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In Service of the Villain

by Your Team Ring

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    6
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1.
In Service of the Villain 02:57
lyrics
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In Service of the Villain I’m the mind of the reader when the story begins to fail I’m the shame of the breeder whose bull is no longer male All you pride makes the wine on which I thrive All you hide writes my deeds into the skies I’m the tune of the whistler whose street lamp has grown dim I’m the dream of the fever whose vision is golden and grim All you pride makes the feast on which I thrive All you hide moves my seed into the skies I’m the joy of the marksman who’s backfired his last gun                  I’m the notes of the spokesman who’s forgotten the gist of his pun I’m the flame on the altar who’s consumed your only sons  
2.
The Final Broadcast 02:36
lyrics
Waiting for the airing of the end Crouched we await the final broadcast of our fate Baring the excess, unknown the success of its load Peel apart your chest, the color of the blood will let us know The new race is starting now! 
3.
Damaged Goods 02:50
lyrics
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You’re still alive to our surprise, the card is turned, the well is burned There’s scars where your glasses were, they’re wearing through to see anew And now we’re caught between the tides                   Grounded, sinking  You’ve been drowning with style You’ve been starving with a smile You’ve been bleeding like a child until now You’ve been falling from the Ferris wheel since birth It’s over now, let damage take its worth It’s not too late to snip them back, the ghosts who pushed you till you snapped Who’d ever thought you’d choose this way to go? And now we’re caught between the tides  Grounded, sinking
4.
Thoughts of Norea 02:01
5.
Heaven Is Bending 03:06
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6.
Who is From Silence 03:26
7.
Failure of Design 03:06
lyrics
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All that is shown creates a prison for the known It’s a failure of the tombs, so rise from the bed of lies And we’re biding our time waiting for the light to shine It’s a failure of design, so rise from the bed of lies Last night I dreamed I was dying, drowning in the deep Just then a voice of the dead came and pushed me from my sleep All that can grow lives only to bestow a script to an unwatched show so rise from the bed of lies              Last night I lived an unknown life of somebody else A tourniquet, a border and the pictures on the shelf               They all will fall away. We are so alone, so terribly ingrown And the separate can’t atone, so rise from the bed of lies
8.
Tie Me to the Crown 01:57
lyrics
I once gypped the resting crowd, can’t keep my eyes off the ground            Tie that monk to the ground, to the crown I salute the waves that stand still I want to be saved, so tie me to the crown Her sandals fall down to me Athena has no shame that’s why we’ve called her: Auntie for the day, queen of place! Hold that monk right down and chain right to the crown
9.
Smiles Wide 03:30
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He must have been a sight, watching himself as he broke the mirror It must have been a fight to then know himself from the mind of the seer I don’t mean to pry, but his reasons why      They remain inside while we pretend and smile through it    And now that you agree, I’ll ask you to dine when you’re through with your dinner I’ll even bring him tea, though he’s the one with his thumb on the trigger Smiles wide, but please don’t ask me why
10.
Read Like a Frozen Foundling 03:27
lyrics
Unveiled, in March we swallowed The nails that pebbled the hallows     To clear the carriage path that draws you near And I may be there, the owls be prowling I’m sure you’re aware that your blood is howling                    A buried young man with hopes of sprouting that line from your book Read like frozen foundling                  Unknown the help from the villain It shows the fire that’s been hidden
11.
The Debtor's Son 03:33
lyrics
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Clap your hands, I will fetch your flask Pound your fist, you command the task And I live to serve, a debtor’s son,  my fate I will fill your cup and you will knock it down Falling to the ground, spilling its ring like your bell does sing To call me to your side, in night you cannot hide A wife more than a son, it’s the legacy I won from my father’s losing hand  I am the man for demands Only kept alive to slave till twenty-five Only dream I keep is that you’ll die in your sleep I will fill your cup and you will knock it down You will raise me up as a child bound Your final interest found within my sleeping gown falling to the ground
12.
Murderers Among Us 03:34
lyrics
And now it’s far too late for us to take the bait and face the night again Watch them closely and they’ll truly burn you from this town The sound they make does take the cake, they’ll nail your ear to the ground Half-breeds half-willing to die  Changing saints lusting to buy The quills they’ve stolen from you, the low they’ve beaten you to Watch them closely and they’ll truly burn you from this town The piper’s charm may cause you alarm, but the snake’s the least of your concern They may kill you twice, but even this may not suffice
13.
Farewell Code Owl 02:36
lyrics
Farewell my dear code owl, you’re the streetlight and the moonlight Farewell my dear code owl, you’re the footpath to the temple You’re the harvest and the slaughter You’re the meaning and the water Farewell my dear code owl, you’re the streetlight and the moonlight You’re the veil of the woman who has lost her way, who is locked away, who has found a way to the other way You’re the sunlight and dream of the golden forest, electric water You’re the pencil and the paper You’re the shouting and the rattling You’re the answer and the tempting Farewell my dear code owl, you’re guidance of the system which is unplugged, which is unfed, which is now down, which is now gone 

about

After the release of Homelife, Gabriel was introduced to the music of UK-based Richy Midnight through underground film director Joseph Huertas. When Gabriel heard Midnight’s “Boyz Here” he knew had at last found someone suffering from the same strain of multi-tracking syndrome. Gabriel made an ecstatic overseas phone call begging Midnight to work on the new album already in progress.

The result is In Service of the Villain. The new album pits Walsh’s folksy strummings and incantations against Midnight’s pixeled out pianos and digital croon. With talented musicians from New York and northern England they have created an album that is truly experimental, yet highly listenable.

A specter of spiritual servitude thematically looms over the album: the post-apocalyptic waiting room in the Incredible String dub of “The Final Broadcast” or the tale of the indentured boy in the vocally overloaded “The Debtor’s Son.” The Villain reveals himself in riddles in the title track: “I’m the mind of the reader when the story begins to fail….” The album rallies against him later in the shuffling Gnostic anthem, “Failure of Design,” and resolves the relationship on a quietly triumphant note with the offering for the oracle – “Farewell Code Owl.”

"Like a siren in some lonely sea, it beckons you to venture forth, offering up everything you have in reserve, and the mental lap dances that the absurdly richly layered mixes proffers are exhausting. The textures are as unique as a cloudy days sky and the studio mastery at once is lo-fi in its simplicity but is richly pixilated with poignant remarks of sound engineering genius."

-Smother.net

"There are songs that sound like the Beatles stepped out of their graves, but on the other hand there's just soundscapes, strange and almost frightening. And even the pop songs end up in a little nightmare sometimes. Fascinating album, far beyond everything I've heard"

-Emo is dead

"YTR doesn’t have to try to be cool. Gabe and co. is cool. Cool enough to expose brilliant hooks without shame, nor compromising all things "indie". There are few records that sum up "indie" like this one. In that sense, I wouldn’t hesitate to lump Your Team Ring and Guided by Voices in the same sentence. I’m compelled the most by Walsh’s incredibly eclectic approach and his ability to “rob” from so many influences without allowing you to recollect where his inspiration came from."

-The Black & White

"The music itself is beautifully orchestrated and psychedelically choral with moving swells and parts. It’s both loaded and light at the same time. Wandering, experimental and full of dreamful, swirling imagery, this piece of work is as rich as independent, low-budget music comes."

-Left of the Dial

"It’s an odd mix of 19th century aesthetic and 21st century design, like a time-warped vaudeville troupe recording in Abbey Road Studios."

-Lost at Sea (9 out of 10)

"In Service of the Villain is certainly an album of ingenuity; it combines extremely original ideas with a distinct accessibility. Trust me; you'd be doing yourself an injustice to ignore such a strangely wonderful album."

- indieville.com

credits

released January 1, 2004

Your Team Ring is

Gabriel Walsh – Vocals, Guitar, Bass, Synths,
Tapes,Mandolin, Harmonium, Psalter, Recorder,
Percussion, Glockenspiel, Ghopichand

And

Richy Midnight – Vocals, Piano, Keyboards, Tapes

With:

Tom Barrett – Drums, Percussion
MaryJane Chapman – Vocals
Kevin Fay – Vocals, Percussion
Stephen Connolly – Saw, Vocals, Guitar
Tim Dedman – Vocals
Nicolas Franklin - Vocals
Jason Merritt – Slide Guitar
Erica Walsh – Vocals
Dane Johnson - Percussion
Patrick Hambrecht – Samples

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Your Team Ring Brooklyn, New York

Your Team Ring is Gabriel Walsh's recording project, featuring Richy Midnight active from 1992-2005.

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