Formed in 2003 by Brad Hargett and JB Townsend, they released one single and an EP. Later the pair expanded to five members (Kyle Forester, Andy Adler, and Keegan Cooke) before signing to Slumberland Records in the US and Angular Recording Corporation in Europe and releasing their critically acclaimed debut, "Alight of Night", in 2008.
Departure
Crystal Stilts Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Converging in the quiet
Just behind the silence
My mind has slipped inside it
I can feel a past being fed me
A second hand future's misled me
Second hand futures misled me
To devour my memories
In a single sitting
Seems the only means
The only means befitting
A reunion with my beloved
A reunion with the sun
A reunion with the stars
A reunion with the sun
Though i know
Endless dawn awaits
Still I rotate at the gate
To watch my life escape
Never turning as it runs
My reunion with the sun
Never turning as it runs
I discern a subtle stream
Converging in the quiet
Just behind the silence
My mind has slipped inside it
The lyrics of Crystal Stilts’ song, Departure, convey a sense of introspection and personal reflection. The lines, “I discern a subtle stream, converging in the quiet, just behind the silence,” suggest a stream of consciousness or self-reflection that occurs in moments of solitude. The singer of the song feels a sense of detachment from their personal history and lineage, noting that they can “feel a past being fed me, a second-hand future's misled me.” This sense of detachment is further emphasized with the lyrics “To devour my memories in a single sitting, seems the only means, the only means befitting”. The singer seems to recognize that the only way to truly process the past is to fully immerse oneself in it, to experience it fully, to “devour it.”
The song concludes on a note of ambivalence. The singer acknowledges the inevitability of change, but still feels powerless in the face of it. The lyrics, “Though I know endless dawn awaits, still I rotate at the gate, to watch my life escape,” suggest a resignation to both the passage of time and the necessity of moving forward.
Overall, the lyrics of Departure are thoughtful and perceptive, conveying a sense of introspection and reflection on the nature of change and personal evolution.
Line by Line Meaning
I discern a subtle stream
I have sensed something that is not quite apparent
Converging in the quiet
Coming together in the stillness
Just behind the silence
Lurking beneath the surface level
My mind has slipped inside it
My thoughts have entered and become consumed by it
I can feel a past being fed me
I am being reminded of memories that I had forgotten
A second hand future's misled me
Someone else's idea of the future has caused me to be deceived
Second hand futures misled me
I have been misled by a future that is not my own
I feel a fate being fed me
I am being handed a predetermined destiny
To devour my memories
To consume my past experiences
In a single sitting
All at once, in a moment
Seems the only means
It appears to be the sole option
The only means befitting
The only way that is suitable or appropriate
A reunion with my beloved
A coming back together with someone very dear to me
A reunion with the sun
A return to warmth and positivity
A reunion with the stars
A reconnection with celestial wonder and possibility
Though i know
Even though I am aware
Endless dawn awaits
There is an infinite number of new beginnings waiting
Still I rotate at the gate
I keep circling back, stuck at the entry point
To watch my life escape
As I witness my existence slipping out of reach
Never turning as it runs
Staying in the same place while time continues forward
My reunion with the sun
My return to hope and optimism/sunshine
Never turning as it runs
Continuing to remain stagnant as life goes on
I discern a subtle stream
I sense an unapparent or elusive force at work
Converging in the quiet
Coming together in a silent and subtle manner
Just behind the silence
Hiding just out of sight or sound
My mind has slipped inside it
I have become consumed by this unseen force
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@themystagogue4542
This band deserved to be so huge. This was something I was listening to right when I turned FORTY, partly because it reminded me of all the sounds I grew up with in the 80s – punk, post punk, Uk gloom, goth rock, etc, while also harkening back to 60s classics like the Doors and the Velvet Underground. And I think it's ultimately the case that by 2010 the decade was simply going to really change to rap, electronic music, and giant bombastic pop (something that was already happening in the mid 2000s). This final, massive tilt to hip hop and pop dominating everything just left these guys without the large audience they would have needed to thrive. The days of let's say Radiohead or even a newer group like Animal Collective was over. The world of indie rock (as far as chart action and sales go) has really SHRUNK in the 2010s. A superb band like this just couldn't get the ears of the younger generation because so much of the youth was ensconced in candi-glow pop hits and sound bite rap songs exploding across soundclouds, Vines and YouTube. A doomy, mumbled, guitar based slab of excellence like this just wasn't going to find the alternative/indie youth of today because all those suckers were wearing sportswear and tracksuits, all the time wanting to be TikTok stars and Instagram Influencers. Even the video: old footage of french student riots from the late 60s/early 70s didn't stand a chance against the majority of popular video imagery (which is still going strong): Capitalistic aspirations of Fame, Money, Mansions and never ending parties. Sigh. Still, give it another decade: This band will be considered a classic if not lost group of the time period. All always be a fan. Their three LPS are stellar. Will we hear from them again?
@outsidespac3
I really doubt these guys will have any enduring popularity, I don't hear anything special about their sound. Why listen to them when you can listen to Public Strain by Women?
@mandomtz
Agreed. Killer band. I think timing is everything. I think Crystal Stilts never found a huge audience because at the time they came out there were so many lo-fi Brooklyn indie bands doing the post-punk garage thing, that they just got lost in the shuffle and forgotten about. On first impressions, many people just thought they were just a monotonous , less talented lo-fi rip off of Interpol , who were always considered just a Joy Division rip-off, and that worked against them. Many criticized the band for not being creative and wearing their influences on their sleeves Which is a fair criticism in some ways. It was a time in music where music felt disposable, everyone was always moving on to something newer but not necessarily better.. Also the lo-fi vibe was lost on many who were accustomed to most robust production. But for those who took the time to absorb their music., this is a classic album from a bygone area.
@ThirdDimensionalBeing
one of their best songs and with some asbsolutlety amazing footage.
@Jdl009
Oh Paris . . .
@sagwgamanthegreat9653
I heard this song in a bar on the lower east side on a Saturday afternoon after I found out “zero dark thirty” was sold out citywide. My friend and I started at mcsorleys and bar hopped all the way to the SI Ferry, and this was a very fortunate shazam in a crazy dive bar. It was one of the best days I’ve ever had hanging out in the city. Glad the movie was sold out. Nostalgia can be fickle.
@Josouto1
May '68? Beautiful images.
@SummerLemontree
Just found this band and I am in love!!! Just awesome! :)
@loop66
Awesomeness all around. Great song and Ontology in the amazing footage from France.
@jordanellington5555
this is the perfect score to a daydream. when this song is on i see myself doing great things