Maarten Brinkerink

Your life is at a crossing,
when she pulls you by the arm.
But the heart is so filled with desire,
for some uncertainty.
You suddenly feel selfish,
because she never meant you harm.
But the heart is so filled with desire,
for some uncertainty.

What’s out there might be just a shadow,
no justification to risk it all.
And there’s only one way to find out,
but finding out = risking it all.

So long,
you’ve tried,
to block it all out.
But then,
decide,
to move on.

You’ve found out that it’s just a concept,
no good explanation to leave it all.
But there’s only one way to find out,
but finding out = leaving it all.

A new horizon lies ahead.
It takes away your breath.
The beauty that you’ll leave behind,
is never yours again.

As you gasp for some oxygen,
your head is spinning still.
Uncertain where to go from here,
you take the helping hands she offers:

“Take both my hands.
And step into the water.
Let’s cleanse your mind,
to make room for another dream.”

Almost 500 miles from home,
and still it seems so near.
Bittersweet memories haunt your mind.
You’re about to return.
Then she says:

“I know the water is cold,
but you have to remember,
why you had to leave us.

It’s been some time, but this was too good not to mention:

Today I was surprised by a MySpace message from Cursive, in multiple ways. They had a new studio album ready to be released, that I – as quite a fan – knew anything about. But their innovative way of releasing this album really got me going!In short they will allow people to pre-order the album (for just 11 USD), which will also instantly grant them access to 320 KBPS MP3-files for free! Oh, and people who don’t care about physical album anymore can get the high quality digital package only for just one USD (iTunes Music Store eat your heart out!).This offer is only valid today, couting up dollars until the release date. Of course there is also an LP for the purists. Last but not least they are handing out one killer song for free to persuade people who are still not sure they are getting a great deal here!

This isn’t the first time (Dutch article) I’ve written about Cursive in relation to innovation and the music industry, and I have a feeling it won’t be the last either. But I guess it also helps that I think they are one of the greatest bands solely based on their great music anyway…

To me this is a great example of a business models for music in the internet age, combining free promotion, efficient distribution and the added value of physical records in a really clever way. Too bad the online store of their record label – Saddle Creek - seems to be having some problems with the traffic they are generating at the moment!