Without realizing it, I read too much into Michael Nau’s lyrics. He set me completely straight. Before he filled me in, I was one of those nails that was hammered right into a knot in the wood and bent all to hell, buckled arthritically and trashed. I was thinking too much, trying to pinpoint where he was coming from with words that one would blindly give religious affiliation. Trumpets, breaking the bread, the mystery of God’s heart, cherubs, being treated like dogs, a ruby-ringed man waiting at the gates of heaven, kings and queens and praise. Strong allusions that veer drastically from any kind of patty-cake wordplay that can be form-fitting – an all-season noun or an all-weather verb right for every occasion and gladly chosen for its ambiguity. He kindly told me that these were just words and that they were the product of his state at the time of their writing. They were the words that fit best, nothing more than that. They aren’t for an affect. They aren’t supposed to be heavy-handed or make any sort of implication as to their faith. If this is the truth then Nau’s lyrics are going to be like booze for those – come on now you English majored aholics—searching for a challenge in interpretation. If they aren’t coming from a guy with Bible-brain, the songs you’ll find below and those on the band’s exceptional debut full-length “Hello, Dear Wind” are fascinating tales that have a lot of mystery to them. These songs are how hymns should be written. They don’t force positivity if something’s blacker than bleak. They go so far as to suggest that the people behind their makings aren’t cut out for all of the guilt – that tried and true Catholic guilt that makes people do and not do some silly things – that’s theirs for keeps – singing, “I would kiss the devil’s cheek to get this halo off of me,” as beautiful a line about spiritual pressure as there ever was. These lines of Nau’s and their terribly interesting undertones come so effortlessly that they almost can’t have any agenda. I believe him. I believe that his is supreme poetry the way the Old and New Testaments could never ever be. – Sean Moeller

First song
The Ruby Ring Man (Page France) [2.67MB] [5632 downloads]


– unreleased
This is a song we worked out on the road. We were still in “live” mode, from being on the road, so the song has more of a rocky feel on this recording. We recorded this song for the new record, and it sounds quite different. This was also one of the first songs written for the record. To me, it feels like Dylan’s ‘If Not For You’, as I unintentionally may have borrowed the guitar riff from that song. It’s certainly interesting to see the turns that this song has taken, as the Daytrotter session was the first time that we’d ever played this song as a band. In fact, we worked it out five minutes before putting it to tape, so it shows Clint playing a straight forward beat on the drums, as the rest of us fill in the gaps.

Second song
Chariot (Page France) [3.37MB] [4670 downloads]


– original version appears on “Hello, Dear Wind”
This is interesting. Upon playback, I feel as if I was struggling to sing this song, as you may notice by the sound of blood bubbling from my vocal cords. This is one we play every night, and a song that we all enjoy playing. However, this particular version marks the first recording of Jasen Reeder on chorus vocals, along with Whitney.

Third song
Dogs (Page France) [3.56MB] [4467 downloads]


– original version appears on “Hello, Dear Wind”
This is one of my favorite songs from the record. I enjoy playing it, and, to be honest, was curious to hear what it would sound like recorded to tape.

Fourth song
Antarctica (Page France) [2.72MB] [4828 downloads]


– unreleased
Clint is really pounding the drums on this one. For a brief moment, I feel like I am in a rock band – the crash of the slightly opened hi-hat, the electric guitar, and the thump of the bass. This is one of our favorite songs to play live, as it is one of the few songs that the entire band is playing throughout. I look forward to it each night. This song was recorded for the “Sister Pinecone EP, but has not officially been released yet. However, it is one of my favorite songs that we have recorded as a band.