His three solo albums- 1999's 'Black The Sun', 2001's 'Watching Angels Mend', and 2003's 'Distant Light'- have collectively sold more than half a million copies. As well, following the release of each album he has been awarded an ARIA for Best Male Artist (2000, 2001, 2003). 2000 also saw him win an ARIA for Best New Talent. But Lloyd managed to be more than accomplished album artist with a penchant for experimentation and an intuitive gift for melody. His iconic 2001 single "Amazing" was not only voted Song of the Year in the prestigious, listener-voted Triple J Hottest 100 poll in 2001- it also secured an APRA Award (the songwriters awards) in 2002 for Song of the Year'. The track ended up being the played song on Australian radio that same year.
Given such heady success, it's no surprise Lloyd spent most of 2004 out of the spotlight, savouring the time he could now spend with his new-born son, Jake, as well as his wife of three years, Amelia. But as Lloyd conceded, domestic bliss also had its ancillary benefits- especially for a songwriter with a studio out the back who's set to commence recording for his fourth album in a few days time in Seattle's London Bridge Studios.
"I've had plenty of time to write this record which has been a really good luxury compared with my previous albums", he says. "This time I've been writing in my own space instead of writing in hotel rooms. So although I haven't even started recording, already the songs feel more finished".
In many ways, the new album - which at this stage should be released in the fourth quarter of 2005 - marks a new beginning for Lloyd. He has a new record label (SONY BMG), new management and a new family, and says the songs he's penned reflect the changes that have occurred in his life over the past few years. "There's a lot of emotion involved. In a way, I see this album as being about having a new family and losing an old one".
The new album will be produced by Rick Parashar whose production credits include Pearl Jam's Ten, Alice In Chain's Dirt and Blind Melon's debut. On first glance it seems an unlikely pairing but if you strip back those albums you'll find songs full of raw emotion and inventive arrangements. And that sounds like Alex Lloyd.
Parashar was actually classically trained in India, and for Lloyd, the perspective that brings is important. "This is a new beginning for me. I'm after something different and Rick offers me that. I want to work with people who are fresh and have a fresh approach to the whole Alex Lloyd thing. For the first time in my life, I don't have any expectations except to make a great record. I'm not trying to predetermine the style. I'm taking 16 songs with me, I'm in Seattle for two months and hopefully I'll write a lot more".
"So I guess it is pretty important to me but other records I've made I haven't been unhappy with..it's just been a different approach..and I just feel I've come full circle back to the beginning again."
2) Alex Lloyd, an electronica musician from Oxford, England, who is signed to the independent record label Ninja Tune under his alias, PRDCTV.
www.myspace.com/prdctv
Desert
Alex Lloyd Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Through the heart that's hard to start
I know it's nothing the woman cried
So you're leaving you did not lie
The broken light bulb that's glowing still
The morning after the sickness pill
And i feel that it will change
I think it's going to rain today
And i hope that it will change
It will change
Washing all of my blues away
The old drunk man who once had plans
No one left now to hold his hand
Priests are calling no happy bells
Can't make a difference from life to hell
He was trapped in a desert
Waiting for his friends
He was trapped in a desert
With no defence
And when his will to live had all but gone
He found some water to carry on
The lyrics of Alex Lloyd's song "Desert" depict a journey through a desolate and barren landscape, both physically and emotionally. The singer is walking south through his inner struggles, as represented by the "heart that's hard to start." Despite the woman's reassurance that what he is going through is nothing, he is still leaving. The image of the broken light bulb that still glows alludes to the idea that some things, no matter how broken, still have a spark of life in them.
However, there is hope in the lyrics as well. The singer feels that things will change, and the rain could wash all of his troubles away. The contrast of the brokenness with the possibility of renewal and growth is a recurring theme throughout the song.
The next verse shifts the focus to an old drunk man who has lost everything and has no one left to hold his hand. The priests are calling, but they cannot make a difference in his life. The image of the desert appears anew, as he is trapped and waiting for rescue. However, he finds water to carry on, and this image of sustenance might represent a source of hope for the listener as well.
Overall, the lyrics of "Desert" by Alex Lloyd are poignant and vivid, painting a picture of brokenness and despair but also offering hope for renewal and sustenance.
Line by Line Meaning
Walking south along my mouth
Traveling in a particular direction while my mouth remains closed
Through the heart that's hard to start
Navigating through a difficult and challenging situation that is hard to commence
I know it's nothing the woman cried
Realizing that the lady's lamentation has no solution
So you're leaving you did not lie
Acknowledging that someone is leaving, but with the understanding that they are not being dishonest
The broken light bulb that's glowing still
The illumination remains even if the source of it is damaged
The morning after the sickness pill
The day following the intake of medication to alleviate discomfort
And i feel that it will change
Having a conviction that something will improve
It will change
Reasserting the belief that a better future lies ahead
I think it's going to rain today
Expecting precipitation to fall from the sky
And i hope that it will change
Aspiring that an alteration in a distressing situation will come to pass
It will change
Reiterating the optimism regarding the forthcoming transformation
Washing all of my blues away
Removing all of my concerns and feelings of sadness
The old drunk man who once had plans
A previous individual with objectives currently inebriated
No one left now to hold his hand
Without someone to give this intoxicated individual support
Priests are calling no happy bells
No joyous celebrations occurring despite clergymen asking for them
Can't make a difference from life to hell
Unable to modify an unpleasant existence to an equally awful one
He was trapped in a desert
Imprisoned within an arid area
Waiting for his friends
Anticipating the arrival of companions
He was trapped in a desert
Captive amidst a sandy wilderness
With no defence
Devoid of any safeguards
And when his will to live had all but gone
When he was near the brink of despair
He found some water to carry on
He discovered some liquid to continue living
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ALEX WASILIEV
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind