Atlas Air

I listened to this whole album a little bit let down, but I couldn't figure out why. Then I heard this song and realized there's hardly any of that signiture whisper-singing. I think that's really what made their other stuff SO dark and claustrophobic.

His voice is misleading. When he sings like this I automatically assume the song is about sex. Then I read the lyrics to this one and, uh, definitely not.

For some reason I think of terrorism, or war. Whatever it's about, it sounds pretty violent.

Atlas Air is an airline who were going bankrupt until they got a contract to transport military supplies to war zones for the US and various other countries.

3D had this to say about it ...

There are lots of mixed messages in there and this was a song that changed direction a few times. It ended up being almost about rendition, about secret flights and torture. But it's not really something that's easy to sing about. Some of it's actually sung from the point of view of those who actually empower themselves and actually are the perpetrators of these crazy situations. It's like stepping into different shoes. It's kind of ironic, like, "let's go on a holiday to a secret prison we've got lined up for you as a package deal".

The track was meant to be slightly schizophrenic. I had the Middle Eastern drum part. It had the very analogue organ part which also felt it could have been seen slightly Turkish but European as well and the drums, disco but slightly Arabic. And then obviously the keys at the end just going off, electronically, in a more twisted fashion.

Are you sure it is "A place to piece"?

I thought it was "A place to piss, A place to pray"

Also, I'm confused on the "spinning pips" part. Is that a reference to the jet engine?

If you reverse the incomprehensible bit, you can hear 3D saying:

"Here, (if i'm not your near), you see him on my pillow".

The "if i'm not your near" part is not very clear, but the "you see him on my pillow" is quite distinct. Very spine tingling.

Very cool song.

Don't you think it could be a reference to Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged?

"Yes shall we take a spin again in business This time is fixed lets sweeten our facilities It took all the man in me To be the dog you wanted me to be"

that's something like Hank Rearden would say. hahahaha

this song about guys who do money on war related stuff. like Atlas Air company who helps US army with trucking.

Following part is about pain and tortures on a war which continue with these companies help: "Fish like little silver knives Make the cuts on my inside Yeah let him feast my heart is big My heart is big, my blood will slide in metal studs"

And in next rows I heard following:

"Yeah pay the bills" - The company makes big money on war and pain, Just helps, but blood on their hands too. "Cells to burn" - Cells - coordinates on the map to burn them up "Mouths to fill" - feed soldiers "On Boeing jets" - support war actions using Boeings(without rocket those can be launched from the board) "In the sunset make glowing threats" - real threat comes from sky

MA also has song about big corporation -> Group 4 in Mezzanine

Notice that the main organ melody starts out very strong and in front, and continually gets more backgrounded, at first shimmering and blending in volume and depth with the other instruments... then getting changed and twisted... eventually ending up whole but faint, almost ghostly.

I interpret this as a representation of those who are being captured in these rendition flights, since they are taken and locked away, not to be accessible or heard from by their loved ones, or have hope of a trial or even of being treated as a human. Tortured, possibly broken. Their soul is snatched and they are made to be living ghosts.

Read Dirty Wars by Jeremy Scahill. There's a reason this song is very dark, there are atrocious things our governments are involved in that need to stop!

It's about the "Black Flights" and torture in the war against terror. And it's from both perspectives, the torturer and the victim. Interesting lyrics, pity the music is such a bore, like on most songs of the new album.