At the age of five, Emileigh Rohn began taking piano lessons from her church organist, Mildred Benson, and eventually began singing solos in church. By the age of 13 she received a Casiotone keyboard and began experimenting with electronic music. In her final year of high school she joined an experimental/industrial performance art group called Inter Animi.
In the fall of 1997, while studying molecular biology in Detroit, Rohn joined Calvin P. Simmons in his project Dragon Tears Descending (DTD) as a keyboardist doing performances and supporting other bands. Rohn then left DTD and formed her own project Electrophoretic Transfer in 1998.
Chiasm began in 1998 when Rohn began to entirely produce her own music with her first demo CD named "Embryonic" completed in October. Her song "Bouncing Baby Clones" was featured on a Detroit Electronica compilation CD, D[elEcTROnIc]T, in the spring of 1999. By March 2001, Rohn released her debut album, Disorder on COP International.
Following Disorder, the track "Isolated" was released on the PC Game, "Vampire-The Masqurerade-Bloodlines" as well as used in an episode of the CBS series "Navy:NCIS" in 2003 coinciding with the release of the remix album with labelmate Threat Level 5 titled "Divided We Fall: The Remix Collection". The second full-length solo album, "Relapse" was released in 2005, also on COP.
Chiasm released a virtual single, "Prefrontal EP", exclusively on iTunes in 2006 through COP International. Her new full-length album, titled "REFORM", was released in September 2008! "REFORM" CDs are now available! Be sure to check out the new Facebook page, and keep in touch with her on Myspace where new remixes and random older tracks are also posted for streaming!
Emileigh is currently working on new material, an album called "11:11" and remixes/collaborations with other artists.
For more information, see her web site, www.chiasm.org
needle
Chiasm Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And the cage is open
Push the needle right through
Soon I'll be without you
Don't know how I will feel inside
Every day I can see it lie
Holding back the pain
Hold the subject down
Slide the needle in place
I can feel it inside
Shows across my face
Every day I can see it lie
Holding back the pain
Waiting, ready to die
Go to sleep, sweet angel
Let me wipe the pain away
Let the drug control you
Just relax and close your eyes
Every day I can see it lie
Holding back the pain
Waiting, ready to die
The lyrics of Chiasm's song "Needle" seem to be speaking about the experience of addiction, specifically to drugs. The first stanza describes a moment where a decision has been made to inject drugs and the needle is being pushed through the skin. The second stanza seems to reflect on the emotional challenges of addiction, noting that the individual doesn't know how they will feel inside, and that they can see lies every day. The third stanza describes the physical sensation of injecting drugs, with the subject being held down and the needle being placed in their body. The fourth stanza seems to speak to the addictive power of drugs, with the individual ready to "die" but waiting for the next fix. The final stanza is perhaps the most poignant, as the singer addresses someone they care about (presumably an addict who has overdosed) and implores them to let the drug "control" them and "close your eyes," asking them to find peace in addiction.
The lyrics of "Needle" capture the conflicting emotions that often come with addiction, from the relief of escaping pain to the fear of being trapped in an endless cycle of use. The lyrics are wrapped in a slow, almost mournful melody that seems to underscore the sense of helplessness and despair that can accompany addiction.
Interestingly, "Needle" was released on Chiasm's debut album, Disorder, which came out in 2000. Chiasm is primarily the musical project of Emileigh Rohn, a Michigan-based artist who has been active in the electronica and industrial music scenes since the early 2000s. The project has released several albums over the years, and has been both praised for its inventive sound and criticized for being overly derivative of other artists. Regardless of one's opinions of the project as a whole, "Needle" remains a powerful and resonant song.
Line by Line Meaning
Now the names are chosen
The decision has been made to take the drug, and now the process begins.
And the cage is open
The singer has been freed from their normal constraints, allowing them to take the drug.
Push the needle right through
The needle representing the drug is being injected into the singer's body.
Soon I'll be without you
The drug will take over and remove the artist's consciousness from their body.
Don't know how I will feel inside
The artist is uncertain of how the drug will affect them emotionally.
Every day I can see it lie
The singer is aware that the world around them is full of dishonesty and deception.
Holding back the pain
The singer is trying to manage the emotional pain they're experiencing.
Waiting, ready to die
The artist is prepared to let the drug take over and consume them.
Hold the subject down
The process of injecting the drug may be difficult, requiring restraint.
Slide the needle in place
The drug is being injected into the artist's body using a needle.
I can feel it inside
The drug is beginning to take effect on the singer's body and mind.
Shows across my face
The artist's physical expression reveals the effects of the drug on their body.
Go to sleep, sweet angel
The drug is causing the singer to fall asleep or lose consciousness.
Let me wipe the pain away
The singer is using the drug to escape emotional pain.
Let the drug control you
The singer is surrendering control to the drug and its effects.
Just relax and close your eyes
The artist is being encouraged to let go of their consciousness and let the drug take over.
Contributed by Bella K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.