Building the Bird, by Amateur Ornithologist

Building the Bird

by Amateur Ornithologist

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zaxxon25 excellent lo-fi art-pop recalling the best of the 80's UK awkwardness Favorite track: Weird Walking.

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Full Digital Discography

15

releases

Get all 15 Amateur Ornithologist releases available on Bandcamp and save 25%.

Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of Hiding to Nothing, Hide, Time To Talk, The Word is Love, If It Looks Like Magic, Building the Bird, Sunscreen, A Better Person, and 7 more. , and , .

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1.	Promises 03:21	lyrics	buy track
I said “forever” We’d be in love and there’s nobody else Because I never Considered that a change could be good for your health So save your promises So save your promises So save your promises Could never measure Up to all the plans you had drawn for your years A change of weather Seemed to be enough to undo the repairs So save your promises So save your promises So save your promises Yield control Take it slow; I don’t know Cede and fold Hold the key, shutdown mode Splintered bond Forecast tears won’t be long Covenant Was understood to be prolonged Discarded treasures Never had the cupboard space to store all the past Untangle tethers Unwrap the oath and you’ll walk your own path So save your promises So save your promises So save your promises Yield control Take it slow; I don’t know Cede and fold Hold the key, shutdown mode Splintered bond Forecast tears won’t be long Covenant Was understood to be prolonged
2.	Hermit Phase 02:31	lyrics	buy track
Think of all these books and Time left I have to read Back to morbid thinking One more misdeed How do my friends fit The childcare in? How do my friends fit In full time jobs? Think I’ll hide away Start my hermit phase Maybe meditate Reach a higher plane Think of situations That could push my heart rate up Getting down to business Going for the bus How do my friends fit In at the gym How do my friends fit In day-to-day? Start my hermit phase Welcome no delays Cancel those soirees Reach a higher plane How do my friends fit The parties in How do my friends fit In at the bar Start my hermit phase It might pave the way For life’s rich buffet Reach a higher plane Start a brand new day Cobwebs blown away Deal with my malaise In my hermit phase
3.	A Better Person 02:10	lyrics	buy track
Woke by your call at two Down the stairs; already knew All heavy breaths and crying Heart plunged and the fever grew Came the day Dressed in wood Sharing the unsaid message Can’t convey Never could Slither of guilt regresses Armed with a loaded phrase All the family cliches Apple stayed in the tree Warm heart and a sinless face See her look Mapped in yours Holding her words as certain Coats unhooked Roots ensure Couldn’t be like a better person
4.	I Told A Lie 02:51	lyrics	buy track
I told a lie You wouldn’t mind You’d prefer my quick “I’m fine” We could talk one hundred times But always say the same lines Sinful impulse A bird ensnared And I’m pulling hairs I told a lie I’ll tell you why It’s that or scream and shout or cry The other way is you could try See things from a new side Sinful impulse A bird ensnared And I’m pulling hairs And I’m pulling And I hear them talking backwards I can hear them talking I told a lie And said I’m shy That’s an easier answer why I tend to slink away and hide I'd never want to waste time Sinful impulse A bird ensnared And I’m pulling And I’m pulling And I’m pulling hairs
5.	Weird Walking 02:48	lyrics	buy track
As I wander open comfort Haunted land where Lives long gone have walked before Stands a fence full of wonder Private mystery of public lore I wander forest and field Reliving dead memories I wander through wood and stream Awaken forgotten dreams Through the hedge Round the bend Over drystone wall Tudor house Standing stones Echo nature’s call Echo nature’s call Weird walking I wander the stepping stones An etching, a verse intoned I wander the green and knoll Escaping urban patrol Through the hedge Round the bend Over drystone wall Tudor house Standing stones Echo nature’s call Echo nature’s call Weird walking
6.	Sunscreen 03:06	lyrics	buy track
Gold sun, sky blue Yearn for a shade from this lustrous view Invites withdrew Options are dazzling in front of you Bright lights shine down from above I hide, my love, will you wait for me? My love, will you wait for me? With the sunscreen Reflect, reveal A ray, a glimmer you can’t conceal That glow, it’s real But then, to whom does it hold appeal? Bright lights shine down from above I hide, my love, will you wait for me? My love, will you wait for me? With the sunscreen Behold the brilliant light Phosphorescent sight Echo you can’t erase Panoramic blaze Bright lights shine down from above I hide, my love, will you wait for me? My love, will you wait for me? With the sunscreen Someday I’ll journey outside Til then, I’ll hide...
7.	Building the Bird 04:44	lyrics	buy track
Fingers find the form Limits to explore Parts assembled and arranged Plan, cultivate First the notion percolates Then we're down to work Diving over barriers As we build the bird Build the bird Fasten feathers To the frames and Watch the wings unfurl Craft the crown Round the eye And you’ll see we’re Building the bird Sketch and draft designs Options visualised Steer the structure and resolve Team are aligned First the notion percolates Then we're down to work Diving over barriers As we build the bird Build the bird Taper talon To the toe and Round the perch they’ll curl Shape the skull Round the eye And you’ll see we’re Building the bird First the notion percolates Then we're down to work Diving over barriers As we build the bird Build the bird Fasten feathers To the frames and Watch the wings unfurl Craft the crown Around the eye And you’ll see we’re Building the bird Thought becomes the word Call in darkness heard Wind on feather stirred Tenderness returned Ritual observed Faithful path affirmed Penances incurred Skies break open when we build the bird
8.	Ecclesia 04:03	lyrics	buy track
Dreaming calling Spoke the long meandered guide Circled mourning Leading channeled light A message falling Proceed uneasier Spirit scrawling The ecclesia It’s revealing Shadow steering Heaven knows who But you feel it too The ecclesia The ecclesia Reaching believer Chart the principles divine Saddled healer Displaced, materialised Faithless knowledge From old Rhodesia Fallen college The ecclesia It’s revealing Shadow steering Heaven knows who But you feel it too The ecclesia The ecclesia Loss incarnate The ethereal device Image carpets Portrait mesmerise Communing contact Sphere superior Teaching abstract The ecclesia It’s revealing Shadow steering Heaven knows who But you feel it too The ecclesia The ecclesia The ecclesia
9.	Like An Amateur 02:29	lyrics	buy track
Turning back the page To the never days Risk reward of moving forward Climbing the steps to atone Mixing metaphors Bolt the sailor’s doors Risk reward of moving forward Climbing the steps to atone Stretch and reach From the mouth of defeat At my fingertips But my fingers slip Like an amateur Painting by numbers Risk reward of moving forward Climbing the steps to atone Risk reward of moving forward Climbing the steps to atone
10.	Slip Away 03:47	lyrics	buy track
Hands that have worked in the ground Covered in soil Covered in scratches Knees worn by years of hard use Voicing concerns Worthy dispatches Just slip away sometimes Slip away sometimes Slip away sometimes Slip away Just keep waiting Hands that have not worked a day Softer than silk Softer than most boys Wit worn by years of hard use Covering the gaps Adding just white noise Just slip away sometimes Slip away sometimes Slip away sometimes Slip away Just keep waiting Takes a minute to adjust Takes a minute to realign my thinking Takes a minute of just us Takes a minute to reframe just listening Just slip away sometimes Slip away sometimes Slip away sometimes Slip away Just keep waiting
11.	The Willows 03:13	lyrics	buy track
We’ve been walking through the Willows Squeezing soil between our toes Saw the mist creep from the river Heard the calling of the crows Call of the crows Followed paths of water striders Heard the hounds on their patrols Felt the beating of the deer hooves Witnessed heron wings unfold Oh, they unfold We went walking through the long grass Step-by-step and me by you Clambered over trough and peak Until we’re fading out of view Fade out of view

credits

released October 21, 2022

All songs by Daniel Clifford

Vocals and synths by Daniel Clifford
Drums on tracks 4 and 11, guitars and bass by Harbourmaster
Drums and percussion on tracks 1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 10 by Matt Hardy
Viola on tracks 1, 3, 4, 5 and 7, vocals on track 8 by Madeleine Smyth
Saxophone on tracks 5 and 8 by Thomas R Dixon

Produced, engineered, mixed and mastered by Harbourmaster at Harbourmaster Productions, South Shields.

Except drums on tracks 1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 10 recorded by Matt Hardy at South Base Studio, Bristol.

Artwork by Jenny Rohde
Design and layout by Amateur Ornithologist

Released by Harbourmaster Recordings.

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about

Amateur Ornithologist Gateshead, UK

Weird pop group from North East England. The band’s neurodivergent members have found a home for their musical expressions; fusing pop, orchestral, jazz and rock influences to create a grand melodic sound.

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