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.
Gettin' High in the Morning
Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Uh!
Fucking hell!
There's nothing like
Waking up with it
... in your pipe's ...
...
I like to live
Yeah, I like to do it
I like it a lot
I like it a lot
Yeah, I'm gonna work on it
Work on it
Work on it
I like to do it
I like it a lot
I'm so down with
Gettin' high in the mornin'
Ooh, get by
There's nothing like
Living on the coast
...
Waking up with it,
I'm waking up
Got to work
Got to work for it
Work for it
But I'm too high on it
Got bread to win
And I'm so down with it
Down with it
I've got to handle it, brother
Got to handle it,
Brother
I'm so down with
Get-ting high
In the mor-ning
I'm get-ting high
In the mor-ning
There's nothing like
Giving up the bread
Upon a ...
I'm feeling ... by you
That's right
Suck
Giddy-up
Yes, I like the drug, the drug
It's fun to do, fun to do
Just like you
I support the use
Use of it (x 4)
I'm so down with
Getting high
I'm so down with getting high
In the morning
Get-ting high
In the mor-ning
I'm get-ting high
In the mor-ning
(x3)
Gettin' high in the mornin' (x15)
The opening lines to Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti's song "Gettin' High in the Morning" talk about waking up with "it" in your pipe, referring to a substance being consumed through smoking. The lyrics that follow describe the experience of living in a coastal area, enjoying the beautiful morning scenery while feeling a sense of enthusiasm towards life. The song's central message is about getting high in the morning, which the artist seems to suggest is an enjoyable activity that brings him a sense of happiness and fulfillment.
Throughout the lyrics, Ariel Pink seems to be expressing his own personal approach to life, which involves embracing the joys of living in the moment. He talks about "working on it" while also admitting that he's "too high on it" to get any work done. In this way, he seems to be encouraging listeners to enjoy life, even if it means taking a moment to get high in the morning.
Line by Line Meaning
Shoot!
Expressing excitement and enthusiasm.
Uh!
Expressing surprise or realization.
Fucking hell!
Expressing extreme emotion or disbelief.
There's nothing like
Waking up with it
... in your pipe's ...
There's no better feeling than waking up and smoking marijuana.
The pigeons chirping
...
The sound of nature enhances the experience of being high.
I like to live
Yeah, I like to do it
I like it a lot
I like it a lot
I enjoy living and especially enjoy getting high.
Yeah, I'm gonna work on it
Work on it
Work on it
I'm committed to maintaining my lifestyle of getting high.
I'm so down with
Gettin' high in the mornin'
Ooh, get by
I love getting high in the morning and it sets a positive tone for my day.
There's nothing like
Living on the coast
...
Living near the coast is great and enhances my experience of getting high.
Got to work
Got to work for it
Work for it
I'm willing to put in the effort to maintain my lifestyle of getting high.
But I'm too high on it
Got bread to win
And I'm so down with it
Down with it
Although getting high is a priority, I also have responsibilities and goals to achieve.
I've got to handle it, brother
Got to handle it,
Brother
I need to be responsible and handle my obligations, while still enjoying getting high.
There's nothing like
Giving up the bread
Upon a ...
Giving up money for marijuana is worth it for the pleasure it brings.
I'm feeling ... by you
That's right
Suck
Giddy-up
Feeling high is a pleasurable experience and makes me feel good.
Yes, I like the drug, the drug
It's fun to do, fun to do
Just like you
Marijuana is enjoyable and fun, just like other activities or hobbies.
I support the use
Use of it (x 4)
I am an advocate for the use of marijuana.
I'm so down with
Getting high
I'm so down with getting high
In the morning
I really enjoy getting high and it's a regular part of my routine, especially in the morning.
Get-ting high
In the mor-ning
I'm get-ting high
In the mor-ning
(x3)
Repeating my love for getting high in the morning.
Gettin' high in the mornin' (x15)
The repeated chorus emphasizes my love for getting high in the morning.
Contributed by Adalyn B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Mitch Trujillo
Ariel Pink is on my list of favorite performers. Such a hilarious, uninhibited dude. That jam session at the end was immaculate. The Haunted Graffiti have some serious chops.
Jason isamu
Yeah, no doubt
Isaiah Keith
😂
ReValid
Perfect live performance even better then the original!
That solo is something i really want to learn to play on guitar!
nama jeff
someone please archive these before they get deleted
Mauricio Avendaño
band is fucking pristine
locksh
I have no doubt in my mind Ariel Pink is the Zappa of the 21st century
thanksgiving sandwich
only one zappa, only one ariel.
Alex Walton
much better
The Scorpius Libra
If anyone is the Zappa of the 21st century, it's Thundercat