LAURA STEVENSON
A RECORD

After years of not having a record, Laura Stevenson is bucking the trend that she has set by having a record, Laura Stevenson: A Record. With the Cans at her side, Laura mixes textures, arrangements and harmonies to create a warm and inviting mini-album that will make you smile or crush your soul depending on your current level of sadness. Get after it.

click here for the whole album!

1. Baby Bones
2. The Pretty One
3. Landslide/The Dig
4. Nervous Rex
5. The Source and The Sound (The Sound & The Source)
6. A Shine To It
7. Eleanor
8. Beets Untitled

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License. Laura Stevenson and the Cans are: Aidan Koehler, Alex Billig, Greg Farrell, Mike Campbell, Sean McCabe, Laura Stevenson

engineered by Bryce Hackford, mastered by Rick Johnson, artwork and layout by Jeff Rosenstock, Fall of 2008

Thank you's: All Cans past and present, Bryce and Mike for helping with executive decisions, Jeff Rosenstock and Quote Unquote Records, Rick Johnson Rock and Roll Machine, Jezebel Music, Katie Stevenson, pogs and weed.

Baby Bones
Baby bones are you cold- are you cold? gather up your scattered toes and i will hold you close. baby bones are you cold- are you cold baby bones? a clattering of tones is throwing me off some- and often you're lonesome 'cause awful as it is we all have forgotten not to forget- anything about the way you say it- anything about the way you play it- anything about the way you say it- you say it so hollow- hello.

(LS- guitar, & banjo, Greg- drums, Mike- bass, Alex- trumpet, Sean- trombone, Aidan- violin)

The Pretty One
Caffeine and lack of real sleep- knees deep in gasoline- ask me if i'm afraid to speak- cause my words make heat. which streets the one we meet at? can't keep my feet to the beat of yours- read me from a map of the town and i'll lay my head down. crosswalk- we stop an wait for the light to change us- talk more and compensate for my silence- hands wrapped in hands we're ready- slow down baby- we got the town map handy inside our heads. and i'll lay my head down. meet me at the pretty lights time of day- when the pretty lights give me a pretty face- baby stay with me until we can't see- no more- til we can't see no more- we glowed hard now we're dark for sure- take hold of my arm at the elbow and we'll go -and i'll lay my head down. i'm always almost there.

(LS- banjo, Aidan- violin, Sean- mandolin)

Landslide/The Dig
Rush, rush, rush- went the coal and went the water -past the tufts, tufts, tufts- snapping trees and fingers easy as all- down it comes now prepare yourself the black is gushing- up, up, up- to the windows, curtains, and the cushions- things are getting so untidy. hush, hush, hush- if you scream then everyone will start screaming- numb, numb, numbs- frozen limbs and frozen bottoms hold you- still enough 'til you breathe in three times it will take you- up, up, up- high above your shoes and socks now- things are getting so untidy, things are getting so untidy. broken are the backs of the shovel-bearers- smoking on their breaks cutting conversations to t.v. shows- and places that they long to go- long before the dig began and long before the dig is over.

(LS- guitars, Greg- drums, Mike- bass. Alex- trumpet, Sean- trombone)

Nervous Rex
All the blips of the sinking ships are all sinking in to your skin- and i'm getting older as my hair goes white and i can not light up the dark. and all the violent waves- the violent waves. i haven't left the house in 100 years- and you haven't left yours in 100 hours- and we can't keep our hands out of our own mouths- see the horrible habits we acquire. and all the rawest thumbs- from gnawing on them and rowing hard- you're a nervous wreck- i'm a nervous wreck- you're a nervous wreck. and oh my stomach burns but only at night when the moon is bright- and i have dreams about bears with the reddest mouths but your arms are warm and your legs are wrapped around. and the sound of your heart- the unsteady sound- i will slow it down.

(LS- guitar, Ziggy- cat bell)

The Source and the Sound (The Sound & The Source)
The brokenhearted break their bones up into bread- then ball it up and stuff it in the holes in the sides of their heads. to stop the sound you stop the source- or is it the other way around? to stop the source you stop the sound. my bones are brittle- and i'm a little dry at the joints between them. pushing the choke in my throat down- i told you id go down- but you don't know- you never know. the open hearted make such a mess of themselves. the emptyhanded are pulling all the sparks right out from under their wheels. to stop-to stop- to throw off course- of course i know how easy for all those- who need and take and go. my bones are brittle- and i'm a little tired of sitting and getting fat. we all should close up- if we are sealing up enough- then we are feeling nothing- feeling nothing- feeling nothing.

(LS- guitars, Greg- drums, Mike- omnichord & bass)

A Shine To It
I sold my blood- to a hospital- but it wasn't very much blood so they didn't give me much money- they didn't give me much. i thought that you might like this- because it's got a shine to it- i know you like shiny things so i will try to buy it up for- and drive to you. i posed unclothed- for an artist in his home- but i couldn't hold it long enough and he didn't like my body much so he didn't give me much. i thought that you might like this because it's got a shine to it- i know you like shiny things so i will try to buy it up for you- and drive-

(LS- guitar, Mike- bass)

Eleanor
Standing room- I'm-a-put my legs to use. omnibus-all of us- were standing there in two's and three's.

two- three

(LS)

Beets Untitled
Beets bleed and tables have legs- i boiled up a feast and the table it ran away a bloody mess. i need to stop singing in code- to start ringing true only because true rings only. keep away from me- i am full of terrible things. elbows- elbows and knee-pads- can you believe that- that i still need them? scissors in window-boxes- i buried three pairs- can you see how hard it is? keep away from me- i am full of terrible things. my lazy shape is armed in dirty clothes- my arms are worn and scarred with beauty marks- so they can tell my lazy shape apart from other shapes with hearts and human parts.beware- where i am is where the channels run bare- the canals run bare. and there's much to be scared from- that didn't wash up til everything dried up. keep away from me- i am full of terrible things- but if you love the terrible- then please be near to me.

(LS- guitar & piano, Aidan- violin, Greg- drums, Alex- trumpet, Sean- trombone & mandolin, Mike- bass)