Fragile Shadows Suite

Karl Haberl: lead and background vocals, electric and acoustic guitars, keyboards, sound engineering and mixing
Collin Haberl: lead vocals (Descending)

Fragile Shadows Suite is an original composition by Karl Haberl and was recorded exclusively in Karl's home studio, using a PowerMac 8600/300 running Mark of the Unicorn's Digital Performer 2.7, Kurzweil K2000 and Alesis QS8 synthesizers, Fender Stratocaster and Alvarez Yairi guitars, Alesis QuadraVerbGT and MidiVerbIV processors, Mackie 1202VLZ mixer, Aphex 108 compressor, and a Rode NT1 condensor microphone. All instruments and most vocals were performed and recorded by Karl. Karl's son Collin makes a guest appearance on lead vocals in Descending.

Lyrics copyright 2000 by Karl Haberl

I. Fragile Shadows
Shattered fragments of a world gone dark
Clever insight cast as cosmic art
A place of refuge carved by cruel machine
Dry oasis in a sea of green
Fragile shadows in twilight masked
There's fire and fury underneath the glass
A pilgrim's walking 'cross the barren plain
And nothing's ever going to be the same
Clasping hands transact a cold embrace
Wine and linen tell a tale of grace
Setting sun on mirrored concrete skies
Flesh and steel afford no compromise
Beneath the silent waters blue and cold
Lie the stories never to be told
Cleansing tears that fall like cool spring rain
And nothing's ever going to be the same
Fragile shadows in twilight masked
A rolling thunder holds us in its grasp
Empty moments we cannot reclaim
And nothing's ever going to be the same

II. Descending
Human or divine, a tenuous connection
Elegant design, subtle imperfection
Know you're not alone, there is someone right beside you
Asking to be shown, always to remind you
Seems like we're all descending
Without a net to break the fall
Can heart and will, transcending doubt
Dispel the fears that keep us thrall?
The stillness of the night is an old friend to this feeling
Weary dreams unite with a darkness so revealing
Underneath it all there's an anger and a sorrow
Painful to recall and now too weak to follow
Is this what you're intending?
Seeking to reconcile this life
I feel my spirit bending down
As hope awaits its last reprise

III. Act of Faith
Reach out your hand
New life in the promised land
An act of faith
There is no other way
I'm going to reach out now
For a new life
It's just an act of faith
There is no other way

Karl lives in northeastern Massachusetts, USA with his wife and four children. He is an electrical engineer by profession, and has worked in the areas of digital signal processing, digital communications, artificial intelligence, data analysis systems, and speech recognition. In the past ten years, he has been a Director of Development for several commercial software products and most recently a Director of a line of business within the telecommunications industry. In addition to his interests in music composition and performance, Karl enjoys playing basketball, fishing, and home carpentry projects, and he especially enjoys spending time with his family and friends.

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