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Return of the Idle Drones

by Matt Hill

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  • Streaming + Download

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

    You also get the lyric sheet as a PDF to download.
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  • Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    + Limited to 150 copies
    + Glass Mastered CD for best audio quality.
    + Digipack on eco-card with a lyric insert printed on Kraft paper.
    + Letter pressed by hand, an art process that means every copy is slightly (and uniquely) different to the last.
    + Cover art finished with gold ink.
    + Your copy will be hand signed and numbered.
    + CD version comes with TWO extra tracks exclusive to this CD
    + Exclusive to Bandcamp - not available anywhere else

    Includes unlimited streaming of Return of the Idle Drones via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ships out within 3 days
    edition of 150 

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  • Letterpress CD + T-Shirt Bundle
    Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    + Limited Edition 'Return of the Idle Drones' Letterpress CD
    + Digipack on eco-card with a lyric insert printed on Kraft paper.
    + Greedy Magicians 100% organic cotton T-Shirt. Screen printed by hand using eco-friendly water-based inks

    Includes unlimited streaming of Return of the Idle Drones via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

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  • Double Deluxe CD + T-Shirt Bundle
    Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    + Limited Edition Double Deluxe Letterpress CD
    + Greedy Magicians 2 - Return of the Idle Drones + Greedy Magicians (2012)
    + Digipack on eco-card with a lyric insert printed on Kraft paper.
    + Greedy Magicians 100% organic cotton T-Shirt. Screen printed by hand using eco-friendly water-based inks

    Includes unlimited streaming of Return of the Idle Drones via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

    Sold Out

  • Deluxe Double Letterpress CD
    Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    + Limited to 50 copies
    + Glass Mastered CD for best audio quality.
    + Digipack on eco-card with a lyric insert printed on Kraft paper.
    + Letter pressed by hand, an art process that means every copy is slightly (and uniquely) different to the last.
    + Cover art finished with silver ink.
    + Your copy will be hand signed and numbered.
    + CD version of Idle Drones comes with TWO extra tracks exclusive to this CD
    + CD version of Greedy Magicians comes with THREE previously unreleased extra tracks exclusive to this CD, which are outakes from the original live performance
    + Exclusive to Bandcamp - not available anywhere else

    Includes unlimited streaming of Return of the Idle Drones via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

    Sold Out

1.
KING OF LIARS A song for the post-truth era There's something lurking out there I can't see I don't even know its name but it sure as hell knows me And there are lies - as many as the stars in the skies A new world of machines is on the rise the old order is fading and the sun burns through our eyes and there are lies - as many as the stars in the skies They're escaping from a mouth that just discovered it can shout Trolling from the lips that dribble poison as they drip in the reign In the reign of the king of liars The king of liars, the king of liars, Lies, lies, lies, lies, he king of liars So scared of the future, we looked back In search of golden summers that never came to pass and there are lies - and some we chose to brighten up our skies Proof has proven nothing, truth's not true There's no evidence, it's evident justice isn't just and there are lies - as many as the stars in the skies
2.
MAKING SENSE OF THE WAR A song set in Nottingham in the years following 1945 He came back from the fighting to find he’d won the peace A new house from the council, an indoor lavatory And she’d find him in the parlour all hours of the night Still on manoeuvres, with his dagger at his side Making sense of the war. Making sense of the war Making sense where there was no sense before He tended his allotment he found a bombed out window frame and built himself a greenhouse and grew tomatoes up a cane He planted roses in a bucket He’d bring one home for Lil She'd put it in a milk bottle, pride of place on the window sill Making sense of the war. Making sense of the war Making sense where there was no sense before Sometimes fumes from the soap factory would catch upon his breath And all the rendered fat and the tallow smell, they spoke to him of death And then she’d always find him down by the railway lines Just staring at the wagons lost in the corner of his mind But Lil would guide him gently she’d say “C’mon now duck, We’ll have none of that, let’s go home it’s quiet there. I’ll pop the kettle on” Making sense of the war. They're making sense of the war. Making sense where there was no sense before
3.
THE MOB OF RIGHTEOUS FURY A song about the fear of outsiders and how somethings never change In 1645 in the English Civil War They built a ducking stool by this waterfall And when the moon is clear you can feel the fear Of a woman drowning as her neighbours cheer Bring me her head Bring me her eyes Bring me her soul We’ll hang it high There’ll be no judge, there'll be no jury Just the mob of Righteous fury In 1848 a gypsy caravan Appeared one day on the village green But as the morning came In the dying flames The villagers raked their bones away Bring me their heads Bring me their eyes Bring me their souls We’ll hang 'em high There’ll be no judge, there'll be no jury Just the mob of Righteous fury In 1968 somewhere near Birmingham A politician spoke to a crowded room He said they’re not like us They’re all no good You’re going to drown In a river of blood Just last week on a local facebook page Was a photograph of some old bloke’s face he’d been hanging round the edge of town He’s not from round here Let’s hunt him down
4.
TALKING IT OUT A song about the super rich Inside the Hotel Sputnik in the former republic It's all coming unpicked as they're talking it out The People's Messiah, the climate denier He's singing through the wire as they're talking it out Whilst the Sheikh and the Baron load up zeros on his balance While he's in the Sultan's palace and they're talking it out Where the young serve old, they just do as they're told Once you've showered in gold you'll soon be talking it out Spends his weekends on a super-yacht somewhere off the coast It's so hard to be a businessman these days With the swipe of a smartphone consider this a loan From one man to another from one man to his brother We're just talking it out, we're just talking it out This is how the world goes round And here's a minor royal, snorting coke, selling oil He's so steadfast and loyal he's talking it out Behind a fence made from razors, he’s got a truck full of tazers, He’s flogging missiles and lasers he's just talking it out Drinking whiskey that's older than that girl he left upstairs It's hard to negotiate these days He makes a phone call to the brethen sings the praises of his host From one man to another, from one man to his brother We're just Talking it out, we're just Talking it out This is how the world goes round
5.
TIMES ARE GETTING TOUGH A song about living with chronic ill health I can't go to work this morning And the work won't come to me Then neither will the money I don’t own a money tree So most days I try But I'm not gonna lie Right now I feel like giving up Cause times are getting tougher Times are getting tough And if I'm not there tomorrow He told me don't come back He doesn’t like folk over 40 I'm pretty sure of that So most days I try But I'm not gonna lie Right now I feel like giving up Cause times are getting tougher Times are getting tough Tramadol, co-codamol Get me through the day But all the same this chronic pain Never goes away And then I think about my Nanna Cause Nanna had it rough Even when she had the cancer She never once gave up So most days I'll try But I'm not gonna lie Right now I feel like giving up Cause times are getting tougher Times are getting tough
6.
Strike 03:22
7.
Born to rule 02:36
BORN TO RULE A song about a Bullingdon bully He walks on luscious carpets through the hallowed halls And in his father’s footsteps He can never fall Privileged entitled superior and cruel But there's not a shred of doubt He was born to rule From Eton to the City smashing glass and breaking laws Leaves a trail of destruction to deny he ever caused He becomes adept at stabbing backs telling tales out of school But there's a shred of doubt He was born to rule But he’s never scrubbed a toilet He's never wiped away the dirt He’s never done the washing up He’s never ironed a shirt He thinks nothings wrong in laughing At the suffering of fools But there's not a shred of doubt, Not a shred of doubt There's not a shred of doubt he was born to rule But there's a shred of doubt He was born to rule
8.
SAME OLD STORY A song about the recurring themes of history The rich get richer, the poor stay poor I'm sure you've all heard this before The same old families, the same old tricks The same old targets, the same old hits It's the same old story, the same old song We keep righting the same old wrong Down the centuries whatever changed Those vested interests always stay the same If the King needs gold he starts a war Raises an army from the poor If the rich need oil they start a war I'm sure we've all been here before If your bank needs bailing? You know the score You need a scapegoat? Blame the poor If you get caught red handed? Just change the law I'm sure we've all been here before
9.
Scraps 03:14
SCRAPS A song about the myths and lies of aspiration culture I woke up this morning I rolled over and went back to sleep And when I woke up this afternoon And stumbled to my feet I turn on the telly and the first thing that I saw Was some overpaid privileged prig sneering at the poor You see life is never easy It’s not fair and it’s not kind And it's not a bed of roses And it's not an easy ride They all seem to prosper Oh they're all doing fine But the rest of us can whistle For the scraps they leave behind Now they say dream big and you can have All that your hearts desire You’ve simply got to want it enough, you’ve got to work hard, be a trier Well I’ve put in the hours Oh believe me I’ve worked hard But there still some months when the leccy bill Goes on the credit card Now I don't believe in heaven or that a better world awaits And if the meek are gonna inherit the earth It’s getting kind of late Cause I know some good good people Sleeping out there on the streets Whilst some racist tweeting rent-a-gob Has the whole world at their feet
10.
THE END OF THE WORLD IS HERE A song about the apocalypse You'll never see it coming, you'll only feel the wake Keep watch upon the future keep your shoulders to the gate Cause you'll only hear the sirens once you're diving in the lake and the end of the world is here I only know that distance cause I have walked the miles I opened up the safe I shredded all the files But I never danced with justice cause the judge fixed the trial and the end of the world is here And everybody knows it's clear And everyone can see it's nearly here It's everything we feared But no one wants to be the one to say it's over So listen to my warnings heed everything I've shown Keep my words upon you carve them into stone Cause one day all this data will be blown away like foam when the end of the world is here
11.
BUILD US SOMETHING MORE Another song about the years following 1945 The things we saw In the wastes of war we saw our cities made from rust Our Sweethearts turned to dust And we swore we'll build us something more The things we heard Such harrowing words we heard the last rites the wedding bells Goodbye good luck farewells And we swore we'll build us something more We'll build us something good Build us something great And we swore we'll build us something more Once the sounds of sirens filled these rooms Now the cries of a million babies boom The future's here, it's here right now and we must build our own way out of here We must build, build, build, build Finally it's still And the axis tilts and we build Build Hospitals and roads, communities and homes With no one left behind, with no one left alone From cradle to the grave, for the sacrifice they made There must be something good, there must be something great A golden welfare state, with food on every plate And we swore, we'll build us something more From the horrors of this war we swore We'll build us something more

about

GREEDY MAGICIANS II – RETURN OF THE IDLE DRONES
A live album without an audience.

This fast and furious, state of the nation album was recorded in two days by Matt Hill and long time associate James Youngjohns (Last Harbour, Willard Grant Conspiracy). The duo set up in a studio, 2 metres apart, and ripped through these songs like a live concert. Which is what was supposed to happen, before the pandemic robbed them of their audience.

Written and conceived as a sequel to ‘Greedy Magicians’, Hill’s 2012 live album of protest songs, ‘Return of the Idle Drones’, covers similar ground with a mix of political comment and social history. Recorded inside an old Victorian Mill in the historic Ancoats district of Manchester the sessions have been expertly captured by Adam Gorman of The Travelling Band.

“My original plan was to do this as a ‘10 years on’ project” says Hill, “record it in front of a live audience in the same church, with the same musicians. Sadly the pandemic meant that was not going to work. So I decided to just go ahead and do it as a ‘live in the studio’ duo album.”

The original Greedy Magicians album of 2012 was a turning point for Hill, sending him on a path to becoming a full time artist. The album got rave reviews (10/10 Americana UK, 5/5 from Maverick), led to a Glastonbury appearance with Billy Bragg and eventually to Hill becoming Songwriter-in- Residence at Manchester’s People’s History Museum. Two songs on this new collection, date from that year long museum residency, a song about the Match Women’s strike of 1888 (Strike), and another about the post war generation who built the modern welfare state (Build us something more)

Elsewhere there are songs about the billionaire super-rich (Talking it out), the post-truth era (King of Liars) and aspirational media culture (Scraps). There are stories here too – the middle aged person struggling to work whilst chronically ill (Times are getting tough) or the soldier and his wife trying to settle back to normality in post WW2 Britain (Making sense of the war).

With his signature blend of social history, storytelling, humour and wordplay, Hill has crafted another collection of modern protest songs.

credits

released October 1, 2021

Greedy Magicians II - Return of the Idle Drones
Matt Hill featuring James Youngjohns

PERFORMANCE
Matt Hill : vocals, guitar, percussion
James Youngjohns : Guitar, lap steel, Harmonium, Organ, percussion
Adam Gorman : Piano

SONGWRITING
All songs written by Matt Hill
'Strike' and 'Build us Something More' were both originally written in 2015 during my time as songwriter-in-residence at The People's History Museum, Manchester.

PRODUCTION & RECORDING
Recorded in March 2021 at Pinhole Studios, Manchester.
Produced by Matt Hill & James Youngjohns
Engineered and Mixed by Adam Gorman
Mastered by Russ Hepworth-Sawyer at Mottosound Ltd.

ARTWORK
Original Greedy Magicians sleeve design by K.Craig
Updated 2021 Cover design by David Armes
Design and layout by Jacob Kirk
Letterpress printing by David Armes at Red Plate Press

IN MEMORY OF WALTER HAMPSON
This album was recorded at Pinhole Studios which is inside Wellington Mill in Ancoats, Manchester. In 1860 inside that same mill, Walter Hampson died whilst at work. He was 11 years old. The Coroner's report describes how he was seen to get into a teagle (a hoist/lift) and pull himself up. When he came down again he attempted to stop the teagle but failed. It went up again, and he, in jumping out, so injured himself that he died in the Infirmary on the following day. A verdict of "accidental death" was returned. It's worth remembering that fortunes were built on the labour of children like Walter. In many cases that wealth sustains their descendents to this day. Same old story. We will not forget.

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Matt Hill UK

QLR (Quiet Loner Records) is home to Matt Hill a storytelling singer-songwriter and community based artist who offers a British take on folk and Americana.

‘Possibly the most important record of the year’ MAVERICK 5/5
‘An anthem for resistance’ AMERICANA UK 10/10
‘Delicate songwriting. Bleakly beautiful.’ UNCUT (4 stars)
‘Works of wonder’ R2 4/5
An absolute gem' MORNING STAR (Album of the year)
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