01. paper crane
02. you can't go wrong
03. devil at our heels
04. patient lover
05. wings on the line

:: cover art (in PDF format) ::


A brief introduction to Jamie Barnes (largely inspired by the one on the Silber media website):

Barnes’ strengths lie in simple, hooky, lo-fi bedroom pop gems. His delivery is beautifully understated and even optimistic as he sings poignant autumnal folk songs that recall failed attempts at unrealistic plans.

His songs are close to the subtle musings of Nick Drake, Secret Stars, Rivulets or Field Mice. A classical folk touch with intimate sensitivity and fragile refreshing emotions.

The Fallen Acrobat, Barnes's Silber debut, was recorded over the course of one year in Barnes’s bedroom (like all personal records should be). Here Jamie manages to capture the intimacy of home in his songs, working not only with solo instrumentation, but with a diverse blend of elements like toy piano, xylophone, and basically “all the cool stuff from around the house.”

Jamie's second album Honey from the Ribcage shows his songs becoming more orchestrated & more personal. The lyrical content focuses around personal fears, feelings, & events. It’s an offering of americana bedroom pop. While guitar & vocals remain the focus; banjo, keyboards, glockenspiel, melodica, sitar, tabla, ocarina, music box, & drums fill the mix.

‘The paper crane ep’ is his third release. Following the esthetical lines and policies Sundays in Spring, which made the netlabel so particular, it’s a chance to discover a more dreamy, intimate and introvert side of Jamie Barnes. From the first note to the last echo, you’ll enter his very personal world. The quality of songwriting and production is excellent; Acuarela should have released this ep instead of us. These five songs propel you in a state of warm melancholic bliss you won’t leave unless forced by external affairs. And you’ll remember the melody and graceful sadness of ‘devil at our heels’ for the rest of your life.

All songs and instrumentation
By J. Barnes
Produced by Keith Miller & J Barnes in Louisville, Kentucky (USA)
www.jamiebarnes.net

Lyrics for the Paper Crane EP by Jamie Barnes for "Sundays In Spring"
All lyrics by J.Barnes

1. Paper Crane

When I folded both my wings down
It's only 'cause it felt right
I felt compelled to let the world go
Only 'cause it felt right
I had to lick my fingers clean
Smashed in the gears of the God-machine
As the days roll. As the days roll

Why you gotta reach so high? It's all down here
Why you gotta reach so high? It's all down here

I had my hands inside the problem
But nothing ever felt right
And I could have all the angles figured out
But nothing ever felt right
Guilt like a winters day
You gotta shovel off the driveway
As the days roll. As the days roll.

Why you gotta reach so high? It's all down here.
Why you gotta reach so high? It's all down here.

As thin as a paper crane laying face down in a storm drain
As the days roll. As the days roll.

2. You Can't Go Wrong

It was uncertainty that left you desperate and tired
Like a soldier without fingers in the line of fire
Oh no baby, Oh no baby it's too soon to retire
But if the good Lord is on your side
Then you can't go wrong

You had been longing to breathe the Pacific into your chest
And to sell all our things for the cash to make the drive out west
Oh no baby, Oh no baby it's not easy to leave
But if your heart is pinned to your sleeve
Then you can't go wrong.

We'll have to see what's up ahead, come tragedy and famined land
We'll have to see what's up ahead, come tragedy and famined land
I don't know if I can take the risk. I don't know.

You had been longing and I had been longing.

3. Devil At Your Heels ( Daylight At Your Toes)

You're on the run from the moment you stop dreaming
With the devil at your heels.
Now you feel more capable of heartbreak
With the daylight at your toes.

You wear the marks of his death in your body
With the devil at your heels.
And while your wheels are spinning in the snow
You have daylight at your toes.

But there it goes, leaking through the holes and the punctures in your palm.
It was a Christmas filled with hospital bills but little daylight.

You're reaching out for the foolish gift that dangles
With the devil at your heels.
And you can feel it taking shape in your arms now
With the daylight at your toes.

But then it goes, beaming through the walls and in the eyes of all the ones around you.
It was a Christmas filled with hospital bills but little daylight.

4. Patient Lover Be

Don't love me until you see the whites of my eyes
They're so cloudy and red, it may take a while

Lie and wait. Anticipate.
Lie and wait. Anticipate.

If there ever was a threat to me
If there ever was a hope
If there ever was an open end
It was you.

5. Wings on the Line

When my help finally arrives from Heaven
Every bell in the world will be ringing
There are wings on the line if I'm done healing
It makes if more worth while to dress these wounds up in style