The band formed iteratively around Sweeney between '92-'94. They released Gone Glimmering in '95 followed by Ride The Fader in '96, both on Matador.
Sweeney, a longtime friend of Smashing Pumpkins' Billy Corgan, has also played in Corgan's side-project, Zwan, and more recently in a duo with Will Oldham on their Superwolf album.
Pitchfork recently reviewed the new Chavez compilation which also contains some nice observations about their sound and its context.
After a lengthy hiatus between 1999 and 2006 they have recently begun playing extensively around the New York area.
Laugh Track
Chavez Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Put on your guided lasers
Pretend that we're impatient
Draw it all up and get it no way
We're waiting in the basement
Rolling all our hopes in little balls
?
Rolling up hopes and get it no way
Friends have all left you get it no way
Soon the laugh track
Engage us and let us feel its cool
Soon the laugh track
(Lay to?) waste what the rented gods have wrought
Take your teeth back
We aren't worth, can never chase
Now I'm headed for the plan of (God?)
Hand your tags and get it no way
Friends have all left you get it no way
Slaves to the jock girls get it no way
Put on your guided lasers
The lyrics of Chavez's song Laugh Track suggest a sense of futility and despair in the face of disappointment and abandonment. The opening line, "Remain until the break stops," implies a sense of waiting for something to change or improve, while the following lines, "Put on your guided lasers, pretend that we're impatient," create a jarring contrast and suggest the futility of trying to force a desired outcome.
The lines "We're waiting in the basement, rolling all our hopes in little balls" continue this theme of waiting and hoping for something better, but the uncertain phrasing of the next line suggests a sense of confusion and uncertainty. The repetition of the phrase "get it no way" adds to this feeling of defeat and disappointment, as if the singer has tried and failed to achieve their goals.
The repeated use of the phrase "laugh track" suggests a sense of cynicism about the role of laughter and humor in society. The line "Soon the laugh track/Lay to waste what the rented gods have wrought" implies that this manufactured humor is deceptive and ultimately destructive, while the lines "Take your teeth back/We aren't worth, can never chase/Now I'm headed for the plan of (God?)" suggest a desire to reject or transcend the limitations of the world around them.
Overall, the lyrics of Laugh Track convey a sense of disillusionment and disappointment, but also a desire for something beyond the status quo.
Line by Line Meaning
Remain until the break stops
Wait patiently until the end of the interruption
Put on your guided lasers
Be prepared for action and alert to opportunities
Pretend that we're impatient
Act as if we are eager and ready to move forward
Draw it all up and get it no way
Strive hard to achieve something that is ultimately unattainable
We're waiting in the basement
We are in a place of hiding, biding our time until the right moment
Rolling all our hopes in little balls
Putting all of our expectations into insignificant and impotent hopes
?
Unknown or unclear meaning
He's shooting bolts and get it no way
He's creating sparks, but ultimately won't achieve anything
Rolling up hopes and get it no way
Still trying to hold onto hollow aspirations, with no possibility of realization
Friends have all left you get it no way
The people you trusted and relied on have abandoned you, leaving you with no way forward
Soon the laugh track
A display to cover up the tragedy and pain of life
Engage us and let us feel its cool
Distract us from the harsh reality with something superficial and frivolous
Lay to waste what the rented gods have wrought
Destroy what the false idols have created, as they hold no true power or meaning
Take your teeth back
Reclaim your fierceness and strength that has been lost or stolen over time
We aren't worth, can never chase
We don't have enough value or worth to actively pursue our desires
Now I'm headed for the plan of (God?)
Now I'm following the path set before me by a higher power
Hand your tags and get it no way
Abandon any markers of identity, as they hold no impact or value
Slaves to the jock girls get it no way
Trapped by the confines of society and its expectations, with no escape
Put on your guided lasers
Prepare for whatever challenge comes next, keeping your focus and determination
Lyrics © DOMINO PUBLISHING COMPANY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
happylittlehorses
This is a jewel, a masterpiece of 90s rock. Thank you Chavez. The blow-up at 2:45!!!!!!!
Cullen Carter
Beautiful dissonance! This led me out of my early nineties pop-punk cave, and made me open my eyes to other incredible music.
ZRN959
If Robert Pollard jammed with Polvo