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.
Jesus Christ Came To Me In A Dream
Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The sleigh bells are ringing
The bells ring carolines
T'was a fortnight ago
Ten years, so you know
Just outside the door
All loud and snow, oh
Jesus Christ came to me in a dream
He got my baby back to her home
Jesus Christ came to me in a dream
He got my baby back
He got my baby back to home (x4)
Oh, and her hair
I stare
And a feeling there reminds
I've lost one of mine
Hear that man by the tree
He's singing, oh like me
I've lost her and I bleed eternally
Bleed
Jesus Christ came to me in a dream
Jesus Christ got my baby back
To her home
Jesus Christ came to me in a dream
He got my baby back
He got my baby to home
Dream team got my baby back to home
(x2)
Watching the clock takes up most
Of my time
I'd watch less if you'd arrive
I always say I'm lost for words
It's more like being at loss for
Her
Jesus Christ came to me in a dream
He got my baby back to her home
(x2)
Dream team got my baby back to home
Dream team got my baby back to home
Dream got my baby back to home
(x2)
Jesus Christ came out of the ocean (x4)
The song "Jesus Christ Came To Me In A Dream" by Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti seems to be a dreamy, melancholic tune with a rather sinister undertone. The opening lines of the song, "Once every year is Christmas, The sleigh bells are ringing, The bells ring carolines," paint a festive picture, only to be juxtaposed with a darker tone as the lyrics progress. The verse "T'was a fortnight ago, Ten years, so you know, Just outside the door, All loud and snow, oh" seems to indicate a longing for something lost - perhaps a loved one who passed away ten years ago. The dreamy quality of the song is further accentuated by the recurring line "Jesus Christ came to me in a dream, He got my baby back to her home," which suggests a divine intervention or a desire to be reunited with a loved one.
The chorus of the song, "Jesus Christ came to me in a dream, He got my baby back to her home," is repeated several times and seems to suggest a sense of salvation or redemption. However, the song takes a haunting turn as the verses progress, with lines like "And a feeling there reminds, I've lost one of mine" and "I've lost her and I bleed eternally, Bleed" hinting at a sense of profound loss and despair. The final lines of the song, "Jesus Christ came out of the ocean," seem to be a random and surreal addition to the song, but they add to its dreamy, otherworldly quality.
Line by Line Meaning
Once every year is Christmas
The singer is acknowledging the annual holiday of Christmas
The sleigh bells are ringing
The singer can hear the sounds of sleigh bells
The bells ring carolines
The bells are playing Christmas carols
T'was a fortnight ago
Two weeks ago
Ten years, so you know
The artist is referencing the passage of time
Just outside the door
Something happened outside the singer's door
All loud and snow, oh
The occurrence was loud and involved snow
Jesus Christ came to me in a dream
The artist had a dream about Jesus
He got my baby back to her home
Jesus helped return the artist's child to their home
He got my baby back
Reiteration of Jesus helping return the artist's child
He got my baby back to home (x4)
Continued reference to Jesus returning the singer's child to their home
Oh, and her hair
The artist is describing a physical characteristic of someone
I stare
The singer is looking intently at the person's hair
And a feeling there reminds
The singer is having an emotional reaction to the person's hair
I've lost one of mine
The singer has experienced a similar loss or pain
Hear that man by the tree
The artist is drawing attention to someone nearby
He's singing, oh like me
The person nearby is also singing
I've lost her and I bleed eternally
The singer is experiencing profound and ongoing pain from a loss
Bleed
The singer is still feeling the emotional wound of their loss
Watching the clock takes up most
The artist spends a lot of time watching the clock
Of my time
It's a major part of the artist's day
I'd watch less if you'd arrive
The artist is waiting for someone's arrival and wants time to pass more quickly
I always say I'm lost for words
The singer often finds themselves unable to express themselves
It's more like being at loss for
The artist is explaining what they really mean when they say they're 'lost for words'
Her
The singer is referring to the person they've lost
Dream team got my baby back to home
Reiteration of Jesus helping return the singer's child to their home
(x2)
Denotes repetition of the preceding line
Jesus Christ came out of the ocean (x4)
An unrelated statement that doesn't fit with the rest of the song
Contributed by Henry H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.