As a term to describe a musical genre, lo-fi is mainly associated with recordings from the 1980s onwards, when cassette technology such as Tascam's four-track Portastudio became widely available. Prime early exponents included Daniel Johnston, New Zealand bands such as the Tall Dwarfs, who recorded on Chris Knox's 4-track and released on Flying Nun Records, and Beat Happening and the Olympia, Washington label K Records. In the early-mid 1990s, Lo-fi found a wider audience with the success of such acts as The Apples in Stereo, Beck, Sebadoh, Guided By Voices, Pavement, Liz Phair, Will Oldham, Smog, Yo La Tengo, David Kilgour (musician) and (later) Elliott Smith.
Often lo-fi artists will record on old or poor recording equipment, ostensibly out of financial necessity but also due to the unique aural association such technologies have with "authenticity", an association created in listeners by exposure to years of demo, bootleg, and field recordings, as well as to older pop studio recordings produced more simply. The growth in lo-fi coincided with the growth of extreme slickness and polish associated with the multitrack pop recording techniques of the 1980s.
Many artists associated with the lo-fi movement, such as Bill Callahan, or Bob Log III, have frequently rejected the use of finer recording equipment, trying to keep their sound raw instead, whereas others such as Guided by Voices and The Mountain Goats slowly moved to using professional studios.
Many new acts are bringing lo-fi production back in to use. These bands are often grouped under the genre "noise pop", these bands include No Age, Wavves, Crystal Stilts, Titus Andronicus and The Pains of Being Pure at Heart.
The black metal genre embraced the lo-fi idea during the late 1980s and early 1990s as it strived to distance itself from pop music. Most bands recorded their albums on extremely low budgets, using four-track recorders and any other equipment they could use. The greatest example is the Darkthrone album Transilvanian Hunger.
Early Industrial music was typically lo fi by nature. To create a raw 'industrial' sound.
Anti-Folk is also a notable genre to use lo fi.
The 2010s gave rise to a scene within the house genre where artists created recordings with lo-fi aesthetics, imitating the sound of late-80s and early-90s house music and adding contemporary styles. Notable artists include Mall Grab, Florian Kupfer, Ross From Friends and DJ Seinfeld.
Skinny Love
Bon Iver Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Pour a little salt, we were never here
My, my, my, my, my, my, my, my
Staring at the sink of blood and crushed veneer
I tell my love to wreck it all
Cut out all the ropes and let me fall
My, my, my, my, my, my, my, my
Right in this moment, this order's tall
And I told you to be patient
And I told you to be fine
And I told you to be balanced
And I told you to be kind
And in the morning I'll be with you
But it will be a different kind
And I'll be holding all the tickets
And you'll be owning all the fines
Come on, skinny love, what happened here?
Suckle on the hope in light brassieres
My, my, my, my, my, my, my, my
Sullen load is full, so slow on the split
And I told you to be patient
And I told you to be fine
And I told you to be balanced
And I told you to be kind
And now all your love is wasted
And then who the hell was I?
And I'm breaking at the britches
And at the end of all your lines
Who will love you?
Who will fight?
Who will fall far behind?
Ooh, ooh
Woo, oh ooh
The song Skinny Love by Bon Iver is a heartbreaking ballad that is full of lyrical depth and meaning. The song is about a relationship that is coming to an end, and the two people involved are trying to figure out what went wrong. The singer is asking his lover to hold on to their love for just one more year, as he pours salt on their wounds, and they both try to figure out what went wrong.
In the first verse, the singer says, "Come on, skinny love, just last the year, pour a little salt, we were never here." This could mean that the singer is asking his lover to hold on to their love just until the year is over, and then they can go their separate ways. The line "pour a little salt, we were never here" could suggest that they are trying to forget that their relationship ever existed, despite the emotional pain it's causing them.
In the chorus, the singer tells his lover that he told her to be patient, fine, balanced, and kind, but he knows that it might not be enough to save their relationship. He suggests that their love is wasted, which could mean that they gave everything they had to the relationship, but it was not enough to keep it alive. In the last verse, the singer wonders who will love, fight, and fall behind his lover once their relationship is over, suggesting that she might not find someone who loves her the way he did.
Overall, Bon Iver's Skinny Love is a haunting reminder of the pain of love lost, and the difficulty of letting go. The song's lyrics describe the feelings of heartbreak when a relationship ends, and the struggle to move on.
Line by Line Meaning
Come on, skinny love, just last the year
The singer is pleading for his love to last, but acknowledges that it may be difficult given their current state.
Pour a little salt, we were never here
The singer is using salt in the context of purifying or cleansing, as if to erase their past memories together.
My, my, my, my, my, my, my, my
Repetition of the word my to emphasize the singer's personal emotions and experiences.
Staring at the sink of blood and crushed veneer
The artist is in a dark place, surrounded by destruction, and unable to move forward from the past.
I tell my love to wreck it all
The artist is willing to destroy everything, including their relationship, to escape their current pain and circumstances.
Cut out all the ropes and let me fall
The singer wants to be free from the hold of his emotions and experience a raw, emotional release.
Right in this moment, this order's tall
The singer is overwhelmed with emotion and cannot control his impulses in the current moment.
And I told you to be patient
The artist has given advice to his love in the past, but is now uncertain if it was the right guidance or if his love even listened.
And I told you to be fine
The artist advised his love to be content, but wonders if his love will ever be truly satisfied.
And I told you to be balanced
The artist encouraged his love to be steady, but recognizes that life is unpredictable and challenging.
And I told you to be kind
The singer asked his love to be compassionate, but now feels as though his love has disregarded this request.
And in the morning I'll be with you
The artist promises to remain by his love's side, but knows that their relationship will be different moving forward.
But it will be a different kind
The singer acknowledges that the love they once shared will not be the same in the future.
And I'll be holding all the tickets
The singer will have control over the direction of their relationship and the decisions made within it.
And you'll be owning all the fines
His love will bear the consequences of any negative outcomes in their changed relationship.
Come on, skinny love, what happened here?
The artist is questioning how they reached their current state of broken love and loss.
Suckle on the hope in light brassieres
The artist is desperately clinging to hope for their love, even if it seems fragile or irrational.
Sullen load is full, so slow on the split
The singer feels weighed down by the pain and sadness associated with the destruction of their love.
And now all your love is wasted
The love that was once shared is now viewed as pointless and unfulfilling.
And then who the hell was I?
The artist is questioning his own identity and self-worth in the context of their failed relationship.
And I'm breaking at the britches
The artist is at his breaking point, unable to handle or endure the emotional pain he is experiencing.
And at the end of all your lines
The artist is at the end of his relationship, and is unsure of what the future holds.
Who will love you?
The singer wonders who will be able to love his love and fill the void he is leaving behind.
Who will fight?
The artist is asking who will put in the effort and work necessary to have a successful relationship with his love.
Who will fall far behind?
The singer is asking who will be left behind, not able to keep up with his love's pace or decisions in a new relationship.
Ooh, ooh
Interjection used to display the singer's distress and anguish.
Woo, oh ooh
Interjection used to display the singer's distress and anguish.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Justin Deyarmond Edison Vernon
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind