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The Meadow

by Bay Bryan

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  • Record/Vinyl + Digital Album

    Limited Edition 12" Vinyl in "Beyond The Meadow" Blue. Pressed on opaque blue vinyl by Dutch company Green Vinyl Records --a more eco-friendly vinyl alternative that uses 60% less energy to produce and sources more sustainable materials in production.

    Includes unlimited streaming of The Meadow via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ships out within 7 days
    edition of 400 

      £20 GBP or more 

     

  • Record/Vinyl + Digital Album

    12" Vinyl Version of The Meadow. Standard opaque black for your classic vibe. Pressed by Dutch company Green Vinyl Records --a more eco-friendly vinyl alternative that uses 60% less energy to produce and sources more sustainable materials in production.

    Includes unlimited streaming of The Meadow via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ships out within 7 days

      £18 GBP or more 

     

1.
Intro 00:41
What will I do Where will I end up Why do I see gold-tinted tomorrows clouding my view
2.
Golden 02:32
I came a runnin’ Out of the woods and into the clearing I pause to catch a breath And to let these eyes adjust to the light I’ve been calling I’ve been waiting For this moment To be where it’s golden Where it’s golden It’s this dream that I had when I was a boy I dreamed I’d find my way to this meadow Where the air is sweet and carefree Where I would have everything that I could ever need Perfect I’ve been calling I’ve been waiting For this moment To be where it’s golden Where it’s golden Where it’s golden Where it’s golden
3.
Meadow 02:52
Simple are the summer winds Blowing over the meadow’s skin Where we could partake in sinful behaviour If you join me for that Join me for that Dreaming of lips pressed just above my collar bone And words whispered in their warm and wanting tone Here now in this meadow all alone But I won’t focus on that Focus on that Basking in this moment so mellow And soaking in this golden yellow Join me in my meadow Where we’ll lie hidden by the grass With the sun shining high and earth beneath our backs Here where lovers bind in passionate behaviour If you’ll join me for that I’m hoping for that Hoping for that Hoping for that
4.
Everything I say will be meaningful or meaningless Depending on the day Depending on whether I can let go Of my sticky shadows Running free and wild As if I was and always will be a flower child Running free running wild To let go Of these sticky shadows Trying to get high Higher than life Higher than wrong Higher than right Higher than low Higher than high Higher than all those All those sticky shadows Oh my Will I live within this meadow til I die Or will I learn to go where the wind blows Leave these sticky shadows Oh my If it were I were a bird I’d fly out high Out above and out beyond the boundary line Of this sticky meadow of mine Trying to get high Higher than life Higher than wrong Higher than right Higher than low Higher than high Higher than all those All those sticky shadows Trying to get high Higher than life Higher than wrong Higher than right Higher than low Higher than high Higher than all those All those sticky shadows Everything I say will be meaningful or meaningless Depending on the day Depending on whether I can let go Of my sticky shadows
5.
Sweet Joan 04:58
Upon this eve Darkened by her grief At a bedside she does weep For laying ill is her lover A human creature now weak Whose lips have grown cold with no strength left to speak And the spells she has tried have failed to succeed And her powers are nearing their peak And as risky as is she’s one move left to play A dance with the gods so that her love may be saved Oh, she’ll do what she must to save her sweet Joan So, out of the cottage Swiftly she goes The bright night is heavy and cold Her green frock that’s tattered Now flaps as she patters Along on her way toward the meadow Oh off she goes Quick like the wind blows Through the trees Escaping the light Of a full-moonlit night and a star-peppered sky Deep in the meadow Lie a circle of stones Surrounding a pit all ablaze And there at the centre Our sorceress tames A wild inconceivable flame She chants as she works With focus and fight Her gaze keenly aimed at the sky With precision she moves Dancing ‘round while she beams And pleads to the gods so that they join in her scheme Oh my gods, she screams, lend me your aid to save my sweet Joan Oh I do know, what risks I am taking to save my sweet love To answer the witch the gods send a gift A handful of stars lower down and join in Oh what a sight this coven of lights All rotating ‘round this fire burning white We sing for you my sweet Joan We dance for you my sweet Joan My Joan, we insist this fatal illness now fly But by conjuring this magic I may die Oh, I always said that you’d be the death of me But neither you nor I will be leaving tonight Joan My love, my soul Don’t go For I’d rather die than live a life alone, without you Oh, I always said that you’d be the death of me But neither you nor I will be leaving tonight
6.
7.
Let Go 03:24
Let go of this lush dream So mild and inviting I know we'll do the right thing When we give it up This spell we keep conjuring And sadistically harbouring It's charm is now floundering Time to give it up All the leaves are turning Oncoming autumn is calling For this fickle heart To give the summer up Take in these surroundings Peaceful yet confounding With no real sense of belonging Time to give it up Be brave and be bold love When you go beyond the meadow For there's more than just sticky shadows Out there in the wood All the leaves are turning Oncoming autumn is calling For this fickle heart To give the summer up Old winter will be looming There where the blue will be blooming And this fickle heart Will try to find another start All the leaves are turning Oncoming autumn is calling For this fickle heart To give the summer up Old winter will be looming There where the blue will be blooming And this fickle heart Will try to find another start Oh this fickle heart Will try to find another start Oh this fickle heart Will try to find another start
8.
Far Away 04:44
I’m a little uncertain And a little afraid This thing I had going It’s slipping away The good times so golden Bewitched me to stay A little bit longer Than I should’ve done But hey, anyway I really will miss this place It’s mild and mellow taste It took me quite an age I will admit to say But I’m finally going Out, Beyond where I’ve kept confined Out beyond this cage of mine And out to where I’m going So far away And oh my, It really did take me so much time To lift this veil up from over my eyes To show me where I’m going So far away Away I’m sick of just hoping To shake the heavy weight Of sitting here ignoring This truth now awake If I don’t leave I won’t leave And I’ll have left it too late So go now I cast myself away Go I really will miss this place It’s mild and mellow taste It took me quite an age I will admit to say But I’m finally going Out, Beyond where I’ve kept confined Out beyond this cage of mine And out to where I’m going So far away And I will hold These memories of golden times The shadow lows and idle highs And I shall take them where I’m going So far away Away We are longing For the truth We are still searching But that’s old news We are dissolving But we will move on Because we are evolving But that’s old news That’s old news Oh sweet meadow you got me Like a puppeteer you pull at my heart strings Oh sweet meadow you got me Who do you think you are Who do we think we are
9.
10.
Standing on the edge with nothing left To do but hold my breath before the final steps Out beyond the meadow away from certainty There’s a life that I seek One that’s seeking me I feel it calling Yet standing on the edge still I wait I watch the grass bathe in the summer sun rays Soaked in golden Oh, I should go Lest I be coaxed by my meadow And back in to this gold I’ve been holding onto Lips pressed on my collar bone Words whispered in their warm and wanting tone These and other reveries in my meadow Spells that I cast to keep me alone Entrapped in golden Oh, it’s time to go Say farewell to my meadow Break free from this endless daydream Where everything is so conveniently Just out of reach Oh, here I go Stepping out of my meadow Breathe in Shed my golden skin And let this new adventure begin Breathe in Shed my golden skin Shed my golden skin My golden skin And let this new adventure begin This new blue adventure Let this new blue adventure Begin...

about

What do you want?
What's holding you back?
What would you have to give up?
What would life look like if you really go for it?
...

I invite you into my day-dream —a comfortably enclosed mountain meadow, soaked by the golden sun of a perfect summer day that will never end... Here you'll find the honest joy that I find in my ongoing reverie, as well as my melancholy and feelings of isolation. You'll also find me in a moment of realisation, where I acknowledge a gut feeling that's been irking me for some time: I no longer belong here. It's what's Beyond The Meadow that calls me forward. What I long for. But I am deeply conflicted and afraid to leave the safety of this golden dream behind. Afraid of what I might lose if I leave. And afraid of what I might lose if I remain.

///
I feel like this album means so many things to me, but one thing in particular seems to be the main one. I’ve really struggled to come to terms with and to fully accept that I am on this earth to be a storyteller, to make music & art, and to perform. It’s been a long and truly painful struggle at times fighting against that critical inner voice that says “who do you think you are? you’re nothing special. you’ll never be as good as…” Stepping beyond the meadow for me means breaking away from my self-limiting world and into the world as we know it, as my full self (all the dark and light shades included), present and wanting to rise to the challenges ahead.

Of course I don't think we will ever be rid of these voices completely. But we can surely try to find a way to dance with them, and to do our best to remain one step ahead. And my gut says that authentic connection with other people plays a massive part of achieving that ongoing task. A commitment to seeing and being seen.

\\\
I can't express to you how grateful I am to share this with you. And to be able to present something I'm so proud of, that has been elevated by the craft and talents of the incredible musicians and creatives I was able to work with along the way.

I hope for you that this album gives you a nudge if you need it. The validation to know that your intuition is worth listening to; and that, in the words of Rumi, "What you seek is also seeking you..."
///

THE MEADOW
1. Intro
2. Golden
3. Meadow
4. Sticky Shadows
5. Sweet Joan
6. Interlude
7. Let Go
8. Far Away
9. The Threshold
10. Beyond the Meadow

\\\

credits

released April 7, 2023

INTRO: Written & Arranged by Bayard Bryan / Bay Bryan: Lead Vocals, Acoustic Guitar / Róisín Ní Dhúill: Viola / Tom Bennett: Live Field Recordings / Recorded at: Airtight Studios, Manchester, England / Engineer: Seadna McPhail / Mixed & Mastered by Zach Kornhauser

GOLDEN: Written & Arranged by Bayard Bryan / Bay Bryan: Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals, Acoustic Guitar, Piano, Synths / Sarah Bennett: Flute / Fraser Langton: Clarinet, Bass Clarinet / Pete Mitchell: Percussion / Sam Vicary: Double Bass, Moog / Róisín Ní Dhúill: Viola / Recorded at: Airtight Studios (Manchester, UK) / Engineer: Seadna McPhail / Mixed & Mastered by Zach Kornhauser

MEADOW: Written by Bayard Bryan / Bay Bryan: Lead Vocals, Acoustic Guitar, Piano, Synths / Pete Mitchell:
Percussion / Sam Vicary: Double Bass, Moog / Recorded at: Airtight Studios (Manchester, UK) / Engineer: Seadna McPhail / Mixed & Mastered by Zach Kornhauser

STICKY SHADOWS: Written & Arranged by Bayard Bryan with Further Arrangement by Fraser Langton / Bay Bryan: Lead Vocals, Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar, Piano, Synths / Fraser Langton: Bass Clarinet / Pete Mitchell: Percussion / Sam Vicary: Double Bass, Moog / Mat Peters: Analog Synth Textures / Recorded at: Airtight Studios (Manchester, UK) / Engineer: Seadna McPhail / Mixed & Mastered by Zach
Kornhauser

SWEET JOAN: Written & Arranged by Bayard Bryan with Further Arrangement by Fraser Langton / Bay Bryan: Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals, Acoustic Guitar, Piano, Synths / Fraser Langton: Clarinet, Bass Clarinet / Pete Mitchell:
Percussion / Sam Vicary: Double Bass / Róisín Ní Dhúill: Viola / Recorded at: Airtight Studios (Manchester, UK) /
Engineer: Seadna McPhail / Mixed & Mastered by Zach
Kornhauser

INTERLUDE: Written & Arranged by Bayard Bryan / Bay Bryan: Guitar, Synths / Fraser Langton: Clarinet / Recorded at: Airtight Studios (Manchester, UK) / Engineer: Seadna McPhail / Mixed & Mastered by Zach Kornhauser

LET GO: Written & Arranged by Bayard Bryan / Bay Bryan: Lead Vocals, Acoustic Guitar, Piano / Sarah Bennett: Flute / Pete Mitchell: Percussion / Sam Vicary: Double Bass, Moog / Claire O'Connor: Trumpet / Recorded at: Airtight Studios (Manchester, UK) / Engineer: Seadna McPhail / Mixed & Mastered by Zach Kornhauser

FAR AWAY: Written & Arranged by Bayard Bryan with
Further Arrangement by Fraser Langton / Bay Bryan: Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals, Acoustic Guitar, Piano, Organ, Synths / Fraser Langton: Clarinet, Body Percussion, Further Arrangement / Pete Mitchell: Percussion / Sam Vicary: Double Bass, Moog / Casey Nimmer: Body Percussion /
Recorded at: Airtight Studios (Manchester, UK) / Engineer: Seadna McPhail / Mixed & Mastered by Zach Kornhauser

THE THRESHOLD: Written & Arranged by Bayard Bryan / Bay Bryan: Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals, Acoustic Guitar, Synths / Fraser Langton: Bass Clarinet / Sarah Bennett: Alto Flute / Róisín Ní Dhúill: Viola / Pete Mitchell: Percussion / Recorded at: Airtight Studios (Manchester, UK) / Engineer: Seadna McPhail / Mixed & Mastered by Zach Kornhauser

BEYOND THE MEADOW: Written & Arranged by Bayard Bryan / Bay Bryan: Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals, Acoustic Guitar, Piano, Synths / Pete Mitchell: Percussion / Fraser Langton: Clarinet, Bass Clarinet / Sam Vicary: Double Bass, Moog / Sarah Bennett: Flute / Róisín Ní Dhúill: Viola / Claire O'Connor: Trumpet / Tom Bennett: Live Field
Recordings / Recorded at: Airtight Studios (Manchester, UK) / Engineer: Seadna McPhail / Mixed & Mastered by Zach
Kornhauser

Album Cover Photograph BRENDAN ASHMORE


Deep Thanks to…Casey Nimmer, Reyna Bryan, Rex & Christina Bryan, Kersti Bryan, Shahara Mattingly, Carolee Miller, Seadna McPhail, Fraser Langton, Sarah Bennett, Roisin Ni Dhuill, Pete Mitchell, Sam Vicary, Keir Stewart, Paul Bytheway, Zach Kornhauser, Claire O'Connor, Andy Miller & his Lonesome Hut in the Rockies, Dan Amboyer, Sophie Griffiths, Heather Collins, Levi Throckmorton, Kathy Mattingly, Dakota Dutcher, Mat Sommers, Jonathan Horvath, Sophie Ammann, Natalie Songer, Julian Wejwar, Ryan Denmark, Scott
Gilmour, Michael Levy, Andreas Wahl, John Pavlou, Ryan Warner, Janet Laird, Penny Denver, Glynn Denver, Kendall Perry, Daniel Herman, Barbara Segal, Marin Toscano,
Pete Mitchell, Matthew Campbell, Sam Leigh, and so many more...

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about

Bay Bryan Manchester, UK

Bay Bryan is a singer/songwriter and performance artist based in Manchester (UK), originally from the Rocky Mountains of Colorado (USA), whose music has been compared to Laura Marling, Sam Lee and Nick Drake.

Bay's current alt-folk concept album 'The Meadow,' released April 7th, 2023.

... more

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