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.
Cloudy Now
Blackfield Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We can call our country
There's a mixed up man
And I guess that's me
The sun's in the sky
But the storm no seems to end.
Its a place of sorrow
In the darkest thoughts
Yeah, I guess their my own
There is welth in the bank
But there is nothing sure inside.
Its cloudy now
Its cloudy now
Its cloudy now
Its getting cloudy now
In a special place
That I call my life
My father is cruel and he lost his wife
But I don't see either
Cause I live a cross the street
Its a beautiful thing when it starts to rain
The man who drinks
Just to drown the pain
And I can't stop from dreaming
Of something else.
Its cloudy now
Its cloudy now
Its getting cloudy now
Its cloudy now
Its cloudy now
Its getting cloudy now
We are a fucked up generation
Its cloudy now
The song "Cloudy Now" by Blackfield is a powerful reflection on a troubled life in a difficult and uncertain world. The lyrics are deeply personal and introspective, exploring the emotional turmoil of living in a violent and confusing place. The singer identifies himself as a mixed up man, lost in a country that is both beautiful and sorrowful. He sees wealth in the bank, but feels nothing sure inside. The sun shines above, but the storm never seems to end.
The second verse reveals further layers of the singer's life. He speaks of a father who is cruel and has lost his wife, but he does not see either of them because he lives across the street. The imagery in this verse is stark and powerful, highlighting the pain and isolation of a fractured family. The singer finds beauty in the rain, contrasting this with the man who drinks to drown his pain. He dreams of something else, something better, but always the clouds gather and block out the light.
Overall, "Cloudy Now" is a haunting and powerful meditation on the difficulties of life in a broken world. The lyrics are deeply personal and insightful, exploring the pain and confusion of the human condition with unflinching honesty.
Line by Line Meaning
In a violent place
Describing a place where there is a lot of aggression and violence.
We can call our country
Referring to this place as the country of the singer and the people who live there.
There's a mixed up man
Referring to the singer himself as feeling confused and out of sorts.
And I guess that's me
Acknowledging that the person described in the previous line is indeed the artist himself.
The sun's in the sky
Pointing out that it is daytime and the sun is visible in the sky.
But the storm no seems to end.
Despite it being daytime, the singer feels like there is constant turmoil and negativity around them.
Its a place of sorrow
Referring to the violent place mentioned at the beginning, as a place filled with sadness.
That we call it a home
Despite the sorrowful state of the place, the people who live there still consider it their home.
In the darkest thoughts
Referring to negative and depressing thoughts that the artist is experiencing.
Yeah, I guess their my own
Admitting that the negative thoughts are the artist's own and that they can't seem to shake them off.
There is welth in the bank
Acknowledging that the singer has money in the bank.
But there is nothing sure inside.
Despite having money, the artist still feels uncertain and unhappy on the inside.
Its cloudy now
Repeating a phrase as a way of emphasizing the feelings of sadness and uncertainty in the singer's life.
Its cloudy now
Continuing the repetition for further emphasis.
Its cloudy now
Maintaining the emphasis on the cloudy state of mind of the singer.
Its getting cloudy now
Indicating that the artist's feelings of sadness and uncertainty are increasing in intensity.
In a special place
Referring to a different, more personal place in the artist's life.
That I call my life
Acknowledging that this place represents the singer's entire life.
My father is cruel and he lost his wife
Describing the singer's father as mean and having lost his spouse.
But I don't see either
Admitting that the artist doesn't pay attention to either of his father or his father's late wife.
Cause I live a cross the street
Explaining that the artist doesn't live close to his father and therefore doesn't see him often.
Its a beautiful thing when it starts to rain
Contrasting the negative feelings described earlier with a positive feeling of beauty when it rains.
The man who drinks
Referring to a person who drinks too much alcohol as a way of dealing with emotional pain.
Just to drown the pain
Explaining that the person drinks to cope with emotional pain.
And I can't stop from dreaming
Acknowledging the singer's tendency to dream of a different, happier life.
Of something else.
Ending the song on a somewhat optimistic note, as the singer continues to dream of something better.
We are a fucked up generation
Making a statement about the current state of the world and how the younger generations have a lot to deal with.
Its cloudy now
Ending the song with a final emphasis on the cloudy state of mind of the artist.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Aviv Geffen, Steven Wilson, STEVEN JOHN WILSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind