Get all 8 The Mechanisms releases available on Bandcamp.
Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of Death To The Mechanisms, Tales To Be Told, Volume II, The Bifrost Incident, Frankenstein, High Noon Over Camelot, Tales To Be Told, Ulysses Dies At Dawn, and Once Upon A Time (In Space).
1. |
One Eyed Jacks
04:25
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2. |
Iphis
02:23
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Iphis was strong as any boy you'd meet
Though she'd been born in female form
In the City this was fine, but at last, one day
Deep in love she did fall
Iphis loved Ianthe and was loved in return
Iphis turned away, forlorn
"I cannot marry you, a girl as I am -
I cannot marry you in this form".
But she had no money, she had no the gold
To buy the body she desired
So, in despair, she went to Isis' throne
To beg for all she required
And Isis said: "I'm moved by your tale of doomed romance. I know how that feels. I'll do what you ask - my people will find you a suitable body, and you'll find the money for the cerebral transfer is already in your account. But, my dear Iphis, you must remember - all things come at a price. One day, I will call on you, Don't let me down."
At once she agreed with the harsh demands
At once he was reborn
They were married the self same day
The next by Isis' summons they were torn
Iphis and Ianthe, together at last
But torn apart straight away
"I am with you now, a boy as I am
But when will I see you again?"
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3. |
Prometheus
04:30
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Welcome back, punks and rebels, you're listening to Radio Free Ilium, broadcasting whenever we can on whatever frequencies we can hack. Let's start with a song for the haters out there who, uh, polish Olympian Spears. The government may say he's a crook, but we know who the real crooks are. You all know this one: it's Prometheus by TLS!
Five years into the Ilium war the city built a firewall
That cut us from their urban sprawl and kept the signal out.
The barricades they’d tried and failed, their green recruits our men had nailed
But without the wireless beat of life we were finally cut off.
But then one man broke through
Found a way to aid our righteous coup
Prometheus, the hero who let us hold off the horde,
Prometheus, who proved the keyboard’s mightier than the sword
Prometheus, he gave his life to keep our spirits strong.
When we pass into the Acheron
We’ll be singing out his song.
Our homes were burned and blighted shells their military had overwhelmed,
The movements of their soldiers now were veiled beyond our sight.
Without a word he gave us all the data that could bring their fall,
He didn’t ask for accolades and didn’t name a price.
He gave us hope, on that night
The lonely chance that kept us in the fight
Prometheus, the hero who let us hold off the horde,
Prometheus, who proved the keyboard’s mightier than the sword
Prometheus, he gave his life to keep our spirits strong.
When pass into the Acheron
We’ll be singing out his song.
After what he did, Olympus couldn’t turn a blind eye.
They’d lost so many soldiers he surely had to die,
They snatched him from his lair before he said his last goodbye,
As they cracked down on his followers and set his world alight.
But the legacy he left us means the gods we’ll always defy,
And even as our homeland dies we scream his final battle cry!
Prometheus, the hero who let us hold off the horde,
Prometheus, who proved the keyboard’s mightier than the sword
Prometheus, he gave his life to keep our spirits strong.
When pass into the Acheron… we’ll be singing out his song.
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4. |
Redeath
03:15
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Some things unknown, a million places unseen
Across the vast wastes of space a thousand tales untold
This crew immortal can tell these tales untold
At the edge of the worlds we saw a planet fall and
Spread its wings, throw itself into the flaming sun
A dwindling spark that blinked in the flaming sun
A planet died, or so we thought at first
But from this star there burst forth bright sheets of feather flames
They wreathed a creature flying on feather flames
A burst of purple red, burning out the sky
The golden orb shifts, streams of gas begin to take new form
We stared in wonder at this strange living form
Reborn, it soars away, stolen sun at its heart
Another star to obtain, bright blazing in the dark
Behind it dying worlds fade far in the dark
Who'll live to see again this drifter through the void?
What life will rise and reside upon its sleeping spine?
What tales will live and die 'til once more it flies?
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5. |
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Pilchard
Finally I've got you trapped in here with me
Your ship is seized, now you're on your knees
You're overpowered, within the hour
You'll be inside my laboratory
Life, life, eternity!
This is the gift you'll grant to me
True immortality
All of your secrets soon I'll see
Soon there'll be nothing money cannot buy
They'll swap their wealth for eternal life
The strife of man since the world began
Is to conquer death, now I've found my plan
Life, life, eternity!
This is the gift you'll grant to me
True immortality
All of your secrets soon I'll see
Brian
Hear what I say, for I'm an honest man
I'll show you where our crew began
The workshop hides in our ship's insides
And I'll take you there, for it's wrong to lie
Life, life, eternity!
Granted by this laboratory
Pilchard
I'll go alone to see
You'll never escape that easily
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6. |
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THE RECRUITER'S SONG
Grab yourself a laser, lad, and serve your queen
With a smile, smile, smile
Light ‘em with your lucifer and burn ‘em clean
Smile boys, that’s the style
Come on a grand adventure
Against a foe most vile
So, grab yourself a laser, lad, and serve your queen
With a smile smile smile
*Jovial Whistling*
“Come on boys,
The Moon’s not that far away and we’ll be home by Christmas.
Let’s give the kaiser a damn good thrashing.
Lenny won’t know what hit him!
So join the starborne infantry and serve your country.”
GASSED LAST NIGHT
Gassed last night, and gassed the night before
Gonna be gassed tonight if we’re never gassed no more
When you’re gassed, you’re sick as you can be
‘Cause novichok and mustard gas are much too much for me
They’re choking us, they’re choking us,
One respirator and it broke on us.
Thank your lucky stars that the pumps still work
‘Cause coughing up your lungs can be a chore
Cooked last night, and cooked the night before
Gonna be cooked tonight if we’re never cooked no more
When you’re cooked, you’re hot as you can be
‘Cause the Kaiser wants to microwave the British infantry
They’re boiling us, they’re boiling us,
One lead sheet between the four of us.
Thank your lucky stars that you taste so good
‘Cause we wouldn’t want your corpse to go to waste
SOLDIER'S SONG
When little generals play at war
They don’t care what they’re fighting for
Playground battlefields are rife
With soldier toys bereft of life
Marching ever through the black
Orders fly, retreat, attack
Whoe’er commands a toy obeys
Out in the stars and far away
As children grow, the toys they build
From wood to steel with hate are filled
Colonels, generals, marshals plan
Their lines in every patch of sand
Marching ever through the black
Orders fly, retreat, attack
Whoe’er commands a toy obeys
Out in the stars and far away
Whoever’s uniform you wear
No loyalties to hold or share
No burning hate, no bitter fear
No heart to break, so shed no tear
Marching ever through the black
Orders fly, retreat, attack
Whoe’er commands a toy obeys
Out in the stars and far away
TIM GOES CRAZY
We’ll murder all the lunar men with fury heaven-sent
And carpet Lenny’s tunnels with the rounds that we have spent
They’ve tried to break our firm resolve but haven’t made a dent
And their blood will run like wine!
Take no prisoners, give no quarter,
Show them all the colour of their entrails on the floor
The Kaiser’s men are cattle to the slaughter
And their blood will run like wine!
We’ll suck the ragged eyeballs from the sockets of their skulls
Their existence is a mad disease, there needs to be a cull
Upon their rancid soldier-flesh our bayonets will dull
And their blood will run like wine!
Take no prisoners, give no quarter,
Show them all the colour of their entrails on the floor
The Kaiser’s men are cattle to the slaughter
And their blood will run like wine!
All together now -
Take no prisoners, give no quarter,
Show them all the colour of their entrails on the floor
The Kaiser’s men are cattle to the slaughter
And their blood will run like wine!
TEATIME WITH THE KAISER
So Gunpowder Tim cut a bloody red path
Through cannon and infantry, dealing his wrath
Battalions were mustered, and charged with his destruction
But all of them fell to his maddened corruption
But all things must end, and Tim’s luck ran dry
As a Lenny lined his rifle up and let the lead fly
And when he awoke, he was chilled to the bone
Kneeling, unarmed, at the Moon Kaiser’s throne
And the Kaiser just smiled, with his crown all askew
Saying, “Well now my friend, it’s a pleasure to meet you
I hear you’ve made a habit of hacking up my boys
So I’ll return the favour, with what means I can employ
An extended execution, by royalty appointed
And I warn you, the last one left me very disappointed”
Then the Kaiser opened up a box and showed young Tim my head
Fresh-severed, but I winked at him – I guess I wasn’t dead!
Seeing there was hope for him, Tim looked around the room -
The Toy Soldier, in uniform, with a royal guardsman’s plume
Accidentally, it had joined the Kaiser’s personal guard
But it still followed any order, if you gave it nice and hard
Across the room, the great gun stood, aimed right at London Town
Tim had his plan and he prepared to bring the despot down
And with the lunar cannon loaded and the fuse prepared to light
Tim looked the Soldier in the eye and gave the order: “Fight!”
Chaos came to the Kaiser’s men, the violence quick and mad
As the wooden man obeyed the mission briefing that it had
I spun my severed head and bit the Kaiser on the nose
He screamed in shock and dropped me, so I went after his toes
Confusion reigned, Tim took his leave and ran towards the gun
And spun the dial so right around the cannon barrel swung
He didn’t know the firing codes, it wouldn’t stop him long
For the brutal hymn of gunpowder remained his favourite song
So with a barrel from the armory he set the fuse alight
And fled into the lifepod where the Kaiser spent the night
The pod was sealed hard against the force of twenty suns
But Tim couldn’t get the visor closed before the fuse was done
So when the lunar cannon fired and blew the moon out of the sky
The fearsome brightness of the blast burned out our hero’s eyes
And with the force of every weary soldier’s tunnel-bomb
The explosion ripped through the full moon’s heart and like that -
The moon was gone.
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7. |
Pellinore and the Beast
03:39
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In Camlann town where I was born
There was a beast of iron
Three hundred years remained uncaught
But not for want of trying
–
Deep in the night it clanked and roared
It tore our town asunder
Of metal sheets, of bricks and stone
All building blocks did plunder
–
A price, a price, upon its head
A living wage forever
For any knight to strike it dead
Upon this grand endeavour
–
Go ready me my wheels of speed
My bandoliers and rifle
That I may ride to seek my prize
For all that’s just and rightful
–
For two score years I tracked it down
I would not be outwitted
Though many times my spirit broke
My quest could not be quitted
–
It was the merry month of May
I found its wondrous dwelling
A bower of brick and burnished steel
Formed from our own town’s felling
–
The beast of iron, in times gone by
Created all things useful
It could not cease when the stores ran dry
Its beauty yet was truthful
–
And though I tried with all my might
I’d not the heart to kill it
For few can take a dying world
And still with beauty fill it.
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The Mechanisms Oxford, UK
The Mechanisms: a band of immortal space pirates roaming the universe in the starship Aurora. Some say they’re from a steampunk future, others claim they’re from a cyberpunk past, a few even whisper that they may be from a dieselpunk alternate now. They are all correct. ... more
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