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When Will I Act My Age?

by B Pictures

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1.
When Will I Act My Age? 02:12
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If I seriously try to catch you in my eye My reward might be a river too deep To swim from shore to shore Forevermore adolescent But for nevermore rejected And if I was a whistling boy In search of shameless joy My fingers might fry in a flame too high To jump from side to side But I would not die No, I would not die No, I would not die (Not I, I would not die) If my mind I did employ To obtain this elusive joy My thoughts might sink in a well of ink So black as to darken all my days Oh, when will I act my age? Act my age Act my age Act my age Oh, when will I act my age? Act my age Act my age Act my age
2.
Troublesome Thoughts 02:29
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As each day goes by Those rose-thorn thoughts sink far behind Those troublesome thoughts — If not, then why Those troublesome thoughts sink far behind Troublesome thoughts, cumbersome fears I've cried some horrible words Troublesome thoughts, cumbersome fears I've cried some terrible tears And for what? Survey the new day With hands on the wheel Driving far away From the those troublesome thoughts That soured my mind Troublesome thoughts, stupid attempts I've said some stupid things Troublesome thoughts, stupid attempts But I no longer cling to them Forget regret, my friend Those blackest thoughts will sink far behind Those troublesome thoughts — the kiss you must try Love or die, sink far behind Troublesome thoughts, irreverent nights I never thought I could Troublesome thoughts, irreverent nights But now I think I will Fight back As each day goes by Those rose-thorn thoughts sink far behind Troublesome thoughts, belligerent lust Throw a shadow on the days I should love Troublesome thoughts, belligerent lust Made a meal of the things I could trust But so what? Sink far behind

about

In the latter part of 1984, B Pictures sprang noisily to life on the suburban, eastern fringe of Dayton, Ohio. Assembling in drummer Kevin Fennell's basement, guitarist Jim Harper, bassist Paul Payiatas, fledgling singer and lyricist Jeffrey Bright and Fennell hammered out a series of raucous original songs that would propel them into 1985 and culminate in a number of memorable performances at Dayton's Canal Street Tavern. Midway through the year, Payiatas relocated to Florida and Paul Comstock took over on bass.

The band's approach followed the ethos of late 70's punk and new wave, but their sound grew from the post-punk and neo-psychedelic movements of the era, bearing sonic similarities to such acts as Joy Division, Echo and the Bunnymen, Dream Syndicate and cow punk practitioners Rank and File. Eventually, on the back of Bright's rust belt romanticism and eccentric stage mannerisms, the band stretched into territories pioneered by literary song stylists such as the Smiths.

The two brief but blazing tracks here show BPs at their urgent best, straddling the line between punk, minus the nihilism, and a kind of raucous, literate new wave, leaning more toward the latter. Both cuts spin on Bright's crisis-of-the-self crooning and the forceful attack of Harper, Comstock and Fennell.

"When Will I Act My Age?" is nothing short of an anthem for the perpetually commitment averse — those who will only be dragged kicking and screaming into the responsibilities and compromises of adulthood. Fennell's rattling, staccato beat is properly difficult, and made all the more notable in that Harper and Comstock are (sort of) able to find a way to follow along with melody and counter melody. All perfect for a manic 2-minute pogo session.

Only slightly longer, and made for the open road, "Troublesome Thoughts" jumps into a pseudo-ska motif and plows relentlessly toward a finale with Bright's nagging doubts — those "rose-thorn thoughts" — fading in the rearview. Windows down, pedal to the floor, and frug in place (whilst keeping one hand on the wheel).

B Pictures's stake in the long rush of 20th Century American pop culture, minor at it was, was to create a compelling, dramatic, existential musical poetry. Their's was a brief but poignant splash on the Dayton alt rock scene, a scene that would within the two decades following produce a handful of noteworthy bands and artists, among them, Kevin Fennell, as drummer for Guided by Voices. Jeffrey Bright would go on to front influential Dayton indie group The Pleasures Pale before leaving for San Francisco in 1988 where he would write and perform in Darke County, Myself a Living Torch and Jeff Bright & the Sunshine Boys, a retro act popular in late 1990s California.
credits

credits

released May 25, 2019

voice – jeffrey bright
guitars – jim harper
bass guitar – paul comstock
drums – kevin fennell

words – bright
music – harper, comstock, fennell

initial recording:
various basements
dayton, ohio
1985

additional recording:
san francisco, california
2018-19

cover art & design – jeffrey bright

c) 1985 B Pictures
p) 2019 JABMA
Fugitive Music Publishing / BMI

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B Pictures Dayton, Ohio

Featuring future members of The Pleasures Pale and Guided by Voices, B Pictures made a brief but vibrant mark on the mid 1980s Dayton OH indie music scene. BP's sound grew from post-punk and neo-psychedelic movements of the period — a la Joy Division, Echo and the Bunnymen and Dream Syndicate — and eventually stretched into territories inhabited by literate song stylists such as The Smiths. ... more

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