We Held On, by Silver Birch

We Held On

by Silver Birch

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Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album
Silver Birch's 2nd Album «We Held On» as CD in a lovely inside-out digiPac with folded booklet containing all lyrics & linernotes.
Cat-Nr.: MWCD028

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1.	We Held On (Extended Version) 07:14	lyrics	buy track
The day the ballroom lights Herald to haunted nights Were dimmed down all the way And when the orchestra Slowed it’s song down to a crawl All dancers stopped mid-stride As a murmur went through the room In the eyes of bride and groom One could see the dread sink in Our days were warm and filled With laughs and love until That dark cloud swallowed us That day our world stood still We held on We held on We held on We held on We held on We held on And when they closed the tombs Everyone hid in their rooms No more chatter in the hallway We let the days pass by Pretended as we don’t mind Pale alright citizens all day Even now after all these years It takes nothing to be close to tears That dark cloud swallowed us The day our world stood still We held on We held on We held on We held on We held on We held on Oh, on We held on We held on We held on We let the days pass by Pretended as we don’t mind Pale alright citizens all day
2.	Gimme Dreams 03:36	lyrics	buy track
Gimme dreams, flood my mind, make me smile Gimme dreams Gimme dreams, find the heart of the night This race it can‘t be won I won‘t miss it that‘s for sure Oh I‘d be ready now But how can one drown out A stream of rocks and bones Let slumber be my cure Gimme dreams, flood my mind, make me smile Gimme dreams Gimme dreams, find the heart of the night Gimme dreams Gimme dreams, gimme dreams Oh I tried to lay low Was tired fighting off Oh I went out and faced How we fail living love I ran, I climbed, I crawled Bounced off the heavy-walled I lay my weary heart Let me just curl up and dream Gimme dreams, flood my mind, make me smile Gimme dreams Gimme dreams, find the heart of the night Gimme dreams Gimme dreams, gimme dreams Oh oh oh Gimme dreams, flood my mind, make me smile Gimme dreams, find the heart of the night
3.	I Didn't Care Enough 04:26	lyrics	buy track
When they met, to split the bounty Between the fortunate and the ambitious I was lying at the river Still drunken by your scent And when it was decided Who gets envy and who gets hate I forgot to show up I was busy missing you While everyone was standing Well in line, to get their share I didn’t care enough I didn’t care enough We were supposed to place our bets Run for cover, yeah join their club But I didn’t care enough I was in love It’s so noisy, everyone’s shouting To scratch their back and then that‘s that Through the maze, I try to remember The sweet sound of your voice While everyone was standing Well in line, to get their share I didn’t care enough I didn’t care enough We were supposed to place our bets Run for cover, yeah join their club But I didn’t care enough I was in love, I was in love I was in love, I was in love And now they‘re trading favors And I am trying to numb my days No one ever taught me How to stomach being In love with life itself
4.	A Pigeon And A Knife 04:21	lyrics	buy track
We put ourselves out there And we can't back it up We are too high to care Savoring low to top The dreamers that are me They lived in secrecy They had to shun the light Faint-hearted as I was All that I knew was flaws How did I fear the night You came into my life A pigeon and a knife While I was lost at sea You dared to rescue me We speak our minds on stage Not afraid to pick a fight And when we miss our cage We're crawling back inside The dreamers that are me They lived in secrecy They had to shun the light Faint-hearted as I was All that I knew was flaws How did I fear the night You came into my life A pigeon and a knife While I was lost at sea You dared to rescue me You came into my life A pigeon and a knife While I was lost at sea You are, you are, you are You're in my life A pigeon and a knife A pigeon and a knife You are, you are You're in my life You you You came into my life
5.	The Trial 04:27	lyrics	buy track
Not my finest hour When I crushed the last brick So that our bonny yet leaning tower Finally gave in You led me out to the coast We dreamed the most blissful gardens But when it mattered the most Faint-hearted, you threw me down the cliff Not your finest hour Oh, oh You set the scene for the trial Let Nietzsche and Jung make your case You’ve got witnesses on record, saying That I‘m the one to blame Yeah I‘m the one to blame I’m the one to blame Oh, oh You cast the crowd and show them how To boo and where to applaud Your private science team They’re working overtime To prove once and for all That I‘m the one To blame, to blame To blame, to blame Uh, uh
6.	Hymn To Myself 05:47	lyrics	buy track
I just told them, I don't like to pray at all Now my only heart belongs to me alone A while I may have to stick around But my mind's already wandering on new grounds I just caught a glimpse behind this scenery Someone put it there but I guess not for me I let them live their lives inside their cardboard walls I dream all scrambled at night But know my way out when I'm awake I do my time here while I Secretly hum a hymn to myself I won't need no fairytales I can handle empty space I'm fine without you simplifying Won't mind being lost from time to time A while I may have to stick around But my mind's already wandering on new grounds I dream all scrambled at night But know my way out when I'm awake I do my time here while I Secretly hum a hymn to myself A while I may have to stick around But my mind's already wandering on new grounds I won't need no fairytales I can handle empty space I'm fine without you simplifying Won't mind, being lost Won't mind, being lost
7.	No Neon 04:45	lyrics	buy track
Time, has ceased to matter long ago Pride, of that I'm sure we used to own Dreams, are just a timid afterglow But I, I still refuse to let them go No neon anywhere As I watch our hearts go numb Strolling through shades of gray No neon It's been long, since someone took a risk in here No one, remembers what it was we did fear Our bodies, they're acting on their own But I, I still refuse to let them go No neon anywhere As I watch our hearts go numb Strolling through shades of gray No neon No neon anywhere Soon enough, it won't be long Our hearts will seize to care No neon First light, high spirits in my every limb Try fight, stifling fear from getting in But I, I'm gonna shake it of And I, I still remember love No neon anywhere Soon enough, it won't be long Our hearts will seize to care No neon
8.	Still The Same 04:50	lyrics	buy track
We heard the stories It was hard to take in How men were capable Being so cold and inhumane But we walk the same floors Bang on the same walls We blame the neighbors And look the other way When they‘re coming for them We breed we go to war Some die some move on We hide and rewrite Entertain and then some And soon we forget It‘s us it’s not them We might seem so modern But we‘re still the same We call them monsters As if they were a different breed Make sure to distinguish Between us humans and the beast But we share the same choice And all we can try Is decide to do right Over and over again And when they‘re coming for them Over and over again We breed we go to war Some die some move on We hide and rewrite Entertain and then some And soon we forget It‘s us it’s not them We might seem so modern But we‘re still the same We‘re still the same oh Oh we‘re still the same
9.	The Guilt Room 04:08	lyrics	buy track
You paint your lips in colors of decay Pass on the honey and go for the mold You punish your hips, let them mourn You don't know why But they have to burn Let them burn Let them burn Let them mourn Hand over hand, misfortune mistakes Betrayed and let down, more reasons to drown And when you've finished yourself, you'll always find Someone else to turn to, endless enemy supply Don’t go to the guilt room I know it’s walls they’re just made up Every hour you spend there, it is lost Don’t go to the guilt room and love me instead Outside these walls The world’s still there There’s honey, there’s mold They do come in pairs Well I’ll have them both
10.	We Held On 04:20	lyrics	buy track
The day the ballroom lights Herald to haunted nights Were dimmed down all the way And when the orchestra Slowed it’s song down to a crawl All dancers stopped mid-stride As a murmur went through the room In the eyes of bride and groom One could see the dread sink in Our days were warm and filled With laughs and love until That dark cloud swallowed us That day our world stood still We held on We held on We held on We held on We held on We held on And when they closed the tombs Everyone hid in their rooms No more chatter in the hallway We let the days pass by Pretended as we don’t mind Pale alright citizens all day Even now after all these years It takes nothing to be close to tears That dark cloud swallowed us The day our world stood still We held on We held on We held on We held on We held on We held on Oh, on We held on We held on We held on We let the days pass by Pretended as we don’t mind

about

One year ago Singer-Songwriter Silver Birch aka Patrick Lerjen released his enchanting debut «Oblivion» and is now consistently continuing his distinct path in the realms of Indie-Folk & Chamber-Pop with the release of a 2nd album, «We Held On».

Again Lerjen proves his flair to write songs that hit the perfect spot between easiness and mystery; we're openly invited to a warm home, but then there's a wealth of hidden mysterious details, that keep us lastingly beguiled and wondering.

As a guitarist, producer and elektronika-enthusiast Lerjen had been listening to and working on vocals of his allies for years. When in 2019 he finally found the courage to go on stage as a singer, he surprised everyone with his soft and warm voice. In his singing he's not afraid to show himself vulnerable and at the same time, unmistakably claims his right to be heard.

Just one step behind the voice, we find the guitar, laying the songs' roots in a gnarly but sensual manner and dappling in lovely melody-gems from time to time. Since teenage-days Lerjen has been cultivating his own vocabulary on the electric guitar and now puts it into the service of his stories; stories of how to live on after calamities (We Held On) or the inspiring magic of new found love (A Pigeon And A Knife). He’s contemplating about the pros and cons of his life-choices (I Didn't Care Enough) or our society's inability to evolve for the better (Still The Same). Although melancholic in nature, there’s always a grain of hope to be found in Silver Birch’s songs.

Another quite influential ingredient to the album’s sound is the Moog-Opus-3, a string/organ/brass-synthesizer from the 1970s on which Lerjen opens up longing and wide Spaces in a loosely played manner. In contrast the dry-punchy drums ( played by Thomas Blanchat ) lash down the songs on the front of the stage.

On stage, the band plays in trio (Patrick Lerjen :: Vocals/Gitarre, Tobi Diggelmann :: Synth, Flo Hufschmid :: Drums) and cultivates a highly communicative playing style by leaving lots of space
Be it album or live; Silver Birch celebrate the art of creating tender intimacy and a yearning vastness with just a bunch of select ingredients, a home where we gladly dwell and muse.

credits

released October 28, 2022

All songs were written by Patrick Lerjen, except Hymn To Myself & No Neon were written by Patrick Lerjen & Helena Danis
All songs mixed & produced by Patrick Lerjen
Recorded by Patrick Lerjen & Pascal Lüthi at Slow Breeder
Mastered by Christoph Utzinger & Patrick Lerjen

Published by Mouthwatering Records

Patrick Lerjen - vocals, guitars, bass, keys & piano
Thomas Blanchat – drums
Tobi Diggelmann – additional keys on Still The Same & The Guilt Room

Also starring are the following synths: Moog Opus 3, DSI Polyevolver,
Korg DW-8000, Korg EX-8000, Korg Poly 800 and Roland JX-3P

Cover design template created by Katharina Reidy (Coboi).
Cover picture by Patrick Lerjen

license

about

Silver Birch Bern, Switzerland

Silver Birch melds the cornerstones of his musical identity to a world of soothing song-lines that evoke names like Ben Howard, J. Tillman or Bon Iver.
In Silver Birch’s songs, slow drums, wavy guitars, and lush 70’s synths & string-machines set the scene in the realms of indie-folk and alternative-rock. ... more

shows

Oct 31

Turnhalle, PROGR

Bern, Switzerland

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