Twitch and Die
Aborted 1987 demo
The Squirrels had broken off their relationship with Lynn Watts. They re-invested in their sonic infrastructure, a self-designed PA - new guitars, and effects. They breifly rented the basement of St. Thomas Chuch as an office/studio, but sadly lost it before getting to use it much. A new demo was tantamount to breaking the Wilmington barrier, advancing to the next level, and keeping hope alive. Ironically, it wound up being hatched in a bedroom, Paul’s.
Surrender (inst)
If the lyrics were here, they would be talking about the battlefield of a relationship, about attack and withdrawal, fatigue, and defeat. Immediately, too, a sense of the band having seen battle and taking no prisoners. A much heavier approach, and so hybrid as almost to defy comparisons, because there are so many. A carpet bombing stategy?
Murder
Peter takes on the keyboards in a full force faux fugue on capitalist trajectory. Paul runs the gamut from Eddie Van to Adrian Belew. The band sounds as if shot out of a cannon. Does an alarm sound at 4 and half minutes?
Out Of The Trees
If the former were wasted shots, this one hit the mark like a Zen archer. And it took seven-plus minutes of it’s own sweet time to do so. The band is revelling in a new expanse, and extending popsongs beyond their natural limits.
Your Face (inst)
This song was the least new of the bunch, but only by a few months - it pre-dated Lynn’s departure. Lyrically it described the individual journeys people have being indelibly engraved in their faces. But the lyrics aren’t here. Using Paul’s new guitar for an overdubbed solo, Peter gave his last, the last ever, Squirrel performance, and walked out the door.
The Squirrels found themselves at Olympian heights, passing each other thunderbolts. Into the sound blender went Ultravox, Tears For Fears, Comsat Angels, late King Crimson, and Gang of Four’s panned Hard. If the music had soared to some unexplored place, the process itself was slow, and not instantly gratifying. Once the basic tracks were done, there was not much for Matt or Danny to do. Paul undoubtedly was irritated by the lack of privacy. They found themselves climbing the walls with each other. This cleverly crafted vessel shattered from it’s own vibration.
