Together, these contradictory characters have combined their strengths to deliver their sophomore album Distraction – a collection in which their love of pop hooks is filtered cohesively through an eclectic collection of genre elements ranging from psychedelic to punk. “Giants” is perhaps the track that best encapsulates everything that makes Bear Hands special, as it flows from a manic verse full of hollered stream-of-consciousness lyrics into an infectious chorus, in which the universal emotion of “I’m loving you more” is set to a cascading riff.
Rau and Feldman first met as film students at Connecticut’s Wesleyan University, an institution that has become well known for turning out a steady stream of talented musicians due to its focus on the arts. They became fast friends, bonding over a pot brownie and a shared taste in music. However, as Feldman was already in another band at the time, it would be several months before the two would begin to collaborate musically.
After going through an unpleasant breakup, Dylan discovered that his ex-girlfriend had taken up with one of Ted’s bandmates. When he found out that the band had also been offered a record deal, Dylan decided that they would not ride off into the sunset with both his ex-girlfriend and the guitarist he wanted to join forces with. “I said, ‘this isn’t how I’m going to go down.’ I confronted Ted and said, ‘Alright, that’s it – we’re starting a band!’” Once Ted had been convinced to abandon his previous band and form a new one with Dylan, it was time to complete the lineup.
Rau quickly identified the ideal rhythm section for his new band: bassist Val Loper and drummer TJ Orscher of Glastonbury, CT’s In Pieces. “TJ was definitely one of the best drummers in the area,” explains Rau. “I remember Val playing a show at my school, and him spinning around really, really fast and getting his bass stuck in the ground, and then he tripped over it and knocked over a PA speaker. It was super boss.”
Knowing that he’d need to recruit them as a team, Rau used some mini-Machiavellian tricks to convince each member that the other was already interested. Once they’d come around to the idea, the first session together displayed an almost telepathic connection. As Feldman remembers: “Everyone was pretty surprised at how easily it came together. We put four songs together in the first two rehearsals. In retrospect, it was our honeymoon period.”
After Rau’s master plan came together (“You’ve got to poach people from other bands – you scout them and pick people off like weak antelope”), Bear Hands signed to indie label Cantora Records. Bear Hands’ debut album Burning Bush Supper Club was released in 2010, but their progress faltered due to legal complications and daily distractions. This, combined with some inspiration from Jonathan Lethem’s novel Chronic City, led to the band naming their new album Distraction. “It’s about losing touch with reality,” states Rau. “Many things distract us: doing drugs; drinking; reality television; good food; the Internet.”
Frustrated by this protracted hiatus, Bear Hands decided to take the initiative and fund the making of Distraction themselves. Working on a tight budget meant that Feldman, already the director of the band’s videos, would also take the role of producer, with engineering assistance courtesy of their friends Yale Yng-Wong and Jake Aron. To record the drums and the basic tracks, they headed to Feldman’s parents’ house, which was transformed into a makeshift studio for a week. “Luckily my parents weren’t there because they probably would’ve freaked out. It looked awesome to me, but maybe not their style,” laughs Feldman. Overdubs and vocals were completed at Yng-Wong’s studio, Doctor Wu’s, in Brooklyn.
Numerous songs on the album are based on real life experiences. “Agora” addresses Rau’s experiences with agoraphobia. “Mixed with a couple of other mental health issues, it was pretty bad,” he admits. “I still have trouble and I have to force myself to leave the house. Socializing and exercise are the two things that I’m trying to work on improving. Sometimes I have little interest in either.”
Another common theme is failing romance. "Thought Wrong" is based upon a time when two of the band members were simultaneously involved in intense break-ups, while "Vile Iowa" reflects Rau’s experiences visiting his ex-girlfriend’s family – conservative, teetotaller Mormons. “I don’t think they really liked me and I don’t think they trusted me,” he sighs. “I have a history of dating girls from the Midwest whose families don’t like me. It’s a habit I need to get over.”
With character, creativity and pure songmanship in abundance, the global appeal of Distraction should ensure that Rau will have a new chance to broaden his horizons way beyond the Midwest. “We’ve always aimed to write pop songs because that’s just what we like, but we also like all sorts of different styles,” affirms Feldman. “There hasn’t been a huge paradigm shift in genres. I think it’s been an evolution of quality.”
Bear Hands is a post-punk/experimental/indie rock act hailing from Brooklyn, New York. Forming in 2006, the band consists of Dylan Rau, Ted Feldman, Val Loper and TJ Orscher.
www.bearhandsband.com
Moment of Silence
Bear Hands Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
So, I abandon my call for reign.
NO, this is not what the God's made us for... little sacrificial animals.
In the store all caged up. Pre-paid at the door.
Don't wait up. I'll join you tomorrow right here, right now. Let the weaklings drown.
Oh, let the water wash me away so I can live with the innocent.
Oh, let the birds of a feather sing of the pain that the pleasure brings,
of the change in the western wind and the changed direction.
In the store all caged up. Pre-paid at the door. Don't wait up.
I'll join you tomorrow right here, right now. Death to sacred cows.
The ghost in the machine, I feel it open up to me.
I feel the ocean swallowing everything, every breed, every being. [4x]
(Oh holy man, feed the Volcano. So, I abandon my call for reign.
NO, this is not what the God's made us for... little sacrificial animals.
In the store all caged up. Pre-paid at the door.
Don't wait up. I'll join you tomorrow right here, right now. Only one way out.)
The Bear Hands song, "Moment of Silence," is a haunting reflection on the destructive forces that govern our world. From the very first line, "Oh holy man, feed the Volcano," the lyrics paint a picture of humanity as being at the mercy of a cruel and capricious deity. The singer feels trapped and mocked by this power - "So, I abandon my call for reign" - and denies the notion that humans were created solely to be sacrificed like "little sacrificial animals." The imagery of being "caged up" in a store, pre-paid at the door, speaks to the idea of being powerless to resist the forces of consumerism and commodification that keep us all trapped in a system of exploitation and oppression.
The chorus of the song is a plea for release from this trap: "Oh, let the water wash me away so I can live with the innocent...No, I'm a butcher, the bible says so...In the kitchen for a cannibal." The use of water as a cleansing force is an ancient symbol of transformation and rebirth, and here it represents a yearning for escape from the ugliness of the world. However, the singer realizes that they themselves are implicated in this ugliness ("I'm a butcher, the bible says so") - perhaps a reference to the idea that we are all complicit in a system of oppression even if we do not actively participate in it. The lyrics seem to suggest that the only way out of this trap is through death ("Only one way out"), although whether this is a metaphorical or literal death is left open to interpretation.
Overall, "Moment of Silence" is a fascinating and deeply thought-provoking song that reflects on some of the most pressing issues of our time, including globalization, climate change, and the commodification of human life. Its haunting imagery and urgent tone make it a powerful meditation on the ways in which we are all implicated in a system that threatens to swallow us whole.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh holy man, feed the Volcano.
Addressing a religious figure to sacrifice to the forces of nature to appease them.
So, I abandon my call for reign.
Dismissing one's quest for power and control over others.
NO, this is not what the God's made us for... little sacrificial animals.
Rejecting the idea that humans were created to be used as offerings for divine beings.
In the store all caged up. Pre-paid at the door.
Feeling trapped and confined in a situation that was paid for in advance.
Don't wait up. I'll join you tomorrow right here, right now. Let the weaklings drown.
Leaving others behind to fend for themselves and implying that only the strong survive.
Oh, let the water wash me away so I can live with the innocent.
Desiring to cleanse oneself of guilt or sin and be among those who are pure and blameless.
No, I'm a butcher, the bible says so.. In the kitchen for a cannibal.
Acknowledging a negative aspect of oneself and comparing it to a biblical figure who kills animals for food.
Oh, let the birds of a feather sing of the pain that the pleasure brings, of the change in the western wind and the changed direction.
Invoking the idea that those who are alike will share in both the joys and sorrows of life and that the winds of change are blowing.
Death to sacred cows.
Challenging established beliefs or practices and calling for a radical change.
The ghost in the machine, I feel it open up to me.
Sensing something intangible or spiritual within oneself that is becoming more apparent.
I feel the ocean swallowing everything, every breed, every being.
Perceiving the vastness and power of the natural world and its ability to consume and destroy all forms of life.
(Oh holy man, feed the Volcano. So, I abandon my call for reign. NO, this is not what the God's made us for... little sacrificial animals. In the store all caged up. Pre-paid at the door. Don't wait up. I'll join you tomorrow right here, right now. Only one way out.)
Repeating the earlier lines to emphasize the rejection of traditional beliefs and structures and the need to take action to escape from them.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
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