Sleep On The Floor 2009

[Track List] [Musicians] [Notes] [Reviews] [Lyrics]

Tracklist

1. Self Impressions (6:04)
2. This Is Just a Test (5:40)
3. Bitter (4:19)
4. Boots (3:09)
5. Pet Project (4:30)
6. Checkmate (4:32)
7. Emotional Audit (Facing the West) (3:02)
8. Circles (4:33)
9. Distant Sea (2:26)
10. Sometimes (6:24)

Musicians

• Dan Hutchison – vocals, guitars, bass, percussion, microrg
• Will Tarbox – drums, percussion, keyboards, backing vocals, microrg

with:

• Eric Kennedy – additional guitar on “Self Impressions” and “Sometimes”
• Luke Tweedy – additional noise on “Checkmate”

Notes

Cover art by Anthony Pontius

Layout by Erich Ernst

Additional Artwork and Lettering by Kim Hutchison

All songs written by Dan Hutchison 2009 BMI
All songs arranged by Why Make Clocks
Recorded, engineered, and mixed at Flat Black Recording Studio in Iowa City, Iowa by Luke Tweedy

Mastered at Focus Mastering in Omaha, Nebraska by Doug Van Sloun.

Reviews

While Iowa has not been a hotbed of underground sound on par with Minneapolis to the north, Chicago to the east, and St. Louis to the south, Ames and Des Moines has produced respectable bands. The spry, 12-year-old WMC has done its part to highlight the cowtown capital, as seen again on this punchy third LP. Beginning with one of their ghostly, Neil Young-ish slowcore ticklers, “Self Impressions” (see also “Bitter”), These features anxious, mid-tempo smackers with uniquely restrained pick-riffing, such as “Emotional Audit (Facing the West),” “Boots,” “Pet Project,” and the sneaky standout, “This is Just a Test.” Our Neal Agneta notes a similarity between frontman Dan Hutchison and Lou Barlow’s angst-y, unsatisfied vocals; that too is a conduit to the conflict at the crux of an underrated trio from an underrated state.

– Jack Rabid, The Big Take-Over

Being well-seasoned veterans of the Des Moines music scene, Why Make Clocks is still going strong with their third full-length release, “These Things are Ours” (Sleep on the Floor 2009). The album is both a continuation and growth from prior Clock’s releases.

For those unfamiliar with the unique sound, it’s akin to an acoustic singer/songwriter who stumbled across an electric guitar, turned up the volume, and morphed his music into his own distinct version of rock and roll. This time around, though, Dan Hutchinson (the aforementioned singer/songwriter) has stepped it up a notch and acquired drummer Will Tarbox and bassist Chuck Hoffman to fill out the Clock’s sound.

“These Things are Ours” is definitely more produced than past material, but it still has that raw quality that makes the band what it is. While experimenting with overdubs, Dan shows a lot of his guitar work on the album, and the occasional keybards are a nice touch. Vocal effects, doubling, and harmonies are also tastefully prevalent.

As for the music itself, it’s catchy but different, hard but delicate, and dark but still uplifting. The drumming is fairly straightforward, but not without plenty of rhythmic quirks (“Emotional Audit,” “Circles”), and tonal curveballs (the use of a trash-can lid on “Distant Sea”). Throughout the entire album, the drums provide incredibly solid support for the rest of the band. The rhythm guitar and bass flesh out the bottom end together quite nicely, with almost-but-not-quite pop chord progressions. The lead guitar lines are what will get stuck in your head across all ten tracks, sitting nicely in between the vocals and the rhythm section. Some of the solos are headbanging, and some are heart-wrenching, most notably the final minutes of the album on the introspective “Sometimes.” The guitar tone itself is something that’s always been a noteworthy part of Why Make Clocks, and it ranges from a deep overdriven amp sound to an almost jangly tonality.

Lyrically, Dan continues his poetic studies in human behavior and emotion. As previously mentioned, the album is very introspective, dealing mainly with oneself, and the situations one can create. The album’s text is a very good interrogation of why people do or think things without any real explanation. It seems that the first nine tracks are a sort of stream-of-conciousness, with different ups-and-downs of life and situations, and then they are all summed up in the final, incredibly moving “Sometimes,” most notably the opening lyrics:
“Sometimes this feels right
Sometimes it feels like I’m falling apart”

Because of the emotional ambiguity that all humans eventually face, this album is always fitting to listen to, whether or not you feel right, or if you’re falling apart.

– Greater Des Moines Music Coalition

The last time we heard from the guys in Why Make Clocks was when they released their Midwestern Film album in October of 2006. We liked what we heard then…but we’re even more impressed with the sounds we’re hearing on These Things Are Ours. This, the Des Moines-based trio’s third full-length release, features precisely effective and poignant progressive pop music with a difference. The tracks on this album are moody, subdued, and melodic…and ultimately filled with a genuine spirit that is rewarding and genuine. The promotional materials that accompanied this disc compared the band’s sound to The Wrens, Pedro The Lion, and Guided By Voices. All of these comparisons hold true…but these folks are by no means copying or aping the sound of other bands. The songs are unique and real…and seemingly delivered with pure sincerity. Ten creative cuts here including “Self Impressions,” “Bitter,” “Checkmate,” and “Sometimes.” Recommended. (Rating: 5++)

– lmnop.com

It should come as no surprise to compare Why Make Clocks with other indie bands like R.E.M, since Dan’s strong, melodic voice could easily double for Michael Stipe’s, not to mention that same powerful melancholy that runs through songs like the opener, “Self Impressions”. While it would be easy to call this music laid back, the fact is that this is folk music that transcends it’s own label into some remarkable and haunting music. The production value is excellent, courtesy of the Flat Black Studio in Iowa City, IA.

Even their lyrics are far more than just three lines repeated over and over (not that there’s anything wrong with that), but read on the liner notes as complete poems…as in this line from “Circles”:

You’ve got me running in circles,                                                            trying to find the start,                                                                                        to find what holds it together,                                                                       and remove what could split us apart.

– Brandon Whitehead, eKC Online

Why Make Clocks … has mostly stayed true to the Americana-indie-rock formula set forth by founding member, singer, songwriter and guitarist Dan Hutchison. … The album’s lead track, “Self Impressions,” a dark ballad, is perhaps the album’s lone Americana tune while the rest of the songs’ sharp, quicker beats and angular guitar riffs suggest that the band is leaning more toward indie rock. Sparks fly though when both sounds merge on the sonically charged “Sometimes,” the album’s swan song.

–Des Moines Cityview

Why Make Clocks have used the empty hours productively, crafting a collection of songs chock full of pop goodness. They namecheck Guided By Voices as an influence, but aside from a penchant for clever twists and turns in their song structures and arrangements, they are completely different. GBV revels in the lo-fi hit-and-run recording. Why Make Clocks take great pains to polish their sound, but they do it without studio fakery. Singer/songwriter Dan Hutchison has a voice that recalls Steve Winwood’s, so maybe Traffic would be a better name to check when discussing Why Make Clocks. They aren’t afraid to rock out, but when they do, it’s in the context of a substantial and intricately constructed song.

Two epic songs, “Self Impressions” and “Sometimes,” bookend the album. “Self Impressions” is a ballad played Pink Floyd slow, and “Sometimes” is slightly faster. Both couch Hutchison’s earnest vocals in a thick bed of warm distorted guitars, and both build to satisfying musical climaxes. “Sometimes” is replete with multiple bridge sections and an extended guitar freakout. This is the sort of rock music that punk tried to kill off at the end of the ’70s, but Why Make Clocks put it across without the bloated excess and coked-up narcissism. As such, they’re pretty much awesome.

– Kent Williams, Little Village

lyrics

Self Impressions

I am here, you can’t see me
I’m not what I appear to you
Misguided by my perception
Misunderstood direction
What I do remains undetected
Disinfected by myself
Assembled the same
Distortedly tame

I can’t get across the river
That lies frozen between us
And why is it so hard
To penetrate your defenses

The months pass and nothing has changed
Yet I keep pressing on
Receiving signals you may never have sent
I’m looking for answers
And you’re watching what you say
Letting you get to me is driving you away

I can’t get across the river
That lies frozen between us
And why is it so hard
To penetrate your defenses

This is Just a Test

If using it has caught another
Then I’m sure you’ve got it covered
There’s one thing left to discover
If you’re going to recover
Lying there, completely still
What stops the chill
That emanates from a broken will?
You could be powerless without it,
But somehow I doubt it

This lie must be bright enough to shine through

You can use it as a guide
Feel it from the inside
There’s a forgiveness they’re faking
(And if I’m not mistaken)
A long, forgotten corner
Waiting to awaken

When luck has finally run out
And you’ve passed all the tests
They’ll put you out like all the rest

Under the bright light of inspection
There was a cold, soft impression
Beneath the footsteps you left
Where I thought I’d felt connected
It’s always been an empty promise
One that’s always descending
It was all just a test
This is just a test

This lie must be bright enough to shine through

You can use it as a guide
Feel it from the inside
There’s a forgiveness they’re faking
(And if I’m not mistaken)
A long, forgotten corner
Waiting to awaken

Bitter

I’ve got pictures on the wall
From when we still knew how to smile through it all
Time can make that all change
It’s funny how a thing like that can get so rearranged
I used the run my fingers through your hair
It sounds so cliché to say it made me feel you were really there

Are we just ex-ing out the days?
Or am I just netting out the waste?
Are you really through with love?
Or getting used to its bitter taste

When the only path you have left
Is the one that leads straight through unhappiness
You can’t go through it two steps behind
The only one true thing you’ve been able to find

If either of us should ever feel it inside
That one of us is going to have to be the one to decide
Just remember who you take along for the ride
Because you’ve got to take them on side by side

Boots

Feeling crooked, I can’t get straight
If I’m out of time, it’s ‘cause I hesitate
It’s all I can do to keep this together
When all it would take is the weight of a feather

You don’t see the how or why
And sometimes I wish you and I
Could take this rickety old sideshow
And head off down a road we’ve never known

A happy hour we spent together
Somehow made my life so much better
I’ve come so far, and still can’t measure
The value of a hidden treasure

A melody and a rhyme
A couplet sung in 4/4 time
Helps me fill the space
Between your heart and mine

Given, taken, something inside is breaking
Swollen up and broken down
Defensive, aggressive, end of the session
So long, good night and goodbye

Pet Project

We said goodbye
At least you think you tried
You’ll see access denied
Once people start taking sides

This wasn’t the first time for you
Yeah, I know, I’ve been there too
I’d say I’m glad you’re getting by
But I’ve never been good with lies

Everyone knew before we knew
Long before it took its toll on you

What comes around goes around
Who’s been comin’ ‘round has gotten around
How are you going to make it through
What our mutual friends are gonna say about you?
You did your best work on me
A pet project you’ll never complete
A service you provide for free
It really did a number on me

Everyone knew before we knew
Long before it took its toll on you
So desperate now you try
to find a way to live with a lie

So, this was all a part of the plot
Don’t say it’s all my fault
Don’t make this into something it’s not
Because you’re the one who got caught

Checkmate

I’m learning how it feels
Reaching for the unavailable
Under its spinning wheels
The strain is undeniable

Do you see the position
I’ve put myself in?
Checkmate once again

Do you feel my hands
Reach for you in the dark?
If you’d only disappear
To where I can’t get to you

This is for your own good
I don’t want to have to do this

Can’t you see
I could lose my self control?
I don’t need surrounded by a panel of my peers
Am I getting through?
Would it all just fall apart,
Or could this be the excuse
Everyone’s been looking for?

Emotional Audit (facing the west)

Facing an emotional audit
I’m not sure how they caught it,
But they’re at my door
You won’t see me any more
On the way back
Searching their faces
I must’ve slipped
Through the spaces

And lost all memory of who I thought I’d be

Sun up, sundown…
Does every dream die?
We hope for something better,
But are afraid to try
Sun up, sundown…
That’s how it begins
Biding time ‘till free time
It’s you that never wins

I lost all memory of who I thought I’d be

Until we find out what we’re wasting
Until we find we’re ready to change it
We’re facing the west,
Turning our backs on how we began

It’s just as much a mystery
As a lottery of misery
To me this sometimes seems
Like a cruel machine

That spits us out
Nothing more than debris

Until we find out what we’re wasting
Until we find we’re ready to change it
We’re facing the west,
Turning our backs on how we began

Circles

You’ve got me running in circles
Trying to find the start
To find what holds it together
And remove what could split us apart

It keeps me running in circles
Wearing a hole in the path
To find a way to move forward
And remove what’s holding us back

Round and round
It wears me down
And I don’t know how long it can last

Moving in circles
Being so hurtful
Is killing me fast

It keeps me thinking of circles
How they never go anywhere
Eventually there will only be
One of us standing in this game of musical chairs

Round and round
Is wearing me down
And I don’t know how long we can last
Picking up the slack
Don’t know what’s holding you back
The only thing I can do
Is to go another round with you

Distant Sea

You went away
For a temporary change
A chance to travel
And think about things
From the very first day
You felt misplaced
Now in your new life,
Everything has space

Somewhere across the ocean
On the shore of some distant sea
I hope you’ll look to the sky
And think of me

Once you came to visit
And shared with your friends
All that you’d learned
In the short time you spent
You didn’t stay long,
You spread yourself too thin
And before I knew it
You’d gone away again

Somewhere across the ocean
On the shore of some distant sea
I hope you’ll look to the sky
And think of me

Sometimes

Sometimes this feels right
Sometimes it feels like I’m falling apart
Sometimes I know it’ll work out
Sometimes I need a fresh start
Today I’m going to pull it together
Today I’m going to put it off
Today I’m going to find what’s missing
Today is going to be a day I’m lost

Do I hate you?
Do I love you?
Am I going to wish I never see you again?

Am I happy?
Am I sad?
Was it really ever that bad?
Does anyone really matter to me?
What would I do without you?

Some days I’m right on top of it
Some days I’m so far away
Sometimes I’m too serious
And sometimes I don’t mean what I say
Sometimes I couldn’t make it without you
But for some things, I can’t forgive you
Sometimes I can’t picture your face
And sometimes I want away from this place

Do I hate you?
Do I love you?
Am I going to wish I never see you again?

Am I happy?
Am I sad?
Was I really ever that bad?
Does anyone really matter to me?
What would I do without you?
Some things I say are wrong
Some things I say to hurt you
Some things I do because I love you

And yet sometimes I just want to forget you