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.
Fright Night
Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Whoa
Black cat crosses your path
(Until you) petition the lord
Knock knock on the door three times
And you knock knock
On the door!
Not anymore
On fright night
You tuck me in
I'm a necro-romantic
I'm a suck on your blood
Are you ready for Freddy
Yeah, knock on the door
Knock knock on the door three times
And you knock knock
On the door!
I used to walk underneath ladders
Not anymore
On fright night
?
Come over here oh pretty baby
You're my bundle-o-love
You're driving me crazy, betcha
Can't get enough
Knock knock knock knock
Knock on the door I said
Knock knock knock
On the door!
I mingled with the dead
With my Ouija board but
Not anymore
On fright night
The lyrics to Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti's song Fright Night evoke a feeling of spooky, otherworldly darkness. The opening lines "sleep walking in the dead of night" set the scene as the listener is taken on a journey through the night, encountering a black cat and demons communicated through a Ouija board. However, the song takes a slightly lighter tone as the lyrics suggest that despite dabbling with the supernatural, the singer has moved on from these activities. They no longer talk to demons or walk under ladders.
The chorus of the song brings us back to the present as the singer is being tucked in on fright night, perhaps by a lover or a parent. The lyrics "I'm a necro-romantic, I'm a suck on your blood, are you ready for Freddy, yeah knock on the door" add to the spooky feeling while also referencing iconic horror movie character Freddy Krueger. Overall, the lyrics suggest a fascination with the supernatural while also acknowledging the safety and comfort of the real world.
Line by Line Meaning
Sleep walking in the dead of night
Engaging in actions without conscious thought at late hours of the night
Whoa
An expression of surprise in response to a situation
Black cat crosses your path
An omen of bad luck which calls for divine intervention
(Until you) petition the lord
Requesting protection from a higher power to ward off evil spirits
Knock knock on the door three times
A specific ritual of summoning spirits which requires three knocks on a door
And you knock knock
The act of performing the summoning ritual
On the door!
The location where the summoning ritual is to be performed
I used to talk to demons with my ouija board but
A past experience of being involved with the supernatural
Not anymore
Having abandoned such practices
On fright night
A specific time of the year, typically associated with supernatural or horror themes
You tuck me in
Being comforted or protected by someone
I'm a necro-romantic
Having an interest in death or the dead, romantically portrayed
I'm a suck on your blood
Assuming the role of a vampire, known for their blood-sucking tendencies
Are you ready for Freddy
A reference to the fictional horror character, Freddy Krueger, to invoke fear and anticipation of the unknown
Yeah, knock on the door
Encouraging the act of summoning spirits for a thrilling experience
I used to walk underneath ladders
Another past experience with superstition and bad luck
On fright night
Repeated reference of the specific time of year, building upon the horror theme
Come over here oh pretty baby
A seductive invitation
You're my bundle-o-love
Affectionate declaration of love
You're driving me crazy, betcha
Feeling overwhelmed with emotions
Can't get enough
Expressing desire and insatiability
Knock knock knock knock
Continuing the summoning ritual with repeated knocks
I mingled with the dead
Another reference to supernatural activities or experiences
With my Ouija board but
A tool used for communication with spirits
Not anymore
No longer engaging with such practices
On fright night
Final reference to the central theme of the song
Lyrics © SCHUBERT MUSIC PUBLISHING INC., Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: AARON SPERSKE, ARIEL ROSENBERG, COLE GREIF NEILL, KENNETH GILMORE, TIM KOH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Gil Hernandez
Sleep walking in the dead of night, woooooh...
Black cat crosses your path (until you) petition the lord
Knock-knock on the door three times
And you knock-knock on the door!
I used to talk to demons with my ouija board but not anymore
On fright night such a catastrophe
On fright night such a catastrophe
On fright night such a catastrophe
I'm a necro-romantic, I'm a suck on your blood
Are you ready for Freddy, yeah, knock on the door
Knock-knock on the door three times
And you knock-knock on the door!
I used to walk underneath ladders not anymore
On fright night such a catastrophe
On fright night such a catastrophe
On fright night such a catastrophe
On fright night such a catastrophe
Come over here oh pretty baby, you're my bundle-o-love
You're driving me crazy, betcha, can't get enough
Knock-knock-knock-knock, knock on the door I said
Knock-knock-knock on the door!
I mingled with the dead with my Ouija board but not anymore
On fright night such a catastrophe
On fright night such a catastrophe
On fright night such a catastrophe
On fright night such a catastrophe
Robert Morrissey
Verse 1]
Sleep walking in the dead of night
Whoa
Black cat crosses your path
You petition the Lord
Knock knock on the door three times
And you knock knock on the door
Said you used to talk to demons with my ouija board
But not anymore
[Chorus]
On fright night
On fright night
On fright night
[Verse 2]
I'm a necro-romantic, I'm a suck-o-yo blood
Are you ready for Freddy
Yeah (Knock on the door)
Knock knock on the door
Three times and you
Knock knock on the door
I used to walk underneath ladders
Not anymore [Chorus]
On fright night
On fright night
On fright night
On fright night
[Verse 3]
Come on over here pretty baby
My little bundle-o-love
You're driving me crazy betcha' can't get enough
Knock knock knock knock
Knock on the door I said
Knock knock knock on the door
I mingle with the dead with my ouija board
But not anymore [Chorus]
On fright night
On fright night
On fright night
On fright night
hippiecheezburger
its amazing that Ariel is able to create such a retro nostalgic sound like you're hanging out in dark foggy allies in nyc in 1979 after too many drinks in some gritty club
Gv-CAN
hippiecheezburger magic comment! Bravo!!
Jason isamu
Haha I mentioned something similar in the comment b4 this one
hippiecheezburger
BJJ Fiend yeah it’s probably the album art a little too
Symphony Enigma
Yup
Symphony Enigma
@Gv-CAN “magic”
TheAndrewj96
I just love how well he encapsulates the sound of each decade of music on this album. This guy knows his stuff.
Liz
Yes, well put 👍
Emmanuel Oluga
this is exactly the genius of Ariel. I believe he is the prime embodiment of the phrase "everything is a remix of a remix
Desperadow
I used to listen to this and walk alone by a river pretending I was singing it on a stage to people.