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Secret Machines — Daddy's In The Doldrums
Album: Ten Silver Drops
Avg rating:
6.5

Your rating:
Total ratings: 1719









Released: 2006
Length: 7:36
Plays (last 30 days): 0
Mother walks the streets
with a baby in her hands
While the child weighs on her mind
Mama's looking for a man

'Cause her Daddy's in the doldrums
and Mama wants to dance
Yeah, Daddy's in the doldrums
and he can barely stand

So where were you?

His eyes stood frozen, dark
A breath of overcasting black
I watched her walk away
I know she ain't coming back

'Cause her Daddy's in the doldrums
and Mama wants to dance
Yeah, Daddy's in the doldrums
and he can barely stand

So where were you?

With each step she took
Another nail driven
In building her wreck

No, don't look back or
Watch me reign down
'Cause it's an act

Though my love just feels deceit
the sickening beat gets carried away
Comments (215)add comment
 coloradojohn wrote:

I can never forget the first time I heard this at a healthy volume... I was sitting at my desk in my penthouse in hip, leafy, eclectic Setagaya-ku, Tokyo, looking at the distant majestic snow-cone of Fuji-san through the dining room windows and at the towers of Shinjuku, Roppongi and MidTown through the sliding glass doors of my bedroom deck, and this came on, and I cranked it, good, and man, we grooved...towards the end, the neighbors let me know they dug it too but wanted me to turn it down. Still love it on every level!




must've  been a hell of a view because I found the song plodding and monotonous. but each his own.. ?
 slartibart_O wrote:
mojoman wrote: Just has a similar nice, fat sound. Pretty cool video too: (click here)
I hardly would liken one to the other. But, thnx for the link!.... I am all the more in love with the lovely AG! Don't think ANY female could rock a 70's 1piece swimsuit looking outfit with thigh high boots! She ROCKS!!!! 

 jethro1 wrote:
Kevstar wrote: CHICK that sings for Rush???
I got a really good chuckle outta that, myself! And, if he read this, he'd prolly chuckle too! 

You're forgiven! Must've just a bump, of the many, in our lovely CT roads! 
 brokemusician wrote:
physicsgenius wrote: Idiot.
Whomever it was that wrote idiot.... I'd have to agree. Somebody has some kinda twisted mind! And, I'd venture a guess that, whatever it was trying to convey, most RP listeners would also agree with the description given to the... idiot. 

 harmaton wrote:

Funny thing is I just had my first child. And I feel like this. Like some door in my life just slammed shut really really loud.


That kid would be fifteen now.  Hope you two are on good terms and talk unreservedly with each other.
 Enness wrote:

Secret Machines has some really great songs. A couple of my favourites are Lighting Blue Eyes (from this same album, Ten Silver Drops) and Nowhere Again from Now Here is Nowhere. One of the founding members, Benjamin Curtis, went on to start School of Seven Bells in 2007 (I'm a BIG fan) and then tragically died in 2013. The remaining two members (Benjamin's brother Brandon and that brilliant drummer, Josh Garza) released a new Secret Machines album in 2020: Awake in the Brain Chamber. 


"School of Seven Bells" sounds like it should be the title of a Kate Bush song. Fantastic band name. 

I was just pushing a new Nuget package from my Dell XPS 15 (Core I9, 32 Gb ram, 4k touchscreen, 2 Nvme SSDs of 1Tb) as this came on. I had to stop and read the comments, one in Tokyo, one from the Grand Canyon. and now this comment from Oostzaan. Mine is clearly the most bragging of the three.
Secret Machines has some really great songs. A couple of my favourites are Lighting Blue Eyes (from this same album, Ten Silver Drops) and Nowhere Again from Now Here is Nowhere. One of the founding members, Benjamin Curtis, went on to start School of Seven Bells in 2007 (I'm a BIG fan) and then tragically died in 2013. The remaining two members (Benjamin's brother Brandon and that brilliant drummer, Josh Garza) released a new Secret Machines album in 2020: Awake in the Brain Chamber. 
 eileenomurphy wrote:

Never heard of them before this, ...Thanx RP!




RP has a habit of doing that for me too
 jethro1 wrote:

Agree to some extent. But this singer sounds noth ing like the chick that sings for Rush.
Kevstar wrote: CHICK that sings for Rush???

That's a MAN baby!
(I wonder if Geddy can still hit those high notes?)
 eileenomurphy wrote:

Never heard of them before this, ...Thanx RP!




Same here! Great tune!
Never heard of them before this, ...Thanx RP!
 harmaton wrote:

Funny thing is I just had my first child. And I feel like this. Like some door in my life just slammed shut really really loud.



You already know this because your child is 14, but another door opens, much more quietly, but infinitely more profoundly.
This one has definitely grown on me - moving up to a solid 7 now
 neotrogg wrote:

definitely got that heavy groove..dig it.




Ominous.
 coloradojohn wrote:

I can never forget the first time I heard this at a healthy volume... I was sitting at my desk in my penthouse in hip, leafy, eclectic Setagaya-ku, Tokyo, looking at the distant majestic snow-cone of Fuji-san through the dining room windows and at the towers of Shinjuku, Roppongi and MidTown through the sliding glass doors of my bedroom deck, and this came on, and I cranked it, good, and man, we grooved...towards the end, the neighbors let me know they dug it too but wanted me to turn it down. Still love it on every level!



Tokyo. No place on the world like it. When I was there is was Napster in Ogikubo. Radio Paradise hadn't been invented! 
Would pair well with "American X" by BRMC.
definitely got that heavy groove..dig it.
 JiffyPark wrote:
 

Look after the king of R n R please
 ImaOldman wrote:

You paint a lovely picture, wish I was there...
 
Look after the king of R n R please
Hello five years ago! What a great song, the louder the better. 
Good to hear early Floyd reimagined! 
 Jelani wrote:
Love this tune. The drums have echoes of Echoes.
 
I concur!
Love this tune. The drums have echoes of Echoes.
 coloradojohn wrote:
I can never forget the first time I heard this at a healthy volume... I was sitting at my desk in my penthouse in hip, leafy, eclectic Setagaya-ku, Tokyo, looking at the distant majestic snow-cone of Fuji-san through the dining room windows and at the towers of Shinjuku, Roppongi and MidTown through the sliding glass doors of my bedroom deck, and this came on, and I cranked it, good, and man, we grooved...towards the end, the neighbors let me know they dug it too but wanted me to turn it down. Still love it on every level!
 
You paint a lovely picture, wish I was there...
These guys must have hung out with the Black Angels.
Not for passive listening
I like this.  I was just thinking that I won't buy the thenewno2 album if the tracks are all too similar.  Then I realised it isn't them.
 Stephen_Phillips wrote:
Less of "Daddy's in the Doldrums" - more like "Daddy's been listening to Pink Floyd Echoes".
 
... and making some improvements.
Nice driving jam. Makes my head bob.
Me likey!!!
Decidedly NOT a Christmas song. Actually not an anytime song. 
 rblommers wrote:
Is it just me or does this sound like the big man Peter Garrett & Midnight Oil at times...I had to look closely at title. RB

 
I thought it was Midnight Oil, too.
Is it just me or does this sound like the big man Peter Garrett & Midnight Oil at times...I had to look closely at title. RB
like the band, but this song isn't doing it for me sorry. just a bit dull. 
 coloradojohn wrote:
I can never forget the first time I heard this at a healthy volume... I was sitting at my desk in my penthouse in hip, leafy, eclectic Setagaya-ku, Tokyo, looking at the distant majestic snow-cone of Fuji-san through the dining room windows and at the towers of Shinjuku, Roppongi and MidTown through the sliding glass doors of my bedroom deck, and this came on, and I cranked it, good, and man, we grooved...towards the end, the neighbors let me know they dug it too but wanted me to turn it down. Still love it on every level!
 
...romeo, is that you?..
I can never forget the first time I heard this at a healthy volume... I was sitting at my desk in my penthouse in hip, leafy, eclectic Setagaya-ku, Tokyo, looking at the distant majestic snow-cone of Fuji-san through the dining room windows and at the towers of Shinjuku, Roppongi and MidTown through the sliding glass doors of my bedroom deck, and this came on, and I cranked it, good, and man, we grooved...towards the end, the neighbors let me know they dug it too but wanted me to turn it down. Still love it on every level!
I like this.  Have not heard it before.  {#Music}
Love this song. Menacing. Understated. Killer bridge. 

I que'd it up in a rental car once, as I drove up to the edge of the South Rim of Grand Canyon at sunset, a million desert sky colors and crazy deepening canyon shadows - it was like being on another planet. I will always have this song and that vista burned together in my mind. Getting the exact image as I listen now.

I can see how some don't like it, but it really works for me. 
 Stephen_Phillips wrote:
Less of "Daddy's in the Doldrums" - more like "Daddy's been listening to Pink Floyd Echoes".

 
A wise insight!  Tune feels incomplete to me - it feels close to AMAZING but definitely falls short and into just "pretty good."
 vandal wrote:
I still really like this song.  Let the haters hate. . . 

 
I hate Hitler. I don't hate music.
Little early for this, innit?
Not bad!
  vandal wrote:
I still really like this song.  Let the haters hate. . . 

 
{#Devil_pimp} I'm with ya! liked first time and still! lol 
Less of "Daddy's in the Doldrums" - more like "Daddy's been listening to Pink Floyd Echoes".
I still really like this song.  Let the haters hate. . . 
initially, or sometime, I rated this a 5.  I'm thinking 4 is more acceptible now BECAUASE IT TAKES SO LONG
 andiman wrote:
WOW!! Great sound. That's one of 1000 reasons why I love RP.
 
If you do not mind, share some 400-500 other reasons with me, please!


I was just coming on here to say the same thing: haven't heard this in so long! but I sure am loving it...volume CRANKED!
I haven't heard this in FOREVER! Thanks, Bill
 crockydile wrote:
Hearing this after Sufjan is like coming up for air after being underwater for a minute. Ah, I can breathe again!! {#Dancingbanana}
 

Man, that is so true!

With each step she took
Another nail driven
In building her wreck


{#Meditate}

Hearing this after Sufjan is like coming up for air after being underwater for a minute. Ah, I can breathe again!! {#Dancingbanana}
Me Likey. . . 7
Still love this one. wow.
i rarely write a post about a song i don't like, but this one really got to me... had to take headphones off....
Agree ... on the song. harmaton wrote:
Funny thing is I just had my first child. And I feel like this. Like some door in my life just slammed shut really really loud.
Whoa ... seems a lot of us have that particular nerve! Been there too ... and oh yes, it gets better. As a writer I can say it's a bit like wanting to write short stories all your life, but then discovering that you've just started an enormous novel ... at first the task ahead of you seems daunting and not nearly as much "fun" ... but each new chapter gets more and more interesting. It's fantastic! (My daughter turns 17 this year.)">
harmaton wrote:
Funny thing is I just had my first child. And I feel like this. Like some door in my life just slammed shut really really loud.
And another one opens......
Awesome!! A clear 10!
Nice transition from Communication Breakdown. The drums are very nice and make me miss Mr. Bonham. Exceptional.
WOW!! Great sound. That's one of 1000 reasons why I love RP.
harmaton wrote:
Funny thing is I just had my first child. And I feel like this. Like some door in my life just slammed shut really really loud.
I was there when I had my first child. I was a week into my 21st year. I was incredibly depressed after having her and I think part of it was because I was so young. But after a few months I was able to go out again and got my body back. I still have fun but I also have fun with my kids (now have 2). To continue with your metaphor, doors can be opened and closed, easily. Take heart, this too shall pass...
mojoman wrote:
Are these guys any relation to Goldfrappe's "Strict Machine"?
Just has a similar nice, fat sound. Pretty cool video too: (click here)
harmaton wrote:
Funny thing is I just had my first child. And I feel like this. Like some door in my life just slammed shut really really loud.
oh man, that happened to me too awhile back. it was like 'wait, wait, i'm really not sure about this, i can't be a dad, i don't think i'm ready. i'm really just a kid myself (not really i was in my 30's), too much change too fast'. the good news is that with each year it gets better. yes the door slam was loud, but the new room you're in now has some interesting things to explore. but at first, though...doldrums.
hippiechick wrote:
This song always grabs my attention.
yeah me too...I like it....
mojoman wrote:
Are these guys any relation to Goldfrappe's "Strict Machine"?
Nope, neither Hawkwind's "Silver Machine" either, even if this sounds a little like one of Hawkwind's slower numbers...
Hello, Iggy and the Stooges rip off! (same exact drums)
This song always grabs my attention.
smdeeg wrote:
Good potential. Could be more then a 5 if something ... you know ... happened.
What he said, only with a "2".
Wow this is great! I've never heard this before.
ThePoose wrote:
Funny--I heard the guitarist on the right.
uh, headphones are on wrong
Great Set!
Funny thing is I just had my first child. And I feel like this. Like some door in my life just slammed shut really really loud.
this band is GREAT. see them live if you can!!
h2o wrote:
I heard the guitarest left.
Funny--I heard the guitarist on the right.
Nabla wrote:
That's also completely new to me, but it sounds great again! A British version of Eloy (https://www.phil.uni-sb.de/projekte/progrock/Eloy/)?!
Rather an industrial one.
That's also completely new to me, but it sounds great again! A British version of Eloy (https://www.phil.uni-sb.de/projekte/progrock/Eloy/)?!
Are these guys any relation to Goldfrappe's "Strict Machine"?
Excellent follow-up to No Quarter.
h2o wrote:
I heard the guitarest left.
Well, if there's one thing that a band can always replace, it's probably the guitar player.... being one, I should know :)
I heard the guitarest left.
smdeeg wrote:
Good potential. Could be more then a 5 if something ... you know ... happened.
Happening for me. Never heard this before. Like it. Going to bed, though.
Good potential. Could be more then a 5 if something ... you know ... happened.
A resounding 5 if ever there was one. Neither great nor poor, just...there.
liser wrote:
Up to an 8 today - could be a 9 if I could crank it. Damn customers...
It's always the Damn customers, don't ya wish they would go away....awesome song, never heard this band and I'm cranking it!
Ace13211 wrote:
Cool song! It reminds me of a cross between Hawkwind, "early" Budgie, Monster Magnet, and The Melvins, with a hint of Creepjoint.
I know this sounds weird, but it reminds me a little of Alice Cooper (if that makes any sense).
Up to an 8 today - could be a 9 if I could crank it. Damn customers...
God, could you imagine if they had Roger Waters singing in his most scathing style on this (and digging that impossible bass-line way on down like he does)? THAT WOULD BE SCARY! and I love the way that this baby rocks!
saw these guys a few years back and let me tell you they were amazing. definitely one of those bands you have to see live to appreciate more.
Sinister and dark, and conveys the lyric message well. A seven on first listening, probably improving on future playings as it grows on me like a bubo ;-)
I am giving it an 8 based upon the rhythm section alone!
Ace13211 wrote:
Cool song! It reminds me of a cross between Hawkwind, "early" Budgie, Monster Magnet, and The Melvins, with a hint of Creepjoint.
I like your references - although I'm not getting the Budgie part at all.
Nice to hear this back in the rotation.
Zukiwi wrote:
Nice dark ambiance, it's a like ...
Agree .... my words exactly
Nice dark ambiance, it's a like ...
Godawfully good I say. ^_^
It is good to hear that someone is keeping hard rock alive, without resorting to the usual heavy metal cliches that wore out by 1980...
Heavy and groovy.
Very nice ... me like ...
Shimmer wrote:
This is godawful. Are you all listening to the same thing I am?
Yes, and I concur.
This is godawful. Are you all listening to the same thing I am?
hello everybody from france i love this band!!!!!!!!!
good band
When The Edge takes steroids?
Close eyes, tap feet. wow. Hard rockin'
simple, killer groove - this rocks!
I don't know if I'd like the whole CD as I'm not normally a "hard rock" fan, but this song really rocks me!!
Reminds me of old-school Filter. In a good way.
misterclaw wrote:
These guys are great. They're even better to see live as I did at Baltimore Artscape.
Yes, i just saw them play in Atlanta. It was an amazing in-the-round performance. 10/10
Cool song! It reminds me of a cross between Hawkwind, "early" Budgie, Monster Magnet, and The Melvins, with a hint of Creepjoint.
These guys are great. They're even better to see live as I did at Baltimore Artscape.
Been about ten days since it was last played. Nice to hear it again.
Mommy's going to be in the Doldrums if she hears this too often.
The glorious offspring of Neu! and Led Zep...raised by Pink Floyd. It rocks, doesn't it?
Ominous....I like it
Creepy and cold. An interesting perspective for us young living "the lifestyle". Should I dance with her? The sound landscape goes from a firm smashing pumpkins to a sonic psychedelic jam. Incredible, amazing, and dirty.
Yes, it hasta be CRANKED! like Black Sab or Deep Purple, and it's 1978 and you've got it up so loud your mom can hear it from up the street, or so she says, as she bursts into your room and screams this into the swirling sound and pulsing black light... and as soon as she goes back to the store to get the milk that she went there for but forgot (cause Daddy's in the doldrums and has driven her to distraction), whaddoyado but CRANK IT UP AGAIN! Yes it does all those things and more for me so THANKS BILL!