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Tall Tales

by Accents

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1.
there's trouble out there, i have seen it in your face. all the madness it leaves an empty faith in you. the little things can start to take over your life. and i admit they sometimes keep me up at night with you. for you, i'd split the world in two. hold me close, don't leave like the rest. 'cus i spend too much time inside my head. i'm a mess; i'm fragile at best. the heart is only as open as we allow. and mine can't keep up with how i'm aging now. the past is nothing more than visions and ideas. imaginary places, imaginary fears. and i'm way too young to be this bitter sort of man. so wake me up and help me do the best i can for you. for you, i'd split the world in two. hold me close, don't leave like the rest. 'cus i spend too much time inside my head. and i struggle with the words to make amends. when i'm feeling down you've got to keep me close. 'cus i'm way too tough to let my feelings go
2.
so, am i wicked now? i've buried myself in sound. and needed eyes on me to feel complete. where are my old friends now? married and spread about. and when i think of them, it's bittersweet. all those wants and needs. they mattered more to me. than longer nights and shorter days. rachel left her heart in my room. ‘cus i didn't want to take it. i've been through the lost and found. that used to be my hometown. and now and then i wish i stuck around. so all those wants and needs. that used to follow me. i'll set them down and aim to please. i've been cruel and i've been strange. i get lost inside my brain, you could say. i've been stubborn, i've been weak. but now i've got your company. rachel left her heart in my room. rachel left her heart in my room. ‘cus i didn't want to take it. all i did was break it
3.
Reminders 03:39
there's a future for the artist as her canvas stares at her. and for the activist who couldn't change the world. there's a future for the child who pushed away her friends. they remind us of ourselves and we understand. so if you want me, then tear me apart. you'll keep breaking old habits and i'll keep missing the mark. there's a future for the soldier who returns from where he's been. and for the preacher who still doubts the things he says. there's a future for the widow who will never love again. they remind us of ourselves and we understand. so if you want me, then tear me apart. you'll keep breaking old habits and i'll keep missing the mark. yeah if you want me, then tear me apart. i'll give you my heartache if you give me your heart
4.
Los Angeles 03:44
i might be a stranger to the things you call your own. like armies marching towards a weathered, rubble-ridden road. ‘cus i have never been to war or seen one televised. i've stayed inside my sanctuary innocent and blind. remember the springtime and the love that it would bring? it removed the wrinkles from february's skin. those were the good ‘ol days with a fire inside of us. i remember dreaming of los angeles. i might be a stranger to the things you call your own. like bible verses preaching of our elemental foes. ‘cus i have never worshipped anyone outside my kind. i'll stay inside my shelter seeing things with my own eyes. remember the summertime and the sun upon your face? we were invincible in this godforsaken place. those were the good ‘ol days when the anger stayed within. i remember dreaming of london. i might be a stranger to the things you've seen and done. like funerals in neighborhoods where kids stand behind guns. ‘cus i have never witnessed death or teetered on its line. i've stayed inside my sanctuary ignorant and blind. and now that i am older maybe i've learned to question ‘why?' but i remember dreaming with you at night
5.
clearing out a space for your heart to hide. i'll let in a single beam of light. hold onto all you haven't seen or heard yet. there's no way to keep this thing alive. your eyes, they're a masterful disguise. tell me how to say goodbye. when i need to. clearing out a space for my heart to hide. the air's rushing out of me tonight. hold onto all you haven't sworn off yet. is there no way to keep this thing alive? your eyes, they're a masterful disguise. tell me how to say goodbye. when i need to. your eyes, they're a masterpiece designed. by an artist in denial. tell me how to wonder why. when i need to
6.
Laws Of Love 03:44
i had my eye on the prize while you had yours on the door. why did we ever assume that you'd want anything more? ‘cus you still can't work it out amongst yourselves. no you still can't work it out... so to my own, i will say to keep your head in the sky. don't let the little disasters keep you from your life. ‘cus your heart is bound to break once or twice. yeah your heart is bound to break once or twice. and i realize, yes i realize that you won't always be my little girl. because time moves slow until you get old. and the world will always turn in spite of you. and the laws of love reside inside of you. i was romantic, as wide-eyed as you. and now i'm afraid that its love i outgrew. ‘cus i still can't work it out for myself. can you help me work it out?
7.
you were the light inside my mourning. you were a dream inside my head. you were a fear i'd never run from. you were preoccupied instead. that was when you called me and i met you at the bar. you're the only drug i've ever known. you had a sadness in your voice then. you had a weakness in your heart. you told me you hadn't much to offer. i said there's always a place to start. that was when we said goodnight and i left you at your door. you're the only drug i've ever known. and at once i knew that nothing would ever come of this. ‘cus you were dodging bullets in your sleep. and every word i said to you could take your breath away if only. you had the chance to hear me speak. then one autumn night it came to me. an apparition in my head. you had a vacant seat inside your wounded heart. now you're the only drug i'll ever know. we were electric in the morning. we fell apart by early may. we tossed and turned like restless lovers. i never begged you once to stay. that was when i called you and you met me at the bar. you're the only drug i've ever known. and once i knew that nothing would ever come of this. you were dodging bullets in your sleep. but every word you said to me could take my breath away if only. i had the chance to hear you speak. then one summer night it came to me. a lightning bug inside my head. there was a vacant seat inside our wounded hearts. but you're the only drug i'll ever know
8.
every time you look at me, are you proud to call me yours? am i unlike all the others? do i make you feel more? i know sometimes i'm cynical of the world we're livin' in. but that is what i've got to offer so i hope you'll understand. i'm not a storybook kind of man. if that doesn't suit you then i wouldn't suit you. your love will always be blue. but you could complete me and i could complete you. our love will always be true. and i'd never lead you on. years ago romance was something terrible and cruel. now it's all but second-nature when it comes to me and you. i know sometimes i'm critical of everything i am. but that is what i've got to offer so i hope you'll understand. i'm not a storybook kind of man. we might run out of things to say. or we might find our way. i'm not fiction or a childhood fantasy
9.
you took me in and you led me astray. there was no fire, babe, but now england awaits. right when you spoke and uttered my name. i felt like a child, babe, and you called me the same. you weren't ever meant for me but the silence felt so alive. ‘cus our hearts were echoing the whole time. you took my hand because you were afraid. you told me our time had come. but still england awaits. that's when i spoke and i called you by name. we were just kids that day and then everything changed. you weren't ever meant for me but the silence felt so alive. ‘cus our hearts were echoing the whole time. we couldn't say anything and we seemed so out of our minds. as the weight of the world began to feel light. (i couldn't say anything and i felt so out of mind. but the weight of the world began to feel light. i'd travel through hell on earth if i'd end up at your door. just tell me you'll take me in once more)
10.
when i left my home in the valley, i left everything that i knew. i lost my way through the wicked and strange while i wasn't looking for you. only time knew that i'd be here, feeling the summer breeze in the fall. i dropped to my knees like the densest of leaves while i wasn't looking for you. my heart's a carousel, yours is a silver bell. both hold an enchanted tune. that sings like a lullaby, chills like an autumn night. leaves us refreshed and renewed. you were a light i never thought that i'd find. ‘cus i wasn't looking for you. i struggled to find resolution, the weight was unbearably cruel. i trudged along singing simpler songs while i wasn't looking for you. if i could forgive the faults of my childhood, i'd never gasp at the salted beach air. but the sting in my eyes it was never a surprise while i wasn't looking for you. this here's a chapter, it's not ever after. but someday it will turn into. a handwritten history book, well placed upon a shelf. gracing the entire room. you were a light i never thought that i'd find. ‘cus i wasn't looking for you
11.
you held me in your arms before i turned into a man. i started learning how to walk before you wanted me to stand. and then you tried to keep your secrets. i always found your cigarettes. and found you weeping in your bedroom over what hadn't happened yet. you said, "it's gonna be alright..." oh, mama, i never knew that the darkness came from you. i've seen you at your weakest. you were too drunk to take us around. but you tried to grab your keys until you finally settled down. that's not the way i want to think of you. these aren't stories i should tell. i can't help but be forgiving. in the end, i guess you raised me well. i think i turned out alright. oh, father, i never knew that the darkness came from you. now i've a child of my own. pretty soon she's turning five. and when i hold her in my arms i'm just glad to be alive. she's seen me weeping in my bedroom. i say that's sometimes what i do. but i want to let it go now, mama, all the dark that came from you. oh, a, i hope that you will let your darkness come to me. let your darkness come to me...
12.
Ellie 03:42
ellie, i've been thinking about the day that we met. on a train home from brooklyn with the stars overhead. the life was pouring out of you, at least that's how it seemed. staring out the window at nothing at all. as we slowed to a crawl...ellie, i've been thinking about the day that you left. standing out on wyngate with the stars overhead. the love was pouring out of you in a curious way. i was staring at the pavement as you told me to go. you said, "everyone knows..." i should have warned you when you let me in. that my heart has layers that shed like old skin. i never was one to ask what could have been. ellie, i've been thinking about the day that we met. and those summers down in brooklyn that i'll never forget. the light was pouring down on you, it put a gleam in your eye. and now i'm staring at the pavement. still with nothing to say about the love that we chased...
13.
Sore Eyes 05:03
she never saw a setting sun, so when one came she thought the world was done. she shut her eyes to count to ten, and when they opened it was time to start again. sleep always came so easily, but suddenly there was nothing left to dream. she never felt a warmth like that, but in the end it was the dark she wanted back. that was all she ever knew. but for a minute there she knew me too. i was empty ‘til that day. ‘cus for a minute there i felt safe
14.

about

In mid 2012, ACCENTS came out of nowhere with an astonishingly mature debut "Growth And Squalor" that bled pure indie rock bliss. Now back as a five-piece, the soon to be heralded Tall Tales (featuring "Hold Me Close") sounds more like their fourth or fifth album together, not a sophomore effort with three new members. Certain to cement the band as far more than a one-genre pony, Tall Tales epitomizes synergy among musicians. Listening to the album is like peering into a complex machine, observing every individual element as it performs it's critical function...all pieces and parts focused towards the same end. Tall Tales offers a diverse set of songs with a wide range of styles, but it's the honesty behind every note, every melody and every lyric that undeniably threads them all together. Whether the tale you're listening to is fact or fiction, one thing that's certain is that it's the absolute, concentrated best of what each of these fine musicians has inside themselves.

"The whole idea behind Tall Tales is looking at the stories we are told as children, and reconciling them with where we end up as adults. When we're kids, we have the entire world in front of us. And these stories give us hope. But our life trajectories often don't align with those imaginary places we dreamt of as children. Our paths may change based on the experiences we have and the people we meet. Although our destinations don't always match what we hoped for as kids, we shouldn't cherish them any less," says lead vocalist TJ Foster. "To me, this album is not about growing up. It is an album about being 'grown-up' and looking back on all of our triumphs and mistakes. It's an album about being at peace with who you are, not wishing you were someone else. What TJ captures so well in his lyrics is that while our destinations are not always what we hoped, it does not make them any less worthwhile" adds guitarist Jordan Stewart. TJ continues, "The trick is figuring out how to balance the lessons we learned as kids with the ones the world itself teaches us. Because when chasing your dreams becomes impossibly difficult or that sense of childlike hopefulness all but disappears, there's still plenty worth finding beauty in. Lyrically, Tall Tales comes from a place of reflection, not anger or resentment. We hope people take a message of positivity from these songs. We all have stories to tell. We all have experiences to share. And they shape us into who we are today. Often times reality is more beautiful than fiction."

Bassist Matt Bent finishes, "Music is one of the very few things that can bring people together from all walks of life to feel something they cannot describe. It's a sense of unity, which today, is not easy to come by. We are constantly reminded of our differences, and are pressured into comparing ourselves to each other in a most unhealthy way. I hope that when people listen to this album, they can find a connection with us, and the songs therein. This album is a reflection of all that Accents stands for and believes in."

"Genre-mashing gold...giving each its moment in the sun. Fascinating." - Indie Clauses

"An indie-folk masterpiece...extraordinarily creative, completely sincere...brilliant." - Heavy Petal

"An undeniably thoughtful and heartfelt album that raises the bar for indie musicians everywhere." - Infectious

Accents is TJ Foster (vocals, guitars, keyboards, ukulele), Benjamin Hemingway (drums, percussion, keyboards, vocals), Lauren Alexander (vocals, cornet), Jordan Stewart (guitar, mandolin) and Matt Bent (bass, vocals). Lauren, Jordan and Matt are now full-time members of Accents. They reside in Albany, NY. Tall Tales was produced by Accents and engineered by TJ Foster and Ben Hemingway at Telegraph Recording (Moving Mountains, Ace Enders, The Audition) in Poughkeepsie, NY during the Fall of 2013. The album was mixed and mastered by Mike Kalajian (The Narrative, Athletics, Moving Mountains). Both TJ and Jordan are members of post-rock outfit and Deep Elm labelmates The Cast Before The Break. Accents (at the time a duo including TJ and Ben) released their debut "Growth And Squalor" on Deep Elm in 2012 and received much critical acclaim including, "One of the best albums of the year [9.5/10]" from Absolute Punk. Band photo by Victor Rodriguez. Cover photo by TJ Foster.

Recommended For Fans of: Mumford & Sons, Papermoons, The Lumineers, Fleet Foxes, Noah And The Whale, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, Bon Iver, Beirut

Genre(s): Indie Rock, Indie Folk

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released March 25, 2014

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Deep Elm Records

With nearly 280 releases in its catalog, fiercely independent Deep Elm Records continues to build a better label - one that operates for glory, not gold. Deep Elm is about bands and fans coming together as one and experiencing music's awesome ability to inspire, comfort and console. We're not just making music together, we're making history. Dream / Create / Record / Release - Now for 27 Years. ... more

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