Taking their name from the number of Susans in the line up, Band of Susans released one EP - Blessing and Curse - on Poss's own Trace Elements label before being signed to Mute Records's Blast First imprint for their first album Hope Against Hope. After the release, Rogers, Lyall and Tallman quit to be replaced by Karen Haglof (guitar) and Page Hamilton (guitar). After a second album - Love Agenda - and a Peel Sessions EP the two new members quit (Hamilton to form Helmet) and were replaced by Anne Husick (guitar) and Mark Lonergan (guitar), forming the line up which made three more albums and one EP. On the band's final U.S. and European tours a young Jay Braun filled in for Mark Lonergan. The band's final production was a version of Wire's Ahead for a collection of Wire cover versions called Whore, released in 1996.
Musically, BoS organised their three guitarists into providing an overwhelming wail of feedback and guitar noise layered under more conventional song structures (Poss had worked with guitar enemble composer Rhys Chatham and was a big fan of The Rolling Stones - the latter resulting in covers of Child of the Moon and Paint it Black). Although pretty much unconnected with it, Band of Susans are generally included in the New York No Wave scene that produced Sonic Youth and Glenn Branca.
After the dissolution of the band, Poss and Stenger performed with Bruce Gilbert of Wire as GilbertPossStenger. Poss then concentrated on production and solo work whilst Stenger played live with The Creatures for a period. An open-ended promise to reform under a new name has yet to happen.
Ice Age
Band Of Susans Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A monument of colored stone
A nest of polished bone
In glittering heat
In droning sun
Fallout showers
Riot of shooting stars in dislocated skies
In burning sun
A race for last place
The sky opens twice
White ships covered with ice
Riding oceans of air
Cross on to another world
Picture an island
The snow is softly falling
Falling softly enough to make the desert bloom
Enough to wake the dead
Who keep on dreaming an endless dream
The lyrics of "Ice Age" by Band Of Susans draw a vivid picture of a desolate world. The opening lines describe a "still life", a frozen world where everything appears petrified. The image of a "monument of colored stone" and a "nest of polished bone" suggests a world that is ancient and barren. The words "glittering heat" and "droning sun" reveal that while the world may be cold, it is still bright and unyielding.
The second verse describes a world of "fallout showers" and "shooting stars". The "dislocated skies" suggest that the world is broken and chaotic. The idea of a "race for last place" indicates that the inhabitants of this world are struggling to survive. The chorus suggests that the world is not entirely without hope, as "white ships covered with ice" ride "oceans of air" and cross into another world.
The final verse paints a picture of a small oasis in the midst of this desolate world. The "softly falling" snow is enough to bring life to a desert and awaken the dead. The words "endless dream" suggest that even in this world of despair, there is still the possibility of a better future.
Line by Line Meaning
Still life
A depiction of a stationary object like a painting or a sculpture
A monument of colored stone
A statue made of colorful stone that serves as a symbol of remembrance
A nest of polished bone
A smooth and shiny structure made out of bones, possibly referring to a bird's nest
In glittering heat
In the shimmering and bright heat of a sunny day
In droning sun
Under the relentless and monotonous rays of the sun
Fallout showers
Rain showered after a nuclear explosion that contains radioactive particles
Riot of shooting stars in dislocated skies
A violent and chaotic display of meteors in a sky that appears disturbed and disordered
In flickering heat
In rapidly changing and unsteady heat waves
In burning sun
In the extreme heat of the sun that feels scorching hot
A race for last place
Competing to come in last in a race, possibly referring to the futility of struggling in dire circumstances
The sky opens twice
The atmosphere separates into two shortly followed by another similar event
White ships covered with ice
Boats that are coated in freezing cold ice giving them white color
Riding oceans of air
Moving through the vast expanse of air that covers the Earth
Cross on to another world
Moving to a different realm or another planet altogether
Picture an island
Imagine a piece of land surrounded by water
The snow is softly falling
The snowflakes gently descend from the sky
Falling softly enough to make the desert bloom
Snow settling in the desert and enabling the dry land to grow life again
Enough to wake the dead
So powerful that it can revive the lifeless
Who keep on dreaming an endless dream
Those who are deceased and continue to dream of an unending reverie
Contributed by Declan W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.