Michael from The Half Rabbits posted this a little while back on their website. Enjoy!
Just as I enjoyed joining the Winchell Riots for Reading and Leeds 2011, I enjoyed joining Tiger Mendoza for a one-off special gig in May. We played the famous Oxford Punt, a special one-off music festival, run by music magazine Nightshift, which annually takes over the city’s music venues for one night only. The venues are then filled with the city’s hottest new bands, with music fans swarming from one venue and band to the next.
Tiger Mendoza is principally the brainchild of Ian De Quadros supplied with guitars from Daniel O’Driscoll and vocals from Helena Markou. Their most recent coup was a great set supporting DJ Shadow at the O2 Academy in Oxford. Some of you will know Ian for the excellent remixes which he did on our recent remix album, ROTATE. It was Ian’s remix of Gasoline which the BBC chose to air back in March. There’ll be more updates on that album soon.
Much of Tiger Mendoza’s music is instrumental but they asked myself and the famous Asher Dust to contribute vocals to their newest songs. I was presented with a wonderful piece of dystopian electronica which sounded like a combination between the Blade Runner and Dr Who soundtracks.
I used some downtime during the recording of our Machine Triumphant EP in London to work out the melody, vocals, and lyrics on a battered old acoustic guitar while the others recorded their parts for the EP with Pat Collier. Pat actually has five recording studios in one old factory, so this gave me plenty of space to work in. I tentatively named the song Prometheus Unbound, which, given that the song is about liberation and freedom, I thought suited the lyrics very well (see below). The others agreed.
The gig at Punt itself was great fun, and took place in the Oxford Cellar on Wednesday 16 May. There was a really great live sound and a wonderful audience. I thought that Asher gave a great performance too, and it was wonderful getting my first ever experience of singing live without playing any instrument.
We’ve already laid Prometheus Unbound down in the studio, complete with mr g on backing vocals. There are still guitar parts to be added before it’s finished, so it’ll still be some time before you’ll be able to hear it. As a kind of taster, here are the lyrics:
—
PROMETHEUS UNBOUND
Gazing from my tower
Inside my iron cage
I long for escape some day
Breaking all the railings
And bending all the bars
I hope that special day is ours
When I’m falling. I’m falling down, down, down, down
It’s between gravity and me. And I won
Now I have clarity
You bring me clarity
You bring it to all around you, I know
All around you, I know
You bring me clarity and take me to reality
We see it in all around us, we know
All around us, we know
Flying from the tower, with my angel wings
I soar above the earth and sing
‘I taste the air and I’ve touched the sun. At long last, I’ve won’
Now I’m climbing. I’m climbing up, up, up, up
Now I have clarity
You bring me clarity
You bring it to all around you, I know
All around you, I know
You bring me clarity and take me to reality
We see it in all around us, we know
All around us, we know
It’s between gravity and me
And I won
It’s between gravity and me
And I won
It’s between gravity and me
And I won
It’s between gravity and me
And I won
I won
—
That’s all for now, but much news coming soon.
Over & out.
-Michael
Cheers Michael! More news on release dates, etc for the song and some other new stuff coming very soon!