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.
On Your Side
Brakes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Get through to you
But there's no getting through a door
And I'm just hoping too
break on through to you
Hope your door wont mind me hoping
You're gonna need somebody on your side
You're only self assured with your liquor lips and slurring words
The line is clear, the point is blurred
And I'm just hoping that you can shut your eyes and see for miles
cos when they're opened they're so frightened
You're gonna need somebody on your side
You're gonna need somebody on your side
You're gonna need somebody on your side
It's a lonely time otherwise
You can tell by her lips she's good to kiss
But her eyes she's good to talk too
But there's a ringing there's a buzzing in her ear
She cant drink people stare her way
And I'm just trying to
Get through to you but
There's no getting through sometimes
And I'm just hoping too
Break on through to you
Hope your door wont mind me hoping.
You're gonna need somebody on your side
You're gonna need somebody on your side
You're gonna need somebody on your side
It's a wasted life
It a lonely time otherwise
The lyrics of Brakes’s song “On Your Side” depict an individual’s struggle to connect with another person. The song also suggests that alcoholism could be the reason behind the individual’s inability to maintain human connections. The opening lines of the song “And I'm just trying to get through to you, but there's no getting through a door” illustrate the frustration of an individual who is trying to communicate with someone but is finding it difficult. Despite the effort put into trying to reach the person, the door remains shut, implying a lack of willingness to communicate or form a connection.
The songwriter also mentions how the individual’s reliance on alcohol affects their confidence, causing them to seek self-assurance through slurring words and liquor lips, which further prevent them from forming meaningful connections. The line “The line is clear, the point is blurred” suggests that although the individual may speak their mind, it may not always be coherent or easily understood. The songwriter hopes that the person can close their eyes and see beyond their fears, indicating that fear could also be responsible for their failure to connect with others.
Finally, the refrain “You’re gonna need somebody on your side, it’s a lonely time otherwise, it’s a wasted life” highlights the crucial role of human connections in life. The songwriter pleads with the person to find someone who can be there for them and help them navigate the complexities of life. The song ends on a bleak note, emphasizing the loneliness that comes with being unable to connect with others.
Line by Line Meaning
And I'm just trying to Get through to you But there's no getting through a door
I'm attempting to reach out to you, but it feels as though a physical barrier is in place that's preventing me from doing so.
And I'm just hoping too break on through to you Hope your door wont mind me hoping
I'm aspiring to make a connection with you, and I'm optimistic that your barriers won't be too difficult to break through in order to accomplish it.
You're gonna need somebody on your side You're gonna need somebody on your side
It's essential to have someone in your corner, someone to advocate for you when circumstances get tough.
You're only self assured with your liquor lips and slurring words The line is clear, the point is blurred And I'm just hoping that you can shut your eyes and see for miles cos when they're opened they're so frightened
When you've been drinking, you speak with conviction, but your speech is muddled and makes little sense – I'm hoping you can silence the noise and gain some insight because you're paralyzed by fear when you're in the midst of it.
It's a lonely time otherwise
Without someone in your corner, life can be quite lonely and without meaning.
You can tell by her lips she's good to kiss But her eyes she's good to talk too But there's a ringing there's a buzzing in her ear She cant drink people stare her way
She appears to be the best of both worlds – lovely to kiss and smart to talk to – though, there is a persistent noise in her mind. It's quite difficult for her to enjoy a drink in public, owing to people's stares.
It's a wasted life It a lonely time otherwise
Life can feel meaningless and lonely if you don't have somebody on your side to share it with.
Contributed by Caleb R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
victorgren
love the lyrics hahaha everyone should do that at least one time in your life