Almost every night, some Bound Stems get together… Read Full Bio ↴Ye olde Press Bio:
Almost every night, some Bound Stems get together for something or other. A lot of times it's for practice, but sometimes it's for a barbecue, with a lot of friendly friends around. A lot of times it's at the studio, and songs are underway. Sounds unspooling in the background: El train, northwest bound; cicadas; a stick gnawed by a puppy; now a chorus of cicadas; sidewalk conversations; giant whirring air conditioning stacks; airplanes approaching O'Hare; fat car tires, and the polite beep of a car in the mouth of an alley.
Bound Stems started making music together in late 2002, but they were already up in each other's business. Bobby Gallivan (guitar, vocals, lyrics), Dan Radzicki (bass, keys, vocals) and Dan Fleury (guitar) played basketball on the same team in high school. When they met Evan Sult (drums, tapes), they'd been playing together for a long while. He'd been in Harvey Danger (London/Sire, Polygram) in Seattle, but just moved to Chicago.
Three years later, they present their EP, The Logic of Building the Body Plan (Flameshovel Records). It was a lot of work in seclusion, really: a practice space and a studio and back and forth for six months, pretty much every day. That's what made their album, Appreciation Night, such a complex, beautiful composition, full of tricky time signatures and memorable lines. Bound Stems released Appreciation Night in September 2006: to celebrate in advance, they made an EP, The Logic of Building the Body Plan, which features seven tracks, including two from their debut record; three new songs; and two song compositions created by Bound Stems and co-producer Tim Sandusky, with whom they recorded both releases at Chicago's Studio Ballistico.
Bobby's a high school history teacher. Fleury's a financial whiz kid. Radz is a lab scientist, no shit. Evan's an art director at a comic book publisher. Czech that out. Another voice on the EP is Kate Gross, who graced both the studio and the stage with Bound Stems for a while. Newest member Janie Porche sings harmony and plays an SP606, an acoustic guitar, a keyboard or two and an electric named Sweet Tones. The Logic of Building the Body Plan is an intricately arranged 26 minutes of pop music founded on secretly complicated rhythmic structures. Male vocals and female harmonies build narratives off scenes summoned by the instruments and by a library of stolen sounds that emigrated to their songs: grandmas, crafty cabbies, trains, party laughter, turnstiles, storytellers, and a field's worth of crickets. It's approachable music; it sounds like they knocked themselves out, which they did, and it also sounds like a pleasure to dive headfirst into.
Refuse the Refuse
Bound Stems Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
"It's been a lovely year," I'm telling all my friends. The fellas laughed, but we felt that they were mortified--it's just a trained response, don't get mad at them. If we should meet, it should be out here to say goodbye...and the world sleeps tight while we move along. "Back in the old days you'd have tried to change her mind." You're learning fast, son, everybody loves you...
Every word of it was for him! It was deep in his conscience. We crossed the square walking homeward; the light laughter of the folks reached him. He understands that we're polite just for the sake of the walk home. Every word of it was for him, every word of it was for--
Reading us the news, collecting quarters. Off into the night, it's doctor's orders. People are the same, they came in contact--we kept underground, nobody would know. I could stay all night: I've got my health now, got it in the bag. The neighborhood felt finally like a home.
I was succinct 'cause I lost my voice. On the train we were talking, and everyone felt like a good friend: we'd been apart for a long time, now we've come back and we're ready. Everyone feels like a good friend. "Everyone feels like a good friend!"
It's been all going by just right: I love my life, your life... We shake hands. I walk away with pride now; I found out how. I've been up all night. I finally go to bed now: I won.
The song "Refuse the Refuse" by Bound Stems is a story of a person who has come to a realization that his life has changed for the better, and he is content with himself. The opening line of the song, "now that's what I call an evening that'll change your life," sets the tone for the rest of the lyrics. The singer is telling his friends that the past year has been enjoyable, and his success has become apparent to everyone around him. However, his friends are not as thrilled, and their laughter implies their discomfort with his newfound success.
The song talks about reflections on life and how priorities change over time. The singer contemplates the idea of meeting his friends in the future and decides to meet them outside of his new life. He acknowledges their polite conversations while walking home, but their understanding of the situation only goes as far the walk home. The singer also talks about the routine of life and the monotony it can bring. However, he finds solace in his health and well-being and how it has made him happier.
The song ends with the singer feeling accomplished after winning at something. The lyrics convey a sense of closure and acceptance, as the singer acknowledges the changes that have taken place and how he has grown. The song's message is one of contentment and acceptance in the face of change.
Line by Line Meaning
"It's been a lovely year," I'm telling all my friends.
I am telling my friends that this has been a wonderful year.
The fellas laughed, but we felt that they were mortified--it's just a trained response, don't get mad at them.
My friends laughed, but we knew they were only pretending to be shocked – it's just their way of reacting, don't take it personally.
If we should meet, it should be out here to say goodbye...and the world sleeps tight while we move along.
If we were to meet, it should be in this quiet place to say farewell...and as we depart, the world is asleep and oblivious to us.
"Back in the old days you'd have tried to change her mind." You're learning fast, son, everybody loves you...
In the past, you would have tried to convince her to think differently. Good job, you are quickly learning how to win people over.
Every word of it was for him! It was deep in his conscience. We crossed the square walking homeward; the light laughter of the folks reached him. He understands that we're polite just for the sake of the walk home. Every word of it was for him, every word of it was for--
Every word we said was directed at him, he could feel it deeply. As we walked home, we heard light laughter in the background. He realizes that we are only being polite during our walk home. Every word was meant for him, every word...
Reading us the news, collecting quarters. Off into the night, it's doctor's orders. People are the same, they came in contact--we kept underground, nobody would know. I could stay all night: I've got my health now, got it in the bag. The neighborhood felt finally like a home.
Reading the news to us, collecting coins. The doctor ordered that we stay out all night. We were in contact with others, but we kept it hidden so nobody knew. I could stay up all night, I am healthy now and everything is going well. I finally feel like this neighborhood is my home.
("It's how it's always been," you told me everything. Mystery is solved!)
("That is how it has always been," you explained everything to me. The mystery is solved!
I was succinct 'cause I lost my voice. On the train we were talking, and everyone felt like a good friend: we'd been apart for a long time, now we've come back and we're ready. Everyone feels like a good friend. "Everyone feels like a good friend!"
I spoke concisely because I had lost my voice. On the train, we were chatting and everyone felt like we were old friends. We had been away from each other for a long time, but now we are reunited and ready to keep going. To everyone, we feel like good friends. "Everyone feels like a good friend!"
It's been all going by just right: I love my life, your life... We shake hands. I walk away with pride now; I found out how. I've been up all night. I finally go to bed now: I won.
Everything has been going exactly the way it should: I love my life and I love yours... We shake hands and I walk away with pride. I finally figured out how to win. I have been awake all night, but now I can finally go to bed. I have triumphed.
Contributed by Abigail H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.