Alberta Cross is an Anglo-Swedish rock band formed in 2005 in London, Engla… Read Full Bio ↴Alberta Cross is an Anglo-Swedish rock band formed in 2005 in London, England by singer-guitarist Petter Ericson Stakee and bassist Terry Wolfers. In 2013 Wolfers left the band, leaving Stakee as the only permanent member of the band.

More than clever verses and catchy choruses, truly timeless albums offer listeners the keys to another world; they catapult you into another frame of mind and jostle your soul a little bit along the way. Broken Side of Time, Alberta Cross’ ATO Records debut, is one of those albums.

A cathartic, kaleidoscope of influences, from Depeche Mode to The Band, it’s also the sound of Alberta Cross’ two principals—frontman/guitarist-vocalist Petter Ericson Stakee and bassist Terry Wolfers—going for broke and stumbling across the sound of their dreams in the process.

Broken Side of Time took root in an April 2008 jam session, Stakee and Wolfers’ first with three players they would quickly enlist—guitarist Sam Kearney, drummer Austin Beede and keyboardist Alec Higgins. With the aid of a little drink and a little smoke, the five jammed on a group of Stakee’s then-new songs, giving birth to Alberta Cross’ second incarnation almost immediately: “I remember thinking that night, ‘This is gonna be insane,’” remembers Stakee.

It was a time of upheaval for Stakee and Wolfers, ex-pat Brits living in Brooklyn. They had moved to a new, tough city, lost the major-label record deal they had moved there with, and were in the midst of reinventing both their band and their sound, while sleeping on friends’ couches. Their well-received debut EP, 2007’s The Thief & the Heartbreaker, was a modest, folk-minded, acoustic-based disc that garnered glowing reviews. But, for Stakee and Wolfers, it was a baby step.

Broken Side of Time, meanwhile, is a giant stride ahead, one that marks the band’s official introduction to America. Grand in volume and vast in vision, it’s an inspired set of electric songs that finds the intersection of The Verve, My Morning Jacket and Neil Young (with or without Crazy Horse). Recorded in Austin, produced by the band with Mike McCarthy (Spoon, Dead Confederate, Heartless Bastards) and mixed by John O’Mahoney (Depeche Mode, Coldplay, Kasabian) at Electric Lady Studios, the album melds propulsive, throbbing bass lines and crashing waves of guitar to a haunting, impassioned voice that can sound ancient and Appalachian.

Something of an about-face from The Thief & the Heartbreaker, the album, says Stakee, bears the influence of years of frustration logged in the shadow of Manhattan: “It’s kind of a desperation album, a darker album; it’s definitely angrier. We’ve been in a crazy place during the whole album, and you can hear that.” Appropriately, Stakee was listening to Nick Cave, Leonard Cohen, and the grimmer, gospel songs of Depeche Mode while writing the songs of Broken Side of Time. On songs like “Rise From the Shadows” and “Ghost of City Life” he speaks directly of their situation and surroundings.

Despite any struggles, Wolfers and Stakee in many ways have had a charmed career thus far. Born in Sweden—where he spent a childhood on tour and in studios with his musician father before moving to London in his late teens—Stakee and Wolfers—a Brit charmed by everyone from Prince and My Bloody Valentine to Metallica and Ride as a teen—were playing in a guitar-rock band in London’s east end some four years ago, when Stakee brought some new songs and ideas to the band. When all were roundly rejected, Wolfers invited his bandmate to record those humble, acoustic songs on the makeshift equipment in his apartment.

“Right then and there I instantly realized that he was an extremely talented fellow,” Wolfers says. “That’s when I realized I had found someone who I could create some really great music with—after just jamming on a few things.” Those demos would become The Thief & The Heartbreaker—featuring Petter’s brother, John Alexander Ericson, on keyboards—released via Fiction in the U.K. and re-released by popular demand on the bands new U.K. label, Ark Recordings.

Bored with the scene in London and in need of a burst of energy, Stakee and Wolfers moved to New York, where they immediately created a buzz, playing spellbinding acoustic shows at venues like The Living Room, en route to capturing a new deal with ATO Records. Seeking to create more of a band vibe—“and we wanted it to be a family,” says Wolfers—they added Beede, Higgins and Kearney and a louder, grittier sound was born. “We had a show at The Mercury Lounge [in New York] like two days after that first jam,” says Wolfers, “and, without really any real time to rehearse, I remember being onstage that night thinking, ‘This is the best I’ve heard the material.’”

Alberta Cross has toured extensively through the U.K., sharing the stage with Oasis, The Shins, Bat for Lashes and Simian Mobile Disco, among others. “If we weren’t playing for people every night, we would be going mad.” Stakee says. Adds Wolfers, “We do it, because we have to.”

“I remember going to see The Verve on the Storm in Heaven tour, and I stood right in front of [guitarist] Nick McCabe the whole night,” the bassist continues. “I remember walking out of that show feeling like I had just seen a group of people pour their heart and soul out, and I felt it. It changed my life. And that’s what we want to do: We want to give people something honest, and move them, make them feel.”

Echoes Stakee, “We’re trying to give people truly soulful music, which is hopefully inspirational. I want to ease their minds and give them a little break from reality.”

Bonfires
Alberta Cross Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Whenever my mind
seem to go
I keep you in mind
away from home

Just want to hold you
Just want to hold you
But I can't see

Yeah I can't see
That my mind is draggin me down to bonfires

Singing a (oooooo)
aao aao aao aao aaoo
Singing a (oooooo)
aao aao aao aao aaoo

Even I seek the gold
I keep you in mind
safe from harm

Just want to hold you
Just want to hold you
But I can't see
Yeah I can't see
That my mind seeks a bonfire

Singing a (oooooo)
aao aao aao aao aaooo

Singing a (oooooo)
aao aao aao aao aaooo

Singing a oooooo
yeah no

Singing a (oooooo)
aao aao aao aao aaoo

But I can't see
Yeah I can't see
oh my mind seems to go now
But i can't see

oh my mind seems to go
mmmmmm
Singing aaaaaaaa

Singing a (oooooo)
aao aao aao aao aaoo

Singing a (oooooo)
aao aao aao aao aaoo

Singing a oooooo
yeah no

Singing a (oooooo)
aao aao aao aao aaoo

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of "Bonfires" by Alberta Cross express the feeling of being lost and dragged down by one's own mind. The singer yearns for a person who makes them feel safe and wants to hold them close but feels that they can't see clearly because their mind keeps dragging them down to bonfires. The repetition of the phrase "But I can't see, Yeah I can't see" emphasizes the idea that the singer's own thoughts and doubts are clouding their vision, making it hard for them to find their way.

The chorus of "Singing a (oooooo), aao aao aao aao aaoo" is a reference to a primal, almost tribal sound of singing. It can be interpreted as a way to release the inner demons and emotions that the singer is struggling with. The line "Even I seek the gold, I keep you in mind, safe from harm" indicates that the singer is striving for success and material gain, but their priority is to keep their loved one out of harm's way.

Overall, "Bonfires" is a contemplative song that delves into the inner workings of the mind and the struggles that come with it. It paints a vivid picture of a person who is trying to navigate their thoughts and emotions, while also seeking love and safety.

Line by Line Meaning

Whenever my mind
Every time my mind

seems to go
gets lost in thought

I keep you in mind
you are always on my mind

away from home
even when I'm not at home

Just want to hold you
I want to be close to you

But I can't see
I am unable to understand

Yeah I can't see
Yes, I am unable to understand

That my mind is draggin me down to bonfires
My mind is leading me towards destructive behavior

Singing a (oooooo)
Making a humming sound

aao aao aao aao aaoo
Repeating the same syllables

Even I seek the gold
Although I desire wealth