YOU FORGET (written by Darlingside)

I remember foreign places,
Brightly colored streets where
People with familiar faces
Invited us to stay

You forget

I recall the open spaces
Which, underneath a rising
Covering of clouds, moon and mountains,
Seemed as if to fall

You forget

ROADSIDE LILY (written by Heather Maloney)

I’m a roadside lily
Swaying in the wake of an eighteen-wheeler
I’m delicate and pointless
Nobody planted me
Where I’m standing
Roadside lily

And the highway stretches on
On and on and on
And I’ll never know
Where it goes

“Don’t cry, Lily.“
That’s what he would say as he drove away
Every other weekend I was
Just a kid and daddy-less
Why did he go away?
Was I not the loveliest roadside lily?

And the highway stretches on
On and on and on
And I’ll never know
Where it goes

(Nobody comes, Nobody goes)

I’m a roadside lily
Some people would say a loner and a stray
Not fit for a bouquet
But you’re a roadside raven
Trucks are rushing by and you don’t bat an eye
You don’t flinch and you don’t fly
There’s a bigger love than I dreamed of
Here in my forsaken heart
I recognize it in your eyes
And it’s with me when we’re apart

And the highway stretches on
On and on and on
And I’ll never know
Where it goes

WHIPPOORWILL (written by Darlingside)

We call that old cabin The Whippoorwill
Drawing up plans from wicker thrones
All of the best ideas, they come from you
You let me find them on my own
And we parade them into every room
And when you leave I let them go

All my kingdom for a weekend
All our kingdoms slip away

Another draft in your apartment
Catch the smell of rust and pine
Mixing in winter coffee canisters
Gin up a spell that stalls for time

All my kingdom for a weekend
All our kingdoms slip away

All of your favorite time, it comes from me
So you put it on your calendar
Try to save it in your phone

All my kingdom for a weekend
All our kingdoms slip away

NO SHORTCUTS (written by Heather Maloney)

We were driving in the country woods and we didn’t know why we were there
Maybe we were running from the big city or maybe we were running to the mountain air
And then we came upon a cabin of a diner and oh how they did stare

We said “Hey, what’s the quickest way to your Motel 6, out in these sticks”?
Said “Hey, were feeling kinda weary we’ve been driving all day and we need a place to stay”

And they said “Baby there aint no shortcuts on your way,
Baby there aint no highways in these parts.
You know baby gonna have to drive yourself down
Every little windy road
If you really wanna get to where you’re going”

I was sitting on the therapist’s couch and I didn’t know why I was there
Maybe I was running from the big issues or maybe I was running to a listening ear
And then I came upon a maze of emotion and oh how I did fear

I said “Hey, what’s the quickest way out of this mess to that happiness“
Said “Hey, I’m feeling kinda weary I’ve been crying all day and I need a little break”

And they said “Baby there aint no shortcuts on your way,
Baby there aint no highways in these parts.
You know baby gonna have to drive yourself down
Every little windy road
If you really wanna get to where you’re going”

I was sitting in the meditation hall and I didn’t know why I was there
Maybe I was running from the noise outside or maybe I was running to the stillness there
And then I came upon greed hatred and delusion and oh how I did fear

I said “Hey, what’s the quickest way to freedom and love, how do I rise above?“
Said “Hey, I’m feeling kind of weary I’ve been sitting all day with my mind in disarray’

And they said “Baby there aint no shortcuts on your way,
Baby there aint no highways in these parts.
You know baby gonna have to drive yourself down
Every little windy road
If you really wanna get to where you’re going”

We’re psyched to be on the NYTimes’ “Booming” blog today, performing Joni Mitchell’s “Woodstock” along with good friend and singer-songwriter Heather Maloney. Thanks to Val Haller of valslist.com for the wonderful post!

There are times when a band comes along and records an album that makes you sing the praises of your town, and Cambridge’s very own Darlingside have done just that with the release of their debut album Pilot Machines. Moving here from Austin, otherwise known as the music capital of the world, I thought I had left behind the one place I had found where good local music was as close as the nearest trendy dive bar. Thankfully I was wrong, and thankfully I can share with the Music Savage readers outside of Boston that there is more to the area than the amazing musical past that brought us the Pixies, Buffalo Tom, and Galaxie 500 just to name a few. Pilot Machines is a collection of songs that gets better with each listen and is the kind of album that puts talented bands like Darlingside on the map. Go Cambridge! […] more »

[Darlingside] fully grasp the grandeur and power of sweeping rock and so easily create songs that lift you up that it’s as if they were spiritual rock and roll preachers. Their album [Pilot Machines] is a massively dramatic huge record […] more »

It is hard to simply call Darlingside an indie-band, or folk rock band, as the music in Pilot Machines transcends normal music reviewer label language. […] [T]hey manage to bring a unique sound to the familiar style. more »

“Darlingside suggests a band in the vein of indie-rockers Death Cab for Cutie or Punch Brothers. Yet its contemplative pop also echoes members’ experiences in choral singing, jazz and classical music[…]” more »

“The band’s sweeping sound features phenomenal vocals, crisp instruments, and surprising musical turns.” more »