After Galaxie 500 completed a tour of the US supporting the Cocteau Twins, guitarist and vocalist Dean Wareham quit the band, forcing the cancellation of an imminent Japanese tour. Damon and Naomi had recorded a few tracks before the split and these were released under the name Pierre Etoile by Rough Trade (UK) in June 1990. The duo then spent time working on their book publishing company Exact Change with no plans to return to recording until producer Mark Kramer urged them back into the studio. The resulting album More Sad Hits was released on Kramer's Shimmy Disc label in 1992.
Following the release of More Sad Hits Damon and Naomi were contacted by Kate Biggar and Wayne Rogers whose band Crystalized Movements had recently lost its rhythm section. The two couples teamed up to form the psychedelic rock band Magic Hour and released three albums between 1993 and 1996. Parallel to Magic Hour Damon and Naomi continued to record as a duo, releasing their second album The Wondrous World of Damon and Naomi on Sub Pop in 1995. The album was again produced by Kramer.
After the release of their second album Damon & Naomi finally decided that they were ready to return to live performance. In a 1998 interview Krukowski said, "We never thought we would perform because there's no rhythm section, and us being a former rhythm section, we thought there's nothing worse than a band without a rhythm section."
Their third album, 1998's Playback Singers, was recorded at their home studio (Kali Studios) in Cambridge, MA and was their first album recorded without the assistance of Kramer. The album included the song Awake in a Muddle, written by Masaki Batoh of the psychedlic rock band Ghost, which marked the beginning of the ongoing relationship between the duo and the Japanese band. The album also included a cover of the Tom Rapp (Pearls Before Swine) song "Translucent Carriages". (The duo had performed the song with Rapp when he came out of retirement for the first Terrastock music festival in 1997.) Krukowski produced re-recordings of two Pearls Before Swine tracks that appeared on the compilation album Constructive Melancholy that was released in 1998.
In 2000 they cemented the relationship with Ghost by releasing the collaborative album With Ghost recorded once again at the duo's Kali studios. The tour in support of the album featured Ghost guitarist Michio Kurihara. In 2002 Live in San Sebastian was released; the album had been recorded in May 2001 with Kurihara, and it was released with an additional DVD featuring a video tour diary by Naomi.
During 2004 as well as recording their next album Damon had a book of poetry published (The Memory Theater Burned) and the duo also worked on pulling together a double DVD of Galaxie 500 videos that was released by Plexifilm. On Valentine's Day 2005, having amicably terminated their relationship with Sub Pop, Damon & Naomi released their fifth studio album The Earth Is Blue on their own 20|20|20 label. The album again featured Kurihara on guitar as well as the avant-garde brass section of Greg Kelley and Bhob Rainey of Nmperign. The supporting tour featured all the guest musicians and one of the Japanese dates of the tour was videotaped and released as a limited edition DVD at the end of 2005.
In 2006 Damon & Naomi set about recording their next album at Kali Studios once again with Kurihara guesting.
The Turnaround
Damon & Naomi Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
An attic room closed for centuries
The turnaround, the change of key
The open door, you gave to me
A dusty book with tipped-in plates
Brushes dipped in fresh white paint
The turnaround, the change of key
The open door, you gave to me
An open door might lead you
A million miles away
But this heart will stay
Beside you, beside you, beside you
The opening lines of "The Turnaround" express an almost desperate need to reconnect with the natural world, to feel a sense of vitality and connection to the outdoors. The image of staying up all night just to catch a breeze implies a sense of urgency, as if the singer is seeking something elusive and precious. The attic room serves as a metaphor for the self, closed off and isolated from the wider world. However, the turnaround mentioned in the lyrics suggests a shift toward openness and possibility. The change of key could be interpreted as a musical metaphor, indicating a shift in mood or temperament. The open door represents a newfound sense of possibility, a way forward from the stagnation of the past.
The second stanza focuses on the creative process, with the dusty book and fresh white paint representing the tools of inspiration. Here, the turnaround might refer to a shift in attitude toward creativity, from feeling blocked and uninspired to feeling energized and motivated. The chorus repeats the ideas from the first stanza, emphasizing the importance of taking risks and exploring new opportunities. The final lines, "But this heart will stay / Beside you," suggest a sense of loyalty and commitment, even as the world continues to change and evolve around them.
Line by Line Meaning
Up all night, just to feel the breeze
Staying awake throughout the night just to experience the chilly wind
An attic room closed for centuries
A loft that's been shut for a very long time
The turnaround, the change of key
A paradigm shift or significant transformation
The open door, you gave to me
The opportunity you provided me, allowing me to embark on this new journey
A dusty book with tipped-in plates
An old and neglected publication with illustrations inserted separately into the text
Brushes dipped in fresh white paint
Bristles soaked in pristine white pigment
An open door might lead you
A door left ajar could take you to various places
A million miles away
As far as possible
But this heart will stay
My emotions will remain
Beside you, beside you, beside you
Next to you repeatedly
Lyrics © ROUGH TRADE PUBLISHING
Written by: GIOVANNI MUNTER DAMIANI, PAOLO DONNARUMMA
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind