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.
Immune to Emotion
Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I know how to do it, there is nothing to it
The secret is passion, the secret's
I'm immune to emotion, I'm immune to emotion, I'm cold
No mind, no pain, immune to emotion, immune to emotion
It's all that I wanted, it's all I got
Immune to emotion, immune to emotion, I'm cold
No mind, no pain, immune to emotion, immune to emotion
I make it a habit to wait 'til I grab it
Don't have any reasons, excuses
I'm immune to emotion, I'm immune to emotion, I'm cold
Where to, where to go? Immune to emotion, immune to emotion
The secret's!
I'm immune to emotion, I'm immune to emotion, I'm cold
No loss, no gain
Immune to emotion, immune to emotion
Immune to emotion, immune to emotion, eh!
The song "Immune to Emotion" by Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti seems to describe someone who has become emotionally numb and detached in order to achieve their goals. The lyrics suggest that the key to success is having passion, but also being immune to any emotional obstacles that could get in the way. The repetition of the phrase "immunity to emotion" emphasizes the singer's lack of emotions, as well as their cold, detached demeanor. They "make it a habit to wait 'til [they] grab it," implying that they are willing to be patient and wait for success to come to them, rather than getting caught up in emotions like disappointment or frustration.
The chorus of "no mind, no pain, immune to emotion" further emphasizes the idea of emotional detachment, as if the singer is able to remove themselves from any negative feelings in order to remain focused on their goals. The line "Just try to ignore it, no use to work for it" suggests that the singer is able to ignore any negative feelings that might arise from working towards success and that it is better to simply stay detached in order to achieve their goals.
Overall, the song speaks to the idea that success requires not just passion, but emotional detachment and a willingness to ignore or avoid any negative emotions that might arise. It suggests that this emotional "immunity" is necessary in order to achieve one's goals and that it is a key component of success.
Line by Line Meaning
Right on!
An expression of agreement or encouragement
I know how to do it, there is nothing to it
I am confident and skilled, with nothing being too difficult to handle
The secret is passion, the secret's
Passion is the key to success
I'm immune to emotion, I'm immune to emotion, I'm cold
I lack emotion and appear unfeeling
No mind, no pain, immune to emotion, immune to emotion
I do not let my thoughts or emotions affect me and remain unaffected by pain
Just try to ignore it, no use to work for it
Ignoring problems is easier than working to solve them
It's all that I wanted, it's all I got
I am content with what I have and what I have achieved
Where to, where to go? Immune to emotion, immune to emotion
I am indifferent towards making decisions and do not let emotions influence my choices
I make it a habit to wait 'til I grab it
I prefer to wait for opportunities to come to me rather than actively pursuing them
Don't have any reasons, excuses
I do not make excuses and take full responsibility for my actions
No loss, no gain
Without any risk, there is no opportunity for reward
Immune to emotion, immune to emotion
I am unaffected by emotions or feelings
Immune to emotion, immune to emotion, eh!
Reiterating my lack of emotions and expressing indifference towards it
Contributed by Alexis F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Faiche Eilean Alasdair Mac a' Bhrataich
It’s too cool seeing Geneva in this!
Bobby Pyn
maravilloso! que gran footage
Butter Sidedown
Man I wish I was 10 years older so I’d been going to shows in the 00’s
Civil Society & Private Interest
Damn that's crowds looking pretty immune to emotion, I would started the jive
Grey Alien
he knows how to do it
No Name 999
If you got any footage from before 2003, please reveal!
Bats of Beverly Hills
Why before 2003?
Viewbob
Oh now this is hot!