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Fits & Starts

by Brian Keenan

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1.
I was the miserable morning, in a fog Suffering from a night that was long gone I left nothing I can remember in my path You told me I better take a closer look At the broken window At the full notebook That’s your handwriting right there, now isn’t it? The words were written in a frenzied pace Like a stack of bills stuffed in an old suitcase And I swear to God I don’t know what it meant You caught me off guard I was fine falling apart Fine spiraling You caught me off guard Without a second thought For another human being Your lips were drawn from your pocketbook Down on the sidewalk while everybody looked I wore my hat real low to cover my eyes You told me that it was no use And broke every black and white tile with your high heeled boots And stood just like a scarecrow in the room I didn’t have time to catch my breath Between the purple tongues and the drunken scents And I swear to God I don’t know what it meant You caught me off guard I was fine falling apart Fine spiraling You caught me off guard Without a second thought For another human being This is all that I have left Some scribbled notes Some drunken texts And I swear to God I don’t know what it meant
2.
Fading Fast 03:51
I’m not sure the pain you endured was worth it You never know what you’re in for From outside it looked more certain You saved me from myself I know it’s hard to tell But I’m doing pretty well I was fading fast, yeah Never meant to last, yeah Now that’s in the past I was fading fast The fumes from the chemicals left my mind dull They turned me inside out The truth is ephemeral Not eternal It’s just what we’re telling ourselves But you treated me better than I deserved When I was at my worst I was fading fast, yeah Never meant to last, yeah Now that’s in the past I was fading fast
3.
On the Ides of March I awoke from a nightmare At my own funeral And no one else was there The moon was dripping blood I wondered what it meant The more I thought about it The less it made sense When the balance is off The nights get long When the balance is off The nights get long Lost in thought, when I looked up All I saw was a hood ornament And no one uttered a word They just went about their business When the balance is off The nights get long When the balance is off The nights get long You told me where to go And never showed I wondered where you were Guess I’ll never know Guess I’ll never know On the Ides of March I awoke from a nightmare Found the trail of mascara And it led me nowhere
4.
Glassy Eyed 04:19
I’m on autopilot The time flies right by I don’t care where I’m headed I’ll just know when I arrive You know exactly what you like And I wonder why I can’t find a single thing of mine I’m glassy eyed Glassy eyed I’m burning up, I’m freezing cold The machinery of my soul Somewhere far, far below From the comfort of your home You know exactly where to go And I wonder why I don’t I’m glassy eyed Glassy eyed I want you to know That I really was this close Through the wind and the snow I’ll just coast I’m glassy eyed Glassy eyed
5.
It comes in fits and starts The pumping blood Built half of a bridge and dove into the mud The salmon fog With the silhouette dogs I heard the ringing clock Back where I came from Saw the stained glass walls With character flaws Saw surreal and impressionist ponds You’re always in love when you’re grasping at straws Living into the next moment that comes And it is so strong I can’t get enough She’s in my breath breathing through my lungs I’m always changing my mind And I’ve got no sense of time And i don’t know why My stomach is tight and the thoughts ignite Turning the corner I’m always surprised By the gasoline lights and your skin so white It’s like seeing the moon rise The very first time With the stained glass walls The character flaws The surreal and impressionist ponds The approaching dawn The effects all gone We roll up the blanket and move along Traffic is slow we’ve got nowhere to go I imagine crashing the car over and over I fell into a dream Saw what became of me With sunken eyes No will to fight Holding a map by the candlelight A pocketknife whittling a pipe Talking to a dispassionate sky I’m always changing my mind And I’ve got no sense of time And I don’t know why
6.
Coming Soon 04:39
In the trees In the canopy that’s freezing I heard the changing season Rain acorns to the street In the frame I see the marching shapes Heard one-sided conversations Crossing the basement grates With your drunken cold cast shadow strewn You’re coming soon I take no warning I sleep with one eye open So I always see who’s approaching my door I’ve got stories I’ll always be reliving But I’d be better off forgetting the memories With my drunken cold cast shadow strewn Counting planes over a fishing moon You’re coming soon In the street The keys were jangling I wanted something to happen out of the ordinary On the way from the land of lakes You were something I wanted But didn’t know how to take With my drunken cold cast shadow strewn Counting planes over a fishing moon And I’ve been patiently waiting in my room You’re coming soon You’re coming soon You’re coming soon
7.
Count on Me 03:49
Count on me to make a mess To make no sense And to make amends To take offense To find the flaw and take advantage Count on me to run late To make everybody else have to wait Count on me to second guess To say one thing and do the next Oh, I know it hurts That I can’t put you first Oh, I know that it’s wrong That I should be the one you count on Count on me to be a man To make a buck, and then spend ten Count on me to never plan To pack my bags after the train’s already left Count on me to fill my glass To disappear in the back Count on me to lose track To apologize after the time has passed Oh, I know it hurts That I can’t put you first Oh, I know that it’s wrong That I should be the one you count on
8.
Cross Paths 04:28
Cross paths Find a needle in haystack When we cross paths Cross paths When you’re coming home from the night shift We cross paths Cross paths Every single time you’re run ragged We cross paths In the aftermath And you’re feeling trapped On a train that isn’t moving In the aftermath And you can’t get back All that you’ve put in When we cross paths You’re wearing a dragon mask When we cross paths Cross paths You’re drunk on corner incense When we cross paths Cross paths Every single time you’re run ragged We cross paths In the aftermath And you’re feeling trapped On a train that isn’t moving In the aftermath And you can’t get back All that you’ve put in Cross paths We both know what could have happened If today wasn’t the day We crossed paths
9.
Used To 03:36
I don’t wanna wait The thought keeps me awake Tomorrow I’ll make another philosophy My body aches The fever breaks I put out my arm for your to take Surrounded by the woods The howling moon I want to be true It’s just not what I’m used to In a paper chase Before the winter came Left bloodied Sunk to the bottom of the lake You took off your shoes and waded in The water freezing overhead Not a moment too soon Everything to lose I want to be true It’s just not what I’m used to In front of your old place Where we first embraced Asking for your word As I inched closer I was a junkyard car, missing parts Without a thought you split your heart Right in two I’m so in love with you I want to be true It’s just not what I’m used to I want to be true It’s just not what I’m used to
10.
Night Sounds 06:07
Night sounds, night sounds Bag in the branches flailing around The door slammed by the wind Barroom neon bulbs buzzing Hotel corner hopefuls waiting to get in Night sounds, night sounds I think that the worst is over now It’s so hard to be patient When the walls are paper thin When you fall in love You gotta break them in Oh, I just had to get out for a bit When I come back it’ll be different At the laundromat watching the clothes spin I emptied the voices in my head Till only yours was left Night sounds, night sounds All the wolves out on the prowl Where no one knows your name Silenced by low flying planes The spinning rusty weathervane Chemicals fire in my brain Forgetting all the reasons why I came Oh, I just needed something to change When I come back it’ll be different At the laundromat watching the clothes spin I emptied the voices in my head Till only yours was left Night sounds, night sounds A bridge between the towns And an empty river sits Collecting skeletons of fish I took a taxi over it Put a kiss upon your lips

about

“Fits & Starts” is Brian Keenan’s second full length album.

The record captures the many moods and influences of the artist – from Wilburys-esque road songs to Scott Walker ballads, Replacements burners & syrupy sweet Donovan folk numbers. In total, there are 10 tracks of vivid imagination and storytelling that add color & definition to the artist's catalog.

He is joined by a cast of veteran players including James Preston (Zachary Cale, Heaven's Jail), Rob Heath (Justin Townes Earle, Allison Moorer), and Kirk Schoenherr (Chet Faker). Also featuring Jen Keenan in her debut on keyboards and vocals.

Recorded at Russell Street Recording (Brooklyn, NY) by engineer Alex Lipsen (Nada Surf, Okkervil River, Phosphorescent) over the course of a 3-day January blizzard. The record was produced, mixed and mastered by the husband/wife team of Brian & Jen Keenan.

credits

released November 6, 2015

Brian Keenan: Vocals, Guitars
Jen Keenan: Vocals, Keyboards
James Preston: Bass
Kirk Schoenherr: Guitar
Rob Heath: Drums, Percussion
Steve Schiltz: Guitar
Alex Lipsen: Engineer

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Brian Keenan Brooklyn, New York

Brian Keenan is a singer-songwriter from Brooklyn, NY.

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