When they debuted in 1998, I was probably too young to appreciate them very much, but all throughout my adolescence I'd encounter a fervent fan or listen to a track or two, enough to convince me they were a band of merit, even though the art style scared the hell out of 13-year old me. Anyway, discovering them now that I'm older, I found I really do enjoy a lot of their work. The band covers a lot of different genres from hip-hop to electronica to rock. But if I were to describe their music in a few words, it would probably be "dream-like" and usually unsettling....probably due to the lead vocalist's hazy, hypnotizing voice.
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| Voice like a Lotophagi. |
Anyway, I find a lot of their tracks have environmental, anti-corporate or anti-war themes. Sometimes their lyrics appear to be meaningless, but it's usually because the theme is established using one or two lines, setting the tone for the song. The visuals of their striking music videos certainly help, too. Anyway, my favourite album of theirs is actually Plastic Beach, which I found had a unifying theme of criticizing industrialization. I'd like to take the time to present some of my favourite songs, and talk a little bit about why the heck this tangent is relevant.
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| Because being time wasting-ly indulgent is like, my favourite thing. |
The revolution will be televised
And the pollution from the ocean
Now with devotion
Push peace and keep it in motion
This song appears the be designed as an intro to the album, the first two paragraphs serve to present the album's theme. A lot of the other songs in the album feature electrical sounds and have imagery featuring artificial and manufactured forms where a listener would be accustomed to naturalistic imagery, and the first part of the song reminds the listener that in order for there to be change, there needs to be hope for the future, alongside focus and determination and devotion to the cause. (The rest seem to be about Snoop Dog...? He does rap the song...) I remembered we were talking about the very same thing in class
When the paralytic dreams that we all seem to keep
Drive on engines 'til they weep
With future pixels in factories far away
A love song heavy with industrial imagery. Here, things like rain and the eyes of a lover are compared to artificial things, more specifically, rhinestones and "factories far away". Pollution is treated as part of the natural scenery, having become so prevalent in this setting, even though the narrator is aware that the natural state has been corrupted. The singer sounds weary, not just with how he sounds but concerning the imagery he associates with himself. The minimalist backing comprised of twinkling electronic sounds and echoing vocals give the song a feeling of emptiness.
A love song heavy with industrial imagery. Here, things like rain and the eyes of a lover are compared to artificial things, more specifically, rhinestones and "factories far away". Pollution is treated as part of the natural scenery, having become so prevalent in this setting, even though the narrator is aware that the natural state has been corrupted. The singer sounds weary, not just with how he sounds but concerning the imagery he associates with himself. The minimalist backing comprised of twinkling electronic sounds and echoing vocals give the song a feeling of emptiness.
Yo, pretty packages of frosted delights
Look, it comes with a toy (hehe, I like that. I wanna number four, a number six, and throw in a plastic doughnut)
Just enjoy the gritty crunch. It tastes just like chicken!
A critique of consumer goods and heavy advertising. All sorts of strategies are used to make a food item appealing, whether it's good for you or not, and some are poked fun of in this song, such as high sugar contents, collectibles, giveaways and free items. The humorous narrative is dictated by two consumers who are placated by the messages advertising sends them. Also, the speed and ease of preparation of these goods are compared to that of a homecooked meal from scratch. We isolated one of the reasons for the popularity of processed meals in comparison to home-made meals was the lack of time available for cooking food, partly due to that we work some of the longest hours in the world in U.S. and Canada. The system as it is now is like: less leisure->more money->less homecooking->more money spent on goods. Current suggestions for change revolve around there being less work hours and less dependence on money and more leisure and time to make thngs for your family and yourself.
And if the whole world is crashing down on you
Fall through space, out of mind with me
Where the emptiness we leave behind on warm air rising
Those are the shadows far away
This song seems to be about the large amount of damage we do to the planet due to our current lifestyles. Comfort is found in routine and habit. ("The sun has come again to hold you"/The falling alcohol empire is here to hold you") The imagery of humanity working a machine is used. Human influence is compared to a wave of plastic, reaching out to even as far as the moon. In order to escape our resource troubles, there is a relatively common fantasy that we can develop the technology for space travel and can escape to other planets. The song describes the planet we leave behind something of a husk.
Some kind of nature (some kind of nature, some kind of soul)
Comes from one within us
Oh, Lord, forgive me (some kind of mixture, some kind of gold)
It's got to come and find us
All we are is dust
The song appears to be a reflection on human nature, with some critique on consumerism. ("They need the eat, and they-they wear phony clothes") Is the human race imbued with a soul or some other innate quality that raises up to dominion over every other species on earth? Or are we merely just a bundle of flesh, blood and chemicals? The song appears to be calling us to remember our humility. In the music video, a flower becomes corrupted as it grows with wires and lights.
The song appears to be a reflection on human nature, with some critique on consumerism. ("They need the eat, and they-they wear phony clothes") Is the human race imbued with a soul or some other innate quality that raises up to dominion over every other species on earth? Or are we merely just a bundle of flesh, blood and chemicals? The song appears to be calling us to remember our humility. In the music video, a flower becomes corrupted as it grows with wires and lights.
Up on melancholy hill
There's a plastic tree
Are you here with me?
Just looking out on the day of another dream
Another love song. The narrator is depicted as an imaginative and free-spirited person. But you'll notice that an artificial replacement for a tree is chosen as a romantic meeting spot. The unnatural fixture is passively accepted as part of the landscape. The narrator also tries to convince their love interest to settle for them since their love interest "can't get what they want". The song seems to be encouraging passivity in a way I can't help but feel is reverse psychology. Of course, a lot of people appreciate the song anyway because it's pleasant to listen to and the music video's pretty fun to watch.
But you want how you like
Aim high man why not?
Sun Moon and Starry y'alls
Each and every all of y'alls
There's math and there's dealers and players and me
They say that they're winners
Ok well let's see!
Sweepstakes! You're a winner!
I was just reminded of this song when I was reading Peter Victor's Questioning Economic Growth and how he mentioned that the Earth can't sustain the current growth of the developed economies, let alone that of developing nations when they reach the developed level. In this song, every player considers themselves a "winner" and are encouraged to set their aims as high as they can. There is an obsession with money and a resignation to playing by the rules already set in place. Its chaotic direction imbues the listener with uneasiness. I remember Victor stating that the focus on economic growth and GDP wasn't always so; adoption of other economic goals seem more prudent in the face of this fact.
To the dark, dark seas,
Comes the only whale.
Watching ships go by,
It's the daily troll, oh yes
It doesn't know that,
This songs brings to mind the species that human influence has driven to extinction or endangerment, and paints a picture of loneliness and hopelessness. Here, pollution has gotten so prevalent that it's become overwheming. ("It's a Casio on a plastic beach/It's a styrofoam deepsea landfill/It's Automated computer speech") Reminds me of the video we saw on the first day of class: The Majestic Plastic Bag and the oceanic garbage patches. Once again, the obsession with money is present, however briefly.
Its all good news now
Because we left the taps
Running
For a hundred years
So drink into the drink
A plastic cup of drink
Drink with a couple
of people
The plastic creating people
Still connected
to the moment
it began
These are all the lyrics to the song, so I hope this is self explanatory. Even though we have been living in a growth-focused economy for what simultaneously seems like a short and too-long a time and even though a lot has changed about society since its beginning we are still the same race with the same hopes, dreams and desires at our cores. At least, that's how I interpret it.
Anyway, 'aint gunna be nothing but reading interpretation's coming up, after that I'll share more related media that I like.
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