This song entertains my McCartney tendencies. It moves in arcs that are hinted at in Borderlines, but they pop out of the shadows in theatrical fashion here.
It's a theatrical song and my attempt at writing something a bit more classically villainous like you'd hear in Disney or Musical Theater, but directed inward. Moving through arcs of concern, self pity, anger, and quiet hope, we get a snapshot into the yin of the album: shining garish light onto every mark and flaw while pummeling the psyche. It's that moment where every fault you think you have comes under self scrutiny at once.
The music was inspired by a long binge of Paul McCartney and The Mars Volta, with a little nudge of Sylvana Joyce's Rosie for good measure, and of all the piececes on this record this is the one that Polina had the largest hand in arranging. At one point she threw me outta the room to work with the band to organize the finer aspects of the arrangement, and I think it lead to the most incredible performances from Johnny and Wil specifically. I forget who's idea it was to record an acoustic guitar solo, but that's probably my favorite part.
I love all of the songs on the album, but Stop The Madness has a special, brutal place in my heart, and it's name is derived from an episode of The Simpsons where Homer gets mad at excess movie theater previews and breaks his jaw.
lyrics
Can’t you tell when it is your happy and when all is well?
You’re driving yourself crazy with granular personas talking endlessly with nothing new to say
When all alone the noise amongst the silence feels like all you’ve known.
Your heart starts beating faster, reflecting on the life that you could live if you could throw your life away
Maybe seems well; however, underneath the surface is a prison cell containing all the damage you create
There aren’t any problems to be seen, and yet you fabricate bespoken confrontation out of nowhere
Resenting things that don’t make sense and lashing out in impotence is just another way to tell the world your cause is lost
You think about it every day and still, you’ve nothing left to say for lack of real attempt to stop the madness
Did you ever try to stop the madness?
Did you ever try to stop the madness?
The feeling of unrest brought on by idleness is put upon yourself and here you stand, just waiting for the crash
The prison cell is open, and the shadows start to slither out, but did you ever try to stop the madness?
The echos of your anger clash with failures yet to come and past transgressions, the occasions when you didn’t measure up
You’re every fight you ever fought and all the squandered time you bought, and never once you thought you’d stop the problems in your head
Never once you thought you’d stop the madness
Grit your teeth, dig in, and stop the madness
Just as well, I wager you’d still feel as though you lived in hell in any situation
Make your peace and get your coat you know you’re only standing in your way
Only in your way
Only in your way
Only in your way
credits
from Redefine,
released March 25, 2022
Written by Max Feinstein
Produced and Arranged by Max Feinstein and Polina Antoni Kanin
Recorded at IIWII by Billy Perez
Vocals recorded at World Alert Studios by Jeff Jones, The Jedi Master
Overdubs by Max Feinstein and John Roccesano at Silver Horse Sound
Edited at Silver Horse Sound by John Roccesano
Featuring Performances By:
Max Feinstein: Vocals, 6 and 12-string Guitars, Moog
John Roccesano: Drums and Percussion
Wilhelmus .! Sapanaro: Electric and Upright Bass
Nick Potters: Keyboards
Fuzzy Austin trio follow up their first album in 20 years, released in Spring 2015, with a stomping new EP of noisy rock & roll. Bandcamp New & Notable Feb 26, 2016
Big, clanging psych-rock from this Arizona outfit fuses monk-like vocals with slow-winding guitars for songs that feel like strange hymns. Bandcamp New & Notable May 2, 2016