Why Did I Choose This?, by Oliver Marson

Why Did I Choose This?

by Oliver Marson

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Why Did I Choose This? on 12" royal blue vinyl.

Own one of only 200 copies of Oliver Marson's album 'Why Did I Choose This?'.

Acclaim for the Album:

4/5 bombs by Louder Than War. The album "carries “an illicit air opulence”. This is precisely the intelligent form of art-pop that we have been crying out for"

Rolling Stone Australia "when much modern music can be a soporific affair, who doesn’t relish a bit of “sexy, confusing… fun” pop?”

About the Album:

Why Did I Choose This? is a collection of quirky and eclectic songs that take unexpected turns while managing to remain accessible and catchy. Marson’s talent for combining over-the-top, extravagant 80s sounds with his timeless crooning vocal creates a cognitive dissonance that will resonate with those who feel out of place in today's world.

Track listing:

1. Blue Dreams

2. Andalusian Girl

3. Tokyo

4. Death of a Pornstar

5. Past Life

6. Agony Uncle

7. Love Coma

8. Sixth Sense

9. Richest Man in the World

10. Flowers of Evil

Technical Specifications:

140g Royal Blue Vinyl

Printed Labels

White Disco Inners

Printed 3mm Gloss Sleeves

Shrink Wrap

200 copies in existence

Import customs tarrifs payable by customer at point of Import where applicable. Shipping from UK.

Includes unlimited streaming of Why Did I Choose This? via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more. ... more

ships out within 66 days

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Full Digital Discography

10

releases

Get all 10 Oliver Marson releases available on Bandcamp and save 35%.

Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of Why Did I Choose This?, Richest Man in the World (Single), Tokyo, Blue Dreams, Andalusian Girl, Manipulator (Single), Time for Love (Single), Goin' Out West, and 2 more. , and , .

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1.	Blue Dreams 03:31	lyrics
Blue dreams Coming out of my head Now im standing by the cash till Waiting for them to see What I did in the board room Where they gave me my redundancy pay cheque Burning down the convenience store I could take you on a cruise to the Seychelles Or the Bahamas We won't have to see these people again Blue dreams Sitting on my settee Yeah I'm lazy and I'm tired and I constantly complain about the life style I've been living It cannot be maintained I can hear the sounds of sirens Over offices and tower blocks that I'll probably never see again Life is passing you by Why did I choose this? Life ? Life is passing you by
2.	Andalusian Girl 04:11	lyrics
Ooo don't start me dancing Ooo don't start me dancing because I ll do it all night How long till she wakes up? What if we don't make up? Andalusian girl Andalusian girl They all just laughed at me Well my commissions come in and its more than you make in a year Oo they cant believe it Oo they can't believe it when I say it like that Now there's a devil on my shoulder Because I can't hold my liquor Andalusian girl Andalusian girl Ooo don't start me dancing Ooo don't start me dancing because I ll do it all night Andalusian girl Andalusian girl Ooo don't start me dancing Ooo don't start me dancing because I ll do it all night
3.	Tokyo 03:18	lyrics
Tried to call you but you wouldn't answer Left a thousand messages and not a single word Not a single word Down on the boulevard where I tried to kiss you I turned around and then I never ever saw you again I never ever saw you again Talking to strangers About all my problems. I can entertain the notion of you and I being together I fell in love in Tokyo I fell in love in Tokyo We pay the price for our dreams, but life goes on in Tokyo Now your friends are calling as we're leaving You're saying you're sorry but I know you're not coming back this time I fell in love in Tokyo I fell in love in Tokyo We pay the price for our dreams, but Life goes on in Tokyo You brought me down to my knees but life goes on in Tokyo
4.	Death of a Pornstar 04:28	lyrics
she lived under the neon streets she was lost to the ghetto and her name was jenni lee yeah her name was jenni lee it was the death of a pornstar and her name was jenny lee death of a pornstar I saw it on my iPhone found in the morning at the age of 23 It was the death of a pornstar now she lives in a digital graveyard It was the death of a pornstar And you've already forgotten her Everyday i was watching you on a screen i never you knew you were dead i never knew you were real It was the death of a pornstar Out of sight Did she lose her mind? It was the death of a pornstar And now she's gone to the other side It was the death of a pornstar Her life was yours but now its mine It was the death of a pornstar though she ll never dream again she might come back to haunt you because the internet is dreaming this is a four minute warning because shes standing in the hall way with a gun in her hand 1000 years of waiting it was the death of a pornstar she ll come back to haunt you
5.	Past Life 03:14	lyrics
I met someone new last night thought I'd seen them before but that's impossible when she laughed she looked just like someone that I had known In a past life ooh in a past life it was in a past life I wanted confrontation and you showed exactly who you are you are impossible you were once my lover maybe in a past life but thats impossible You change lovers like you change all your clothes I can't believe I'm stood outside Still waiting here for you It was a past life it was a past life oo it was a past life Watching Waiting For you to come my way but you never come no you never come back again It was a past life I am so sick and tired of always waiting for you
6.	Agony Uncle 03:51	lyrics
She want to be with someone else tonight She says she can't stand the pain of never knowing Never knowing what its like And all the time your sense of humour is getting worse and worse Oh, oh I'm just your Agony Uncle You only call me when you're lonely or when you're feeling depressed When you're so very happy I'm so far from your mind She says I only write love songs It's merely propaganda to help pass on the DNA Population is out of control, but there's nobody here for me Oh there's nobody here for me I go outside for another cigarette and watch the girls go by Seems like everybody's got somebody but oh not me Oh, oh I'm just your Agony Uncle You only call me when you're lonely or when you're feeling depressed When you're so very happy I'm so far from your mind
7.	Love Coma 03:30	lyrics
Love coma I don't want to wake up If you catch me dreaming I am warning you to turn it off Tried to play it cool Can't get over you Now everytime I close my eyes I see you there And there's nothing I can do Love Coma I don't want to wake up If you catch me dreaming I am warning you to turn it off Oh Love Coma Oh Love Coma Tried to play it cool Can't get over you Now everytime I close my eyes I see you there And there's nothing I can do Love Coma I don't want to wake up If you catch me dreaming I am warning you to turn it off Oh Love Coma Oh Love Coma At the station where we walked hand in hand Too afraid to say how I really feel And now I am lying in a hospital bed you made A Love Coma
8.	Sixth Sense 03:01	lyrics
Sixth sense I got it from my Mother Tell me do you believe in fate? Like I do Because she can see almost anything Believe me Don't tease me You'll only get in trouble Read my mind I'll die tonight Desires All left alone People keep saying that it's only in my mind But I had a vision of you online How can a candle ever burn so bright? Casting a shadow on me tonight When I get out of this place I know she'll be there waiting Even though she might not even understand what I've done Its not a crime to lie Now its time to die Read my mind I'll die tonight Desires All left alone People keep saying that it's only in my mind But I had a vision of you online How can a candle ever burn so bright? Casting a shadow on me tonight When I get out of this place I know she'll be there waiting Even though she might not even understand what I've done Its not a crime to lie Now its time to die
9.	Richest Man in the World 04:00	lyrics
I am the richest man in the world I play the game but only if the game is rigged I am the richest man in the world He is the richest man in the world I am the richest man in the world My trophy wife is lying in a bed next door Her instagram handle says she is just 19 But that wasn't the truth I am the richest man in the world I make a 100 million dollars every time someone says my name I am the richest man in the world Watching the world explode from my penthouse suite from mars Theres no one here with me except my AI Lucy Liu I am the richest man in the world. I don't really care if you live or die. Because I am the richest man in the world. I'll take my fly space jet to the moon. Oh what have you done and does it even matter ? There's no one here to stop me now. But the government plans to shut me down for all the things I said on the internet I am the richest man in the world. I don't really care if you live or die. Because I am the richest man in the world. I'll take my fly space jet to the moon. Because I am the richest man in the world.
10.	Flowers of Evil 03:19	lyrics
Woke up a little later than usual yesterday The flowers of evil covered up my soul oh lover why i am so dear to thee? Melancholy Mirror has spoken on to me The cold winter sent me straight to hell Oh she expects the horse and chariot. Somethings gotta change with me somethings gotta change with me The ghost of mary jones says somethings gotta change with me Somethings gotta change with me somethings gotta change with me The ghost of mary jones says that somethings gotta change Somethings gotta change with me somethings gotta change with me Oh oh

about

Why Did I Choose This? is a collection of quirky and eclectic songs that take unexpected turns while managing to remain accessible and catchy. Marson’s talent for combining over-the-top, extravagant 80s sounds with his timeless crooning vocal creates a cognitive dissonance that will resonate with those who feel out of place in today's world.

The album's title is a reference to the chorus of the opening track 'Blue Dreams', a fantasy about Marson burning down the building of his mundane office job. This sets the tone for an album about making mistakes and poor life choices. “It’s about reaching a point in your life where you ask yourself ‘how did I get here?’ A dull career, a dodgy tattoo or a horrible hair transplant. The album tries to offer a release and an escape from life in mundanity,”.

Songs like ‘Andalusian Girl’, a parody of a lads holiday gone wrong, and ‘The Richest Man in the World’, a satirical ode to the world’s billionaires, were inspired by Marson’s favourite author, Thomas Pynchon. “Pynchon is famous for his depictions of apocalypse and decadence. He has this theory that times are at their most decadent right before there is some form of societal collapse, which I think is where we are at now”.

The album ends with ‘Flowers of Evil', a song about late capitalism and going through the motions. “It asks the question, can we really change? Conversely, mistakes are what make us human and drive progress, so the album can also be seen as a celebration of the imperfections of human nature,” says Marson. “In short, life is complicated, challenging and often confusing but there is poetry in that!”

Why Did I Choose This? is, as Marson puts it, ‘ludicrous music for ludicrous times’, covering themes of sex, death, love, life in late-capitalism and the end of the world. “I think the album takes you on a journey of escapism, but comes back to the fact we are sort of stuck in the reality we are in. It is both a dream and a nightmare,” explains Marson. “It is about the confusion in our lives, the joy, the terror of it all. It is tasteless, glamorous, sexy, confusing, vulgar, fun and, well, it’s pop music!”

credits

released October 6, 2023

Co-produced by Joshua Rumble and Oliver Marson. Engineered and programming by Joshua Rumble. Mastered by Fluid Mastering. All parts written and performed by Oliver Marson, except Tokyo, which was co-written with Valerio Toma. Sixth Sense was written with Aurelio Estel. Drums by Christina Lopez and Remi Garrier. Bass guitar by Charles Cave on Tokyo and Joshua Rumble on Flowers of Evil. Mixed by Jorge Elbrecht. Featured vocals from Maya Harrison on Tokyo and Flowers of Evil. Rose White sings on Love Coma and Richest Man in the World. Album artwork by Stephanie Zapolska and Helen Zarkina. Album design by Chantal Marson.

license

about

Oliver Marson London, UK

Oliver Marson’s music is full of surprises. What starts off as a formulaic pop song can often veer off into something completely different half way through. Marson wants to pull the rug from underneath the listener’s to keep them guessing and constantly on their toes. He has the ability to provoke, haunt and lift in one song. In Marson, we have a shadowy new wave rocker for the modern age ... more

shows

May 15

The Victoria, Dalston

London, UK

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