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.
Crusades
Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Covered by the call
And love is in the mystery of the fall
The worth of all
Remembers the message and the call
Please send help, please
We don't know where we are
We are five and fifty on the call
To the place of the fall
A childish hand had written the curse of all
The words the peasants read, the fall
And since that time two years have passed
The starving dog is dead now
The dog is dead now
The lyrics of "Crusades" by Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti are somewhat cryptic and open to interpretation. The first stanza paints the picture of a night when the moon is hidden, creating a sense of mystery and perhaps foreboding. The phrase "love is in the mystery of the fall" could be interpreted as a reference to the idea that love often arises from struggles or setbacks, or it could be interpreted more literally as a reference to a physical falling, perhaps from a high place. The line "The worth of all remembers the message and the call" is difficult to parse, but it may be suggesting that those who are truly valuable will remember a call to action or a message that has been conveyed to them. The next stanza is even more ambiguous, with a plea for assistance from an unknown group of people who are lost and don't know where they are. The mention of a "dog" is intriguing, but its meaning is unclear - it could be a literal dog that will lead someone to the lost group, or it could be a metaphorical dog representing hope or guidance. The final lines of the song are bleak, suggesting that despite the group's search for assistance, they were unable to save the dog, which has now perished.
As with many of Ariel Pink's songs, "Crusades" is meant to be experienced more as an atmospheric piece than as a traditional narrative or message-driven song. However, the somber tone and sense of mystery in the lyrics suggest some deeper themes. The idea of being lost or searching for help is a universal one, and the use of a dog as a symbol is interesting because it can represent both loyalty and danger. The line about the "curse of all" implies that there may be some collective burden or curse that the group is bearing, adding to the sense of urgency in their plea for assistance.
Overall, "Crusades" is a haunting and atmospheric song that invites listeners to create their own meaning from the imagery and themes presented in the lyrics.
Line by Line Meaning
When the moon's in darkness
During times of obscurity and mystery
Covered by the call
Having some sort of audible covering, maybe a song or siren
And love is in the mystery of the fall
The unknown nature of the fall or failure is overshadowed by love
The worth of all
Everyone's value
Remembers the message and the call
Recalls the purpose and intention behind an invitation or plea
Please send help, please
Requesting assistance desperately
We don't know where we are
Lost and unaware of one's surroundings
We are five and fifty on the call
Many people responding to the plea for assistance
The dog will lead you here
Some sort of guidance will bring someone to a specific location
To the place of the fall
To the site of the failure or downfall
A childish hand had written the curse of all
An immature act led to the downfall of many
The words the peasants read, the fall
The commoners' knowledge of the curse led to their failure
And since that time two years have passed
A significant amount of time has elapsed
The starving dog is dead now
The creature that was expected to aid in guidance can no longer do so and has perished
The dog is dead now
Reiterating the previous line
Contributed by Sebastian A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Thalyssa Araujo
The Godz cover ♥️
Rudy
Awesome fucking song.
Old Exit
chords chords what are the chords chords what are the chords