Aztec Camera was a Scottish Indie pop/New Wave band from Glasgow.

Th… Read Full Bio ↴Aztec Camera was a Scottish Indie pop/New Wave band from Glasgow.

The line-up of the band changed several times over the years, but the constant member had been guitarist/vocalist/songwriter Roddy Frame. Founding members included Campbell Owens (bass) and Dave Mulholland (drums). Ex-Bluebells bassist Craig Gannon was a member from 1983 through 1985, before joining The Smiths. Guitarist Malcolm Ross (formerly of Josef K and Orange Juice) also joined in 1983, and appeared on the Knife album.

Aztec Camera first gained recognition as part of the Scottish post-punk scene along with bands like Orange Juice and Josef K, all of which released singles on the influential Glasgow-based label Postcard records. The band's first UK 7" single was released by Postcard in 1981, containing the songs "Just Like Gold" and "We Could Send Letters". The latter was included on the NME's C81 compilation, which pointed strongly towards the future C86 indie pop movement in the United Kingdom.

Though most commonly remembered generally as part of the 80s New Wave era, Aztec Camera has gone through numerous stylistic changes throughout their career, ranging from stripped-down, almost pastoral post-punk to slicker, more sophisticated pop rock as well as jazz and latin influenced acoustic ballads. As Roddy Frame's guitar playing has always been the signature of the band's music, guitar pop might be a more succinct description.

Aztec Camera's debut album, High Land, Hard Rain, was released in 1983. However, Owens and Mulholland left the group before the release, leaving Frame to complete the album alone. The album was quite successful, gathering significant critical acclaim for its well-crafted, multi-layered pop. The band went on to release a total of six albums, although most of these were essentially written and played by Frame. The albums included Knife (1984), Love (1987), Stray (1990), Dreamland (1993) and Frestonia (1995).

After the release of their sixth album, Frestonia, Frame finally dissolved the band to go solo.

Popular songs by Aztec Camera include "Oblivious", "Somewhere in My Heart", and "Good Morning Britain" (a duet with former Clash guitarist Mick Jones).

The group have also done cover versions of Blue Orchids "Bad Education", and a slowed-down version of Van Halen's Jump.

A 'Best of' collection was released in 1999.

Phenomenal World
Aztec Camera Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Born on a junk heap in the sea
Cursed with the notion to be free
White and bright and twenty one
But in my heart Im on the run
I kissed the lips of eau de vie
I tasted sugar and debris
But in the early morning light
I saw the day destroy the night

Life is a long walk home

Chorus:
Was it the moonlight
That left you gasping
Grasping, something, beyond a boy or a girl
Just let it all blow
Untie your heartstrings
No, dont cling to this phenomenal world

I lost my senses in the spring
Of someones life that I left behind
And though I search through everything
A sense of loss is all I find
Her face is every work of art
She haunts the city high and low
But I cant live inside her heart
And so I had to let it go

And make my heart my home

Overall Meaning

The first verse of "Phenomenal World" by Aztec Camera talks about the conflicted nature of the singer's existence. They were born surrounded by waste and refuse on a junk heap in the sea, but they have a burning desire to be free. They are young and vibrant, but their heart is restless, always looking to escape. The singer has tasted the sweet and the sour sides of life, but in the end, the light always destroys the darkness. This verse sets the foundation for the entire song, where the singer is grappling with the complexity of life and trying to find their place in the world.

The chorus of the song speaks directly to the listener, imploring them to let go of their earthly tethers and search for something beyond the tangible world. The moonlight that leaves you gasping, grasping for something beyond a boy or a girl, represents the intangible qualities of life that we often search for but can never quite capture. The singer tells us to "let it all blow," to untie our heartstrings and not cling to this phenomenal world. In essence, they are encouraging us to seek out something greater than our physical existence and embrace the mystery of existence.

The second verse of "Phenomenal World" sees the singer reflecting on lost love. They lost their senses in the spring of someone's life that they left behind, but no matter how hard they try, they can't escape the sense of loss that they feel. The singer sees their lost love's face in every work of art, and they haunt the city high and low. But in the end, they realize that they can't live inside her heart, and they must make their own way in life. The singer ends the verse by saying that they must make their heart their home, a powerful statement about the importance of self-reliance and self-discovery.

Line by Line Meaning

Born on a junk heap in the sea
My life started in humble circumstances

Cursed with the notion to be free
I am driven by an irresistible desire to be independent

White and bright and twenty one
I am young and full of life

But in my heart Im on the run
In my heart, I feel like a fugitive

I kissed the lips of eau de vie
I have experienced the pleasures of life

I tasted sugar and debris
I have tasted both the sweet and bitter aspects of existence

But in the early morning light
In the clarity of the dawn

I saw the day destroy the night
I realized that every joy inevitably fades away

Life is a long walk home
Life is a journey, and what is truly important is reaching home safe

Was it the moonlight
Was it the beauty and mystery of the nighttime sky

That left you gasping
That took your breath away