David Thomas Broughton's off-kilter folk is all about the slow-burn; coaxin… Read Full Bio ↴David Thomas Broughton's off-kilter folk is all about the slow-burn; coaxing melodies and oddly gorgeous vocals from a shuffling music box of acoustic guitars, looping pedals and bargain-bin drum machines. The result is tooth-achingly gorgeous. He has been lumped into the 'freak-folk' enclosure and in doing so shines amid the offerings of those traditionally proffered under this soft-centered appellation. Taking handsome dollops of Nick Drake, John Fahey and Antony and the Johnsons, Broughton's quixotic touch is writ large above all his compositions. Broughton leads us in through some tip-toeing guitar loops that gradually unfurl into a pink-hued vocal that recalls Antony and the Johnson's in its stark, alien delivery, whilst coming across as appealingly naïve, representing that fabled song-writing territory where the innovative does not overshadow the enjoyable - but instead coexists. Or something.

David Thomas Broughton’s talent has garnered praise with the passing years. The way Broughton merges endless processed guitar loops with his own and very personal voice –something between Odetta and Tim Buckley- throws light upon a unique sound. After astonishing audiences at the most recent edition of fave Spanish festivals Primavera Sound or Tanned Tin, Acuarela introduces an exclusive mini-album that the English musician has recorded with Leeds experimental group 7 Hertz. Layer after layer of sound, David Thomas Broughton has defined himself as a name to keep in mind, song after song, test after test. Challenging the limits of his own music, this Leeds singer songwriter has toyed at stretching a singular discourse bound to the well-worn parameters of folk and electronics, combining influences and just by following intuition and taste, enveloping it all with a warm and velvet voice. Without a doubt challenge has been a constant in his career. The Complete Guide To Insufficiency (Birdwar/Plug research, 2005) was a debut aimed at demonstrating Broughton’s live performance, recorded in one sole take in a church and barely intervening through mixing, one could even hear the sound of pedals being changed and other details that could only be appreciated in a live show. This atmosphere that suits the record so well, somewhere between narcotic and chaotic, has accompanied his next effort It’s In There Somewhere (Birdwar, 2007), though channeled through song format as we know it. 7 Hertz are a Leeds band dedicated to improvisation within a strange mixture of folk, classical, jazz and any other label that you can slap the term free on. David and the band hardly had time to greet each other before embarking on a recording session in a cold church in Leeds on a winter afternoon (a scene much like the one Broughton’s first record was drawn in). Every song would enjoy only one take, so there would never be any previous rehearsals between the parties involved. Throughout the first part of the album David performed a song he had in mind, around this the band built walls of sound. But for the second part of the record was created as it was performed for the first time, improvising lyrics and casting vocals towards the temple’s vaults, creating and unimaginable acoustic. The result is a record full of strength and experimentation where sound contracts and expands, always floating, carried over currents towards the impossible whirlpool that is “River Outlet”, the twenty-two minutes with which the session ends, where Broughton and 7 Hertz shyly fade, stretching their music until the very instant in which it separates..

Electricity
David Thomas Broughton Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

“Might have come to express myself so let’s go somewhere we can really talk, I’ll.
end up cooking up some false denial of my apathy, maybe I’m pretentious if I expect these words to have a little twist, I would’ve been much better if I had a little mind to be somehow supportive, I’m sorry to all those folks I could’ve been quite good friends with, it’s not like I said stuff when I was drunk, you know I just can’t work out what my problem is, I’m surprised my logic didn’t spot the mistakes afore I accepted them, don’t you know the electricity is the fundamental cause of everything, in the main all that I can glean is that it is the reason that this world is fucked, underneath our discrepancies is a glint of hope and I call this thing love”*

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of David Thomas Broughton's song "Electricity" seem to be an introspective reflection on the artist's struggle with expressing himself in meaningful ways. The opening lines suggest a desire to truly connect with someone, but at the same time, the singer acknowledges his tendency to offer insincere denials of his apathy. The next few lines touch on the theme of pretentiousness, suggesting that the singer wishes his words had more depth or creativity. However, he also acknowledges that he lacks the mental clarity or willingness to be supportive of others, and expresses regret over lost opportunities for friendship.

The song then takes a turn towards a more philosophical and pessimistic perspective, asserting that electricity is the fundamental cause of everything and the reason why the world is "fucked." The singer seems to be implying that the technological progress that has been made possible by electricity has also given rise to many of the problems that plague human society. Despite this bleak assessment, however, the singer finds a glimmer of hope in the concept of love, which he sees as a basis for finding a connection with others.

Overall, the song seems to be a meditation on the difficulties of self-expression and of finding a sense of purpose or meaning in life. The artist seems to be grappling with feelings of loneliness and disconnection, but also reaching towards a sense of hope and optimism.

Line by Line Meaning

Might have come to express myself so let’s go somewhere we can really talk, I’ll.
I may have come here to share my thoughts, so let's move to a place where we have privacy. I will try to be honest, but I may end up lying about my feelings.

end up cooking up some false denial of my apathy, maybe I’m pretentious if I expect these words to have a little twist,
I may end up creating a false story about how I don't care, and I may be pretending to sound interesting when my words are actually plain.

I would’ve been much better if I had a little mind to be somehow supportive,
I wish I was more helpful and supportive to my friends.

I’m sorry to all those folks I could’ve been quite good friends with, it’s not like I said stuff when I was drunk,
I regret not being better friends with certain people, and I can't even blame it on being drunk and saying something I wasn't supposed to say.

you know I just can’t work out what my problem is,
I don't even know what my problem is, I'm struggling to figure out what's wrong.

I’m surprised my logic didn’t spot the mistakes afore I accepted them,
I'm surprised that I didn't notice the mistakes before I made them or accepted them.

don’t you know the electricity is the fundamental cause of everything,
Did you know that electricity is the reason for everything in the world, and its effects are everywhere?

in the main all that I can glean is that it is the reason that this world is fucked,
From what I gather, electricity is the primary reason why the world is messed up.

underneath our discrepancies is a glint of hope and I call this thing love
Despite our differences and conflicts, there is always a spark of hope and love that can bring us together.

Contributed by Addison J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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