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Fighting Starlight

by Benton Falls

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1.
i promise that i won't fall down. i promise that i won't skin my knee. like you promised you'd always be around. to take good care of me. and i remember. you standing behind that white picket fence with a white peaked face. trying hard to embrace my youth. before it escapes. before it's too late. clutching the fence she said. how have i hurt you. what have i done. did i desert you. or spite with my tongue. was i too eager. or love you too much. i love you too much. and now that i'm all grown. i'm feeling so alone. why have you brought me here. you say all these things i say. but it's not the same. i'm feeling so alone today. alone and numb. i'll ice my thoughts. i'll ice my mind for now. it's not your fault. you did what you could do. for this i will love you for always. you hold my heart and my tiny hand. thank you for all these things
2.
i got to the car. drove far. decided to stay away. with my foot on the gas. drove past. all of the shit i needed to say. i've waited 'till now for the right time. i've waited 'till now for the right time to tell. i've waited 'till now for the right time. i've waited 'till now to open up to you. and i can't breathe. swimming with you is the hardest. everything you do is so true. swimming with you is the hardest thing. and i won't hold my breath. and i won't hold my breath when i'm with you
3.
is this what you want. it's eight o'clock. i'm nodding off. starlight is stealing my heart tonight. bar fight but i won't be there. and i've tried all this before. you swing and you miss and i miss the way things used to be. late night and you're driving me crazy. wait 'till you find this ain't the life you want to lead. regular. every night. regular. but i won't fight you. what if i don't care
4.
tired. he stood in line at the grocery store. a bottle of wine and nothing more. an empty apartment to go home to. it'd been that way since nineteen seventy-two. a line on his face for every year she'd missed. a scar on his arm for every time he tried to follow her. a tear in his eye for every day gone by. going home to no one and still you could hear him cry. if i brought you down. if i caused you to drown. he's sad like winter leaves. but she won't leave his mind tonight. he stares upon her picture on the wall. and then begins to cry. let it go. he wakes to the sunrise. a broken glass upon the floor. the salt dried upon his cheeks. we've seen this all before. let it go
5.
ten years and you're back again. but i don't want to go back to this. these kids were not my friends. high school memories just like a kiss. forget how they laughed. forget how i cried. forget everything. forget how i lied to myself. just like a kiss. and i can't forget how it was. just like a kiss. and i can't forget my discomfort. i'll never forget hiding behind this smile. i never intended to let them see me while i was afraid. always hiding behind something. that something's changing all the time. it seems i'm crying about nothing. or maybe it's something i kept inside of myself
6.
he walked along the side of the road. head held down. he watched a truck drive by. with arkansas license plates. he passed the june port bridge. and threw a stone. down towards the water. he looked into the sky. where the power lines had made their escape. in a town with only one road. it's hard to complain. it just stays the same. so hard to find. so hard to find a way out
7.
No Hero 05:14
i remember the first time. i saw you on heroin. a hero in my eyes. a hero in disguise. i pretended not to care. while all these eyes were on you. but your eyes weren't you. you've paid for this. black eyes. arms were skinny. i did not recognize. your pale face. white like bleach. it's hard for me to preach. when everyone's to blame. but no one wants to be the same. you've turned on yourself. one more time. there's no more time. trains will never travel. upon these tracks. no going back. the needle has skipped. and you will be missed. you've turned on yourself. and i remember the last time. i saw you on heroin. and how it made me cry. and oh how i cried
8.
Coastal 04:27
far away. that's where i left you. far away. i wish that i had stayed. far away. how can i get to you. and i follow. from miles behind you. separated by miles. but i will find a way to get there. i hesitated and you smiled. you're on that bus and out of here. and i follow. from miles behind you. just east of texas. that's where i'll be. young child defenseless. don't forget me
9.
i follow you around. like i follow the sea. but i see you're not. interested in me. and i fall for your shadow. it's all i've got. and when you're walking away from me. all i've got is lost. and i forgot what i'd lost. with this line that i'd crossed. and now everything has changed back to nothing. i see you by the pay phone. as i'm walking home that night. my emotions were unaffected. and my eyes were disconnected. the point is that i've created this crush. to help me out. to help me out of this. twice as lonely. when i'm with you. twice as lonely. but i don't miss you. when you're around
10.
Eudora 05:16
Instrumental
11.

about

Dynamic, enveloping, nearly trance-inducing, the songs on Fighting Starlight feed off one another, to a point where you wonder how four individuals can be so uncannily attuned to an invisible pulse - the heartbeat of a band. The rhythms sprint with intelligent restraint and slow with gentle deliberation. With words and tempo embracing the ideal amount of inflection and pitch to convey a complete range of emotion, Benton Falls is like dusk in Autumn. That intangible moment when we're grasping for those last few seconds of vanishing daylight...the time when the sun warms the sky and our skin with lustrous tones of orange and red, and the deep blue of night creeps up from behind us. This is the instant when we're "fighting starlight." Benton Falls is crisp, bright and as hard as it will be to believe, this is a debut. (DER-399)

"Raising the bar for emotive, introspective songwriting, Benton Falls' luminous debut, Fighting Starlight, is all that great storytelling should be, while being surrounded by equally enchanting music. What I enjoyed most was the fact that the foursome did not sacrifice volume for intimacy, creating songs with lush, gentle segments suddenly shattered by bursts of intensity. Benton Falls also possess the rare ability to alter tempo with startling precision, as well as having a singer with a luxurious voice, resulting in masterful narratives of human nature's weaker moments. This is an incredible debut from a band that sounds as if they have been together for ten years. Find this one." - Jersey Beat

"Fighting Starlight from Benton Falls is crisp, clean songsmithery combined with a delicate simplicity and carefully crafted feel. With Michael Richardson's gently passionate voice rolling atop a bed of neatly constructed guitar pickings and taught rhythms, songs like Swimming With You is a near perfect slice of laid-back emo rock, while Sad Like Winter Leaves contains some beautiful guitar harmonics and a warm, organic vibe. Fans of cleverly articulated melancholia won't be disappointed." - Kerrang

"Fighting Starlight is one of the most powerful rock albums of the year, driving and complex yet emotionally charged. Driving guitars are complimented by melodic guitar work and powerful rhythms. With Michael Richardson's distinctive emotional vocals and the band's almost impeccable tightness, this could be one of the most accomplished albums in the genre, and that's saying a lot. From the first chords of All These Things, you get a sense of the melodic power-chord dichotomy of Benton Falls, as the song has bursts of guitar yet a more melodic, moving feel to it. The title track is quite the standout here, and Richardson shows he can scream as well as sing, which coupled with layers of driving guitars and crashing drums makes this song my favorite on the album. I don't think I can stress enough how tight this band is. The guitar is powerful and sometimes astounding, and Richardson's vocals fit perfectly. Fans of the more melodic emo style will love this, as will aficionados of a more straight-ahead rock style." - Delusions Of Adequacy

www.deepelm.com/bentonfalls

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released August 7, 2001

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Deep Elm Records

With nearly 280 releases in its catalog, fiercely independent Deep Elm Records continues to build a better label - one that operates for glory, not gold. Deep Elm is about bands and fans coming together as one and experiencing music's awesome ability to inspire, comfort and console. We're not just making music together, we're making history. Dream / Create / Record / Release - Now for 27 Years. ... more

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