A song for poets, written after reading some Theodore Roethke. The title refers to Keats' theory of soul-making.
lyrics
Soul-maker
for Theodore Roethke
You hear your echo in the echo
You see your shadow in the dark
An empty vessel from the get-go
The arrow somehow sped its mark
Dark your light and dark desire
The dare that wakes you in the dawn
Barely begun the day’s on fire
Barely grasped and then it’s gone
Your mind still a city in the night
The black universe past the rim of light
A sense of need, a student’s dread
The hunt the drive the breaking through
Flash-flood of dazzle hurts your head
The rise and fall and then the truth
The wheel, the call, the scope of it all
The breadth the loss the mute free-fall
The atom the cosmos the ocean the tear
The reckless glow around the fear
The black universe past the rim of light
You chose your sorrow over despair
You have merged like a bird with the bright air
credits
from Dead Reckoning,
released January 15, 2023
Kate, Connor, Stéphane, Mark. Chris Brown added some Hammond organ. Scotty put some low end on it!
supported by 6 fans who also own “Soulmaker (That Fire)”
The stripped-down approach (mostly piano/organ, bass, drums) favoured here puts the spotlight squarely on Brown's soulful, meditative lyrics and vocals, which are frequently augmented by the sublime Kate Fenner. The arrangements are no slouch either, with perfect flourishes of horns, harmonica and guitar that add to the overall warm folk-soul vibe.
Right on target, so direct, this album feels as natural as the changing seasons and weaves a spell that lingers long after listening. Mike Garrett
supported by 4 fans who also own “Soulmaker (That Fire)”
As a lifelong fan of psyche, I was delighted to have found this, stunned that I'd missed them for three decades and devastated by the news of Dallas' passing. Makes many of the album's lyrics even more poignant. I hear echoes of the Chocolate Watch Band, Long Ryders and both the pop and country sides of the Byrds. Stunning, and a contender for my album of the year. Iain H