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Schweiz (Deutsch)The Perfect Space
The Perfect Space
Posted: Sunday, May 31, 2009 - 23:02
They've only played this about 4 times by my count (which isn't saying much). I've only heard it on the XPN show, but I totally totally love it.
What do you all think?
The lyrics as I hear them:
I wanna have friends that I can trust,
that love me for the man I’ve become not the man I was.
I wanna have friends that will let me be
all alone when being alone is all that I need.
I wanna fit in to the perfect space,
feel natural and safe in a volatile place.
And I wanna grow old without the pain,
give my body back to the earth and not complain.
Will you understand when I am too old of a man?
And will you forget when we have paid our debt
who did we borrow from?
Okay part two now clear the house.
The party’s over take the shouting and the people,
GET OUT.
I have some business and a promise that I have to hold to.
I do not care what you assume or what the people told you.
Will you understand, when I am too old of a man?
Will you forget when we have paid our debts,
who did we borrow from, who did borrow from?
I wanna have pride like my mother has,
And not like the kind in the bible that turns you bad.
And I wanna have friends that I can trust,
that love me for the man I’ve become and not the man that I was.
Replies for this Board Topic
Yea I heard it for the first time on the radio broadcast and was blown away. People say Scott when from the keys to the drums and back to the keys while Seth played electric. I cannot wait to hear it live. The opening knocks you over the head and drags you in. It is an amazing song. Thanks for posting the lyrics.
It's amazing--saw it in Portland then Philly, and heard they played it on WXPN--where else was it played? I love it and it blew me away into stunned silence and then tears the first time I saw it. If you can, avoid hearing it again til you see it live, just a suggestion! it's just so different and it's almost...an experience. Beautiful lyrics.
Okay, going to be the dissenter and say that this one is NOT doing it for me. Heard/saw it for the first time Saturday in Philly, and both my friend and I agreed it was the only song we'd have dumped from the setlist given a choice. Scott introduced it by saying "This one is new," and my hope is that they keep working on it because it smacked of power ballad in manner that I don't expect of the Brothers.
If I may ask, what did you dislike about it specifically? Just that it is something unexpected or different?
This wouldn't be the first time that that's happened...
Everyone's entitled to their opinion, of course, but did you listen to the lyrics at all?!?
I didn't expect it, but in my mind, it was right on par with all the heartfelt everything they've done in the past, and I think this song even kicked things up a notch. So personal and relatable. Different, sure, but not in a way that bothered me or turned me off in any way.
Just curious...
I loved it. but then again, I love all of them.
I think this song would make an excellent pairing with Gift For Melody Ann!
And yea, I guess just 3 times...
i love the soft parts in the song. the cello is amazing, but im not much a fan of the rocking out in the middle of the song. i'll probably get hell for that one, but i just didnt do it for me. i think it would be alot better just soft throughout. its still a great song though.
gibson, I have only listened once, but I wasn't carried away with the transition, either. The lyrics and softer parts are incredible. Of course with only one listen, that is just my first impression. I'm gonna give it another play this evening in solitude and my story will probably do a 180 degree turn.
I'll definitely have to listen to it more than just the couple of times I've heard it from the WXPN broadcast, but yeah I totally agree w/ gibsonb and stirredbythemusic. That transition in the middle from soft to loud is, um, awkward to put it one way. Of course after a hundred more listens I'm sure I'll love it, and the lyrics are outstanding (like usual), but I'm afraid this one is just going to have to grow on me for now...I hope I don't get blacklisted for this.
I certainly don't have an aversion to them rocking out. PGFC was an instant favorite.
can anyone tell me the name of the podcast that has perfect space on it?
Sure, angischy, I'll elaborate. As a couple of people have implied, the song didn't cohere for me at the Troc because the jumps from Scott singing gently at the keyboards to electric hellfire and back seemed too abrupt and forced and, as I said, "power ballad-y." Yeah, nice lyrics (of course I listened to them; no ?!? required), but if they're not sung to music that feels appropriate or that I enjoy, they're going to be lost on me. They had me until the transition, then they lost me because it felt like they were pushing the song somewhere it didn't belong.
The Avetts pull off successful transitions in plenty of other songs, and I'm guessing that's because they've worked out the kind of kinks that left some of us cringing at PS. So I hope they keep working on what I feel are kinks in a Perfect Space, since it's still not a Perfect Song to me.
I should probably also admit that I never stand at their concerts and cry, which seems to put me in the minority. I'm often moved, and I had a long-term relationship hit the skids in part because of my partner's under-response to Mignonette, but the shows are always occasions for joy for me, even when they're singing emotionally laden lyrics. Maybe I'm dead inside.
Great song, kind of different, I'll probably have to see it live to REALLY like it
I tried to avoid this one until I see them in Chicago but I couldn't help it when it came up on the radio stream. Like a few other people, I definitely didn't react the way that I thought I would after hearing people had cried upon first listen. The slower beginning and the lyrics drew me in instantly but once they hit the heavier part, my roommate and I just looked at each other extremely confused. It just doesn't seem to flow as well as I'd like it to. Don't get me wrong, I don't plan on giving up hope on this one! I'm not going to listen to it again until I hear it live so hopefully I'll have a different reaction. I'll update this opinion then but for the time being, the Perfect Space = ehhhh.
I decided not to listen to it again, either. I actually have been trying not to listen to the unreleased songs anyway, so the first album listen will be a sweet experience.
(all bets are off for Solomon, though, since it's not on the album. I've listened to that a bunch today. I love that song so very much...)
(all bets are off for Solomon, though, since it's not on the album. I've listened to that a bunch today. I love that song so very much...)
perhaps my favorite new song stirred
Oh, Filly, I'm sure you're not "dead inside"...not all of us are as emotionally free-flowing as myself and ole Timdog
.
Yeah, I'm a crier. Not always, but sometimes, and this last run really got to me, probably in part because of all the other stuff weighing on my mind these days. I really don't even know where those big hot droplets come from sometimes, but when they come they flow freely, like squeezing an orange. Emotion juice, or something, it happens when a song really affects me.
Bella Donna was so beautiful and floated through the air with such grace in Santa Cruz that just one big tear rolled down and went :plop: on my dress, and it came with a smile. There may be a little sadness there, or a sense of longing to experience for myself that which is experienced in the songs, but it's not something that causes me to boo-hoo through a show. It's just not like that. To be clear, the tears aren't from a lack of joy. The shows are a tremendous experience of joy for me, and a ride I love throughout
As for this song in particular...well, I know the middle of the song is way different, and I don't really understand it or like it as much as the other parts of it, but I think it's essential to the song as a whole.
To me, that middle part possesses all the contrast, the "oh sh!t frenzy" of life that interrupts and pulls us away from what could otherwise be our dream life.
I think this song needs that part in the middle because it shifts the whole song, and pulls the rug out from under us (that may be why some folks don't like it right there).
Life isn't a fairy tale and despite all our intentions, it gets messy in the middle. I think A Perfect Space needs that rant in the middle to slap us in the face and make us go "hey what's happening?"...only of course to come back to center again, the more grounded plea of "Will you understaaaand?!?"
And the somber hope for Pride that doesn't result in loss of self or purpose. The kind of pride that comes from a full heart and a life well-lived.
The guys have lots of songs that wane and wax during the song....and their shows do this on a larger scale (hey you spreadsheet/pie graph people, have you done a flow chart/bar graph of this yet?).
They may start out quiet or slow and then grow and build the energy or the tension or the sound to a feverish pitch or crescendo, filling up our hearts, our ears, our minds with so much music or thought or emotion. And during the shows they do this sooo well, too, it really is a ride and they know how to build the tension and then release it all with a sing-along or a flailing limbfest, only to spin us right around again, and then maybe they calm down and bring the goosebumps with a slow heartbreaker or a more reflective song that punches us right in the gut when we least expect it.
All that being said, I think they still have some polishing to do on stage to show off the true beauty of this gem. I can only imagine how much it will affect me then.
Everyone is entitled to their opinion of course, and maybe I'm just biased because I was pretty much in the perfect space when I first encountered this one...but I feel pretty strongly that this one's something special.
p.s. It is totally okay to NOT like songs. You're not gonna get black-listed, or simply, *blasted* for it!
However...this is a discussion board, so...back it up folks.
(but uh, maybe there should be a word limit, cuz gosh, I'm wordy - please don't hate me for that too much)
I love it when it rocks in the middle. I'm all about hard rocking Avetts.... or even warp speed rocking like you see live often.
This is a great topic. I enjoy reading other people's opinions about the music.
I loved this song first time I heard it. I loved the rockin' part in the middle. Part of the reason why I love the Avetts is that they do things you don't expect. I LOVE that! Keeps part of the mystery in the music.
Like angischy said, " I think this song needs that part in the middle because it shifts the whole song, and pulls the rug out from under us"
Maybe the middle part is reference to the line before, "who did we borrow from?" Or maybe it is a non-verbal answer to the question. THIS is who we borrowed from! Waas-waa-waaaaaaaaa! Or maybe it's some sort inside joke or even a little parody.
Well said angischy! Another somewhat odd song, Kick Drum Heart, made so much more sense to me when I realized the frenzied pace of the song mimics the manic euphoria that one feels when falling in love.
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And in my dreams I saw the future
Love this one, Ive been listening to it all day. Very excited to see what it sounds like on the album.
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I've been drinkin' seven hours now
sympathy is a waste of my time
Another great post Angi...and no pie graphs yet. Please keep posting your song breakdowns!
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may I never be embarrassed to sing....
#70
I think the reason that I find this song so appealing is that it kind of reminds me of Thick as a Brick...just shorter and much newer. speaking of that...it is also similar to the new Decemberists Album, Hazards of Love.
only similar in the sense that one song (or suite of songs) travels in and out of different styles, tempos, and feelings, all while focusing on one common theme.
that's what I think.
--
may I never be embarrassed to sing....
#70
I saw/heard The Perfect Space in DC last week for the first time ever.
When I saw them picking up electrics and I was excited, then with scott on keys at first and the change of motion- it took me a second to grasp but the words just yanked me in. I sat quietly listening. Just wanting to soak it all up. I love that. It doesn't happen often. Its a really special song to me. Can't wait to hear it again.
....i really hope someone posts a live video of that song!
Oh, I wish I could, but I will not be posting a live video of that song...until it is released. (August, hurry up!)
After hearing this song in Philly and then again in NYC, it has replaced I & Love & You as the song I am most eagerly anticipating on the new album (for now). I absolutely love the departure from their regular style. As a BIG fan of 70s/80s rock, I am completely enamored with the rock out break in the middle. For me, it's very reminiscent of Journey, The Outfield, Rush and some other really killer bands from my childhood. I'm sure there are a lot of Avett purists that don't like that comparison, but trust me, it's a total compliment.
I like this one a lot too. When I first heard it I kept trying to remember who the rocking section reminded me of. After a day with it stuck in my head I have decided it is The Spin Doctors. They are not a band I was ever cared much about but I do think that section of the song has their basic feel.
I'm glad someone else hears the Spin Doctors when they listen to this, "Part 2" sounds a lot like Two Princes
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...this next song is called "Welcome to Atlanta, where the players play"
damnation tamzarian, quit copying me
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I've been drinkin' seven hours now
sympathy is a waste of my high
I heard this for the first time last night in Covington. I was blown away by the whole thing. The transition to the middle part was surprising but I thought it sounded great. I'd never seen Scott on keyboard before, and it was fun to watch him hop from there to the drums and back. Perfect treat for an encore!
I've heard this song now 3 times live. I love it. After 'Laundry Room,' its my favorite song from 'I and Love and You.'
i'm loving this song more and more. i keep listening to it, and though it almost is an abrupt switch from a nice, sweet sounding song to rockin out like Skynyrd... and then slowly back to the original melody.... i love it! hehe. I like the words... and it went off without a hitch live @ the Covington show. It was kinda odd to see Seth with an electric guitar and bob with the fender bass (though bob does play it on a few songs.) -- you kinda get used to seein those acoustics, and stand-up bass.
"the times they are a changin'' LOL.
but all in all, its GREAT music from the heart.
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"you're the words... in a song.. that Hoon sang to me...."
They just played this song tonight at their Chicago show-so beautiful.
Definitely a stand-out at the House of Blues last night.
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www.muzzleofbees.com
brought me and my dad to tears in St Louis
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-Things change and get strange with the movement of time. It's happening right now to YOU-
i think the rockout part of the song is a bit sloppy at this point (based on the podcast), but still awesome. I am sure it is tight on the album though. They don't have to run from keyboard to drums in the studio
i saw them for the second time on sunday at parker playhouse in fl- this was their last song of two during an encore. the show was UNREAL and this song just tipped the scales for me. i think the lyrics are so beautiful and the music is unbelievable. its like its alive to me, i cant really explain it. but seeing it live i think is definitely an amazing opportunity and i'm so grateful i had it.
can't wait to see them again
I think this song is fantastic! I got to hear them play it live in Roanoke earlier this month. It was awesome! There's something about hearing your favorite band play a new song live that's indescribable.
I put a video of it up on youtube. There are a couple people in front of me talking, but you can still hear the song really well.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lm345vfFgvI
I'm counting down the days to Sept. 29th!!!!
this song has grown on me so much. at first i was kinda iffy about the whole rockin out part...but i've grown to love it now. and the lyrics to this song are so amazing. i feel stupid for even doubting this song.
amazing at hob myrtle beach
at first i was kinda iffy about the whole rockin out part...but i've grown to love it now. and the lyrics to this song are so amazing. i feel stupid for even doubting this song.
QFT.
I hate to say I told ya so...but um, yeah.
I heard it for the first time at the St. Augustine show and loved it. The lyrics are great and the rockin' out part... well... rocks!
I haven't stopped listening to this song since they played it at Cityfest. Such a wonderful song. And thank you SO much for posting the lyrics! I've been looking everywhere so I can play it with the right words
i heard it for the first time in PDX, they had the whole room in silence hanging on every word. i think when it was over i was in shock by what had just happened, a blow to the soul. i hope they play it this weekend in sea town.
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...i traded my heart for those days...