Seattle's experimental punk trio the A-Frames feature vocalist/guitarist Er… Read Full Bio ↴Seattle's experimental punk trio the A-Frames feature vocalist/guitarist Erin Sullivan, bassist Min Yee, and drummer Lars Finberg, all of whom have played together in a series of bands — including the Intelligence, the Dipers, and the Un-Natural Helpers — since the late '90s. Originally known as Bend Sinister, they became the A-Frames in 1999 and began recording themselves in early 2000. Not willing to bet on the chances that a label might sign them, the bandmembers formed their own label, Dragnet, that year, and recorded some more tracks in Sacramento, CA, with Scott Soriano.

In 2000, Dragnet released the first A-Frames single, Neutron Bomb/Radiation Generation/Test Tube Baby, and the group returned to Sacramento for more recording sessions. Soriano's label, S-S Records, released the band's next single, Plastica, in early 2001; by that fall, the A-Frames had enough material ready for their first, self-titled album, which was co-released by Dragnet and S-S in spring 2002. They recorded their second album, A-Frames 2, that fall, and released it via S-S the following spring. Later in 2003, the band recorded — and junked — initial sessions for its third full-length; the following year the A-Frames moved to Sub Pop, which released Black Forest (also recorded with Soriano) in early 2005.

Negative
A Frames Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Dissapointing days in a hot white haze
nothing good ever...stays
fault line lost in continental drift
absolute zero-no negative shift
...no negative shift

incoherence and empty sense
I'm living in the future tense

Fault lines lost in continental drift

absolute zero-no negative shift

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of the A Frames song Negative seem to convey a sense of disappointment and disillusionment with life. The opening lines suggest a pervasive feeling of ennui and stagnation, with "disappointing days in a hot white haze" and the observation that "nothing good ever...stays". The next lines seem to suggest a feeling of isolation and disconnection, with the metaphor of "fault line lost in continental drift" and the assertion that "absolute zero-no negative shift" - in other words, nothing seems to be changing or improving.

The repetition of the phrase "no negative shift" further emphasizes this feeling of inertia and stagnation. The next lines, "incoherence and empty sense, I'm living in the future tense," suggest a sense of disorientation or detachment from the present moment. Overall, the lyrics paint a bleak picture of a life devoid of meaning or purpose, with no hope for improvement or change.

Line by Line Meaning

Dissapointing days in a hot white haze
Uninspired, uneventful days bathed in the oppressive heat and brightness of a blinding sun.

nothing good ever...stays
All the positive experiences or situations one encounters are always fleeting and temporary.

fault line lost in continental drift
A crack or fracture causing instability and upheaval has been misplaced due to the movement of tectonic plates.

absolute zero-no negative shift
A state of complete absence or emptiness, devoid of any progress or improvement. No deviation from this stagnant state can be expected.

...no negative shift
Further emphasizing the lack of positive change or growth, and the inevitability of remaining stagnant.

incoherence and empty sense
A lack of clarity and logic in the thoughts and feelings that occupy the mind, leading to a sense of meaningless purposelessness.

I'm living in the future tense
The singer is preoccupied with the potential of what is to come, rather than being present in the current moment and tackling their problems in the present.

Fault lines lost in continental drift
A repeat of the earlier line, further emphasizing the theme of instability and confusion.

absolute zero-no negative shift
See above.

Contributed by Aaron M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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