After years of recording in relative seclusion in the hills of Los Angeles, Ariel Pink (the first non-Animal Collective member on the Paw Tracks roster) made his official Paw Tracks debut with The Doldrums. Recording at home with a guitar, bass, keyboard, and 8-track (the drum sounds were created with his mouth).
Ariel Pink blends Lite FM and warped lo-fi pop into something by turns beautiful and confusing. Some may find his personal yet detached approach highly addictive, while others may be instantly turned off by the obvious lo-fi production and the vocal drumtracks.
In the summer of 2003, Pink passed a CD-R on to New York based band Animal Collective after being introduced by mutual friend Jimi Hey (of All Night Radio and Beachwood Sparks) at one of their shows. Unbeknownst to Pink, Animal Collective had recently started their own record label, Paw Tracks, and several weeks later they contacted him expressing an interest in releasing his music. Pink became the first musician on the label aside from the members of Animal Collective. The next year, the label reissued The Doldrums, an album which had been originally recorded in 1999. Since then, Paw Tracks (now co-owned by Carpark Records) has released two other reissues of Pink's previous recordings, Worn Copy and House Arrest.
Pink has gradually caught the attention of media sources around the United States as well as internationally. As most of his albums are self-made, many of them have never been heard by fans. Almost all of Pink's albums which have been commercially released come from his yet-unfinished "Haunted Graffiti" series and are thus the best known.
Pink's tours have generally been met with much negativity, primarily because his music was never intended to be performed live for commercial audiences. As he explained to LA Weekly:
“People boo me everywhere...They don't even hide their contempt. I'm used to it now...Hey, I'm giving audiences the real thing...For better or worse, I'm out there, and those are the circumstances. People don't like it when it seems like you don't know what's happening, or I'm getting bummed out with certain aspects and I can't hide it. I think people feel that pain and just think it's bad.”
Initially playing shows alone with pre-recorded music, Pink has since employed the efforts of keyboardist Kenny Gilmore, bassist Tim Koh (White Magic), drummer Jimi Hey, and guitarist Cole M. Greif-Neill (Ethnik Klensr) as Haunted Graffiti. However, even with a backing band unfamiliar audiences are generally hostile towards the unrehearsed nature of the live compositions.
In July, the band embarked on Pink's "Thanks Mom, I'm Dead" tour.
One genre that may interestingly define Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti is one known as Hauntology.
A Tomb All Your Own
Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Then the ice dripped away
Feel your body in the snow when there is you cant see at all
In a tomb all your own
No one makes you feel alone
Every thought becomes a blank when running through the snow
Life is breaking down
No where
And again and again and again and again
We climb Racing together
After dirt began to grow
Died and came back as a crow
Whistle song to the town folk and
Taught them how to sew
In a tomb all your own
When the insects come
I want them to eat my face
Death is coming on
Its taking forever
Life's design trailing behind
And arriving closer to never
Change the day
Change it baby
Thousand miles out at sea
No more walls to call me free
Waking to the fact that
Id rather be trapped with you than
In a tomb all your own
When my vessel comes
My fever will disguise me
...
Fear has denied me
The beautiful, the brave, the hopeless, and the child
Point me to never
Change the day
Change it baby
In Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti's song A Tomb All Your Own, the lyrics combine various themes revolving around life, death, loneliness, and freedom. The song's opening lines describe the sense of detachment and numbness that comes with being alone in an unforgiving environment. The reference to the cold and ice is metaphorical, emphasizing the harshness of life and the feeling of being trapped in one's own mind. As life progresses and hope fades, there is a sense of desperation and surrender, as the lyrics suggest, "Life is breaking down, it's getting me nowhere." The refrain "In a tomb all your own/No one makes you feel alone" is paradoxical because being alone is one of the most terrifying experiences a person can have, yet there is a certain peace in knowing that one's isolation is self-imposed.
As the song continues, the singer's perspective shifts, offering a broader view of the world. Death is presented as an inexorable force slowly encroaching on life, a natural part of the cycle that leads ultimately to the eternal peace of the tomb. The image of rebirth as a crow is significant because it provides the ultimate freedom beyond the limits of human mortality. The reference to insects eating the singer's face is disturbing, yet it remains a common trope of death and a reminder of the physicality of the body.
A Tomb All Your Own is a complex and multifaceted song that explores various themes and emotions. The lyrics are both beautiful and haunting, and the music complements the tone of the song perfectly. The imagery and philosophy of the song are thought-provoking, forcing the listener to contemplate the nature of existence and the inevitability of mortality.
Line by Line Meaning
The few first hours were cold
The initial moments of feeling isolated and lonely were unsettling and melancholic
Then the ice dripped away
Gradually, negative emotions began to fade away
Feel your body in the snow when there is you cant see at all
Sensing the surroundings is difficult and confusing when one feels disconnected from oneself
In a tomb all your own
Being trapped in a self-inflicted state of emotional and mental confinement
No one makes you feel alone
Feeling solitary is a choice and not a circumstance
Every thought becomes a blank when running through the snow
Lost in thoughts and caught up in the overwhelming feeling of being disconnected from the world
Life is breaking down
The problems of life are overwhelming and overpowering
Its getting me no where
There is no progress or hope for change
And again and again and again and again
The repetitive cycle of feeling trapped in a negative state of mind
We climb Racing together
Working towards a shared goal in order to make collaborative progress
After dirt began to grow
Starting anew after the end of a previous chapter
Died and came back as a crow
Returning to life with a new perspective that changes how the world is seen
Whistle song to the town folk and
Sharing newfound wisdom and knowledge with others
Taught them how to sew
Teaching those around how to implement skills and tools to succeed
When the insects come I want them to eat my face
Being consumed by negativity, self-doubt and self-loathing
Death is coming on
The end of life is forthcoming
Its taking forever
The passage of time feels slow and drawn out
Life's design trailing behind
Being held back by past mistakes
And arriving closer to never
The inevitability of death and how it changes the perception of time
Thousand miles out at sea
Feeling far away from society and alone
No more walls to call me free
Liberation from societal expectations and limitations that were previously confining
Waking to the fact that Id rather be trapped with you than
Discovering that connection and love with others is more meaningful than isolating oneself
When my vessel comes My fever will disguise me
Giving into sickness and despair when change is coming
Fear has denied me The beautiful, the brave, the hopeless, and the child
Allowing fear to hold an individual in a stagnant and negative place in life
Point me to never
Desiring change and new beginnings in order to break the cycle of negativity and hopelessness
Change the day Change it baby
Believing in the power of transformation and the possibility for a better future
Contributed by Jake F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Viewbob
And here we are 16 years later, two days ago, Ariel just played this live for the first time in almost two decades!
Jason Piper
Production is great
jimmygoesblao
where were you?
he played it in montréal – absolutely sublime
Viewbob
Yeah! I'm really impressed he's been playing it all tour!!
jimmygoesblao
you were at the mtl show hey
LSUOdyssey (LSUODYSSEY.COM)
saw it live! so incredible!
Trendwatch
One of my favorite songs ever...
ced
I love your songs bro!
chud babies
this is one of my favorite sad songs, i love l.a.
krakaow
vintage lucid classic