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We're Gonna Need a Bigger Boat

by Bret Helm's Cosmic Brain

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1.
Ambrielle 04:31
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2.
Covenant 03:21
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3.
The Missing Shoe 06:00
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4.
Ambrielle (alt mix instrumental) 04:29
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5.
The Missing Shoe (alt mix instrumental) 06:02
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about

THIS IS A 5 SONG EP

Hello, and welcome once again to a deeper look inside my brain. "We're Gonna Need a Bigger Boat" is the name of the second release by BHCB, but we also all know it as our favorite line from "Jaws."

Allow me to draw a parallel here: the three main characters in Spielberg's fishy magnum opus came to the cryptic realization that Orca, their tiny sea-going vessel, was not equipped to handle the job at hand and that they were in need of something greater than what they had to accomplish their goal. I liken that scenario to the creative process I go through when writing and recording music, in that once you are deep into the process, certain obstacles and challenges present themselves and force you to think outside the box and turn problems into solutions.

The making of my Boat was an adventure from the very beginning, with multiple pieces of my studio equipment dying, near death, or just acting weirdly from initial recording through to final mixing. Take note of the odd tape distortion glitch about 52 seconds into "The Missing Shoe (alt mix instrumental)" for validation of ghosts in the machines. Add to that, shortly after completing the final mix of "Ambrielle," the tape deck ate up the ADAT tape of that song. Wow! The hits just kept coming! I fought back all of that to create the best (and biggest!) Boat that I could.

I pride myself on turning poison into medicine, and I feel that on this EP, due to circumstances clearly beyond my control, I went far above the call of duty. True to the questionable quality of my brain, the three songs offered here on Boat are quite disparate in feel and tone. From the feel-good loping quality of "Ambrielle" to the dynamic sonic sculpting of "Covenant" to the eerie, dark spoken word selection, "The Missing Shoe," each song has its own distinct character, as did the three men on the tiny boat Orca that somehow worked together and, above all odds, triumphed (at least until the sequel came out...). I remain hopeful and confident that these three tracks will achieve similar results for you. Happy listening... Bret

credits

released November 22, 2023

Performed, produced and recorded by Bret Helm—Bass, processed bass, looper, hand percussion, guitar, drum programing, lead and background vocals, odd bits
Mastered by Andy Faunch
Cover art by I Pity Inanimate Graphics, ipigrafix@gmail.com

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Artist's clearing house for all things Helm: Bret Helm's Cosmic Brain, Doc Tahri, S M U G + more

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