The Red Brain, by Wax Mannequin

The Red Brain

by Wax Mannequin

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Wax Mannequin - The Red Brain - Album Guide

The Red Brain begins with “The Obelisk,” as Adeney’s deep, inviting voice is trailed by the steady strum of a guitar, jangling riffs, and the warm glow of an organ. Struggling with a Brian Wilson-esque feeling of not being made for the times, he sings about how “we turn a blind eye to looming existential threats in order to maintain chaotic, quasi-functional
domesticity.” In its choruses, the song travels to a far-distant future where obelisks are constructed to laugh at humanity’s plights, highlighting Wax Mannequin’s fantastical, sci-fi world building.

”Wrong About You” is inspired by Adeney’s experiences as a student and elementary school teacher of language, arts, and drama. Barreling ahead with a soaring guitar solo, triumphant piano melody, and chorus of multi-tracked vocals, he turns his focus onto a student that is alienated for not appearing to thrive. Yet once the child returns home, they are able
to deftly model the consciousness of those around them using metal wires found on the floor. “Sick Boy” (originally written by Raghu Lokanathan) completes this thematic trifecta with Adeney’s additional lyrics about “kids, classrooms, and noticing our mistakes a bit too late.”

The album embraces a wide range of stylistic forms with the stately strings of “The Red Brain” colliding with the corrosive folk of “Even Then,” where Wax Mannequin sounds like Neutral Milk Hotel with an extra dose of psychedelic fuzz. “Reasons We Came” turns its spotlight on the tumbling drum fills of percussionist Bradford Lambert, as its rhythmically
chanted lyrics discuss the action and energy needed during times of transition, warning how blind optimism can cloud our vision. “Love Is A Hunter” is Adeney’s dramatic cover of a song by Coax Records founder Rae Spoon, while “Things to Do With Rage” reworks an empowering anthem about channelling frustration into constructive acts of creativity, originally appearing on Wax Mannequin’s debut album 23 years ago.

“Not The Worst It Gets” drops Adeney’s electronically processed vocals into a sparse pool of echoing pianos and subaquatic beats. While closing the album with a message of hope, it maintains the melancholy realism at the heart of his lyrics. “For me, the end of a depressive cycle is tranquillity,” he says. “Concepts that were incredibly burdensome become
objects you can set down and contemplate before they pass into dust.” Yet in moments like these when we are bogged down by our own problems, he reminds us how easy it is to ignore the challenges of everyone else around us. “There’s a peaceful numbness at the end of that turmoil,” says Adeney. “Eventually you deny your own pain and the pain of others,
so there’s a bitter tranquillity in that.”

- Jesse Locke

Includes unlimited streaming of The Red Brain via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more. ... more

ships out within 5 days

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Record/Vinyl + Digital Album
Wax Mannequin - The Red Brain - Album Guide

The Red Brain begins with “The Obelisk,” as Adeney’s deep, inviting voice is trailed by the steady strum of a guitar, jangling riffs, and the warm glow of an organ. Struggling with a Brian Wilson-esque feeling of not being made for the times, he sings about how “we turn a blind eye to looming existential threats in order to maintain chaotic, quasi-functional
domesticity.” In its choruses, the song travels to a far-distant future where obelisks are constructed to laugh at humanity’s plights, highlighting Wax Mannequin’s fantastical, sci-fi world building.

”Wrong About You” is inspired by Adeney’s experiences as a student and elementary school teacher of language, arts, and drama. Barreling ahead with a soaring guitar solo, triumphant piano melody, and chorus of multi-tracked vocals, he turns his focus onto a student that is alienated for not appearing to thrive. Yet once the child returns home, they are able
to deftly model the consciousness of those around them using metal wires found on the floor. “Sick Boy” (originally written by Raghu Lokanathan) completes this thematic trifecta with Adeney’s additional lyrics about “kids, classrooms, and noticing our mistakes a bit too late.”

The album embraces a wide range of stylistic forms with the stately strings of “The Red Brain” colliding with the corrosive folk of “Even Then,” where Wax Mannequin sounds like Neutral Milk Hotel with an extra dose of psychedelic fuzz. “Reasons We Came” turns its spotlight on the tumbling drum fills of percussionist Bradford Lambert, as its rhythmically
chanted lyrics discuss the action and energy needed during times of transition, warning how blind optimism can cloud our vision. “Love Is A Hunter” is Adeney’s dramatic cover of a song by Coax Records founder Rae Spoon, while “Things to Do With Rage” reworks an empowering anthem about channelling frustration into constructive acts of creativity, originally appearing on Wax Mannequin’s debut album 23 years ago.

“Not The Worst It Gets” drops Adeney’s electronically processed vocals into a sparse pool of echoing pianos and subaquatic beats. While closing the album with a message of hope, it maintains the melancholy realism at the heart of his lyrics. “For me, the end of a depressive cycle is tranquillity,” he says. “Concepts that were incredibly burdensome become
objects you can set down and contemplate before they pass into dust.” Yet in moments like these when we are bogged down by our own problems, he reminds us how easy it is to ignore the challenges of everyone else around us. “There’s a peaceful numbness at the end of that turmoil,” says Adeney. “Eventually you deny your own pain and the pain of others,
so there’s a bitter tranquillity in that.”

- Jesse Locke

Includes unlimited streaming of The Red Brain via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more. ... more

ships out within 5 days

$25 CAD or more
Full Digital Discography

10

releases

Get all 10 Wax Mannequin releases available on Bandcamp and save 15%.

Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of The Red Brain, The Obelisk (single version), No One Ever Dies (Free Download), Have A New Name, No Safe Home, Saxon, Orchard & Ire, The Price, and 2 more. , and , .

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1.	The Obelisk 04:48	lyrics	buy track
THE OBELISK Out in the world you’ve got to dance it all the time, most of the time Otherwise, you’re super rude and ostracized, you're ostracized How the world you supposed to dance it all the time, all the time? When you got heavy metal guts Will crush a lot of toes What do you do? You say we’re the last alive I say that the seeds and beasts survive I say that the least of these will writhe And suffer ‘till they die Oh, you and I Should leave a garden where the seeds can rise Mark it with an obelisk to remind them of All the stuff we tried Go about your life where streams of metal wine forever flow Blow apart our home to find a ruby hid amid the stone Baby, shut the blinds those pools of scary blood grow, grow and grow Throw out all the plastic arms and legs The kids have strewn Around the cellar floor You say we’re the last alive I say that the seeds and beasts survive I say that the best of these will thrive They’ll fight until they fly Oh, you and I Should leave a message for the beasts to find Mark it with an obelisk to remind them of Something from our lives You say we’re the last alive I say that the seeds and beasts survive I say that the best of these will rise And build into the sky Oh, you and I Should leave a message for the Queen to find Sing it to the tempest, she’ll combine All the stuff we tried And exactly how we died
2.	Even Then 03:16	lyrics	buy track
EVEN THEN We’re fine for now I can’t imagine how There’ll be times when we won’t be Some what you’ve heard Some all of what I’ve seen No one tells all it could mean Even then… I know your song It’s a peace in my skin Oh, a piece of my dry skin Always been I never can explain What your song means in me Surprise Your body else could hear Where they’ve been just where you been Even then… These shows still mean more than they ever have They legislate us back I got your back Oh, they cut away Or in pieces of a human face Put your slices back Place them in my messy shack Or the mantle of my bad bed My bad bed, my bad bed Even then… Even then when no one listens to your song Or can sing at all… I can sing Even then
3.	Sick Boy 02:35	lyrics	buy track
SICK BOY One kid threw up in the classroom While the other kids were laughing The sick boy’s face got all twisted As he spun around and yelled it ain’t funny But I guess that the rest of us thought it was Yeah, I guess that the rest of us thought it was First, they murdered the teacher Next, they butchered the lesson And then they chewed up the language And last, they swallowed the world This one kid threw open the shutters While the other kids lay gasping The window kid said, “We should leave here And escape the choking fumes together!” But I guess that the rest of us chose to stay Yeah First, they’ll cut down a mountain Next, they’ll churn the wide ocean And then they’ll brew up a poison And last, last they’ll probably learn First, they cut down a mountain Next, they churned the wide ocean And then they brewed up a poison At last, they were ready to learn At last, they were ready to learn At last, we were ready to learn We were ready to learn
4.	Things To Do With Rage 04:53	lyrics	buy track
THINGS TO DO WITH RAGE There’s a lot you can do with rage There’s a lot you can do with rage Take it, make it like a game A small puzzle or toy train Where the engineer has got Breezy eyes, all glowing Many things I have done with rage Never once has it ever shone bright blue and phosphorus There’s a guy inside he keeps it low And then he takes it in himself There’s a lot you can do with rage There’s a lot you can do with rage Take it, make it burn below Like a furnace or some fuel There the maintenance man Will keep it crystalline cool Many things I have done with rage Never once has it ever shone bright blue That guy inside, he keeps it low And then he takes it in himself There’s a lot you can do with rage There’s a lot you can do with rage Take it, make a few new things With old scraps and some used springs You can build a small machine You can build a factory or two Many things I have done with rage Never once has it ever shone bright blue There’s a guy inside he keeps it low And then he takes it in himself
5.	Love Is A Hunter 02:45	lyrics	buy track
LOVE IS A HUNTER You won’t see it until it’s too late Rolling from you in some unnamed way Love is a hunter Love is a hunter Love is a hunter, it’s coming for you I never told you But it burned me every day I didn’t want to risk my imaginary place Love is a hunter Love is a hunter Love is a hunter, it’s coming for you If meaning is nothing There’s an ocean of nothing between us Everyone can see it even if you don’t Love is a hunter Love is a hunter Love is a hunter And it’s Coming for you
6.	Reasons 04:04	lyrics	buy track
REASONS Reason your way Out of the cellar Reason my way Down to the river Reason our way We can remember Reason we came Stick it together That’s the reason you came With a devil on your back Suspicion and blame You’ll be serving your purpose Shelter and shame Cradle what you lack Here we remain In the spirit of service Reason a way Out of the cellar Reason a way Down to the river Reason away We will remember Reason we came Stick it together Bloody red sun Every hundred thousand nights Sleep of reason There’s a split in the sidewalk Citizen sound Synchronize our might Shaking that sound We will wake the leviathan Reason a way Out of the shadow Reason away Down with the tower Reason a way We will remember Reason we came Truth up to power
7.	Wrong About You 02:49	lyrics	buy track
WRONG ABOUT YOU Saw the teacher come And the teacher say Put your hands away Spin them down below You spin all the patterns and pictures We speak with into your bones Another warning buzz Through the fire horn Keep your hands away Where’d your body go There’s a moment to bury your head where your lap Should be sway to and fro, to and fro I was wrong about you, I was wrong about you There’s a message in tinsels and glue Kid, I was wrong about you I was wrong about you, I was wrong about you There’s a second our intellect touched Kid, they were wrong about… In a silent home There’s a model set Something that you own Crystal statuette There are noises you make in the cellar you clatter your metal things See the lattice work That’s your consciousness See it everywhere That’s the point of it Careful placement of trinkets and oddities shine And align with a sacred geometry I was wrong about you, I was wrong about you There’s an intricate thing you do Kid, I was wrong about you I was wrong about you, I was wrong about you Got a reason for this calculus Kid they were wrong about… In the model home There’s a model set Something that you own Crystal statuette There’s are noises you make in the cellar You clatter your metal things See the lattice work That’s your consciousness See it everywhere That’s the point of this Careful placement of trinkets and oddities shine And align with a sacred geometry I was wrong about you, I was wrong about you There’s an intricate thing that you do Kid, I was wrong about you I was wrong about you, I was wrong about you Got a reason for this calculus Kid, they were wrong about us
8.	Red Brain 07:25	lyrics	buy track
RED BRAIN At last you got back home As the car broke down In the cold Noone came around to greet you Or help But a Red Mind Through the clouds above you Hovered in the night sky then Swirled around Around, around Speaking thought to thought That shining brain told you stuff Said your friends and folks and everyone Were gone All compressed down into tiny seeds now dorment for the winter time but the spring comes Whoah whoah…. Which ones will you water first? Which ones will you leave to die? Which ones will corrupt the earth The plant ones Or the weedy ones? Red Brain gonna scorch the earth Red Brain will consume the sky Red Brain way before your birth Made you like your mother did This one took a wizard curse This one gave a stifled cry This one tries to 'scape to run and hide Speaking mind to mind That fuckin’ brain gave you stuff Like a bunch of seeds and plant food…and juice But as the spring comes So, so many souls need planting You got one chance to make it But you got things to decide... Like Which ones will you water first? Which ones will you leave to die? Which ones will corrupt the earth The plant ones Or the weedy ones? Which ones would you keep up caged? Which ones would you set to fly? Which ones would you bake & save The fat ones Or the meaty ones? Red Brain gonna scorch the earth Red Brain will corrupt the sky Red Brain way before your birth It made you like your daddy did This one gives a wizard curse This one gives a stifled cry This one tries to 'scape and run and hide Someone's honest work is someone else's lethargy Brambles wrapped around and scrambled Your mind It's hard to know just what they want from you And who to trust There is so much silent language gets lost But that Red Brain Gonna keep a channel open Gonna make all your decisions So just lay back And let it go (Take it slow) Red Brain gonna scorch the earth Red Brain will consume the sky Red Brain here before birth It made you like your daddy did Which ones will you water first? Which ones will you leave to die? Which ones will corrupt the earth The plant ones Or the weedy ones? Red Brain gonna scorch the earth Red Brain will corrupt the sky Red Brain way before your birth It made you like your mother did Which ones will you keep up caged? Which ones will you set to fly? Which ones will you bake & save The cut ones Or the meaty ones…
9.	Not The Worst It Gets 05:57	lyrics	buy track
NOT THE WORST IT GETS This is not the worst it gets Yukon sun rose up a bit On an icy copper track It already seems about to set But at least you got a look Just hang on that I'd hang on that Not the worst it gets Did not mean to turn my back This is not the worst it gets Scrambled up an icy track Determined to be fine Never noticed there were other ones Wouldn't make it back time They'll be alright Maybe they’ll be alright This is not the worst it gets Fold you palms into a map Not the worst it gets Found the key beneath the mat Same old house strewn with trash The power's out; the wood is ash You can pass out on my couch This is not the worst it gets Blocked the door secured the latch Not the worst it gets You can hear the howls and fingers scratch When morning comes at last The quiet's louder than the crash You can ring it in your mind Or let it die Just let it die This is not the worst it gets Follow where your money went Not the worst it gets Buried deep or gone and spent On the guilty days in bed Down the pills and all that cognac All that borrowed stuff you wrecked You'll give it back I'd give it back This is not the worst it gets Quietly you've been calling it Not the worst it gets Cellar safe room lights a crack Cause you've done half of the work And the witching hours are getting short Maybe you will forget You're not alright I wouldn't be Alright This is not the worst it gets An understated jubilance Not the worst it gets A long forgiven moral debt A white moon circles round An implied or an imagined sound Echoes every form Notice this

about

Wax Mannequin The Red Brain Album Guide

The Red Brain begins with “The Obelisk,” as Adeney’s deep, inviting voice is trailed by the steady strum of a guitar, jangling riffs, and the warm glow of an organ. Struggling with a Brian Wilson-esque feeling of not being made for the times, he sings about how “we turn a blind eye to looming existential threats in order to maintain chaotic, quasi-functional domesticity.” In its choruses, the song travels to a far-distant future where obelisks are constructed to laugh at humanity’s
plights, highlighting Wax Mannequin’s fantastical, sci-fi world building.

”Wrong About You” is inspired by Adeney’s experiences as a student and elementary school teacher of language, arts, and drama. Barreling ahead with a soaring guitar solo, triumphant piano melody, and chorus of multi-tracked vocals, he turns his focus onto a student that is alienated for not appearing to thrive. Yet once the child returns home, they are able to deftly model the consciousness of those around them using metal wires found on the floor. “Sick Boy” (originally written
by Raghu Lokonathan) completes this thematic trifecta with Adeney’s additional lyrics about “kids, classrooms, and noticing our mistakes a bit too late.”

The album embraces a wide range of stylistic forms with the stately strings of “The Red Brain” colliding with the corrosive folk of “Even Then,” where Wax Mannequin sounds like Neutral Milk Hotel with an extra dose of psychedelic fuzz. “Reasons We Came” turns its spotlight on the tumbling drum fills of percussionist Bradford Lambert, as its rhythmically chanted lyrics discuss the action and energy needed during times of transition, warning how blind optimism can cloud our vision. “Love Is A Hunter” is Adeney’s dramatic cover of a song by Coax Records founder Rae Spoon, while “Things to Do With Rage” reworks an empowering anthem about channelling frustration into constructive acts of creativity, originally appearing on Wax Mannequin’s debut album 23 years ago.

“Not The Worst It Gets” drops Adeney’s electronically processed vocals into a sparse pool of echoing pianos and subaquatic beats. While closing the album with a message of hope, it maintains the melancholy realism at the heart of his lyrics. “For me, the end of a depressive cycle is tranquillity,” he says. “Concepts that were incredibly burdensome become objects you can set down and contemplate before they pass into dust.” Yet in moments like these when we are bogged down by our own problems, he reminds us how easy it is to ignore the challenges of everyone else around us. “There’s a peaceful numbness at the end of that turmoil,” says Adeney. “Eventually you deny your own pain and the pain of others, so there’s a bitter tranquillity in that.”

- Jesse Locke

credits

released April 14, 2023

All songs written by Chris Adeney (Wax Mannequin)
Except Sick Boy - written by Rahgu Lokanathan with additional lyrics by Wax Mannequin
and
Love is a Hunter - written by Rae Spoon
Recorded by Corwin Fox, Edwin Burnett, David Copper
All songs mixed/engineered by Corwin Fox at Hidden Well
Mastered by Noah Mintz at Lacquer Sound
Cover image by Derek Wurts

license

about

Wax Mannequin Hamilton, Ontario

Adeney's music veers from scrappy prog oddness and distressed folk to absurdist stadium metal, all with a dark humour that borders on outright Dadaism.
Beneath the unsettling imagery and musical left turns there is a steady questioning of life’s inherent strangeness and his own neuro-divergent experience.
He has appeared on thousands of pub, gallery and festival stages worldwide.
... more

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May 3

Vertagogo

Hamilton, ON

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