… Read Full Bio ↴Anarchy Club is a Hard Rock/Electronica duo from Boston, Massachusetts.
The band consists of vocalist/guitarist Keith Smith, who is a former member of the band C60, and Adam Buhler, who plays guitar, bass, and other instruments, and is a former member of the band Splashdown.
In the winter of 2004, long time friends Adam Buhler and Keith Smith decided to start a musical project that would eventually become Anarchy Club. Fusing their love for Asian cinema, video games, muscle cars, anime, and hard rock music, the two set to writing songs.
Their debut album, The Way and Its Power mixes everything from death metal riffs and hip hop grooves to Chinese classical and waltz beats, all with a decidedly heavy rock flavor throughout.
Anarchy Club received a boost in popularity by having their song "Behind the Mask" appear in the PlayStation 2 game Guitar Hero as a bonus track. The band also has the songs "Blood Doll" and "Get Clean" in the Rock Band game franchise. Smith is an employee of Harmonix, the company that developed Guitar Hero and counts Buhler's former bandmate, Kasson Crooker, as its Audio Director.
"Collide" (from their forthcoming release, "A Single Drop of Red") is a bonus track for Guitar Hero II. Of the 24 bonus tracks in the game, GameSpy named "Collide" as one of the five best. [1]
Keith and Adam cite their musical influences as Rob Zombie, Nine Inch Nails, Black Sabbath, Johnny Cash, Gorillaz, Probot, early Metallica, The Streets, Deftones, Tool, AC/DC, early Misfits, Rasputina, Queens of the Stone Age, N.E.R.D.'s first album, Dr. Dre, Chinese opera music and more.
During his time in the C60, the band won 6 Boston music awards (5 of them in one year) and shared stages with bands such as Kiss, Run DMC, Linkin Park, Rage Against the Machine and others. Some of their songs were also featured in the TV shows Dawson's Creek and The Shield.
Meanwhile, Adam worked with the band Splashdown, and recorded an unreleased album with legendary producer Glen Ballard, which gave birth to a few songs who eventually appeared on the TV shows Charmed and Angel and some movies.
Anarchy Club then started working on their second studio album, called A Single Drop of Red and was released around late 2007/early 2008. One of their songs titled "Blood Doll" appeared on Harmonix's 2007 music video game Rock Band.
In late 2008, Anarchy Club started working on their third studio album, which may be called The Art Of War and is set for a release in 2009, the track "Get Clean" was released as a single on iTunes and a bonus track in Harmonix's newest music video game, Rock Band 2, in which Harmonix continued the tradition of featuring Anarchy Club songs in their games, after "Behind The Mask" in Guitar Hero, "Collide" in Guitar Hero II, "Blood Doll" in Rock Band and "Get Clean" in Rock Band 2 .
Rise and Shine
Anarchy Club Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
They ain't sayin' nothing
Living in a whisper
When they wanted to scream
Free to be a very special carbon copy
Just another gear to grind
Inside the machine
It's not enough to care -- rise and shine
It's time for us to wake up -- rise and shine
There's no more time for fear -- rising
It's part of the process
So stick to the script
Free to pick your colors
But just stay in the lines
Don't bother changing channels
'Cuz it's all the same shit
Life and liberty homogenized
And refined
Take it all for granted
While you're paying for it
By selling out the person
That you wanted to be
Honor is a dead word
To the blindly loyal
There's no more fight for freedom
We gave it away for free
The lyrics to Anarchy Club's song "Rise and Shine" speak to the conformity and homogenization of modern society. The opening lines suggest that people are afraid to speak up and be themselves in a world that demands conformity. The next lines reinforce this idea by saying that people can be a "very special carbon copy" and are just another "gear to grind" in the machine of society.
The chorus calls for action, urging listeners to "rise and shine" and not just stand up, but to care and wake up. The fourth line suggests that there is no more time for fear, perhaps meaning that people need to stop being afraid to be themselves and stand out in a world that rewards conformity.
The second verse speaks to the idea that people are following a script and are free to pick their colors but must stay within the lines. The next line suggests that people shouldn't bother changing channels because everything is the same. The final lines of the verse speak to the idea that people take their freedoms for granted and sell out their true selves in order to fit in.
Overall, the lyrics to "Rise and Shine" speak to the importance of being true to oneself and breaking free from the conformity that society demands. It's a call to action for listeners to wake up, care, and stand out.
Line by Line Meaning
Everybody's talkin'
People are expressing their opinions and viewpoints
They ain't sayin' nothing
However, upon closer examination, their words are empty and devoid of any actual meaning or substance
Living in a whisper
Society has been conditioned to lower their voices and not speak up with confidence and passion
When they wanted to scream
Although many individuals actually desire to express their beliefs and emotions with force
Free to be a very special carbon copy
People have the freedom to express themselves, but only within the certain confines that society has predetermined
Just another gear to grind
Individuals are seen as a part of a larger, impersonal system that is designed to maximize efficiency
Inside the machine
People are expected to assimilate into and operate within the societal machine, lest they be viewed as outcasts or rebels
It's not enough to stand up -- rise and shine
There is a pressing need for individuals to take action and make a difference in the world by waking up and being proactive
It's not enough to care -- rise and shine
Caring is not enough, as actual actions need to be taken to challenge the oppressive status quo
It's time for us to wake up -- rise and shine
The current situation requires individuals to snap out of their complacency and become more engaged with society
There's no more time for fear -- rising
Fear must be abandoned, as it hinders progress and prevents meaningful change from taking place
It's part of the process
The current system and societal norms are presented as being necessary stages that must be followed in order to reach a desired outcome
So stick to the script
People are expected to follow the guidelines and rules that have been imposed upon them, rather than to think for themselves or act against the grain
Free to pick your colors
Individuals can pick their own path and destiny, but only from within the predetermined set of options that have been made available to them
But just stay in the lines
They cannot deviate from the established norms and boundaries of society
Don't bother changing channels
People should not attempt to change the current state of affairs or pursue other paths, as they will only encounter the same problems elsewhere
'Cuz it's all the same shit
The world is filled with the same problems and issues, no matter where one turns
Life and liberty homogenized
The values of life and freedom have become indistinguishable from one another, and have been poorly imitated over time
And refined
This imitation has been perfected and refined over generations to the point of becoming accepted as the norm.
Take it all for granted
People have become complacent and accustomed to the status quo, and fail to acknowledge or actively address the issues present in their society
While you're paying for it
People are not just complacent, but are actively participating in and financing the broken and oppressive system that they claim to be unhappy with
By selling out the person
In doing so, people are acting in disloyal ways, betraying their own values and the person they aimed to be
That you wanted to be
Rather than adhering to one's internal convictions and aspirations
Honor is a dead word
The concept of honor, integrity, loyalty or justice has been lost in society or have been heavily eroded.
To the blindly loyal
Society has succeeded in conditioning many individuals to blindly conform to their expectations and ways of thinking, despite the presence of contrary evidence or opinions.
There's no more fight for freedom
The values of freedom and independence have become caught in the system and it takes a substantial effort to regain what we lost.
We gave it away for free
These current societal norms were not forced upon us, it was a passive, subtle and gradual surrendering that allowed the oppressive climate to arise and take hold.
Contributed by Michael L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.