We’ve updated our Terms of Use to reflect our new entity name and address. You can review the changes here.
We’ve updated our Terms of Use. You can review the changes here.

You Are Everything or: The Art of Being Nothing in Particular

by Matthew Squires and the Learning Disorders

supported by
Heather
Heather thumbnail
Heather I love this album because my face is on the cover, duh!
But beyond that, it is a great album. I love the music and the lyrics have a good message. I was having a down day when I first heard it and some of the songs really helped me look up even though things around me are down. Favorite track: May Your Gloves Wear Thin (A Sing-Along for the Eternally Wounded).
/
  • Streaming + Download

    Includes high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more. Paying supporters also get unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app.
    Purchasable with gift card

      name your price

     

  • "First Run" DIY CDs
    Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    I have made a run of 100 CDs. All the Metadata is on it, and the quality is the same as the digital download. I made neat stencils myself and burned/spray-painted each one individually, which means each one is a one of a kind! I wrote out the name for each one on the The price is five dollars. You can also pay more if you feel so inclined. I certainly would appreciate it, as I have very little money to my name! You will also need to pay for shipping... WOOOO!

    Includes unlimited streaming of You Are Everything or: The Art of Being Nothing in Particular via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

    Sold Out

1.
Drone in F# 03:09
2.
My stomach is swelling up. I'm no longer hungry and I'm hoping that you will continue in your own way: Slightly forgetful, slightly young and flowing forwards like a mighty and fearless river. Constantly reforming yourself and simultaneously reforming the entire shoreline. I hope you forgive the whole world. By that, I mean, I hope you can forgive yourself. By that, I mean, I hope you forgive the whole world.
3.
This whole god damn world is a mirror. I tried my best to turn away from it. I was ashamed of it, I guess. And when I turned, I turned forever. Like a ballerina who had confused grace with saving face. My life was whizzing by. This whole god damn world is a mirror. I tried my best to run away from it, I was afraid of it, I guess. I ended up on top of Mt. Tremper. The stars shined brighter there than anything I had ever seen. In fact, they gave me sight. And then I watched you as struggled to free yourself from the shackles that were inside of your head. It was like watching a child resist the arms of his mother when she would lay him in bed, oh lord... Surprise, surprise: He still got fed. Sometimes I hide inside of my brain. It's lonely there but its safe And I know when I go that I will go unstained You could never stain this mind. It's as much yours as mine. This is as much yours as it could ever be called "mine". So, I hope, my love, when your skin starts caving in from time that you will still sip on my love like a well-aged wine. And please do not waste one more of your beautiful tears on the youth that you lost, for you never really owned it my dear. If there's one thing I've learned, it's that Earth just turns for itself.
4.
Child, don't dream of a world you can't see, rather, inspect the one that you're in. Shouting, "I stand alone on the Earth we call home looking for a God I can trust." Well, they may call you mad. They may point, they may laugh. Saying, "He sure could have been great." Your world might collapse as you struggle to grasp just a fragment of your fate. But to be a phoenix, you first must become ash. And that fire's been lit, so stop trying to clutch the past, my friend. Pretty soon, you will burst out of the Earth and leave a trail of tongues in your wake. Everyone knows about the Emperor's clothes. It's the easiest club you could join. It takes far more strength to practice restraint than to indulge in the noise of your voice. So the challenge is this: could you ever resist the urge to find my solid ground. From the depths of the sea toward the heights of folly, I've heard only one canonical sound. It went: To be a phoenix, you first must become ash. And that fire's been lit, so stop trying to clutch the past, my friend. Pretty soon you will burst out of the Earth and leave a trail of tongues in your wake.
5.
You have an ancient voice. And the language you use I will never fully understand. You say you've made your choice and now you'll wander upon this Earth with nothing in your hands. Comporting yourself right in line with all the wind's commands. Your lips are the peaks and the troughs of the shifting sands. And now I'm listening to the prayer that your throat and you heart have made love and birthed. It's like some christening. A ritual more sacred than the largest church. Or a miracle more common than a clump of dirt. Yours is a life that's lived and died as one eternal search. Tell me what it is you seek. And is that message heavy or are my ears weak? Won't you tell me what it is you found? My heart is racing fast like some young greyhound. Won't you tell me what it is you seek? Been waiting on that wisdom week after week. Won't you tell me what it is you found? The reverberations of some ancient sound... And it goes and it goes and it goes: This life is happening. And there's no where that this giant earth could go. This life is happening. One generation comes as another one goes. This life is happening. From the top of your head to the tips of your toes. This life is happening. One never-ending moment like some grand rainbow. This life is happening. And our pain ties us together like ribbons and bows. This life is happening. And you can change the course of rivers but you can't stop their flow. This life is happening. This life is happening.
6.
I heard the words you said when were drifting off to bed. When you told me you were in search of some kind of heaven. I'm aware this world is rough. All those politicians just bluff, while the mommies prepare their babes for Armageddon. And I would not say I'm wise. I've just seen with my two eyes stronger swimmers than you drowning in Heineken. So may your love shine through every single thing you do. May you try and touch the stars and fail and find that what makes them shine is what makes you what you are. And what you are is a dim but steady light. What you are, it just calms me down at night. What you are is a lovesick lullaby. Have you listened to the post-modern blues? They play it daily on the 24 hour news. I think it sounds quite a bit like self-righteous indignation. And I cannot think of one thing beyond celebrity-gossip magazines and a sense of unending hunger that unites this nation. But when I remember the cracks in your skin and that steady gaze when you truly listen, it reminds me that the pains in my bones are the seeds of salvation. So, may our love shine through every single thing we do. May we try and steal the stars and fail and find that what makes them shine is what makes us what are. And what we are is our only source of light. What we are, it just rings on through the night. What we are is a lovesick lullaby
7.
Your whole life was one long panic attack. Your whole life was one long panic attack. You sure seemed like you knew what you lacked but your whole life was one long panic attack. And you could not touch anyone that you loved No, you could not touch anyone that you loved. Your shame covered you like a workman's glove so you could not touch anyone that you loved. You found some peace inside of a song. You found some peace inside of a song. For a moment or two you could do no wrong. You found some peace inside of a song. And I guess that it's true we're all waiting to die. Yes, I guess that it's true we're all waiting to die. This world can be brutal but at times it shines, for instance, my dear, you have the loveliest eyes. Ba-da-dum...
8.
Were we right or were we wrong? Well, we'll never really know. But like donkeys, we will run after that carrot on a rope. And when we get it, -IF we get it, that is... When we get it, if we get it, that is will it be like we are younger? Or braver or stronger or numb-er? I do not know that much, I just know you and the way that you laugh. Yes, you. And the curve of your back. Oh, you. You've got such a knack for getting me grounded. Are you here or are you there? It depends on where you're not. So bring that grindstone to your ear and ask it what it wants And when you hear it -IF you hear it, that is... When you hear it, if you hear it, that is Do you think it will bring you pleasures? Or success in this world full of pressures? Or do you think it will echo through your cells like the pulse of a bell? Through your cells, like a hero through hell? Through your cells, like a coin down a well? May you be your own fortune. I watched you as you stumbled through Eden. You were clothed in just your shame and a single leaf. Have you ever hungered for freedom? Or have you ever wondered what that word means? We'll find out, baby, when we stop breatin'. And when that moment comes, do not worry. 'Cause we're going home...
9.
Best Wishes 05:27
Haven't you ever stared into the milky way? Been blown away by the force of it all? Or haven't you ever run into a former self? The kind you could not sell for nothing at all. Isn't it true what they said about you? That you're this open book I could never overlook. Not even from afar. And everything's changing, oh no. This body keeps aging, oh no Are we worth saving? I hope so. I wish you the best. Wasn't it you who instructed me to forget myself and permit myself to start anew? Well, now, you listen here: There's no need to fear making mistakes. If a mess is made, we'll clean it up. Just help me give thanks to these ones we can't shake. The ones inside of our lives. We can cover our eyes but they're still there. And everything's changing, oh no. This body keeps aging, oh no Are we worth saving? I hope so. I wish you the best.

about

“When you are with everyone but me,
you're with no one.
When you are with no one but me, you're with everyone.
Instead of being so bound up with everyone, be everyone. When you
become that many, you're nothing. Empty.”

-Rumi

*********************************************************

This album is the product of me getting out of the equation as much as humanly possible. If it weren't for the people who funded the album, as well as my good friends who helped tremendously to flesh out these songs, this album would not exist. I hope that it brings some kind of goodness to the world, whether in big ways or little.



****************************************************************************


PRESS:

"...Thank you Matthew Squires and The Learning Disorders for bringing me an unending source of joy to help me get through the hellscape that is the American holiday season."

-SYFFAL (Full review here: www.syffal.com/sith-pale-grey )

*****

You Are Everything was featured in USA Today's "This Week in Pop" (Full story here: www.usatoday.com/story/popcandy/2014/01/17/week-music/4575111/ )

*****

"Based in Austin but coming out of an ethereal plane of otherworldly singer songwriter goodness, Matthew Squires and the Learning Disorders are here to regain confidence in the weird folk genre....
"You Are Everything or: The Art of Being Nothing in Particular" is an auditory joy from start to finish, documenting a rising talent from the roads of America...."

- Drunken Werewolf Magazine (Full review here: www.drunkenwerewolf.com/blog/introducing-matthew-squires-learning-disorders/ )

*****

"You Are Everything plainly illustrates the incredible growth the group has undergone in just this year alone, and suggests nothing but good things from Matt and the gang in 2014."

- Ovrld 'Top 50 Albums of 2013' (Full review here: ovrld.com/countdowns/austin-albums-2013/ )


*****

"...There is a sense of lightness and confusion that is delivered in the wrapping of electronic and acoustic instruments, each piece delivering something unexpected and it is those joyous strides of disconnection that gives the material that floats around the room. Like a sage delivering wise questions there is a prophetic feel to the outpourings with the almost chanted lyrics. The whole effect being slightly jarring whilst simultaneously cathartic.

Matthew Squires and The Learning Disorders is not about inventive music, rather inventive free-thinking and as such it works a treat. I have little doubt that the style and presentation will divide audiences, but if you get into it, then like me, you won’t understand why everyone else doesn't revel in the sounds."

- Emerging Indie Bands (Full review here: emergingindiebands.com/matthew-squires-and-the-learning-disorders-alt-indie/ )

*****

"...These songs are smart and cleverly crafted comments about us."

-American Pancake (Full review here: www.americanpancake.com/2013/12/album-review-you-are-everything-or-art.html )

*****

"...But when strong songs, clever arrangements, and memorable performances come together, magic can happen. And You Are Everything has some very magical moments."

Independent Clauses (Full review here: independentclauses.com/matthew-squires-and-the-learning-disorders-how-to-not-be-a-computer/ )

*****

You Are Everything was included in the 'Daily Downloads' section of Largehearted Boy

- Largehearted Boy (Full list here: www.largeheartedboy.com/blog/archive/2013/12/daily_downoads_1.html )

credits

released October 8, 2013

Matthew Squires and an assortment of friendly alcoholics.

Mastered by Jerry Tubb at Terra Nova Digital Audio, Inc.
Austin, Texas

license

all rights reserved

tags

about

Matthew Squires Austin, Texas

I think, all things considered, the songs I write are much more listenable than the songs I don't write.

contact / help

Contact Matthew Squires

Streaming and
Download help

Shipping and returns

Redeem code

Report this album or account

If you like You Are Everything or: The Art of Being Nothing in Particular, you may also like: