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.
Hardcore Pops Are Fun
Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
hey!
hardcore pop is fun
cause it's just like chewing gum
all those things you're on about
go out back and shoot you down
pop music's your wife
habit for life
pop music is fun
just like chewing gum
pop music is good
it sounds like it should
pop music is wine
it tastes so divine
pop music's a bird
it goes with the herd
pop music's a fan
a fan to a fire
pop music's for you
i'll wrap up high
where i can kiss the harmony
cause you know it's a thrill
when they go in for the kill
hardcore pop, your pills are popped
tonight
heard your hardcore pops
hardcore pops
pop music makes you wanna
go and do your thing
cause your body is a dance
built to end, not to last
hardcore pop is fast
just like your life
hardcore pop is fun
cause it's just like chewing gum
there i go, speed transitions, babe
you know what I got
hardcore pops
pop music is wine
tastes so divine
pop music's a bird
goes with the herd
pop music's a fan
fan to a fire
pop music's for you
i'll mix it seem soul music
any sound will do
cause it's true, you're alive
like a bird in the sky
hardcore pop is dynamite tonight
hardcore pops
there i go again
can't help myself
hardcore pops
The lyrics to Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti's song Hardcore Pops Are Fun offer an exploration of the appeal of pop music and its effect on listeners. The song highlights the simplicity and accessibility of pop music compared to other genres, describing it as being like chewing gum. The repeated refrain, "hardcore pop is fun," emphasizes the thrill and enjoyment that can be had through listening to and engaging with pop music.
The lyrics also suggest that pop music can provide an escape from the difficulties and complexities of life. The lines "all those things you're on about, go out back and shoot you down" suggest that pop music can serve as a distraction or a way to ignore one's problems. Similarly, the lines "pop music makes you wanna go and do your thing, cause your body is a dance built to end, not to last" suggest that pop music can inspire listeners to let go and enjoy themselves in the present moment.
Overall, the lyrics to Hardcore Pops Are Fun celebrate the pleasure and freedom that can be found through engaging with pop music.
Line by Line Meaning
let's go, we're bustin' chairs now
We're getting hyped up and ready to go wild.
hardcore pop is fun / cause it's just like chewing gum
Hardcore pop music is enjoyable and easy to consume, like gum.
all those things you're on about / go out back and shoot you down
If you take pop music too seriously, people will disregard your opinions.
pop music is free for you and me / pop music's your wife / habit for life / pop music is fun / just like chewing gum / pop music is good / it sounds like it should / pop music is wine / it tastes so divine / pop music's a bird / it goes with the herd / pop music's a fan / a fan to a fire / pop music's for you
Pop music is accessible and enjoyable to everyone. It can be a lifelong passion, something that always sounds good and feels good. It can be a way to fit in and be a part of something bigger, but it can also be something that ignites our own passions and creativity.
i'll wrap up high / where i can kiss the harmony / cause you know it's a thrill / when they go in for the kill / hardcore pop, your pills are popped
The songwriter is expressing the thrill of getting lost in the harmony of the music, and references the feeling of being 'high' on music. The last line is a reference to drug use as a way to enhance the experience.
heard your hardcore pops / hardcore pops
The phrase 'hardcore pops' is repeated, possibly as a way to reinforce the theme or as an expression of enjoyment of the music.
pop music makes you wanna / go and do your thing / cause your body is a dance / built to end, not to last / hardcore pop is fast / just like your life
Pop music can be empowering and inspire us to take action. We're only here for a limited time, so we should make the most of it and dance our hearts out. Hardcore pop is fast and exciting, like life itself.
there i go, speed transitions, babe / you know what I got / hardcore pops
The songwriter is confident in their abilities and excited about the music they're creating. Again, the phrase 'hardcore pops' is repeated, potentially as a way to emphasize the energy and intensity of the music.
i'll mix it seem soul music / any sound will do / cause it's true, you're alive / like a bird in the sky / hardcore pop is dynamite tonight
The songwriter is experimenting with different sounds and styles, unconcerned with sticking to a specific genre. The idea of being alive and free as a bird is reinforced, along with the idea that the music is explosive and intense.
there i go again / can't help myself / hardcore pops
The songwriter is caught up in the moment and enjoying the music so much that they can't resist expressing that enjoyment with the repeated phrase 'hardcore pops.'
Contributed by Ruby B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.