“I called you in hopes we could still be friends, please don't tear me apart for the things I did back then.” The pleasure of this song is the conversational tone of the lyric. It is like the guy is sitting here in my living room on a Saturday afternoon talking and rambling on, apologizing for being young while we sit together drinking a beer. He doesn’t try to be arty about it, just humble and sincere. I know by the time three minutes are up we’ll be sitting here laughing about the fact that I was young also, and it’s the job of the young to mess up while they learn the ropes of growing up. After two more beers we’ll admit we still don’t know what the heck we’re doing. But it’s the relaxed atmosphere of the album that sets off all this honesty. “I got some things off my chest and it seems like we might even speak again, maybe even become friends again. Like when we were young...” Shoutouts for Time To Kill (“I always talk too much in the company of strangers”), Stay Crazy (“I thought about the time you used your own blood to paint that bird. You said it needed more color a little more depth and that was just something I didn’t get, but for you babe I'd believe your every word”), Amy (“I think sometimes I drink till I get sick but last night you meant everything”), Do You Lie (“Its crazy how you could ruin someone’s year and not even really care, not even really feel bad for doing it”), and Love What Lies (“Love what breathes and love what lies. Love what lives then one day dies. And love me now, because now’s the time, we're still young we're still alive”). As you can tell by these brief excerpts, these are small tone-poems disguised as short stories about real people with totally open thoughts about their lives. Or maybe it’s just Phineas that is totally open. Doesn’t matter, it’s a great weekend being able to spend time with these characters, getting to know their dreams, their memories, what makes them tick, and getting to appreciate the fact they are willing to share their lives through the voice of a friend.
What makes this journey really special is that throughout there is not one sense of judgment. Everyone in these stories is accepted for exactly for who they are - people I know I’d have fun with sitting around the living room talking, playing guitars, and imbibing a few beers with. Phineas and the Lonely Leaves
