By any reckoning, Iranian native Kia has an extraordinary story to tell; he calls Ashes “music to lament to,” and he is only half-joking. As a small boy, he fled Tehran for London with his father, after witnessing up close the internecine violence of the Islamic Revolution. In the U.K., he was reintroduced to the mother he’d virtually never known, since she’d left Iran years before him, and he found himself placed in the strange, regimented environment of a British military school. As he grew up, the feelings that Kia was unable to articulate in words alone found expression in songs. He was so intuitively skilled at this creative channeling that he attracted the interest of a major London music publisher. As Kia built a repertoire, he decided to go to the United States in pursuit of his first record deal.
After making the rounds in New York City and Los Angeles, he signed a deal with Interscope Records. So far so good, but it wasn’t long before he discovered that the industry was more interested in molding him to suit the tastes of the moment than in exploring what he might really have to offer in his own right. One can understand why: Kia has an impressive, elastic vocal range, able to perform hushed ballads as eloquently as anthemic rockers.
As the powers that be tried to figure out how they wanted to present their find, Kia decided he would prefer to do it his own way. So he jettisoned the cadre of producers, mixers and constantly gear-shifting executives who surrounded him. He chose a tougher, more D.I.Y. approach to his fledgling career, touring relentlessly as a solo artist, opening for better-known acts. After meeting and working with bassist Toby Evers and Guitarist Simon Gibson, the trio began touring at an unrelenting pace, playing over 400 shows in less than two years. “It was on the road, in the crammed space of the tour van, that our new sound was formed and Buddahead was reinvented as a band”, says Gibson.
Their 2004 debut, Crossing The Invisible Line, showcased a prodigious talent with the vocal prowess of Thom Yorke and a band so skilled at arranging that it recalled vintage U2 or contemporary Coldplay. But these artful tracks barely hinted at the roiling emotions lying beneath their sleek surface and the truly dramatic stories Kia had yet to tell. Ashes changes all that. Surrounded by the darker musical influences of Gibson and Evers, Ashes are Kia’s stories as he wants to – has to – be heard. “Urgent but less desperate, Ashes is the amalgamation of a band that is growing up.”
Ashes has its origins in some of the darker moments of a few far-flung lives, yet these real-life scenarios connect in many tangible ways to our collective cultural and political history, and that makes them all the more powerful. In his lyrics, Kia doesn’t offer answers to the dilemmas he presents, yet in the very act of creating these songs, articulating these emotions, Kia makes Ashes an uplifting experience. His catharsis becomes our own. Gazing into the ashes of torched relationships, Kia discovers a spark of hope for us all.
Invisible
Buddahead Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She exhales and her breath lingers.
May is close but winter is still here.
The April rains beat down on her.
She lifts her face into the light.
She breaks her silence and cries.
I'm breathing in and breathing out.
The clouds are like a blanket
In the sky stretching tight above her.
She is cold but hanging in there.
She's got herself whatever self she may be.
She lifts her face into the light.
She breaks her silence and cries.
I'm breathing in and breathing out.
Invisible but I'm still alive
Buddahead's "Invisible" is a song that describes the feeling of being alone and powerless in a big city. The song opens with the city shivering, portraying the coldness and isolation that the singer feels in the urban landscape. May is close, but the winter still lingers, and the April rains beat down on her, emphasizing the harshness of the city's climate.
The singer's loneliness is highlighted when she lifts her face into the light and cries, breaking her silence. Despite feeling invisible and helpless, she is still breathing in and breathing out, alive but not truly living. The clouds above her are like a blanket, stretching tight and creating a sense of claustrophobia, but she hangs in there, drawing strength from the self she has become.
The song's lyrics are powerful and emotive, and the gentle, melodic composition supports the sense of melancholy and longing underlying the words. Buddahead's "Invisible" is a tribute to the resilience of the human spirit in the face of adversity, and a poignant reminder that we are all, in some way, invisible.
Line by Line Meaning
This city is shivering.
The city is cold, possibly reflecting the emotions of the singer.
She exhales and her breath lingers.
Her breath is visible due to the coldness.
May is close but winter is still here.
Although May is approaching, the singer feels the prolonged sense of winter.
The April rains beat down on her.
She suffers through the heavy April rains.
She lifts her face into the light.
She searches for a glimmer of hope or positivity.
She breaks her silence and cries.
She finally expresses her vulnerability and emotions through crying.
I'm breathing in and breathing out.
The singer is taking deep breaths to cope and survive during this difficult time.
Invisible but I'm still alive.
The artist feels unnoticed or neglected, but still manages to exist and persist through their struggles.
The clouds are like a blanket.
The clouds conceal and overshadow the artist's environment and emotions.
In the sky stretching tight above her.
The clouds are vast and seem to dominate the artist's perspective.
She is cold but hanging in there.
The singer is enduring difficulties and managing to survive.
She's got herself whatever self she may be.
The artist has a sense of identity or self-worth despite the circumstances.
She lifts her face into the light.
The singer still hopes to find light or positivity in their situation.
She breaks her silence and cries.
The singer continues to express their vulnerability through crying.
I'm breathing in and breathing out.
The singer is still focusing on their survival and mental well-being.
Invisible but I'm still alive.
Despite feeling unseen, the artist is still coping and persisting through adversity.
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: CHRISTOPH HERMANN MULLER, EDUARDO ANIBAL MAKAROFF, SERGIO MAKAROFF
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Kyrah Naegle
Thank you for uploading this music to YouTube. This has always been an album that's very close to my heart. I remember growing up on this music and it brings back a lot of good memories. I actually own a CD of this album that my dad bought and handed down to me. Over the years I've tried to look up lyric videos or find this album and was disappointed with how hard it seemed to get ahold of a digital copy to enjoy. I've always felt this was a seriously underrated band and now I know I can find it here when I need. Thanks for making my day. 💜
Beetlemuse
your welcome! Thanks for making my day with this comment! :)
Gia
Thank you for uploading this album. This was my late brother's favourite band and it just helps me remember him. So thank you! <3
Joseph Johnson
Extremely underrated album and band
Seikō ofu
Finally found this after years and years