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'Popapocalypse​!​' (Full Album)

by A short Dark Stranger

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

    Greetings! A quick note before you start listening...

    This is the full album - the "Popapocalypse!" in its entirety. It includes various effects and noises between tracks (I've been embracing my inner Vince Clarke / Brian Eno...), so don't be surprised (or scared) if there are strange noises before / after a song.

    And no. I don't mean my singing.

    Also - don't be too quick to switch off (at all, ideally!) when the final track comes to an end. There might be a little surprise in store if you're patient & can sit through a few looped synth arpeggios at the album's end... ; )

    If you'd like to play any of the tracks at a party (which would be lovely thanks - they are meant to be danced to!), there are 'DJ versions' of all the songs also available on my page. These are the songs without the intro / outro noises tacked on - DJ 'edits', if you will.

    Perfect for getting a party going in a short dark stylee! ; )

    Cheers & enjoy the Popapocalypse!

    A short Dark Stranger.
    ... more
    Purchasable with gift card

      £5 GBP  or more

     

1.
Love is a dream to me Love is a magazine I can’t reach Love is what love is, but I couldn’t pick it out In an identity line up, I’d be left in doubt For love is a dream to me Love is a train about to leave Departing the station as I get to the door Bereft of elation, and I know forever more I’m Love’s Young Nightmare.. For everyone is beautiful to someone else When you’re moving at the speed of love When you can’t have the one you want (and you won’t settle for less) The life you lead orders a table for one Because – Love is a dream to me And hell is a nightclub I can’t leave Trapped by the window, much too drunk to stalk Marooned in the corner, too alone to talk Oh well, love is a dream to me Love is a cat flap of opportunity When a glimpse of a smile in an overcrowded bar Is all one can hope for Then I know forever more I’m Love’s Young Nightmare.. Love is a dream to me Love is the magazine I’ll never reach Love is what love is, but I couldn’t pick it out In an identity line up, I’d be left in doubt Yes, love is a dream to me Just a sad legacy of jealousy Of discarding emotions behind a locked front door A glance in the mirror And I know forever more I’m Love’s Young Nightmare I’m Love’s Young Nightmare I’m Love’s Young Nightmare I’m Love’s Young Nightmare I’m Love’s Young Nightmare…….
2.
Confidence isn't there all the time with you (It's just a couple of lines away) Sadness is a friend who rides next to me (Not just a matter of pints away) And is it so passe? Not to have taken Class A? (Well that depends on your pointless view) I've no idea what you mean By 'great amphetamines' (And that's just part of who I am!) But Do you wish you loved me? Do you wish you loved me? Do you wish you loved me? Do you wish you loved me? The restless monologue in my mind Wishes you weren't so unkind Still - do you wish you loved me? And do you care? From a distance I was carrying a torch for you (Close up - it turned out just to be some wine!) For self esteem was a lover that ran away (Taking the pet cat and my final wage) Well - your true ugliness shows In the way you behave (A temptress who's just so terribly tame!) There's inherent stupidity in your biology (Still I adored what you are!) But Do you wish you loved me? Do you wish you loved me? Do you wish you loved me? Do you wish you loved me? You've got me quaking in my brogues As I'll never be your swashbuckling rogue! Still - do you wish you loved me? And do you care? And do you think you're so wonderful? (Because I''ll do anything you say) You only abuse me 'cos you know you can You're a psychic vampire draining me away Now go! Some folk are destined just to be alone (Afflicted with this lonely syndrome) And your power over me I wish I had it over you! (Now I know where I stand - and it's not near you!) For still a coffee at yours means - A coffee at yours.. (But you'll share the bed - with regret..) Still Do you wish you loved me? Do you wish you loved me? Do you wish you loved me? For you - I'd drive from East Coast to West Coast! (From Scarborough to Blackpool..) But cirrhosis of the mind is all you find When you idolise a fool! For I never longed for you as yourself (I was merely missing someone else..) Still - do you wish you loved me? And - do you care? WHY SHOULD YOU CARE?
3.
Imagine a girl so painfully pretty Flawless of skin, clever and witty All a man could want The face to launch a thousand ships (and a million dinghies) She turned this serf into a king That was the girl I got O you landed in my life – to save me from myself O I dared to be happy But it was the hope that broke my heart (and now) Friends say I should live without you But damnit – I don’t want to! I wake up every day With this Boxing Day sense of disappointment I wish you’d stayed – I should Never never never have let you down Never never never should have let you down I ever never never should have let you down (I’ll sing it again so you know) I never never never should have let you down Never never never should have let you down Never never never should have let you down* How could I dare to believe that I’d hoped you would settle for me Although I can’t really blame you For running away You deserve so much better than this But I wish you’d stayed with me Now picture a girl forlorn, neglected All alone, feeling rejected Needing somebody there Well, here’s my sincerest apologies for my misplaced priorities And seeming not to care How I yearned to set us free from the drudgeries of life But my insecurities – well, they tore us both apart (And you left) And now I sign every letter ‘Your Despondent Correspondent’ For I should have made it clear There is no other could be my angel I need you here – I should Never never never have let you down Never never never should have let you down I ever never never should have let you down (I’ll sing it again so you know) I never never never should have let you down Never never never should have let you down Never never never should have let you down* How could I dare to believe that I’d hoped you would settle for me Although I can’t really blame you For running away You deserve so much better than this But I wish you’d stayed with me So I found the model that looked the most like you And I put her picture on my desktop But it didn’t work – it didn’t make the pain stop And now I slump in a cold dark room with a bottle in my veins and an empty heart And I wish you were here with me Just so I could say to you Just say these words to you.. O hug me ‘til you drug me honey Never let me go – oh for I am I – and I wish I wasn’t So alone And I’m sorry if I let you down Lenina But I can’t say no to a drink! Now all that’s left for this lonely loser Is to sit and think Sit and drink Drink and think – I should Never have let you down..(adlib) I NEVER SHOULD HAVE LET YOU DOWN Never never never should have let you down Never never never should have let you down I never never never should have let you down (I’ll sing it again so you know) I never should have let you down How could I dare to believe that I’d hoped you would settle for me Although I can’t really blame you For running away You deserve so much better than this How I wish you’d stayed with me HOW I WISH YOU’D STAYED WITH ME...
4.
Manchester skyline, looming above me But for the trams well – this could be Leeds! Lost for a landmark – yet certain we’re “here” But where “here” is Remains a mystery Modernised, sanitised Saved from demolition By being changed into recognition.. But all I wanted to do was go there with you And find something new to view All we wanted to seek was something unique And not the same bland boutiques.. Abominations of 60s town planners Knocked down in droves yet replaced with the same Making modern day nightmares For battery existence From bright satanic offices To identikit bars - See the sterling signs In their sightless eyes Admire, aspire Acquire – and then build higher, higher, HIGHER.. But all I wanted to do was go there with you And find something new to view All we wanted to seek was something unique And not the same bland boutiques.. Watch them rebuilding Rome out of steel & chrome See a future so empty for towns that can’t sleep A dystopic vision of a caffeine fuelled future All bloated by burgers you’d barely call meat Must Anglicised mean sterilised? Leeched of individuality You see, that really really matters to me.. But all I wanted to do was go there with you And find something new to view All we wanted to seek was something unique And not the same bland boutiques.. LET'S TEAR THEM ALL DOWN..
5.
Feeling lonely? And like nobody could give a damn? (YES!) Well - you're wrong, you know It may seem hopeless But - well, yes, all right, it sometimes is! When you're facing life's uncertainties You can ALWAYS come and talk to me And I swear I'll never turn you away.. (I'll never turn you away..) Did they hurt you? Leave you feeling like chewed up gum? (Spat out, trampled on) Just forget them! And then get yourself straight down the pub! (Where you know there'll be) Friends, food & flowing wine Tell me yours - I'll tell you mine And we can both feel lonely (but not so alone..) (I'll never turn you away..) So we say "Goodbye", "so long" and "Thanks for the chat" Well, a friend in pain is a friend in need And I'll do all that I can! Though it won't change a single thing I say "Thank you for listening" : ) (I'll never turn you away..)
6.
I don't know what I see in you The antithesis of all I do For nothing's sacred to a heart That wouldn't care - man blown apart! I've turned myself black & white Pandering to you Though Occam's Razor says "you're just a bitch".. (And all my friends do too..) Still - I'm a fool for fancying you I'm a fool but not an idiot And I see that you are Volatile - but with such style And that's how I've been caught! And what can I do? And all your qualities I abhor Merely make me crave you more and more! (Though I can see your many flaws) You hold my heart - but you don't deserve it! For all you are is so self serving! You put your put downs, cheap jokes On your "at my expense account" Still - your twinkling eyes of cruelty Knock my senses out.. Still - I'm a fool for fancying you I'm a fool but not an idiot And I see that you are Volatile - but with such style And that's how I've been caught! Behind the barricades of your bitchiness Is there affection in your eyes? Still - I fan the flames of your ego To such a supercilious size! He sighs He sighs He sighs - And I don't know why! But - I'm a fool for fancying you I'm a fool for fancying you When you surrender your heart To a vulgar little tart Then all you will feel Is how she wants you to feel.. How she'll make you reel!
7.
Sunday night - you're nearly here again And the hours have been too few We spent apart - inside this heart There's a cascading torrent of sorrow At the prospect of another day Tomorrow Though I'm grateful for all you afford me My soul? It writhes with boredom! The means to quit - I just can't find it.. And so you sneak up once again Tomorrow But if I walk away from you What will I do? If I walk away from you? Am I through? Monday morning drags me back to you And tiredness takes its toll Through you I live life to the dullest And though I yearn through the jaws of your portcullis I simply cannot flee This ennui And any hope of living life fulfilled Diminishes more each week When every day you breath the same air Motivation melts away.. But if I walk away from you What will I do? If I walk away from you? Am I through? And if I'm still here This time Next year You know I never found the strength to walk away To walk away.. But if I walk away from you What will I do? If I walk away from you? Am I through?
8.
Shot down by double barrelled disappointment I stand forlorn and gaze at you Utterly unable to fathom this effect you’ve had on me I just can’t vanquish this anguish! In this shallow world self worth obscenely Depends on our physiology Well – if you hate your body so much – why not let me love it? O let’s be awful together.. Come on – lose your inhibitions Oh - lose your inhibitions To the human condition The Human Condition.. I know such sentiments may seem callow (Well, we’ve all got our inner teenager) Please stop saving yourself for some superficial superman And try an exercise in compromise! For if no one desired you – I still would O – you’ve such heavenly ‘features’.. But there’s a pandemic frustration sweeping across the nation Of less desirable creatures – please listen to me now and Come on – lose your inhibitions Oh - lose your inhibitions To the human condition The Human Condition.. And when he’s done – and your clothes go back on You just know he’ll lose interest But what would it take just to drag you down to me? You name it – I’m paying.. Come on – lose your inhibitions Oh - lose your inhibitions To the human condition The Human Condition.. We're only human! Human We're only human Human It's The Human Condition..
9.
She followed every single Government guideline “5 a day”, “to bed on time” But sadly – she died From “something inside” Whilst full time half wits they reported Lies as fact – the truth distorted To sell more Of their tawdry rags With sadistic statistics To demonise all unemployed and the obese For a war of nutrition feeds an appetite To thwart your inner peace For the world will give you cancer (Well, if you believe all they say!) A paedophile lurks on every street corner Just itching to take your kids away.. He followed every published recommendation “Everything in moderation” And sadly – he died From “something inside” Whilst heartless hacks hacked and hacked Hacked and never once looked back Or even paused At the misery they caused The mourning papers – how they bleat And shed their crocodile tears Whilst amoral hypocrisy on every sheet Shows us what to fear For the world will give you cancer (Well, if you believe all they say) Teenagers trash your local Tesco (Every hour, every day..) Asylum seekers? "The New Grim Reapers!" Proclaim these glorified TV guides "They'll take your job - then dig up Princess Diana.. And jeopardise your way of life!" They hounded her to suicide Just for what she was inside And what a surprise.. No one was fired. The eyes of young children They do not see This intolerance that you breed But it’s hard to ignore such scaremongering When it’s so much of what you read For the world will give you cancer (Should you gladly pay for all they say..) Well then you’ll never find real answers.. So here’s the news – once again.. O - burnt toast will give you cancer (Should you swallow all the lies they sell) Immigrants will marry your flowerbeds Or worse still – make them gay as well! Single mums will steal your iPhone Then microwave your cat And why do we always Blindly accept these things as “fact”?! (THESE THINGS AREN'T FACTS!!)
10.
When it’s been so long since you’ve kissed someone And your best lines fall on deaf ears When all your days drift into one How life looks rosier perched in the pub! When you heard the Carling calling (But you didn’t heed the warning) And a “roll up” just delays your woes. When you thought that you knew better (But then received a letter) And now all you can see is – Bills, bills, bills, bills, bills.. But I won’t give up on life ‘til my last breath leaves me I’m going to watch the news with Peter Levy! Look around – life’s plainly absurd (Though I’ve had a few ales – and my words may be slurred..) There’s so much more to life than the 9 to 5 That terminal struggle to stay alive O – look around, life’s plainly absurd! So let’s open the wine.. When your rent’s gone up (but your job went East) For a tenth of what they paid you When you’re always broke How can you afford fun? (love) Don’t you wish you’d been born someone else? And whilst you skulk in the shadows of the valley of debt – Well, everyday life goes on The revolution’s on telly (but you’re there at the bus stop) Thought three just went by And now it starts to rain.. But I won’t give up on life ‘til my last breath leaves me I’m going to watch the news with Peter Levy! Look around – life’s plainly absurd (Though I’ve had a few ales – and my words may be slurred..) So we vary the routine going 8 ‘til 4 but That still leaves you tired and bored O – look around, life’s plainly absurd! So let’s have some more wine.. When your name’s synonymous With Alcoholics Anonymous (And for some reason you just can’t remember why..) When you heard the Carling calling (But you didn’t heed the warning) And now nothing will dispel your woes They say “What doesn’t kill you can only make you stronger” But you can’t take this heartbreak very much longer! Still I won’t give up on life ‘til my last breath leaves me I’m going to watch the news with Peter Levy! Look around – life’s plainly absurd (Though I’ve had a few ales..) So when you’re lying in the gutter just looking at the clouds And your toast always lands butter side down O look around – life’s just absurd! Though you know in your heart things could be so much worse! So I won’t give up on life ‘til my last breath leaves me I’m off to watch the news with Peter Levy! O – look around – life’s so absurd! So let’s finish the wine! (There’s no more wine…)

about

Hello & welcome to my page! It's lovely to have you here, you beautiful person!

I hope you enjoy my (long overdue!) remastered, brand new and improved debut album!

If you'd like to watch some live clips please find me on Facebook, YouTube, Soundcloud, Twitter etc!

Thanks as always to my friends & family for support. Special thanks for this much improved, remastered version go to:

Sam R. at the brilliant (and reasonably priced) Sonomatic Studios, Armley, Leeds (vocal recordings, mixing & mastering studio wizardry).

Damian W. for photography for the individual tracks. Leeds - you've yet again been immortalised in musical (and photographic) history! ; )

Chris D. for the frankly stunning A short Dark Stranger logo (the album cover). You didn't seriously think my artistic skills are that good, did you?

Beaujolais wine, Sainsbury's own brand gin & overpriced craft beer.

And of course extra super duper special love & thanks to Alice, as always. I couldn’t have done it without you.

Well, I could have done, but it wouldn’t have been anywhere near as much fun!

(Incidentally, just like the best guitar amps, the number of songs on this album go up to 11.. ; ) )

If you like what you hear, why not buy a song or two (or the whole album - it's only £5!) to help support me in creating more stonkingly catchy, quintessentially, cynically witty English electro-pop?

You know it makes sense!

Cheers,

A short Dark Stranger (Leeds, 2020).

credits

released February 29, 2020

A short Dark Stranger: stylophone, lead & backing vocals, synthesisers, keyboards, piano, electric & acoustic guitars, programming, ukelele & reversed harmonica (sort of).

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about

A Short Dark Stranger Leeds, UK

A Leeds based purveyor of pumping power pop!

80s / 90s style throbbing, crashingly catchy synth-pop epics with cathartic, heartfelt, emotionally honest, cynical yet wittily pithy, observational and self deprecatingly amusing lyrics.

Whew! That was a lot of adjectives!

Have a listen & if you like what you hear, why not support me by buying some tracks? You know it makes sense! ; )
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