Brakes (known as ‘Brakesbrakesbrakes’ on their US releases) were formed when Tom White (guitar) and Alex White (drums) of The Electric Soft Parade saw Eamon Hamilton (vocals, guitar) then of British Sea Power perform a solo gig supporting The Lonesome Organist in Brighton. Marc Beatty (bass) of Mockin' Bird Studios and The Tenderfoot (and who also worked with British Sea Power, when recording their debut album) was also soon recruited, and the band set about recording their debut single, "Pick Up the Phone", which was released on Tugboat Records in 2004.
In early 2005 the band recorded their debut album, Give Blood, for Rough Trade Records. The album was released in July of the same year. The album features 16 songs (including re-recordings of the 3 tracks from their debut single) and runs for 29 minutes. It features duets with Leila Moss of The Duke Spirit on a cover of the Johnny Cash / June Carter Cash classic "Jackson" and with The Pipettes on a version of The Jesus and Mary Chain's "Sometimes Always".The album was voted the best of 2005 by Rough Trade shops.
The album featured re-recorded versions of "Pick Up The Phone" and the tracks "I Can't Stand To Stand Beside You" and "Cheney" which also featured on their debut single, as well as the singles "All Night Disco Party" and "Ring A Ding Ding"
Brakes toured with Belle & Sebastian in January and February 2006 and Editors in February and March 2006.
The continued success of the band has lead to Eamon quitting his role as keyboardist for British Sea Power. What began as a side project has become a serious proposition.
Brakes released their second album 'The Beatific Visions' in November 2006. On The Beatific Visions, they're more like the Pixies than ever before, having made a more "serious" album than their debut, Give Blood, while retaining their off-kilter aura.
The Beatific Visions is dominated by direly catchy and fully fleshed-out songs that pop like punk, lilt like country, mutter politics, and reek of the garage: "Hold Me in the River" crashes along on an ornery, feel-good choogle; the twangy licks on "On Your Side" are so slippery that it sounds like guitarist Thomas White had chicken grease on his fingers. These are balanced out with tender ballads that don't sacrifice Brakes' dark, ridiculous wit, like the baggy trail-song "If I Should Die Tonight" ("tell her that I love her," Hamilton croons with fleeting sweetness, "or she might never know,"), the light-as-the-Shins ballad "Isabel", and standout track "No Return", a serene, blossoming hum that brings the album to a moving close.
‘The Beatific Visions’ draws on tender sentiments and imperative, unruly rock and roll, proving Brakes are a band capable of more than a handful of radio-friendly hooks. Enthralling critics and fans alike, the Killers were so impressed that they asked Brakes to join them on tour, while ‘The Beatific Visions’ was cited by Radio 1’s Colin Murray as his Album Of The Year, and voted Number 4 in Rough Trade Shops’ Best Albums of 2006.
Brakes put their unique spin on another hypermodern trend, the mobile-communications-technology song. "Mobile communications let me down again," Eamon sings to a bad connection on this melting slow-burner. Brakes straddle the silly-serious fault line without slipping; Eamon's more refined vocal style-- rambunctious, squalling, charismatic and tuneful-- is a terrific conduit for such vibrantly contrasting content. If the pre-apocalyptic fear is omnipresent, so is the reckless abandon.
Brakes signed to FatCat in October 2008, and released their third album ‘Touchdown’ - recorded by Paul Savage at Chem 19 Studios in Scotland - in April 2009. Whilst in the studio, accoustic versions of new and older songs were laid down and a live album was mixed. This was later released as 'Rock is Dodelijk' in February 2009 to favourable reviews from publications such as the NME and Pitchfork who praised its accurate documentation of Brakes' rambunctious live show. More recently Brakes embarked on a very successful US tour with fellow FatCat residents The Twilight Sad and We Were Promised Jetpacks in October 2009.
The band's debut live album 'Rock is Dodelijk' - recorded partly in hometown Brighton and partly in Cologne, Germany - was released in November 2009. Their live set is notorious for its rambunctious energy and ear-splitting immediacy, and ‘Rock Is Dodelijk’ faithfully Brakes’ thrilling crash through it.
No Return
Brakes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Of a shop in Birmingham
Trying to forget the news
But you know how things sometimes are
The fates conspire to
Remind you
'No Return' like I'd said
'No Return', those searing words
Burning in my head
I'd come across a compilation
Called 'Blues in a Minor Chord'
As though you were there behind me
I'd turned it over to read the sleeve notes,
Credits in a daze
And a chill came up my spine
'No Return' was its title
'No Return' like you'd said
'No Return', those piercing words
Tattered in my head
And I'd said,
"The pain of being together
Is more than being apart"
I thought of you all December long
And now it's a New Year's start
"The loneliness of walking by your side
Is more than walking alone"
It's why I'm leaving
I let out a hollow howling
Falling terribly
Like wind escaping from a tube
I think they call it coincidence
Or something like deja vu
You never believe it 'til it happens to you
'No Return' was its title
'No Return' like we'd said
'No Return', like icicles
Falling through our heads
And I'd said,
"The pain of being together
Is more than being apart"
I thought of you all December long
And now it's a New Year's start
"The loneliness of walking by your side
Is more than walking alone"
It's why I'm leaving
It's why I'm leaving
It's why I'm leaving
It's why I'm leaving...
The song "No Return" by Brakes tells a story of a person who is trying to forget some bad news and goes to a record shop in Birmingham. While browsing through records, the person comes across a compilation called "Blues in a Minor Chord," and the title of one track catches their attention: "No Return." The words of this song remind the person of a painful experience they had with someone they loved. The singer recalls the words they said: "The pain of being together is more than being apart," and "The loneliness of walking by your side is more than walking alone." These words seemed to capture the essence of their relationship, which has come to an end. The singer lets out a howl and decides to leave, stating that "It's why I'm leaving."
The song explores the theme of loss and heartbreak in relationships. The singer's wandering through a record store is a metaphor for their search for a way to escape their pain. The lyrics are powerful and emotional, emphasizing the difficulty of letting go of someone and moving on. They touch on the complex emotions that come with navigating the end of a relationship, acknowledging the pain that comes with it but also the realization that it is necessary.
Line by Line Meaning
I was searching through the record section
Of a shop in Birmingham
Trying to forget the news
The singer was trying to distract himself from recent bad news by browsing a record store in Birmingham.
But you know how things sometimes are
The fates conspire to
Remind you
Despite his efforts to distract himself, fate reminded the singer of his troubles.
'No Return' was its title
'No Return' like I'd said
'No Return', those searing words
Burning in my head
The singer came across a song titled 'No Return,' which resonated deeply with him and his current situation.
I'd come across a compilation
Called 'Blues in a Minor Chord'
As though you were there behind me
The singer felt a sense of connection with his past when he stumbled upon a music compilation that seemed to evoke his memories of a lost love.
I'd turned it over to read the sleeve notes,
Credits in a daze
And a chill came up my spine
As the singer read the credits on the record's sleeve notes, he felt a shiver run down his spine and a sense of foreboding.
And I'd said,
"The pain of being together
Is more than being apart"
I thought of you all December long
And now it's a New Year's start
"The loneliness of walking by your side
Is more than walking alone"
It's why I'm leaving
The singer reflects on the pain of being in a troubled relationship and the decision to leave. He remembers his past love and the loneliness of being with them, realizing that it's better to be apart than together in misery.
I let out a hollow howling
Falling terribly
Like wind escaping from a tube
The singer feels a sense of desperation and emptiness, like the sound of wind rushing out of a tube.
I think they call it coincidence
Or something like deja vu
You never believe it 'til it happens to you
The singer questions the forces of fate that brought him to this moment, realizing that the experience of sudden connection and loss is universal and shocking.
'No Return' was its title
'No Return' like we'd said
'No Return', like icicles
Falling through our heads
The singer revisits the song title that stuck with him, feeling like the words are piercing and frozen, a reminder of the pain of parting.
It's why I'm leaving
It's why I'm leaving
It's why I'm leaving...
The singer repeats the refrain, affirming his decision to leave and move on from his past love.
Contributed by Makayla C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
MrMMurdock
Got to see these guys twice, both at End of The Road festival, hadn't ever heard of them before it. I was in awe when they started playing this, what a song!
paaul028
Seriously underrated band, alas only seen them once live and this was before this album/song.
crookedtimber34
i love this band....forever.
BILL MARK
the best song......arhstourghma