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Mental Picture

by Sarah Bethe Nelson

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  • Record/Vinyl + Digital Album

    First Press Limited Edition White Vinyl LP. Includes digital download. On Speakeasy Studios SF. 2022

    Includes unlimited streaming of Mental Picture via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ships out within 5 days
    edition of 300 
    Purchasable with gift card

      $25 USD or more 

     

  • Record/Vinyl + Digital Album

    160g Black Vinyl First Pressing LP. Includes digital download. On Speakeasy Studios SF 2022

    Includes unlimited streaming of Mental Picture via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ships out within 5 days
    edition of 700 
    Purchasable with gift card

      $20 USD or more 

     

  • Cassette + Digital Album

    High-bias cassette tape in beautiful green with gold typeface and full color 2 sided J-Card. Includes digital download and streaming through the Bandcamp app. Limited edition of 100. On Speakeasy Studios SF 2022

    Includes unlimited streaming of Mental Picture via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ships out within 5 days
    edition of 100 
    Purchasable with gift card

      $7 USD or more 

     

  • Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    CD including full color 2 sided Eco-Pack. Includes digital download and streaming through the Bandcamp App. On Speakeasy Studios SF 2022

    Includes unlimited streaming of Mental Picture via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ships out within 5 days
    Purchasable with gift card

      $9 USD or more 

     

  • Streaming + Download

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    Purchasable with gift card

      $9 USD  or more

     

1.
Sitting in the sunlight in your front seat Watching you running down the street We were trying to figure out our top speeds, come on You said it would never work for me I think it’s got something to do with heat But I don’t know You said anything you want is what you’ll have I love those moments before it all goes bad When I hope it won’t I want lilacs in the morning, love letters at noon A broken down villa beneath a blood red moon And that’s all I want Give me something, darlin, that’s a perfect fit Five lovin’ days I’ll make a mess of it That’s how it goes Give me something, darlin, that’s a perfect fit Five lovin’ days I’ll make a mess of it That’s all I know Standing in the kitchen looking down the drain You handed me a butcher knife and a bottle of champagne Sleeping in mansions listening to the rain I can’t see the road Tell me I can stay here in this backyard Looking at the weeds and the broken cars Hoping for the best, wishing on the stars That fall on me
2.
I went fishing for breaks but the breaks weren’t biting I sat there all day drinking white lightning I got me a pony but she turned out ornery I paid for salvation but the preacher conned me What a shame, what a shame, what a shame I can’t catch a break I hold the world’s record for the biggest losing streak It’s a thousand miles long and twice as deep I was born in a barn in the year of the cricket I chose the right numbers but I lost the ticket What a shame, what a shame, what a shame I can’t catch a break I planned on playing concerts to show the world my tunes I wound up on the porch with the possums and raccoons It feels like forever but it was yesterday I’m stuck in the corner with a fresh coat of paint
3.
Was it better when it was broken When nearly everything was wrong Living deep in the red, better off dead I felt fine barely hanging on I don’t remember wanting to fix it Listening to the rats in the walls I wasn't looking for fights out in the night I was searching for a soft place to fall I’d rather be barely hanging on Than to find out I’m already gone I’m already gone It went quiet in the chaos Caught in the eye of the storm Dodging defeat, high on repeat Burning bridges to stay warm Every window is rattling It’s the fifty-second season of wind They’re taking cars apart in the yard I’m still scrambling to cover the rent I’d rather be barely hanging on Than to find out I’m already gone I’m already gone Take me up to the treeline I’ll dive in the clearest lake Tell me those lights are always gonna shine Baby, forgive me my mistakes
4.
We’re a long way from having anything to lose Anything to lose, anything to lose But I’ve got some cash stashed So put on your alligator boots Your alligator boots, those alligator boots And let’s go, let’s go Fake fighting in the streets, fake fighting in the streets Fake fighting in the streets, fake fighting Wishful thinking ‘til the lights stop blinking ‘Til the lights stop blinking It’s wishful thinking ‘til the lights stop blinking ‘Til the lights stop blinking, and finally glow Or fucking explode We’re a long way from having nothing to lose Nothing to lose, nothing to lose But I’ve got some cash stashed So put on your alligator boots Your alligator boots, those alligator boots And let’s go, let’s go Fake fighting in the streets
5.
Night Birds 03:54
Restless women and peaceful men Have been getting it wrong since I don’t know when Peaceful men need steady gals Who let them get some sleep in the wee, wee hours La-la-la-la, la-la, la-la-la-la-la-la-la But the wee hours are when the night birds sing It’s the only time time they tell me anything I’m trying to see the future from way up high And hoping something happens before I die La-la-la-la, la-la, la-la-la-la-la-la-la They canceled the things I wanted to be I turned into a prism of monotony Now my days are like fractured beams I stay up late hiding from my dreams La-la-la-la, la-la, la-la-la-la-la-la-la Hurry before your treasure turns to trash Spend it quick, it won’t last I don’t answer I’ve got nothing to say Six months later it’s the same damn day La-la-la-la, la-la, la-la-la-la-la-la-la I hope restless women and peaceful men Go dancing with the night birds someday again We’ll meet in the streets, we’ll hold on tight Then I’ll probably call you up in the middle of the night
6.
7.
I get to feeling good I get to feeling good I forget that anything Could be bad I hope you’re feeling good I hope you’re feeling good I think of all the good times That we’ve had Tell me I don’t have to work today Tell me the lies will shake out okay Tell me that the drinks are for free And if I don’t want to stay then I can just leave I can just leave I get to feeling good I get to feeling good I forget that anything Could go wrong I hope you’re feeling good I hope you’re feeling good Where are the good times It’s been so long
8.
I got dizzy spinning there Beneath the shadows of the fronds And the glass of ice melting Felt cool on my palm Will you pour me one more please Or let me borrow the jug I get tired without touching Holding onto nothing I miss cutting up the rug It’s not even dark Don’t turn the light on yet I should take a mental picture Before I forget First they tell you what they’ll sell you Then they turn their backs I quit counting on all those nights in To help me relax And the misled are spoonfed There’s not a cracked spine in their stacks We spend our lifetimes holy diving Chasing the bright things Blissfully falling through the cracks It’s not even dark Don’t turn the light on yet I should take a mental picture Before I forget Everybody is covering Up against the wind It’s the start of some summer You can feel it on your skin If we hold on a little longer We might break on through I miss missing my connection I miss night walking Calling out to you

about

Bay Area singer-songwriter Sarah Bethe Nelson’s multiple albums of balladry and pop chart an emotional wave of the multifarious and sometimes tumultuous changes of the area’s landscape. Her latest is no exception. Enter Mental Picture, a collection of aftershock spectral tunes ghosting in the aura of the recent age spinning out from the contradictions of Nelson's steely reserve and melancholy fragility. If past efforts highlighted a certain zeal for the times, Mental Picture, while no less resolute in its approbation of the charms of this particular wasteland, definitely adds the haunt of eyes that have seen a grimness and dared to wink back at it. Think later Townes Van Zandt self-deprecation jolted through the afterglow of Stoned And Dethroned horizon-watching. What began as a way to stay sane in the early days of the pandemic when studios remained shuttered, the album was recorded in Nelson’s own Mission District living room with long-time creative partner Rusty Miller, as well as at the home of compatriot Doug Hilsinger—who both not only play on the album, but also claim co-producing, engineering and mixing roles—Mental Picture is an incredibly homegrown, early Smog-like affair. “It was a natural thing that grew slowly out of a pretty dark and unpredictable time,” she describes. “Music was something positive we could build together so, naturally, that’s what we did.” The vibes flit between tracks like opener "Five Lovin' Days" and the later "Night Birds," whose bare-bones gated, archaic stripped-down electro-acoustic production prefigures a post-apocalyptic cosmic country akin to Emmylou Harris strumming in a bomb shelter. Fuller tracks like "Better Off Dead" and ringer "I Can Just Leave" never shrug off the radioactive buzz, but coalesce into soulful stretches akin to Spiritualized through a ham radio. All paths lead to the title track, which closes out the album with an exhale of a journey long traveled that continues to unfurl. It’s a deserted landscape of echo alongside swaths of comet-like guitars burning through the night sky—perhaps with the tinges of a sunrise to come. “The idea of forming a mental picture comes up constantly in conversation; we see things we want to see. We ask for clarification. We wonder how we can show what’s in our minds to the world. We try, and hope we’ve done our best.” Nelson thought it made sense to close the record that way, an opportunity to leave the conversation open and allow the listener to choose their own adventure. There's a certain kismet to Nelson’s latest album releasing on fledgling San Francisco label Speakeasy Studios SF. Label chief Alicia Vanden Heuvel is part of the very fabric of Nelson’s collective—she even lends her vocals to aforementioned "Night Birds," birds of a feather, naturally. It’s difficult for Nelson to even remember a time in San Francisco without her. They first played together at The Independent. “I was scared to death, waiting in the wings to go on with my band, Alicia walked by and gave me this look that just said everything was exactly how it should be, that I was supposed to be there fronting a band, showing the world my tunes. I never forgot that.” The feeling of homecoming here parallels the intimacy of Mental Picture and echoes the burnished survival instincts of the locals still standing and weaving tales together. But don't get this wrong, there's also a universality here that’s unchained by any particularities to a certain time and place. Everyone is in the Zone, after all.

credits

released July 29, 2022

Sarah Bethe Nelson- vocals, guitar
Rusty Miller- guitar, bass, drums, keys, percussion, vocals
Doug Hilsinger- guitar, keys, banjo, drums, percussion

All songs written by Sarah Bethe Nelson

Recorded by Doug Hilsinger and Rusty Miller
Produced, Arranged, and Mixed by
Doug Hilsinger, Rusty Miller, and Sarah Bethe Nelson
Mix Engineering and Atmospherics by Doug Hilsinger
Mastered by John Greenham
Layout and Design by Rich Good
Cover Photo by Jennifer Lewis
Cover Photo Vibe Doctoring by Justin D. Frahm

Recorded at our houses in San Francisco, CA
Winter/Spring 2021

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