Struggle is a natural part of the creative process for many artists. For Shikhee, the one-woman army behind industrial act Android Lust, struggle became downright essential to the production of the fourth Android Lust album, The Human Animal. Not by choice, of course: Nearly a decade after debuting as the first one-woman industrial act, the Bangladeshi-born New Yorker found herself burnt out from balancing a music career with what some might call “real life.”
The process of making 2006’s Devour, Rise and Take Flight ws “a very trying period,” says Shikhee. “I was coming home from my job around 9 or 10, and then mixing till 2 or 3, only to get back up and get to work at 9 again. I was barely sleeping and losing weight.” Problems with her record label compounded her frustration; the heavy touring season that followed, prolonged it.
When the album cycle finally wrapped, Shikhee returned home to face some familiar fears. “It’s always a bit scary. I start to doubt myself, reacquaint myself with my studio . . . and wonder if I can still do it,” she says. “It took until late 2007 to get back to writing.”
The Human Animal is undeniable proof that she can, indeed, still “do it.” After two albums on preeminent electronic-music label Projekt Records, Shikhee released Animal in August 2010 on her own Synthellec Music. In production for more than two years, this is the work of an artist reinvigorated by the creative process, adding a new set of colors to her signature sonic palette. “It just happened one day after we came back from our tour,” Shikhee recalls. “Songs just started flooding.”
The flood was triggered in part by Shikhee’s decision to work with her live band in the studio for the first time. “In the past I played all the guitars and some bass [in addition to electronic instruments], but now I had access to these really talented musicians and I wanted to bring that touch in the studio. So I wrote parts for them, parts that were beyond my playing ability.”
The mix of live instruments and processed sounds isn’t new for an Android Lust recording—2003’s breakthrough The Dividing featured live drums, string and wind instrument—but never have those sounds figured so prominently as they do on The Human Animal. The slippery undertones of “A New Heaven” are revealed to be an upright bass; pockets of classical guitar propel “Into the Sun”; the overdriven guitars on “Saint Over” surge forth with the spark of vintage Nine Inch Nails. It’s the most organic-sounding Android Lust record while losing none of the unrelenting sonic edge of prior releases.
It’s not just the live instrumentation that brings the album uncharacteristic warmth. Shikhee took to the streets of New York City with a portable recorder, collecting noises that would be used to form rhythms and ambiance throughout the record. The sounds of a screeching subway, a crowded restaurant, geese, pigeons, and a Barnes & Noble escalator all found their way into the mix.
And Shikhee has never sounded better, her whisper-to-a-scream vocals on a par with Polly Jean Harvey (“It’s On You”) and Ruby’s Leslie Rankine (“God in the Hole”).
For an artist whose overarching aesthetic has sought to blur the line between human and machine, Shikhee here sets her sights on the battle between the physical and the spiritual. Much of The Human Animal is about tapping into the deeper well of universal energy within to find true meaning, freeing oneself (the human) from the imprisonment of ego (the animal). “A New Heaven” sums up the central query: “Are we the ones we are seeking under this sun?”
But despite the sometimes reflective tone this is not music for meditation. The Human Animal’s 10 songs, plus a Jerome Dillon remix of “God in the Hole” to close the disc, pulse and pound, posing both an invitation and a challenge to the listener. Welcome to the age of enlightenment for Android Lust.
- by John Brodeur
Another Void
Android Lust Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
you leave me with your poison
how will I exist
all the fluids have left me
should I compromise
this artful act of seduction
admit to my crime
through my inaction
like another void
precious is flight
I need to surrender
defenses annihilated
retention reduced
body lacerated
The lyrics in Android Lust's song Another Void depict a moment of profound vulnerability and surrender. The singer describes the aftermath of a kiss that has left her feeling poisoned and drained. She questions whether she should give in to the seduction and compromise her own desires, or admit to her inaction and face the consequences. The taste of this experience fills her with questions and feels like another void - a void that is precious and fleeting.
The second part of the lyrics describes the singer's need to surrender completely, to let go of her defenses and allow her body to be lacerated. This can be interpreted as a metaphor for the risks and pain that come with being vulnerable and open to love and intimacy. The song expresses a sense of longing and desperation for connection, even if it means experiencing pain and loss.
Overall, Another Void is a deeply emotional and introspective song that explores themes of desire, vulnerability, and surrender. The lyrics invite the listener to reflect on their own experiences of love and intimacy, and the risks and rewards that come with it.
Line by Line Meaning
a momentary kiss
a brief, fleeting expression of love or affection
you leave me with your poison
you've given me something toxic or dangerous that I now have to deal with
how will I exist
I'm not sure how to keep going, how to survive without you
all the fluids have left me
I feel drained and empty, like I have nothing left to give
should I compromise
should I give in and make a sacrifice to salvage what's left of our relationship
this artful act of seduction
the way you've lured me in and made me fall for you feels like a carefully calculated performance
admit to my crime
take responsibility for the wrongs I've done and confess my mistakes
through my inaction
because I haven't taken action or made a move, things have gotten worse
taste fills question
I'm trying to find answers and meaning by indulging in sensual pleasures
like another void
these fleeting pleasures only leave me feeling more empty and unsatisfied
precious is flight
freedom and escape from this situation is a valuable and rare commodity
I need to surrender
I have to let go and give up control to find peace and resolution
defenses annihilated
my defenses have been completely destroyed, leaving me vulnerable and exposed
retention reduced
I'm losing my grip on myself and my emotions
body lacerated
my physical and emotional wounds are becoming more severe and painful
Contributed by Layla O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.