Musically reminiscent at times of Bon Iver’s atmosphere heavy For Emma, Forever Ago or the Grateful Dead’s “Mountains of the Moon” from their 1969 release Aoxomoxoa, the sonic landscape of the band's album Seven Sisters is sparse but far from empty. On tracks like “Khima,” “Borderline” and “Brother, Sister,” the slow scrawl of the banjo melody floats through the song and surrounds you like birdsong, coming at you predictably but surprisingly from several directions at once. Each of the songs on this album stays with you, forming a soundtrack for and changing the shape of the rest of your day.
It’s appropriate that a debut album concern itself with creation and Seven Sisters is no exception. Whether it is the creation of love and a place for that love, as the narrative of the album suggests; or the creation of the universe, as the album’s title and repetition of astronomical and astrological imagery suggests; Beta Radio’s lyrics and music carve out a space in your head and find a way to fit into your own cosmology.
Lyrically, Seven Sisters explores religion, albeit from a couch rather than a pulpit. The religious allusions are subtle and unobtrusive, concerning themselves more with mysticism than proselytization, much like David Eugene Edwards’ 16 Horsepower and Wovenhand.
Line for line, the lyrics are beautiful and surprising. In “A Place for Me” the lines “I wanted not to fight / With my heart but I’ll fight with my fists all night” evoke the heartache of leaving, of lovers’ spats of loss and regret.
The album leaves you with a simple but urgent lyric refrain in “Return to Darden Road”– “Where do you go? / Come back to me / ‘Cause I love you so.” Review by deckfight
Brother Sister
Beta Radio Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Could wrestle on the floor
Of the living room, shedding our cocoons
Oh the telescope, oh the crescent moon
Open the drawer, sister by the door
Where you hide your diary
With the diagrams, all forsaken plans
Read again the note, everything you wrote
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
Grandfather, oh where have you gone?
My best friend it feels to me
It's so long, since we took our trip
To the mountain, sleeping in our tent
And when I fall I fall in you
All stars in skies they shine on you
In the chair, by the window there
I write my will on the window sill
And all I leave, its for my family
With whom I share my blood, I share my name and love
Jesus the lamb, the lion the I Am
Remember me when you're in
The promised land, no recompense
Forsaking all I've earned, forsaking self defense
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
When time and space are finally parting ways
The full eclipse of earth and my near 10, 000 days
The new trombone, or is the kingdom come
The stars outshine the moon and the moon points to the sun
Oh, oh, oh, oh
And when I fall I fall in you
All stars in skies they shine on you
And when I fall I fall in you
All stars in skies they shine on you
They only point to you
Brother brother, sister sister
Father mother, oh I've missed you
Brother brother, sister sister
Mother father, how I love you
The first verse of Beta Radio's song Brother Sister reminisces the singer's childhood with their sibling. They paint a picture of the two of them wrestling on the floor of their living room, shedding their cocoons and being carefree. The telescope and crescent moon give the impression of time passing and the singer growing older. The second half of the verse mentions the sister's diary, where she keeps her forsaken plans and diagrams. The brother urges her to read what she's written, suggesting that perhaps the plans shouldn't be forgotten, and representing the importance of self-expression and self-discovery.
The second verse mentions the singer's grandfather and how he misses him. It seems that their grandfather was more than just a family member - he was the singer's best friend. The imagery of the mountain and sleeping in their tent implies that they spent time together in nature and may have shared a love for it. The singer longs for that connection again. They go on to say that when they fall, they fall in "you," which could be interpreted as their sibling, their family, or someone else important to them.
The final verse brings a sense of closure to the song. The singer is in a chair by the window, writing their will on the windowsill. They think about what they're leaving for their family, with whom they share their blood and name. The mention of Jesus the lamb, the lion the I Am suggests a religious aspect, perhaps a nod to the idea of an afterlife or the importance of faith. The singer wants their family to remember them, even in the promised land, forsaking all they've earned and self-defense. The final lines of the song are a repetition of the familial love, calling out to their brother, sister, father, mother, and how they've missed and love them.
Line by Line Meaning
Lost it seems, brother the days that we
We have lost the days when we used to spend time together, brother
Could wrestle on the floor
We used to playfully wrestle on the floor during those days
Of the living room, shedding our cocoons
It was in the living room where we broke out of our shells and emerged as who we are today
Oh the telescope, oh the crescent moon
I remember the times when we used to gaze at the stars and the moon through the telescope
Open the drawer, sister by the door
Open the drawer where you keep your diary, sister
Where you hide your diary
The place where you store all your secrets and thoughts and feelings
With the diagrams, all forsaken plans
Reading your diary, I see all the plans you had made and abandoned
Read again the note, everything you wrote
Let's go over your diary one more time, reading everything you wrote
Grandfather, oh where have you gone?
Where are you, grandfather? I miss you and think of you often
My best friend it feels to me
You were more than just my grandfather, you were my best friend
It's so long, since we took our trip
It's been so long since we went on our trip together
To the mountain, sleeping in our tent
We went to the mountain and slept in a tent during that trip
And when I fall I fall in you
When I need support, I always turn to you
All stars in skies they shine on you
You are loved and admired by everyone around you
In the chair, by the window there
I sit in a chair by the window
I write my will on the window sill
I am writing my will on the windowsill
And all I leave, its for my family
Everything I am leaving behind is for my family
With whom I share my blood, I share my name and love
My family is the one I share my blood with and my name and love
Jesus the lamb, the lion the I Am
I remember Jesus, the lamb and the lion, and the great I Am
Remember me when you're in
Do not forget me when you are in
The promised land, no recompense
The land where everything is great, and I am not expecting anything in return
Forsaking all I've earned, forsaking self defense
I am giving up everything I own and giving up the right to defend myself
When time and space are finally parting ways
When time and space are finally separating from each other
The full eclipse of earth and my near 10, 000 days
As the earth experiences a full eclipse and as I near my 10,000th day of life
The new trombone, or is the kingdom come
Is there a new trombone playing, or is this the coming of the kingdom?
The stars outshine the moon and the moon points to the sun
The stars are brighter than the moon, and the moon is pointing towards the sun
They only point to you
Everything points to you, lord
Brother brother, sister sister
Brothers and sisters
Father mother, oh I've missed you
I have missed you, father and mother
Mother father, how I love you
I love you, mother and father
Contributed by Carson Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Sam Faulkner
I love this song.
Amiel Casidsid
Beta Radio was with me on every bike ride I took :)
Brenda Brickhouse
One of my favorites, thanks Ben
TigerandChicken
This song is probably my fave of theirs. I keep getting Wes Anderson Fantastic Mr Fox vibes.....
Caio Fagundes
Congratulations for the work.. M fan of you..
Keana Dawson
Dont know how I ended up here, but I'm glad I stayed. Just earned a subscriber lol
lucas rix
I just love the photo