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Super Imposition (demos)

by United Shapes

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1.
Raw Honey 03:23
I can feel my heart beat in my chest When my mouth is pressed against your neck I can feel my hairs standing on end When we are becoming more than friends I can feel the goose bumps on my arms When I am succumbing to your charms I can feel you breathing honey breath When your mouth is pressed against my neck Don’t need to buy it by the side of the road Cause honey we can make our own Raw honey Smear it on your body in place of clothes It’s OK if just the two of us know Raw honey Alls I ever wanna do is make raw honey with just you And if you dig this metaphor then you know what raw honey’s for We can drink it until we get sick We can both stick out our tongues and lick Raw honey We got something only you’s and me’s Straight from the hardest working worker bees Raw honey I can feel the blood rush to my head When you drag me by my hair to bed We can put it on our breakfast toast And if you want I’ll lick it from your toes We don’t need to go to work today We can stay inside all day and play Drinking honey’s all I want to do You can call me your Winnie-the-Pooh People selling honey on the street At the farmer’s market we can eat Raw honey We can dip our fingers in the jar Do it with me baby it’s not hard Raw honey We should get a natural sugar high Then love each other ‘til honey runs dry Raw honey When we’re done we’ll smoke a cigarette Then come inside and start to make it again Raw honey
2.
Hot Kiss 03:11
Got a hot kiss at the end of a wet fist I think that’s why she carries a gun Three broken ribs right in front of the kids And then she set a car on fire for fun Crawlin’ on the floor every night ah To set the rat traps just right ah So everybody hang on tight ah Now I am a man with a girlfriend and I can hardly wait to tell Everybody so but I know they’ll go Did this girl come straight from Hell? Who in the world would ever like this girl? I guess I must not be in the world Got a hot kiss I really like when you’re like this Vanilla with an arsenic swirl Got a hot kiss and for my second wish I wanna take her to where nobody knows Back of my car or wherever we are She starts a riot wherever she goes Got a hot kiss on my Christmas list And she lets me smell her hair for free Sometimes I feel like she’s getting a raw deal But I’m the one she likes to see
3.
Some things were said and I said them and I wish that I’d not And you were nice not to hate me like you would like I thought I get so mad and sad and scared and then I say stupid things Yeah I am needy paranoid and jealous I am the king Of pushing you right to your limit And you say that I should quit it And I think that you are right Because I ruin every minute When I open my mouth and let shit spill out So if you want to talk about it talk all the time And if you want to fight about it fight all the time But if you want to forget about it this time We can forget all about it this time only You kinda hurt me and then I overreacted a bit But I know that you didn’t mean to and you couldn’t help it So when I said you didn’t care about me I was all wrong I never thought that I would write you an apology song But here it goes I’m really sorry And I hope that you forgive me ‘Cause I know that you’re my friend And that you care about me plenty Even when I open my mouth and let shit spill out So if you want to talk about it talk all the time And if you want to fight about it fight all the time But if you want to forget about it this time We can forget all about it this time only
4.
Weird Weeds 03:04
The grass don’t grow And the mice don’t run Gather a cloud If you’re into that stuff These weird weeds Please weird weeds Monster truck church Liquid miniskirt Beware of the traps In these cold hand claps These weird weeds Please weird weeds Dogs and cats Punch and Judy show Am I the same Or did I change somehow These weird weeds Please weird weeds
5.
Are We Ours? 02:41
Will you come to my house Will you sleep in my bed Will you bury yourself Next to me when I’m dead Will you redden your lips Show the teeth in your mouth When you’re sitting right here Next to me on the couch Can we play house tonight Put on each other’s clothes And then take them right off So that we are exposed Are we in love or are we bored out of our minds Am I yours are we ours are you mine Will I buy you a ring With the money I stole Will you say yes to me Or do I make your eyes roll Do you cuddle with me Is that something you like Or would you rather sleep In the cold alone all night Are you filled up with doubt Are you desperate and down Are you only with me Because there’s no one else around Are we in love or are we bored out of our minds Am I yours are we ours are you mine Can we try this again With some feeling this time Maybe you’re not so bad Maybe I am just fine Will you come to my house Will you sleep in my bed Can you try to forget Everything that I just said Are we in love or are we bored out of our minds Am I yours are we ours are you mine
6.
Thank you Audrey Always a pleasure How would I go on without Your constant heckles and threats If you’ll excuse me Forgot to mention That I’m sleeping at your house And talking down to your pets Hey now Audrey Tell me a secret Drill a hole into the wall And watch your dad while he works Peccadilloes Your dad’s got dozens Everybody in the town Knows what he’s doing in there She loves me She loves me not Something tawdry All dressed in leather Drinking coffee ‘til I vomit Such a terrible flirt Wrapped in plastic Dumped on the beach Now everybody’s going crazy Keep my mind on my work Who’s that hiding Out in the bushes Keeping tabs on everybody With binoculars on 3-D glasses And coconuts I’d call for backup but I’m scared Of what they’d do when they come She loves me She loves me not Damn good coffee And apple pie I’m feeling weirder every minute And I’d like to know why Bachelor party At One Eyed Jack’s Spent all my money on French hookers And some more apple pie That chalk outline Looks kind of like me But I don’t think that my body’s Ever been here before Is that Audrey Behind the wall Or is her dad playing with miniatures Sprawled out on the floor She loves me She loves me not Hey now Audrey I get the message We can talk about it later When I’ve gotten some sleep And done my laundry And had some coffee I should thank you ‘cause your helpful But your kind of a creep So thank you Audrey Always a pleasure You can touch my arm And look at me with sad puppy eyes Got to go now But I’ll be back To solve your murder When this town decides that you need to die
7.
Charlatan 02:49
Where are my roads in the sky? And why haven’t I ever heard of that guy Who you said would be up to no good? Troubling times for the Danube and the Rhine Did you see a blaze beyond your days? Why didn’t you say it would happen that way? The world didn’t end so let’s not pretend That maybe it did back in 1998 Nobody’s that smart at the dark arts Close but no cigar Well I know what you are Never said what you mean Never made it clean What you thought you’d seen What you’d have us believe Just a French counterfeit that was full of shit Now we retrofit Every single bit To what already was And we do it because Everybody loves All that stupid stuff I read your quatrains and I got some complaints You fabricate everything that you say I think if your verse had been slightly less terse Someone would’ve stopped that guy from shooting JFK Just a horse’s ass in a stupid hat Just a magic act And hardly even that You had two or three gems but the rest of them Are post festum And are vague even then Any weatherman who goes to weather school Can do what you do Every night on the news And if you really are what you say you are I bet you foresaw All the flaws in this song
8.
Strung Out 03:42
I do drugs every day but not the drugs that you think And sometimes they work and sometimes they don’t work at all Strung out Filled with electricity Strung out But I haven’t taken anything Strung out One hundred per cent anxiety Strung out But I haven’t taken anything If I’m perfectly still maybe I will be OK One more pot of coffee and then I will be OK Strung out Filled with electricity Strung out But I haven’t taken anything Strung out One hundred per cent anxiety Strung out But I haven’t taken anything
9.
I want to go on a date with a girl who likes to paint And she might call me Joe instead of Joseph And I might call her Heather Day because that’s her name Heather Day lives far away but that’s OK ‘Cause there are planes Each of them has a name and each name Is chosen by her with the same Care and scrutiny as every mark she makes in the paint And that’s great if you like that kind of thing which I do Places we’ve slept and brushed our teeth Counted our eggs before they hatched into the beds Where we slept making lists on cocktail napkins Of the places where we’ve slept Drawing smiley faces next to all the eggs that were the best Places we’ve slept Let’s be honest listen up how we end up site specific Thanks so much keeping up with you things we say Birthday balloons things we hold rain in your hands We were sleeping you’re a handful upkeep raw Backtracking one and two
10.
When he was born his mother said that he was ugly In her defense the doctor and the nurse agreed Born with a full set of pointed adult teeth A sense of entitlement and two black eyes Oliver Hitler never plays with his dolls anymore Pizza crust all over the floor Goes to his room and locks the door Oliver Hitler least popular boy in the second grade Talks to the wall of the plans he’s made To steal money and blame it on the maid Oliver Hitler setting fire to cars in the street Puts sugar on everything that he eats Always insists that he’s clever and sweet Oliver Hitler tripping the girls when it’s recess time And doing much worse to them in his mind He doesn’t get nervous when he lies When he was born his father said that he was sorry For doing what he had done to his mother And swore that he would never be a part of that Again if this was what was going to happen Oliver Hitler never plays with his dolls anymore Chocolate cake all over the floor Mouth is full of holes and sores Oliver Hitler his brother’s bar mitzvah was far too fun He didn’t deserve it now he wants one His brother’s got friends but he’s got none Oliver Hitler feeding beer to a dog Hiding porn in a log Throwing Black Cats at a frog Oliver Hitler nobody likes that guy His parents wish he would die And now you know why
11.
Canadian girls with their beautiful teeth And their radiant smiles And their pink gum lines Canadian girls flying on the ice Every four years See their teeth when they smile Canadian girls with their two front teeth Perfectly in place Just as they should be I’m no dentist but I noticed something Canadian girls all have beautiful teeth See them flying all around on the ice And that guy that they’re with No one cares about him See them graceful every time with their teeth Stealing the show Out from under them See Neve Campbell with her two front teeth Out there in front Looking pearly and fine Neve doesn’t skate but she could if she tried And I’d like her to try And I like when she smiles Canadian girls with their beautiful teeth And their radiant smiles And their pink gum lines If I were a Beach Boy I would change my mind From California girls To the Canadian kind Canadian girls hear them brushing their teeth Oh that wonderful sound When they rinse and spit Canadian girls show me your teeth Night after night On or off the ice
12.
Followed a girl home from work I don’t think she can see me in my car I mimic every move and use my blinker when she does Along the busy LA streets to where she lives Across the street I’ll park and wait for night to fall And when she’s got her P.J.s on I’ll break inside And do her in In my finest cape I know some don’t prefer to wear a cape But I still do Walk to her door I can’t believe the door’s unlocked Where could she be I hope she doesn’t try to fight I hate it when they try to fight I think she’s in the shower now but she is getting out I really have to feed Don’t be scared or try to run I’m only here to drink your blood And if it’s not a super imposition live here when you’re dead I really like your house I only want your blood And all your stuff is that so much to ask a friend? It’s not like you have any choice I’m so terribly sorry love
13.
Ladies First 02:18
Do I still open your door? Do I do that anymore? Is it really that important? Shouldn’t we be asking more? It’s more than just lip service Ladies first Or at the same time Maybe this time Is that fine? It can’t be worse Hey are you a feminist? I’m a human ain’t I, Miss? And I’ve got a heart in my chest So that makes me one I guess It’s more than just lip service Ladies first Or at the same time Maybe this time Is that fine? I can’t be worse Hey no “hey baby” this time I know that you’re a nice guy But maybe give this a try Redefine what you think’s nice It’s more than just lip service Ladies first Or at the same time Maybe this time Is that fine? It can’t be worse Men can’t be friends with women? I think that you don’t get it They’re not being unfriendly They only want for every Girl to have all that is hers Ladies first Or at the same time Maybe this time Is that fine? It can’t be worse

about

A Review of United Shapes' Super Imposition
by Ramón Ramirez

Joseph Devens is a lonely humanist with a comedian’s intuition. He drinks a lot of coffee. He’s fascinated by teeth. He’s got a thing for a painter named Heather Day. He’s also a Facebook friend of mine and I remember him fondly from semesters spent sharing a stressful and manic newsroom. That’s the disclosure part, because the Web is full of people blogging about their friends. But he’s also a man I haven’t physically seen since, I think, early 2008. As such we’ve spent the Obama presidency as dueling wannabes on mutual timelines. What I’m saying is, hey man, I barely know the guy you said it was cool to invite people. His songwriting reveals him as a torn pragmatist—hungry for a routine but haunted by the triviality of serene relationships. As the chief technician and one half of Austin, Texas, indie rockers United Shapes, he’s a multitasking insomniac that knows rock’s insides. The band’s seventh album, Super Imposition, is loose and full of trap doors: hand-claps, harmonizing, hooks, elastic synths, xylophone pings, and Moneyball trombones. The resulting pop suite is a shoestring delicacy at its highs—but the lows function as revealing digressions. Devens sings as if every line has been scribbled out and rewritten 10 times; he doesn’t let lyrics exist without blowback. He’ll explore ideas, and find the deadpan gag even if it means serving a winking homage to the wonders of Canadian women, or getting voyeuristic and uncomfortable before unmasking himself as a literal vampire. Daniel Johnston without the unhinged finger-painting comes to mind in terms of the homemade-but-ambitious arrangements; ditto Christopher Owens at his most sardonic. But the offbeat puzzles spilled onto coffee tables by duo They Might Be Giants, of the spiraling and bratty alternative rock, seem to act as the most direct descendants. “Weird Weeds” takes a stab at James Murphy’s nerd dance epics (think “Disco Infiltrator”) but doesn’t quite land or pack the muscle. It’s one of the few spots on the record where the apartment engineering and DIY presentation hinders the final file. At its core, Imposition flattens rock tropes and pushes buttons. “Oliver Hitler” follows the narrative structure of Larry Williams’ “Bad Boy” (misfit kid acts up and this is his song), only here the child is a sociopath who hatches schemes and “doesn’t get nervous when he lies.” “Nobody likes that guy,” Devens concludes. The song remains interesting, worthwhile, but not digestible because of its all-in details—you’re taking in the director’s cut, after all. But by the numbers, the record operates with astute efficiency: nothing is longer than 3 minutes and 42 seconds, eight of the songs are strong, six of the songs are richly dense and gorgeous. I admire the band’s disinterest with conventional endings. “Are We Ours?” asks crushing questions but retains its affection for the song’s subject: “Are you filled up with doubt? Are you desperate and down?” “Charlatan” ends with punishing disdain for unchecked hacks: “Any weatherman who goes to weather school can do what you do.” “Raw Honey” is the rollicking smash single—weird enough for college radio, memorable enough with its sweetheart daze to soundtrack a sitcom intro. While Devens spends 13 songs coming in and out of his anxiety-laden protagonist role, he lands on a compelling feminist moment of clarity that sticks with you: “Hey are you a feminist? I’m a human ain’t I, miss? And I’ve got a heart in my chest, so that makes me one I guess.” It’s an album for people that file complaints, sure, but very few individuals are interesting let alone dynamic storytellers when they’re simultaneously working through their shit.

credits

released March 3, 2015

Drew Cave - guitar, trombone
Joseph Devens - keyboard, guitar, drums, synths, vocals
Written by Devens-Cave
Produced by United Shapes

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United Shapes Austin, Texas

United Shapes are an alternative pop/rock duo formed in 2004 in Austin, TX by Joseph Devens and Drew Cave. New studio album Confuseograph now available on Flim Flam Records.

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