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Gaslight Illuminations

by Oli Spleen

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  • Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    The album Gaslight Illuminations is now available on CD in a beautiful fold-out card sleeve featuring Robert Sample's amazing artwork and a lyric book.

    These CD cardboard sleeves were created by Disc Wizards Duplication.
    www.discwizards.com

    CD features 12 album tracks and a bonus track, these are:

    Nobody's Listening (except for Susan)
    Gaslight
    Almost Young
    Never Known
    Turning Tide
    Hungarian Dance
    Last Lament
    Little Lost
    Mister Crystal
    Mother & The Spoon
    Ghost
    Furnace

    The Drug

    Includes unlimited streaming of Gaslight Illuminations via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
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  • Full Digital Discography

    Get all 26 Oli Spleen releases available on Bandcamp and save 35%.

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of The Mirror, Still Life, These Days Will Pass, A Memory of a Memory, Refugee, How Wild the Wind Blows, Out of The Dirt / Albatross, The Garden ~ Hollow Moon, and 18 more. , and , .

    Purchasable with gift card

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1.
Never had there been such perseverance In the face of ultimate indifference So here's where the new story begins Stepping out onto an unknown limb Ah but nobody's listening Nobody's listening to my song In consonants and vowels I disembowelled myself nightly And I meant every single word, you mustn't take this lightly I tore my heart apart in tiny pieces It's yours now to devour but I feel defeated Because nobody's listening Nobody's listening to my song
2.
Gaslight 01:54
I guess we only made it through By lying lots and cheating But I learned that all from you Seems like all of us need secrets Now I must take back my life Your life is yours and you can keep it I've endured your shit too long You left me broken and defeated You wanted someone who'd be faithful Someone who'd be true Someone who would do all the things You found so hard to do Someone to put the blame on To deflect your crazed abandon Oh get down from your high horse It’s not got a leg to stand on All this trauma All this drama Will come back to you in karma All this trauma All this drama Will come back to you again When you hurt me When you harm me When there’s no way to disarm you All this trauma All this drama All this trauma All this drama I'm not pretending to be pure I'm not claiming to be saintly Dragged myself through every sewer And those experiences taint me But I crawled out of that crap And it seems you don't even try And who but us can see The life that lies behind your lie But all this trauma All this drama Will come back to you in karma All this trauma All this drama Will come back to you again When you hurt me When you harm me When there’s no way to disarm you All this trauma All this drama All this trauma All this drama
3.
Almost Young 02:45
When I was an old man Many moons ago Regrets and fears would cloud my years I had no space to grow But now the clouds are parting It feels like spring has sprung I'm learning how to live life And I'm nearly almost young Life is what we make it I'll contribute my verse And extract inspiration From all things I can't reverse There's feasts that must be tasted And songs that should be sung Let me embrace not waste this Now I'm nearly almost young And as we play the game of life We find it's not so fair 'Cause though we fight with all our might It seems we go nowhere And as we climb the ladders We find snakes on every rung A slide to the inevitable Ending that must come So when I'm on my death bed Be it near or far away I hope I will have few regrets Blown chances, wasted days 'Cause we're only here so briefly As we satellite a sun Whose rays give light and life So we may learn to become young
4.
Never Known 03:32
I wish I’d never seen your face And looked deep in those eyes I wish I had the insight To see through your cheap disguise I wish I wasn’t blinded By a longing to be loved I wish I wasn’t weak I should be cynical and tough I wish I’d never know you Wish I’d never heard your lies I wish I’d never glimpsed The silent suffering in your eyes And felt that I could feel you I hoped that I could heal you But now I wish I’d never known you As I’ll bet you wish you’d never met me Why did I think that I could fix you When I opened up my heart You left me bruised and broken Should have seen it at the start Now I’m at the end of a great mess I should not have let begin This war that you created That neither of us could win I wish I’d never know you Wish I’d never heard your lies I wish I’d never glimpsed The pent-up pain behind your eyes And felt that I could feel you I hoped that I could heal you Oh why is my heart guided By such longing and such lust That it lets down its defences As it opens wide with trust For someone who was toxic Who would only drag me down You were the weight around my neck That tried to make me drown Well now your poison’s in my system You’re still underneath my skin And I wish I’d never met you Wish I’d never let you in I wish I’d never know you Wish I’d never heard your lies I wish I’d never glimpsed That tortured terror in your eyes And felt that I could feel you I hoped that I could heal you But now I wish I’d never known you Now I wish I’d never known you Now I wish I’d never known
5.
Turning Tide 02:12
When subside the tides of learning When my reservoir drains dry What will then fulfil my yearning What will brighten up my sky What will then keep my heart burning Fuel the fire in my eye Will the world still go on turning When the embers fade and die Will I even yearn at all When my inspiration fades Or just curl into a ball And just draw down all the shades Will my silent world grow small Retiring in the mire I’ve made Or will I reel so from my fall I reach for the razor-blade What’s the meaning of my birth Why these strange sad songs I’m singing Have I sung a thing of worth Is the bell I ring worth ringing Why turn misery to mirth Are my syphilitic gifts worth giving Or am I tent pegged to the turf Of a life that’s not worth living When subside the tides of learning When my reservoir drains dry What will then fulfil my yearning What will brighten up my sky What will then keep my heart burning Fuel the fire in my eye Will the world still go on turning When the embers fade and die
6.
7.
Last Lament 00:31
I was broken from the winter I was washed up on the shore 'Til you came to me and calmed me Pulled that splinter from my paw Once my dreams were torn and broken Once my hope was almost spent Now the dream has re-awoken Let this be my last lament
8.
Little Lost 03:04
Little boy lost In a world devoid of pity Midst the circuits of the city Feels the cost Of living on his own And since he ran away from home His world has grown As his hunger has grown greater For rocks of crystal white and golden brown But still he holds his own against the cold He finds a hole, a home A place to penetrate a vein And not come down Little girl lost In a world devoid of pity Midst the circus of the city Pays the cost Of renting out her body Lives a life of shame, a shoddy Excuse of an existence Cruelly tossed Into a pit of pain where perverts Take her, rape her, break her in and pin her down Still she obliterates the ache With every poison she can take Just to escape this wretched world To which she's bound Give me wisdom, make me worthy Keep me from all that may hurt me That may enslave and deprave me All the cruel and the unkind Keep me from the pain and hurting All the raw, the sore and dirty That which may thwart and pervert me And subvert my hurting mind Little boy lost In a world devoid of pity Midst the circus of the city Pays the cost Of renting out his body Lives a life of shame, a shoddy Excuse of an existence Cruelly tossed Into a pit of pain where perverts Take him, rape him, break him in and pin him down Still he obliterates the ache With every poison he can take Just to escape this wretched world To which he's bound Little girl lost In a world devoid of pity Midst the circuits of the city Feels the cost Of living on her own Because she’s got no one to phone And since she ran away from home Her world has grown As her hunger has grown greater For rocks of crystal white and golden brown But still she holds her own against the cold She finds a hole, a home A place to penetrate a vein And not come down Give me wisdom, make me worthy Keep me from all that may hurt me That may enslave and deprave me All the cruel and the unkind Oh just to have one minute Just to lose myself within it Or go back and not begin it Wipe the tape clean and rewind Give me wisdom, make me worthy Keep me from all that may hurt me All that enslaves and depraves me All the cruel and the unkind Oh just to have one minute Just to lose myself within it Or go back and not begin it …Or leave this life behind
9.
Twisted mister crystal Fuel my fire with your bright light Let your piston-fisted pistol Shoot white heat up me tonight In dark corners make our dwelling Out of hope and hunger’s reach Clinging to the underbelly By the skin of rotting teeth Hold me harshly from existence Let your sewer flood my sea Whilst the city holds cold distance From its harmed humanity And now he has me in his tightened grip And now I fear I’ve got myself a taste I sense my wretched soul begin to slip And feel my feeble body start to waste So you danced me through the night time And you dragged me through the day Deep into another night time Where I didn’t want to play And you raped me in the gutter Swept my senses from the shelf With the shards of broken clutter Which I used to call myself For now he has me in his tightened grip And now I fear I’ve got myself a taste I sense my wretched soul begin to slip And feel my feeble body start to waste The claustrophobic walls are closing in I feel him hold me hard and trap me tight He opens me, as every sordid sin Begins to make my soul its home tonight
10.
At times, tormented by the tones Of memories and mobile phones Encased and cut off in my room The walls and windows my cocoon I’d lie in linen streaked with mud And filter poison through my blood Letting the languorous hours slide Out of the spoon lain at my side All time would slip beneath me then Distorting space and vision As if bobbed upon my ocean Summoned softly by its moon I’d be cradled by the currents And the waters would not drown me They’d just gently wrap around me With the warmness of the womb As hours passed, the haze would clear A voice of shame resounding near As, time-to-time my gaze would fall To mother’s picture on the wall Which gazed right back as if to say “Dear child don’t throw your life away Don’t wallow in your septic pit Of filth, depravity and shit” With gnawing guilt, inadequacy White worms that writhe inside of me I’d smoke a fag and have a drink And hurt my head trying not to think I’d gaze at mother, then the spoon Then let my candle bathe the room Letting its golden fingers lick And cook myself another fix Mother you’re fading faster now Disjointed from my vision As I’m swept away on currents Cloying for my every breath My childhood's but a memory Mere glimpses of euphoria That flood in waves and then cascade Down to my deepest depths Mother you’re fading faster now Disjointed from my vision As I’m swept away on currents Cloying for my every breath My childhood now is but a memory Mere glimpses of euphoria That flood in waves and then cascade Down to my deepest depths
11.
Ghost 05:25
Hooked on this hamster wheel I'm going round again My body yearns to feel As the moth craves the bright flame So I get burned Oh how it hurts But still I crave the pain I lacerate my heart The blood runs thick and red I live prepared to die As one already dead My skin's too thin I ache within My hunger's never fed There's times I'm wishing this life never had begun I'm not a fighter and there's wars that must be won I burnt my eyeballs out, just staring at the sun Inside I'm dead, it's just my ghost that's holding on I fall in love so fast And hit the ground so hard Would take a lot to heal The scars inside my heart But just to feel The pain feels real However much it hurts There's times I'm wishing this life never had begun I'm not a fighter and there's wars that must be won I burnt my eyeballs out, just staring at the sun Inside I'm dead, it's just my ghost that's holding on Don't threaten me with love I've heard that one before Still I can't get enough I just want more and more An open heart Loses blood fast And leaves you drained and raw Inside I'm dead Inside I'm dead It's just my ghost that's holding on
12.
Furnace 02:55
There's some who'd want to hurt you Some want to see you bleed As others would pervert you To satisfy their greed This world is red in tooth and claw The hunger to survive I'm hurt yet I come back for more Pain shows me I'm alive And sinking in my darkest hour So sure I will expire I'm born again, born again from waves Waves of blood and fire There's some who'd want to break you To stunt all you can be Don't let their cruel words take you Down to uncertainty It's hate that feeds their anger And fear that feeds their hate Don't be the one to shoulder The burden of that weight And sinking in my darkest hour So sure I will expire I'm baptised, baptised in these waves Waves of blood and fire This is all I have to say I cannot tell you more It's in this fiery furnace That my hardened heart was forged And burning in the ashes Of my youth's funeral pyre A heart aglow, heart aglow With blood and fire

about

The second solo studio album from Oli Spleen, Gaslight Illuminations, is a lot more heartfelt than its predecessor, touching on many raw and personal themes, including the emotional fallout of a toxic relationship.

Composed after the death of his father, the album is a collaboration between Spleen and members of Brighton indie-noir band Birdeatsbaby. Together they created a sound with lush orchestration and a sensitivity to mirror the depths of emotion within.

credits

released February 9, 2019

Cover art by Robert Sample.

All tracks written by Oli Spleen & Mishkin Fitzgerald
Except, I'll Be Your Mirror -Written by Lou Reed & The Velvet Underground
Turning Tide / Mother & The Spoon -Written by Oli Spleen, Rich Leppard, Ben Sumner and Tim Byford
Nobody's Listening -Written by Oli Spleen & Forbes Coleman
Last Lament -Written by Oli Spleen

Arranged, Produced, Mixed, & Mastered by Forbes Coleman at AudioBeach Studios, Brighton & Hove
Co-Produced by Steve Johnson
Strings Arranged by Hana Maria

Individual Track Credits

01 Nobody’s Listening

Vocals -Oli Spleen
Accordion -Mishkin Fitzgerald
Strings -Hana Maria
Double Bass -Steve Johnson
Double Bass with Bow -Garry Mitchell
Drums, Percussion, Programming, & Additional Keys -Forbes Coleman
Vocal Recorded by Yioti Chapman at Yiayia's Recording Studio

02 Gaslight

Vocals -Oli Spleen
Electric Pianos -Mishkin Fitzgerald
Strings & Harp -Hana Maria
Bass -Steve Johnson
Drums, Organ, Synth, Programming, & Additional Keys -Forbes Coleman

03 Almost Young

Vocals -Oli Spleen
Piano -Mishkin Fitzgerald
Strings -Hana Maria
Bass -Steve Johnson
Synths, Programming, & Additional Keys -Forbes Coleman

04 Never Known

Vocals -Oli Spleen
Backing Vocals & Timpani -Tris Arnold
Piano -Mishkin Fitzgerald
Guitar -Adrian Claude
Strings -Hana Maria
Bass -Steve Johnson
Drums, Percussion, Synths, & Programming -Forbes Coleman

05 Turning Tide

Vocals -Oli Spleen
Piano -Tris Arnold
Guitar -Adrian Claude
Strings -Hana Maria
Bass -Steve Johnson
Drums -Forbes Coleman

06 I’ll Be Your Mirror

Vocals & Music Box -Oli Spleen
Backing Vocals & Piano -Mishkin Fitzgerald
Strings -Hana Maria
Written by Lou Reed & The Velvet Underground

07 Last Lament

Vocals -Oli Spleen
Body Percussion -Steve Johnson

08 Little Lost

Vocals -Oli Spleen
Vocals & Piano -Mishkin Fitzgerald
Pedal Steel Guitar -Ben Sumner
Strings & Harp -Hana Maria
Bass -Steve Johnson
Synths, Programming, & Additional Keys -Forbes Coleman

09 Mister Crystal

Vocals -Oli Spleen
Backing Vocals & Piano -Mishkin Fitzgerald
Strings -Hana Maria
Guitar, Percussion, Synths, Programming, & Additional Keys -Forbes Coleman

10 Mother & the Spoon

Vocals -Oli Spleen
Guitar, Drums, Percussion, Synths, & Programming -Forbes Coleman Pedal Steel Guitar -Ben Sumner
Strings -Hana Maria
Piano -Mishkin Fitzgerald


11 Ghost

Vocals -Oli Spleen
Piano -Mishkin Fitzgerald
Guitar -Adrian Claude
Strings -Hana Maria
Bass -Steve Johnson
Percussion, Synths, Programming, & Additional Keys -Forbes Coleman

12 Furnace

Vocals -Oli Spleen
Piano -Mishkin Fitzgerald
Guitar, Percussion, Synths, Programming, & Additional Keys -Forbes Coleman
Strings -Hana Maria
Bass & Anvil -Steve Johnson

In loving memory of John Speer, 1934 - 2018.

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Oli Spleen Brighton, UK

A solo artist since 2012, Oli Spleen started making music way back in 2003 with his first band The Flesh Happening.

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