FCC CLEAN CANCON: 100% EP: BRIGHTER LIGHT UPC: 198004911368 Genre: Electro Pop Artist: Benjamin Russell and Rob Stuart Record Label: TCBE Records Release Date: December 6, 2023
MUSIC: Benjamin Russell and Rob Stuart LYRICS:Elyce and Benjamin Russell VOCALS: Benjamin Russell PRODUCED AND MIXED: Rob Stuart VIDEOS: Elyce & Benjamin Russell
INFLUENCES/SOUNDS LIKE: Depeche Mode Peter Gabriel Massive Attack David Bowie Brian Eno
THE EP These guys have been cooking with grease this year! Benjamin Russell and Rob Stuart began the year with their debut album, SOMETHING IN F MINOR, then Russell released a solo album, FRONTIER, while Stuart was hard at work with his band, Slave to the SQUAREwave, putting on live shows and recording new material with the band. Somehow, Russell and Stuart managed to write and record another EP, all in 2023.
Ironically, BRIGHTER LIGHT is darker, mostly downtempo, chill, trance, with the exception of the title track which is more alternative dance. Electronic, the 4-song EP has washes of synths and samplers supporting, embracing and lifting the vocals into a territory Russell and Stuart have refined into their own sound.
Multilayered meanings reflect on life and the nature of reality, with hope for what comes next.
01 - BRIGHTER LIGHT ISRC: - CARI82300035 Written by Elyce and Benjamin Russell and Rob Stuart
LYRICS
BRIGHTER LIGHT - lyrics by Elyce and Benjamin Russell
Rising up above my body Rising up above my body
Tunnel vision It's not a straight line To the light at the end Will you be waiting, my friend?
What is the wave that I ride? Leaving the rest of me behind? Bending light around the graviton Until I reach the final destination
Rising above The body down there It fit me like a glove Is this the end of our love?
What is the wave that I ride? Leaving the rest of me behind? Bending light around the graviton Until I reach the final destination
The light at the end Who will be waiting to take me home? Will I go alone? Or will you be waiting? In the light The bright bright light The brighter light The brighter light The brighter light is you
What is the wave that I ride? Leaving the rest of me behind? Bending light around the graviton Until I reach the final destination
The brighter light is waiting The brighter light
ABOUT The eternal question - what happens when we're done with this body? Some have crossed over and come back to tell of a BRIGHTER LIGHT at the end of the tunnel.
Will someone be waiting to welcome you? You'll certainly be going in style with this 130bpm Electronic Alternative Dance song which kicks off the 4 song EP.
02 - DON'T LEAVE ME BEHIND ISRC: CARI82300002 Written by Elyce and Benjamin Russell and Rob Stuart
LYRICS
DON'T LEAVE ME BEHIND - lyrics by Elyce and Benjamin Russell
I'm seeing things When I close my eyes What I'm saying is I begin to fantasize
You're there with me but not there with me You know what I mean You're not living the dream Don't leave me behind
Why do I run Sometimes away from you? When we are close It's the best I ever knew You're there with me but not there with me don't leave me behind Where you going in your mind?
I remember the first time When I became aware In a crowded room I made my great escape You came and joined me on the stair We began to share It was wonderful, kind of magical We can get back there If you let me join your fantasy Just open your eyes See me And don't leave me behind
ABOUT Gearing down to mid tempo, DON'T LEAVE ME BEHIND discovers that escaping into a fantasy is not as good as the real life we already have. Be careful not to lose it!
03 - DRIVING HOLLOW ISRC: CARI82300033 Written by Elyce and Benjamin Russell and Rob Stuart
LYRICS
DRIVING HOLLOW - lyrics by Elyce and Benjamin Russell
I'm going through the motions Swimming in the mist There might have been a turn back there That I might have missed
I'm stopped here at the corner Of Heartache and Pain Scanning for Happiness It's the street with no name
Switching on, checking out Dashcam, GPS Nothing helps
In a funk, bear it out Driving round, in my car Driving hollow
I'm going through the motions But this fog's so thick Could be hiding anything Playing me a trick
This moment feels too late I can't feel you there Losing my happiness I'm so sorry I swear
Just these little sparks In the thick grey soup Little lightning flashes Fireflies in the city In this city
Switching on, checking out... (chorus x2)
ABOUT Downshifting into a misty cityscape, DRIVING HOLLOW paints a grooving impressionistic picture of what can happen when you take a wrong turn in your most important relationship.
04 - ELEGANT MIRAGE ISRC: CARI82300034 Written by Elyce and Benjamin Russell and Rob Stuart
LYRICS
ELEGANT MIRAGE - lyrics by Elyce and Benjamin Russell
Hollow, phoney - what a fraud Pretending, a facade Egos rise to the top Things are breaking down Pressure non stop Brotherhood What happened to the good?
Let's dance on the bones of this elegant mirage
I'm so tired of the lies False prophets, all the guys With their smiles and smirks Things are breaking down And nothing works As it should What happened to the good?
Fake it untill you make it Make it, make it, make it Stop
Chorus...
Now it's all just goodbyes Quiet quitting, no one tries Without a backward glance Things are breaking down And no one thinks There's a chance Now who will take a stance?
Outro Let's dance on the bones of this elegant mirage
ABOUT Fake news is old news. What do you need to watch out for now? The fakes are getting more and more sophisticated. Can you tell what's real? Elegiac, the track takes you on a slow dance through the phoneys and illusions that distract you from reality. Will you resign from this mortal coil, or will you dance on the bones of this ELEGANT MIRAGE?
Lyrics
Subtitle
Brighter Light lyrics by Elyce and Benjamin Russell
Rising up above my body Rising up above my body
Tunnel vision It's not a straight line To the light at the end Will you be waiting, my friend?
What is the wave that I ride? Leaving the rest of me behind? Bending light around the graviton Until I reach the final destination
Rising above The body down there It fit me like a glove Is this the end of our love?
What is the wave that I ride? Leaving the rest of me behind? Bending light around the graviton Until I reach the final destination
The light at the end Who will be waiting to take me home? Will I go alone? Or will you be waiting? In the light The bright bright light The brighter light The brighter light The brighter light is you
What is the wave that I ride? Leaving the rest of me behind? Bending light around the graviton Until I reach the final destination
The brighter light is waiting The brighter light
Don't Leave Me Behind lyrics by Elyce and Benjamin Russell
I'm seeing things When I close my eyes What I'm saying is I begin to fantasize
You're there with me but not there with me You know what I mean You're not living the dream Don't leave me behind
Why do I run Sometimes away from you? When we are close It's the best I ever knew You're there with me but not there with me don't leave me behind Where you going in your mind?
I remember the first time When I became aware In a crowded room I made my great escape You came and joined me on the stair We began to share It was wonderful, kind of magical We can get back there If you let me join your fantasy Just open your eyes See me And don't leave me behind
Driving Hollow lyrics by Elyce and Benjamin Russell
I'm going through the motions Swimming in the mist There might have been a turn back there That I might have missed
I'm stopped here at the corner Of Heartache and Pain Scanning for Happiness It's the street with no name
Switching on, checking out Dashcam, GPS Nothing helps
In a funk, bear it out Driving round, in my car Driving hollow
I'm going through the motions But this fog's so thick Could be hiding anything Playing me a trick
This moment feels too late I can't feel you there Losing my happiness I'm so sorry I swear
Just these little sparks In the thick grey soup Little lightning flashes Fireflies in the city In this city
Switching on, checking out... (chorus x2)
Elegant Mirage lyrics by Elyce and Benjamin Russell
Hollow, phoney - what a fraud Pretending, a facade Egos rise to the top Things are breaking down Pressure non stop Brotherhood What happened to the good?
Let's dance on the bones of this elegant mirage
I'm so tired of the lies False prophets, all the guys With their smiles and smirks Things are breaking down And nothing works As it should What happened to the good?
Fake it untill you make it Make it, make it, make it Stop
Chorus...
Now it's all just goodbyes Quiet quitting, no one tries Without a backward glance Things are breaking down And no one thinks There's a chance Now who will take a stance?
Outro Let's dance on the bones of this elegant mirage