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.
Butthouse Blondies
Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She used to care
Butt-house blondies
She used to be a square at sixteen
Now all she knows is that she can breed
She's dumb, and she's dumb
Cuz she really really thinks that
Butt-house blondies
She used to care
Butt-house blondies
She used to be stoned at sixteen
Now all she knows is that she can breed
The lyrics of "Butt House Blondies" by Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti delineate the transformation of a young girl as she grows up and becomes increasingly disillusioned with life. At sixteen, she was once a conscientious individual who cared about the world around her. However, as she grows older, she becomes more self-centered and loses touch with reality. Despite her lack of intellect, she is convinced that she is smarter than she appears to others. The phrase "butt-house blondies" likely refers to the singer's physical attributes, as well as her newfound promiscuity.
As the song progresses, it becomes clear that the woman is not happy with her current state of existence but has resigned herself to it due to feeling trapped. The lyric "all she knows is that she can breed" emphasizes the societal pressures put upon women to procreate and perpetuate the patriarchy. The repetition of "she used to care" emphasizes how much the singer has changed, and how far she has distanced herself from her former self.
Overall, "Butt House Blondies" can be seen as a commentary on the inherent misogyny in society and how it affects women. It highlights the pressure on women to conform to a certain ideal, and how the societal expectations placed upon them often detract from their intellectual and emotional capacities.
Line by Line Meaning
Butt-house blondies
This phrase is repeated throughout the song and likely refers to superficial, sexually promiscuous blonde women who are perceived as lacking substance or maturity.
She used to care
The subject of the song used to have more depth and integrity, but has since abandoned those qualities for a more superficial lifestyle.
She used to be a square at sixteen
At sixteen, the subject of the song was more innocent and out of touch with the reckless, sexually charged behavior associated with being a 'butt-house blondie.'
Now all she knows is that she can breed
The subject of the song has reduced her identity to her ability to reproduce, indicating a lack of personal goals or aspirations.
She's dumb, and she's dumb
The repetition of this line implies that the subject is not only intellectually lacking, but also stuck in a cycle of poor decision making.
Cuz she really really thinks that
The subject's misguided beliefs contribute to her lack of agency and the ease with which she is exploited.
She used to be stoned at sixteen
The subject of the song used to experiment with drugs as a form of rebellion, possibly suggesting she once had a desire to challenge social norms and expectations.
Writer(s): Aaron Sperske, Cole Greif Neill, Kenneth Gilmore, tim koh, Ariel Rosenberg
Contributed by Hailey D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.