FAWM: "Parasites & Flies"

Parasites & Flies

2025 by @brisk

Liner Notes

I'm a bit lukewarm on this one, but it has been hanging around a few days and isn't going to improve like a fine wine or cheese or anything, so why not stick it up? Note that I wouldn't have any idea how to play this live - although the guitar is real (because it is out of tune and badly played)*, I had to pitch shift the chorus to make it work, and there's a gratuitous key change towards the end I think that I'd find hard to replicate in real life as I'm not good enough.

I was pleased with that altered chord in the final chorus, is that fun or just hackneyed?

#slow #slight-air-of-menace #superficial-or-plain-incoherent-political-comment

actually no, I doubled it with a fake acoustic guitar to give it more welly, so this isn't quite true.

Lyrics

The cockroach of Versailles The Lambeth Palace flies

Gonna hold a mirror up to England When we're done Gonna hold a mirror up to England For the sun

Comments

@carleybaer 2025

I want to fall into this song like a soft pillow even though the lyrics are so unsettling. It's like Tom Waits says, "I like beautiful melodies telling me terrible things." And that key change at the end is really nice.

@lcad 2025

Super cool chord changes on this, love that key change on the chorus. Overall great trippy vibe on this between your vocal harmonies and those little piano fills. The lyrics have tonnes of imagery, I really enjoyed this

@thedutchwidows 2025

Your hashtag game is strong! If you start with a hashtag that strong, your song has a lot to live up to, and this totally does. A really nice meandering feel, but with a strong undercurrent to it (the hashtagged 'slight air of menance') - vocals are really good. Lovely feel all round. I'm a very satisfied customer.

@coolparadisoMod 2025

They sometimes things improve in the air of the world! This must be one of them or I have different ears. Oh I like the edge of incoherent! I get to make it up! Which I did! I like the pacing and slow rolled out style. This is really good

@richaaaay 2025

Love the guitar and some of these lines are absolute winners. The Kremlin's tapeworm smiles; The White House flea beguiles...Who comes up with lines like those? Then the farty synths...of course DT pointed out we all were all thinking. Hilarious...Great vocals and harmonies...Really wish I could do that...

@jsini 2025

Smooth! Calmly disturbing to me and highly creative and interesting. Happy I listened!

@anthonykapfer 2025

oh man! i was digging this before the key change but that was really the icing on the cake. i don’t know how you can be lukewarm on a piece of music this good! your vocals sound excellent. great work

@jerrypettit 2025

I agree with @billwhite51 -- this is just lovely, and your vocals are AMAZING!! ❤️

@davidtaro 2025

That’s one hell of a gorgeous chorus melody (the “this love is stronger” bit), and the staccato “hold a mirror up” lines are pretty darn great too. Love the farty synth sounds that come in at about 1.56. And who doesn’t yearn for a gratuitous key change, nicely done.