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.
Let's Build A Campfire There
Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When I am closed in the dark
The air is cold and this fresh air's old
Where the flowers, her young heart lands
Let's make a campfire there (x4)
Let's put some wood on the sand
Those .. times, nature's ..
We just can't compare
Let's build a campfire there (x2)
Let's make a campfire there (x2)
You were sitting by the fire
And I just watched from far away
Something out there made you smile
And the forest was cold,
But my body was warm
It finally felt like this was our home
And right then I ran all the way back
Into your arms
There's love in my heart like a tree
It's here that I long us to be
Your face is so bright,
Like a distant porchlight
For a stranger who's far from home
Here with my face in your hands
Such hesitation inside
Let's make a campfire there (x8)
The lyrics to Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti's song "Let's Build A Campfire There" convey a sense of nostalgia and longing for a simpler, more natural way of living. The first verse describes the passing redwoods and the singer's feeling of being closed in the dark, which creates a contrast with the fresh air and the young heart of nature's flowers. The chorus reflects a desire to build a campfire and connect with nature: "Let's make a campfire there" is repeated several times with increasing urgency. The second verse conveys a sense of distance and longing, with the singer watching someone else sitting by the fire and feeling like they are far from home. However, the final lyrics reflect a sense of hope and belonging, with the singer experiencing love like a tree and wanting to be with the person they love.
Line by Line Meaning
Red woods are passing along
As I move through the forest, the tall trees pass by me one by one
When I am closed in the dark
When it's nighttime and the darkness surrounds me
The air is cold and this fresh air's old
The wind is chilly and the air feels stale
Where the flowers, her young heart lands
Where the flowers grow and she feels happy and free
Let's make a campfire there (x4)
Let's build a fire in the forest clearing and stay awhile (4 times)
Let's put some wood on the sand
Let's gather some logs and put them on the ground
Let's get the twigs in our hands
Let's pick up some small sticks to start the fire
Those .. times, nature's ..
Those moments in nature that are hard to describe
We just can't compare
We can't compare this experience to anything else
You were sitting by the fire
You were sitting near the fire we built
And I just watched from far away
I watched you from a distance, lost in my thoughts
Something out there made you smile
Something in the forest made you happy and content
And the forest was cold,
Even though the forest was chilly
But my body was warm
I felt warm inside because of the fire and being near you
It finally felt like this was our home
For the first time, it felt like we belonged in this place
And right then I ran all the way back
I felt such a strong connection to you that I ran towards you
Into your arms
And I felt safe and loved in your embrace
There's love in my heart like a tree
I feel a deep, growing love in my heart
It's here that I long us to be
I want us to stay in this place I love so much
Your face is so bright,
Your face is shining and full of happiness
Like a distant porchlight
Like a light that guides someone home from afar
For a stranger who's far from home
For someone who is lost or searching for a place to belong
Here with my face in your hands
With you holding my face in your hands
Such hesitation inside
Even though I long to stay here, there is still doubt in my heart
Let's make a campfire there (x8)
Let's build a fire and stay here together for a while (8 times)
Contributed by Charlotte D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.