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Death of Ethel Green Glass (Previously Unreleased) 2006

from Ashes to Ashes : B​-​Sides, Singles and Rarities by Koala Fires

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about

This song was recorded in 2006, before the band had it's first official line-up. This song along with 5 others were meant to be the first EP released under the name Koala Fires. The EP was going to be called "Fibbo Not Xi."

I had decided to record the backing tracks (Along with friends from the band The Long Goodnight; Adam Wolf on Drums and Noah Allen on Bass) with Ken Petrosky, a good friend and recording engineer. I thought it would be easy enough to complete the album the same way I record demos. Alone in my basement. I was wrong. Recording and Mixing and Producing and Mastering an album is hard work.

"Fibbo Not Xi" didn't turn out as I had hoped and so it was tucked away until now.

"Death of Ethel Green Glass" is a song about some Russian spies who were cryogenically frozen and sent to the United States during the Cold War. The plan was to wake them up at the most opportune time to execute their mission. Before that time came, the Cold War ended and they were forgotten.

There were fail-safes built into their capsules that would wake them up after a set amount of time.

They wake up very confused and try to each accomplish their mission as best they can although, the passage of time seems to have rendered their missions irrelevant.

I wrote it after reading about Ethel Rosenberg, the wife of Julius Rosenberg (an American citizen convicted of giving Atomic Bomb secrets to the Soviets), who was executed along with her husband. They were the only two American Citizens to be executed for espionage during the Cold War. While there was hard evidence of her husbands involvement, all of the evidence pointing to her as an accomplice was ambiguos and vague, implying that the prosecution used her as a way to get to her husband. She died all the same.

I started to wonder if all the killing that happens in this world due to the fear of differences of thought, or the fear of losing the illusion of security, might be rendered completely irrelevant if taken only a few years out of context. If they were to be rendered irrelevant by this passage of time, why not just wait and save an Ethel Green Glass?

- Matt M.

lyrics

There's another one who's breaking the code.
He doesn't know why but he kind of feels old and he doesn't know what to say.

And there's another one she's calling HQ and she's ratting the snitch, but that's really old news and she doesn't know what to say.

Another, Another one, Another one got away.
Another, Another one, Another one escaped.

There's another one and she's stealing a car and she's running from them not sure who they are, and she doesn't know where to stay.

There's another one he's losing his mind, his radio's down behind enemy lines, but he's got nothing to say.

Another, Another one, Another one got away.
Another, Another one, Another one escaped.

credits

from Ashes to Ashes : B​-​Sides, Singles and Rarities, released June 1, 2013
2006 - Recorded by Ken Petrosky and Matt Mooney

Writing, Guitar, Vocals, Production, Mastering - Matt Mooney
Drums - Adam Wolf
Bass - Noah Allen

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Koala Fires Cincinnati

“the band has a manifest talent for crafting memorable riffs”
Tiny Mix Tapes

"…the songs they write have a timelessness that should ensure a long shelflife. Other contenders for "Best Local Release of 2010" accolades—you have your work cut out for you." - Mike Breen, Cincinnati CityBeat ... more

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