Born and bred in Brooklyn, New York but with roots in Vancouver, Canada, the history of electronic duo Bob Moses is as curious as the cool house music outfit's name. Members Jimmy Vallance and Tom Howie knew one another from the Vancouver high school they both attended, and were drawn to each other thanks to a shared love of pop-punk bands like Rancid and Green Day. Adulthood found them both in Brooklyn, with Vallance recording Berlin-styled techno while Howie worked in the realm of the singer/songwriter. Both felt musically stuck and hungered for something new, a problem solved by the simple union of their styles, which created something cool and decidedly "post-club." Named after the urban planner who designed the modern New York City, they became Bob Moses and joined the Scissor & Thread label in 2012 with the EP Hand to Hold. The Far from the Tree EP followed on the label in 2013, and a year later the group released the First to Cry EP on Domino.
In 2015, the label gathered up all the duo's early EPs for the compilation All in All and also released their debut album, Days Gone By. The single "Tearing Me Up" earned them a pair of Grammy nominations, winning for Best Remixed Recording (Non-Classical) with RAC. The buzz surrounding "Tearing Me Up" carried them into the next year, with appearances on television shows and a special edition re-release of Days Gone By. In 2018, they issued their sophomore full-length, Battle Lines, featuring the single "Heaven Only Knows." A 2019 Unplugged EP preceded 2020's Desire, which included a collaboration with ZHU as its title track. Falling Into Focus, an hour-long set recorded at the top of an abandoned radio tower in Topanga, California, was released as a live album and performance film in November of 2020. "Griffith" and the Elderbrook collaboration "Inner Light" were both issued in 2021. The Silence in Between, Bob Moses' third studio full-length, appeared in 2022.
Biography by David Jeffries for ALLMUSIC
There is another artist with the same name:
2) -Rakalam Bob Moses (b. Jan. 28, 1948) is an American jazz drummer born in New York City.
Moses played with Roland Kirk in 1964-65 while he was still a teenager. In 1966 he and Larry Coryell formed The Free Spirits, a jazz fusion ensemble, and from 1967 to 1969 he played in Gary Burton's quartet. He also recorded with Burton in the 1970s, in addition to work with Dave Liebman/Open Sky, Pat Metheny, Mike Gibbs, Hal Galper, Gil Goldstein, Steve Swallow, Steve Kuhn/Sheila Jordan (from 1979 to 1982), George Gruntz, and Emily Remler (from 1983 to 1984). In the early 1970s he was a member of Compost with Harold Vick, Jumma Santos, Jack Gregg and Jack DeJohnette. His first session as a leader was in 1975. His releases for Gramavision in the 1980s received critical acclaim.
Moses currently performs alongside John Lockwood, Don Pate, and John Medeski with guitarist Tisziji Muñoz and teaches at New England Conservatory.
Talk
Bob Moses Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's out of mind and out of sight
But everything will only stay the same
If we won't talk about it
And we won't talk about it
We won't talk about all the things we need to most
And everything we're coming close
So we won't talk about it
We won't talk about it
We won't talk about itWe won't talk about it
You see it all in black and white
It's out of mind and out of sight
But everything will only stay the same
If we won't talk about it
And we won't talk about it
"No one can hear me anyway"
Well if you go on talking like that
It doesn't matter what to say
You're so concerned with making it fit
'Cause if you give it all away
Then can you tell me what we have left?
No one will hear a word you say
If we won't talk about it.
So pass it off
It's out of sigh
But nothing here is black and white
And who's to say what's wrong and right for me?
If we won't talk about it
The song "Talk" by Bob Moses speaks about the difficulty we face when it comes to talking about the things that matter most. The song urges us to open up and share our thoughts on the things that we hold dear, even if we are afraid of speaking our truths. The song speaks of the "black and white" view we often have in life, where things are either right or wrong, and how this can prevent us from expressing ourselves and connecting with others.
The chorus of the song emphasises the importance of conversation for progress. The repetition of "we won't talk about it" becomes a warning against stagnation and status quo. The song acknowledges the discomfort that can come with opening up about our emotions and ideas, as well as the fear of being misunderstood or ignored. However, it also confronts the potential consequences of silence, emphasising that our silence means we are complicit in maintaining the current way of things.
In the verse "No one can hear me anyway," Bob Moses points out the self-defeating nature of staying silent. If we automatically assume that no one will listen to us, we will never even attempt to speak. The song recognises that difficult conversations are necessary for personal growth and for society at large to improve. If we want to make meaningful change, we cannot afford to shy away from difficult discussions.
Line by Line Meaning
You see it all in black and white
The singer sees that people are only seeing things in a simplistic manner
It's out of mind and out of sight
There are issues that are being ignored
But everything will only stay the same
If people keep avoiding the problems, nothing will change
If we won't talk about it
The only way to create change is to discuss the issues at hand
And we won't talk about it
People are hesitant to discuss the issues
We won't talk about all the things we need to most
There are things that people should be discussing but they're not
And everything we're coming close
The problems are becoming more and more pressing
You pass it off and look the other way.
People are ignoring the issues and hoping they'll go away
So we won't talk about it
People are avoiding the necessary discussions
We won't talk about it
The artist is emphasizing that nobody is discussing the issues at hand
We won't talk about itWe won't talk about it
People are avoiding the necessary discussions
No one can hear me anyway
The artist feels like their voice isn't being heard
Well if you go on talking like that
The singer is pointing out that being defeatist doesn't help the situation
It doesn't matter what to say
Even if you do speak up, it may feel like nobody is listening
You're so concerned with making it fit
People are trying to fit in and not make waves
'Cause if you give it all away
If people give up on discussing the issues, what will be left?
Then can you tell me what we have left?
If people stop discussing the issues, what will be left?
No one will hear a word you say
If people don't discuss the issues, then nothing will change
So pass it off
People are trying to ignore the issues at hand
It's out of sigh
The issues are being ignored and pushed aside
But nothing here is black and white
The situation is more complicated than it appears
And who's to say what's wrong and right for me?
The artist is questioning who gets to decide what's right and wrong
If we won't talk about it
The only way to create change is to discuss the issues at hand
Contributed by William V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@crazybluepixie
You see it all in black and white
It's out of mind and out of sight
But everything will only stay the same
If we won't talk about it
And we won't talk about it
We won't talk about all the things we need to most
And everytime we're coming close
You pass it off and look the other way.
So we won't talk about it
We won't talk about it
We won't talk about it We won't talk about it
You see it all in black and white
It's out of mind and out of sight
But everything will only stay the same
If we won't talk about it
And we won't talk about it
"No one can hear me anyway"
Well if you go on talking like that
It doesn't matter what to say
You're so concerned with making it fit
'Cause if you give it all away
Then can you tell me what we have left?
No one will hear a word you say
If we won't talk about it.
So pass it off
It's out of sigh
But nothing here is black and white
And who's to say what's wrong and right for me?
If we won't talk about it
@DiegoUlises7285
You see it all in black and white
It's out of mind and out of sight
But everything will only stay the same
If we won't talk about it
And we won't talk about it
We won't talk about all the things we need to most
and everything we're coming close
You pass it off and look the other way.
So we won't talk about it
We won't talk about it
We won't talk about itWe won't talk about it
You see it all in black and white
It's out of mind and out of sight
But everything will only stay the same
If we won't talk about it
And we won't talk about it
"No one can hear me anyway"
Well if you go on talking like that
It doesn't matter what to say
You're so concerned with making it fit
'Cause if you give it all away
Then can you tell me what we have left?
No one will hear a word you say
If we won't talk about it.
So pass it off
It's out of sigh
But nothing here is black and white
And who's to say what's wrong and right for me?
If we won't talk about it.
@richm.3477
I don't know how many hundreds of times I have played this song without getting tired of it. I can listen to it half a dozen times in a row and enjoy it just as much, if not more, each time. I am sure my neighbors love me!
@badkitty22
I'm addicted to Bob Moses, I can relate!
@w500dha
Acabo de conocer está canción mirando Coachella live, es simplemente magnífica y en vivo la tocaron aún mejor.
@MrOfcourseitsme
tell you what - this is high-end video production. Congrats to Bob Moses for producing this.
Love their music, btw. Saw them open for Chemical Brothers, loved them immediately.
@onionmix9224
Esse clipe me dá arrepio até hoje
@stopfear10
Haven't heard a song by Bob Moses that I don't like. I'm buying his cd's and will play them on repeat.
@daggiedrop7108
CD? Wtf is that?
@TheJpoder
@Kid A Radiohead trolling?
@jarretpaul
I just discovered them a few weeks ago.. I'm on the same page as you.. Just amazing.. Haven't come across a song I haven't liked yet.
@nouptime
I used to listen to them on my morning commute a couple of years ago without actually figuring out who they were. Never occurred to me to look them up here, but glad I finally did.