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.
I Wanna Be Young
Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That I should be so blind
I know what I want
And I wanna be young
No fun, no love
Reenact all our dates
(...)
just need a future
that's perfectly bright
I don't have fun
But I wanna be young
(...)
My baby please... young
So young, so young
Reenact our dates
So I can be young while I wait
I know it's dumb
But I wanna be young
(...)
just need a young cunt
that's perfectly tight
I know it's dumb, but
I wanna be young
No fun, no love
It's been a long time
since I (peed on your rug?)...
It ain't all your fault
I wanna be young
No fun, no love
Make me play the game
So, I can be young while I wait
...
I just need a future
That's perfectly great
I don't have fun
I wanna be young
The song "I Wanna Be Young" by Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti is a nostalgic yet unsettling reflection on the desire to relive past experiences and stay perpetually young. The singer is aware that this is not a healthy or acceptable way to live, admitting "I know that it's not okay / That I should be so blind" and "I know it's dumb / But I wanna be young." However, the desire persists, and the singer longs to "reenact all our dates / So I can be young while I wait" and "make me play the game / So I can be young while I wait."
The lyrics also touch on themes of loneliness and dissatisfaction with the present, as the singer declares "I just need a future / That's perfectly bright" and "I just need a young cunt / That's perfectly tight." The song culminates in the repeated refrain of "No fun, no love", driving home the idea that the pursuit of youthful experiences is ultimately misguided and unfulfilling.
Overall, "I Wanna Be Young" is a haunting and introspective exploration of the human desire to turn back the clock and hold onto the fleeting experiences of youth.
Line by Line Meaning
I know that it's not okay
I am aware that my desires are inappropriate
That I should be so blind
I acknowledge that I am ignorant of the consequences of my desires
I know what I want
I understand my own desires
And I wanna be young
I want to relive my youth
No fun, no love
I have lost the ability to enjoy life and love
Reenact all our dates
I want to relive the experiences of my past
So I can be young while I wait
I want to feel young again while waiting for something
...just need a future
that's perfectly bright
I want a promising future
I don't have fun
I am unable to enjoy myself
But I wanna be young
I still yearn for my youth
My baby please... young
So young, so young
I desire a youthful partner
I know it's dumb
I acknowledge that my desires are foolish
But I wanna be young
Despite this, I still long for my youth
just need a young cunt
that's perfectly tight
I want a younger, sexually appealing partner
It's been a long time
since I (peed on your rug?)...
I have been absent from my past experiences for a long time
It ain't all your fault
I understand that I am also responsible for my present predicament
Make me play the game
So, I can be young while I wait
I want to participate in youthful activities to feel young again
I just need a future
That's perfectly great
I want a bright and hopeful future
I don't have fun
I am unable to enjoy life
I wanna be young
But I am desperate to relive my youth
Contributed by Asher E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
maxwoobs
salvador cresta is awesome!
Darth Revan
Beautiful psychedelic, lo-fi pop. So catchy. I absolutely love this. Ariel is a genius!
solidsnake2085
Just saw Ariel last night in Denver. He played this amazing live! Also, he crowd surfed while singing Round and Round. It was fantastic!
Jason isamu
Man u guys are soooooo lucky..
janie danger
Yo he did the same in Atlanta!
Charles Quinn
I saw him a while back and wasn't really expecting much to be honest, he always seemed more of a bedroom recording artist than a performer. But he ROCKED SO HARD. Total respect
Videos5197
solidsnake2085 lol exact same thing happened in Vancouver. One of the best shows I’ve seen in my life, the energy was spectacular
adam waugh
The bass playing in this track is so amazing and effortlessly complex.
oh well
@Tom Birner He records all the bass parts together bit by bit, adding a little at a time like a puzzle really (Or at least he did around the doldrums era, his process may have changed)
Kreap
@Tom Birner I wasn't knocking you either, it's an electric bass but it actually doesn't really count if it's from a physical guitar or a rompler. I actually think these recordings sound like shit but that doesn't even matter either. Songs that have good hooks are the same infectious quality you back for.