Inherited Darkness, by Glenn Yoder & The Western States

Inherited Darkness

by Glenn Yoder & The Western States

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Full Digital Discography

6

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Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of Who You've Been, Inherited Darkness, Blood Red Moon, Javelina, Shake Down the Sun, and Okono Road. , and , .

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1.	Optimist 03:28	lyrics	buy track
What's a man like me doing in a place like this? Where you get so low it's like you don't exist Here I don't belong, I'm an optimist But she brought me down to the depths of feeling like I won't be missed And I loved her so, so what does she care? Now I need to go find somewhere safer 'cause I can't sleep here There's nowhere to go where I'll be alright There's only one way out where I won't see that image every goddamn night What's a man like me doing in a place like this? Here I don't belong, I'm an optimist What's a man like me doing in a place like this? Here I don't belong Where you get so low it's like you don't exist Where you get to feeling like you won't be missed Where I don't belong, I'm an optimist.
2.	She's Broken 04:00	lyrics	buy track
Be the man I hope to be She'll still assume the worst of me She's broken and I don't know just how far Try to make her heart feel free Nothing here comes easily She's broken and I know I'll get some scars Maybe she needs me to be something Something that I can never be But I can only try so hard for her But I can only try so hard for her She's a storm over the sea Calm one moment then angry She's broken and leading to nowhere Don't know what she wants from me I'd die to give her what she needs She's broken and it feels beyond repair Maybe she needs me to be something Something that I can never be But I can only try so hard for her Yeah, I can only try so hard for her But I can only try so hard for her Maybe she needs me to be something Something that I can never be But I can only try so hard for her But I can only try so hard for her Yeah, I can only try so hard for her But I can only try so hard for her.
3.	Dark Side 04:33	lyrics	buy track
I don't recognize the man who stands before me anymore His eyes are hiding anger and in truth he's looking old He's got wrinkles 'round those eyes from laughter heard so long ago Barely clinging to his youth outside the way he wears his clothes For the first time in my life I don't trust myself alone I'm good until the darkness drifts in to take hold I used to be so different, wish I'd be the man you know Guess he died that night I found her curled up on the floor She was just a mess of tears and anger at no one It's frightening to feel so helpless, nothing could be done Months went by and tears did dry but still something was wrong 'Til I finally solved that mystery of what was gnawing at her soul Well, I tried to put together the things that fell apart There ain't a special way to fix her angry, jealous heart She just needs time, I guess, to find something to fill this hole Hidden on the dark side of the soul Well, I gave her all I could until I really had no more Think I absorbed that darkness hiding deep inside of her Stole years off my life but still I remained in her pull That gravity will eat you up, if she doesn't first Still see her every night when she comes calling in my sleep Hovers right above me in the comfort of a dream She puts nickels on my eyes but I still feel her breathing deep So I lay there so still and hope she doesn't know it's me Well, I tried to put together the things that fell apart There ain't a special way to fix her angry, jealous heart She just needs time, I guess, to find something to fill this hole Hidden on the dark side of the soul I don't recognize the man who stands before me anymore Think I absorbed that darkness hiding deep inside of her.
4.	I Don't Want to Love You Anymore 03:47	lyrics	buy track
Thought I'd have more figured out now Much too old for these silly games We only get along well when we're drinking So we drink a lot these days I know you're no good for my health Gotta take better care of myself And I don't want to love you anymore I don't want to love you anymore Sometimes I do things that I shouldn't Sometimes I repeat the same mistakes Try to let go and drift with the current Always end up in this same place Try to start something with somebody else Just to keep you from coming around And I don't want to love you anymore I don't want to love you anymore I don't want to love you anymore 'Cause you don't love me, no matter what you say Every time that I'm doing better She shows up and I just let her And I don't want to love you anymore I don't want to love you anymore I don't want to love you anymore I don't want to love you anymore I don't want to love you anymore I don't want to love you anymore I don't want to love you anymore 'Cause you don't love me, no matter what you say No, you don't love me, you don't love me.
5.	Drive West 04:11	lyrics	buy track
Sometimes it feels good just to be alone Turn off my mind, I turn off my phone Drive west to nowhere on an endless road Sometimes it feels good just to be alone Let my mind meander from thought to thought Some good, some bad, some not too smart Sometimes I think about how she broke my heart Then I let my mind drift to the next thought Haven't seen a soul since I don't know when This old radio is my only friend Still talks too much for a companion But this radio is my only friend When I was younger I would go for a drive over hot black roads under big Texas sky Where I'll end up God only knows But I must trust these endless roads There ain't no comfort left back home Sometimes it feels good just to be alone When I was younger I would go for a drive over hot black roads under big Texas sky When I was younger I would go for a drive over hot black roads under big Texas sky.
6.	Kill Devil Hills 04:31	lyrics	buy track
I drank her love in like a liquor, like I could never get my fill It went down smooth but made me sicker with every ounce I'd madly swill I let that love start to consume me, and I confess I felt a thrill Convinced myself it was the real thing, so I swallowed the hurt down like a pill Drank myself blind with that creature, the one who stuck me with her quills Fall to the floor and watch the sea churn, foam at its mouth began to build She cheats my heart and breaks it open, stomps whatever life's there still Punctures my ego with her sharp words, then moves away to find herself I feel like doing something drastic, something to make this heartache yield Quit my job and just play music, see if I can get fulfilled I should move out somewhere random with a name like something from a film But pain can travel to Broken Arrow, no mercy in Kill Devil Hills.
7.	Don't Get to Choose 03:25	lyrics	buy track
She's crying, and I'm not even sure why anymore She's empty, seeking something to fill up her soul Said she don't want to be remembered for the bad shit that she do But she don't get to choose She hurt me, hurt me as bad as she could Now she's lying, saying she loves only me still Said she don't want to be remembered for what she put me through Well, she don't get to choose She's lucky, got the hell out of this place I'm left here, left to relive it each day Said she don't want to be remembered for the way this all fell through Said she don't want to be remembered for the bad shit that she do Well, she don't get to choose No, it ain't up to you.
8.	Christina 04:00	lyrics	buy track
Head is heavy and your body's broken Last Camel is the one you're smoking You'll just bum one with your smile This town gets smaller every second It's your last chance to escape from the wreckage But you got no good place to go Your ex is living out in Fresno Calls you up and says, "Baby, please come home" But you've never lived that far from the ocean So just start your car, meet me out for the weekend Hit the road with the radio blasting All alone and you feel like dancing Christina, you'll be loved Heart is free and the spell is broken Head is clear, every word's been spoken Christina, you'll be loved Spent your love and never got you a ring All your friends thought you'd found a sure thing You just kept doubts to yourself Your heart can mend from the worst of trials It can break or be lost in the fire, Christina It will never heal the same So why not head right out, meet me here for the weekend? So hit the road with the radio blasting All alone and you feel like dancing Christina, you'll be loved Heart is free and the spell is broken Head is clear, every word's been spoken Christina, you'll be loved Christina, you'll be loved Christina, you'll be loved.
9.	On Duty 04:28	lyrics	buy track
Spent my 20s working on choppers on a base across the sea Saw some shit manning those machines Still a man must carry the burden, all the pain of what he's lost Most people here don't care to know the cost It's my duty to protect you and keep you safe from harm It's my duty to protect you from now on "Work as hard when they're not looking as you would when they walk by" Wish that I could follow Dad's advice But I came back to Colorado, work was hard to come by there They thank me for my service, send me away It's my duty to protect you and keep you safe from harm It's my duty to protect you from now on Met a girl in a Longmont bar with a heart-shaped face and an easy charm She pleads for me to tell her what I done Suddenly, I don't feel burdened, she eases the weight that's held me down Wonder what I'd be without her now But still I wake up fast from bad dreams, don't recognize the room I'm in She's by my side but damned if I know it It's my duty to protect you and keep you safe from harm It's my duty to protect you from now on It's my duty to protect you and keep you safe from all I saw It's my duty to protect you from now on.
10.	Broken Skyline 05:46	lyrics	buy track
Lately I have been so lonely Lately I have been so lonely Lost the love that used to warm me Lost the love that used to warm me Underneath the broken skyline Underneath the broken skyline Lost faith as I walked the High Line Lost faith as I walked by myself Faith once firmly held It's morning, I could use some fresh air It's morning, I could use some fresh air Just waiting for the night to get here Just waiting for the night to get here Season's turning and the leaves are falling Season's turning and the leaves are falling Can't escape what my mind recalls Can't escape the memory that haunts me now Those thoughts I can't keep out Honey, I still know you better than you know yourself Honey, I would have walked to the end of the Earth for you Street's busy but deathly quiet Street's busy but deathly quiet Look for ways just to break the silence Look for ways just to break the silence Keep talking but no one's listening Keep talking but no one's listening Made true all my worst suspicions Made true all I feared of her then Don't make me feel that again Honey, I still know you better than you know yourself Honey, I would have walked to the end of the Earth Honey, I still know you better than you know yourself Honey, I would have walked to the end of the Earth for you Lately I have been so lonely Lately I have been so lonely Lost the love that used to warm me Lost the love that used to warm me.

about

"Inherited Darkness" is Glenn Yoder & The Western States' darkest, most personal album to date. Over bare-bones production that often swells into a beautiful mess of noise, the songwriter opens up about the sometimes crushing weight those closest to you can carry -- and the toll that absorbing that weight can take upon a person. It's a landmark album for the group, the culmination of years of carefully crafting a captivating live show then trying to harness that energy and emotion into a 10-song recording.

In praise of "Inherited Darkness," Americana UK wrote that Yoder "cultivates a direct, no bullshit style of songwriting which inclines the head to the Tom Petty school of Heartbreakers as much as anyone. There’s a comforting aura of whiskey-soaked sorrow jostling for position with foot stomping rug cutters. ... Whatever ‘it’ is, Glenn Yoder & The Western States have got it." Red Line Roots said it's a "'blue record' in many respects that explores much of the emotion of humans in a way that leaves itself open to self-reflection and pensive introspection ... But the variety of sonic exploration and a truly live and raw feel only further adds to the views and words expressed on the record." In a four-star review, Alt Country NL called the album, "moody rock, with an Americana surface," while Twangville wrote, "Yoder has a knack for infectious hooks and an engaging Americana-tinged rock spirit ... Bad love never sounded so good."

Yoder spent five years as the co-frontman of the raucous collective known as Cassavettes -- sharing bills with the Allman Brothers, Kings of Leon, Dr. Dog and others -- before heading into the wild with the 2009 solo record "Okono Road." Upon its release, one publication noted that "Yoder pays homage ... to the great American song," while other writers were quick to label Yoder a "young Paul Westerberg," drawing comparisons to Gram Parsons, Townes Van Zandt, Ryan Adams and the Lemonheads.

By 2013, Yoder had assembled his top-notch band, The Western States, and the group released its first proper album under that band name, the critically acclaimed "Javelina." Eargazms called it "one of the finest alt-country albums of 2013," adding "this creepy backwoods beast of a record is full of huge pop hooks and muscular Drive-By Truckers-style rock." The Boston Globe and Patriot Ledger praised Yoder's skill for songcraft, while the Phoenix named "Javelina" one of "10 records that will set the tone in 2013." Playing in support of that album, Glenn Yoder & The Western States shared stages with the Old 97s, Shooter Jennings, the Mavericks and more, and were finalists in Boston's famed Rock N Roll Rumble.

Two years later, the band released the raw "Blood Red Moon," an album that was primarily cut live, all the musicians together in one room. In praise of the record, No Depression wrote "Glenn Yoder is the king of catchy," while another reviewer said the album "pairs well with barbecue ribs and a tall lemonade, or a bourbon on the rocks." The album drew immediate comparisons to Tom Petty and Yoder's idol, Neil Young. The band spent the early part of 2016 playing dates along the East Coast in support of "Blood Red Moon."

With the release of "Inherited Darkness," Glenn Yoder & The Western States now takes the next step forward. They like to say the album sounds a bit like Band of Horses, Jason Isbell and Dawes teamed up to cover Wilco -- only if Wilco had spent its career aspiring to write ZZ Top's "Tres Hombres." There's only one way to find out.

credits

released May 2, 2017

Produced by Jeremy Moses Curtis
Recorded by Dave Westner at Armory Sound, Somerville, Mass., July 2016
Additional recording October 2016
Mastered by Alex McCullough at True East Mastering, Nashville, Tenn., January 2017
All songs written by Glenn Yoder
Cover design by Rachel Orr
Cover photograph by Oscar Keys
Copyright © 2017 Vegas Zombie Music Publishing Co. (ASCAP)

The Western States:
-Glenn Yoder: Vocals, guitar, harmonica
-Jeff Katz: Lead guitar, back-up vocals
-Chris Anzalone: Drums, percussion
-Brooks Milgate: Piano, keyboards, accordion, back-up vocals
-Jeremy Moses Curtis: Bass guitar, back-up vocals

Additional musicians:
Ruth Anzalone: Back-up vocals (track 4)
Isa Burke: Back-up vocals (track 4)

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"Glenn Yoder is the king of catchy."
- No Depression

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