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Etchings in Amber

by Natalie Cressman & Mike Bono

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1.
Dusk 04:27
Dusk Past the golden hour cracks start to show Time goes on and answers once aglow are washed to sea Is this aimless love one and the same? Clutching in the dark for what they gain when a loss for words Peering through one jaded eye Calling off the search Midst the trees enshrouded Laughing at his perch She’s close enough to call his bluff Yet love holds up Trying to clear the cotton from her lungs Seeking to convey in many tongues her bone to pick How he went and broke every rule He once penned them but he’s not her fool Content to use his muse Peering through one jaded eye Calling off the search Midst the trees enshrouded Laughing at his perch She’s close enough to call his bluff Yet love holds up Cursed with an old honest core Not like they make anymore Can’t hold candles up to his thoughts Truth in dusk turns into lore She’s close enough to call his bluff Yet love holds up Peering through one jaded eye Calling off the search Midst the trees enshrouded Laughing at his perch She’s close enough to call his bluff Yet love holds up
2.
Wind of Whims You set this pace, digging in your heels No matter how it feels, Forever slow I save your place while you blame away the years To hide away your fears, But I know The offer I laid out on the table is getting cold As the picture's painted it seems only I'm growing old Give me my breath back You don't need it any more Tired of givin all my livin Still a stranger at your door Ever inconstant You're a rattle in my soul All I pleaded, all I needed Was someone to come home to And I hope it's you I'd rather know if we're in this one together I've tried to be so clever, but gambling has its cost It takes a toll to walk one step behind you When I'd rather be beside you, where borderlines are lost Waiting it out in the wind of your whims I blow But bending too far beats breaking all I know Give me my breath back You don't need it any more Tired of givin all my livin Still a stranger at your door Ever inconstant, you're a rattle in my soul All I pleaded, all I needed Was someone to come home to And I hoped it was you
3.
Folds of Time: Frost embraces, she's stranded still Cold hands wring her last will Once armored in innocence his freeze-dried words lose their flavor Stone heart's engraver Sealed from the haunt where he's lying now Honeyed hopes drip down from where they are headed White to grey to black, ever turning more opaque Straying just to fight the folds of time Drifting on ice, he feeds on his own words of deceit Void of film he used before to ignore the signs Blur the lines Frost embraces, she's stranded If she turns back then she is lost Frost embraces, she's stranded Wronged but not set to brand it lost yet She can't help, hold his place Sure of his returning, love still burning in the Hearth they started from
4.
I Look To You: Teach me to love fiercely enough to steal away in the night To stitch new beginnings, tuck the rips and scratches out of sight Imagination run tame and reality wild Airy hymns so wise but sung light as a child I look to you Fingers that paint all pains away Laminate every word I say Not to be lost in folds of time So it's easy to rewind Cut from the fabric of your dreams My being is bursting at the seams Stitched into my border Forever in my calico corner My one lone doctrine The circle you made is my north star My favorite kind of paper trails lead me right to where you are Imagination run tame and reality wild Airy hymns so wise but sung light as a child I look to you Fingers that paint all pains away Laminate every word I say Not to be lost in folds of time So it's easy to rewind Cut from the fabric of your dreams My being is bursting at the seams Stitched into my border Forever in my calico corner Draperies in the backyard Holding those who fall hard Scripted words of stories I've heard Of dreams that shine and truths that burn I look to you Fingers that paint all pains away Laminate every word I say Not to be lost in folds of time So it's easy to rewind Cut from the fabric of your dreams My being is bursting at the seams Stitched into my border Forever in my calico corner Forever in my calico corner Forever in my calico corner
5.
Picture 04:59
Picture: One last goodbye I hold in my sigh I see you there in your frame Gone while I still remain He held her to him Until his eyes grew dim Though till now you were near It’s so long since you've been here Every word I wrote Soured in my throat To believe you bore your dreams across a dusty sea where would I be Bore your dreams across a dusty sea where would I be, be without you, be without you
6.
Trapped in Forever: Now un-shrouded your English lay broken on the floor, Filled only with memory, hollow at the core The more I reach for him the more I push away, Remnants of the seams that held me in before I remember all too much, etchings in my mind All the same I'll hold you if only for tonight A great song but you sold the tune a hundred times, All you had to do for me was change one line, I believed your sweeping gestures, letters etched in flames Giving in and falling prey to lilting spines I remember all too much, etchings in my mind All the same I'll hold you if only for tonight Saw the whites of your eyes, Life got in the way Further further drawing back, Till I lost your gaze and...threw it away I remember all too much, etchings in my mind Drafts of who you used to be, trapped in amber for all time
7.
Mountains of Malaga: Try as I might, climbing your thoughts the scope of your bluffs leaves me stuck at the foot We're well at ease, dappled in sunlight Yet you're content to bathe in soot If you would only turn toward the sun Nothing to fear in the beams of my skin Your words hollow me as you sink and run If I consume them what shape will I be in when you're back again I see the light catch the rose window but your face remains in the gloom Tirelessly care for each tendril of your hope so it might one day bloom If you would only turn toward the sun Nothing to fear in the beams of my skin Your words hollow me as you sink and run If I consume them what shape will I be in when you're back again Lone bird your strange flight is ending Lose sight of the moon , Here the pieces of your mind need mending Can't follow the tune , Can't hide it from you now that I'm paralyzed From the venom of your lies, Sunk from the weight of your sighs Just on the brink of breaking all ties, For I know each new sketch mark baits your heavily charged eraser This is my last get well soon, We both know you'll never quite replace her If you would only turn toward the sun Nothing to fear in the beams of my skin Your words hollow me as you sink and run If I consume them what shape will I be in when you're back again
8.
Losing Grace 04:35
Losing Grace: Oh now you come running to me While I dream Of saving all that's left of me And traveling on Oh now are you done shunning the parts of me That you want gone I'm a specter with a faded grin And new plans drawn The truth whispered in the wind and broke my fever Abandoned lace stamped with soil to remind I'm much too old to play the blind believer and secrets steeped do spoil with time I banished yesterday And now you're in the way Of finally layin it down to rest No tears drippin down Finally safe and sound It's a past your fingers just can't retrace In the end you're only my losing grace Oh you were such a tight-lipped kisser And still deny all wrong You caressed my world with hushed fingertips Then you were gone He can't say I didn't try I found stillness in my mourning I already said goodbye baby He sipped till I was bone dry Yet still wasn't ready This time I can hold my voice steady I banished yesterday And now you're in the way Of finally layin it down to rest No tears drippin down Finally safe and sound It's a past your fingers just can't retrace In the end you're only my losing grace
9.

about

Thank you's:
Though our collaboration over the past couple years has been largely a journey of just the two of us sending demos back and forth, searching for the right words, notes, or chords, rehearsing over cups of tea and homemade sweets, premiering our songs in web shows from our living rooms, and taking our music out on the road for the first time, it’s really the
support of the community around us that transformed our music into what you listening to.

We would like to especially thank Jeff Cressman, Kevin Reeves, and Nick Rives, who all so masterfully and generously put their hearts and minds into this record. Their contributions elevated the quality of our music in every way and words fall short of expressing the depth of our gratitude. We’d also like to thank Barbara Cressman for lending her beautiful
calligraphy to bring the lyrics of our songs to life, as well as providing the inspiration behind “I Look to You.” And to Burt Sukhov for providing the inspiration for the lyrics of “Picture,” may you rest in peace. We would also like to thank our family, friends, and mentors: Diane Bono, Ernie Bono, Ali Bono, Sandy Cressman, Julianna Cressman, the Cressman and Sukhov
families, Ivan, Chris, and Erica Rosenberg, Robin Dick, Elina Ansary, Jennifer Hartswick, Trey Anastasio, Peter Apfelbaum, Laurie Frink, Wycliffe Gordon, Ben Monder, Julian Lage, Todd Carder, Jackson Fitzgerald, Dalton Harts, Christian Li, Jared Henderson, Roberto Giaquinto, Charlie Van Kirk, Andrew Neesley, Alexander Lewis, Matt Gasch, and Sharon Merraro.
—Mike & Natalie

Recording Notes:
On the morning of October 18th, 2015 I arrived at Natalie's apartment from my redeye flight from San Francisco. After coffee we walked to The Bunker to begin work on this beautiful recording. With the kind help of Todd Carder, we set up in Studio B with Mike in the studio and Natalie in the control room with me. She sang into a vintage Neumann/Telefunken U47. Mike's guitars had the forest of microphones that would allow for a lot of flexibility in the mix. The primary microphone was a Neumann CMV563 with an M7 capsule. In addition we had three sets of stereo pairs; A/B spaced omni Gefell MV691 with M93 capsules , Blumlein Coles 4038 and cardioid AKG 452 mics up in the corners of the room. All of the mics fed the Neve 8058 console's preamplifiers and then Lynx conversion to Pro Tools running at 96kHz/24bit. Most of the music was recorded on this day but we did come back the next morning for an hour and a half to get in "Goodbye Lullaby" and redo "Trapped in Forever" on an acoustic guitar instead of electric. We said our thank yous & goodbyes to Todd and The Bunker but we were not done for the day. We recorded Natalie's background vocals at her place on an ADK 3 Zigma CHI Lollipop large diaphragm microphone. Then Mike, Natalie and I had a great meal at Concord Hill restaurant before going back to make rough mixes. The next day I flew home with the recording. In San Francisco over the next week I edited and mixed the recording. After we were all happy with it I had the idea of giving it to Nick Rives to let him run it through all of the magical stuff at Capitol Studios where he works. He agreed and mixed in Capitol Studio A on a Neve 88RS console. The vocal chain included a Fairchild 660 followed by a Pultec EQP-1, the guitar buss had a Fairchild 670 and a touch of console eq. There is also a NTI eq on the mix buss. For Reverbs there is an EMT 250 and one of the Capitol Echo Chambers.

- Jeff Cressman

credits

released October 7, 2016

Mike Bono: acoustic guitar
Natalie Cressman: vocals
Tracks 1,3,5,6,7, and 9: music by Mike Bono, lyrics by Natalie Cressman
Tracks 2, 4, and 8: music & lyrics by Natalie Cressman
All songs arranged & produced by Natalie Cressman & Mike Bono
Recorded by Jeff Cressman at the Bunker Studio, Brooklyn, NY
Assistant Engineering by Todd Carder
Edited and pre-mixed by Jeff Cressman at Cressman Music Studios, San Francisco, CA
Mixed by Nick Rives at Capitol Studios, Hollywood, CA
Mastered by Kevin Reeves at Sterling Sound, New York, NY
Art direction and design by 314Gallery
Cover art by Elina Ansary
Photography by Sharon Marrero

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