After leaving The Lemon Kittens she embarked on a solo career, recording and producing the albums Pop-Eyes (1982), Jesus Egg That Wept (1984) and Inky Bloaters (1987) on her own label, Awesome Records.
In 1988 she signed with Sire Records, which released Dark Adapted Eye which contained material from her first three albums as well as b-sides from the singles Big Hollow Man, Where The Flies Are and Yummer Yummer Man.
In 1990 she released her lone major-label studio album, Blast The Human Flower. Her last two album releases were in 1995 and consisted of a career retrospective double-album entitled Comatose-Non-Reaction and the Timber Tongue EP. Dax's career in the music business then went on indefinite hiatus, and was often referred to as a retirement.
From 1996 on, she has worked in interior design, and has appeared several times on the BBC interior design show Homefront.
According to her official MySpace page (maintained by long-time friend and former bandmate, Karl Blake), she has had several spoken word performances of her old material in the UK and on the continent, and there is some talk of new material being written. Her first three albums have been re-released on CD via her own label, Biter of Thorpe (with distribution through World Serpent).
Inky Bloaters
Danielle Dax Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
can't be found
Playing their
presence down
Listen they make
no sound
Look and they go
to ground
You may wake
to find
Your coffee cup
is empity
And the tray
you left
Is not bedside
the door
You are sure you
had another
hidden carton
When you look
for it It's not there
anymore
Inky bloaters!
They're a
consequence of
never being sure
Look and they
can't be found
Playing their
presence down
Listen they make
no sound
Look and they go
to ground
And the pencil
that you had
Has now gone
missing
You could swear
you had it
Just the other day
All the things
that make your
little life
Run smoothly
When you search
They've all just
gone away
Inky bloaters!
They're a
consequence of
never being sure
The song "Inky Bloaters" by Danielle Dax is a cryptic and enigmatic piece of music that explores the concept of uncertainty and its consequences. The song begins by describing the titular "inky bloaters," who seem to disappear or hide when people look for them. The singer is observing these figures and noting that they are always elusive, disappearing when someone goes to find them. The chorus interpolates the concept of loss, with the singer finding that certain objects like a carton of milk, a tray, or a pencil are inexplicably missing, leading to confusion.
Interpreting the lyrics, it seems that the "inky bloaters" represent the feeling of uncertainty, always present but always difficult to pin down or vocalize. The chorus, then, is an extension of this idea: when things are uncertain or missing, it is difficult to move through life steadily. The song is an exploration of the disorientation that comes with the sense of a lack of stability, whether on a large or small scale.
Overall, the song is open to interpretation and doesn't offer any definitive answers or solutions, but it is a fascinating and poetic meditation on the experience of uncertainty.
Line by Line Meaning
Look and they
Things disappear from your life without warning
can't be found
You can't locate them anywhere
Playing their
The things are hiding from you
presence down
They are quiet and out of sight
Listen they make
There is no audible indication of their presence
no sound
They are completely silent
Look and they go
They disappear as soon as you look for them
to ground
They cannot be found
You may wake
You may start your day
to find
Only to discover
Your coffee cup
That your coffee cup
is empity
Is now empty
And the tray
Moreover, the tray
you left
That you left
Is not bedside
Is nowhere near the bed
the door
Nor by the door
You are sure you
But you are certain that you
had another
Owned another
hidden carton
Discreetly stored container
When you look
However, when you look
for it It's not there
It is nowhere to be found
anymore
It has vanished without explanation
Inky bloaters!
These disappearances are called Inky Bloaters!
They're a
Inky Bloaters are caused by
consequence of
The reason behind Inky Bloaters is
never being sure
Your uncertainty about their existence
Contributed by Nathan L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@user-bd4ov5fx1l
Very nice.
@anthonyclowes7331
Perfect quirky pop
@zindi1138
her gran used to tell her ghosts were inky bloaters.
@paulbull407
Good knowledge, makes sense of lyrics.
@knshinn2
That, or those mysterious entities that make things go missing. Call them ghosts, call them piskies, call them Underpants Gnomes...all of them Inky Bloaters.