MONAHANS 2010 RECORDINGS: TRACK 7
DIAMONDS Download mp3 (Right Click + Save)

MUSIC BY MONAHANS. LYRICS BY GREG VANDERPOOL ©2010 SIDE FOUR MUSIC/ASCAP

PRODUCED BY MILTON MAPES

BRITTON BEISENHERZ - ELECTRIC GUITARS
ROBERTO SANCHEZ - DRUMS, ROLAND TR-707, SYNTH
GREG VANDERPOOL - VOCALS
JOSHUA ZARBO - BASS

RECORDED AND MIXED BY BRITTON BEISENHERZ AT RAMBLE CREEK, AUSTIN, TX, SEPTEMBER 2010

MASTERED BY JIM WILSON, BOULDER, CO





September arrived in Austin along with the remnants of Hurricane Hermine, and we found ourselves scrambling a bit to come up with a new song for this month. 'Diamonds' began as a synth-heavy instrumental that Rob tracked at his Static West home studio earlier this summer. It had a great upbeat-yet-melancholy feel with a deceptively interesting drum beat that we thought would provide a nice balance in relation to the 2010 series thus far. But there was no vocal melody or lyrical content of which to speak (yikes!). We forged ahead, knowing that a little pressure often yields happy results, and in the process of learning parts and exploring a theme for 'Diamonds' we developed another tune with a similar chord structure but a much different tone. Sometimes you just have to jump in and see where the process takes you, and we were all very pleased with the outcome.


DIAMONDS

We rise. We fall. We take it to the street again
And no one seems a bit concerned about the sirens screaming

The frame, at last. Our moves forever come to pass
And the shutter takes light while our whereabouts go undetected

For the sights that sent you running
And the chimes of engines humming
Dissipate in line with every word they said

You weigh the cost, but your diamonds only last so long
And we're bright enough to double-down when we're down to nothing

You say it's lost, that this light can only shine so long
But you've got a mind to heed the sound of a storm that's coming


With hands and lips, with every breath we can take in
We wake to see her beauty shining like a newly skinned morning

While the weathermen ignore us
And the clouds laid out before us
Dissipate in line with every word that calls out from the dead

You weigh the cost, but your diamonds only last so long
And we're bright enough to double-down when we're down to nothing

You say it's lost, that this light can only shine so long
But you've got a mind to heed the sound of the storms that are coming …storms are coming

And they come…

For the sights that sent you running
And the chimes of engines humming
All are swallowed in the chorus while the pictures fade before us