Adam Busch – vocals
Eric Kufs – vocals, guitar
Jo… Read Full Bio ↴Common Rotation
Adam Busch – vocals
Eric Kufs – vocals, guitar
Jordan Katz - vocals, trumpet, banjo
“The atmosphere at our concerts," says Common Rotation vocalist Adam Busch, “is one of an intelligent and ironic frat house celebration of the morbid view of mortality.”
Life is short but this won’t dissuade us from its pleasures. It’s at once kinda dorky (like folk music) but also profoundly sage, the only religion worth a subscription. It’s the axis of Common Rotation’s existence, and the thesis of their new album, The Big Fear. “Our shows are a party every time, intentionally and incidentally, conjured by the mix of a teen boredom, alcohol, a visually dramatic performance of catchy upbeat folk tunes with very cynical messages.”
Busch and his good friend Eric Kufs formed the morbid party called Common Rotation in their high school days. Busch had experienced a musical awakening at hearing Elvis Costello; thinking he was the only one (as Costello fans seem to do), Busch was surprised to hear Kufs was also a fan. That and a shared love of folk music forged a bond between the two and a relentlessly prolific collaboration that continues to this day. Their tunes were funny and sad in equal doses—consummately existential, smart but not pretentiously literate.
They began playing coffeehouses, “hitting every open mic night in the Tri-State area” originally, cultivating a following among the venues’ folk-friendly denizens. These morphed into regular gigs at the same places, weekends at larger clubs in New York City, and eventual opening dates with friends and benefactors They Might Be Giants. During that time, they released a quickie album (titled Common Rotation, but credited to “28 Orange Street”). It did well for them, but Busch says it was when he and Kufs moved to California—and donned the Common Rotation as a moniker (partly due to their revolving-door rhythm section) that they began work on the album they’d both envisioned: The Big Fear.
They rented a big house and set about writing and recording three albums’ worth of material, from which ten tracks were chosen (Note: the rest weren’t to languish; the band has a full-disclosure policy, making new rehearsals, demos and live takes available on CommonRotation.com every two days and sprinkling them throughout their constantly changing set list). The environment, Busch says, was especially conducive to creativity, and resulted in the album they’ve both envisioned since their salad days, a marriage of pop sensibilities and the communal, inclusive aura of folk.
“There is a major difference in the maturity of the production,” says Busch. “The first album was recorded in one ten-hour day. The songs on The Big Fear are much more polished in the band’s performance of them and were closely examined in terms of their arrangements.” “Indie Rockin’,” an unrighteous raspberry at elitist hipsters, commences the record thusly, melding an infectious chorus to a troubadour-ish admonition to not take oneself so serious—music is supposed to be fun—and protest (the hipster protagonist admits his “indie rockin’” ethos is a “feeling that I stole”). Henceforth, Common Rotation (Kufs and Busch are joined by drummer Prof. Ken Beck and bassist Mike Uhler, two of several musicians that comprise Common Rotation’s sundry live incarnations) have fun throughout an album that ponders weighty questions and situations (the airy, jazzy “Savior,” acoustic pop gems “Post Modern,” “All My Time”) and inhales life (the jubilant “Sit Down,” a quirk-lite interpretation of They Might Be Giants’ “Don’t Let’s Start,” the summer vibe-y “Prime Time”). The effect is such that one is at once liberated and somewhat blissfully burdened with new questions. Kufs: “The point of writing songs, for us, has always been to release feelings we have at different moments in our lives so we can understand them better. Whether the subject of a song is a relationship with another person or a relationship with society, human nature, a God, etcetera, we feel the need to express our feelings about it without preaching to a listener.”
At the same time, Common Rotation seeks to exist, if only in brief bursts, on the same plane as the listener. Their name intimates as much; we’re all on the same planet, spinning on the same axis. Everybody, everywhere is trying to get through the same crappy day en route to the inevitable dirtnap denouement; we don’t have to dance to the same song, but sometimes doing exactly that is enough to get you through the day.
“We don't know any more than our audience does,” Busch says, “and if we can give them something catchy to sing along with that doesn't invoke any thought by any means other than sincerity, then we have succeeded.”
Taken from www.commonrotation.com
Savior
Common Rotation Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We haven't gotten anywhere
No more lessons to be learned
After all these years
It's just a rock overturned
To identify what wasn't shared
The salt of the earth
Or it's dirty children's tears
CHORUS:
So smile for the camera
(hand shaking for the front cover)
Make sure you capture the good side of the...
(breathtaking for a last supper there are no party favors when
Everyone feels they're the...)
Savior, they're the Savior
Read it in the headlines
Plastered on the front page
Read it in the fine print
Where the concrete vows are made
Another rock overturned
One more world to our surprise
Same old stone to be thrown
At the ideal compromise
CHORUS
Bridge: Too much history in the holding cell
Too much memory in a lingering scent
When the holy land's a living hell
With a wide open vent
It's never safe to assume
You could ever rid yourself of her perfume
The song "Savior" by Common Rotation is a poignant critique on the vanity and egoism that plague people in power. The lyrics allude to a meeting that has just ended, where the participants have failed to reach any meaningful conclusion, and are left with nothing but a rock overturned as a symbol of their unfruitful efforts. The metaphorical image of the "salt of the earth or its dirty children's tears" emphasizes the contrast between the purity of nature and the corruption of humans who refuse to cooperate and share resources.
The chorus of the song talks about the camera and the media's role in glorifying those who seek to be "Savior" of the people. The song implies that people often have their own self-interest at heart and use the camera for their own purposes. The second verse of the song speaks about the fine print where concrete vows are made, taking a dig at the insincerity of politicians who make promises but don't keep them. The bridge speaks about the weight of the past, the lingering memories that stay with us, and the inability to move on from our mistakes.
Overall, "Savior" is a scathing indictment of the greed, selfishness, and corruption that infect the corridors of power. It is a call for people to take responsibility, to work together and find a solution to their problems rather than just putting on a show for the cameras.
Line by Line Meaning
This meeting's been ajourned
We've ended this discussion
We haven't gotten anywhere
We didn't make any progress
No more lessons to be learned
We can't learn anything else from this
After all these years
Despite the time passed
It's just a rock overturned
We've only uncovered one thing
To identify what wasn't shared
To see what we missed
The salt of the earth
The most common and essential part of society
Or it's dirty children's tears
Perhaps it's full of sorrow and pain
CHORUS:
Refrain
So smile for the camera
Put on a happy face for the photo
(hand shaking for the front cover)
Act as if everything's good for the front page
Make sure you capture the good side of the...
Only show the positive aspects of the situation
(breathtaking for a last supper there are no party favors when
Everyone feels they're the...)
Even if it's the end, make sure to make an impression
Savior, they're the Savior
They believe themselves to be the one in control
Read it in the headlines
The news is everywhere
Plastered on the front page
It's the main story
Read it in the fine print
Look at the details
Where the concrete vows are made
Where promises are written down
Another rock overturned
Another revelation
One more world to our surprise
Another shock to us
Same old stone to be thrown
The same criticism as always
At the ideal compromise
Against a solution that could work for everyone
CHORUS
Refrain
Bridge: Too much history in the holding cell
There's too much past to let go
Too much memory in a lingering scent
The past is still affecting us
When the holy land's a living hell
Even a holy place can be terrible
With a wide open vent
With no way of hiding it
It's never safe to assume
Don't think it will just go away
You could ever rid yourself of her perfume
You'll never forget the impact of the past
Contributed by Stella G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.