The Tops of the Trees, by Little Red Wolf

The Tops of the Trees

by Little Red Wolf

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1.	Broken 03:55	lyrics	buy track
Don't I know by now How to smooth my brow Don't I know by now Think I could learn somehow Couldn't tell you What I was doing When the lights went dim And now I'm an empty Woman carrying Children to water bins Somehow I showed up here Dumb words, tired ears Restless eyes and blinking feet To see you actually in front of me And what we didn't say A better bandaid Than any healthy advice Melt my violence With your gentle silence Slowly hue my dye I am broken right now I am broken right now I am broken I am broken I will work again Mmm mmm La la la la I will work again
2.	Every Name 03:47	lyrics	buy track
Used to be I’d run thru everything Used to be I’d never stop When time stood still I could hear them calling Every name I ever forgot On a long long road going slow going nowhere I’m learning to love this way When night rolls in I’ll be here by your good side There’s nothing more to say Used to be I was scared of what they’d say If I got from my knees But if there’s a storm coming in let’s ride it out At the tops of the trees On a long long road going slow going nowhere I’m learning to love this way When night rolls in I’ll be here by your good side There’s nothing more to say
3.	The Middle 02:34	lyrics	buy track
Do you love me When I'm angry, when I'm ugly When I'm crying because I'm lonely And you're right there Do you remember Why you chose me when you met me In my twenties, I was pretty And I was scared It wasn't the path I imagined I would take And there are some choices that I wish I could un-make As long as I end up here Do you love me And my body after babies Broke it open, rearranged me I'm worn out Do you love me When the world is overwhelming When I'm selfish, pessimistic And push you away As long as we find each other Somewhere in the middle of the story As long as we find each other Somewhere in the middle
4.	Cleaning My House 03:58	lyrics	buy track
Looked around my head, what a mess All the plants are dead, all the guests left Their cans on the floor The mice have explored There's holes in the sheets The oven is beeping, shut up My words are syrup dripping on my lap As I walk the dust sticks to my back The mirrors are streaked With months of defeat The tables are flipped There's nothing to eat, where to start Guess I'm cleaning my house Rearranging without any help Oh it's time that I cleaned up my house It's for me, not for anyone else Mmm hmm How long have I been living like this? I cannot love when these demons exist Eating crumbs off the bed Twisting things I said Telling me lies, tucking me in at night Sometimes no one will ask where you've been People change without your permission Your true friends will know Trust them to show They want you to win To shed your old skin 'cause you must So I'm cleaning my house Rearranging without any help Oh it's time that I cleaned up my house It's for me, not for anyone else And the sun will come streaking through my shiny windows And you will come by and we'll go see a show And there's laughter within all the pain And there's water inside of the rain So I'm cleaning my house Rearranging without any help Oh it's time that I cleaned up my house It's for me, not for anyone else
5.	Stay Alive 04:20	lyrics	buy track
When you leave, you don't say goodbye Slowly squeezed me out with a vice Oh the void is vast and deep How can we ever be complete? Oh without the feathers, pillows flatten My head sleeps on rocks We have to stay alive They don't tell me why Come back to me, come back to me I need you on the ground Come on girl, we've got work to do So many people who love you and need you too Last time you left, I shut it all down The factory was closed 'cause you weren't around I felt you sink through me, to the ground beneath Was dirty, sick and empty We have to stay alive They don't tell me why Come back to me, come back to me I need you on the ground Don't go under Wait, come back to me Oh remember When we were lighter Can't live without you light Can't live without you light Come back to me, come back to me I need you on the ground We have to stay alive If you don't, please tell me why Come back to me, come back to me I need you on the ground Don't go under Wait, come back to me Oh remember When we were lighter
6.	Half A Century 02:15	lyrics	buy track
All the things you've seen In half a century Everywhere you've been All the dreams you've dreamed Everyone you've loved All the things you've learned The ways you've grown Your beautiful soul Stopping by the side Wisconsin County Highway So you can listen close To a bird on a wire To see what's up ahead What's around the bend Stay until the sun sets On your beautiful soul Beautiful soul Every day I choose To spend my time with you And your beautiful soul We are bound together by something we can't see I'll share my life with you if you share yours with me Just the way you are, the ways you make me crazy That's just the way I want you Your beautiful soul
7.	Cocobee 02:41	lyrics	buy track
You sit on my shoulder like a parrot When my soul is broken you repair it Shining golden green, your eyes are like the sea Someday you'll be gone and I can't bear it Stay with me Stay with me Stay with me Stay with me Waking up and you are warm against me Tucked into the pocket of my bent knee Or heavy on my chest, soothing me to rest Settle in the space around me gently Stay with me Stay with me Stay with me Stay with me Scratching up the furniture I scold you Three months in with us you let me hold you You press your head to mine, I wish I could stop time The world has gone to hell but no one told you Cocobee Cocobee Cocobee Cocobee Cocobee You're a cat
8.	Grace 02:35	lyrics	buy track
Build yourself a home In the center of your soul Don't make a sound Give yourself a name That only you can say Don't write it down Stay quiet, keep your head up Find stillness, don't get upset Give yourself some time To empty out your mind Of what you knew See yourself with grace Give yourself some space To be afraid I don't need to understand I remember all the times I tried I don't need to understand I remember all the times I tried
9.	Possum in the Kitchen 01:59	lyrics	buy track
My honey loves the wildlife 'round our house A love for animals is quite attractive in a spouse But lately it's been getting kind of hard 'Cause there's critters moving in here and not staying in the yard There's a squirrel in the basement digging in the laundry Mice in the rice in the cupboard There's a mole in the hole in the old tile floor And a finch made a nest in the dishes There's a fox in the box of magazines And a crow on top of the fridge And a possum in the kitchen sitting in the baby's highchair At first it was a mess and quite alarming But soon enough my heart got soft and now I find it charming At least they are not typical as pets We love them like our family and keep all we can get There's a turtle in the sink in the bathroom And a snail made a trail on the counter There's a rabbit in the back of the spice rack And a robin on a perch in the closet There's a chipmunk in my grandad's trunk There's a toad in the sodastream There's a bat in the air wearing underwear And a turkey in the tub There's a squirrel in the basement digging in the laundry Mice in the rice in the cupboard There's a mole in the hole in the old tile floor And a finch made a nest in the dishes There's a fox in the box of magazines And a crow on top of the fridge And a possum in the kitchen sitting in the baby's highchair There's a beetle in the cheesecurds Skunk in the truck bed Badger in the hamper Moth in the soup broth Frogs in the crocs and Deer in the beerkeg Llama in the sauna Sparrow on the stairs And a possum in the kitchen sitting in the baby's highchair

about

Written and recorded over the course of a year, “The Tops of the Trees” marks the band’s 14th year together and celebrates the evolution of their relationships as friends and musical collaborators. A mix of LRW’s familiar folk-pop/country and rock styles, the songs explore everything from the mental health challenges of the pandemic to embracing changing bodies and relationships, to the love of one’s pets.

Balancing the somber and the sublime, the silly and the serious, this ultimately hopeful album reflects the deep love and respect the band members have for each other and their communities.

First formed in late 2008, Little Red Wolf (Meghan Rose, Kelly Maxwell, Emily Mills, Laura Detert) released their debut album, “If Only We Were Just Like We Are” (2010) to critical acclaim and a “Madison’s Favorite New Band” nod from Isthmus. A remix album, featuring unique interpretations from local electronic artists Caustic, Null Device, Dan Clark, and others, followed shortly thereafter. Their second, full-length album, “Junk Sparrow,” was released in 2014. Throughout this period, the band toured the Midwest and played shows at various Madison-area venues, as well as one particularly notable gig for the Gathering of American Gods at The House on the Rock.

Children, cross-country moves, career changes, and other Life Stuff forced the band to put a pause on regular music-making in 2015, but the desire to reconnect and create together remained. It took a pandemic to bring things into focus: A gathering in August 2021 resulted in an unexpected surge of songwriting, which led to a weekend-long recording session at Blast House Studios in Madison in February of 2022. The end product was “The Tops of the Trees,” due to be officially released August 20, 2022 on the group’s Bandcamp site.

Members have spent the intervening years working on a wide variety of other musical projects: Meghan and Emily started their queer-punk duo Damsel Trash in 2013 and have gone on to release three studio albums and one live record. Meghan has also released music as Meghan Rose & the Bones and with the Loud Soft Loud. Laura Detert played with the Werewolverine for many years, and Kelly Maxwell has appeared with numerous local bands, including VO5 and the Fauxtons, in addition to performing with Monkey Business Institute. Kelly and Meg currently play in the Fleetwood Mac tribute act/supergroup, Gold Dust Women.

LRW’s mix of catchy folk-pop, multi-part harmonies, and sense of humor have garnered a dedicated fanbase over the years, one they’re keen to reconnect with via this new album.

credits

released August 20, 2022

All songs written and performed by Little Red Wolf:
Meghan Rose - keyboard, guitar, vocals
Kelly Maxwell - keyboard, guitar, vocals
Laura Detert - viola, keyboard, bass
Emily Mills - drums, vocals

Recorded by Dustin Sisson at Blast House Studios, Madison, WI
Mixing by Meghan Rose at Mr. Baby Studios in New York City, NY
Mastering by Eric Oehler at Submersible Studio in Madison, WI

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about

Little Red Wolf Madison

Little Red Wolf is folk-pop, multi-part harmonies, silly odes, somber reflections, and rock bops. Based in Madison, Wisconsin, the group is made of of four longtime friends and musical collaborators - Meghan Rose, Kelly Maxwell, Emily Mills, and Laura Detert. They're glad you're here. ... more

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