Click on the thumbnail to view a printable cd sleeve.- Title: Catharsis
- Artist: IPECAC
- Timespan: 23 December 1988
- Theme: last album at trav's house
- Length: 15:24
- Tracks: 5
- Lyrics: 5
- MP3s: 5 play all locally
- Rating: *** [3] (1 rating) rate this album
Track List
| # | title | lyrics | time | download | listen | started | recorded | rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Numb | lyrics | 3:32 | download | listen locally | - | 1988-12-23 | *** (1) |
| 2 | Lepercity | lyrics | 3:33 | download | listen locally | - | 1988-12-23 | ** (1) |
| 3 | Catharsis | lyrics | 2:51 | download | listen locally | - | 1988-12-23 | ** (1) |
| 4 | Repetitive Rap | lyrics | 2:09 | download | listen locally | - | 1988-12-23 | **½ (1) |
| 5 | My Familiar (2) | lyrics | 3:19 | download | listen locally | - | 1988-12-23 | *** (1) |
| Total | 15:24 | play all locally | album rating: | *** (1) | ||||
Notes
IPECAC's last album recorded at Trav's house, Catharsis focused on exploring different production techniques. "Numb" had extreme panning. "My Familiar" had sped-up animal noises and narration. "Repetitive Rap" tried to sound like sampled music. Most of the songs were recorded with mics rather than direct inputs, in an attempt to sound "live".
Catharsis was our shortest "album". It was also the least annoying (despite the very self-deprecating liner notes on the tape cover). All three of the "real" (written) songs went on Best of IPECAC 2. "Numb" got recorded 4 more times!
We recorded this album in one day. Two days later, it was Christmas, and Jon received a keyboard which blew mine out of the water. From that point on, we stopped using my gear and shifted our operations to Jon's house. Catharsis was the last gasp from "Studio A".
Songs
Numb
- Catharsis track 1
- Complete IPECAC track 50
- IPECAC Picks track 8
- recorded: 1988-12-23
- length: 3:32
- Travis Emmitt - Casio CT-310, vocals | wrote: music, lyrics
- Jon Friesen - sax
- mp3: download listen locally (flash player)(HTML5 player)
"Numb" was yet another attempt on my part to push IPECAC away from jazz and towards pop/rock. You see, I wanted us to be a rock band, and Jon wanted us to be more of a jazz band. I think as long as IPECAC failed to meet either of our expectations, neither of us felt "gypped". "Numb" had nice lyrics, and a solid melody, but it failed to make us rock stars. Sigh.
I liked this song enough to end up recording it four more times: twice for IPECAC (on Best of IPECAC 2 and Fake Reverb 2). and twice as Tripecac (on Archives and College Collage). Unfortunately, none of the versions made me happy.
The panning is extreme. Jon's sax was in one ear, and my keyboard and voice were in the other. I don't know if this was intentional or not.
Lyrics to "Numb":
VERSE A:
there was this girl you liked so much
you tried so hard that she left you
another guy came and took your place
and you were left to suffer
your world it seemed to collapse
and moping in complete and utter ruin
you grew a shell about yourself
to shield you from the world (and the women)
further and deeper you slipped
from life's painful reality
and into the solace and the universe of
your endless, comforting dreams
VERSE B:
you don't want to feel the world around you
you'd rather be numb than feel the pain
you don't want to take the blows you're given
you'd rather just slippin' away
CHORUS:
you're numb
blood frozen
afraid to let your feelings show
you're numb
blood frozen
you'd rather hide than take the blows
VERSE B:
your heart became broken so you froze it
you immobilized your blood to numb the hurt
and now that your heart is hardened
you try to set yourself from the world
CHORUS:
you're numb
a turtle
hiding safe beneath your shell
you're numb
and miserable
you dug your hole; but it went to hell
[repeat]
Lepercity
- Catharsis track 2
- Complete IPECAC track 51
- recorded: 1988-12-23
- length: 3:33
- Travis Emmitt - Casio CT-310, cornet, vocals | wrote: music, lyrics
- Jon Friesen - sax, vocals
- mp3: download listen locally (flash player)(HTML5 player)
This was a silly story about lepers. We were on a leper kick. We had just finished Leaping Leper Limousine. We had also written and filmed a play about leprousy. What's with all the leper references? Well, I guess we thought it was funny.
The music is frantic. Lots of honking, shrieking, and staccato. The sax is way too loud. Yuck.
Lyrics to "Lepercity":
INTRO: jesus christ, you got us into this mess hey! VERSE: driving down a long black highway under the sizzling desert sun windows rolled up to keep out the heat engine sputtering, almost gone CHORUS: and we've just begun we've just begun we've just begun we've just begun hey VERSE: a tiny town lies north of us we can barely make it there we end up walking the last few miles we reach the town with no fanfare hey CHORUS: we've just begun and we've just begun we've just begun and we've just begun we've just begun and we've just begun we've just begun and yeah BRIDGE: putta dem a down here putta dem a down there putta dem down skin and putta dem down hair hit it 1,2 putta dem a down here putta dem a down there droppin' down skin just dropping' down hair wooh! here we go i'm the rappa' putta dem a down here putta dem a down there just a droppin' down skin just a droppin' down hair just a droppin' down legs just a droppin' down toes just a droppin' down ears just a droppin' down nose just a droppin' down hair just a droppin' down feet just a droppin' down elbows just a droppin' down knees just a droppin' down arms just a droppin' down legs just a droppin' down hearts 'cause we feel no pain hey, hey, hey this is a rap and we've just begun we've just begun and we've just begun lepercity wooh wooh wooh
Catharsis
- Catharsis track 3
- Complete IPECAC track 52
- recorded: 1988-12-23
- length: 2:51
- Travis Emmitt - Casio CT-310, percussion, vocals
- Jon Friesen - sax, vocals
- mp3: download listen locally (flash player)(HTML5 player)
This was a complete impov. It's manic, both musically and lyrically. We recorded the keyboard with mics instead of plugging directly in, which gives it a distant sound. The percussion is really annoying.
Lyrics to "Catharsis":
TRAV: 1,2,3,4,1,2,3,4 1,2,3,4,1,2,3,4 1,2,3,4,1,2,3,4 1,2,3,4,1,2,3,4 hit it, hit it hey jon, how are you doing? JON: i'm doing okay, trav; and you? TRAV: well, i'm okay so how do you like this album? JON: oh man, it's really gnarley, real bench TRAV: huh, really? i have an idea JON: let's jam! TRAV: yeah, let's jam! when? now! TRAV: oh well can't get all the notes right all the time JON: yeah, if we do we'll get put on some hit list TRAV: right [???] JON: groovy dude TRAV: yeah, schwa BOTH: ceasar schwa TRAV: hey, play something for us, jon JON: what do you want to hear? TRAV: just go ahead, now hey jon, you ever see that sexy girl JON: sure did not TRAV: oh man, you're a nerd JON: so am i TRAV: neat-o JON: jeans-e dude TRAV: yeah, jeans-e JON: 1,2,3 catharsis TRAV: catharsis wrong one wrong one the tape isn't even hooked up
Repetitive Rap
- Catharsis track 4
- Complete IPECAC track 53
- IPECAC Picks track 9
- recorded: 1988-12-23
- length: 2:09
- Travis Emmitt - Casio CT-310, percussion, vocals
- Jon Friesen - vocals
- mp3: download listen locally (flash player)(HTML5 player)
This was half making fun of sample-heavy rap music, and half trying to emulate it. Rap was a compromise between my desire to rock and Jon's desire to play jazz.
Jon sang (basically) the same line over and over, and then I joined him about half way through. We then overdubbed vocal sound effects later. Real macho, guys!
Lyrics to "Repetitive Rap":
JON:
this is a repetitive rap
yeah, this is a repetitive rap
i say this is a repetitive rap
this is a repetitive rap
this is a very repetitive rap
[etc.]
TRAV:
this is a repetitive rap
this is a repetitive rap...
JON:
repetitive rap
repetitive rap...
we're saying the same thing over and over again in a rap
this is a repetitive rap...
this is a bad rap
???
this is a repetitive rap
???
this is not a serious rap
???
My Familiar (2)
- Catharsis track 5
- Complete IPECAC track 54
- IPECAC Picks track 10
- recorded: 1988-12-23
- length: 3:19
- Travis Emmitt - Casio CT-310, vocals | wrote: music
- Jon Friesen - sax, vocals
- mp3: download listen locally (flash player)(HTML5 player)
This was our second version of "My Familiar", which originally appears on Fake Reverb. I like this version a lot better. It's super-sped up, though.
I sampled the narration and monkey noises for a later Tripecac song: "Millions of Monkeys" (on The Hermit).
Lyrics to "My Familiar (2)":
INTRO: kill the monkey kill the monkey... kill the monkey tonight we must go now OUTRO: and suddenly millions of monkeys swarmed the house, broke and busted in every window, and strangled the poor it was a gruesome sight but a sight worthy to be seen by the naked eye stripped of its... god this is dumb!!!