In the Presence of the Pointless [2018 Deluxe Remaster]

by Evan Schafer

/
1.
(Looking Out At The) Chaffy Yttirum [Remastered] 01:30
lyrics
buy track
Love lies waiting  In treetops, in meadows  Creeps through the tall plains  Nothing for us to regain  Flawless spectrum  Colors flying, martyrs dying  Spying on the timing  But are you lying?  Cost for inspection  Reflection in this section  Of time and time's gone  Faster than you and I.
2.
In the Presence of the Pointless I [Remastered] 02:33
lyrics
buy track
Juxtapose a way of long ago  Project into a screen of today  You'll see what I'm saying  You're in the presence of the pointless  There's a cat on the hot tin roof  Create another speedway in your mind  Such a metaphoric waste of space  Existing in such a tiny place  Cover your face with anything  Keep yourself safe  'Cause it'll never slip through your hands  You're in the presence of the pointless.
3.
Of Orange Iridium [Remastered] 03:08
lyrics
buy track
The flowers think you look good today  Smile for the camera, say cheese  Reluctant observant returning so soon  A reminder of yet another head gloom  The salt and pepper mingle  About the obsequious dressing on the salad  Of black spot of licorice  And of orange iridium  Looming above a prospect of nothingness  And then the clock sounds  People go running around  It's chaos  But it's organized hell  Creeping around the downtown  Making itty bitty rounds  Inside a bubble  That's close to bursting.
4.
The Sorry, Tinpot Guitarist [Remastered] 01:12
lyrics
buy track
Singing for an audience  One that has disappeared  Guitar on your back  Pick up the slack  You've got a melody  Running round in your head  About a turnstile mobile  Above some baby's bed  Yet no one knows you  And no one has seen you  Pass by here  Before.
5.
Last Moment You Go Over [Remastered] 02:12
lyrics
buy track
Scintillating, aggravating  It's all a game of cat and mouse  Incubating, not relating  To anyone, just pop goes the weasel  It's the last moment  You choose to go over  Choose to go over  Choose to return to  Can't you be here in the sunlight  It's all a plane on graph paper  Superman is counting down  The last use of his kryptonite  It's the last second  You wish you went over  Wish you went over  Today and tomorrow and next week and next year and next . . .
6.
Green Typhoon [Remastered] 03:22
lyrics
buy track
As it spins  You see a hexagonal lobe  Of tyranny and disdain  Of the things here than remain  I flew over the cuckoo's nest  Fresh out of the green typhoon  Rubbernecker on a double decker  But you're nothing but a star trekker  Dictate a life upon  Which seagulls talk and sulk  Angrily toward a target  That hasn't yet appeared.
7.
Mr. Chromium [Remastered] 01:42
lyrics
buy track
Mr. Chromium  You've got a little too much on your plate  Going away onto another date  Mr. Chromium  Little box of fears  Listen and you'll see what I hear in there  Nothing's real, yet everything's there  Mr. Chromium  Safety without numbers  It's a game to play yourself right now  Sight upon a golden age  Mr. Chromium.
8.
Talon #22 [Remastered] 02:50
lyrics
buy track
Follow your heart  But don't go deeper  Than the surface  Of that water  It's shallow, yet it's not  Who can take that shot?  In case something  Happens down there  Forget about the talons  We're on twenty-two  Can you take a deep breath?  Can you do it for you?
9.
The First Time You Pretend [Remastered] 03:07
lyrics
buy track
The first time you pretend  Is the last time you can send  Away for some prosthetic head  To sing your way into  The first time you contend  For the things you hold so dear  Please don't come that near  To my baby  The first time you will bend  Backwards for your love  And forwards for your sanity  Is the last time you contend  The heart no longer fends  Keeps it quiet in there  But why do you have to bend . . .  The first time you pretend?
10.
In the Presence of the Pointless II [Remastered] 01:53
lyrics
buy track
While you may not try  As hard as they'd like  I've seen you cry  About things you can't control  Too many things  Have gone wrong in this town  Just paint the town brown  And call it blue  Simple for me  Yet hard for you to do  Can't you see that  I've been trying too?
11.
In the Presence of the Pointless III [Remastered] 01:42
lyrics
buy track
Through all the days  And the silhouettes  Through all the ways  I've tried to reset  With faith in store  For another man  Just slam that door  'Till they're quiet  It won't just happen  It won't just appear  Remember the things you hold  Remain to be so dear  In the presence of this land  Is a very wise mistake  Leave now while you can  Or forever sink in the sand.
12.
Traces [Remastered] 02:29
lyrics
buy track
Traces in the sand  Looks like you left  your mind behind  In the traces from your hand  Blinding silhouettes  Of things you'll never find  Traces of a land  Seems too soon to be gone  Like the traces from a can  Horoscopes and magic lay on the lawn  Can't you see it's over now?  Go to bed  Traces in the clouds  Tapestries of rainbows in your head  Spirit of the crowds  Go to bed.
13.
Concerto for Blue Dog (Improvisation) [Remastered] 03:42
lyrics
buy track
Instrumental
14.
Beau Collector [Remastered] 01:28
lyrics
buy track
Beau collector... (x.ad infinitum)
15.
Shapes [Remastered] 02:24
lyrics
buy track
Twenty years has rolled so fast  Didn't used to think it would last  Take my time going down to you  'Cause in this day and age, there ain't much to do  Shapes like a firestorm  Lurching in the darkness  A moonstone touched by gold  Shapes like another day  Smile kindly  Don't remind me  We'll come right back again  Spirit tosses  Toward all the losses  Remember me back home  Going round  To pick up a sound  I've grown to like, then love  Keep driving  'Cause I won't be arriving  In your arms again.
16.
Charity of the Lonely [Remastered] 03:22
lyrics
buy track
A trophy of sorrow  A mind full of debt  Careful what you wish for  The best person I've ever met  A litany of anger  'Cause nothing's okay  Feeling kind of funny  Why do I feel this way?  This charity of the lonely  Will not long exist  But you and I, my friend  Will crawl through the mist Who is coming down to the superland?  Who is coming down to the pain of it, I said  Who is leaving?  Don't leave me standing here  'Cause it's time for bed.
17.
Song for the Soiled [Remastered] 01:48
lyrics
buy track
Instrumental
18.
Beyond [Remastered] 02:52
lyrics
buy track
There's another world out there  It's waiting for you to arrive  While nobody ever said it was fair  You're standing here well and alive  Mystery unfolds like a blanket  Beyond the colors of the day  Butterfly turns its head to the sun  Oh, how I wish I could be there  Beyond the colors of day  Seems like an etching of sound  Silence quilted meadows of red  Here's an idea: let's go on a trip  A daydream of sorts to fly high  Beyond the colors of the day  Of the day  Capture a frame, a moment  In times like this you'll see why (of the day)  Retelling a story told only before  And beyond the colors of day.
19.
Paradigm Shifting [Remastered] 03:34
lyrics
buy track
Gravity sneaks like a powerball  Paradigm shifts inside the wall  Still nobody knows when to call  A terrorized fear down that hall  Paradigm shifting, paradigm shifting  Whether the nights take over  And daytimes refuse  Could be the presence of the pointless  Or another "so what" moment  Paradigm, paradigm, paradigm shifting  Shifting  Paradigm shifting  You failed out of high school  But what does it mean?  A total advertisement  On the popular scene  Crazy in love  Can be as soft as a dove  Paradigm shifts inside the wall  Still not sure what to be afraid of.
20.
In the Presence of the Pointless IV [Remastered] 01:16
lyrics
buy track
In the presence of the pointless . . .  You'll see what I'm saying  You're in the presence of the pointless  Oh, there's a cat on the hot tin roof  Create another speedway in your mind  Such a metaphoric waste of space  Existing in such a tiny place.

about

My memory of recording “In the Presence” begins around the time period of early 2009, when I had come off of a series of other albums that, to this day, I don’t hold in very high regard on a personal level or as a composer. While they do hold some weight in my early solo songwriting career as a whole, “In the Presence” came as an almost existential project — its inception began as an idea to produce a concept record, or at least something that had a through-line similar to how I had done with “Maya,” my first solo album.

I decided at some point to broaden out this idea, where I came to land on creating songs in one, two, and three-minute-long lengths, so that way they were digestible by listeners and could follow a pattern through the nearly 50-minute journey. This process allowed the material to come quickly, and I multitrack recorded with a single microphone in my bedroom to a laptop via a Line In port running from a four-track Peavey amplifier. While this analog to digital process made things a tad unique regarding the sound of the album, it was immensely satisfying because the end result was sounds that could easily be touched up and remastered now, just prior to its 10th anniversary.

While this is a “deluxe” edition, there are no additional tracks to complement the 20 songs that comprise the final record, and for one simple reason: There were no B-sides or experiments or unfinished material during the sessions for this record, and not by choice, just simply by chance. I was so focused on the material I did have that I never took the time to extend beyond that, however, this made for a more concise final product. So this is a strict remaster, with some tracks remixed only lightly to produce a more sonically prosperous result as compared with the original mixes.

I hope this reissue is made to be understood as the album’s original intent — to allow the “presence” of something intangible to be comprehended as pointless, no matter how nihilistic that may seem in retrospect. I have always found this album, on a more relatable level, to be full of lasting melodies, unusual chord progressions, and a groundswell of experimentation, more so than I had done musically up to the point this was released. I am proud that it has stood the test of time (so far) and still
manages to inspire me upon looking back on it.

credits

released October 10, 2009

--Original Credits--

Produced by Evan Schafer

Engineered, mixed and mastered by Evan Schafer

Recorded in 2009 at The Dungeon and The Bedroom Studios
to 24-track Digital (MAGIX)

Released October 9, 2009

All songs written and composed by Evan Schafer

©2009 Evan A. Schafer, publishing
©2009 Cherry Blossom Records, recorded material


--Remaster Credits--

Remastered in binaural stereophonic from April - June 2018

Overseen and approved by the composer.

Thanks to Ibanez, Fender, Yamaha and Magix Software (the O.G.)
and of course, Logic Pro for making these sound so fresh and new.

©2018 Cherry Blossom Records, remastered material

license

all rights reserved

tags

about

Evan Schafer image

Evan Schafer Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

My name is Evan Schafer. I am an indie musician with a strong grounding in traditional composition, but the material always has a unique flair. I guarantee not being bored out of your gourd when turning on one of the records. I produce, mix, and engineer everything myself, and have done so since late 2005. ... more

contact / help

Contact Evan Schafer

Streaming and
Download help

Report this album or account

If you like Evan Schafer, you may also like:

Bandcamp Daily  your guide to the world of Bandcamp

On Bandcamp Radio

Seafood Sam joins the show to discuss his newest album, " Standing On Giant Shoulders".
listen now