The momentum behind those beginnings might have come from the so-called straightjackets that the two Danes cloak themselves in to compose. Rules. For the first album, there was a dire regimen of late-night recordings in the bedroom of a tiny Copenhagen flat lit only by candlelight. Other essentials included improvised percussion instruments and a drinking requirement.
From the smallness of that space the substance of Alcoholic Faith Mission took shape in their first album, Misery Loves Company. Variously encompassed as a self-indulgent, melancholy, acoustic outreach, Misery made a modest splash that fueled a tour of Denmark, and occasioned the band's evolution from a varied collective with a core of two, into the five constituents including Kristine Permild, Gustav Rasmussen and Laurids Smedegaard that make AFM today. It also brought forth PonyRec, the band's European label and management firm.
The second album was the result of a half year immersion in an old factory loft nestled in the heart of Hasidic Brooklyn. For this outing, the dogma confined them to using only the things they found within the four walls of the flat to compose and frame every track. Named for the address, 421 Wythe Avenue was heard by many and written about by a good number of bloggers and journalists. The reviews have ranged from mild intrigue to utter adoration.
Three tours of Europe followed, as did label deals in Japan and the U.S. The proverbial icing on the cake came from Canadian indie film, Point Traverse that put four songs from 421 on its soundtrack. As you read this, the album winds its way around the Americas, Japan, and the U.K. Perhaps it leaves an impression there that has begun to define the band and its sound in a new way. Perhaps, as many of the reviewers reckon, it's even a new sound.
Alcoholic Faith Mission’s third release, cumbersomely titled Let This Be the Last Night We Care, was available for general consumption in March of 2010 and has been recieved with even more adoration from the critics than its predecessors.
Having toured Germany, Holland, Belgium, Poland, Switzerland, France, Luxemburg, Italy, Wales, England and the US, with a total of more than 75 shows it's safe to say that Alcoholic Faith Mission is slowly undoing the tethering shackles of "up and coming" to being an important voice in mainstream indie rock.
Updated September 2010
Education
Alcoholic Faith Mission Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Between the hands of the quintet
Playing two on three
Smeared glass window, looking through
Holding on to whatever's left of you
Everyone is waiting
Broken wings hold us down
We're ignoring more
A ball is bouncing faster
Between the hands of the quintet
Playing two on three
Smeared glass window, looking through
Holding on to whatever's left of you
Everyone is waiting
Broken wings hold us down
Words are meaning less
We're ignoring more
The lyrics of "Education" by Alcoholic Faith Mission are quite enigmatic, with a lot of elusive imagery and metaphors. It seems to be an emotionally charged song, with a lot of longing, waiting, and frustration. The repeated line "A ball is bouncing faster between the hands of the quintet playing two on three" creates a sense of urgency, tension, and uncertainty. The quintet mentioned here implies a group of people, perhaps a band, who are playing music in a complicated time signature, with two beats played against three beats, which creates a feeling of disorientation or struggle to keep up. The bouncing ball, on the other hand, could symbolize a lost opportunity, a fleeting chance, or an unpredictable force that keeps everyone on edge.
The smeared glass window that the singer looks through could represent a distorted or unclear view of reality, something that clouds their perception and makes it hard to hold on to someone or something that matters. The lines "Everyone is waiting, Broken wings hold us down, Words are meaning less, We're ignoring more" express a sense of helplessness, despair, and disillusionment. The waiting seems to be for something or someone that never comes, while the broken wings suggest an inability to fly, to escape, or to move forward. The words that once had meaning have lost their power or have been rendered useless, while people become more and more numb or indifferent to their surroundings.
Overall, "Education" is a deeply reflective and poetic piece that uses music, lyrics, and metaphors to convey a sense of unease, longing, and confusion, which could be interpreted in different ways by each listener.
Line by Line Meaning
A ball is bouncing faster
Life is moving quicker and quicker.
Between the hands of the quintet
Controlled by the five senses which together shape the concept of self.
Playing two on three
Being out of sync or unable to match up with the rhythm of life.
Smeared glass window, looking through
Our perception of reality is clouded by our own perspective, we don't always see things as they truly are.
Holding on to whatever's left of you
Desperately clinging to the remnants of a life that has slipped out of our grasp.
Everyone is waiting
We're all hoping for something more or something better.
Broken wings hold us down
Past traumas and failures are preventing us from moving forward towards our goals.
Words are meaning less
Communication has become ineffective or meaningful communication has broken down.
We're ignoring more
We're avoiding confronting the issues that are causing our problems and instead burying ourselves further in our distractions.
Contributed by Aubrey W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.