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.
Omen
Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
you awoke to dawn
you tripped and fell, but stood and walked right on
i told you once and i told you twice
but you didnt hear so you paid the price
in time
it was an omen, so you can't say it wasn't there
you broke the glass when the kettle blew
your sister called you ... of the gloom
i told you twice and i told you again
that half the time is double again
my friend
it was an omen, and you can see the meaning now
it was an omen, and the cards are taking out
you bid him sanctuary but never won at all
leave everything to chance
the chance can throw you like a stone
you had a revelation when
the flames arose to melt your skin
you walked along and ...
and flew around the world entire
in time
it was an omen x4
The song "Omen" by Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti contains lyrics that are quite ambiguous and open to interpretation. However, some possible interpretations suggest that the song speaks about the consequences of not listening to warnings or ignoring signs of danger. The opening lines paint a picture of someone waking up to a new day after a troubling night, having fallen but got back up again. The lyrics continue to reveal that the person had been warned before but didn't listen, and now they must pay the price. The line, "It was an omen, so you can't say it wasn't there," implies that there were signs or omens that were ignored or overlooked.
The lyrics of the song's chorus reinforce this perspective by suggesting that there were events or situations that were precursors to some forthcoming outcome. The mention of "breaking glass when the kettle blew" and "flames arising to melt your skin" only serve to further suggest an ominous warning that the person in the song didn't acknowledge. The final lines of the song speak to the idea of leaving things to chance, which could have dangerous consequences, such as being thrown like a stone.
Line by Line Meaning
when dusk went out
As the sun set, darkness began to engulf the world
you awoke to dawn
Despite the darkness, you managed to wake up and see the light of day
you tripped and fell, but stood and walked right on
You faced obstacles but persevered and kept going
i told you once and i told you twice
I warned you repeatedly
but you didnt hear so you paid the price
You didn't listen and suffered the consequences
in time
Eventually
it was an omen...
Something foreboding occurred
it was an omen, so you can't say it wasn't there
The warning was clear and present
you broke the glass when the kettle blew
You reacted poorly to a sudden event
your sister called you ... of the gloom
Your sister warned you of impending danger
i told you twice and i told you again
I repeated my warning multiple times
that half the time is double again
Sometimes things get worse before they get better
my friend
I'm trying to help you
it was an omen, and you can see the meaning now
The warning was significant and is now clear
it was an omen, and the cards are taking out
The consequences are being dealt
you bid him sanctuary but never won at all
You tried to help someone but it didn't work out
leave everything to chance
Don't try to control everything
the chance can throw you like a stone
Unpredictable events can have a profound impact
you had a revelation when
You had an epiphany
the flames arose to melt your skin
You were in a dangerous situation
you walked along and ...
You kept moving forward
and flew around the world entire
You experienced new things
in time
Eventually
it was an omen x4
A warning occurred multiple times
Contributed by Gabriel G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Anthony Weiss
This is incredible.
Elra Beechum
Other than having harmonies and a finger-picked guitar, I don't hear 'Michelle'...I hear him referencing 'The Last Time' by the Stones. "I told you once and I told you twice, but you never listen to my advice". Regardless, this is a REALLY nice song.
Charles Bukowski
Elra Beechum how do you not hear michelle
Aswin sa
Great song
greenglasful
Legend
Charles Bukowski
Splendid
kennedi cotarelo
dreamy bittersweet pure
Petra Pretty
muy buen video.
Jack Daddy
The master
ALAZKA ALAZKA
The God