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| after the rise and fall of your
body above me, paul durham picked up and moved to venice. "in
the end, all I had were my guitars and the songs I was writing."
paul wanted to control the sound around his voice, so he bought a
computer and learned to use it. "I had to get back to how it
was in high school -- just me and my four-track." the resulting demos got him a new deal with epic records. "the first thing I did was buy a giant protools system." he needed help with the installation and hired andy ellis to help set up his studio. "we're sitting around waiting for the computer to reboot," remembers paul, "and this guy picks up my guitar, without asking. I was cringing inside, but it turned out he was great. I wanted to sing over the top of everything he played. pretty soon, we were writing and recording together." |
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| at 23, ellis was already
a skilled guitarist, keyboard player, programmer and engineer -- durham
had found the missing link. "working with andy is the first time
collaboration has ever been easy," says durham. "instead
of the whole hell-is-other-people thing, we have a blast just making
sounds.” see the sun has a depth and emotional range that broadens with each listen. much of the album was mixed by tom lord-alge (live, blink 182). What shines brightest is the band's pop sensibility – the liquid swirl of "remember," the epic sweep of "see the sun," the bittersweet loss of "without you," and the surrender of "lonely boy." click LISTEN to hear seven 90-second samples from the album. click BUY CD to order using credit card or paypal. click DOWNLOAD and you'll get an email after checkout offering you a choice of either hi-resolution 192k mp3 or iTunes-Plus-grade 256k aac. the download also features two bonus tracks and ready-to-print CD artwork pdf's with cropmarks. |
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| CD track listing | curios | album lyrics | chord charts | |
| 01 | see the sun | watch the very cheap video | ||
| 02 | remember | free download : just right click & save | ||
| 03 | lonely boy | watch the video | ||
| 04 | perfect girl | |||
| 05 | ecstasy | |||
| 06 | tell me why | |||
| 07 | without you | |||
| 08 | dream in color | |||
| 09 | learn to crawl | |||
| 10 | wide open | |||
| 11 | lifelike | |||
| 12 | circus lights | |||
Black Lab - "See the Sun" Since releasing a fantastic debut in 1997, which fit in nicely with the Matchbox 20s and Fuels at the time, the major label suddenly decided they didn't know where to put the band. Pretty sad for a group of guys once touted "the American U2." The past six years or so have been spent in limbo, with a complete band shake-up and finally this; a self-produced and funded spate of pop genius. Singer Paul Durham has taken full control of the group, and they're actually better for it. Synthesizers blend with grinding guitars and pleading ditties that round out the best pop rock record of the year. If this band doesn't break into the mainstream again, there is no justice in music. delco times
Searching for a fantastic CD that gives you faith in the music world again? Look no further! 'See The Sun', is without question one of those discs. Gloriously catchy hooks, you will find it impossible to get these melodies out of your head. If I had to pick, stand out tracks would be 'See The Sun', 'Lonely Boy', 'Tell Me Why', 'Circus Lights', and their pinnacle track on the CD, 'Without You'. Help support this band and their brilliant self-produced effort. My Highest Recommendation!
Pancho : Amazon
I saw these guys back when I was in highschool...in 1997, I believe, in concert at Lupos in Providence Rhode Island when they were with Our Lady Peace. I didn't know it then, but I was standing next to the lead singer watching Our Lady Peace with him while he was having a beer. I realised who he was after he walked away. Didn't even get to tel him "great set!" They were better than "Peace" on stage. I've listened to their album ever since and when I heard they broke up it...well...sucked. I heard all these guys just gave up and for years I've looked and looked and watched and waited for this...and I have to say... It's worth it. Though, it does lack some "darkness" of the first album, I am thankkful it's here. The first album was great because these three guys did all everything with their instruments and the lead singer was able to pull a "Scott Weiland" and manipulte his voice in pretty cool, albeit Billy Idol ways sometimes. He's not doing that much here, but bands have to change. But they should know they can alway go back to the "dark side" if they want. The fans will still be there. And I'm happy they put "learn to crawl" on this. When I heard this on "Spider-man", I was "Yes, they are coming back!" Thank god...and the smart, smart poeple in the music industry.
Panz : Amazon
You know, I first picked up a copy of Black Lab's "Your Body Above Me" years and years ago, in a store in the little town in Georgia I was living in, at the time. Listening to it, I was completely blown away, each track was a different style, a new emotional coloring to the vocals, the lyrics were certainly far-more thought-provoking then anything I could find on the radio, then. (And even now.) I kept hoping for a follow-up, especially after having heard rumors/news of the band's breakup. However, their continued contributions to soundtracks made me doubt....and now? It's awesome. Awesome, awesome, AWESOME. They hold true to the in-depth lyrics, the arrangements are awesome, and they've updated their 'sound' with techno/trance/sequencer effects in some songs, but only to give them more punch, not letting these effects take away from the song's delivery, itself. "Ecstacy", "Dream In Color", and "Learn to Crawl" (originally featured in the "Spiderman: The Movie" soundtrack) are all stand-out tracks, but above and beyond all others, the absolute, naked pain and surrender found in "Lonely Boy" is the one that shines above all others. All in all, though, you come away from each track, enjoying something about every one, for different reasons. If you've never heard of these guys, either "Your Body Above Me" or "See The Sun" are both great albums. If you've heard them, and liked them before, it only gets better. If (for whatever reason!) you *don't* like Black Lab's sound, then this album isn't going to change your mind. It's not more of the same, it's better then before.
Chris : Amazon
Best CD of 2005. What an amazing band. I found about this band when they had through a friend who played me the "See the Sun" ep . Anyway, I have been waiting for this album with eager anticipation and all my expectaions have been exceeded. I hope more people will discover how incredibly good these guys are. Well the songs that are worth taking notice of are "See the Sun","Remember","Lonely Boy","Without You", and "Tell Me Why". If you like this cd you should check out their late 90's release "Your Body Above Me" but know they had more of a grunge sound back then.
Aaron : Amazon
Back with a vengeance. The best way to describe this CD would be the "light" side of Black Lab.
YBAM was always thought of as "bad" U2 (not bad, but dark...). When I listen to YBAM and See the Sun back to back I can't help but think of the music video for Hold Me Thrill Me Kiss Me Kill Me by U2 when the black and white variations of the band fight each other. This is exactly how the two albums react to each other - the same, but direct opposites. See the Sun is exactly what I've been waiting for. Every song is golden, I highly recommend it. I've already used up my copy and I've bought about 4 total to give out to friends and family. This is the best present that could be received at Christmas, pick them up while they're here!
Kraig : Amazon
So good I thought it was sex.If you never heard this band...if you remember them from a few years back when they made some (air) waves...take a moment and listen to these tracks. This entire album is so damn good, it should have a surgeon general warning attached to it: "contents are addictive". I bought See The Sun, then bought a few more copies after friends and family had swiped the CD. This disc has tracks that grab you instantly with variance and hooks not found in today's radio...but it also has thought-provoking lyrics and melodies that stick with you and beg to be played again and again. This CD remains in my regular rotation in the car and at home-do yourself a favor and pick this one up.
Brad : Amazon
Thank you for finally coming out with a new album. See the Sun is absolutely splendid! I've had it for two days and have listened to the entire album at least 20 times and the single Ecstasy at least 50 times. If you liked Your Body Above Me, you need to get this album NOW!
Big Dawg : iTunes
Amazing! worth the wait... brilliantly written.
RobertP : iTunes
Long waiting usually leads to disappointment... but not in this case. This album is everything fans of Your Body Above Me have been waiting for. It's Paul's voice, melancholy and immediate. it's great love song writing. I can't help but want to sing along. If you like this album you will like the first, and the other way around.
bookgerm : iTunes
A must-have. This is a simply phenomenal follow-up from one of the most underrated bands around. Do yourself a favor and get the whole album, because you'll want to listen to one lush track after another. Black Lab left their old record label behind and produced this on their own, which makes it even more incredible. Welcome back guys -- it's been a long wait, but a worthwhile one.
AbhilnNYC : iTunes
Amazing album. "See the Sun" is not my "lost on a desert island" album. I heard "Remember" on Accident Hash and was blown away. This is one of those albums where you don't keep playing a few tracks over and over. This entire album is packed with incredible tunes. I cannot say enough about this musical gift to the world.
Matt Snodgrass : iTunes
Much better than the first album. One of my all time favorite albums.
MichaelV : iTunes
A great album. I bought this album 2 weeks ago and it has not left my cd player/ipod... Black Lab was one of my fav bands back in the day, and I'm glad to see that they are back... they make grat music.
Anonymous : iTunes