Chemlab broke up in 1997, and reformed in 2004 with Jared as the only original member. Working with the members of Acumen Nation, old touring guitarist Greg Lucas and Julian Beeston (Nitzer Ebb, etc), he recorded and released an album entitled "Oxidizer". Recently, after a massive seven year hiatus from the stage, Jared and a backing band comprised of the members of Electro-Industrial group Mindless Faith has taken Chemlab back on the road again. They have performed around the country at a number of festivals and are planning tours for 2007. The album "Rock Whore vs Dance Floor", a varied collection of remixes from "Oxidizer" by Die Warzau, 16Volt, Cubanate and many others, was released in late spring, 2006.
Jared Louche announced on stage during a performance on September 7th 2012 in Chicago, that it would be the band's final show
In the spring of 2018, it was announced that Chemlab would return for Cold Waves VII in Chicago, New York and Los Angeles to perform Burn Out at the Hydrogen Bar in its entirety to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the album's release. The band also performed at Cold Waves VIII, along with a number of other standalone shows. The band later released the compilation Tape Decay in 2019. This release includes unreleased tracks from the East Side Militia, Burn Out at the Hydrogen Bar and 10 Ton Pressure cassette demos as well as new songs. The band performed at the Oriental Theater in Denver with Pop Will Eat Itself and Scifidelic from September 21 to 22, 2019. '
For more in-depth information go to: www.hydrogenbar.com as well as: www.myspace.com/chemlab
Neurozone
Chemlab Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There's nothing happening in here,
There's someone moving on the other side,
But who it is is not too clear,
The mystery is
That there's this itch
That somehow you just can't scratch,
And somewhere
That wasn't started with a match
You say you don't like the darkness
That's just the color that's around,
You say you want to end up real high,
So you don't have to touch the ground
Get down on your knees
If you want to touch the sky,
You want to see clearly now,
You better cover up your eyes
Voices are talking in the grid,
But I can't tell quite what they mean
You tell me that this is how it goes,
But I think that that's a bit obscene
You say there's no difference between us
The signal's the same
And that there's no real kink
The slate's been wiped clean
And history won't repeat,
But that's never been the way that I think
Wear your anger proud and loud and deep,
That way I know what I can trust,
You grab at a hole
And a hollow kiss and
Convince yourself that you will never rust
I've got a wire in the back of my head,
Got a wire in the back of my head
Get down on your knees
If you want to touch the sky,
You want to see clearly now
You better poke out your eyes
The lyrics of Chemlab's song Neurozone speak of a sense of confusion and disorientation in a world where things are not as clear as they seem. There is a "mystery" that cannot be solved, the "itch" that cannot be scratched and a "blaze" that was not started with a match. These lines signify that there are forces at play, hidden from plain sight, that could set everything ablaze in the future. The singer of the song is unable to understand the voices that he hears and the signals that he receives. He cannot differentiate between right and wrong, and cannot discern what is real from what is not.
In the second verse, the singer talks about his desire to rise above the chaos that surrounds him. He wants to "touch the sky" and "see clearly now," but for that, he must cover his eyes. This implies that in order to gain knowledge and clarity, he must shut off his senses, which conveys a sense of darkness and confusion.
The chorus of the song repeats the line, "Get down on your knees, if you want to touch the sky" which suggests that the only way to achieve enlightenment is by humbling oneself.
Overall, the song symbolically speaks about the difficulties of understanding the complex world around us, and the desire for clarity and meaning. It also touches upon the idea that sometimes, to understand the truth, we must be willing to let go of everything we know.
Line by Line Meaning
You say you want to know what's going on
You're searching for answers and clarity.
There's nothing happening in here,
There's a lack of excitement and stimulation within yourself.
There's someone moving on the other side,
There's something happening externally beyond your current awareness.
But who it is is not too clear,
The external stimulus or change is ambiguous and unclear.
The mystery is
There's an inexplicable or puzzling situation.
That there's this itch
There's a persistent and irritating feeling that won't go away.
That somehow you just can't scratch,
The feeling can't be relieved, resolved or satisfied.
And somewhere
There's a sense of uncertainty and vagueness about the feeling.
A blaze is burning
Something intense and passionate is happening.
That wasn't started with a match
The situation or feeling didn't arise from a conventional or expected cause.
You say you don't like the darkness
You dislike feeling lost or unsure about what's going on.
That's just the color that's around,
The surrounding atmosphere and environment is uncertain and ambiguous.
You say you want to end up real high,
You want to escape or transcend the current situation.
So you don't have to touch the ground
You want to avoid being grounded or tied down in reality.
Get down on your knees
You need to show humility and submission to reach your goals.
If you want to touch the sky,
To achieve great feats, you need to put in effort and be grounded.
You want to see clearly now,
You're seeking clarity and visibility.
You better cover up your eyes
To gain a new perspective, you first need to block out what you think you know.
Voices are talking in the grid,
There's communication happening in the virtual world.
But I can't tell quite what they mean
The meaning of the virtual communication is unclear and difficult to understand.
You tell me that this is how it goes,
You've been informed that this is how things work or how life is.
But I think that that's a bit obscene
You disagree with the previous statement and find it shocking or offensive.
You say there's no difference between us
You believe that everyone is equal and essentially the same.
The signal's the same
The message or communication is universal.
And that there's no real kink
There are no major deviations or abnormalities in the message or communication.
The slate's been wiped clean
The past is irrelevant and doesn't affect the present.
And history won't repeat,
Past events won't happen again or have any bearing on the future.
But that's never been the way that I think
You disagree with the previous statements and believe the past shapes the current situation.
Wear your anger proud and loud and deep,
Express your feelings of anger openly and confidently.
That way I know what I can trust,
By being open and honest, trust can be established between people.
You grab at a hole
You're trying to grasp something intangible or unattainable.
And a hollow kiss and
You try to find solace in something superficial and meaningless.
Convince yourself that you will never rust
You try to believe that you're immune to aging or becoming obsolete.
I've got a wire in the back of my head,
You're wired to receive and process information in a certain way.
Get down on your knees
You need to humble yourself and show submission to achieve greatness.
If you want to touch the sky,
To achieve great things, you need to be grounded and put in the work.
You want to see clearly now
You want clarity and visibility to help you in your quest.
You better poke out your eyes
To see things in a new way, you need to blind yourself to your preconceptions.
Contributed by Gabriella B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.