Wasteland 2

Programme Notes

I wrote Wasteland 2 after I discovered an old notebook that contained angst-filled poetry written by my now wife, Lisa, as a teenager. The words really jumped out at me as something that would work well in a musical context. This is one of many poems that I used when writing for my two band albums, I Can See You and Strange Machine.

Wasteland 2 was recorded during the I Can See You sessions but was not included on that album, as it did not complement the other tracks. It was held over to the Strange Machine album and seemed to fit within that context, especially because of the many motoric elements within the piece.

I really enjoy musically exploring the juxtaposition of those loop elements against soaring, drawn-out melodies. It gives me the feeling that we sometimes hate the drudgery of everyday life, but hate is still an emotion with a lot of passion and soul.

– Frank Horvat

Lyrics

My bed’s getting cold as the alarm clock rings
The sun’s shining in with purpose of day
Live, let live and that’s all I’ve got to say
What’s the purpose of a brand new day

How could this happen
Where does time go
To the garbage dumps behind
It’s what I call my wasteland

The purpose, a purpose
I need a purpose
for the time ticks by
As my alarm clock rings
But to shut it out
Would be a sin

How could this happen
Where does time go
Take me away
Take me away from this wasteland