Zach Gill (Keys, Accordio… Read Full Bio ↴The Animal Liberation Orchestra (ALO) are:
Zach Gill (Keys, Accordion, Ukulele & Vocals),
Dan Lebowitz (Guitars, Percussion & Vocals),
Steve Adams (Bass & Vocals) and
David Brogan (Drums & Vocals).
“Roses & Clover being the intersection of passion and luck.”
ALO may be describing the inspiration for their forthcoming release Roses & Clover (out May 1st on Brushfire Records) however, it best surmises the band’s newfound approach to their music. For a band accustomed to performing songs live for years, crafting and shaping hundreds of times over before entering the studio, the age-old process of recording an album first was, well… liberating.
On Roses & Clover, ALO explored new methods of collaborating, finding a richer, more mature sound built on their individual songwriting strengths. Recorded in a turn-of-the-century barn in the hills overlooking colonial Santa Barbara, the four musicians holed themselves up for two weeks with little more than their favorite instruments and 40 songs in various stages – 80% of which had never been performed on stage.
“We’re a band that likes to experiment live,” says Dan Lebowitz. “I have a feeling these songs are going to evolve a lot. They’re young songs, like little kids, who over time are going to grow and change. And that’s a really exciting thing.”
Born from a childhood friendship and nurtured on the campus of University of California, Santa Barbara, the four-piece collective of Zach Gill (keyboards/vocals), Steve Adams (bass/vocals), Dan Lebowitz (guitars/vocals) and Dave Brogan (drums/vocals), more commonly known as ALO, found their musical roots in the feel-good vibe of the breezy California town.
After being reunited with collegiate cohort Jack Johnson - who not only invited the band to be the support act on his world tour, but also signed them to his label Brushfire Records - ALO made waves with the successful release of Fly Between Falls in 2006. Influential Triple A radio station WXPN declared them an “Artist to Watch,” while Associated Press touted their unified musical gifts in saying, “Each member of ALO could easily be the musical star of their own band, so it’s nice to see accomplished musicians like these stick together.” Adding to their accomplishments, the guys had the pivotal opening slot on one of the year’s highest-grossing tours with Dave Matthews Band.
“Since we usually develop our songs with the live show in mind, by the time we get into the studio we are used to playing them a certain way and it is often hard to separate ourselves from that,” says Dan. “Listening to a record is a different experience than going to a concert. This time we got to let the recording dictate how the songs would sound rather than the live experience.”
The album’s first track “Maria”, is an anthemic and unabashed pledge of love. From the infectious keyboard hook to the passionate lyrics, “Maria” is instantly catchy and uplifting.
“Zach played ‘Maria’ a year ago,” remembers Dave. “I loved it as soon as I heard it and knew that it had to be on the next album.”
Or take the album’s title track, “Roses & Clover” - a lyrical gem combining a funk heavy back beat and fiery guitar solos depicting a safe haven where all can meet. In many ways, the sound of the band can be summed up in the playful imagery of “Roses & Clover.”
“To me, roses represent maturity and clover youthfulness” says Zach. “After so much time exploring music together, our sound has become a blend of the classic and the contemporary.”
The inspired session produced ten gloriously infectious tunes that cruise through the classic American soundscape from roots rock to bluesy jazz with a hint of 70’s disco. Listen closely and you will hear a guitar that Dan rewired to conjure a sound that mixes Studio One with Motown, or Zach toying with the voice mutator (“All Alone” or “Monday”). Then on tracks like “Plastic Bubble” and “Lady Loop,” ALO dares you to bust out your best dance moves under the “rusty mirrorball.”
For Roses & Clover, the members of ALO shared much of the producing duties, though enlisted the help of veteran producer Robert Carranza (Beck, Los Lobos, Ozomatli) and Dave Simon-Baker. “Robert was like a mentor figure for us,” says Zach. “He has made so many albums and had so much experience. He would tell us we were on the right track, or not, which really empowered us even more.”
With that greater sense of power, the four friends look confidently towards the future when they venture out on another worldwide tour through much of 2007. This new incarnation will give them ample opportunities to shape, mold, and share the new songs on the road with their legions of fans.
“This is our favorite record we’ve made so far,” Steve says. “Making it was an incredible experience and it’s got us more excited about the band than ever before.”
Monday
ALO Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Tip down your pink sombrero
Today was a time machine
That's broken down in tomorrow
And I know
By the sound
Of the rain
That this love
Is a shelter with holes
If we stay here too long
We'll be drenched to the bones
Go back to sleep and dream
Cling to the ones that you love
Hide them in your memories
So you'll remember exactly what was
When you wake
To the sound
Of the rain
As it falls on the ground
And you'll know
It's a shelter with holes
If we stay here too long
We'll be drenched to the bones
Monday, Monday, Monday, see what's become of my someday
Monday, Monday, Monday, see what's become of my someday
Someday, someday, someday, maybe I'll stop looking back on
Monday, Monday, Monday, see what's become…
Go back to sleep and dream
Tip down your pink sombrero
This van is a time machine
That's broken down in tomorrow
We get lost
On the way
By the things
That we do and we say
Things we don't even mean
But we say anyways
And pretend to believe
Monday, Monday, Monday, see what's become of my someday
Monday, Monday, Monday, see what's become of my someday
Someday, someday, someday, maybe I'll stop looking back on
Monday, Monday, Monday, see what's become…
The ALO song "Monday" opens with a sleepy invitation to return to a dreamlike state. The imagery of the pink sombrero and broken time machine set the tone for a song that seems to caution us against being too caught up in the past or future, at the expense of the present moment. The lyrics center around the idea that love and memories serve as a kind of shelter, but even the most stable of shelters can have holes. Rain is used as a metaphor for the unpredictable and often harsh nature of love and relationships.
The chorus of "Monday" is a repetition of the word "Monday" followed by the phrase "see what's become of my someday." Here, "Monday" seems to stand in for the mundane routine of everyday life, in contrast to the "someday" that we often dream of, but may never reach. The repetition of the word emphasizes the idea that time keeps moving forward, and we must be mindful of not getting stuck in a cycle of nostalgia or regret.
Overall, "Monday" speaks to the idea that life is both beautiful and messy, and that we must confront the challenges presented by time and relationships in order to fully appreciate the present moment.
Line by Line Meaning
Go back to sleep and dream
Retreat into your subconscious and escape reality
Tip down your pink sombrero
Put on a guise and pretend everything's fine
Today was a time machine
The present is a vehicle that transports us through time
That's broken down in tomorrow
But our future is uncertain and unpredictable
And I know
I have the understanding
By the sound
From the noise
Of the rain
Created by precipitation
As it falls on the ground
As it descends to the earth's surface
That this love
This relationship
Is a shelter with holes
Offers protection, but has flaws or is incomplete
If we stay here too long
If we stay in this flawed relationship
We'll be drenched to the bones
We'll suffer the consequences of its flaws
Cling to the ones that you love
Hold onto the people who matter most
Hide them in your memories
Enshrine them in your recollections
So you'll remember exactly what was
So you won't forget what mattered most
When you wake
When you awaken from your dream
To the sound
You hear the noise
Of the rain
Of the precipitation
And you'll know
You'll understand
It's a shelter with holes
Your relationship is damaged or flawed
If we stay here too long
If you don't end it when you should
We'll be drenched to the bones
You'll suffer the consequences of the relationship's flaws
Monday, Monday, Monday, see what's become of my someday
Monday represents reality that you've been avoiding, and the future that you imagined can never become your reality
Someday, someday, someday, maybe I'll stop looking back on
One day I'll move on and stop reminiscing
We get lost
We become disoriented
On the way
In the course of our lives
By the things
Because of our actions
That we do and we say
The words we speak and actions we take
Things we don't even mean
Actions that don't align with our true intentions
But we say anyways
We speak them anyway
And pretend to believe
We try to convince ourselves it's true
Contributed by Eliana E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.