Current band members are drummer Tomer Z, bassist Seffy Efrati, and keyboardist Eran Mitelman. Former band members include Chris Maitland (replaced by Tomer Z, 2004) and Daniel Salomon (replaced by Eran Mitelman, 2007).
Collaborative era:
Formed after a meeting in 2000, the partnership blossomed into a cross-cultural collaboration called Blackfield.
Aviv had discovered Porcupine Tree in the mid ‘90s and followed their career development. In 2000 he invited the band to perform some concerts in Israel and met with Steven in London to discuss working together. Before long they had collaborated on the first Blackfield song. In 2001 the two met in a studio in Tel Aviv with the intention of recording a one-off EP.
The results of the session were so impressive however, that the EP was cancelled and the decision was made to continue writing and recording a full length album. Over the next 18 months the pair fitted in Blackfield writing and recording sessions whenever they could between their other commitments and finally in October 2003 the debut album was complete.
The collaborative songs alongside songs written by each separately brought a unique meeting of cultures, which resulted in the self titled album, which was hailed at the time as 'hypnotically effective' (Classic Rock) and ‘another strike of genius from Steven Wilson’ (Eclipsed).
Blackfield II arrived in February 2007. The pair’s return was greeted by an equally enthusiastic media response with Clash describing it as ‘a lush but soulful mix of separate cultures, deep sounds and touching lyrics,’ and CMU proclaiming it as ‘simply another complete triumph from the duo.’
Geffen-led era:
In January 2009, to promote his first English-language European release, Geffen went on a small tour of Europe with the Blackfield live band, including Wilson being billed as a special guest. Half of the set consisted of songs from the then yet to be released first English language solo album by Geffen while the rest was a selection of Blackfield songs. Wilson would also appear on three tracks from the album.
In April 2010, Geffen and Wilson got into studio to begin writing the follow-up to Blackfield II. However, this time, all songs, with the exception of the track "Waving", were written by Geffen, as Wilson had been concentrating on his second solo album, Grace for Drowning, at the same time. Wilson only performed lead vocals on five of the eleven tracks, but provide backing or co-vocals on several other tracks. Their third album, Welcome to my DNA, was released on the 28th of March 2011 and supported by a European and North American tour following a kickoff concert in Israel. However, several concert dates were cancelled due to the death of Wilson's father in May 2011.
After touring for Welcome to my DNA was completed, Wilson confirmed that with Blackfield, like the majority of his other projects, he himself had no particular plans for the future, but the project wasn't necessarily over either. However, in January 2012, Geffen has announced his intentions to release a fourth Blackfield album by May 2012. This prompted Wilson to announce that his role would continue to lessen, with Wilson acting only as a contributor and mixer. Wilson said of the band's future:
"[…] just to clarify news elsewhere of a new Blackfield album coming this year – please note that this time my involvement will be as a contributor rather than a member. I will still be mixing the album, and maybe sing on a couple of Aviv’s songs (there will be other guest singers I understand), but with my complete blessing Blackfield is now under his sole curatorship, a process which really began with Welcome to My DNA."
Wilson later admitted that it was his own idea for Geffen to take over the project, because Wilson wanted to concentrate on his solo career and Porcupine Tree in 2012 and 2013, while Geffen wanted to do another Blackfield album right away in 2012, and Wilson felt guilty about holding him back.
On January 29 and January 30, both Geffen and Wilson were in the studio working on vocals and guitar for the fourth album. Wilson stated that he will contribute lead vocals to only one song, but is also contributing "a bunch of guitar parts" and "arranging backing vocals". Despite his lessened role, he still said that he was "protective of the Blackfield legacy", and that the next album would "still sound like a quintessential Blackfield album." One of the guest vocalists that Wilson had alluded to before, was revealed to be Vincent Cavanagh of the band Anathema, who recorded vocals for a track.
On June 14, 2012, Geffen announced he was in the final mixing stages of the album with Wilson.
In a September 2012 interview with Discord Magazine, Wilson reiterated his stance with Blackfield, stating:
"I won’t say producing [the fourth album], I am only helping [Geffen], a bit of singing, guitar, mixing whatever it takes but I am not going to tour, it’ll be too much, I’ll kill myself, would just run myself to the ground. I won’t tour Blackfield anymore but I will do anything to keep the name going…I just don’t think that writing the kind of style that Blackfield make is where I am at right now."
At the end of November 2012, Geffen stated that he roughly aims for an April 2013 release time frame. Wilson confirmed that he sang and played guitar on several tracks, but "much less than before", that Geffen was able to get "a bunch of great singers to contribute to the record, some of whom are quite well known", and that the album would be the first that Geffen would consent to be mixed for surround sound.
On February 25, 2013, Wilson released his third solo album, The Raven That Refused to Sing (And Other Stories), of which some copies contained a compilation sampler disc of music done by artists under record label Kscope; one track was a new track, "Pills", taken from the fourth Blackfield album.
On June 9, 2013, it was announced that the fourth album would officially be titled Blackfield IV, and its release date would be August 26, 2013.
Christenings
Blackfield Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You had slept in the clothes you wore
But I knew I'd seen you somewhere before
What happened to your guitar?
And what happened to the prettiest star?
Can you still play the songs that got you so far?
How low have you got to go before you're through
High times, a butler in the morning
All your memories are coming out of your shoes
Black dog, sitting in the park
Odd looks from the mothers of the devil's own
Shoplifting, getting your essentials
Gate crashing, christenings and funerals...
And weddings too
I used to see you all the time on MTV
Read your life story in a magazine
I guess you thought that's the way it'll always be
But I believe in you
'Cause I think that you'd want me to
Though I never really liked your songs, its true
Hey you, with your shadow in the gutter
How low have you got to go before you're through
High times, a butler in the morning
All your memories are coming out of your shoes
Black dog, sitting in the park
Odd looks from the mothers of the devil's own
Shoplifting, getting your essentials
Gate crashing, christenings and funerals...
And weddings too
Hey you, with your shadow in the gutter
How low have you got to go before you're through
High times, a butler in the morning
All your memories are coming out of your shoes
Black dog, sitting in the park
Odd looks from the mothers of the devil's own
Shoplifting, getting your essentials
Gate crashing, christenings and funerals...
And weddings too
The lyrics of "Christenings" by Blackfield tell the story of meeting someone who used to be famous, possibly a musician, who is now fallen on hard times. The singer met this person in a record store, where they recognized them even though they were disheveled and had clearly been sleeping in their clothes. They reminisce about the person's career and express disbelief that they have fallen so far. The lyrics describe the person's past success, mentioning their guitar and the prettiest star, and ask if they can still play the songs that got them so far.
The chorus repeats the refrain, "Hey you, with your shadow in the gutter / How low have you got to go before you're through / High times, a butler in the morning / All your memories are coming out of your shoes / Black dog, sitting in the park / Odd looks from the mothers of the devil's own / Shoplifting, getting your essentials / Gate crashing, christenings and funerals... / And weddings too." The imagery suggests a life of desperation and struggle, with the black dog representing depression and the odd looks from mothers being a judgment of the person's behavior.
Overall, the song is a poignant commentary on fame, fortune, and the inevitable fall from grace that can come with it. It speaks to the human desire for success and the lengths we will go to achieve it, but also the harsh realities of life and how quickly everything can be taken away.
Line by Line Meaning
I met you in a record store
The singer met someone in a record store.
You had slept in the clothes you wore
The person met in the record store had slept in their clothes.
But I knew I'd seen you somewhere before
The singer had a feeling that they had seen the person before.
What happened to your guitar?
The artist is curious about the person's guitar.
And what happened to the prettiest star?
The artist is curious about what happened to a person or an object referred to as the 'prettiest star'.
Can you still play the songs that got you so far?
The singer is curious if the person can still play the songs that made them successful.
Hey you, with your shadow in the gutter
The singer is addressing the person they met in the record store.
How low have you got to go before you're through
The artist is asking the person how much worse things will get before they hit rock bottom.
High times, a butler in the morning
The artist is referencing a past life of the person in which they experienced highs and had a butler in the morning.
All your memories are coming out of your shoes
The person's memories are starting to come to the surface.
Black dog, sitting in the park
The singer is referencing a black dog sitting in a park. It is unclear if this is a metaphor.
Odd looks from the mothers of the devil's own
The person is receiving strange looks from people they encounter, specifically women who appear to be judging them harshly.
Shoplifting, getting your essentials
The singer is referencing shoplifting, suggesting that the person has resorted to stealing in order to get by.
Gate crashing, christenings and funerals... And weddings too
The person is gate crashing or sneaking into events such as christenings, funerals, and weddings.
I used to see you all the time on MTV
The person was frequently on MTV in the past.
Read your life story in a magazine
The artist read a magazine detailing the person's life story.
I guess you thought that's the way it'll always be
The person believed that they would always be successful and in the public eye.
But I believe in you
The singer still believes in the person.
'Cause I think that you'd want me to
The singer believes the person would want them to still have faith in them.
Though I never really liked your songs, its true
The artist is admitting to never having particularly liked the person's music.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Downtown Music Publishing
Written by: STEVEN WILSON, COLIN EDWIN BALCH, RICHARD BARBIERI, GAVIN RICHARD HARRISON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind