Ash to Ash​.​.​.

by dustland

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1.
Entry From the Journal of Saul Hoskins, Pt. I (August, 1933) 03:29
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coming soon
2.
I. Cadence / II. The Burial 08:05
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We buried John today He was my oldest son In the fields he fell You couldn’t see his body Surrounded by the cloud We left him there Til half past three To wait out the storm I felt like a coward That I would trade his life for mine But Molly, your face as the dust swirled around, I just couldn’t bear to lose you If that makes me a demon If that makes me a saint Well god’s not watching He’s ignored us for years Ever since I first drank from that bottle He’s scorned our tears The dust blew the weathervane off The roof of our house And on it engraved it said “A Happy Home Is What Keeps Us Pure” I new it was a lie I new it was a lie The coffin we laid you in Blended in with the dust
3.
Gambler 06:10
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I’ll measure my worth In empty glasses Before I let this family fall apart Day in and day out They toil with their backs to the sun Never seeing its rays With cheeks scarred by winds of dirt While I waste away Everything we’ve earned Sarah came home with holes in her palms Like some sort of stigmata From thrusting her spade Again and again into the soil Trying to dig up Some reason for all of this But finding nothing Just an empty hole My daughter I’m sorry Tonight I play this hand Not for my own addiction But because I know not how to best Mend my crumbling existence The dealer sets my cards I pray that god may hear We’re all in
4.
March of the Defeated Man 01:57
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5.
They Have Come To Reconcile Our Debts 10:02
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The sun is rising Any moment the sound of their knock will signal the end for us They’ve come to reclaim what I promised What I promised them was ours Our home, our livelihood I couldn’t bear to lose you all They knew that I would fail They knew I was a coward In this endless sprawl The vultures prey on all Across the sands A hooded man approaches Our reckoning He speaks for the power He speaks for control He speaks for all the mistakes I’ve made Now they will take their toll [The Taxman]: “Saul you are a fool To trade your home for a pool of gin to drown in You knew you couldn’t save this one You knew your time was up Well here it is Your well’s dried up Your land is ours From now on your family must wander Through the storms of dust Hoping someone will take pity on thee Don’t look at me For I have none to give”
6.
Entry From the Journal of Saul Hoskins, Pt. II (September, 1933) 02:38
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Death won't come too soon Land of dust Have pity on me!

about

Ash to Ash... is an album that mixes inspiration from black metal, folk/americana traditions, and experimental noise music to create a lo-fi storytelling experience, that explores the following narrative:
"The Hoskins family operates an oil well and farm in the Dust Bowl in 1933, but their well hasn't produced anything in months and the land is too arid to farm anything substantial. The father, Saul, has become an alcoholic in the years since the deaths of his father and his own son, John, who died in a dust storm, and has wasted a lot of the family monetary reserves to support his habit. Upon finding out that the family has no money left, Saul, in a drunken last attempt at reconciliation, goes to the local bar to play cards in an attempt to win back some money. He ends up betting the Hoskins land on his last hand, and losing. The finale of the record sees a mysterious hooded figure (who represents the blind fury of the law) known as The Taxman come to reclaim the Hoskins home. At the end, the Hoskins family, now comprised of just Saul, his hard-working wife Molly, and their daughter Sarah, who has been driven mad by the conditions of their life, are driven out into the dust without a home. The story closes with Saul crying out in the desert for the land of dust to take pity on him."

credits

released March 3, 2014

Jon Brien - Drums/Vox/Guitar/Lyrics/Production

Recorded in a basement on a laptop.

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dustland Worcester, Massachusetts

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