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Futile Games in Space and Time (LP)

by Evripidis and his Tragedies

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1.
Island 04:18
I once had a dream and it never came true I once had a dream and it never came true In his arms I´d find that island Where summers are long and lazy and full of songs Where winters are spent by the fireplace, with a fat cat on our lap Eating chestnuts and sharing a blanket I once had a dream and it never came true I once had a dream and it never came true Our island would float in the middle of the ocean And no pain nor fear could ever reach us From time to time we´d climb the hills Through thick forests and steep cliffs And from the top, we would gaze at the horizon The sunrise, the sunset And whales playing in between Their tales waving goodbye as they´d dive Their heads saying hello as they´d rise from the deep He´d turn to me and without words Just with a blink of an eye He´d reassure me That everything´s in order No enemy, no harm, no trouble along our border I once had a dream and it never came true I once had a dream but it never came true I found out the day I found out the day that I met you.
2.
Dreamboat 03:00
You´re my dreamboat And I want to sail The seven seas with you I want to see the world I dream all day Of all the things we´d do Of all those things we´d see If only you were mine You have opened a brand new horizon Right before my eyes You´re my dreamboat And I could ride The rogue waves with you I could laugh at the face of the Maelstrom My petty troubles would seem so out of place If you were by my side What could ever bother me? But we´re stuck in this small town Where everybody knows I love you And everybody suspects that you don´t I wonder if my ship´s ever coming in My friends are saying That you are so much more Titanic than Love Boat And that you´ll drag me down, down, down, down But all those evenings That we spend in my room They always take me higher Than wine, pot or glue I´d die to sail with you to distant islands Or hit the sea bed Among fish and mermaids We´d lose our heads Oh what a happy shipwreck we could be Together Just say you'll love me Forever ´Cause it's hard to be Just your friend When I yearn to cruise with You to the end You´re my dreamboat You´re my dreamboat You´re my dreamboat Oh you´re my dreamboat My Dream Boy too!
3.
Once more I`m waiting for you With cool sangria in the fridge. We´ll do what we like the most Play some music I´ll hit some chords you love I wish I´d hit your chords of love But I´m reluctant So I´d rather watch you pulling Hilarious faces while you sing Oh you make me feel fifteen again The music sounds so fresh again The tones we hit echo so bright I wish you stayed a little more tonight! Every time I think of you My heart makes that funny sound Of a thousand raging bulls Especially when you´re around And you touch my arm. I´d love to grab a bit more But there´s no hurry ´Cause I know when we´ll part You´ll smother me in your bear´s hug and You´ll make me feel fifteen again Birds will sing in my head again You make this longing feel so right I wish you could be mine tonight! And then I go and spoil it all Like a true teenage jerk. In a drunken haze I propose: “Can I taste you?” And you say “yeah!” And we kiss, then we collapse. Next morning I crawl into your arms I cherish your scent till you wake up But then you tell me we can be just friends And you make me feel fifteen again. My dreams of love are smashed again Your arrow hits me so precisely I swear I´d died if you hadn’t treated me nicely But you did, but you did, but you did Listening to the Marine Girls. The day is cloudy, it suits my mood You say that nothing has to change You give me your most heart-melting smile And now we have to find A good excuse to tell your boss ´Cause you never went to work And your lie was terribly lame! We´re a disaster, fifteen again We´re dumb, we´re stupid, we´re nuts again Can we spend the whole day in bed talking, smoking ´till we drop dead? You make me feel fifteen again The songs talk to my heart again It´s bittersweet but it feels right I´ll sing my lungs out for you tonight Tonight, tonight I´ll lose my head for you tonight.
4.
Buying Time 03:34
You appear at my door And I wonder if it shows Do I look like a dog wagging it´s tail? I´ll offer you beer mixed with lemonade ¨Cause the night is young, let´s take it easy We play each other songs And videos on youtube I´m buying time, yes I´m buying time And then we´re out in the streets, we fly from bar to bar like moths around the lamposts on a summer night. We talk of a million things ´till my head starts burning and my ears buzz. Out of the blue you tell me you long for true love And something inside me falls apart But I´m buying time, so I won´t have to say How I feel for you. We end up in my house all trashed up And drink some more to the point of no return We watch videos of tidal waves and hurricanes Like the ones that roam inside me I´m buying time until it´s time for you to go but Come another night, if by chance we do belong, it could be some kind of heaven I can always find some excuse to meet After all we have plenty of stuff to discuss like: The seventies new wave scene, Our fear of the bugs or some crazy dream If your blazer´s color suits your overall You can even talk to me about football! I am buying time until I´ll have the guts to say How I feel for you. Will you ever do, will you ever? Will I ever do, will I ever? Maybe next week…
5.
1959 05:37
Cheri walk with me, like it´s 1959 As if we were in Paris, haunting every night We danced to the rock n´ roll (we´d shake our hips ´till dawn) At six feet below the ground (so very deep underground) This nightclubs will become our tombs for sure ´Cause we drink and smoke as if There were no tomorrow Cheri walk with me, like it´s 1959 Let´s creep through the backstreets Like two brothers in crime Left Bank whores would know our names (we would be their faves) The philosophers too (the kids, the drunks, the madmen too) They´d say we´re like two wandering beasts, two lost souls Two ghosts that fade away in the early morning light It´s 1959 Cheri come to me like it´s 1959 Your eyes look so sad, you can´t hide behind a smile We don´t know what we met for (we don´t know a thing) Or what tomorrow has in store (will you buy me a ring?) I don´t have answers and it´s dawn, let´s go home We could cross the river as the city wakes up No belts on, full speed, let´s go! (1959) I know I´m losing my mind (1959) we´re running out of tricks and time (1959) we´re not in Paris but don´t go home alone, be mine (1959) ´cause in my heart it´s always, always, always (1959) and I´ll be waiting for you (1959) for you.
6.
I thought that I had come prepared That I had red my books Before I ´d let myself go boom By your silver charms and looks But all knowledge would be useless I would find out soon So I just rely on you To show me in full display The secrets of the Moon Explain to me why people turn to wolves Or go insane Where do the poets find their words What makes you cry in the rain What haunted breeze gave me the chills On that warm evening in June My eyes get blurry every time I beg you to show me The secrets of the Moon. Under your spell I feel sometimes like Floating in a lake on a hot summer night Gazing at the milky way But suddenly I start to howl My hands turn to claws And my mind is at stake I kick and I punch things My star starts to fade I become cruel I begin to break. How much longer can I take This tidal life for you? And when we´re apart I confess I sometimes feel relieved ´Cause I can be myself again And I can freely breath But independence doesn’t last too long I always find out soon That you´ve placed a chain around my heart Made of burning love And the secrets of the Moon.
7.
Είναι η πόλη φάντασμα, ειναι έρημοι οι δρόμοι Σωροί σκουπίδια φράζουνε τα πεζοδρόμια Εδώ κανείς δεν περπατα, κάνουμε βόλτες μόνοι Το χέρι κράτα μου σφιχτά, να διώξεις τα δαιμόνια Οι λεωφόροι αδειανές, οι στοές οχι και τόσο Αστεγοι ξαποσταίνουνε σε χάρτινα κουτιά Και οι πορνες απηυδίσανε, το δίνουν όσο όσο Το κουρασμένο τους κορμι, που φέραν απο μακριά Είναι η πολη φάντασμα μα εγώ δε τη φοβάμαι Οσο σε έχω πλάι μου, αστεία να μου λες Εσύ τις διώχνεις τις σκιές τα βράδυα οταν κοιμάμαι Το αύριο δε σκέφτομαι, το έσβησα το χτες. Είναι η πόλη φάντασμα, μα που´ναι οι μεθυσμένοι Οι σερβιτόροι μες´ τα μπαρ κοιτάζουν το κενό Ειναι εικοσάρηδες μα μοιάζουν γερασμένοι Ειν΄αραγε αδιέξοδο ετούτο το στενό; Είναι η νύχτα σιωπηλή, το φώτα ειναι σβησμένα Κι έπιασε αέρας δυνατός, σα σκύλος αλυχτά Και στο Μουσείο οι σκιές, φρικτά, απεγνωσμένα Καρτερικά προσμένουνε μια δόση λησμονιά Είναι η πολη φάντασμα μα εγώ δε τη φοβάμαι Οσο σε έχω πλάι μου, αστεία να μου λες Εσύ τις διώχνεις τις σκιές τα βράδυα οταν κοιμάμαι Το αύριο δε σκέφτομαι, το έσβησα το χτες. Ειναι η πόλη φαντασμα και σέρνει αλυσίδες Παλιούς καιρούς θυμάται και με πίκρα ξεφυσά Μα ακόμα δε χάθηκαν ολες τις οι ελπίδες Ακομα και τα βασανα δεν ειν´ παντοτινά Στο λόφο ανεβαινουμε, μεσα απ´τα σοκάκια Εχει μου λεει, πανσέληνο, ορίστε που ανατέλλει Μοσχοβολάει βασιλικο, και να και δυο γατάκια Του δίνω ρουφηχτό φιλί και άλλο που δε θέλει! Είναι η πολη φάντασμα μα εγώ δε τη φοβάμαι Οσο σε έχω πλάι μου, αστεία να μου λες Εσύ τις διώχνεις τις σκιές τα βράδυα οταν κοιμάμαι Το αύριο δε σκέφτομαι, το έσβησα το χτες Το έσβησα το χτες. GHOST TOWN (I POLI PHANTASMA) The town is a ghost town, the streets are desolate Piles of trash block the pavements Nobody walks around here, we promenade alone Hold my hand tight to chase away the demons The avenues are empty but the arcades are not Homeless people rest in paper boxes And the prostitutes have given up, they sell on discount Their tired body, brought from somewhere far The town is ghost town but I am not afraid of her While I have you by my side, telling me jokes You chase away the shadows in the night, while I´m asleep I don´t think about tomorrow, I erased yesterday The town is a ghost town, but where are the drunks The waiters inside the bars stare at the void They are in their twenties but look aged Is this a dead-end street? The night is silent, the lights are out And a strong wind is blowing, howling like a dog The shadows at the Museum, horribly, desperately Patiently wait for a dose of oblivion The town is ghost town but I am not afraid of her While I have you by my side, telling me jokes You chase away the shadows in the night, while I´m asleep I don´t think about tomorrow, I erased yesterday The town is a ghost town and drags chains Remembers better days and sighs bitterly But all hope is not gone Even suffering isn´t forever We are gong up the hill through the narrow alleys You says that tonight there´s a full moon, here it is, rising It smells of basil and and look at those two kitties I am giving him a french kiss, much to his delight The town is ghost town but I am not afraid of her While I have you by my side, telling me jokes You chase away the shadows in the night, while I´m asleep I don´t think about tomorrow, I erased yesterday I erased yesterday.
8.
I had thought about it several times before Leaving your house at dawn, like a shadow And never coming back I only hoped that when the time would arrive I´d be strong enough to Open the door, numb enough not to cry Well, I almost made it The ticket´s in my hand You have to understand That this time it´s goodbye This time it´s goodbye This time it´s goodbye And how I hate goodbyes Last night you begged me To treasure the good times Right now it´s hard dear For you´re the one Who makes my my heart skip a beat Once more at the station, looking weary and lost Such a gloomy place in these early hours Full of sleepy people Shabby-looking drivers and ruthless neon lights Funny how used I was This ugliness was just a step before I´d see Your lovely face again No need to go through these stale Waiting rooms any more For this time it´s goodbye (it´s goodbye) This time it´s goodbye (it´s goodbye) And how I hate goodbyes Last night you begged me To treasure the good times Right now it´s hard dear But you´re the one Who makes my heart skip a beat. I know it is not all your fault (it´s not your fault) We drove each other crazy (oh so crazy) A valium and I hope (and I hope) I´ll cease thinking (oh please stop!) Endlessly revisiting (don´t go back don´t go back) The wounds of that corpse (to that corpse!) I´m curling up in my seat, cuddling myself to sleep Engines starting, fasten your seat belts It´s going to be a bumpy ride A long and winding road That´s taking me far away Far way from you.
9.
Bedrooms 05:37
A single ray of light Creeps into the bedroom It is far too late Even by my standards I refuse to open the shuts And face the day And I don´t care if the world Has moved from it´s axis today I have a long-distance call From a heartbroken friend Sounds familiar? She´s spent the whole night crying I do my best to cheer her up Then I fall asleep again, I dream of you Naked in my arms, It´s pure bliss The phone rings again oh shit Tt´s you, this joke is sick Now I´m a bag of nerves The part of my bed you used to occupy Has turned into a no-man´s land A parking lot for fags, books, magazines And lonely dreams Soon it will be dark And I´ll feel brave enough to go outside And join that other kind of people Those who don´t live in their bedrooms We all feel better after dusk It´s easy to hide our fears Ain´t o failures nor upsets That can´t get drowned in a couple of beers And for a while we are strong! The part of my bed you used to occupy (used to occupy) Has turned into a cheap motel room (just a motel room) Random lovers spend the night But breakfast isn´t included There is nothing I´d wish more Than sharing bedrooms again To fall asleep while wrapping my arms Around your slender frame Wish I could get some sleep again It ´already six a.m Another slow day is dawning This is not gonna last, I tell myself Soon I´ll reach the bottom And then the only way is up I won´t be a train wreck any more And from some kind of heaven I´ll look down upon my bedroom days My nights in the bars and you and I´ll laugh But ´till then I can´t help from hiding (I can´t help from hiding) Procrastinating endlessly (endlessly) From staring at the walls of my bedroom (There is nothing I´d wish more than sharing bedrooms again) (There is nothing I´d wish more than sharing bedrooms again) (There is nothing I´d wish more than sharing bedrooms again) (There is nothing I´d wish more than sharing bedrooms again)
10.
I throw birds made of clay Into thin air They fly for a minute Fair enough I move things constantly To watch their orbit To see how they change Shape and size I don´t expect them to love me To care for me They´re just volumes and games In Space and Time (I threw my heart on you Into thin air We flew together for a while Fair enough I pulled every string To create a common orbit And saw how you changed Shape and size I expected you to love me To care for me It was just a futile game In Space and Time) (In Space and Time) Because Space is crazy and Time has never been on our side So we just keep on Throwing birds of clay Into thin air But they are not real birds After all (after all) They will never really fly They´re just poor imitations They are futile games In Space and Time In Space and Time In Space and Time.
11.
There he dances in the shadows Of this bleak hospital room There he sways, there he grins A dreadful mouth that starts to sing He will strip us off everything we got When one day he´ll dance for us Maybe in a room or in the street He´ll sway his hips And start to sing Nemini Parco Nemini Parco Nemini Parco Nemini Parco Nemini Parco Nemini Parco Nemini Parco Nemini Parco Nemini Parco But he hadn’t got his way yet love (Nemini Parco) So hold me tight love (Nemini Parco) Make me forget him (Nemini Parco) You can bring life, only you can As long as you hold my hand.
12.
It´s such a shame the headaches I´ve won From last night´s fight with vodka and rum I guess that´s a clear sign that you and I had An after hours encounter I made myself again the fool of the town Still people insist I´m so much fun to be around I guess I´acting large every time I feel tiny like a crumb of bread Leave me alone because I´m not over it yet Need more time and more drinks to forget I wish I´d be dreaming and scheming for somebody new But it´s always you You and I wanted things done in different ways So I guess it was a wise move of yours to let it slip away Then why the hell do I drink two drinks a time whenever you´re around? All your friends like me a lot but have they noticed That my eyes shine with a crazy glow Every time I steal a smile from you? And do they know that my heart is a teenage room Stacked with seven-inch vinyls And full-size posters Of singers who had hits a long, long time ago Full of shabadabadas and wowowows? I look from the keyhole hoping to see somebody new But it´s always you (it´s always you) It´s always you (it´s always you) it´s always you (it´s always you) It´s always you! Who´s holding the knife? (It´s always you!) Who lurks in the shadows? (It´s always you!) And who´s to blame for this shame and downfall? (It´s always you!) Oh dear mirror.

about

They say you cannot make an omelette without breaking eggs. In a similar mode, I guess you cannot make a record called Futile Games In Space And Time without broken hearts, broken nerves, broken collaborations, broken friendships or broken legs involved. It has been a long and winding road indeed for those songs to be conceived, structured, rehearsed, performed, mixed and presented here neatly one next to another. A road full of U-turns, dead ends, bridges and tunnels, with a starting and finishing point in Barcelona, that nevertheless went back and forth several times between Madrid, Berlin, London, New York and of course Athens. A highway to hell and back, at various points. Blame it to the low levels of serotonin in my blood, the abuse of substances mind-altering substances, some serial killers that I met along the way, the deceitful alignment of the stars or my own dumb head. Trying to escape from your shadow is futile after all, it will always catch up with you.
 
Some of the songs had been lingering in a limbo for years and years, waiting for their chance to shine, while some others were written right before the studio sessions.  For sure they had the chance to evolve unexpectedly and gain their own life during the lengthy procedures of recording and mixing. Part of my nomadic existence is reflected in them, as various of my friends who have kept me company in this mental and physical trip were invited to collaborate. Now the sounds they produce, be it from their vocal chords or from their instruments of choice, form the equivalent of  a photo book that hugs my soul. My friends, the most precious thing someone can have, are always there with me, no matter how far they may be in terms of miles. They enrich my melodies and float eternally in the Space and Time that surrounds me. Among them linger memories of love: unrequited love, consumed love, lost love. For that´s what this record is strictly about. A boat stacked with thrill and hope, heading to some idyllic island,  crushing on the rocks, but somehow keeps sailing. There is a lot of anticipation and day-dreaming, a lot of bitter realisation, a lot of tears, a lot of dark humor, a lot of movement and a lot of animals. Futile Games In Space And Time is about everything that´s in this wonderful game we know as love.
 
Although I worked with different musical palettes on each song, I made sure to emphasise on the role of the Chorus or the Co-singer in every one. Much like in Classic Greek Tragedy or in Motown or early 60´s Girl Group songs (tiny but splendid teenage tragedies, if you ask me) the backing singers are my advisors, my voice of consience, a light that never goes out even in the darkest night.  I also made sure to provide the songs with ghastly elements, sometimes obvious and sometimes discreet: weird percussions, synths, reverbs and echoes, cries and whispers. Because  in reality, these songs are the ghosts of affairs, be it ones that never reached their potential or ones that came full circle, and their spirits roam freely, unable to rest, sometimes sighing, sometimes laughing, sometimes whispering, sometimes crying, in the still of the night. These songs are also chimeric creations among the various musical genres that I have always cherished: doo-wop, girl groups, new wave, indie pop, cabaret, the great american song book, 18th century baroque music and 19th century romanticism.
 
Right in the heart of the record appears a song in my mother tongue. Being from Greece, living in Spain and singing pop songs in English sometimes can be a bit confusing but I never forget where I came from. Ghost Town sets the scene in my home town Athens, harshly hit by economic recesion and moral downfall, where the two lovers wander around blissfully among almost apocalyptic scenes. Because after all, despite the apparently leg-chopping on opening line “I once had a dream and it never came true” this is not a record about defeat nor bitterness but a celebration of of one´s self and of love as the ultimate healer and. We are free to choose life, we make an awful lot of mistakes, we stumble and fall, we keep on fighting rogue waves and laughing at the face of maelstroms in that vast, wonderful, cruel, magical realm of Space and Time. And hopefully, can always get by with a little help from our friends.

credits

released March 14, 2016

All songs written by Evripidis Sabatis. Lyrics on tracks 10 & 11 based on texts by David Bestué.

Evripidis Sabatis: vocals, grand piano, synths

With

Cristina de Sola-violin
Jaume Ribell-drums
Victor Antolín-bass

And

Borja Rosal- electric guitar on tracks 3, 5 & 9
Brooke Backman- vocals on tracks 3, 6 & 8
Daniel Scott Erickson- vocals on track 3
Elsa De Alfonso-backing vocals on track 1, acoustic guitar on track 7, electric guitar on tracks 1& 7
Jordi Colombi- electric guitar on tracks 8 & 10, cello on tracks 1& 11
Juanjo Alba- electric guitar on track 9, percussion on track 2, 3& 10, synth on track 3
Laura Antolín- vocals on tracks 2, 3, 5, 6, 11 & 12
Luis Berges- mandolin on tracks 2, 6 & 10
Marisol Simó- vocals on tracks 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, 10, 11 & 12
Marc Ribera- musical saw on track 12, vocals on tracks 1, 2, 5, 7, 11 & 12
Odil Bright- synths on 8 & 11
Santi Rivas- electric guitar on tracks 2 & 12
Sarah P.-vocals on tracks 4 & 7
Xavi Tort- trumpet on tracks 1, 3, 9, 11, 12
Uncle LD- vocals on track 10
Ville Hopponnen- electric guitar on tracks 2, 4, 6

All songs arranged by Evripidis Sabatis. Drums, bass and guitar arrangements by the respective musicians. Some additional arrangements by Juanjo Alba.

Recorded by Juanjo Alba at Chema Boo Boo Studio (Barcelona). Additional recordings by Hillary Johnson at Earthlight Room (NYC) and George Priniotakis at Artracks Studios (Athens).

Mixed by Charles Newman at Cottage Studios (Brooklyn). Master by Philip Granqvist.

Artwork and design by Ico Mateo.

Evripidis´ portraits by Daniel Riera.
Other musicians’ portraits provided by themselves.

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Evripidis and his Tragedies Barcelona, Spain

Evripidis and His Tragedies is Evripidis Sabatis. The "Tragedies" are the devastating, confessional, self-sarcastic, darkly humorous songs that draw on his classical piano training, queer sensibility and storytelling skills to examine and own up to the vicissitudes of life. Evripidis' pop inclinations take us for a bumpy, dancey ride across the fine line between tragedy and joie de vivre. ... more

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