At their peak they combined dense, fuzz-heavy riffage with cryptic, poetic lyrics, before later introducing keyboards and moving into a sparser, more repetition-based direction. Initially, they owed a debt to The Jesus and Mary Chain - blending furious white-noise with early Pavement-style experimentation and augmenting their two guitar, bass and drums instrumentation with saxophones and violins.
Their first release was the 1992 five track Wrist Eye demo, notable also for featuring Gerard Love from Teenage Fanclub on backing vocals. The demo gained them a recording contract with the independent label Elemental Records, who released their debut single, Sweatlodge/MV, in 1993. At this time, despite their relative obscurity, they displayed an aptitude for getting on the bill at relatively high profile gigs and opened for PJ Harvey, Spacemen 3 and The Jesus Lizard, amongst others.
In 1994, the band's debut album, Able Treasury, was released. Demonstrating a tighter sound, it was also notable for its unusual song titles.
Shortly after this release, Mark Raine replaced Roger Ward on guitar and the band began to move in a rockier, less feedback-drenched direction. This culminated in the 1997 release of the band's masterpiece, Victory Parts and gigs with Embrace, Stereophonics, dEUS, as well as a couple of tours with Placebo. The band's acumen and wall-of-noise approach garnered them sponsorship from Marshall amplifiers.
Despite the accolades for Victory Parts in the music press, ac acoustics remained a cult act. They left Elemental and signed with Yoyo Recordings, releasing the EPs Like Ribbons and She's With Stars. They parted with Yoyo in 2000 and moved to Cooking Vinyl, releasing a further EP Crush (continuing the Placebo connection thanks to backing vocal contributions from Brian Molko).
The band's line-up was augmented by a keyboardist (who had joined the band as a roadie) and two further albums, Understanding Music and O followed, the latter being completed in a mere ten days.
The band have always preferred to be referred to in lower case typography.
Crush
AC Acoustics Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Because I know him
Go there for him
Go there first
I'll wait for him
Because I owe him
Go there for him
Because I must
Go there for him
I'll wait for you
Go there first
My place is nowhere
My name is cursed
Before you come here
Call friends and family first
There's a reason for this
I am, I am, I am
I'm crushed you saw this
I am, I am, I am
There's a reason for this
I am, I am, I am
Now no one lives here
Not even dust
The ones swept through here
More crushed than us
There's something in here
It's not just lust
If someone lives here
It's given liken first
There's a reason for this
There's a reason for this
I am, I am, I am
I'm crushed you saw this
I am, I am, I am
There's a reason for this
I am, I am, I am
Seen all kinds of things here
I've heard things said
We wear no shoes here
We share no bread
I left my friends here
Some things still dead and done
Before you come here
Call home instead
There's a reason for this
I am, I am, I am
I'm crushed you saw this
I am, I am, I am
There's a reason for this
I am, I am, I am
There's a reason for this
I am, I am, I am
I'm crushed you saw this
I am, I am, I am
There's a reason for this
I am, I am, I am
The lyrics of "Crush" by AC Acoustics explore themes of waiting, owing, owing debts, and isolation. The repetition of "I'll wait for him/Because I know him" and "Go there for him/Because I must" suggests a sense of obligation or duty towards the person being waited for. The singer's "place is nowhere" and "name is cursed," suggesting they are outcasts, and their need for others to call "friends and family first/Before you come here" highlights their sense of isolation. The lyric "There's something in here/It's not just lust" adds a layer of mystery to the song, suggesting that there are unseen forces at work.
The repeated refrain of "There's a reason for this" suggests that the singer is trying to make sense of their situation and waiting for a reason to become clear. The lines "I am, I am, I am/I'm crushed you saw this" suggest a sense of identity crisis or desperation on the singer's part. The repeated use of the word "crushed" could be interpreted in a literal sense, as in the space they inhabit has been physically crushed, or it could refer to a more metaphorical crushing of their spirit.
Line by Line Meaning
I'll wait for him
I'll patiently wait for him
Because I know him
I'm familiar with him and his ways
Go there for him
I'll be there for him when he needs me
Go there first
I'll put him first and prioritize his needs over mine
Because I owe him
I have a debt to him that I need to repay
Because I must
It's my duty to go there for him
I'll wait for you
I'll be patient and wait until you're ready
My place is nowhere
I don't have a specific location or home
My name is cursed
My reputation is tarnished or ruined
Before you come here
You should let your loved ones know where you're going
Call friends and family first
It's important to keep your loved ones informed of your whereabouts
There's a reason for this
There's a purpose or explanation for what's happening
I'm crushed you saw this
I'm devastated that you witnessed this
Now no one lives here
This place is empty and abandoned
Not even dust
There's not a trace of anything here
More crushed than us
Other people have been affected or hurt worse than we have
There's something in here
There's an unexplainable presence or feeling in this place
It's not just lust
This isn't just a physical attraction or desire
If someone lives here
If anyone is still here
It's given liken first
It's important to acknowledge and respect whoever or whatever is here
Seen all kinds of things here
This place has witnessed a lot of diverse experiences
I've heard things said
I've been privy to conversations and gossip
We wear no shoes here
There are no pretenses or formalities in this place
We share no bread
We don't have any communal or shared resources
I left my friends here
I parted ways with my companions in this place
Some things still dead and done
There are certain things that can't be revived or undone
There's a reason for this
There's a purpose or explanation for what's happening
I am, I am, I am
I exist and I have a presence
Contributed by Adeline V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.