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A Scientific Search

by Erik Ritland

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1.
You can try to deny it Or point to exceptions But they only prove the rule Most of the greats are dead And so is the radio All that's left is to sweep the ashes Rock n' roll is dead But don't be too upset At least we lived to see it pass There's so much going on But nothing to latch onto We barely see our neighborhood "It's so superficial" People always said Now it's finally ringing true Rock n' roll is dead But don't be too upset At least we lived to see it pass You can have your fun Waste your nights away But it will always be a shadow Where there was mystery Is now so plain to me What happened to all the eccentrics? Rock n' roll is dead But don't be too upset At least we lived to see it pass
2.
Fade With Me 03:13
I’m getting so high But I’m lower than the angels And that’s the thought I always regret I confess what I don’t want to consider But it’s best that I don’t forget Fade with me All I have is a lot of wasted time Already spinning in my grave I try to think big And I know I am better Than the sunk cost I can no longer save Fade with me What I think I can say no longer As if I’ve ever had the nerve Put me in chains so I know how it feels To be shot down like I deserve Fade with me
3.
All this old land is worthless now We can’t grow anything The family’s disavowed Now we hear the town’s been overrun Grab your shotgun Things are fading fast We’re out of luck There go the good old boys In the back of a pickup truck The age of the antichrist has only just begun Grab your shotgun I will rot in hell if I shoot first But I can’t see a way out of the coming curse If there is a battle It’s better won Grab your shotgun
4.
She didn't care that much for him But she stuck around Maybe it was boredom or lack of self-respect Or how much she loved that town He wasn't that bad in the past He just put first things last She tried her best to be true And she mostly was He stopped caring as though he never did She stayed with him just because He wasn't that bad in the past He just put first things last On the day that she left He watched one last episode Smiling slightly he sank into his chair And rolled one for the road He wasn't that bad in the past He just put first things last
5.
Jerusalem 02:37
You thought it was bad before In the golden age Now we’re stuck in this real down town The band has left the stage We’re restless And bitter And likely bored We wish into existence what we want to see And if there’s no success like failure Then take a tip from me I fear our end is come Like the poet said Go ask William Blake Raise him from the dead Like magic He’d know us Like Jerusalem We wish into existence what we want to see And if there’s no success like failure Then take a tip from me
6.
Driving Wind 02:34
I’ve got my reasons for taking a different way Ignoring dreary Uptown It’s so far away from me You can’t beat the rain In this driving wind I have been planning But all I do is laugh Tripping on bleak mid-winter I know that they’re after me You can’t beat the rain In this driving wind Let’s take a walk downtown Even if no-one’s there We can sing in the rain And remember what used to be
7.
Sometimes I find Most times I lose But when it matters I will be gone Don't cry It's fine Those were the days But now they're gone It's just a sweet dream That has to end Goodbye to old times They're ours to lose There's a purpose It's in your heart But it will die If you ignore it Watch how your dreams float out of reach We don't have reasons Only excuses Goodbye to old times They're ours to lose
8.
So It Goes 03:45
In another world it was never quite like this All our dreams and fantasies crossed off of the list If we don’t have a choice Why do you still raise your voice? How you’re living doesn’t quite add up So it goes On and on Lessons learned have been withdrawn Trying hard to play it cool Finding God is hard to fool So it goes At this place we are it’s all us vs. them Then again that’s basically where we’ve always been Sometime in the distant past We got somewhere but it didn’t last And now I’m wondering how much time we have So it goes On and on Lessons learned have been withdrawn Trying hard to play it cool Finding God is hard to fool So it goes Those who got it figured out don’t say a word Those who don’t are the most assured I’ve seen visions of a modern world decayed Earth in all its glory will soon be washed away Empty skies point to it best So take it now and leave the rest I’ll be behind you in a haze of smoke and mirrors So it goes On and on Lessons learned have been withdrawn Trying hard to play it cool Finding God is hard to fool So it goes
9.
Take a walk Hear the melody I miss the days I used to see my family There’s a God-shaped hole that nothing seems to fill The more I take the medicine the more that I get ill The past is never dead It isn’t even past Haunting us at every turn Don’t slow down Don’t oversleep We’re wasting time and that stuff ain’t cheap The old playground where we all used to go Is still alive today with all the ghosts of long ago The past is never dead It isn’t even past Haunting us at every turn Don’t think Look instead Life is bigger than the books you haven’t read The old churchyard that we pass along the way Its grass gets greener the more we turn away The past is never dead It isn’t even past Haunting us at every turn
10.
This is the golden age At least while it lasts So I’ll say the ancient words As I raise my glass To the pure life The world is upside down Like it’s always been I just shake my head And raise my glass again To the pure life Here’s one for the old times That we had And for all the cowboys They weren’t so bad Time is not our friend All things fade away We have time for one more round I can hear the old men say To the pure life
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about

The rock n' roll event of 2020. 10 new songs. Provocative lyrics. Erik Ritland like you've never heard him before.

The musically diverse album includes atmospheric indie rock, Beatle-esque pop/rock, plaintive acoustic folk rock, riffy punk, and country-tinged Americana.

Praise for A Scientific Search:

"The perfect soundtrack for the madness that is 2020 - there's an intriguing mix of hope and despondency on this album, punctuated by aching guitars and thoughtful lyrics... full of rousing rockers (such as, ironically, "Rock N Roll is Dead") alongside contemplative/introspective gems like "First Things Last"...there is a LOT of real substance and honesty here to dig into, and you would be well-advised to check it out for yourself. You might just discover that Erik Ritland is one of your favorite new singer-songwriters."​
- Dan Israel, award winning songwriter

"The songs are catchy and smart, making you tap your toe and bob your head. They leave you feeling smarter and more informed when the song is over, the lyrics resonating as does the beat. A wonderful work of art."
- Mike Coenen, author of Apocalypse of Marlon Brando

credits

released August 16, 2020

Produced by Erik Ritland and Marshall Nystrom
Engineered by Erik Ritland and Marshall Nystrom
Mixed by Marshall Nystrom

Erik Ritland: acoustic and electric guitars, slide guitar, bass, drums, percussion, vocals
Marshall Nystrom: electric guitar on "Fade With Me," "Jerusalem," and "Driving Wind," bass on "Jerusalem."

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Erik Ritland Saint Paul

One of the last great American songwriters in the tradition of Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, William James, G.K. Chesterton, Jeff Tweedy, and Jim Varney.

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