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.
Oblivious Peninsula
Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
geo-graphics our anatomy
statements perceivable by human inaneity
language of six senses nonsense instincts dispense them
oblivious peninsula hoorah
oblivious peninsula hoorah
dress like the living-dead will
angry thoughts besiege them when
interpret cartoons in brail
oblivious peninsula
islands rising as land sinks
oblivious peninsula
rigor mortis setting as man thinks
entropy
endoscopic anarchy
movement
a scientific tragedy
managed manifestations
lawyered thoughts disprove laws
shapes open to streams like
downward riverbank beds
landmarks and planets solar gravity
oh music are chances of discovery
idiots for smokescreen choke
on filters made of oxygen
watching masochism
nanny you in every direction
finds a life, a line less millions of one unit
squared for breathing curvatures, phenomonological fits
The lyrics in "Oblivious Peninsula" by Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti are a reflection on the state of humanity and the impact of technology and pollution on the world. The first verse refers to the dangers of landmines and power plants and how they affect the geography of our bodies. The lyrics suggest that our instincts and senses are nonsensical and not enough for us to comprehend the damage that has been done.
The refrain "oblivious peninsula hoorah" can be seen as sarcastic cheer for the human race's inability to understand and address the problems it has created. The second verse hints at the apathy and disconnection of people from the world around them. They are described as wearing pollution halos and dressing like the living dead. The lines "angry thoughts besiege them when/interpret cartoons in brail" suggest a failure to comprehend even the most basic things.
The lyrics move on to describe the inevitability of decay as a result of man's arrogance and disregard for the natural world. The final verse expounds on the themes of entropy and chaos, with the idea that music may be the only chance for discovery in a world where "movements" and "scientific tragedy" prevail.
Line by Line Meaning
Land mines of power plants machinery
Our environment is littered with hazards stemming from industrialization
geo-graphics our anatomy
Our physical makeup is influenced by geographical forces and features
statements perceivable by human inaneity
Humans tend to comprehend and understand concepts based on common, illogical reasoning
language of six senses nonsense instincts dispense them
There is a communication that occurs between all the senses in the body, but it often confuses our instincts
oblivious peninsula hoorah
Celebration of ignorance
oblivious peninsula hoorah
Repetition of the celebration of ignorance
wear pollution halos
Toxic fumes envelop and affect everything
dress like the living-dead will
The fashion of the future will look like a dystopian nightmare
angry thoughts besiege them when
Anger is triggered when we are confronted with harsh truths
interpret cartoons in brail
Our limited perception and understanding can make something seemingly simple and clear, incomprehensible
oblivious peninsula
Emphasis on ignorance, isolationism, and selfishness as a worldview
islands rising as land sinks
As the world changes and evolves, isolated bubbles of ignorance and selfishness become more prominent
oblivious peninsula
Repetition of emphasis on ignorance, isolationism, and selfishness as a worldview
rigor mortis setting as man thinks
Humanity is becoming stagnant and rigid in their mindset and beliefs
entropy
The universe is moving towards chaos and disorder
endoscopic anarchy
A chaotic and unpredictable reality that exists on a microscopic level
movement
The only way to combat the stagnant mindset of humanity is to embrace change and movement
a scientific tragedy
Our own scientific progress and development may have unintended consequences and negative impacts
managed manifestations
We try to manage and control our own lives, but often fail to do so
lawyered thoughts disprove laws
Our attempts to understand laws and regulations often lead to their debunking or invalidation
shapes open to streams like
We are malleable and ever-changing, just like nature
downward riverbank beds
Our lives are like rivers, constantly flowing towards the end
landmarks and planets solar gravity
The forces that shape our world and our place in the universe
oh music are chances of discovery
Music is a way to discover and understand the world and our place in it
idiots for smokescreen choke
The masses are content with being ignorant and distracting themselves from the real world
on filters made of oxygen
We filter and limit our own perception and understanding of the world
watching masochism
An obsession with pain and suffering, often inflicted on oneself
nanny you in every direction
The constant coddling and protection from the harsh realities of life
finds a life, a line less millions of one unit
We are each unique and valuable, despite our individual insignificance in the grand scheme of things
squared for breathing curvatures, phenomonological fits
Our existence is shaped and impacted by unseen and abstract factors that we can only begin to comprehend
Contributed by Brooklyn Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.