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The Glass Album

by Nature's Neighbor

supported by
MICHAEL SCHREINER
MICHAEL SCHREINER thumbnail
Bryan Kingsley
Bryan Kingsley thumbnail
Sven Söderholm
Sven Söderholm thumbnail
Lee Ketch
Lee Ketch thumbnail
pacheddi
pacheddi thumbnail
Blaire
Blaire thumbnail
Martin Krumpf
Martin Krumpf thumbnail
Joe Reilly
Joe Reilly thumbnail
the angry cardboard robot
the angry cardboard robot thumbnail
surrata
surrata thumbnail
bstuder
bstuder thumbnail
tranquilitay
tranquilitay thumbnail
/

  • Streaming + Download

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    Purchasable with gift card

      $7 USD  or more

     

  • Record/Vinyl + Digital Album

    Limited edition run of 100 LPs on neon yellow vinyl. Packaging includes full color jackets, full color labels, a poster with the lyrics to every track and shrink-wrap.

    Includes unlimited streaming of The Glass Album via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ships out within 3 days
    edition of 100 
    Purchasable with gift card

      $20 USD or more 

     

  • Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    4 panel wallet with high gloss finish featuring artwork and photography by Cheer Zhao & Mike Walker.

    Includes unlimited streaming of The Glass Album via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ships out within 3 days
    Purchasable with gift card

      $10 USD or more 

     

  • Poster/Print

    18 X 24 Glass Album promotional poster with gloss finish.
    ships out within 3 days
    edition of 300 
    Purchasable with gift card

      $4 USD or more 

     

  • Full Digital Discography

    17
    releases

    Get all 17 Nature's Neighbor releases available on Bandcamp and save 25%.

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of Live Collections, Vol. 2, Live Collections, Vol. 1, The Glass Album, Michael & The Whale, Walking Around, Nighttime Underpass, YM&TP Mk2, O T H E R S I D E, and 9 more. , and , .

    Purchasable with gift card

      $64.50 USD or more (25% OFF)

     

1.
Jeane 04:13
lyrics
buy track
Jeane never really gave a fuck what people said Anyone in her way was good as dead Rewriting history, she rode where all boys fear to tread She would scream at the monsters in her head Blessed with the vision, she could see for miles and miles With a gaze reminiscent of a child's Those who tried to keep her were left defenseless in the wild Begging once more to look upon her smile But nobody wants to hear Nobody wants to know Her story remains untold Cause they tore all her temples down and scratched all her mentions out and wrote her out of the book of old, oh no Jeane never really gave a fuck what people said Even on the night they dragged her out of bed Standing defiant as the flames all burned so red She lives on though her blood has all been bled But nobody wants to hear Nobody wants to know Her story remains untold Cause they tore all her temples down and stamped all her embers out and wrote her out of the book of old, oh no Jeane never really gave a fuck what people said
2.
Sounds Like A Siren 05:20
lyrics
buy track
Something’s calling me towards it Beckons for a second Sounds like a siren Thousand miles across the water I can hear my lover Sounds like she’s crying Dashed myself upon the rocks I’m Running out of air I Feel like I’m drowning But a light from deep under is rising Healing me completely It’s all around me Come to me in a dream There’s a place I’m sure that I’ve seen Never once could I understand The plan Life came flashing in an instant Speeding through the centuries Into the distance Tried to hang on for a moment Wish that I could hold it For all of existence Tell me where do we go After curtains fall down on this show Tell me now is it so Is there more than one chance to know How much time do we have Why am I left feeling so bad Am I racking my brain In vain? I can feel a raging fire burning right at the end of time losing my mind I can see a massive tidal wave thats coming for you and I Nowhere to hide I close my eyes..
3.
Half Remembered Dreams 04:02
4.
Sweetbriar 04:22
lyrics
Barefoot on the sunburnt pavement walking slow Lazy summer days I spent just wandering alone Driving through those rolling flatlands all in a daze Golden dreams that take me back in so many ways In the town where all my mother's side was born Stands a house that 40 years of memories adorn Who's rooms held laughter, tears and countless magical nights Some where spent with family, some were just you and I Although that home now holds a different family tree Those many years of memories I keep only for me Will comfort me through all the shifting days that fly past I'll hold them dear and visit for as long as they last
5.
Song For Bella 03:25
lyrics
Bella was the best in town And she never gave up when her legs gave out I remember how she used to run When I threw her toy under the summer sun She would jump into the swimming pool I would talk to her when I got back from school She would listen to me intently But she had to leave us all eventually It apparently has been said We should know by now That we never can wake the dead I just wish somehow In her last days she became so weak Wonder what she’d say to me if she could speak Couldn’t bring myself to come around On the day the doctor came to put her down It apparently has been said We should know by now That we never can wake the dead I just wish somehow I could go back in time just once To be by her side And to tell her she was so loved On the day she died
6.
Traveler's Nightmare 07:49
lyrics
The wandering mind meanders all their life Forsaking the light and comfort home provides In search of a story untold Just letting the future unfold The prodigal son who squanders all his gold In search of some vague fulfillment in his soul Returns to his father so poor A prince of the kingdom no more The sins of the sibling laid bare I never said life would be fair ~ Fell asleep in someone else’s home Never once enjoyed to be alone Please accept my hospitality So easy to dodge reality Yet another shy unwanted guest Even though he tries to do his best He will always be a foreigner Never can know what’s in store for sure Locked outside the temple at the gate With no shoes in silence he must wait So exposed to all the elements Left alone and cold he then laments Till a drifter comes and calls his name Tells him he must live his life in the shame To reject or take it all in stride All laid out before him to decide ~ Sing to me like a refugee Broken melodies Cure my bad disease You defy your fate Let the reaper wait You must move along Sing another song go move on Sing to me like a refugee Broken melodies Cure my bad disease You defy your fate Let the reaper wait You must move along Sing another song go move on now
7.
Avalon 04:35
lyrics
Every morning memories stray Across the sea where flying fishes play And as the night is falling I find that I'm recalling That blissful all enthralling day I found my love in Avalon Beside the bay I left my love in Avalon And sail'd away I dream of her and Avalon From dusk 'til dawn And so I think I'll travel on To Avalon Just before I sail'd away She said the word I longed to hear her say She tenderly caressed me Close to my heart she pressed me Upon that golden yesterday I found my love in Avalon Beside the bay I left my love in Avalon And sail'd away I dream of her and Avalon From dusk 'til dawn And so I think I'll travel on To Avalon
8.
Michael & The Whale 04:54
lyrics
Michael was swallowed by a whale Just to escape the endless hail To wait out the storm, he stayed safe and warm But when it spit him out he had grown old Mike turned himself into a bird Just to remove himself from the herd And he flew down south with an opened mouth And he sang his songs all to no one at all No one listening bit the rain and wind He sings even now, listen hear the sound.. Mike disappeared into a dream The smartest fool you'd ever seen ~ I think I've found a way out... Think I found a way out... What's this book been about? Think I figured it out...

credits

released March 10, 2023

"No two songs on The Glass Album are all that similar. Walker’s gentle vocals are the connecting thread, sweetening some of the louder moments like the surprisingly crunchy alt-rock of closing track “Michael & The Whale”, and sounding perfect while delivering the emotional wrecking ball of album centerpiece “Song for Bella”. The Glass Album is, by my count, the eighth or ninth Nature’s Neighbor album, and it’s remarkable that the project feels like it’s still searching, probing, and pushing itself forward at this stage. Perhaps it marks the finale of Walker’s “Chicago era”, but Nature’s Neighbor doesn’t come off as something that a mere long-distance relocation can end."

- Rosy Overdrive

"Walker (joined in the studio by producer Seth Engel) set out to make an album where every song sounds nothing like what came before or after it, an album that works to sound fragmented like a compilation of different artists. The results come to life as The Glass Album, and Walker and co. have achieved their goal, creating an eclectic listen that bounces between sonic polarities, but despite all odds, it’s still a cohesive listen. Nature’s Neighbor has thrown the conventional sense of genre out the window in favor of a focus on general songwriting."

~ POST-TRASH

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Mike Walker - guitar, electric bass, piano, fender rhodes, korg prologue, vibraphone, arrangements, aux percussion, vocals, lyrics

Seth Engel - drums, electric bass, aux percussion

Will Kyriazis - piano, organ, keyboards

Nick Falco - piano, arrangements

Max Beckman - upright bass

Andrew Krull - pedal steel

Al Costis - electric bass

Macie Stewart - violin

Terrill Mast - piano

Lia Kohl - cello

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All songs written by Mike Walker

**except for "Avalon" which was written in 1920 by Vincent Rose, Buddy DeSylva & Al Jolson** ~ PUBLIC DOMAIN SONG ~

Recorded @ Ohmstead by Seth Engel & Adrian Kobziar

Album artwork by Cheer Zhao & Mike Walker

Engineered & mixed by Seth Engel @ Ohmstead

Mastered by Matthew J Barnhart @ Chicago Mastering Service

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Recorded in 13 sessions over the course of 4 months, The Glass Album was produced by Seth Engel and I at Ohmstead studios in Chicago’s Humboldt Park. The studio was run by our good friend Adrian Kobziar, and I would say it’s the nicest studio that we have ever worked in. Adrian has a wonderful collection of mics and outboard gear as well as a very extensive array of amps and instruments available for clients to use. He possesses an intimate knowledge on how to mic a drum set to a magnificent effect, which he displayed on this album. I think this album has the best drum sound of any of our previous works.

This was the last album I worked on before moving to Japan in October of 2021 which gave the recording sessions a feeling of urgency and finality. When I make an album with Seth I am always saying “this could be the last time” and he would usually just roll his eyes and laugh but this one really did feel that way because at that time we had no idea when I would be returning from Japan. Because of that, we really put a lot of extra effort into this one and made sure that every song was very strong and that the album had no weak moments.

The concept of this album in terms of its overall sound was that each track was specifically designed to sound nothing at all like the track that preceded or followed it. We basically wanted to make the album feel like a collection of songs that do not belong together. The only thing that links them is my voice and the drum sound. This sort of felt like returning to the early days of Nature’s Neighbor where our albums had a very scatterbrained feel to them. But also, strangely enough, I’m not sure that we accomplished that goal because even though the songs are very different in style, the album still manages to feel somewhat cohesive and sort of makes sense in a weird way, at least to me.

The recording sessions were extra special because we brought in some new people, and someone from my distant past as well. The new faces we worked with were Macie Stewart (violin), Max Beckman (double bass), Lia Kohl (cello), Al Costis ( electric bass), and Andrew Krull (pedal steel). Meeting all of these people and seeing them light up the studio with their individual talents was an absolute pleasure. And then there was my dear old friend, Nick Falco, who played piano on the 1920 classic “Avalon” which was an extra special moment of reconnection for me.

I guess this album was sort of me saying goodbye, at least temporarily, to the Chicago music scene that I had been a small part of for over 10 years. A little over a week after the final recording session I was boarding a plane bound for Narita, Japan to start my life as an English teacher in Kyoto. My life was changing and I wanted to make one final statement before I left. So this is it. An album about family, friends, memories of lost loved ones, dreams and saying farewell to the city I called home for 12 years. Looking back on it all now, it feels a little different than when I first made it, but that’s just the way it goes. I hope you enjoy it. Much love to you all.

~ Mike Walker

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This album is dedicated to Thomas Lester. Rest in peace Uncle Tom.

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Nature's Neighbor Kyoto, Japan

Nature's Neighbor is the project of song-writer Mike Walker and his friends.

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