submissions
| Strapping Young Lad – Spirituality Lyrics
| 17 years ago
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Kind of nihilst. Sounds like a fairly typical plea for there to be more to life than the world we know, because Devin thinks this one is just shit and hates everyone.
Something like that. I'm sure he's a lovely fellow really... |
submissions
| Neurosis – Shadow Lyrics
| 17 years ago
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It reminds me of GY!BE's Dead Flag Blues from F#A#.
The track seems to have a hunter-y quality to it, like he's some sort of predator or killer. |
submissions
| Porcupine Tree – Stop Swimming Lyrics
| 17 years ago
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I've always kind of assumed this song follows the same rough theme as most of the songs on the album (and as the cover art depicts) - in terms of the decline of the record industry and product over art. "Sound Of Muzak" covers the avaricious businessman element; "Four Chords that Made A Million" approaches the manufactured rock band and the way the glamour is sold over the music; "Hatesong", sung with such contempt, attacks the repetitive unoriginality of those typical love songs; "Piano Lessons" is a kind of satire on the whole thing. This song, I think, expresses a feeling of futility felt by avante-garde musicians - knowing that they have the ability to make more money and have an easier life by giving in and producing more 'typical' records. So "Stop swimming" would be a reference to giving up on experimental and progressive music. And as I say I've always kind of felt it captures the feeling you get when you realise how you're barely making an influence on that banal, money-hungry business, seeing the corruption of 'art'. That said, I like the above interpretations just as much. I just happen to be very pretentious when it comes to things like art... |
submissions
| Porcupine Tree – A Smart Kid Lyrics
| 17 years ago
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The problem I have with these 'deep' interpretations of the song is that the lyrics seem to specific. I see that many lines capture feelings of depression and isolation, but things like "chemical harvest was sown" have no real analogy in emotional terms, which tells me it's either to be taken literally or is a terribly over expanded metaphor. And I think Steven is too clever to go too far with his metaphors.
And really, if you were actually the last living person on Earth, it makes sense that isolation and depression would pretty much summarize your moods, right? I know he's mentioned exploring his own feelings on this album, but SD is not a dedicated concept album like Fear of a Blank Planet, so you'd expect there to be one or two tracks out of the specific theme. Further to this I add that "This is No Rehearsal" appears (to me) to be a song about parenting, and I do believe SW is not a parent. I'm almost certain he's never married, at least.
I'd happily accept the medium, however, that the song incorporates both interpretations; as in the writer has felt all these horrible states and wrote this fictional scenario as a kind of cathartic analogy. |
submissions
| Bathory – Ring Of Gold Lyrics
| 17 years ago
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A very evocative piece, full of rich imagery. I think the meaning is quite clear - it's the story of a viking warrior's romance with a lady, who has to part with her because springtime has come, teh flords are opening and the men prepare to sail to war. Before he leaves, he arranges to meet her by "the well..." in order to propose marriage. Presumably she says "yes", because what kind of stone-hearted woman would resist such an eloquent proposal? |
submissions
| Porcupine Tree – Cure for Optimism Lyrics
| 17 years ago
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The 5.1 version on the new LBS DVD is even better.
Since FOABP has been released I've started thinking this might be some sort of precursor to that, thematically - It sounds like it's about being in a mental institution, and SW's dislike of various pharmaceutical techniques. |
submissions
| Anathema – A Natural Disaster Lyrics
| 17 years ago
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You might well be right, however, my take on the song was that it's the same story as one Last Goodbye from Judgement - given that Leigh and Vince are siblings, I thought it seemed like they'd be singing a duet about the death of their father. You two could be right, but I've always felt Anathema albums to be too dark texturally to be about mere break-ups.
And yes, headbanging to Meshuggah is one of the most rewarding, and difficult, challenges around. Maybe that's because I always try to follow the guitar and kick rhythms rather than the 4/4 Haake usually plays with his hands... |
submissions
| Anathema – Flying Lyrics
| 17 years ago
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Hmm...It's definitely about some sort of enlightenment or knowledge. My only thought is that it's about the need to find more in life than what you're presented with; the solace provided by escapism in things like religion and drugs.
fairly speculative though. |
submissions
| Porcupine Tree – Gravity Eyelids Lyrics
| 17 years ago
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It's a well known fact that In Absentia is a concept album which SW explains in more detail on the Futile EP interview. He says: "On this album, there is a group of songs about...serial killers, rapists, child abusers, wifebeaters, and there's about five or 6 songs on the record that give the whole thing unity." Anyway, with that in mind, this probably is one of those songs, given the content and feel. It does have that eroticism to it, but it's far too eerie to be about lovers if you ask me. |
submissions
| Amplifier – The Consultancy Lyrics
| 17 years ago
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This one is very subtle, but I *think* it's about the ignorance of the general populace - the habit people have of ignoring problems rather than dealing with them, be they personal or global in nature. |
submissions
| Amplifier – The Consultancy Lyrics
| 17 years ago
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This one is very subtle, but I *think* it's about the ignorance of the general populace - the habit people have of ignoring problems rather than dealing with them, be they personal or global in nature. |
submissions
| Amplifier – Fortuna Lyrics
| 17 years ago
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I have a feeling that it's a song (Like Orff's O Fortuna before it) which is about gambling. Sel seems to focus on the gambler's inability to fight the addiction. That said, I'm not exactly sure. Possibly about a stubborn poker player. |
submissions
| Amplifier – Panzer Lyrics
| 17 years ago
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This is clearly a song about people making money from the arms trade, getting so caught up in the capitalist need for money-making that ethics are completely disbanded.
Sel is so good at expressing even such straightforward things... |
submissions
| Porcupine Tree – Space Transmission Lyrics
| 17 years ago
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I can only assume that since the subject is an abstraction (i.e. God) The abductor is also an abstraction - perhaps he stands for atheism or entropy, oblivion, something like that. Personally I think the element of having scales is simply an arbitrary element meant to add an element of shock to the piece, and to carry the chilling ambience around that part. |
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