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U

by XUK

/

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  • T-Shirt/Apparel

    Black cotton t-shirt with XUK "three diamond" logo on front. Limited supply. Free shipping (US only).
    ships out within 5 days
    edition of 40 
    Purchasable with gift card

      $12 USD or more 

     

  • T-Shirt/Apparel

    Black cotton t-shirt with XUK "three diamond" logo on front. Limited supply. Free shipping (US only).
    ships out within 5 days
    edition of 43 
    Purchasable with gift card

      $12 USD or more 

     

1.
Lost 03:56
lyrics
Lost The snake charms the charmer The con-man hits his mark The congregation's in ecstasy As the preacher spins his yarns The sky is blue, the grass is green What's hot is cold, the shit is gold The lies are true, the lies are true The sky is blue, the grass is green Your lying eyes - blame them For what you've seen Oh, don't tell me you're lost Oh, don't count the cost Oh, don't tell me you're lost Oh, don't count the cost There's a U in revolution A revolution in you Oh, don't tell me you're lost U in undiscovered Oh, don't tell me you're lost Oh, don't count the cost There's a U in bullet There's a bullet in you The fake fakes the faker The sniper hits his mark The party's in ecstasy As the con-man spins his yarns The sky is blue, the grass is green What's hot is cold, the shit is gold The lies are true, the lies are true The sky is blue, the grass is green Your lying eyes - blame them For what you've seen All rights reserved © Simon Holden 2017
2.
Tomorrow / Today 04:24
lyrics
Tomorrow / Today Buy it tomorrow, sell it today Do we ever stop to wonder What we're saving for? 'Cos we all die one day Remember tomorrow Forget yesterday Are we ever really sure What we're striving for? When we can't even say Never in a million years, my dear Never in a million years Never in a million years, my love Will I ever come back to stay Yes for tomorrow, but no for today And we're always gonna miss Who we're dreaming of "Cos we can't stay awake Never in a million years, my dear Never in a million years Never in a million years, my love Will I ever come back, ever come back Why would you ever think that I'd Ever come back to stay? Adrift on the ocean, we're lost in the stars And we're hoping someone's gonna come And guide our thoughts So we don't drift too far Never in a million years, my dear Never in a million years Never in a million years, my love Will I ever come back, ever come back Why would you ever think that I'd Ever come back to stay? Ask me tomorrow like you did yesterday Are we ever gonna find What we're looking for If we don't change today? All rights reserved © Simon Holden 2017
3.
The Show 04:06
lyrics
The Show Yes he knew The thoughts they were thinking Too busy drinking To give a shit Strangers disappeared Under cover of darkness Joey never noticed His place in it Please join us At the show tonight That's your name On the list tonight They call it rhetoric And don't wait for answers Moving the goalposts Then taking the Hill We live transfixed Insulated amusement They made an app for that And made you a pill Pull your pants up And get on the train, boy Move along I won't tell you again Please join us At the show tonight You're our guest On the list tonight Now's the time  For reckless abandon Trip the switch In the depths of your minds Heed the warnings Of Burroughs and Orwell Propaganda feeds itself On everything it finds Please, please, please, please... Please join us At the show tonight You'll be On their list tonight This is the Church Of Immaculate Deception On your knees now And don't it feel good? Doing the work Of social exclusion Worked exactly As they hoped that it would Turn around Shake hands with your neighbor He looks like you 'Cos they told him he should Say a little prayer For the sake of the children Stained glass windows The color of blood All rights reserved © Simon Holden 2017
4.
Café Lyon 04:06
lyrics
Café Lyon Well we started out Together hand-in-hand Now I speak to you But you don't understand We're drifting separately It's nothing like we planned We've found ourselves Without loving The ship is in no shape for rescue The rudder gone The sails are torn We're all at sea With no protection The icy sea will chill our bones Even if we both survive And we make it back to shore Will we know the way back To the love we felt before? Since the home we had Was burned down to the floor  What remains of our loving? Will I remember you As the mists of time close in? Will I ignore your scream For help above the din? As the wounds of battle fade And I try to rise again  Will I find Something worth loving? My ship is in no shape for rescue My rudder gone My sails are torn I'm all at sea With no protection The icy sea will chill my bones All rights reserved © Simon Holden 2017
5.
Weird People 04:16
lyrics
Weird People Yeah I'm one of those weird people And by "weird" I'm referring To human beings, homo sapiens You and me Our parents, children Neighbors, foreigners, settlers All of humanity We're the really weird people We're all really weird people The normal weird people And we're us She was one of those weird people And by "weird" I'm referring To human beings, homo sapiens You and me Our parents, children Neighbors, foreigners, settlers All of humanity We're the really weird people We're all really weird people The normal weird people Because we're us We had to breed with weird people And by "weird" I'm referring To human beings, homo sapiens You and me Our parents, neighbors, foreigners, settlers All of humanity We're the really weird children We're all really lost children The normal weird children So why hurt us? We can't stand those weird people And by "weird" I'm referring To human beings, homo sapiens You and me Our parents, children Neighbors, foreigners, settlers Native, immigrant Straight, gay, bi, trans, binary, celibate Not looking right now I'm working on myself right now You're working on yourself Right now I hope The man asking for change And the man on the shooting range And the poor in their cage All rights reserved © Simon Holden 2017
6.
No More Mister Night Sky 04:36
lyrics
No More Mister Night Sky I held a seance for the state you're in Begged absolution For your mortal sin It went dark It didn't seem normal I cast around for a shadow of doubt I saw you screaming But heard nothing come out It went cold Then nothing was normal You said that love's the master key Then warned that nothing ever comes free There's something dying In the smile that you wore It feels like something I saw die once before Is it me? Is this paranormal? It's bright tonight 'cos the fake stars are out The fans are screaming Who knows what it's about? It's so sad These zombies are normal You said that love's the master key Then warned that nothing ever comes free But you would gladly sell it to me To me Your eyes were empty When the sea turned to blood The sons of evil knew Their motives were good It was bad But perfectly normal I can't forget the last words that you said You'd rather be alive than be living dead It went dark But perfectly normal You said that lust is the master key Then warned damnation always comes free And you would gladly give it to me To me I cast around for a shadow of doubt I saw you screaming But heard nothing come out It went cold Then nothing was normal You said there's something coming for me You said you'd never, ever be free To me, to me, to me All rights reserved © Simon Holden 2017
7.
Forest of Dreams 04:26
lyrics
Forest of Dreams The look in your eyes Made of dark, stormy nights How they sparkle and flash And they never look back As you slip from my hand You dash off Down the slippery path that you chose That you chose for yourself All alone That you chose for yourself all alone In your forest of dreams You can wander unseen Hide and seek with yourself Finding nobody else As the rain slashes down You run off Down the slippery slope that you chose That you chose for yourself All alone That you chose for yourself all alone Always lost in your dreams In your forest of dreams And you never see me 'Cos you're lost in your dreams The look in your eyes Made of dark, stormy nights How they sparkle and flash And they never look back As you slip from my hand You dash off Down the slippery path that you chose That you chose for yourself All alone That you chose for yourself all alone I am lost in your dreams In your forest of dreams And you never see me 'Cos I'm lost in your dreams In your forest of dreams You can wander unseen Hide and seek with yourself Finding nobody else As the rain slashes down You run off Down the slippery slope that you chose That you chose for yourself All alone That you chose for yourself all alone All rights reserved © Simon Holden 2017
8.
U 04:15
lyrics
U My head is empty And my breathing has slowed My deep sleep is dreamless In the warm afterglow My heart is beating Yeah I know I'm alive Nothing can stop me now I'm gonna live Gonna live 'til I die I'm gonna live, gonna live 'til I die There's a U in uranium There's uranium in you There's a U in bullet There's a bullet in you There's a U in murder There's a murder in you There's a U in unfaithful I'm unfaithful of you The U in undiscovered Is undiscovered in you The U in upstanding The upstanding in you The U in revolution A revolution in you The U in understanding Understanding of you My head is empty And my breathing has slowed My deep sleep is dreamless In the warm afterglow There's a U in hurtful And it's hurting you too There's a U in ugliness There's beauty there too There's a U in humanity I can see it in you There's a U in a bullet There's a bullet in you My head is empty (There's a U that's in unity) And my breathing has slowed (It's the unity in you) My deep sleep is dreamless (There's a U in universe) In the warm afterglow (Feel the universe in you) There's a U in humanity See the human in you (I'm gonna live 'til I die) There's a U that's inside you It's the human that's true Your heart is beating So as long as you're here Nothing will stop you now I'm gonna dry Gonna dry all your tears I'm gonna dry Gonna dry all your tears I'm gonna dry Gonna dry all your tears Gonna dry Gonna dry all your tears I'm gonna dry Gonna dry all your tears All rights reserved © Simon Holden 2017
9.
All These Circles 03:23
lyrics
ALL THESE CIRCLES I'm the width that has no breadth And I'm the man who cheated death I'm the one-dimensional chess I'm the no that always means yes I'm the gift that's always giving In the land of the living I am the sound that nobody hears All these circles All these circles I'm the fast car in the slow lane I'm the pilot of the crashing plane I'm the viking in Valhalla I'm the man on the corner with the umbrella I'm the king who lives like a pauper I'm the son who marries your daughter I am the sleep that slips into death All these circles All these circles I'm the ship that never sinks I'm the thirst that never drinks I'm the scream that makes you shudder As the storm breaks the rudder I am the pain that no-one can bear All these circles All these circles All these circles All these circles All these circles All these circles All rights reserved © Simon Holden 2017

about

“U” is the result of a year of writing and recording by Simon Holden, XUK’s Los Angeles-based British singer/songwriter. This new 10 song album is a departure from the viola-drenched, acoustic rock approach of the band’s debut Love Hits …like a cricket bat-out-of-hell”.

Holden says, “Love Hits was mostly about love gone wrong. The songs on “U” come from a somewhat different perspective.”

XUK’s 2005 debut included nineteen original songs and a couple of cover songs. The album garnered the “DIY Producer of the Year Award” in 2006 and the band supported the album with live shows in and around Los Angeles. One tour of the western US concluded in an appearance at the SXSW music festival in Austin Texas in 2005. XUK has been on hiatus since its last live show in 2008.

“The combined talents of the many musicians who helped me on Love Hits really formed the musical identity of XUK during the recording of the last album”, Holden explains. “Even the new album’s title “U” reflects a more self-reliant approach for the new recordings. Also, it’s the idea of “U” being the abbreviation of the individual, the increasing isolation that technology seems to be imposing on us these days. That’s very much the through-line in most of the songs on “U”. The music itself hasn’t been simplified though. I think, if anything, it’s as rich and evocative as ever, only different, more modern and experimental.”

Owing much to 70’s era British rock music, the tongue-in-cheek, sometimes irreverent humor that was prevalent in XUK’s lyrics is more restrained in this new work. The strumming, soaring guitars, the synths and the pounding drums — with vocals often described as “Bowie-esque” — are more contemporary, experimental and some might say “dark”. “U” shares the musical DNA of bands like Radiohead, Pink Floyd, Echo & the Bunnymen, Coldplay — all of them UK bands with a reputation for experimentation. Holden’s vocal style has often been described as Bowie-esque, and “U” may also owe something to Bowie’s posthumously released album “Blackstar”. Whatever comparisons may be made, XUK’s British heritage is clear in Holden’s vocals and choice of subject matter. The new album’s memorable motifs create a textural landscape for Holden’s musings on modern life and today’s political climate, while still expressing hope and optimism for the human race — even in dark times.

“Working on the new songs, I had the freedom to let my musical imagination run — since I wasn’t in any way reliant on the input of other people. I’ve always written alone since collaboration is difficult for me. I’m self-taught and so if I’m going to work with other musicians I have to come in with something I already know how to play! I’m a guy who knows a few chords on the guitar but often I have no idea what chords I’m playing or what musical key songs are in. I love the process of songwriting and, for me, the music is a mostly a catalyst for developing lyrical ideas. I think I dug deeper into my musical subconscious this time around because I was doing everything myself. This allowed me to explore themes that most pop music doesn’t tackle, and see where it led as I was recording. As the songs evolved over time I realized I wanted to speak to the current state of the world, to talk about the things that should bind us together as human beings, rather than just vent about the fact that relationships often suck. Although there is some of that in there too, I hope people will get something more out of “U” than just another alt/rock album.”

credits

released December 7, 2017

All rights reserved © Simon Holden 2017

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XUK Los Angeles, California

XUK was formed in 2003 as a four piece rock band.The second album "U" is a solo venture of singer/songwriter Simon Holden and signals an update to the band's original blend of 70’s classic rock and symphonic styles, "U" is a harder-edged, textural landscape populated with soaring guitars, keyboards, pounding drums. ... more

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