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.
Among Dreams
Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Among dreams, we're best friends
Fm Ab Eb Fm
While in life we float apart
Eb Cm Bb Cm
It bothers me that you won't admit you love me
Eb Cm Bb Eb Bb
Though it's precisely in your dream
I'm livin' to love you
Bb Gm F
Oh, to be wide awake beside you
Fm
Please don't hurt me
Please don't watch me
Please believe me
Cm
Please don't judge me
Please don't hate me
Eb Bb Cm
The misuse of your best
Eb Bb Cm
Ooooooooooooooo
Ab Bb
Fm Bbsus2
Cm
Fm Bbm Eb Ab
Among dreams, we talk of they
Fm Ab Eb Fm
While in life they talk of me
Eb Cm Bb Cm
To you I'm a pathetic face
Eb Cm Bb
but you know it's the truth
Bb Eb Bb Fm
cos in your dream I've known you
Ab Bb Eb Fm Ab Eb Bb
forever
Gm F
now it's not my dream to remember
Fm
Please don't touch me
Please don't want me
Please be near me
Please don't scare me
Please don't leave me
C C7
Fm Gm Ab Bb
Bb
Fm Bb Eb Ab
Among dreams, I dream to be
Fm Ab Eb Fm
You would have loved to love me
Eb Cm Bb Cm
You notice me but you won't admit you love me
Eb Cm Bb Eb Bb Ab
Though it's precisely in your dreams
Fm Ab Bb Eb
to love you
Fm Ab Bb Eb Bb
Fm Ab Eb Bb
forever
F Fm Ab Bb Eb
no it's not my dream to remember
Fm Ab Bb Eb
Fm Ab Eb Bb
oh to be wide awake beside you
Gm Fm
Fm Bb
The lyrics to Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti's song "Among Dreams" evoke a sense of longing and unrequited love. The dreamlike quality of the song's title reminds the listener of the hazy state of mind that often characterizes dreams. The first verse speaks of a friendship that exists "among dreams," which suggests that it is not a true friendship in life. The singer is bothered that the friend will not admit their feelings of love, although it is clear from their dreams that they feel this way. The chorus repeats the phrase "I'm livin' to love you," and the bridge pleads with the friend to love the singer, not hurt them, and not judge them.
The second verse talks about the way others talk about the singer in life, but in dreams, the friend knows the truth about their connection. Again, the chorus repeats the phrase "to love you," as if it is the singer's sole purpose in life. The final lines of the song wistfully long for the possibility of being "wide awake beside you," which shows the stark contrast between the hopelessness of dreams and the desire for reality.
Overall, the lyrics to "Among Dreams" are a poignant exploration of unrequited love and the ways in which dreams can heighten our desire for something that may never be. The dreamlike imagery and repetition of the chorus reinforce the emotional weight of the song.
Line by Line Meaning
Among dreams, we're best friends
In my dreams we are close companions
While in life we float apart
In reality we have drifted apart
It bothers me that you won't admit you love me
I am troubled by your refusal to acknowledge your feelings for me
Though it's precisely in your dream
Even though you express these emotions in your dreams
I'm livin' to love you
I exist with the purpose of loving you
Oh, to be wide awake beside you
How I desire to be beside you when I am fully awake
Please don't hurt me
I beg you not to cause me pain
Please don't watch me
Please do not observe or scrutinize me
Please believe me
Please trust that I am truthful
Please don't judge me
I plead with you to not evaluate or criticize me
Please don't hate me
Please do not have animosity towards me
The misuse of your best
Mistreatment of your finest qualities
Among dreams, we talk of they
In my dreams we discuss an unknown group
While in life they talk of me
In reality that group speaks negatively about me
To you I'm a pathetic face
You view me as a pitiful appearance
but you know it's the truth
Even though it is painful, you recognize this is accurate
cos in your dream I've known you
Because in your dream state, I have encountered you
now it's not my dream to remember
But in current reality, I do not wish to dwell on this memory
Please don't touch me
I request that you do not make physical contact with me
Please don't want me
I ask that you do not desire me
Please be near me
I desire you to be in close proximity to me
Please don't scare me
Please refrain from frightening me
Please don't leave me
Please do not abandon me
Among dreams, I dream to be
In my dreams, I yearn to be something more
You would have loved to love me
You would have desired to have romantic feelings towards me
you won't admit you love me
You refuse to acknowledge that you have affection for me
to love you
My aspiration is to love you
forever
For eternity
Contributed by Arianna F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.