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Olenka and the Autumn Lovers

by Olenka and the Autumn Lovers

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1.
It was a dark and stormy night and we were heading out of town, and mama said, “Oh honey, don’t let it get you down. The army’s hiding; they won’t come out for another week or two. They need a legal explanation to do what they would do. But you’d best stay quiet, and clutch your favourite TOY. “Uśpiewam ci piosenke, ale mała nie mów nic i sieć. Bo wojsko lubi spiewać, ale obce dziecko zasługuje miecz.” And so I sat and listened carefully to everything she said, and whispered in my teddy’s ear: “I won’t abandon you for dead.” And I stayed quiet, and clutched my favourite TOY. And now it’s over. We have a lovely house in the suburbs where it’s sane. The world is stronger. Forgotten toys are better left forgotten with the pain…
2.
The city is buzzing With thousands of voices: An army of sinners Chanting confessions. And your voice is stronger than most Raised in a toast to longing. You curse at the heavenly host Offer your boast in song and… The city is buzzing With thousands of engines: An army of pilots, Of restless avengers. And your ship is angry and large Leading the charge of shoulders. You struggle with all that you’ve killed Seeking your fill of soldiers.
3.
The ice is melting in the Arctic. There’s nothing we can do about it. The fleets are coming, fleets are coming, fleets are coming, fleets are… Warheads gleaming in the Northern Lights… The ice is melting in the Arctic. There’s nothing we can do about it. But you’re no warmer, you’re no warmer, you’re no warmer for it… You leave me gazing at the Northern Lights.
4.
Iron Pump 01:49
“This heart will not break; it is too tired. This heart will not ache; it is an iron pump. It pumps my blood through my veins and arteries and nothing more. “This house is alive with smiles and voices. This house is a testament to choices.” Foolish lover on the street and glancing into neighbours’ windows as they sit at dinner living something more.
5.
It was snowing in the city. I went out to buy another coffee. I felt kinda blue and kinda empty. Nothing new. How are you? And I’m sorry for not calling sooner. It was cold in the apartment, but I guess I didn’t really notice. I was watching neighbours through the window. Nothing new. How are you? And I’m sorry for not calling for not calling sooner, sooner.
6.
Kochana 04:03
Moja mała Powiedziała Że mnie kocha I jak płakała Bo mnie wojsko Woła głośno I odmawia Prawa do szczęścia. Oj moja kochana kochana kochana... Przepraszam Ale wyjeżdżamy dzisiaj. My sweet lover Please recover From your sorrow Soon I will return For the army Cannot harm me In my spirit However much they may yearn...
7.
Warsaw Girl 01:45
Alone with you, every night alone with you. My Warsaw girl. My pretty little communist. Standing in a line. Waiting for her daily bread. Would I be like you? A shadow in a smoke-filled bar? Watch them march, soldiers in the wintry streets. Every now and then a… …glance a glance. A pretty little soldier boy. Another chance for meaning in this barren town. Anything will do. A bedroom in a concrete slum. A narrow alleyway. A shadow in a smoke-filled bar.
8.
Sing Tadzio sing of all the things that bring you joy my precious boy. Why am I so low? Why is there no reprieve? Why is there no reprise?
9.
Hushush 02:06
Spiderwebs and suspended flies, and a vacant look in my bloodshot eyes, in an empty room full of dying air, and a funeral in your “I don’t care.” Shopping trip to the Supermart, where a register dulls an ailing heart, where we browse the aisles in an endless daze, and the music plays… ’Til we all fall down.
10.
A Story... 03:19
I was a sensitive child on the brink. I didn’t know how to laugh or to think. I had been taught by my country to KILL KILL KILL All the joy in my breast. I was a rather good teller of tales. I had the generals rapt without fail. I once told a story that broke all their HEARTS HEARTS HEARTS And won us the war. (here’s how it went) There was a woman, a child, and a mouse. They lived together in a broken-down house. One day the mouse ate the last golden CRUMB CRUMB CRUMB And fled into the night. There was a beautiful girl with a smile That lifted the spirits for many a mile. One day a business man came through the TOWN TOWN TOWN, And the smile disappeared. There was a sensitive child in the street, Who shined the shoes of the wealthy and weak. With each bit of spittle that fell from his LIPS LIPS LIPS A spirit was FORGED.
11.
When we were children With mouths full of honey We dreamed of robot citadels. Planning battalions Of salvaged metal We dreamed of a world that was not ill. Powerlines Scratch the sky Like undead trees. Where is my ocean? In the glacier. Where is my glacier? In the river. Where is my river? In your bottles. Where are your bottles? In the garbage. Where is the garbage? In the suburbs.

about

"If fresh, interesting folk music moved units like bad pop does, Olenka Krakus and her bandmates would be zillionaires." Hour Magazine

“Olenka's voice is the highlight of the album, walking the fine line between fragility and power. The best songs here are the subtle ones, like “Soldier's Waltz”, using violin and glockenspeil as the - background to a dirge-like march, and “Watching Neighbours”, which sounds like Feist on a very paranoid day.” - !earshot

credits

released November 1, 2008

recorded by Dan Toews and Christopher Ellis in Vancouver BC and Kingston ON
mixed by Dan Toews
mastered by Scott Bell and Stephan Mihajlovich at Audio Returns

artwork by Olenka Krakus
design by Sam Allen and Olenka Krakus

produced by Olenka Krakus, Dan Toews, & Christopher Ellis
all songs written by Olenka Krakus
arranged by O&AL

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musicians:
Olenka Krakus | classical guitar, vocals, glockenspiel, accordion, percussion
Kevin Brasier | upright bass, backing vocals
Shawn Clarke | saxophone, bass clarinet, acoustic guitar, glockenspiel, backing vocals
Elizabeth Close | clarinet, backing vocals
Jaime Denike | flute, percussion, backing vocals
Christopher Ellis | upright bass, percussion, backing vocals
Sara Froese | violin, backing vocals
Paterson Hodgson | cello, backing vocals
Adam Horn | accordion, Rhodes, glockenspiel, backing vocals
Andrew James | accordion, backing vocals
Mike Komaszczuk | electric guitar, violin
Pete Lebel | glockenspiel, backing vocals
Monica Lee | viola, backing vocals
Chris Martell | drums, backing vocals
Kevin Matheson | clarinet, bamboo flute, backing vocals
Sean Ramsay | banjo, percussion, backing vocals
Dan Toews | percussion, backing vocals

with the following folks adding extra backing vocals, cheers, percussion, clinking bottles, and general merriment!
Scott Bell
Roger Bois
Brent Giesbrecht
Gordon Guo
Andrew Nelson
Teresa McWilliam

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Olenka and the Autumn Lovers Montreal, Québec

Olenka's music is enigmatic: never fully committed to one genre. It has been labeled folk, but moves across times, places, and moods. Olenka mixes classical and jazz arrangements with complex finger-picking patterns, irregular time signatures, and pop melodies. The band's diverse instruments provide a distinctive backdrop to Olenka's provocative lyrics. ... more

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