I Can’t Help Myself
POP SONGS ABOUT ART – OR VICE VERSA
Songs about mortality, masculine melancholy, the fall of communism, love – and yes, even one about art itself.
Danish solo artist State of Mind once again defies categorization by releasing seven new songs so obviously rooted in classic songwriting that they border on traditional pop. Except that once again State of Mind’s offbeat, synthetic soundscapes add a unique edge to every track.
State of Mind’s 2010 debut was the brooding concept album Myotonic. Later the same year he released the 18 minute long electro-pop track Why Can’t This Noise.
“There is no overall theme behind I Can’t Help Myself,” State of Mind AKA Kim Bülow Bonfils explains. “I’m currently working on a number of concept-style releases – but this one is merely a handful of songs.”
“Though there does seem to be a conspicuous amount of electric piano and handclaps on this release,” he says. “I guess these things just happen…”
Tracks
- Art
- Old Enough to Know
- Not in Spite but Because
- Everything I Never Did
- Almost Like You Died
- Heart of a Cowboy
- Stay
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Art
The line stayed with me,
Spoken, it would seem,
By the kind of voice you hear
Waking from a dream
These are the words
That have been going through my mind
A manifesto of a new and urgent kind
It’s every book you read
Every film you watch
(Art)
How
We try
To make sense
Of it all
(Art)
Like the caveman
Painting pictures of his prey
Of how he caught it
Or the one that got away
Why the need to reproduce
What’s already there?
To investigate, to demonstrate and share?
It’s every song you hear
It’s every work of
(Art)
How
We try
To make sense
Of it all
(Art)
×
Old Enough to Know
You ask me if I loved her
And I did – all those years ago
But is that now behind me?
I’m afraid the answer’s no.
‘Cause I don’t believe that love is lost forever
I don’t think you can let the feelings go
We all pretend and I suppose it’s best for those involved
But you and I are old enough to know
They say that love’s a blessing
But you know when it becomes a curse
You may still love another
Which I guess just makes it even worse
And I don’t believe that love is lost forever
I don’t think you can let the feelings go
We all pretend and I suppose it’s best for those involved
But you and I are old enough to know
I cannot be your first love
But I can hope to be your last
I’ll share you with your memories
Like you share me with my past
‘Cause I don’t believe that love is lost forever
I don’t think you can let the feelings go
We all pretend and I suppose it’s best for those involved
But you and I are old enough to know
×
Not in Spite but Because
So happy that you’ve come
We hope you all are well
Here’s wine for us to drink
And stories we must tell
We make each other smile
With tales of happy days
And share our deepest fears
In entertaining ways
And outside our windowsill
The sun is sinking fast
Like the joy we feel tonight
Is just not meant to last
And we all
Know the end
That waits for us
And we laugh
Not in spite
But because
And we all
Know the end
That waits for us
And we laugh
Not in spite
But just because
×
Everything I Never Did
And so
It seems
I’ve spent my life just getting rid of dreams
Of how
To navigate myself into the home
That should be mine by now
And everything I never did
I remember anyway
And everything I’ve yet to do
I still recall like it was yesterday
It’s called
Success
To let never them find out I’m a mess
Whose fate
Is peddling my imaginary goods
To people that I hate
And everything I never did
I remember anyway
And everything I’ve yet to do
I still recall like it was yesterday
Hesitate
Elaborate
Tear your soul apart
Much too late
To contemplate
A new and better start
And everything I never did
I remember anyway
And everything I’ve yet to do
I still recall like it was yesterday
×
Almost Like You Died
We saw
Your strangely different lands
Your statues and your guns
Parades and marching bands
So proud
Of everything you’d done
The rules that you had changed
The battles you had won
Are all forgotten
You tried
You failed
You failed
But at least you tried
Now, dancing on your grave
It’s almost like you died
Your faith
Just crumbled as you fell
You promised paradise
And built the perfect hell
While we keep
The money that we make
Our liberty to choose
From luxury or fake
Seems our only future
You tried
You failed
You failed
But at least you tried
Now, dancing on your grave
It’s almost like you died
We tried
We failed
Can’t fail
If we don’t try
Now, dancing on your grave
It’s almost like you died
×
Heart of a Cowboy
Now
You surely think I’ve had enough
Now
You wonder how I stay this tough
Now
You don’t know how I feel inside
Now
There’s no emotions left I have not learned to hide
But play a sad song
And I will sing along
I won’t fall apart
‘cause I have the heart
The heart of a cowboy
No
I never mourn a friend that dies
No
The bourbon made these bloodshot eyes
No
I won’t be sad I lost my love
No
There’s nothing I can’t grit my teeth and rise above
But play a sad song
And I will sing along
Don’t care for your art
I just have the heart
The heart of a cowboy
So
Let’s meet inside the darkest bar
So
I’ll pick the jukebox tune to match how blue you are
I’ll play a sad song
And we will sing along
And then we should part
‘cause I have the heart
The heart of a cowboy
We all have the heart
It’s our favourite part
The heart of a cowboy
×
Stay
Don’t want to move
I might just stay in bed
Trying to get rid of all the words inside my head
Don’t be scared
Just a phase I’m going through
I like it here, and this is all I want to do
So – please let me stay
And hide myself away
For another day
I think I’ll be okay
If you just let me stay
I’ve seen the world
Seen the way you live
Done all I can and given all I had to give
Hold my calls
Turn out the light
You know I won’t be going anywhere tonight
So – please let me stay
And hide myself away
For another day
I think I’ll be okay
If you just let me stay
Life is hard
The world is tough
I’m doing nothing until I’ve had enough
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