Perpetual Emotion Machine / Key
from The Unforetold / Candor
2009 / 2023
Another example of a song which went through many transmogrifications over time.
Stop-Time was my attempt as Perpetual Emotion Machine to do something that sounded like Oliver Lieb. I considered it unfinished when I put it on The Unforetold, but at the time I couldn’t figure out where else to go with it. It begins with some found sounds of a mall which loop detectably. Bowed string sounds fade in and gradually a tech-trance vibe sets in. It all culminates in an epic chord progression with a choral pad that I just love. Where it ends, I intended to phase into another song with the same energy but instead it just fades out.
The feel of the song was to reflect feelings of anxiety I was feeling about how things were not as they once were — things were changing too fast. I was getting older. I wanted things back the way they were. This theme was later recaptured in a different way when I retooled the song for ill-fated Worry Box project.
After the sudden death of my partner in 2014 I wrote many poems, and one was called If. At some point in 2014 I incorporated the poem into Stop / Time within the main chord progression, remixing the tracks and adding additional elements at the end to accommodate the lyrics. I also added a vocal part where I am providing my own background vocals in three-part harmony. I re-titled it Threshold / If.
The new lyrical portion of the song was something I kept to myself until I was working on Candor, when I decided to re-record it as a ballad. I chose not to recreate any of the trance elements of the song for the album, however, you can hear the original version buried in the new mix, heavily filtered and reverbed.
Stop/Time
Perpetual Emotion Machine
This is the original instrumental version appearing on The Unforetold.
Threshhold/If
Perpetual Emotion Machine
This is the version which was extended and the lyrical portion added. Also additional percussion and mixing was done. This version was not officially released and has been remastered based on a not very good quality MP3.
Credits
written, produced and arranged by Perpetual Emotion Machine.
If
Key
This is the album version which appeared on Candor. The PEM version can be heard underneath the mix.
If (Album Instrumental)
Key
Credits
written, produced and arranged by Key.
Lyrics
If you were here I wouldn’t be lonely
If you were here I’d be content to be still
If you were here I could find meaning
If you were here
If you were here I would feel alive
If you were here my heart would beat for our love
If you were here I would want for nothing in this world
If only you were here
If you were here you’d put your head on my chest
I would wrap my arms around you
We’d listen to each others’ breath
If you were here
The fates would cower at our strength
And nothing would come between us
If you were here I could go on
If you were here I could find meaning
If you can hear
Please show me the way
Please show me the way back home