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Blue Motel

by Bart & The Bedazzled

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  • Record/Vinyl + Digital Album

    On glorious 140 grams vinyl.
    Clients in Germany, Switzerland and Austria can purchase the album from Légère Recordings: legererecordings.bandcamp.com/album/blue-motel.

    Includes unlimited streaming of Blue Motel via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ships out within 10 days
    Purchasable with gift card

      €18 EUR or more 

     

  • Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    Jewel case.
    Clients in Germany, Switzerland and Austria can purchase the album from Légère Recordings: legererecordings.bandcamp.com/album/blue-motel.

    Includes unlimited streaming of Blue Motel via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ships out within 10 days
    Purchasable with gift card

      €12 EUR or more 

     

  • Streaming + Download

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

    Clients in Germany, Switzerland and Austria can purchase the album from Légère Recordings: legererecordings.bandcamp.com/album/blue-motel.
    Purchasable with gift card

      €10 EUR  or more

     

1.
Blue Motel 04:26
I took forever Now I’ve arrived It is the sunset of my pride I took the slow lane To the west side Singing these blues for the whole ride She said we’d talk today I need this one to pay The golden goose is grey tonight I’ve tried to reach her Ms Marilyn Groves I gave her six or seven calls Ah but there’s no answer No, nothing at all I smashed the phone against the wall So many different ways To use up all your days And this is how we spend our time At the Blue Motel Everyone’s got something to sell At the Blue Motel Follow your dreams into the ground And you’ll be found At the Blue Motel Oh but you should have seen me Down at The Ritz On brighter days and cooler nights Cash flowed like water I froze like ice The clientele did name my price Now salad days are done And without dollar one At least I’ve found a place to hide At the Blue Motel Everyone’s got something to sell At the Blue Motel Follow your dreams into the ground And you’ll be found At the Blue Motel
2.
I watched the sun go down On the USA Suburban boulevards Cities in decay People in dismay I heard the sun go down On the great highway The cries of old theme parks Playland By The Sea It was Halloween Warm and misty air Maybe friends were there Wasted on the beach What a scene Seagulls in our eyes Pure light, old and wise Melt away my dreams I woke to find her gone Miss America Her cracked guitar still plays In my head always Listen what it says
3.
What’s your secret then, Cleo? You’re a league above them all I’d be your best friend, Cleo If I had the wherewithal What’s your secret then, Cleo? You’re the portrait of restraint It’s your measured cool, Cleo You sketch before you paint I’ve been alone so long In my eyes you do no wrong Mesmerizing me Dancing through the mystery What’s your secret then, Cleo? You’re a league above them all I’d be your best friend, Cleo If I had the wherewithal How can I be your muse? How can I be the one you choose? Guess I’ll wait see You know where to find me
4.
Sailors, oh wailers Did you start to bail When your ship set sail? Wave goodbye to the warm and dry In this world of blue Things are hard to do This is life under water Here we are, under water Divers, contrivers Like so many dreams We are lost, it seems This is life under water Here we are, sons and daughters Who falter Take a dive at your leisure Come to find there’s no treasure This is life under water Here we are, sons and daughters Who falter
5.
The Amateurs 04:22
Now when the sun goes down and moonlight starts That’s when the amateurs begin breaking hearts They come in one-by-one and two-by-two They look like friends of ours, they look like me and you Could it be the way she smiles? Could it be the lazy, half-hearted style? Amateur lovers hurting each other At the amateur hour Try a little harder Try a little harder So in the dead of night, teardrops fall It seems the one you love did forget to call You say you get things done when you’re home alone And so you sent her out into the danger zone Moving at the speed of light Something so wonderful ends over night Amateur lovers hurting each other At the amateur hour Try a little harder Try a little harder Now when the sun goes down and moonlight starts That’s when the amateurs begin breaking hearts They come in one-by-one and two-by-two They want to fall in love but they don’t know what to do They’re just… Amateur lovers Amateur lovers Amateur lovers Insignificant others
6.
Your Sorrow 04:27
It’s Friday night and you’re a total mess You sit there wondering what to do Where’s that positive mental attitude? The kids are laughing on the sidewalk You’re cold and silent as the moon They may be calling you to join them sometime soon And now you’re dancing somewhere downtown Under the glow of flashing lights But something lingers in the shadows on these nights Something that you can’t escape Here today and here tomorrow It’s your sorrow You try to fight the feeling Ah but the feeling fights back Life is a train that’s running right off track Big city lovers with no compassion Break your heart in every fashion For the whole world to see Something that you wear on your sleeve Here today and here tomorrow It’s your sorrow Oh the majesty of what could be When you find your true calling With every river crossed, you’ll get back all you’ve lost Someday soon So don’t you try and fight the feeling Because the feeling fights back There ain’t no shame in being where you’re at Something yours and yours alone Here today and here tomorrow It’s your sorrow
7.
My life was already unstable enough for me Living from day to day with no security And now my abode Isn’t up to code Apparently I wanna spend the night Oh if you think it’s right I don’t feel safe at home The place is crawling with blues I like to sleep all day I like to sleep but they Get up at 6 a.m. What a prolific crew I wanna tell the world where I intend to go I wanna tell the world, if only I did know Brick by brick, the house that built itself Is falling down Shelf by shelf, the house that built itself Is on the ground It was a real life dream I found a recipe To make a homemade home Without a single tool And as I watched it grow This building of my own I saw the doors and walls Put on a coat of paint I like to sleep all day I like to sleep but they Get up at 6 a.m. The demolition crew I know a lifestyle change has long been overdue You better burn that sage when I come through Brick by brick, the house that built itself Is falling down Shelf by shelf, the house that built itself Is on the ground
8.
Dark matter, these memories A forest of aging trees There’s nothing much left to do So I think about me and you In a time machine for two Time travel into your arms Awaken without alarms This moment, no déjà vu And you clinging to me like glue In a time machine for two It’s an elaborate time machine I don’t know what makes it go You’ve got the only users guide And you don’t want to ride There’s nothing I’d love more to do But it doesn’t work without you It’s a time machine for two
9.
Single Life 01:56
10.
Grownups 03:37
It’s a golden time Or so I’m told It’s an odd century For the sensitive It’s so hard to live And the callous all succeed Take a look around At this world I’ve found Like a lost worker bee It’s a grown-up time for me In this day and age I don’t fit in Having never made money I keep throwing salt Think it’s all my fault And it wasn’t meant to be I keep drinking soap Wash it down with hope It’s an odd recipe It’s a grown-up time for me So drink some water with your wine Lost and lonely friends of mine It’s a grown-up time Well it’s a grown-up time When some friends have gone Did they have to fly away? I will live my life in honor of those Who cannot be with us today For each passing year I will shed a tear And be swept out to sea It’s a grown-up time, baby So drink some water with your wine Lost and lonely friends of mine It’s a grown-up time
11.
Vampire 03:23
She’s the kind of love I’d never dream of Dreams are never so fair Side by side we sleep like teacups Although we are not the same She’s a woman trying to make her mark And I won’t stand in her way My lover says things I’ve never heard In a strange and ravishing tone She’s a vampire, warns me not to love her Then directs me just where to kiss her To be bolder, just how tight to hold her I try to do all she says There’s a car outside She could leave tonight Make a run for the future The future Her piano hands are strong She plays, amazed with herself How I long to sing along With her and no one else Love her more than anyone before I’m here for her to betray There’s a car outside She could leave tonight Make a run for the future The future

about

Recorded in Boyle Heights, Los Angeles, Blue Motel is the new album by Bart & The Bedazzled, a brand new musical enterprise by Bart Davenport and his seventh album proper since his solo breakout in 2002. Alluding to Los Angeles with the lights down, it’s an amalgam sound of ‘80s English pop and West Coast yacht rock jams, sprinkled with cinematic flourishes clearly influenced by the understated production of L.A. Takedown’s Aaron M. Olson. The jangly pop aesthetic, resplendent with choppy chorus tinted guitar, snappy snares, sax and bass, is underlined with life trodden stories about day jobs, dating, financial insecurities, lost innocence and most prominently, time travel.

The album lives somewhere in an imagined past (or future) that is curiously both the 1960s and 1980s conveying the group’s nostalgia for a fantasy world with a cheeky cynicism, despite a perception of a world that is, for Bart, on the downfall. To that end, Davenport’s songs are, as always, delivered with a happy and sad sensibility reminiscent of the great Burt Bacharach. From the surreal yet humorous ‘The House That Built Itself’ to the sad surf music of ‘Halloween By The Sea’ or the romantic L.A. noir of the title track, Blue Motel arrives with a spoonful of tears, a nod and a wink.

The Bedazzled band lineup, united by their love of the ‘Elegant ‘80s’, includes the guitar of Wayne Faler (Dream Boys), drums, percussion and beats by Andres Renteria (Jose Gonzales) and post-punk bass lines from Jessica Espeleta (L.A. Takedown). The four friends from Los Angeles, united in their affection for the more sophisticated sounds of English ‘80s groups like Prefab Sprout and Style Council give the setlist a more distinctively pop flavour compared to Bart’s soulful last outing on his album Physical World, also released on Lovemonk. Blue Motel features regular appearances from female vocalist Nedelle Torrisi (Domino, Asthmatic Kitty) who notably adds the lush layers of harmony on ‘The Amateurs’. Saxophonist Billy McShane is also featured on three songs with improvisations that evoke the scene of whales in outer space.

Producer Olson often incorporates soundtrack and avant-garde elements in his own work. His gift for song arrangement, understanding of the synth and penchant for subtlety all shine brightly on Blue Motel.

credits

released April 27, 2018

Bart & The Bedazzled:
Bart Davenport – vocals, guitar
Jessica Espeleta – bass
Wayne Faler – lead guitar
Andres Renteria – drums, percussion, drum machine

With help from:
Aaron M. Olson – synthesizer, piano
Nedelle Torrisi – backing vocals
Billy McShane – saxophone
Robin MacMillan – drums, keyboard on ‘Your Sorrow’

Produced by Aaron M. Olson

Additional production by Robin MacMillan on ‘Blue Motel’, ‘The Amateurs’ and ‘Your Sorrow’

Recorded by Jason Soda at Palomino Sound, Los Angeles CA
Mixed by William Faler, Santa Monica CA
Mastered by JJ Golden at Golden Mastering, Ventura CA

Artwork by Kara Joslyn
Front: Crescent Moon, acrylic and polymer car paint on panel, 2015 
Back: Morning Star, acrylic and polymer car paint on panel, 2016
Photos by Cassandra Lee Hamilton
Sleeve Design by Utah

All songs written by Bart Davenport (Vic Silva Songs, BMI)
except ‘Grownups’ by Davenport/Faler (Vic Silva Songs, BMI/ASCAP)
and ‘Time Machine For Two’ by Davenport/Olson (Vic Silva Songs, BMI/Aaron M. Olson, ASCAP)

℗ 2018 Lovemonk
© 2018 Lovemonk/Légère Recordings
LMNK61/LEGO 136
LMNK61LP/LEGO 136-VL
Published by Lovemonk

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Bart Davenport Los Angeles, California

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