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
Suffer the Flesh
Android Lust Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You like to make me suffer
I don't mind 'cause I'm near you
Just to feel your touch
Your breath on me
You've turned it into my temple
I bow down in submission
Just to taste your flesh
Your skin on me
Bow down in submission
The lyrics to Android Lust's song "Suffer the Flesh" are about the singer's willingness to be at the mercy of their partner's commands and desires, even if it means suffering. The singer is deeply enamored with their partner and willing to do anything to be near them and feel their touch. The partner has turned the room they're in into a temple, where the singer bows down in submission to indulge in the pleasure of their partner's flesh. The lyrics contrast the singer's physical pain and emotional devotion with their pleasure, creating a dark and sensual atmosphere.
One possible interpretation of this song could be that it represents a kind of BDSM relationship or power dynamic, where the singer enjoys being dominated by their partner. The lyrics also suggest a sense of danger and risk, as the singer is willing to suffer for the sake of pleasure. The idea of the room being transformed into a temple could represent the way in which the partners' desires and actions create a sacred or spiritual space for them to explore their sexuality.
Line by Line Meaning
Under your command
I am under your power and authority
You like to make me suffer
You enjoy causing me pain or distress
I don't mind 'cause I'm near you
Being close to you is worth enduring the suffering
Just to feel your touch
Physical contact with you is all I need
Your breath on me
Feeling your breath close to me is an intimate moment
This darkened room
The atmosphere you've created is somber and mysterious
You've turned it into my temple
You've transformed this place into a holy or revered space for me
I bow down in submission
I submit myself to your authority and power
Just to taste your flesh
The craving for your physical touch is overwhelming
Your skin on me
The sensation of your skin against mine is intense and satisfying
Contributed by Muhammad S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.