Archive was formed by Londoners Darius Keeler and Danny Griffiths in 1994 and began as an electronica project. At the beginning, they mixed Bristol-style, Massive Attack, Portishead with Rap. The first album of the band, Londinium released in 1996 (with Roya Arab and Rosko John as guest vocalists). The second album, Take my Head, (which the band hates) was released in 1999 (with a new guest vocalist Suzanne Wooder), it is much more melodic than Londinium. The first song of the album, You Make Me Feel, illustrates this change in the Archive's music. After being dropped by their label and more changes in the lineup, the band seemed to hit its stride on the third album You All Look The Same To Me (2002), featuring singer Craig Walker (formerly of Power of Dreams), which took a decided turn toward more progressive music (with some Progressive Rock influences, notably Pink Floyd whose indelible influence is audible on tracks such as 'Finding it so Hard' and 'Again'), while still maintaining electronic elements. The band saw growing popularity and critical acclaim, especially in France, Greece, Germany and Poland. After recording two more artistically—but not too commercially—successful albums, Michel Vaillant (2003) and Noise (2004), Walker left the band for reasons the band and he will not talk about. The project continued on as a Collective, with new vocalists, Pollard Berrier and Dave Pen. In May 2006 they released the album Lights with Pollard Berrier on lead vocals, who is also a member/guest member of the innovative group, "Bauchklang" - a completely vocal beat-box (Vocal Groove) group based in Vienna, Austria. Archive released a live album, entitled,Live at Paris Zenith, in May, 2007 - which was recorded on January 20th, 2007 at the sold out Zentih Arena in Paris. Rolling Stone called it, "The best live album ever made." Archive continues to tour and is working on a number of forthcoming releases in the near future.
Archive are a Collective, not a band.
Kings of Speed
Archive Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I feel old like a withered tree,
these days are passing eternally,
you won’t ask me to slow it down,
blurred emotions in the crown of the kings of speed,
and all we see in full motion collection.
Time isn’t slowing,
just speed,
Silence is golden and seems so pretend,
the towering of war machines and men,
the falling of lives as we wait in line,
we are fading to nothing,
losing the race as they steam ahead,
leaving the trail of the living dead,
moving away,
broken frames push forward then play.
Time isn’t slowing,
just speed,
it’s all we’re knowing.
Silence is golden and seems so pretend,
the towering of war machines and men,
the falling of lives as we wait in line,
we are fading to nothing,
losing the race as they steam ahead,
leaving the trail of the living dead,
moving away,
broken frames push forward then play.
Time isn’t slowing,
just speed,
it’s all we’re knowing.
The lyrics of Archive's song Kings of Speed speak on the unrelenting passage of time and the overwhelming force of progress that seems to be leaving humanity behind. The singer pleas for distance, as they feel old and worn out like a withered tree. The idea of "the kings of speed" refers to those who thrive in a fast-paced society, where emotions are blurred and time moves continuously forward. The world is depicted as a collection of things moving in full motion, but the singer notes that time isn't slowing down, it's only getting quicker.
The second verse highlights the contrast between the silence that seems to hold value, but is ultimately meaningless when compared to the towering war machines and men that drive progress. Lives are being sacrificed as people wait in line, while others race ahead, leaving behind nothing but the trail of the living dead. The broken frames that push forward then play brings about the idea of the things that are sacrificed to maintain the relentless pace of progress. The chorus, "time isn't slowing, just speed, it's all we're knowing" repeats the idea that the world is moving so quickly that it's hard to keep up, and the only constant is the speed at which things move.
Line by Line Meaning
Please don’t come any closer to me,
I am feeling distant and detached, so please do not try to get too close.
I feel old like a withered tree,
I feel worn out and exhausted, like an old tree losing its leaves.
these days are passing eternally,
Time seems to be stretching on forever without any end in sight.
you won’t ask me to slow it down,
You won't ask me to take it easy or slow down despite my exhaustion.
blurred emotions in the crown of the kings of speed,
As fast and successful individuals, our emotions are difficult to discern and may be overwhelming.
and all we see in full motion collection.
Everything we experience is happening rapidly and all at once, like an overwhelming, full-speed collection.
Time isn’t slowing,
Time continues to pass at a consistent and unchanging speed.
just speed,
All we seem to know and experience is speed and rapid motion.
Silence is golden and seems so pretend,
Quietness is valuable but also appears fake or unnatural in a world where everything is constantly in motion.
the towering of war machines and men,
The growth and presence of human-built war machines and the soldiers who use them.
the falling of lives as we wait in line,
As we stand by and watch, lives are lost and wasted while we do nothing to stop it.
we are fading to nothing,
As fast as we may be moving, we are ultimately becoming nothing and achieving nothing long-lasting.
losing the race as they steam ahead,
Others are seemingly succeeding and leaving us in the dust.
leaving the trail of the living dead,
Their success is essentially meaningless and they are just as lost and unfulfilled as those they leave behind.
moving away,
They are pushing further and further ahead of us, leaving us behind in the dust.
broken frames push forward then play.
Although we may be broken and incomplete, we continue to push forward anyways and play our role in the rapid pace of life.
it’s all we’re knowing.
All we seem to be able to understand and experience is the unrelenting speed of life and time.
Contributed by Benjamin M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.