Owen Ashworth started to make music on a small casio keyboard back in 1997. His first two albums, "Answering Machine Music" and "Pocket Symphonies for Lonely Subway Cars," were made using nothing but small, battery-operated keyboards and Ashworth's own voice (along with occasional accompaniment by guest musicians). These early albums are now available on one CD, appropriately titled "The First Two Albums by Casiotone for the Painfully Alone."
Ashworth has released numerous EPs and full-length albums, with a trademark austere lyrical style that conveys emotions through its simplicity and directness.
CFTPA expanded its sound in 2006 with Ashworth's release 'Etiquette,' now using more instruments and effects (as well as more professional production and vocals from Jenny Herbinson). This album has given Ashworth room for experimentation and thinking space.
In 2009, CFTPA's newest album, titled 'Vs. Children,' was released. Although vocally very similar to his earlier work, the album features a greater variety of acoustic instruments and further demonstrates Ashworth's interest in pursuing more complex arrangements for his songs. His live shows reflect this as on his most recent tour he is joined by a full band.
In 2010 Ashworth announced that he was retiring the "Casiotone for the Painfully Alone" name, as well as the songs he wrote under that name. He now performs as Advance Base and a producer.
Young Shields
Casiotone for the Painfully Alone Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's invisible & soundless
& we drink too much & fuck too soon
Smoke cigarettes in rented rooms
We quit our jobs & shoot the moon
& cut our wrists & sleep til noon
There's a shield around us
& we're on the run from I don't know
We're Patty Hearst & Squeaky Fromme
Asleep on subways far from home
You'd think we'd never seen a comb
Sent a letter to Mom & Dad
Mom & Dad the money's running out
Got a letter from Mom & Dad
They didn't send me anything
There's a shield around us
We are heady we are groundless
& we burn our friends & kill their names
Build insecure & petty fames
& tattoo things that we believe
Stars & skulls & hearts in half-sleeves
There's a shield around us
Tell me how is it you've found us
Cause we hide our tracks & watch the ground
Our footfalls they don't make a sound
We've cursed the names of our hometowns
We're compassless & nowhere bound
Sent a letter to Mom & Dad
Mom & Dad the money's running out
Got a letter from Mom & Dad
I swear to God they don't get me at all
The lyrics to Casiotone for the Painfully Alone's song "Young Shields" depict a group of young people who are captured by their own shield of invincibility and boundlessness. They live a life of reckless abandon, drinking and sex, cutting themselves and sleeping until noon. They quit their jobs and chase after something they don't even know. They are like Patty Hearst and Squeaky Fromme, a reference to 1970s radical leftist activists who committed a series of crimes against the government. They are marked by tattoos of things they believe in and build insecure and petty fame, burning their friends and killing their names.
Despite the fact that they are lost and compassless, they have an invisible and soundless shield around them that protects them from harm. They curse the names of their hometowns and don't even make a sound when they walk. They are trying to escape something, but they don't know what it is. The only ones who seem to understand their predicament are their parents, who send them letters telling them that the money is running out. However, the young shields feel like their parents don't get them at all.
Line by Line Meaning
There's a shield around us
We feel protected and free from harm
It's invisible & soundless
We can't see or hear the shield, but we feel its presence
& we drink too much & fuck too soon
We indulge in excess and seek physical pleasure too quickly
Smoke cigarettes in rented rooms
We take part in unhealthy habits in temporary living spaces
We quit our jobs & shoot the moon
We take risks and have high aspirations
& cut our wrists & sleep til noon
We struggle with mental health and sleep excessively
We're invincible & boundless
We feel powerful and limitless
& we're on the run from I don't know
We have a sense of restlessness and wanderlust without a clear purpose
We're Patty Hearst & Squeaky Fromme
We identify with infamous figures known for their rebellion and crime
Asleep on subways far from home
We are lost and far from our roots
You'd think we'd never seen a comb
Our appearance is disheveled and chaotic
Sent a letter to Mom & Dad
We try to maintain a connection with our family
Mom & Dad the money's running out
We struggle financially and rely on support from our family
Got a letter from Mom & Dad
We receive messages from our family
They didn't send me anything
Our family may not understand us or our choices
We are heady we are groundless
We are intoxicated with life and lack stability
& we burn our friends & kill their names
We betray those close to us and tarnish their reputations
Build insecure & petty fames
We seek attention and fame through insignificant means
& tattoo things that we believe
We permanently mark our bodies with symbols of our beliefs
Stars & skulls & hearts in half-sleeves
We have tattoos of popular symbols on our arms
Tell me how is it you've found us
We try to hide from others, but someone has discovered us
Cause we hide our tracks & watch the ground
We are careful to leave no evidence of our whereabouts
Our footfalls they don't make a sound
We move silently and avoid attention
We've cursed the names of our hometowns
We reject our upbringing and resent our roots
We're compassless & nowhere bound
We have no clear direction or destination
I swear to God they don't get me at all
Our family does not understand us or our lifestyle
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@fantekid
My new old favourite band
@Xx_Eric_was_Here_xX
does anyone else get a really anxious vibe from the synths? it's fitting, the sound is so tight and up close it makes you feel like you're trapped and suffocating
@TheWolfboy512
this is awesome
@castleb0y
stars and skulls and hearts in half-sleeves
@incurable_humanist
i hope that one day i won't relate to these lyrics
@YoursTrulyMrsMoores
"Millennial theme song"
@skullsaintdead
I will never understand how songs like these are so unpopular, while the masses listen to the same old recycled garbage through their radios and headphones, just being satisfied that something audible is playing to escape the fear of silence. Still, perhaps there's some magic in this music's obscurity.
@dylanhudecki
You nailed it. Totally bang-on. I kept on wanting to hear this song at random times, but it wasn't on youtube, so I took it upon myself to make the vid and upload it. Very underrated band.
@Kontaminacija
I swear to God they don't get it at all.
@caseytins
Owen is brilliant. You should listen to his Advance Base material.