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.
Shaven
Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
and after the ceremony
They asked why I don't wear my hair short
like Leonardo DiCaprio
I answer "I like my style longer
'Cause it's my hair and it's my only hair"
Shaved my hair (x2)
Like Samson, Delilah
Who cut his hair?
And his power drained out
Who shaved my hair?
They shaved my hair,
Shaved my hair (x2)
They shaved my hair (x2)
...
Plug in those tears
with a razor blade
Muse enough to think of this all
Fragilely I get aroused
Like a dirty giraffe
Call me Leonardo or a bad kid
After when you want me ...
That's the change you wanted ... to be
They shaved my hair,
Shaved my hair (x2)
They shaved my hair (x2)
They
We ate tacos at midnight
Came back home for a nightcap
Like Samson, Delilah
Who cut his hair
And his power drained out
Who shaved his hair?
(x2)
In "Shaven," Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti tackles the concept of personal identity and how it can be called into question by society's expectations. The song describes an event where the singer is asked why he doesn't cut his hair like the actor Leonardo DiCaprio. The singer responds that he likes his hair long because it's his only hair, and it's a part of his personal style. However, despite his response, his hair is shaved off like the biblical character Samson, whose power was connected to his hair.
The lyrics use this metaphor to describe how the singer's sense of personal power and identity is stripped away by external pressures, leaving him feeling vulnerable and exposed. The razor blade mentioned in the lyrics is used to illustrate the violence and pain involved in this process. The lyrics suggest that conforming to society's ideals can leave individuals feeling drained and disconnected from themselves.
Overall, "Shaven" is a poignant and thought-provoking commentary on the struggle to maintain a sense of self in a society that often seeks to mold individuals into its own image. The song encourages listeners to cherish their uniqueness and resist the pressure to conform.
Line by Line Meaning
It was the night of the Academy Awards
The story starts during the night of the Academy Awards.
and after the ceremony
The events happened after the event.
They asked why I don't wear my hair short
People questioned why the author has long hair.
like Leonardo DiCaprio
They used Leonardo DiCaprio as an example of someone with short hair.
I answer "I like my style longer
The author responds by saying they prefer their hair to be long.
'Cause it's my hair and it's my only hair"
They explain that it's their hair and they want to keep it as such.
They shaved my hair,
Someone ended up shaving the author's hair.
Shaved my hair (x2)
This line is repeated to emphasize the event of hair shaving.
Like Samson, Delilah
The author compares the event of their hair being shaved to Samson from the Bible, who also had his hair cut off.
Who cut his hair?
The author wonders who cut Samson's hair.
And his power drained out
In the Bible, when Samson's hair got cut off, he lost his strength or power.
Who shaved my hair?
The author is still in disbelief and is wondering who shaved their hair.
...
This is an ellipsis that shows a pause in the lyrics.
Plug in those tears
This line is up for interpretation, but it can be understood that the author is crying and wants to stop.
with a razor blade
The author may be feeling the urge to harm oneself due to the emotional pain.
Muse enough to think of this all
The author was inspired enough to write a song about their traumatic experience.
Fragilely I get aroused
The author is feeling vulnerable, and this event has resulted in negative feelings.
Like a dirty giraffe
The author feels like a strange or awkward person because of their hair.
Call me Leonardo or a bad kid
The author is okay with having long hair, and perceives themselves as either like Leonardo DiCaprio or a 'bad' kid.
After when you want me ...
This line doesn't have an obvious meaning, but it seems to imply the author's acceptance of how they are.
That's the change you wanted ... to be
This line is also up for interpretation, but it may mean that the change was wanted or needed by someone else.
They
The song ends with the pronoun 'they', referring to the people who shaved the author's hair.
We ate tacos at midnight
This line may seem disconnected, but it is a shift in setting to the current event of the author eating tacos late at night.
Came back home for a nightcap
The author returns home for a drink after their haircut.
Contributed by Alexandra O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
gurningfist
masterpiece
Troglodyte Productions
Really hope this gets remastered
Riverchild
@Troglodyte Productions it was released in the most recent volume :0
Vallesaab
@Troglodyte Productions oh, yeah, i've noticed some tracklist changes on several albums! on this channel i happen to have a playlist that matches the original Underground tracklist. there's one for Scared Famous/FF too
Troglodyte Productions
Vallesaab True! They left "Shaven" off of the new version of Underground tho :(
Vallesaab
i'm pretty sure the Mexican Summer reissues that have been going on for a year or two are remastered to some extent! it's the versions that are on his Bandcamp right now
Cosmyque Soul
Thanks for reuploading