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Whale Hail

by Les Racquet

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    The Whale Hail comes when the rain meets you in Seattle and the fog lifts to reveal the farthest western quest yet quested and the sun sets later than ever and when you look in the mirror and realize somewhere in Wyoming you turned into a gypsy.

    It comes when the red rocks and desert of Albuquerque are illuminated by the blasts of independence day fireworks, and the irony is thick and sharp as a cactus, and the border patrol officers are buying their fireworks from the Mexicans on the side of the road, and at the Indian Reservations, and it’s hard to place value on the gunpowder, let alone a plot of land or a buck.

    It comes when the radiator starts boiling halfway through Sunday in between Houston, about which God and Astros fans forgot long ago, and Austin where there is still hope, and the only option is to point forward and try every mechanic in a 30 mile radius, and when finally a roaming mechanic answers the call, fixes the problem, accepts $20 and a CD for payment, he then calls back fifteen minutes later just to say, “If y’all would have had me listen to your music before I wouldn’t have charged you.”

    The Whale Hail blows in with the cold north east winds that bluster down the streets of Boston in January and create a void in one’s body and soul that can and should only be filled by a thick frothy beer, or a bowl of Chowder, and the more cold you can stand the more you can drink and the more you can drink the more you are chiseled out to be someone who can withstand the cold and drink like a fish... or a whale...

    The Whale Hail hops the J train in Bed Stuy then moans incessantly atop the Williamsburg Bridge and gets off at Delancey street in the Lower East Side, where its moans are quickly engulfed by the cars, beggars and vendors, and the people don’t notice the Whale Hail, because to them whale hail is obvious, and everyone knows about it, and nothing is special, except for them. And they are. As are you.

    The Whale Hail comes when you get onto the western side of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado, and a woman toting a small yield sign points ahead to a flock of sheep sauntering lazily down the highway, and at the helm is a bronco kickin’ spur wearin’ lasso swingin’ good old cowboy, and you drive among them at a snail’s pace, and you make sure to tell the cowboy to keep his sheep under 65 mile per hour.

    The Whale Hail comes down hard in the southeast, where the y’alls distract from the smells of the marshes, and the beach goers soak up the sun and drink their fill, and their values are there own, and above all else, when the moon is right and the energy is enigmatic and the perfect song comes on, the smile on your lips opens up to teeth and tongue and deep from within your bones comes forth the battle cry of the modern crusader
    “Whale Haaaaiiil”
    ... more
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1.
another palm tree night another reckless flight as i reached out to grab the moon landed in the water washed upon the dune, so i’m remaining there between a love and a fear but for the world what can I do? this is not my first time but this is something new you can change the headlines but you cant stop the news you can change the key and the time but you can’t change the blues so when i’m on the fence of some experience and my patience is in short supply remember palm tree mornings and let em ease your mind whoa I could care more just who you voted for but i’ve got bigger fish to fry like does she really love me whoa brother come quickly something you’ve got to see here at the depths of lowest tide an efflorescent lining i think the waters on the rise you can choose your words but you cant choose the truth and you can say his name all you want but you can’t fake the proof and you can’t make it true on another palm tree night another reckless flight as I reached out to grab the water washed upon the dunes
2.
stubborn old man comes to grips with his mortality announces that he’s dying to his stubborn family and returns to the yard the basement and the attic he is following a never-ending trail of yellow post it notes he’s dialing my number on the world’s largest keyboard he paces out and back again the distance of the cord i would get him alone approach him like a son just an upstanding drug user to a potential one Oh motivation is just a thing I need but all alone useless like remembering to breathe i was the only one who would bring the man some weed his khakis high and belted with his teeshirt tucked inside he didn’t speak but he looked at me like “somethings on your mind” a massive swarm of butterflies appeared within that instant i brushed em off i chose my words i revealed the bag of plastic oh finally he spoke to me after what seemed eternity i have always wanted one of these
3.
Queen 05:12
Youre in the favor you’re in the favor of the queen when she wants you and all you have to do is play your part forget your heart she’s got bangs to her eyebrows that match her leather jacket knows just whats right now her word of mouth is twice the normal size her lips are spies then from try it to habit I wasn’t gonna eat it I was just gonna taste it she holds you captive with her social ties open your eyes You’re on her radar a tiny blip upon the screen in her new car and all you have to do is play your part ascend the charts then from try it to habit her cheap approval you have just got to have it I guess that pride is not the only prize open your eyes why this suicide?
4.
Raise me right raise me wrong you are chips off the old block nothing new save a song cut from the same cloth five cents a piece shallow and cheap making copies of your distant memories because all men are derivative Failing fruit is the tree you are never too far from human roots you and me growing we become come in the light of your birthright criticized do I deserve (what would give you the right?) the music i have heard (It's just a fantasy in your mind)? when no chord is pure and they’re awfully hard to learn because all men are derivative of a lone relative then we’re only driving home I crashed into a whole in what I thought I knew, that my love would be the portrait of everything i’d ever heard a chorus sing.
5.
Lady Luck 03:42
6.
potluck wedding for mom and dad we brought whatever we had Shane and Allen are fighting over which one had more to offer we loved you boys the best we can and you have turned into some decent men but why can’t y’all be together for the sake of your beloved mother potluck wedding for mom and dad wheres the love that we were born to have shame and anger are fueling fire which one is the ultimate brother we loved you boys the best we can and you have turned into some decent men but potluck weddings will start the fire mix with money make the flames go higher distant stays have never bothered me just let it be family must i ask to gain your company am i worthy can i provide what you need? ever be unique though same we bleed and same we seed but its your type a personality that i need must i ask to gain your company am i worthy can i provide what you need? ever be unique though same we bleed and same we seed but its your unwavering love with no conditions of just what I need
7.
Wasting Time 03:41
All the fish that swim the sea are wasting time stream to stream and reef to reef they are wasting time red or blue their scales will do for swimming fine all concerns are taught and learned through fishing lines hooked on love you’ll surely waste my time ‘cause after all the alcohol the adderall your southern drawl its clear we’re all just wasting time all the birds that fly the sky are wasting time they’ve got hopes as high as apple pie yet they’re wasting time feathers fall from beaten wings they are left behind strewn about the lower things they are out of mind but if you grow these wings your heart will surely fly cuz even eyes that face the skies without disguise will soon despise the solemn cries that underlies the grand reprise of wasting time we are all wasting time
8.
Devil Girl 03:10
somebody stop me or so help me next time we meet i’ll be gone crazy you see i’ve got this girl that i can’t put down she lit my fire then she backed out the window to give it to another fellow yet i’d sell me soul for just one night i’m gonna leave all my money to the boss at the church in the hopes that sitting shotgun is the cross in my hearse hello to a devil girl her skin was so pale you could see right through it her eyes were red as if she had just flown in a love like hers only bring you down and then oh then she will say something endearing and i am drawn towards i’m fearing i just don’t know which way is down i’m gonna leave this girl you know i’ll move to the next no i can’t afford to play the second best fiddle to a devil girl that is hello, to a devil girl.
9.
Haiku 03:42
Lay with me in blades of grass time slows to stare as it pass you’re filling the space in me i’ll dream of you in my sleep oh then i’ll be back for you wait for me by light of moon promise you that i’ll be back soon hate leaving the ones I love wanting is never enough oh i’ll be back for you Oh ‘cause I like how you’ve over exaggerated what you’re body’s saying and i like how you’ve overcomplicated with your beauty simply stated I have been alive twenty five years and still no one i cannot lie makes me feel the way you do when you turn and say baby i love you i have decided high on it lickity split i’ll be back for you
10.
Zumi 05:23
Pump me up Zumi
11.
Daydreams 05:08
the state of my soul rides on the words you say you woke up and said you wouldn’t waste one more day i think through the cloud thats surrounding me when it is too loud you can’t hear clearly its been sometime since i have seen your face can’t remember if i even did in the first place and i try to recall it all at once i just cannot slow my mind enough so i’ve been inching my way through my own daydreams avoiding their gaze your eyes they stare at me i’m longing to live inside the gates of a city why? ‘cause we all feel this way we’re all lonely but inside the gates no one’s noticing
12.
I thought to sit awhile and meditate the water rippled as i spoke its name and all the birds were spurred to sing inspired only by my whistling I am the angel and devil combined sympathy weds contempt in your mind i promise you it’s logical when taken with a shot of human kind keep that in mind halo and horns they are non-exclusive when retrospect snides look what you did the shine of one pierces the other was you the whole time you and no one else to testify how does it feel? Oh sum it up in words and how do you know? sum it up in words I thought to sit awhile and deviate the water rippled as i spoke its name me the man who snapped the oars yet led the men ashore remains the same I am the same so here i trace the circles round your bed then square myself to take the pain instead i’ll ball it up and cast it through the second story window of my head where i’m led by an inside voice that says...
13.
Amelie 03:57
painfully shy amelie you work in the cafe memory is your tv for love you hope you pray but my dear sweet amelie if you want me you know where to find me my dear sweet amelie are you ready for the troubles that i foresee secret spies are the whitest lies you’re gonna clean up their debris spirits rise in all blind eyes that see your grand marquis but my dear sweet amelie if you want me you know where to find me oh my dear sweet amelie are you ready for the troubles that i foresee come out of your flat come out of your shell your dad wont tell you but you know quite well the time is right to do something for yourself the man on his knees is the man of your dreams he knows the proverbs he’s seen somethings and you can have me anytime you want to
14.
I don’t have it all not yet at least no plot of home no niche or crease but its true you are lovely oh and i am through being ugly i will write myself a love song i can sing my whole way through something that will guide my life incredibly high on high fidelity call myself a man not yet at least all my hidden faults are this mountain range doesn’t take much thought to see i’m strange driving headlong into lonely as i’m chris-crossing the rockies i will forge myself the mantra that will guide me back to you something that will guide my life incredibly high on high fidelity call myself a man not yet at least it’s gonna soar so melodically high on high fidelity waxing poetic not yet at least they don’t have it all those flash made men riding pistols drawn in a mercedes-benz sure they have a view of the ocean and oh they fall asleep like a stoic but they don’t know the secret to life quite like i do something that will...

about

This album was recorded in Savannah GA as a retrospective representation of our first year as a touring band, from the gypsy life style and living out of a suitcase, to the serene moments that remind us of our humanistic spirituality, and for all the celebrations and hardships. We stand up and proclaim, "Whale Hail!"

credits

released February 18, 2013

Recorded at Elevated Basement Studio- Savannah GA
Produced By Les Racquet with Shane Baldwin and Kevin Rose, assisted by Brenden Robertson
Chief Recording Engineer- Shane Baldwin
Chief Mixing Engineer- Kevin Rose
Chief Mastering engineer- Brad Blackwood (Euphonics Mastering)
Album art- Kurtis Schumm (Beard) Lena Barrows (digital editing)

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Les Racquet Brooklyn, New York

Les Racquet is an indie rock power trio with three-part vocal harmonies and virtuosic musicianship. The trio performs songs that peak the interest of learned musicians and mainstream listeners alike.

The group conveys energy and vitality on stage by unleashing bursts of rock n’ roll improv around intimate vocal moments and prides itself on an ability to entertain fans from all backgrounds.
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