I used to bend the will of rivers
and send them flooding into fields
where delicate things grew
I never noticed above dark rain clouds
like bruises in the sky
I kept my eye on the prize
I ground down to the gum milky young teeth at the bit
my whole world was in my room
playing both sides of a Magic game
black vs. green and bootleg Maxell tape of Queen
some wooden animals and lockets of wheat
and a string of garlic hanging from my ceiling
to keep Dracula away
I never saw him anyway
that’s good enough for me
because I’m always wrong before I’m right
supported by 75 fans who also own “Wanting Things Makes You Shittier”
Up there with Joe's best -- it feels like it pulls from every record he's done before while still being completely distinct from any Cymbals record in the way it combines the psychedelia and accessibility with some of the lushest, most ornately arranged music I've heard. Plus the guitars still rock, the solos fucking slap, and the ballads somehow slap just as hard. The narrative based lyrics also hit a sweet spot in Joe's lyricism -- direct but inventive, descriptive and endlessly compelling. Emmanuel Castillo
The L.A. DIY mainstay offers a homespun collection of melodic tunes with occasional forays into noisier territory. Bandcamp Album of the Day Aug 18, 2021
Songs of timeless beauty and power in the mold of Vashti Bunyan and Nick Drake from enigmatic Los Angeles artist Shannon Lay. Bandcamp New & Notable Aug 4, 2017
Shannon Lay put her unique spin on some favorite songs, from Elliott Smith and Vashti Bunyan to Ty Segall and Arthur Russell. Bandcamp New & Notable Mar 16, 2023