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.
Somewhere in Europe/ Hotpink!
Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Here we're standing,
Somewhere in Europe
But it could be China
To South Nicaragua
We drove here all night,
Just for the weekend
"Excuse me, sir,
Well, don't you speak any English?
Pardon my French,
But we're fucking lost here!
Just point me to the West,
Then we'd best, best be on the way.
"S'il vous plait."
Here we're standing,
Somewhere in London
It's all a mess lest
We try and catch the Metro
We'll take it into Baghdad,
Spain then San Francisco
See the city spirals inwardly forever
Crack me like a slot machine, oh-oh
Just point me in the direction of Las Vegas
And I'll be going home
Europe's not home, no!
Somewhere in Europe
Far away from Montana
At the townhall masquerade show
Somewhere in Europe
I get so razzed by you!
Station-inert in a hostel in Soho
Somewhere in Europe I will
Find myself stranded
Just a-standin' there
U.S.A
I say home
U.S.A.
I stay home
U.S.A.
I say home
(Somewhere in Europe
It's good, it's good)
Go into the breakdown
Hotpink!
Gimme Jimi Hey (x5)
The lyrics to Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti's song "Somewhere in Europe/ Hotpink!" present a sense of confusion and disorientation as the singer finds themselves in various parts of Europe without a clear sense of direction or purpose. The first stanza sets the scene of being "somewhere in Europe," though where exactly is uncertain. The singer then references various locations, including China, South Nicaragua, and London, suggesting that they may be lost and unsure of their whereabouts. The repetition of the phrase "here we're standing" adds to the feeling of being stranded and unsure of what to do next.
The singer's frustration and confusion are further highlighted in the second stanza. They express frustration with their lack of understanding of the local language, as well as their uncertain navigation of the city. The lines "See the city spirals inwardly forever / Crack me like a slot machine" suggest a feeling of being overwhelmed and lost in the vastness of the city. The repeated refrain of "Europe's not home" further emphasizes the feeling of displacement and disorientation.
Finally, the song culminates in a breakdown with the repeated phrase "Hotpink!" and the call to "Gimme Jimi Hey." These lines add to the chaotic and disjointed feeling of the song, further emphasizing the sense of not knowing where one is or where they're going. In conclusion, the lyrics to "Somewhere in Europe/ Hotpink!" present a vivid and disorienting portrait of being lost and unsure in an unfamiliar place.
Line by Line Meaning
Here we're standing,
We are in a particular geographical location
Somewhere in Europe
We are somewhere in Europe, but we could be in a completely different place like China or South Nicaragua as well
But it could be China
Despite being in Europe, it feels like it could be somewhere completely different
To South Nicaragua
The uncertainty of our location is highlighted by naming a place that is much further away from Europe
We drove here all night,
We had to travel for a long period of time to reach this place in Europe
Just for the weekend
We only had a short period of time to spend here, making the journey feel unnecessary
Excuse me, sir,
This is an attempt to get help from a local person
Well, don't you speak any English?
A question to determine if communication is possible
Pardon my French,
An apology for using profanity or inappropriate language
But we're fucking lost here!
An exclamation of frustration at being lost and unable to find the way
Just point me to the West,
A request for directional assistance to leave the current location
Then we'd best, best be on the way.
A sense of urgency to leave and move on to the next destination
S'il vous plait.
A polite way of asking for help
Here we're standing,
We remain in a particular location
Somewhere in London
We are now in London, but it is still uncertain where we are within the city
It's all a mess lest
The chaotic nature of the city is emphasized
We try and catch the Metro
An attempt to navigate the city's public transportation system
We'll take it into Baghdad,
A sarcastic remark about the confusion of our location, implying we could end up anywhere
Spain then San Francisco
Continuing the idea of unpredictable travel destinations
See the city spirals inwardly forever
The vast nature of the city is overwhelming and confusing
Crack me like a slot machine, oh-oh
The city's frenzy is affecting us adversely
Just point me in the direction of Las Vegas
An attempt to escape the chaos and confusion by going to a different place altogether
And I'll be going home
The idea of Las Vegas being home for someone is ironic and an indication of how lost they are
Europe's not home, no!
A statement that Europe does not feel like home to us
Somewhere in Europe
The uncertainty of our location persists
Far away from Montana
Continuing the confusion around our location by naming another distant place
At the townhall masquerade show
A specific event and location we are present at
I get so razzed by you!
Feeling overwhelmed by the environment and people around us
Station-inert in a hostel in Soho
Describing being stuck in a hostel in a particular area of London
Somewhere in Europe I will
The uncertainty of our location continues in spite of our being in a hostel
Find myself stranded
Despite being in a hostel, there is still a feeling of being stuck and not being able to move forward
Just a-standin' there
A sense of futility, of being idle and stuck in one place
U.S.A
The repetition of the phrase creates a sense of emphasis on the artist's desire to be home
I say home
Reiterating the desire to go back home to the US
I stay home
Asserting the singer's intention to remain in the US, highlighting a desire for stability and familiarity
Go into the breakdown
Transitioning into a new part of the song with a different musical style
Hotpink!
Using an exclamation of a bright color to indicate excitement or energy
Gimme Jimi Hey (x5)
A repeated request for music from a well-known artist named Jimi
Contributed by Vivian V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.