Cause & Effect is an electronic fusion of cleverly crafted pop arrangements against a backdrop of layered synth textures and acoustic rhythmic flourishes. Intelligent, thought provoking lyrics and pleading melodies embedded in lush sonic soundscapes that are sure to captivate the senses of even the most discriminating listener. Cause & Effect’s Rob Rowe (co-founder) and Keith Milo return with their fifth studio album, “ARTIFICIAL CONSTRUCT.”
After developing and perfecting their own brand of electronic pop for nearly two decades, “ARTIFICIAL CONSTRUCT” marks a new level of maturity songwriting, and new way of thinking about how music is released and sold. Breaking with tradition, “ARTIFICIAL CONSTRUCT” has been designed as a three-part series to be released as individual EP’s over the course of 2010 and 2011, rather than a conventional ten to twelve-song album release.
“We wanted to try a new way of putting out our music this time around,” says Milo. “There are no rules anymore. The digital age has turned the entire industry on its head and it’s made us all rethink things. Are we artificially constructing an album by releasing it in “parts,” or is the 12 song album as we’ve come to know it just an ARTIFICIAL CONSTRUCT?
Led off by the deeply contagious first single “HAPPY?” where Milo’s sleek electronic bed of synth driven melodies lay the foundation for Rowe’s silky smooth vocals and sardonic lyrical content. “Everybody’s happy dreaming of the future,” Rowe croons seductively in a tale about finding a sense of purpose and meaning in the mundane mediocrity of corporate life. And while “HAPPY” bridges the gap sonically between previous C+E albums, it also sets the tone for the rest of the EP’s emotionally charged tracks which range in style from the electro-acoustic lover’s ballad “View of the Sea,” to the nostalgic teenage New Romantic anthem “This Is who I Am,” to the dark and brooding closer “Sleep,” which tells a deeply honest and emotional tale of love lost.
. . . . . (HAPPY?- DIRTY 8VA Remix can be downloaded for FREE at Cause and Effect’s Official Website.)
“There’s a bit of everything we love in there,” says Rowe. “We’ve never easily fit into a specific genre and that gives us the freedom to always blur the lines while being true to our roots. We can put a song like ‘HAPPY?’ right next to a song like ‘View of the Sea’ and it still feels cohesive. It still sounds like C+E.”
Cause & Effect was originally formed in Sacramento, California in 1988 by Robert Rowe and Sean Rowley. Their debut album, Another Minute, stormed onto the music scene in the early 1990’s scoring two top ten dance-pop singles and a Billboard top 20 singles hit with “You Think You Know Her.” After the tragic loss of friend, writing partner and co-founding member Sean Rowley in late 1992, singer Rowe took a step back to re-evaluate the band’s direction and the hopes he had for the future.
“Performing the tribute to Sean at the KROQ Acoustic Christmas Show in LA was a turning point,” explains Rowe, “The overwhelming support from the fans and audience made me realize that giving up just wasn’t an option.”
Determined to pick up the pieces and move forward, Rowe called upon Keith Milo, an Orange County-based electronic musician and friend to finish the remaining leg of the tour with himself and drummer Rich Shepherd (the Adored).
Although that initial tour was plagued with equipment malfunctions, thefts and travel mishaps, it was to become the start of a new beginning for C+E. Upon returning home, Rowe and Milo quickly went to work writing new material and redefining the sound of Cause and Effect.
“Coming in to Cause and Effect after Sean’s death was a scary thing to do,” says Milo, “there was so much uncertainty. Sean was a genius with melody, he was irreplaceable. I think there was solace in the fact that we became a very different band at that point and we all felt that we were doing the right thing by continuing on.”
Six months later, the three found themselves in London recording the band’s critically acclaimed sophomore album “Trip” with producer Martyn Phillips (best known for his work with Beloved, Erasure, and Jesus Jones).
A seamless integration of Rowe’s evocative vocals and economical guitar, Milo’s melodic soundscapes and Shepherd’s inventive percussion, “Trip” was an “affirmation of life and hope.” The aptly named album documents the band’s journey towards self-discovery that they made in the London flat they shared, in the studio, and in underground dance clubs they frequented between recording sessions. In addition to receiving overwhelming critical praise, the album spawned the thundering cross-over club hit, “It’s Over Now,” which respectively climbed to the #7 spot on Billboard’s modern rock charts and was C+E’s fourth release to make it onto the Billboard's Hot 100 singles chart.
Despite the success of the “Trip” album, Cause and Effect’s label Zoo Entertainment was in severe financial turmoil as a result of growing too quickly. After parent company BMG MUSIC pulled funding and distribution, the indie-run label soon folded. Rather than look for another major label contract, the band built their first Web site, formed the label, Liquefaction Records, and decided to embrace the digital DIY world brought about by the explosion of the Internet.
A year later saw the release of “INNERMOST STATION," the band’s third album. Nine extraordinary, introspective tracks including the epic single “World is Ours,” which instantly became a favorite amongst many of their adoring fans and college radio programmers alike. Soon after the recording of “INNERMOST STATION” was completed, drummer Richard Shepherd amicably left the band to pursue personal interests.
Meeting up at Milo’s LA studio for “THE SUNRISE EP” sessions marked the second major musical turning point for C+E. Sonically inspired by the laid back loungy grooves of the underground, “THE SUNRISE EP’s” lead single “Into the Light” went on to become the band’s fifth single to chart in the Billboard Club charts reaching the #20 spot in Summer 2004. The EP also featured the acoustic-driven “Stay,” which has become a fan favorite. C+E toured throughout 2004 in support of “THE SUNRISE EP” playing in 23 cities across the US and South America.
2010, today’s Cause and Effect are brimming with a renewed vigor and a surging confidence. In addition to the newly released “ARTIFICIAL CONSTRUCT PART ONE,” the duo is hard at work on the follow-up releases, “ARTIFICIAL CONSTRUCT PART TWO” is slated for release 26 July, 2011; and “ARTIFICIAL CONSTRUCT PART THREE” is to be released at a later date, with shows beginning soon after. The first track from AC2, Happiness Is Alien from was released on July 8th, 2011.
Cause and Effect is: ROB ROWE and KEITH MILO
DISCOGRAPHY: )
• Cause & Effect - CD Album (1990; Nastymix Records / Liquefaction Records)
• What Do You See - CD Single (1990, Re-Release 1992; Nastymix Records / Exile Records / Sedona Recording Company / Zoo Entertainment / BMG Music / Liquefaction Records)
• You Think You Know Her - CD Single (1990, Re-Release 1991; Nastymix Records / Exile Records / Sedona Recording Company / Zoo Entertainment / BMG Music / Liquefaction Records)
• Another Minute - Album (1991; Sedona Recording Company / Zoo Entertainment / BMG Music / Liquefaction Records)
• Another Minute (Single) - CD Single (1992; Sedona Recording Company / Zoo Entertainment / BMG Music / Liquefaction Records)
• South Paw: Zoo's Left Wing '93 - Compilation [C+E’s “hollow”] (1993; Zoo Entertainment / BMG Music)
• It's Over Now - CD Single (1994; Zoo Entertainment / BMG Music / Liquefaction Records)
• Alone - Label Promo Only (1994; Zoo Entertainment / BMG Music / Liquefaction Records)
• Inside Out - Label Promo Only (1994; Zoo Entertainment / BMG Music / Liquefaction Records)
• TRIP - Album (1994; Zoo Entertainment / BMG Music / Liquefaction Records)
• Innermost Station - Album (1997, Re-Release 1999; Liquefaction Records / Jarrett Records)
• World Is Ours - Digital Single (1999; Liquefaction Records)
• World Is Ours V2 - Digital Single (1999; Liquefaction Records)
• The Sunrise EP (2003; Liquefaction Records)
• Into The Light Remixes - EP (2004; Liquefaction Records)
• Cause & Effect - Album Digital (Re-Release 2010; Liquefaction Records)
• Happy? (Dirty 8VA Mix) FREE Single - Digital Single (2010; Liquefaction Records)
• Artificial Construct Part One - EP (April 2010; Liquefaction Records)
• Artificial Construct Part Two - EP (July 2011; Liquefaction Records)
• Artificial Construct Part Three - EP (tbd 2011; Liquefaction Records)
• Artificial Construct - Album (tbd 2011; Liquefaction Records)
Digital Albums are available for purchase at Cause and Effect’s Official Website.
OFFICIAL WEBSITES:
http://www.causeandeffect.com
http://causeandeffect.bandcamp.com
http://www.facebook.com/CauseAndEffectMusic
http://www.twitter.com/_causeandeffect
http://www.youtube.com/causeandeffectmusic
http://www.myspace.com/causeandeffectmusic
http://www.reverbnation.com/causeandeffectmusic
http://soundcloud.com/causeandeffectmusic
http://www.last.fm/music/+noredirect/Cause+and+Effect
http://www.last.fm/music/Cause%2B%2526%2BEffect
Into the Light
Cause & Effect Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm right behind you
I'm hollow
I'm deep inside you
You touch me there
You touch me there
Into the light and out of the darkness
Into the light and out of the darkness
Into the place where you will always be alive
A halo
Of light surrounds you
And I know
The place that moves you
I'll touch you there
I'll touch you there
Into the light and out of the darkness
Into the place where you will always be alive
Into the light and out of the darkness
Into the place where you will always be alive
The morning bed and morning light
Encircle me like satellites
You have brought me life
So I'll follow you
Into the light (into the light we'll go) and out of the darkness (out of the dark and low)
Into the place where you will always be alive (follow)
Into the light (into the light we'll go) and out of the darkness (out of the dark and low)
Into the place where you will always be alive, (follow) yeah
(Into the light we'll go, out of the dark and low)
And I'll follow you (follow)
Into the light and out of the darkness
Into the place where you will always be alive
Into the place where you will always be alive
The lyrics to Cause & Effect’s “Into the Light” appear to be about following someone who brings light and life into the singer’s otherwise hollow and dark existence. The chorus states that this individual has brought the singer “into the light and out of the darkness, into the place where you will always be alive.” The lyrics express a belief that following this person is the key to escaping the darkness that has previously consumed the singer. The lines “I'll touch you there / Into the light and out of the darkness” further emphasize the transformative power of this relationship.
Overall, the lyrics are quite simple and repetitive, which may be due to the fact that the song is dance/pop-driven and intended to inspire movement and positive emotions rather than complex introspection. The theme of following someone who brings light into your life is a common one in music, and may resonate with listeners who have experienced similar transformative relationships.
Line by Line Meaning
Follow
I am here for you and will always be by your side.
I'm right behind you
I am your shadow, your support system.
I'm hollow
I feel empty without you and your guidance.
I'm deep inside you
I am part of you and will always be connected to you.
You touch me there
You have the power to heal and awaken me in ways no one else can.
Into the light and out of the darkness
Together, we will break free from the struggles and hardships of life.
Into the place where you will always be alive
We will find our true purpose and will thrive and flourish together.
A halo
A sign of hope and grace, something to aim for.
Of light surrounds you
You are blessed with positivity, radiance, and the ability to inspire.
And I know
I am certain and assured that you are the one for me.
The place that moves you
You have the power to transform and inspire me and others around you.
I'll touch you there
I will be there to help you grow, learn, and inspire more people.
The morning bed and morning light
A new day brings new opportunities, new experiences, and new hope.
Encircle me like satellites
Positive vibes and hope surrounds me, just like planets gravitating around the sun.
You have brought me life
You give me hope, energy, and strength to face whatever the day brings.
So I'll follow you
I trust and value you, and I'll always be here by your side.
And I'll follow you (follow)
I am committed to you, and I'll always be there for you no matter what.
Contributed by Isaiah W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.