CocoRosie began as a duo, with Sierra singing, playing the guitar, piano and harp, and Bianca singing and manipulating various children's toys, electronic and percussion instruments, as well as other exotic noisemakers. They subsequently added various backing musicians, usually a bassist, keyboardist, and beatboxer. They have been a very active touring group, playing across Europe, the United States, and elsewhere.
They have released seven full-length albums: La maison de mon rêve (2004), Noah's Ark (2005), The Adventures of Ghosthorse and Stillborn (2007), Grey Oceans (2010), Tales of a GrassWidow (2013), Heartache City (2015) and Put the Shine On (2020).
In 2003, Bianca was growing restless and decided it was time for a change. Leaving her apartment in Brooklyn to travel the world, she ended up at Sierra's apartment in Paris. Over the course of the next two months, the women spent nearly every waking hour in Sierra's bathroom, chosen as the most acoustic and isolated room in the apartment. Soon, they had completed both a hip-hop recording (never released) called "word to the crow" and their proper debut album La Maison de Mon Rêve.
Originally, La Maison de Mon Rêve was only intended to be distributed within a close circle of friends. However, by 2004 the lo-fi album had been released on independent label Touch and Go Records, who had obtained a copy of the CD and had uncharacteristically pursued signing the artists. Since the creation of their first album, the Casady sisters have been virtually inseparable.
Stylistically they may be assigned to the indie rock, psychedelic folk, folktronica genres, and are sometimes associated with the New Weird America movement. Sierra, who studied operatic vocal techniques, takes the lead vocals and also plays guitar, harp and flute. Bianca is a percussionist and also beatboxes. The group also uses various objects such as toys to construct their unique sound. Popular indie bands such as The xx name them as a major influence.
They were actively touring during most of 2004, playing across the U.S. and throughout Europe with artists such as TV on the Radio, Bright Eyes, Battles, Devendra Banhart, and Busdriver among others.
Official website: http://www.cocorosiemusic.com
Tim and Tina
CocoRosie Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Mother of one
Blond son
He liked butterflies
She was married
So was he
To a liar
She wanted free
Another three
Brown, blue eyed babies
Had demon she
He had a gap
His mind was cracked
He was all looks
And coq-fight, fire
Steel blue, heart of sapphire
The rhythm of his thoughts
Were counter-clock
White wizard, black, chicken and fox
Heart locked in a box with horseshoes
And crystals and butterfly wings
Destiny may have broken your home
But you dance to awfully crude beat
You stepped on her shoes
And murdered the clues
Of the light filled forks in the road
You turned all her pages
In rapid succession
You flew to the end
And you skipped the last?
You mistook magic for love
And love for obsession
He liked butterflies
Broken mirror, cheap tutu
Kissing in the photo-booth
Freeze and smile now, don′t move
Broken mirror, cheap tutu
Kissing in the photo-booth
Freeze and smile now, don't move
She′s watching whales
2000 miles away
And can't remember much
Ooh, they were so cool
Broken mirror, cheap tutu
Kissing in the photo-booth
Freeze and smile now, don't move
Broken mirror, cheap tutu
Kissing in the photo-booth
Freeze and smile now, don′t move
Broken mirror, cheap tutu
Kissing in the photo-booth
Freeze and smile now, don′t move
The lyrics to CocoRosie's song "Tim and Tina" tell the story of two individuals, a woman named Tina and a man named Tim. Tina is a 29-year-old mother of one with blonde hair and a husband who she married despite his dishonesty. Tim, on the other hand, is a man who appears to be very superficial, with all looks and no substance. He has an interest in butterflies, which is a recurring motif throughout the song. Despite both Tina and Tim being married to other people, they end up getting married to one another and having three brown, blue-eyed babies. However, there seems to be some sort of "demon" or negative force present in their relationship that is hinted at throughout the song.
As the song continues, we learn more about Tim and Tina's personalities and actions. Tim is described as having a "cracked" mind and a heart of sapphire, but also as being obsessed with coq fighting and fire. We also learn that he has a fascination with magic, which may have blinded him to the true nature of his relationship with Tina. Tina, on the other hand, seems to be more introspective and regretful, particularly about her previous marriage to a liar. The repeated line "He liked butterflies" seems to tie the two characters together, despite their many differences.
Overall, "Tim and Tina" is a haunting and complex story about two individuals who are drawn to each other despite their respective flaws and problems. The use of lyrical motifs and poetic language makes for a truly beautiful and intriguing song.
Line by Line Meaning
She was 29
The woman in the story was 29 years old
Mother of one
She had one child
Blond son
Her child was a boy with blond hair
He liked butterflies
One of the male characters in the story liked butterflies
She was married
The woman was married to someone at the beginning of the story
So was he
The male character that liked butterflies was also married
To a liar
The male character was married to someone who was a liar
She wanted free
The woman wanted to be free from her marriage
She got remarried
The woman got remarried after her first marriage ended
Another three
She had three more children with her second husband
Brown, blue eyed babies
Her three children with her second husband had brown hair and blue eyes
Had demon she
It is unclear what this line means in the context of the story
He had a gap
The male character that liked butterflies had a gap in his teeth
His mind was cracked
The male character had some sort of mental instability or problem
He was all looks
The male character was physically attractive, but lacked depth or substance
And coq-fight, fire
It is unclear what this line means in the context of the story
Steel blue, heart of sapphire
The male character had a heart that was cold and hard like steel, but also had elements of beauty and rarity (like a sapphire)
The rhythm of his thoughts
His thought patterns had their own unique rhythm or pattern
Were counter-clock
His thought patterns were in the opposite direction of what is considered normal or traditional
White wizard, black, chicken and fox
It is unclear what this line means in the context of the story
Heart locked in a box with horseshoes
His heart was closed off and protected, but also had some element of good luck or superstition attached to it
And crystals and butterfly wings
His heart was also guarded by something beautiful and fragile, like crystals or butterfly wings
Destiny may have broken your home
Something outside of their control (destiny) may have caused their relationship or family to fall apart
But you dance to awfully crude beat
Despite the circumstances, the male character continued on with his life, perhaps in a reckless or crude way
You stepped on her shoes
The male character may have done something that hurt or offended the woman
And murdered the clues
He destroyed or eliminated any evidence or indication of what might have gone wrong in their relationship
Of the light filled forks in the road
There were clear choices or opportunities in their relationship that could have led to happiness or success, but he ignored them
You turned all her pages
The male character went through the woman's past or memories
In rapid succession
He went through them quickly or impulsively
You flew to the end
He skipped ahead to the end of their story or relationship
And you skipped the last?
It is unclear what this line means in the context of the story
You mistook magic for love
The male character confused or conflated the idea of magic with love
And love for obsession
His love for the woman may have turned into an unhealthy or obsessive fixation
Broken mirror, cheap tutu
The scene switches to a different setting or character
Kissing in the photo-booth
The new scene involves two people kissing in a photo booth
Freeze and smile now, don't move
The new scene involves the command to freeze and smile for the camera
She's watching whales
Another woman is introduced, watching whales from a distance
2000 miles away
The woman watching whales is far away from the other characters in the story
And can't remember much
It is implied that the woman watching whales has lost her memory or is struggling to remember certain things
Ooh, they were so cool
It is unclear what this line means in the context of the story
Contributed by Alexis L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.