized music, not to mention Todd Rundgren, Peter Gabriel, Pink Floyd, Yes and other progressive groups that incorporated creative synth work into their sound."

"When I started my nine year run of going to the Burning Man Festival in 1999, I was exposed to a lot of the 'new' electronic music, which meant electronic dance music. Much of it struck me as creatively-bankrupt rehashed disco, with nail-hammering repetitive bass drum beats that are about as boring and headache-inducing as a rhythm can be......But since I was about to begin an 8-year stretch of being a disc jockey on Radio Electra (the most powerful pirate station at Burning Man), I thought I needed to find some EDM that I liked so that I could incorporate it into my playlists.....This led me to finding wonderful electronica from Brazil, Turkey, and from North African ex-pats living in Paris, with each incorporating local musical styles into their electronic beats (and almost entirely eschewing the oh-so-boring nail-hammering bass drum programming)."

"Listening to this international EDM in turn had an influence on my own creative process......I started incorporating electronica rhythm parts into my songwriting and recording, and I found that I loved the juxtaposition of bringing those two worlds together.....I'm happy to say that it's an approach that I still use to this day."

On this new volume from the "Best of....." series, you'll hear influences from pioneers in the fusing of rock and electronica, from David Bowie to Bill Nelson to Todd Rundgren. Since Ehresman came at creating this music from a rock background, rather than coming up in the DJ/electronica culture, the pieces on the album continually show an unexpected slant on melding the two musical worlds. In fact, it's fair to say that you're hearing something.....well....'original" here.

As with most of his tracks, Ehresman largely handles all the vocals and instruments himself, but some very talented Austin, Texas players and singers appear from time to time to sweeten the pot.

Crank it up and dance on the furniture!

credits

released June 28, 2017

--produced and compiled by Walter Ehresman.

--photography and photo treatments by James Rader.

p. 2017. Snipe Bog Records. All rights reserved.
© as indicated at each work.

Discography
--solo albums: "Honor in the Swine?" ('89); "In the Path of the Cat Chasers" ('90); "Split Brain Theory" ('91); "The Blue Shoat Special" ('96); the spoken-word "The Rants" ('97); "Handwedge from the Trap" ('99); “Le Cafard“ (’01); "The Feral Rugby Team Must GO!" ('03); "No Unifying Theme" ('04); "March, Scream or Cry" ('07); "The ADG Project" ('07); "Monkey Paw Situation" ('09); “Well…..Let‘s Look at Your Track Record, Shall We?” (’10); “Life Outside the Tent“ (’12); “Blue-Eyed Devils” (’14); “Pinches Topes” (’16); "The Best of.......Singer/Songwriter" ('17); "The Best of........World Music" ('17); "The Best of.......Party Mix" ('17); "The Best of......Hard Rockers" ('17); and "The Best of.......Electronic Rockers" ('17).

--with Snipe Hunt: "We'll Be Right Back!" ('99); "Dirty Ditties and Cover Tunes" ('00); and "I Saw the Future (But the Damn Train Hit Me Just the Same)" ('02).

--with Los Platos: “Oh, No” EP (’08).

--with Delphi Rising: “For Granted” (‘10)

--compilations (various artists):
(with Swine Patrol) “The Austin Cassette Compendium” (‘86);
(solo) "Monkey Boy Sampler" ('01, '05); and "Several Famous Orchestras" ('03).

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Walter Ehresman San Miguel De Allende, Mexico

Called "the quintessential Austin DIY artist" by famed local disc jockey Charlie Martin , Walter Ehresman was an eccentric presence in the Austin music scene from the '80s until his 2015 move to Mexico. A prolific songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and recording artist...and a restless musical spirit, always looking for something new, expressed with fearlessly honest, socially-conscious lyrics. ... more

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