Brighter Now

Two main versions:

* "Chaotic Version" (1981) - Chemical Playschool 1 (5:13)

A somewhat traditional song structure overlayed with chaotic elements which gradually gain prominence. It fades out on what sounds to be the backwards keyboard sequence from "Breakday."

Unavailable elsewhere.

Instruments: Drum machine with single pattern; two plinky keyboards playing somewhat disconnected melodies; simple piano keyboard chords; two vocal tracks; two tracks of unrelated synth noises; fast-paced sequence blips during the second half are possibly the instrumental parts of "Breakday" played backwards; indecipherable sample at 4:30.

* "Warm Version" (2002) - All the King's Men (6:00)

Very similar to the approach of the original version: a traditional song overlayed by increasing chaos. This one is much "warmer sounding" than the other, though, and begins with a sound collage similar to "Oasis Malade."

The lyrics are slightly different: "sun caress the sea" is now "sun dance on the ocean," the first "it" is now "they," one of the vocal tracks says "dance" instead of "skip" (a noticeable mistake that was for some reason kept in), the guns can't "hear" (as opposed to "touch"), and "nearest star" becomes "stars above."

Unavailable elsewhere.

Instruments: Quiet drum machine with single pattern that occasionally distorts; lush piano keyboard; buzzy synth bassline; two vocal tracks; distorted synth melody; crunchy sampled noises and voices from radio with heavy echo feedback bouncing between the speakers; sharp backwards sampled noises intermittently audible; discordant keyboard plinks coming in halfway through; warm synth pads gradually audible; quick arpeggiated keyboard bouncing around during final quarter;

What It's About:

On a beach, intense love shelters two people during wartime, protecting them from all negative outside influences. The narrator plaintively implores his lover not to "turn against him," apparently recognizing the fragility (and ultimately short-lived) nature of their "moment."

Lyrics (adapted from the Cloud-Zero archive):

Sitting on the beach, we watch the sun caress the sea.
Turns the waves to liquid fire, but we know that it can't hurt us.

Hear a scream from far away, planes skip across the horizon.
Guns are barking out a symphony; we know that they can't touch us.

For our love's higher than the mountain, brighter than the nearest star.
I bought the book, I read the label, wrote the script down in my cradle.

Waited all my life for this moment.
Make it real for now.
Make it for eternity! Eternity!
Don't turn against me.

Eternity. Don't turn against me.
Eternity!
Don't turn against me.
Eternity! Don't turn against me. Don't turn against me!
Eternity!
Eternity. Don't turn against me.

[?]