Tributaries is the 4th release by Sound ƒuries... a dubble
album, so in a sense also the 5th, a rather ambitious under-
taking considering no 1 got our previous 3... further proof that we make records only for ourselves + the love of music. The album will be released on our 25th anniversary (Dec 24, 2021) so made sense to have 25 tracks, each 1 about a river. Starting July 9th we'll be releasing 1 stream each week (on YouTube, Bandcamp + SoundCloud), in riverse order from the album,
w/ accompanying liner notes.
Disc 1: Side A
1. Silver
(Dec 24)
2. Niger (Dec 17)
3. Columbia (Dec 10)
4. Dungeness (Dec 3)
5. Pishon (Nov 26)
6. Gambia (Nov 19)
Side B
7. Congo (Nov 12)
8. Ayung (Nov 5)
9. Oceanus (Oct 29)
10. East (Oct 22)
11. Piscataqua (Oct 15)
12. Sandy (Oct 8)
Disc 2: Side C
13. Gila-Salt (Oct 1)
14. Red Nile (Sept 24)
15. Ogeechee (Sept 17)
16. Rom (Sept 10)
17. Snake (Sept 3)
18. Fishkill (Aug 27)
Side D
19. Jordan (Aug 20)
20. Anacostia (Aug 13)
21. Manu (Aug 6)
22. Sacramento
23. Tiber
24. Styx
25. Kanawha
———————————————————————————[disc 1 / side A ]———————————————————————————
[to be released 12/24/2021]
1. Silver
down at the river’s edge
we cut our veins + bled
our blood turned from blue to red
we’re singing so we’re still not dead
a silver river runs thru our veins
the silver lining comes w/ rain
a sliver of hope, w/ each sunset
for that 1 day we’d say we met
we came of age in the ’80s when
no 1 cared the world was engulfed in flames
after the murmuring rumors
were divined from the sky
we walked to Silver Springs
to get a microphone + strings
we followed rock creek down
to the haunting drowning of sound
the silver plate inscribed w/ 25
w/ space enough for more if we dare or care
forged from the gold-leaf fountain of youth
from the vessel we’ll sip gin + vermouth
+ take 50 more river trips
dancing to the apocalypse
the stream we never crossed as kids
kissed us on the lips
in 1996
we crossed the river Styx
together in double sewerside
merrily we glide
as long as it is wide
may as well enjoy the ride
the silver plate inscribed w/ 25
w/ space enough for more if we dare or care
[to be released 12/17/2021]
2. Niger
25 trips
around the sun
½ our life
we've lived as 1
from Dogon country
to the Cape of the Cat
a binary star
in the same orbit
+ who would of known that an eclipse would lead all to this?
2 pairs of lips
engaged in a kiss
legs entwined
like cricket strings
the violins drone
the triangle rings
in unison
from artesian springs
+ the motion we make when we spark a fire
or pound the grain is all the same
25 trips around the sun
½ our life we've lived as 1
in unison
+ who would of known that an eclipse would lead all to this?
[to be released 12/10/2021]
3. Columbia
born on the day he landed
on the river named for the man
now living in his namesake state
in the semi-colony of colon
a monument erected in stone
a fallacy of statutory rape
500 candles on a birthday cake
cuz his ship rammed aground by mistake
what was never lost can ever be found
a country founded on dead reckoning
dead reckoning (x4)
extrapolated from shipwreck
propagated by all hands on deck
down gang-plank walks the chain-gang
searching for Y at cross-roads
the devil lived to pay in backwoods
to live here u have to sell your soul
X marks the spot on her wedding dress
double-crossed w/ a red-handed X
St Christopher hung round his neck
same noose delivered for a measly red cent
deliverance will come when they dam the stream
turning burial grounds into electricity
they parlayed disease-laced blankets w/ severed ears
then sent them west on the trail of tears
trail of tears (x4)
[to be released 12/03/2021]
4. Dungeness
coelacanth tales fall from the sea
see the sound pour from fur trees
salamander gills filter d-zzz
Dungeness crabs fossil easily
the Nez Perce didn't pierce their nose
but the Salish flattened their heads in a vice
from the drawbridge alone u watch them spawn
no 1 will ever believe u back home
5 x 5 the jet black horses swim
in the irrigation channel switched to main
vestigial fins blown in the wind
a pod of nearby orcas sing
a can opener forms obsidian rings
hideous rails sing to precurse the trains
cedar needles don't fall in fall
Puget rains carry our cares to sea
[to be released 11/26/2021]
5. Pishon
spring is sprung
the levee gives
the hanging garden
yields vine-ripened fruit
ripe + red
take a bite
to stave off death
all hail Mary
1st River Queen
cursed from birth
by atomic submarines
the wive-tale kiss
the hair of the dog
the got-away fish
to keep from starving a mouse eats her own tail
from headwaters spring the same cure that ails
by mistake named for the river sign
not Shoshone for serpentine
the snake-bite kit
under his seat
Eden’s curse comes built into her purse
which came 1st
the rabbit or hat
for better or worse
the Adam bomb in the evening sky
every night they kiss their ass good-bye
we all gotta die
don’t cry
don’t ask Y
string on string, S.O.S.
the garden of Eden don’t exist
+ Johnny Appleseed was preacher in disguise
but the brood X keeps on carrying on
fish on
to climb high in the trees to keep on singing their song
fish on
[to be released 11/19/2021]
6. Gambia
the only state
that starts w/ The
unless u count
The Bronx
that banks the river
for which it's named
that cuts the flow
of neighbor's trade
out here in the fields
we farm our meals
we need to fight
for water rites
every 1 needs
to make ends meet
on holiday
can we reach the beach?
break bread, eat meat, smoke bud?
it takes 2, to keep a zoo, survive the flood
no single song, can prove us wrong
like climbing a ladder w/ only 1 rung
we need to access the flow to see the whole
until humun rights are guaranteed for all
for which it stands, no ifs, buts or ands
a river indivisible, from surrounding land
the only state
that starts w/ The
unless u count
The Bronx
that banks the river
for which it's named
that cuts the flow
of neighbor's trade
severs the land
from dadastream + brain
missed connections propagate down the drain
———————————————————————————[disc 1 / side B ]———————————————————————————
[to be released 11/12/2021]
7. Congo
[the birds bring us to kneel
in unchartered fields
before the river takes us to see]
wherein you'll find Swann songs
from Potomac to Mekong
a Dada db
baa-baa black sheep
lucid dreams
count by 3
Patrol Boat, Riverine
a murder of ravens roosts still in the trees
no joy in the sunshine
Tristes Tropiques
shit-eating smiles are frowns upside-down
Africa's a long way from the hills of Ngong
the Congo's a far cry from the Mekong or Pagsanjan
playing ping pong in the Congo
or in Hong Kong playing bongos
thriver memes
river genes
the virus survives
fruit or weeds
the deepest river in the world
so deep fish don't need eyes
there's nothing to see
move along
he died for the bombshell blond
he died for the bombshell blond (x2)
[to be released 11/15/2021]
8. Ayung
slipstream
the mean is somewhere in between
island + lake, or inland sea
between wake + sleep
in the backseat
meter ticking down
in the taxi
en route to see
what's already been seen
by a billion eyes
each time defiles
to detourrmine the change
the delta spans the range
nothing to lose
nothing to gain
river runs regardless of us
always did + always will
be that as it may
stick in your feet
never same river twice
the coolness seeps
melting your bones
we belong to her
not her to us
quicksand
the land salted in dead pan
rolled into a hole
in the ozone layer
not enough soil
to backfill lost air
rivers run regardless of us
always did + always will
[to be released 10/29/2021]
9. Oceanus
the sight
of the sea
in waves
jogging your memory
of ancient lakes
in the bedrock beneath the stream
in the seam in between
holds your dreams in esteem
folding into the wave machine
caterwauling in concourse
for the love of horse
the prancing mare
the fountain's dare
can't resist the curse
the allure of Trevi's purse
the spectacled frieze
fossilized in grief
Sampietrini paved in concrete
in the bedrock beneath the stream
in the seams in between
the site of the sea
sealed into a dream
[to be released 10/22/2021]
10. East
where no 1 is native but every 1 belongs
u can forget your name + do no wrong
as long as the jungle don't eat u alive
eat or be eaten, ain't enough to survive
all the people who couldn't fly, they died
it's laugh or cry but at least we died
trying to make it in the backseat of an apple-green taxi
P.S. Jumping from the C is practice for the GWB
or OD'ing on Drano on the G to Queens
but where do all the trains + drains go?
At least 20 people died spanning the East
from falling off or divers' disease
+ don't forget the 1,021 on PS General Slocum
where P is for paddle not an art show at PS1
the same troubled waters of S + G
despite feelin' groovy on 59th street
to make ends meet u contract the bends
the show was over before it began
[to be released 10/15/2021]
11. Piscataqua
we shifted north
on fast moving tides
we slept on the water
near where witches abide
thru a skylight we could hear the moon
humming + drumming the old familiar tune
that was the summer
Princess Diane died
we watched the M tugboats
pull in ships w/ the tide
the salt heaped in piles beneath our view
that plows will spread on icy streets
to keep commuters from slipping
to black from a lighter hue uv blue
only to wash into sewer drains
+ raise the PH, reflux from acid rain
we went from sweet iced tea to knock if you're in need
fireman axed down our door
leaving no apology
but nothing else mattered cuz we had each other
this was the 1st winter after the death of our brother
[to be released 10/8/2021]
12. Sandy
u were 6
i was 1
1 in 3.8 billion
when i was 5 + u were 10,
living in oblivion
we'd never met but i loved u then
when magma seethed beneath the skin
when i was 9 St Helens blew
our eyes met on the mushrooming plume
u looked north, i looked south
the world stood w/ gaping mouths
in awe at how all in a sudden nothing couldn't mean a thing
we watched in awe from suburban sprawl
of cul-de-sacs + manicured lawns
unaware of the graves beneath
the sewers seething to the brink
before emulsion grain could render a scene
they blazed a trail to the sea
the world had scarcely reached 1 billion
every humun living in oblivion
of how they looked like an ant death spiral from 30,000 feet
the promise of passage lured them west
our destiny was manifest
in musket, ax + bayonet
we loved u then tho we hadn't met
the river Sandy w/ pumice of Hood
along Natchez trace afterword
Merriweather took his life
+ the bird woman was taken as wife
+ William adopted her newborn child + son before she died
i loved u then before we were born
who would of known we'd end up in Rome
Tierra del Fuego or Timbuktu
Tokyo or Katmandu
if they hadn't searched for passage to sea
would we be here in armchairs reading magazines?
reminding us how the weather-vane could change
danger's the risk + lure all the same
knowing in a heartbeat all this could end
———————————————————————————[disc 2 / side C ]———————————————————————————
[to be released 10/1/2021]
13. Gila-Salt
how can 1 see this river
w/ all this water in the way?
asks the desert rat
on seeing the Rhine
for the 1st time
back home our rivers flow only when it rains
+ when it rains it pours
ya ta hey, all these leaves are in the way
how can 1 see the sky thru all these trees?
the weight of the air is clogging our pores
it's no wonder we can breathe any more
this gestalten shrink
can't explain what's left of kitchen sink
on seeing the Seine
we can't exchange our currentsea to spend
we can't explain all the water that came before
+ to all what end
back home our rivers flow only when it rains
+ when it rains it pours
ya ta hey, all this dirt's in the way
how will the clouds ever get back to sea?
there's nothing on top but a bucket + a mop
+ the ceilings drop + popcorn pops from trees
more than part of the sum
the Salt gets fed from Gila Bend
more than sum of the parts
the wash will never meet its end
[to be released 9/24/2021]
14. Red Nile
shots fire out
from a fast-moving train
the methods are yellow
the motives insane
the rails burn, turning red
Tibetan or Egyptian,
bring it back to the dead
a blue note is struck
from a red-gestured key
cop a hit, a feel, some booze
Lou felt the velvet in the wild west caboose
a court jester dances to distract the king
off w/ their heads, the fat lady sings
forms the figurehead tomb
to divine the womb
consult the ruins
a pyramid scheme
knuckles not digits
to the 12th degree
thru the Suez it sails
derailed by the tides
debased the hour
+ the concept of time
stuck in de-Nile
flatten nickels to dimes
Exene nods Minutemen but not 45 Grave
the # of grooves in the vinyl DK
Tibetan or Egyptian, bring it back from the dead
dig till the fat lady sings off w/ your head
into the arms of De Milo
fell Television's Verlaine
does it matter who carved her?
if she's feeling no pain
[to be released 9/17/2021]
15. Ogeechee
to begin, begin again
is to move, from where you've been
when it rained we din't fret
in the desert it came as welcome relief
we waylaid plans to dam the flow
packed up a U-haul + started driving east
up to our ears in debt
far from fixed annuity
our retirement plan
was to achieve fluidity
wild-type refugees
crossing the Mississippi
nowhere in mind to go
giving into the flow
to begin, begin again
is to move, from where you've been
we landed on them swampy banks
hard to tell the diffrence between land + sea
the riparian delta ripe w/ decay
Paris island, loin Île de la Cité
don't stand in 1 place too long
or trenchfoot sets in
the black water's rising
bites the moccasin
the cottonmouth takes hold
of the fold in our jeans
transcribe the code, read the leaves
cut your losses, split the scene
forsake the gloss, provide continuity
it's all a wash, divining for gold
come up w/ a new form of currentsea
(x2)
[to be released 9/10/2021]
16. Rom
where goats lick dams
+ streams are streets
skips the salty core
an age-old adage for levee foil
an arhythmic fluttering, 5 evil eels
plunged in hands too numb to feel
the olive branch, bifurcates
the electric turbine regenerates
in overflow, the circuits trip
a blip in the system, passed thru noise gates
the levees contain, spontaneous bursts
aderall'd water to quench your thirst
cascades passed for currency
the spectacle of avenues
paraded into parodies of themselves
in dadastreams, typeface reigns
painted ponies, pantomined feigns
an illustrated book of birds
the real deal captured in words
the hypocrisy of hippodrome
glitchy video grabbed as your own
cascades passed for currentsea
the spectacle of avenues
paraded into parodies of themselves
[to be released 9/3/2021]
17. Snake
(instrumental)
[to be released 8/27/2021]
18. Fishkill
the residue
of DDT
in the creek
leads to weak beaks
the squeegee squeaks
the windshield wipes
the grimey grit
into swiping hype
the oily film
above crawdad’s dream
whose says they feel no pain
cuz they have no brain
somewhere under the rainbow
all the colors swirl
into liquid burl
run-off down storm drains
the song remains the same
somewhere under the rainbow
the algae sheen
blue-gilled bream
a yellow ribbon tied round a tree
means the ol’ oak’s diseased
if u love me, tie your tubes
+ eat your greens
ride the train
the tones on tail
come at the end
when u go against nature
that’s part of nature too
to the 1st Dutch settlers
creek meant kill
the compounds leach
into the aquifer
the words became engrained
as part of the land
put the Iroquois language
back on the map
Tioronda
———————————————————————————[disc 2 / side D ]———————————————————————————
[to be released 8/20/2021]
19. Jordan
rivers begin where they end
if 1 considers rain + jet stream winds
look deeper into grainy sands
the sublimation from the wind-swept lands
ever reaches sea
if u count the sea of Galilee
every night we sleep in the riverbed
the Dead sea is 1000 feet from dead
we’ve shared this bed for ½ our lives
the other ½ we slave 9 to 5
the next 360 starts at 0 degrees
in the nexus ‘tween land + sky + sea
the scrolls are rolled + cloned into our bones
the text embedded in motherboards + phones
who needs vows when the water is crystal clear
just stick your tongue into my ear
just stick your tongue into my ear (x2)
we heard the Okavango never reaches a sea
nor does Colorado cuz of man-made greed
dead as a nude corpse floating prone downstream
supine on a bed of pine needles is more our speed
who needs vows when the water is crystal clear
just stick your tongue into my ear
[to be released 8/13/2021]
20. Anacostia
innercoastal waterways reach
from Spuyten Duyvil to Savu Sea
from toilet's flush to nasoni sips
the Roman baths connect languid lips
ain't no dog gonna pee in no well
chasing zebras thru the gates of hell
in your PJs, u wade in the water
unlike HR, u ain't from here
ermine furs adorn severed arms
the Avon lady sells bodily harm
the green line underground was last to be built
their river polluted to the hilt
tainted trains, a restaurant dearth
a humun stain on the face of the earth
oil spills, roots cracking the concrete
where bald eagles can't make ends meat
the land accosts us
the banks rob us
the taps deplete the clouds release
damned if u do
damned if u don't
the dams complete the damned quandary
[to be released 8/6/2021]
21. Manú
el mismo me incanto rolls right off the tongue
enchanted by prospects of starting over again
every 1 they meet, a 2nd chance
to quit the sad mound of France
mistaking women for land
the pubis ain't public
trees ain't for tires
milking the saps u say u admire
publish your diaries,
when u get home
invest the royalties in gold
roll the dice again
grizzly gummi bear men
rubber's a medium, like watercolors or film anche questa canzone, w/ Herzog at the helm
isthmus or taint, steel-belts or skin
measured in miles or by inch
deep as Mariana's trench
a trojan horse, worms inside
a no U-turn sign u deride
in the name of art
derail the train
re-enact the rape all the same
justice will never be served
if 1 lives by the word
what are words to the dying dads
as they struggle on their beds of death
all the birds come spilling out
in the stale heave of their last breath
symbols used to simplify
information growing out of control
a spring sprouting from a barren plain
emanating from a deep dark hole
for every book needs another 1
to unlearn what u just read
read it only to realize
all we need to do is just forget
let the bee sting when u knew it wd hurt
u din’t listen to what u were told
the pain in your thumb from that warm spring day
will be w/ u til u are old
laminar flow
to lunar seas
marred by rows
comparative ease
in English a river's named for its edge
from the French Riviera down in a wedge
where our words come from
unless u count the Venus of Willendorf
faceless cuz we couldn't see our self
an effigy of all who came before
held in the palm of our hand
augured in the murmuring clouds of birds
the Romans named it for the fluxing plume
mountains of pottery + bones left to exhume
don't forget to wash behind your ears
all the fears + tears
down the drain
into the sewer
side by side
ride Rem + Rom
left for dead
only to rise
again + again
there's tribes that have never seen the outside world
for whom Tiber is just a word
the lessons learned amount to a hill of beings
unless we become 1 w/ the stream (x2)
[to be released 12/24/2021] 
[to be released 12/17/2021] 
[to be released 12/10/2021]
[to be released 12/03/2021] 
[to be released 11/26/2021] 
[to be released 11/19/2021] 
[to be released 11/12/2021] 
[to be released 11/15/2021]
[to be released 10/29/2021]
[to be released 10/22/2021]
[to be released 10/15/2021]
[to be released 10/8/2021]
[to be released 10/1/2021]
[to be released 9/24/2021]
[to be released 9/17/2021]
[to be released 9/10/2021] 
[to be released 9/3/2021]
[to be released 8/27/2021]
[to be released 8/20/2021]
[to be released 8/13/2021]
[to be released 8/6/2021]
