A sincere and heartfelt thank you to Phillip Bennett & Sho Tokura for putting up with my pickiness and putting your time, heart, and effort into helping me make this record happen. Thank you especially to Phillip and Kanako Bennett for opening your home to me while we record and mixed the record. Thank you to Asako Ikku, Phillip Bennett, Yuta Aoki, Akio Fujioka, Kenji Tanabe, & Toshiro Kimura for your incredible talents as musicians and for your time. It was a distinct honor to have each of you on this record. Thank you for giving these songs a life I never could have even imagined. Thank you to Izumi Ohwada for graciously providing the album artwork. It is an honor to have you as part of this project. Thank you to Adie Verla, Aiko Minemastu, and Sayo Nakamura for translating the words and liner notes for the record. Thank you to the people and live houses that have helped me to showcase these (and other) songs live – especially Jeep @ Wall, Naoki Yamauchi @ Moon Step, and Chikanori Masuda @ Pit Bar, and Sasaki Hidemi @ The Bluejay (Yokohama). The opportunities you gave me to perform meant the whole world to me. The Tokyo scene has revived my faith in DIY culture. “One underground, worldwide.” Thank you to Misa Oyama and Pham Hong Minh for performing with me from time to time. Thank you to the following bands in the Tokyo scene for blowing my mind and/or sharing stages with me: Nervous Light of Sunday, Enslave, Soul Discharge, Second Arms, Flipout A.A., noy, Sheeps Be, Grindshaft, For Life, endzweck, Teruhisa Kawkami, Yuni Mori, Segwei, Gusanos, MoL, UNi TREOL, the Purple Hearts, and envy. Thank you to everyone that I met here that helped make Japan feel like another home. I am deeply grateful to how welcomed you all made me feel. And two last thank yous to the two people that made this experience more than I ever could have expected… Thank you Michael Hora for helping me out in numerous ways over the course of this year, especially for helping to get me involved in the music scene here. I will miss our man dates very much. My most heartfelt thank you is to Aiko Minematsu. I cannot even begin to imagine this experience without you. You have been the most special part of my time here. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
This record is dedicated to the spirit of Japan and the community of people that I have come to know and love here. I came here in search of something, and I found more than I could ever have imagined…
このアルバム作成にあたり、私のこだわりに辛抱強く付き合い、時間を割き、そして心から力を注いで協力してくれたフィリップ・ ベネットと都倉 祥に誠意を込めて心から感謝します。レコーディングならびにミキシングのために家を解放してくれたフィリップ・ベネットと須藤香菜子へ、ありがとう。宮亜沙子, フィリップ・ ベネット, 青木優太, 藤岡 明夫, 田部 賢司, 木村俊郎には、みなさんのミュージシャンとしての素晴らしい才能とアルバム作成のために時間を割いてくれたことに感謝します。このアルバムにみなさん一人ひとりが関わって下さったことは、この上ない名誉です。今回の楽曲に私が想像すらもできなかったような命を吹き込んでくれてありがとう。大和田 いずみには、アルバムカバーの提供を快諾してくれたことに感謝します。このプロジェクトに関わってもらえたことを光栄に思います。エイディー・ヴァーラ, 峰松愛子,中村さよには歌詞と解説の翻訳に関わってもらいました。ありがとう。今回の楽曲そしてその他の楽曲のライブ演奏に協力してくれたライブハウスのみなさん―特に陸JEEP王 @ Wall, 山内直樹 @ Moon Step, 増田親憲 @ Pit Bar, Sasaki Hidemi @ 横浜The Blue Jay に感謝します。 みなさんが私にパフォーマンスの機会を与えて下さったことは、私に
とって最高の出来事でした。そして、東京で得たものが私の自主制作への信念をよみがえらせてくれました。「アンダーグラウンドの世界は、どこに行っても同じ。」何度か一緒に演奏してくれた小山 未紗とファン ・ティ ホン・ ミン、ありがとう。東京で共演したり、我を忘れるほどに素晴らしい演奏をしてくれたりしたNervous Light of Sunday, Enslave, Soul Discharge, Second Arms, Flipout A.A., noy, Sheeps Be, Grindshaft, For Life, endzweck, 川上テルヒサ, 森ゆに, Segwei, Gusanos, MoL, UNi TREOL, the Purple Hearts, とenvyのみなさん。ありがとう。ここで出会ったすべての人へ、みなさんのおかげで日本は私の第二の故郷になりました。ありがとう。みなさんの温かいおもてなしに、深く感謝しています。そして最後に、日本での体験を想像以上のものにしてくれた二人へ感謝の気持ちを…Michael Hora、この一年間、日本での音楽活動その他いろいろで手助けをしてくれてありがとう。君との男子会が恋しくなるよ。そして、私の一番の心からのありがとうを峰松愛子へ。 あなたなしでは日本で得たこの経験も想像することさえできなかった。あなたは私がここで過ごした時間の中で一番特別な存在です。心を込めて、本当にありがとう。
1. arm’s length
you’re still missing / I’m still lost / still living life at too high a cost / I feel you here somehow / but can’t let my guard down / you’re still waiting while I stand still / and in that house upon a hill / you’re probably home by now / sleeping safe and sound / while I figure out why and how / I couldn’t keep you at arm’s length / I couldn’t keep you at arm’s length / and girl I couldn’t keep you at arm’s length / you’re a storm / I couldn’t keep you away / I couldn’t keep you at bay / I couldn’t keep you at arm’s length / another day, another year / with these things we lost and these things we fear / I feel them adding up / and still it’s not enough to move on / so I go on and on and on / I couldn’t keep you at arm’s length / I couldn’t keep you at arm’s length / and girl I couldn’t keep you at arm’s length / I couldn't keep you at arm’s length / you’re a storm / I couldn’t keep you away / I couldn’t keep you at bay / I couldn’t keep you at arm’s length / you’re still missing / I’m still lost / still living life / still paying the cost / I’ll be home someday somehow / just need time to figure out / how to make some space / how to tell you how / I couldn’t keep you at arm’s length / I couldn’t keep you at arm’s length / and girl I couldn’t keep you at arm’s length / I couldn’t keep you at arm’s length / you’re a storm / I couldn’t keep you away / I couldn’t keep you at bay / I couldn’t keep you at arm’s length
2. no love
it’s beyond these photographs / beyond the way you laugh / it’s a sin / that it never finds a place to fit in / it’s not the way it was / but whoever wanted it like that / I’d take it back / because here there is no love / oh, there is no love / and you’re far from ordinary / but I’m always stuck inside this cast / knowing it won’t last / and these bones have seen better days / yeah, I’m hazed and bruised upon my skin / so, where’ve you been / because girl there is no love / oh, there is no love / girl, there is no love / oh, there is no love / it eventually takes it’s toll / when you’ve lost all self control / and you break / and you binge / and you cringe / what once seemed heavenly / well, now that’s dead to me / you win / and I give in / because girl there is no love / oh there is no love / girl, there is no love / oh, there is no love / like yours
from Arm's Length,
track released February 22, 2016
Credits:
All songs were initially written by Francis John Corva, III and then made infinitesimally better by the accompanying musicians:
Male Vocals & Acoustic Guitar: Francis John Corva, III
Female Vocals & Piano: Asako Ikku, Bass: Phillip Bennett, Lead Guitar: Yuta Aoki
Drums: Akio Fujioka, Rhythm Electric Guitar: Kenji Tanabe, Cello: Toshiro Kimura
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Engineered By: Manny Marx, Sho Tokura & Yuta Aoki, Mixed By: Manny Marx,
Mastered By: Manny Marx, Album Art: Izumi Ohwada, Album Art Layout: Francis John Corva, III
English-Japanese Translation: Adie Verla, Aiko Minematsu, & Sayo Nakamura
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Please listen to & download this music online at:
correspondentsny.bandcamp.com & www.soundcloud.com/correspondents
Follow us in the virtual world at: www.facebook.com/correspondentsworldwide
Follow Francis’ (Frank’s) international adventures in making music at:
allintogethernowinternational.blogspot.com
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