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March of the Jack Boots (album)

by Monkeypig

supported by
Mike Sheehan
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    Side A

    Waitin
    Super Lemon Dayze
    Silent Carousel
    Spellbound
    Into the Pit

    Side B

    My World
    Sand and Stone
    Take the Drop
    Tribezilla
    Que Sera

    Includes unlimited streaming of March of the Jack Boots (album) via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.     ... more
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    edition of 500 
    Purchasable with gift card

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  • Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    Free post on this item in Australia

    Side A

    Waitin
    Super Lemon Dayze
    Silent Carousel
    Sand and Stone
    Obsession With Falling
    Into the Pit

    Side B

    My World
    Spellbound
    Take the Drop
    Tribezilla
    420-24-7
    Que Sera

    Includes unlimited streaming of March of the Jack Boots (album) via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.     ... more
    ships out within 2 days
    edition of 100 
    Purchasable with gift card

      $15 AUD or more 

     

1.
Waitin 02:54
lyrics
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Waitin When the cold sinks to your bones You’re oceans from your home The time it takes to sit and think alone Why is non-conforming bad Does smiling mean you’re glad? Maybe it’s the shape of things to come Sometimes you’re waitin for your soul You’re waitin for your soul Tame the beast that was your past Was shootin such a blast? Trapped inside the borders of the known Beat the crap out of your life You’re higher than a kite Soon you’ll know the place that they’ve all gone Some times you’re waitin for your soul You’re waitin for soul
2.
Super Lemon Dayze 03:47
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Super Lemon Dayze Cause there really is no crime Cause these really is no crime I work and raise a family just as you Try walkin just one day in different pair of shoes I love my Super Lemon Dayze Stop dissin on the people for living in their peaceful ways I feel good, feel peace today And there really is no crime And there really is no crime And I have found, have found a way Agreeable to me, no harm to society I love my Super Lemon Dayze Stop dissin on the people for living in their peaceful ways I love my Super Lemon Dayze Narrow thinking is hurting people once again, once again Cause there really is no crime Cause these really is no crime And all my troubles go for a little while And even though you try You can’t control my mind
3.
Silent Carousel 03:40
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Silent Carousel Can you feel the disease That brings you to your knees That is gnawing away at your heart? You make new beginnings Alarm bells start ringing And you circle back to the start If you waste all your time It’s the waste that’s the crime Like the baggage that you have to cart Too little, too late, the relief can’t abate And you’ve circled back to the start I can’t jump off this silent carousel I can’t get off it’s getting harder and harder Spinning quicker now no I can’t my bearings I can’t jump off no which way is forward now? If you’re on a journey that slows The further it goes The islands seem farther apart When you flounder and sink You can’t help but think Will I end up back at the start? I can’t jump off this silent carousel I can’t get off it’s getting harder and harder Spinning quicker now no I can’t my bearings I can’t jump off no which way is forward now? Which way is forward now? Spinning quicker now
4.
Sand and Stone 02:11
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Sand and Stone All I ever wanted was a house with a beach break view I wanted to escape just me and you We could see the waves breakin outside Sand and stone they were on our minds When the sky above was falling down Tokin more and more just lost, not found Sand and stone is on our minds I’m lost in time Tubular swells each day oh yeah Rising tide and long blonde hair Once again we’re out the door We should be going more and more Sand and stone is on our minds I’m lost in time Tubular swells each day oh yeah Rising tide and long blonde hair Once again we’re out the door We should be going more and more So stick with me don’t play with me And I will show you how to be free Rising tide and long blonde hair Lets just make life fair yeah, yeah! Sand and stone is on our minds I’m lost in time
5.
Obsession With Falling (song) 02:58
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Obsession With Falling Fly above the rooftops high up off the ground Don’t you stare too long cause it’s a long way down Flyin in my dreams wind rushing through my hair On the edge of danger a fool without a care I got an obsession with falling Wandering the cliffs in the stormy night air Look over the edge step closer if you dare Is it just a dream or am I plunging to my fate I got that floating feeling I hope I am awake I got an obsession with falling Whose gonna hear you now High up in your tower now Whose gonna help you now Get back on your feet Whose gonna hear you now There’s sweating on your brow now Whose gonna help you now Catch you in your sleep Whose gonna hear you now From your lonely window You locked the stairs long ago And now the key is gone Whose gonna help you now Calm your worried moments Whose gonna hold you when When your world is turning wrong I got an obsession with falling Hangin out the door I’m flyin once again I thought I heard a voice in the back of my brain I couldn’t work out what he was tryin to say Hangin by my fingertips I just heard it again I got an obsession with falling
6.
Into the Pit 02:52
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instrumental
7.
My World 03:15
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My World No time to waste an ugly haste in my world Hope for some not everyone in this world You gotta say It’s my world Feel the strain a loss to gain in your world The Earth is dead but no one said it’s my fault You gotta say It’s my world Stuff it up for a quick buck it’s your world Soon we’ll all be living in the fourth world You gotta say It’s my world
8.
Spellbound 03:56
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Spellbound It seems so odd I should be scared How can I stop my dizzy head? My body’s achin like I’m spacin It’s not like I’m facing the unknown It is such a funny game When I’m alone with you I’m sane It is such a funny game, it aint a shame When I’m alone with you I’m sane How come it seems like the first time? Yesterday all things seemed in line Today I fly without a net I’m being dragged where I don’t venture yet I’m being dragged but I don’t care
9.
Take the Drop 04:07
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Take the Drop This whole last summer working for the day And now this jet plane it carries you away Your life’s adventure you’re not going to be outdone The winter swell brews your time of reckoning has come Take the Drop You’ve think of all the foolish bragging that you’ve done now Line after line of great walls rearing through the sun now No turning back now pitched by the ocean’s scorn My stomach tightens as I drop into the storm Take the drop Rail hissing, shaking now but still I am too slow My crystal roof is coming down no where else to go Tossed like a ragdoll as my underwater world explodes I’m thinking of the reef down below in Davey Jones Take the Drop
10.
Tribezilla 03:29
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Tribezilla My tribe and your tribe don’t Often see eye to eye Everyone is too busy Swallowing all the lies We should never lose sight of where The crap stinks worse than the city air Corporations and nations Collude for your downfall Is it nature or is it willed? Are you another brick in the wall? Information, frustration Who knows what to believe? Be certain those persons And their dedication to greed We should never lose sight of where The crap stinks worse than the city air He’s always on your shoulder persuading you Do you do what’s right for your tribe? Or what’s right for you? Your children will get nothing They’ll have no right to dignity Do nothing and get nothing And lose the right to be free
11.
420-24-7 (song) 04:15
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420/24/7 It’s time to end the discrimination Across every worldly, fair and fantastic nation It’s time to stop the incarceration End all the needless pain and all of the frustration 420/7 is our ticket to heaven The herb loves you better than the legal oppression 420/7 is my ticket to heaven The herb takes away all my sixes and sevens It’s time to end the tyranny – it’s time, about time Good people shouldn’t have to Live their lives in fear Not talking criminals or bad – it’s time, about time But they’re still doing hard time I’d just like to add. While you sip on your chardonnay Taking in another sunny day Spare a thought for those who dwell In all the prison cells Not criminals, not bad But they’re doing hard time I’d like to add Maltreated, ridiculed by the bullies of the world Always punchin’ down on the meek, on the weak Don’t need violence we’ve moved on from there No more black and white, spot-light Scare the kids in the night No shame, no blame People’s lives are not a game 420 if you will Let the people have their will Let them have their fill It’s not bad, it’s not wrong It’s less harmful so what’s wrong? There’s no violence it’s naturally ordained For us to use Let’s all sit down and share a pipe Bring the city to the pipe Bring your friends along Bring business, bring politics Bring medicine along I don’t want to go to jail But you can’t stop me I will inhale Like Clinton, Obama, Bush and Tenacious D Cheech and Chong and Snoop Lion And all the Doobie Bros, Like Brad Pitt I’m gonna share the bowl around It won’t take long I gotta pack one for Washington, Shakespeare Elizabeth, Columbus, The Pharaohs and JFK Oscar Wilde and Cranston Oprah, Bill Gates Rolling Stones and Beatles Seth Rogan, Martha Stewart Ga Ga , Madonna Joan of Ark, Clooney, Depp Robert Downy Junior Robin Williams, Jay Z Ancient Greeks, the Sultans Morocco, Jamaica and Swaziland Nepal and all hail Amsterdam And 420 heads everywhere! The people have spoken They’re still tokin!
12.
Que Sera 04:55
lyrics
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Que Sera Do you know what you have seen? Did you leave a trail of crumbs where you’ve been? Do you know the sum what you do? Do you think the world is out to get you? Que Sera, Sera, what ever will be will be Que Sera, Sera, what ever will be will be I might sleep at night in peace If someone was watching over me

about

Stylistically March of the Jack Boots is a definitely a bit of a mash up. There are times when it sounds like old pub rock and others when it’s more indie or punk. The underpinning element is rock n roll though and then the textures are added over the top. They include surf, stoner, hard rock, punk, garage, pop, and alternative sounds for want of a better word.

Lyrically the songs have been described as a libertarian take on things and that’s fair enough for part of the time. Monkeypig lyrics also drift into some romanticism, and gothic and protest themes.

Musically the album is guitar rock, full of riffing, chugging Marshalls and punctuated with catchy vocal melodies and harmonies and cutting lead breaks. The vocal style sometimes poppy, sometimes rocky and not always conventional and it doesn’t want to be. The drums and bass shape the grooves and dynamics of the songs. It’s lucky that Trent is a fit young drummer because the tempo of the songs is often unrelenting right handed down-stroking chaos. The lead guitar parts are dynamic and exotic tonally and diverse stylistically. Not afraid of being noisy but never noisy just for the sake of it.

You could probably say the music takes it influences from the early Australian indie, punk and rock scenes as well as the early Detroit and New York rock and punk scenes. Not to forget the British beat, heavy rock, punk and psychedelic bands. There are tinges of thrash on occasion.

The idea for Monkeypig first arose in 2014 when I had decided that I wanted to rummage through all the songs and ideas I’d built up over the years and record and publish an album. The idea for the title “March of the Jack Boots” had been floating around for a while and I thought it a suitable description for the temper of the times. In a home studio in Engadine, NSW I recorded pre-production versions of 12 songs. After some additional acoustic treatment to the recording space I began recording the album takes.

The first tracks I put down were the drums played on an old Tama Rockstar kit that I bought from ex Australian Test Cricketer Gavin Robertson off Gumtree! How random. Another bit of trivia is that the snare drum supposedly toured with Jon Farriss from INXS. The kit’s got an orange sparkle finish and it sounds pretty good. It’s still the house kit in the jam room at home. With no clicks, cue tracks, triggering, sequencing or midi I initially spent a bout two weeks recording the drums. I redid a few of the drum tracks later on as the album began to take shape a bit more. Tracking the drums in isolation with no cue tracks was a mentally and physically challenging experience!

Next came a week or so of bass tracks recorded via direct line in. For the bass I used an old white Aria Pro II that I bought in a pawnshop in Rockdale for $175 it’s a solid workhorse! The bass lines might seem understated but the melodic parts and rhythms are critical in contributing to the sum of the various textures and grooves in the Monkeypig sound.

Next came tracking the guitars for which I used a 74 Gibson SG Deluxe, a Black 95 Les Paul Custom and a recent US Strat Deluxe with a humbucker for the tremolo bits. Guitars were played through a 50 watt Marshall head and 2 x 12 open back speaker. I spent a lot of time tracking guitars. This was being to keep in line with the modus operandi of treating the songs as compositions from start to finish rather than a simple a verse chorus verse narrative. This approach was important considering the plan was to fuse numerous disparate genres together. It was important to make the transitions between the styles as seamless as possible. There was particular emphasis on how the lead guitar lines tied into the rest of the song and were given almost equal priority to vocals in the arrangements. Conversely vocals were often treated like instruments in the arrangements.

Like the guitars the vocals took some time. Some songs came to the table complete some were works in progress and some developed out of ideas as they went. Some vocal tracks were record as cues for lead guitar lines and keeps as final takes. Vocal harmony parts were built around the main vocal line. Like all the other parts vocal arrangements and styles were consciously used as “instruments” that helped glue the sum of the parts together stylistically and form-wise. Vocal tracks were deliberately left a little pitchy in parts. I think it was part of the effort to make everything sound more natural, which was a key point in the overall production vision.

The attitude towards the mix was more about finding the right balance and tones and creating a sense of ambience rather than making another over compressed and homogenized and perfect sounding record. So whilst delays, reverbs and compressors were used it was more about creating spaces than an effects extravaganza. After all one of the other key points in the production vision was that the songs were designed to be played live and loud for maximum mayhem! I would say that the final two points that weighed importantly were that the songs had to be full of hooks of some form or another and that the lyrics has to say something, they didn’t need to be deep all the time but hopefully get more reactions from the listener strike a chord with them on more occasions somehow.

From beginning to end it took nearly two years to complete the album including creating the studio space. The front sleeve illustration was done by a curious chap named James Sherwood. It was a tricky assignment as I wanted a collage of incongruous elements presented in a fantasy landscape. It took a while but we got there in the end with James making the picture his own. It’s trippy, eccentric, asethetically easy on the eye and catchy..


The digital download and CD versions are now remastered for digital formats. (SUB003)
The vinyl record mixed and mastered for vinyl (SUB001)
CD Version of vinyl mix (SUB002)

credits

released November 1, 2016

Recorded between November 2014 and April 2016 in a home studio in Engadine, NSW, Australia.

All songs written, performed, recorded and mixed by Christian Ryan. Recorded at a home studio in Engadine, NSW

© Christian Ryan, 2016, all rights reserved
℗ Christian Ryan, 2016, all rights reserved.

Monkeypig are:

Luke Brydon - bass
Trent Lamborn - drums
Christian Ryan - guitar / vocals

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Monkeypig Newcastle, Australia

Guitar mayhem from Newcastle Australia, up tempo anthems of old school indie Aussie fusing surf, punk, garage, pop, hard, stoner manic rock.

Guitar / vox - Christian Ryan
Bass - Luke Brydon (Stu)
Drums - Trent Lamborn ... more

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