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
Stained
Android Lust Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Guess it just wasn't meant to be
I know I'm maladjusted
Crushed what's inside of me
I know of no remedy
I know not how to cease
This feeling of hate in me
I just want to see you bleed
I want to stop seeing red
I know what I want
I just want to see you dead
I don't want your explanation
I really couldn't care less
I've got my own reminder
This scar across my breast
You are a faker any way
Ever up for a quick release
Infect everyone around you
Cover up your own disease
I know what I want
I want to stop seeing red
I know what I want
I just want to see you dead
The lyrics to Android Lust's song "Stained" reveal a raw and intense emotion that has consumed the singer. The opening line, "I stand corrected," indicates that something has happened, which the singer had previously misjudged. The next line reveals that despite the singer's initial hopes, the outcome was not successful, and they accept the reality of the situation. The singer then admits to being "maladjusted" and feeling crushed inside, suggesting that this failure has affected them deeply. The following lyrics express a desire for revenge, with the singer wanting to see the other person bleed and die. The intense hatred and resentment that the singer feels are palpable in the repetition of the line, "I know what I want, I just want to see you dead."
The lyrics go on to reveal that the other person has been a source of infection and deceit, with them representing the singer's own reminder of their pain. The final lines of the song illustrate how the singer has no desire for explanation or excuses, and they feel indifference towards the other person's wellbeing. The scar across the singer's breast symbolizes a physical reminder of the emotional wound that they carry. The song ultimately expresses the singer's need for closure through violent means and represents the destructive nature of holding onto anger and resentment.
Line by Line Meaning
I stand corrected
I admit I was wrong
Guess it just wasn't meant to be
Our relationship was never meant to last
I know I'm maladjusted
I'm aware that I don't fit in
Crushed what's inside of me
My emotions have been destroyed
I know of no remedy
I don't know how to fix it
I know not how to cease
I don't know how to stop feeling this way
This feeling of hate in me
I have a strong feeling of anger towards someone
I just want to see you bleed
I want to see the person suffer and hurt
I know what I want
I'm very clear on what I desire
I want to stop seeing red
I want to stop feeling so angry
I just want to see you dead
I want the person to die
I don't want your explanation
I don't care about your reasoning
I really couldn't care less
This matter is not important to me
I've got my own reminder
I remember the pain you caused me on my own
This scar across my breast
A physical marker of emotional damage
You are a faker any way
You are not genuine
Ever up for a quick release
You seek quick and temporary satisfaction
Infect everyone around you
Your harmful behavior affects those around you
Cover up your own disease
You hide your own flaws and problems
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
EPYC
everyone seems to have found this song in movies and tv shows.. I didn't find it the ominous sound of her productions found me, I was part of the cyber industrial scene from an early age, I remember going to see a goth show in houston texas with Suicide commando back in 07 or 08 and she was there. when I first heard her voice it was an instant connection and I have been a fan since.
Ezoangelofdeath
Ive never heard any of her songs in any tv movie or even radio, EVER!! I think these songs are what she does best, id love to hear her take it even a little heavier then this, cause this type of stuff stirs up emotions nobody else does in me, way talented artist and song writer she's pretty mind blowing
underserf
Bjork, Tool & NiN had a misbegotten twisted love child.... LOVE it!!!
Josef Kay
And then they molested her, and now she's grown up and very mad at them.
Jane Doe
I still rock this song. It sounds so dope over quality speakers.
Sheila Mason
Would never have heard of this band if not for Abby Scuto, thanks
timothy childs
That's exactly how I learned of this song. And it's spelled sciuto
Makayla Register
Same
Shawn Wright
@Alex Rio Abby Sciuto was a goth forensic scientist in the show 'NCIS'.
Kere
@The Sh1ttyGamer Damn you actually saw it, apparently right after I replied too lol. Figured there was no chance in hell...much less almost immediate. But yea np haha.