Coil spent the next period of its existence exploring visual media. In late 1984 they recorded a rendition of Tainted Love (originally recorded by Gloria Jones, but made popular by Soft Cell in the 80s), producing a widely banned, hallucinogenic video clip featuring Marc Almond as the Angel of Death; despite considerable controversy at home, the video ultimately found its way to the archives of the Museum of Modern Art. After spending several years working with filmmaker Derek Jarman on the feature The Angelic Conversation, Coil issued a remixed edition of their soundtrack. Following 1986’s Nightmare Culture, a collaboration with Boyd Rice produced as split release with Current 93, Christopherson and Balance invited Stephen Thrower to join the group in a full-time capacity. As a trio, they recorded 1986’s LP Horse Rotorvator, introducing orchestral, jazz, and middle Eastern textures into the mix; this album included The Anal Staircase.
In 1987, Coil issued The Unreleased Themes for Hellraiser, a collection of atmospheric gothic instrumentals commissioned for but ultimately cut from the Clive Barker horror film, followed by compilation album Gold Is the Metal (With the Broadest Shoulders), a remixed history of the group’s first several years of work. Unnatural History, another career overview, effectively ended the first phase of the band’s career in 1990; when Coil resurfaced a year later with Love’s Secret Domain, their music reflected the strong influence of the acid house culture. Another long layoff brought on by financial difficulties ended in 1995, when the group - now consisting of Sleazy, Balance, and Drew McDowell - signed to Nine Inch Nails’ Trent Reznor’s Nothing Records to release Backwards, an album which was never officially released, although it is available in a number of bootleg versions. Additionally, they recorded the LP Worship the Glitch, issued under the name ELpH, and in 1996 cut A Thousand Lights in a Darkened Room as Black Light District.
1998 marked a significant stylistic shift for Coil, as the group moved away from the industrial dance sound they pioneered in the first half of their career towards what Balance referred to as "Moon Musick". This began with the release of four seasonal EPs throughout that year, coinciding with the equinoxes and solstices; this marked the group making further forays into ambient and neoclassical styles. Lyrically, there was a push towards naturalistic, pagan imagery, and an emphasis on free form, improvisatory chants. All four of these releases were later collected and released as Moons Milk (in Four Phases) in 2002. Coil also put out a purely drone based project, Time Machines, under that alias the same year.
In 1999 Coil started to work with Thighpaulsandra, and with him released the chilling Musick to Play in the Dark, a dark, meditative work featuring mostly intoned vocals from Balance, and exploring deeper electronic textures and pitches. A second volume followed in 2000. After years of refusal to do so, Coil started to perform live again in 1999. They released a number of albums containing the various shows they did in the period 2000 - 2004. Coil have released a lot of material in very limited editions, and have distributed certain records only at concerts. In 2003 they started a project to re-issue these tracks. Amidst their sporadic touring, and growing internal tensions within the group, Black Antlers was released in 2004, consisting of many of the songs played in concert at the time. This would prove to be the last studio recording put out in Balance's lifetime.
Jhonn Balance’s long-time struggle with alcoholism led to his death on 13th November, 2004. He fell from the second floor window at his home, while drunk, and died a short time after. Coil’s last live performance took place at Dublin’s City Hall on 23 October 2004 and is expected to appear on the forthcoming DVD box set “Colour Sound Oblivion”. A number of songs that were (as good as) ready were released in autumn 2005 as a last farewell to Jhonn.
Peter Christopherson passed away peacefully in his sleep on November 25, 2010. Instead of sending flowers in memory of Peter Christopherson, people were asked to donate money to help children affected by AIDS in Thailand, the country he loved and died in.
http://www.thresholdhouse.com
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coil_(band)
A White Rainbow
Coil Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
(A roaring aura)
(A tremulous column of air, hanging there)
Moon's milk spills from my unquiet skull
And forms a white rainbow
(A psychosis, a roaring aura)
(Aurora borealis)
A white rainbow
A tremulous column of air hanging there
A bleached beach, a psychosis
(Laughing like skeletons clattering at midday)
Feel the moon's pull
Feel the moon's pull
Moon's milk spills from my unquiet skull
A white rainbow
Inverted vertigo, a psychosis
(Moon's milk spills)
And overhead, overhead
(Feel the moon's pull)
A tremulous column of air, hanging there
(A white rainbow)
(Laughing like skeletons clattering at midday)
And overhead, a white rainbow
Under an unquiet skull, under an unquiet skull
Feel the moon's pull
A white rainbow
The lyrics of Coil's song "A White Rainbow" depict a surreal and hallucinatory experience of someone whose mind is in chaos. The line "a white rainbow under an unquiet skull" sets the tone for the rest of the song, as the singer is experiencing a sensory overload that manifests as a white rainbow in their mind. The imagery of "moon's milk" spilling from their skull and forming a white rainbow emphasizes the surreal nature of the experience.
Throughout the song, there are references to the moon's pull and lunar ascension, suggesting that the singer is experiencing some form of lunar or cosmic influence on their mind. The line "a bleached beach, a psychosis" suggests that the singer's experiences are not all peaceful or pleasant, but rather are causing a psychological disturbance.
The line "laughing like skeletons clattering at midday" is particularly haunting, as it implies a sense of foreboding or impending doom. The overall effect of the song is one of disorientation and unease, as the singer's mind is unable to process the overwhelming sensory input.
Line by Line Meaning
A white rainbow under an unquiet skull
An image of a peaceful symbol that resides within an agitated mind
Moon's milk spills from my unquiet skull
A poetic description of the flow of thoughts and emotions from within one's troubled mind
And forms a white rainbow
The manifestation of inner chaos is transformed into a beautiful symbol of hope and peace
A lunar ascension, a solar declension
A reference to the cycles of the moon and sun, symbolizing the ups and downs of life
A tremulous column of air hanging there
A description of the delicate balance between the inner and outer world, and how they affect one another
A bleached beach, a psychosis
A contrasting image of a peaceful beach with the turbulent state of one's mind
(Laughing like skeletons clattering at midday)
An eerie image of the sound of one's own inner demons
Feel the moon's pull
A call to connect with one's emotions and intuition
(Moon's milk spills from my unquiet skull)
Reiteration of the idea that emotions and thoughts are flowing out from within
A white rainbow
The powerful symbol of hope and peace that emerges from within one's own chaotic mind
Inverted vertigo, a psychosis
A description of the unsettling feeling of disorientation and the turbulent state of one's mind
(Moon's milk spills)
Reiteration of the idea of the flow of emotions and thoughts from within one's own mind
And overhead, overhead
A reference to the expanse of the sky and the infinite potential of the universe
(Feel the moon's pull)
Reiteration of the call to connect with one's emotions and intuition
(A tremulous column of air, hanging there)
A reminder of the delicate balance between the inner and outer world, and their constant interaction
(A white rainbow)
Reiteration of the powerful symbol of hope and peace that can emerge from within one's own chaotic mind
(Laughing like skeletons clattering at midday)
Reiteration of the eerie sound of one's own inner demons
And overhead, a white rainbow
A reminder that the symbol of hope and peace is always present, even in the midst of inner turmoil
Under an unquiet skull, under an unquiet skull
Reiteration of the idea that the symbol of hope resides within, even in the midst of inner chaos
Feel the moon's pull
A final call to connect with one's emotions and intuition, and to embrace the symbol of hope and peace that emerges from within
A white rainbow
A final reminder of the powerful symbol of hope and peace that can emerge from within one's own chaotic mind
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@kikkirow
I think this is my favorite Coil song. It’s so perfect
@beatatomczyk2408
we must never forget. this piece of art should never be forgotten.
@oniricsunset
Happy birthday Jhon
@KickOutTheJhm
We are in a place, of a people in which we do not belong.
@antfactor
One of my all-time favorite EPs. Gorgeous from all angles.
@davidsmith5807
Haunting and beautiful!
@brandonevans7983
Coil. A mortal Coil. An immortal Coil.
'I was there that day.'
@experimental99974
Great Song!! THX
@ramsay1382
feel the moon's pull...
@23joanlee
this gets nice and high up there. wings are frosting up a bit. whew............