Belleruche released a series of three extremely limited 7” records on their own Hippoflex Recording Industries label before signing with Tru Thoughts. These individually numbered 45’s (with hand screen-printed sleeves) quickly sold out in the UK’s independent record stores and attracted a cult following in the UK and Europe, having been hand-distributed by the band at gigs.
In 2007 Belleruche signed to Tru Thoughts and their debut album Turntable Soul Music was released in July of the same year, gaining admiring reviews both at home and abroad and becoming the fastest-selling debut album in the label’s history.
The songs on ‘Turntable Soul Music’ were written in train carriages, dubious minicabs and pub backrooms around the UK whilst the trio gigged everywhere they could. The songs were then forged and reworked in the band’s electrifying live shows. From their initial sunday residency in the Salmon and Compass in Angel, London to gigs all over Europe, Australia and Asia. ‘Turntable Soul Music’ is like a weird trawl through a dusty basement full of the best records you’ve never heard of, whilst a voice you can’t quite pin down sings hooks you can’t forget.
Their live show marks them apart, using only a turntable, sampler, guitar and microphone, they combine to produce something markedly different. Sounding at once both weird and distinctive, but at the same time musical and compelling, they have played at venues as diverse as Montreux Jazz Festival, The Dance arena at Glastonbury, and many underground nightclubs.
In October 2008 Tru Thoughts released The Express, the bands second album. Following on from the live songwriting and broken leads ethic of Belleruche's debut, 'The Express' has maybe a tougher sound.
Their latest album 270 Stories - including the singles Clockwatching, Fuzz Face and 3 Amp Fuse - was released in October 2010. The band will be playing festival dates this summer and touring the new album in autumn.
Kathrin deBoer
Raised on a pirate boat sailing the South Pacific Ocean, with only Billie Holiday and Spanky Wilson records for company, Kathrins voice carries the soul of the wind off the cape mixed with the grit of illegal Polynesian rum bars. Lyrics written in bottles cast into the sea found their way into three continents; Kathrin jumped ship and found London.
Ricky Fabulous
Leo. Baby. Following an adolescence chasing girls and heavy rock bands, Fabulous found himself trapped working for a Maltese gangster in a frozen northern town. Whilst keeping warm locked in a damp basement, he found a stack of quarter inch tapes and discovered the work of Grant Green and Django Reinhardt, which gave him the energy to slip out of town, heading south on a freight car clutching a false identity and a forty-year-old guitar.
DJ Modest
Growing up in the deep south, in engine oil and mud, Modest discovered hiphop on a stolen radio, sneaking into clubs through broken windows to hear more. Building turntables and mixers from scavenged electronic gear and two stroke engines, he created a soundsystem and played unlawful hiphop parties in strange woodlands to farmers. He coaxes twisted Bluenote solos and broken drums from Shure m44-7s whilst drunk on moonshine.
Tired Robot
Belleruche Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I can't say that mine will change
We'll have to agree to disagree on certain circumstance
In this unfortunate situation we find ourselves in
By now it must be clear that I'm sorry I confuse matters now and then
'Cause I just can't stand the sight of you hurting, over hurting again and again.
Sometimes I feel like I'm not worth a thing
Feel close to you and that's where I'd like to stay
You make me feel that is not a good thing
Not worth a thing, not worth a
Not worth a thing
Not worth a...
Chances are relief must prevail, are you not aching for some kind of reprieve
Or have you a heart grown so weary it fails you and you can not feel
Well I can assure you somehow sometime this will be over eventually
Then you can sit back and question the hows and whens till your heart's content and you'll see
Sometimes I feel like I'm not worth a thing
Too sensitive, I don't know how else to be
Feel close to you and that's where I'd like to stay
You make me feel that is not a good thing
Not worth a thing, not worth a
Not worth a thing
Not worth a...
And I thought you'd care to be friends as I'm not impressed by ultimatums
If I don't give in and give you all you want you'll leave giving me the impression it will be permanently
So am I wrong to think am I right you'll do your best to reconcile
Am I wrong to think am I right you'll do your best to try
Am I wrong to think am I right the end is here now in sight
And am I wrong to think am I right one of our wishes will be denied.
Sometimes I feel like I'm not worth a thing
Too sensitive, I don't know how else to be
Feel close to you and that's where I'd like to stay
You make me feel that is not a good thing
Not worth a thing, not worth a
Not worth a thing
Not worth a...
The song "Tired Robot" by Belleruche is about a relationship that's on the brink of falling apart. The singer is trying to salvage what they can of the relationship, but they are coming to the realization that they may not be able to. The stanza, "Well I don't want to try in vain if you've made up your mind, I can't say that mine will change, we'll have to agree to disagree on certain circumstance," shows that both parties are not on the same page about things and that they have reached an impasse. The chorus, "Sometimes I feel like I'm not worth a thing, too sensitive, I don't know how else to be," highlights the singer's insecurities and doubts about themselves, which plays a role in their struggle to maintain the relationship. They care deeply about the other person and don't want to see them hurt, but they aren't sure if they are worth the effort of trying to make things work.
The singer is hoping for some sort of resolution or reprieve from the situation, but they aren't sure if it's possible. The verse, "Chances are relief must prevail, are you not aching for some kind of reprieve, or have you a heart grown so weary it fails you and you can not feel," shows that they are hoping the other person will come around and try to fix the relationship as well. The bridge, "And I thought you'd care to be friends as I'm not impressed by ultimatums, if I don't give in and give you all you want you'll leave giving me the impression it will be permanently," highlights their frustration with ultimatums and their desire for a more mature and healthy approach to the situation.
Overall, the song "Tired Robot" by Belleruche captures the emotional complexities of a relationship struggle and the difficulties of trying to salvage a relationship that may be beyond repair.
Line by Line Meaning
Well I don't want to try in vain if you've made up your mind
I don't want to waste my time trying to change your decision
I can't say that mine will change
I can't promise that I will change my mind either
We'll have to agree to disagree on certain circumstance
We'll have to accept that we have different opinions about some things
In this unfortunate situation we find ourselves in
We're both in a difficult situation that we didn't want to be in
By now it must be clear that I'm sorry I confuse matters now and then
I know that I sometimes make things more complicated and I'm sorry for that
'Cause I just can't stand the sight of you hurting, over hurting again and again.
I don't like seeing you upset, especially if it happens repeatedly
Sometimes I feel like I'm not worth a thing
Sometimes I doubt my own value and worth
Too sensitive, I don't know how else to be
I'm very sensitive and I don't know how to change that about myself
Feel close to you and that's where I'd like to stay
I like feeling connected to you and I want to stay close to you
You make me feel that is not a good thing
But sometimes you make me feel like being close to you is a bad thing
Not worth a thing, not worth a
Again, I feel unsure of my own worth and value
Chances are relief must prevail, are you not aching for some kind of reprieve
Maybe we should focus on finding some relief from this situation - don't you want that too?
Or have you a heart grown so weary it fails you and you can not feel
Or are you so tired and worn out that you can't even feel anything anymore?
Well I can assure you somehow sometime this will be over eventually
I can promise you that at some point, this difficult situation will come to an end
Then you can sit back and question the hows and whens till your heart's content and you'll see
And once it's over, you can reflect on how and when it ended to your heart's content
And I thought you'd care to be friends as I'm not impressed by ultimatums
I thought we could be friends, but I don't respond well to being given ultimatums
If I don't give in and give you all you want you'll leave giving me the impression it will be permanently
If I don't do everything you want, it seems like you'll leave for good
So am I wrong to think am I right you'll do your best to reconcile
Am I being unrealistic to think that you'll try to make amends?
Am I wrong to think am I right the end is here now in sight
Is it wrong or right for me to believe that this situation is coming to an end?
And am I wrong to think am I right one of our wishes will be denied.
Is it foolish or insightful of me to think that one of us won't get what we want?
Contributed by Elizabeth Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
John Doe
simple but good