In 1989 Adrian Borland and The Citizens released Alexandria, a huge departure musically from The Sound's final album Thunder Up and featuring four backing vocalists, bass, cello, clarinet, drums and kettle drums, piano, saxophone, harmonica, tambourine, viola, violin and guitar. Some continuity was provided by former Sound bandmate Colin 'Max' Mayers collaborating by reprising his role of keyboardist, while Nick Robbins engineered and co-produced the album with Borland. The album featured much calmer, lighter tracks than those on Thunder Up, such as "Light The Sky" and "Rogue Beauty". Some tracks deal with Borland's own precarious emotional state, such as "No Ethereal" and "Deep Deep Blue". The album, however, suffered from poor sales, selling an estimated 10,000 copies on the continent and a mere 1000 in England. Borland attributed this to poor distribution.
1992 saw the release of Brittle Heaven, which would later lend its name to the (now official) Adrian Borland website. With a menagerie of 14 songs with little difference in style to those of his previous release, the real difference now lay in the composition of the Citizens, which was by now almost exclusively Dutch. Don Victor co-produced the album with Borland. Although Allmusic described it as 'one hour of finely woven tapestry, of gorgeous music' and proclaimed it to be 'Not quite as good as 1989's Alexandria', both albums shared three stars out of five. The album benefits from lavish investment in production, although this puts it in a similar position to The Sound's Heads & Hearts album in that it is much more polished than Borland's other solo material. Critical reception ranged from the noncomittal to welcoming; David Cavanagh spoke of 'a strange, dizzy optimism' pervading the album, which he gave 4 stars. A 3 star review provided by Dave Morrison argued '[Borland's] reflective writing remains as good as ever'. The Big Takeover went further, proclaiming it 'inspired'.
Following these two albums, Adrian Borland continued to release a further 3 albums under is own name, without the Citizens moniker. He died on 26 April 1999.
Lowlands
Adrian Borland and the Citizens Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That's what this city seems to say
You reach the heart
When you feed it the stone
All crowded out
But all alone
And I can't forget her
And I can't remember
Feeling any other way
On the streets of a natural desire
When they turn down the lights
You touch the edge of life
Through these lowlands the cold winds blow
It can't compete with the ice inside of you
Since you walked out of the sun
Wrapped yourself in shades of blue
And I can't forget her
Even to this day
And I can't remember
Feeling any other way
On the streets of a natural desire
When they turn down the lights
You touch the edge of life
The lyrics to Adrian Borland and the Citizens' song "Lowlands" are a reflection on the emotional isolation that can be found in large cities. The singer of the song is advised to "put your feelings away," implying a sense of emotional numbness that pervades the urban environment. The city may be "crowded out," but it is also "all alone" - a place where hearts can be reached only by "feeding it the stone."
Despite this, the singer cannot forget a past love, suggesting that there are still feelings to be experienced in the midst of the emotional desolation. The city is depicted as a place of "natural desire," but also a source of cold winds blowing through the lowlands - a place of isolation and inner turmoil. The lyrics end with a reminder that life's edge can still be touched, even in the bleakest of times.
Overall, "Lowlands" can be seen as a poignant reflection on the challenges of maintaining a sense of emotional connection in the midst of the impersonal and often hostile environment of the city. The song highlights the importance of seeking out genuine and meaningful experiences, even in the face of overwhelming emotional obstacles.
Line by Line Meaning
Put your feelings away
The city encourages you to hide or suppress your emotions.
That's what this city seems to say
The urban environment wants you to function without any emotional attachment to things or people.
You reach the heart
To truly connect with someone or something, you need to emotionally engage.
When you feed it the stone
Sometimes, in order to communicate effectively, you need to express harsh or painful truths.
All crowded out
Despite being surrounded by people or things, it can still be easy to feel alone.
But all alone
Individuals can feel isolated and disconnected even in crowded spaces.
And I can't forget her
Someone or something from the past has left an indelible mark on the singer.
Even to this day
Time hasn't healed the hurt or made the memory any less vivid.
And I can't remember
The person or thing the artist remembers has such a strong hold on their memory and emotions that they can't remember anything else.
Feeling any other way
The remembered emotion or experience was so powerful that it eclipsed all other emotions or experiences.
On the streets of a natural desire
The singer refers to a place of temptation or desire, a place where passions surface naturally.
When they turn down the lights
The artist describes a moment when external barriers are removed or lowered, and one can more easily access the risky edge of life.
You touch the edge of life
Living life to the fullest often involves taking risks, experiencing intense emotions, and engaging with things and people outside of one's comfort zone.
Through these lowlands the cold winds blow
The singer refers to a difficult period in their life that they are still struggling through.
It can't compete with the ice inside of you
The external difficulties faced by the singer pale in comparison to their internal struggles.
Since you walked out of the sun
A significant loss or painful event has clouded the artist's life experience.
Wrapped yourself in shades of blue
The artist has let their emotional response to a painful event dominate their life, leading to depression or sadness.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: IAN CUSSICK
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind