After dropping out from an architecture course at college, Olivier moved to London. Initially working under the name ‘Hearing Is Our Concern’, he was actually the first person the newly-founded FatCat label ever received a demo from, although nothing came of this at the time, as Olivier wanted to do further work on his tracks. The name was changed to Ensemble and a chance meeting with Rephlex Records in 2000 resulted in the release of his first album, ‘Sketch Proposals’.
While not widely released, ‘Sketch Proposals’ did gain a small, dedicated audience, not least of which included Bjork, who had the album on heavy rotation while working on her 2001 album ‘Vespertine’. We put Olivier in touch with her and in 2002, Ensemble’s remixes of Bjork’s ‘Sun In My Mouth’ and ‘Cocoon’ were released as b-sides. Their collaborative relationship eventually led to Olivier’s co-writing of the song ‘Desired Constellation’ on Bjork’s 2004 album ‘Medulla’, and still more remixes on the ‘Triumph of a Heart’ single.
Around this time, Olivier continued work on a follow-up to ‘Sketch Proposals’, aiming to collide symphonic walls-of-sound with intimate folk-pop vocal pieces. Recorded over a period of 3 years, and composed mainly in Montreal, where he now resides, Olivier traveled from Canada, to Atlanta, then to a countryside farm in French Dordogne, and finally to Berlin for his recordings, with each disparate environment absorbed into the moods of each track. Expanding on his collaborative spirit, 2006’s new album (‘Ensemble’) features beautiful vocal performances by Chan Marshall (Cat Power), Lou Barlow (Dinosaur Jr.) and UK-based Mileece, as well as drums by Adam Pierce from Mice Parade and orchestral arrangements by Johannes Malfatti, performed by the Babelsberg Film Orchestra in Germany.
Additionally, Olivier remixed the b-side track, ‘That Summer, At Home I Had Become The Invisible Boy’, on The Twilight Sad’s single ‘And She Would Darken The Memory’, released in July 2007.
Olivier has also composed music for several exhibitions at the V&A museum; contributed to an Audio-Video installation by Doug Aitken at the Centre Georges Pompidou; and received an honorary mention at the Ars Electronica Festival for his noise side project, Chlorgeschlecht. He has also provided the soundtrack for the 2008 film 'Up The Yangtze', directed by Yung Chang.
Ensemble's newest album - 'Excerpts' - was released in January 2011. A beautiful, sophisticated record of orchestrated pop songs on the theme of fictional and false memories, the album features collaborators Johannes Malfatti (himself an award-winning theatre / film composer) and vocalist Darcy Conroy.
Opening
Ensemble Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Uh, deep shit blueberry bacon
Deep shit?
Ye- uh, dish! Deep dish. Sorry, Cal!
C'mon, girl
The day starts like the rest we've seen
Another carbon copy of an old routine
One out, one in
They keep coming
And make the coffee strong enough to chew!
I don't know what I wish I had
But there's no time now for thinking things like that
We've got too much to do
Too much to do
All these same things
We're always
Opening up
Letting the day in
Over a cup
We'll say "hello, how ya been?"
Looking around
Seeing the same things
Every day brings
"Hello, how ya been?"
"Thank you, come again!"
Some things never change
I wouldn't call this place a happy end
But I been 'round the block and just came back again
A small town like ours ain't much
But sometimes home is where your ass ends up
Order up!
Ordered up is how the day will find me
Everything in its place and time
And I like the way most of the days look exactly the same
Order up!
Check the clock
Tick, tick tock
Don't stop!
Serve with a smile!
Hurry up, fill the coffee cup
And then in a while
Take a breath when you need to be reminded that with days like these
We can only do the best we can
'Til we do it again
Come on, move it now!
Opening up
Letting the day in
Opening up
Some things never change
"Hello, how ya been?"
"Thank you, come again!"
Some things never change
The lyrics to "Opening" by Ensemble depict a day in the life of the characters in the musical. The song begins with a playful exchange between Jenna and Cal, where she mistakenly refers to the special pie of the day as "deep shit blueberry bacon," before correcting herself and saying "deep dish." This lighthearted banter sets the tone for the rest of the song.
The lyrics then describe the monotonous nature of their daily routines. Each day feels like a carbon copy of the one before, with the characters going through the motions and making strong coffee to stay awake. There is a sense of resignation and a lack of excitement, as the repetition becomes a defining feature of their lives.
Despite the sameness and lack of fulfillment, there is a sense of resilience and acceptance. The characters acknowledge that some things never change and that their small town might not be the happiest place, but it's where they've ended up. They find a certain comfort in the familiarity and routine, even if it's not their ideal situation.
The chorus highlights the cyclical nature of their lives, with the characters opening up each day, greeting the familiar faces, and going through motions they've become accustomed to. The repetition of "hello, how ya been?" and "thank you, come again!" reinforces the routine and the lack of significant change.
Line by Line Meaning
Jenna! What's the special pie today?
Jenna, what is today's featured pie?
Uh, deep shit blueberry bacon
Um, it's a deep-dish pie with a unique combination of blueberry and bacon
Deep shit?
Deep-dish, I meant to say
Ye- uh, dish! Deep dish. Sorry, Cal!
Yeah, I meant deep dish. My mistake, Cal!
C'mon, girl
Come on, let's get going
The day starts like the rest we've seen
The day begins just like all the previous ones
Another carbon copy of an old routine
It's a repetitive routine that feels like a copy of the past days
Days keep coming
The days continue to pass by
One out, one in
As one day ends, another begins
They keep coming
The days keep on coming
And make the coffee strong enough to chew!
And make sure the coffee is extremely strong
I don't know what I wish I had
I can't pinpoint what I desire
But there's no time now for thinking things like that
However, there's no time to dwell on such thoughts
We've got too much to do
We have a lot of tasks to accomplish
All these same things
All these familiar tasks
We're always
We are constantly
Opening up
Starting our day
Letting the day in
Allowing the day to take its course
Over a cup
As we drink our coffee
We'll say 'hello, how ya been?'
We greet each other with a casual 'hello, how have you been?'
Looking around
Observing our surroundings
Seeing the same things
Noticing the familiar sights
Every day brings
Each day presents
'Hello, how ya been?'
'Hello, how have you been?'
'Thank you, come again!'
'Thank you and please visit again!'
Some things never change
Certain aspects remain constant
I wouldn't call this place a happy end
I wouldn't describe this place as a joyful conclusion
But I been 'round the block and just came back again
However, I have explored different places but returned here once more
A small town like ours ain't much
Our small town doesn't offer much
But sometimes home is where your ass ends up
Nevertheless, sometimes home is where you find yourself
Order up!
An order is ready to be served!
Ordered up is how the day will find me
The day will find me busy fulfilling orders
Everything in its place and time
Everything is organized and scheduled
And I like the way most of the days look exactly the same
And I appreciate the consistency and familiarity of most days
Check the clock
Look at the time
Tick, tick tock
The sound of a clock ticking
Don't stop!
Keep going!
Serve with a smile!
Provide service with a pleasant expression!
Hurry up, fill the coffee cup
Quickly, fill the coffee cup
And then in a while
And shortly after
Take a breath when you need to be reminded that with days like these
Pause and take a breath to remind yourself that with days like these
We can only do the best we can
We can only give our best effort
'Til we do it again
Until we repeat the process next time
Come on, move it now!
Let's go, hurry up!
Opening up
Starting our day
Letting the day in
Allowing the day to unfold
Opening up
Beginning again
Some things never change
Certain things remain constant
'Hello, how ya been?'
'Hello, how have you been?'
'Thank you, come again!'
'Thank you and please visit again!'
Some things never change
Certain aspects remain constant
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Sara Bareilles
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Hayan
I wish they’d record this in a soundproof studio and upload it on Spotify or somewhere so it gets more recognition. They’re so underrated
J H
Hello Darkness I mean, some of it. A lot is still missing.
Sen
Go to j music ensemble's YouTube page. They've done exactly that. Some of it is on Spotify too.
indie209
Damn.... Clean and Simple, and Polyrhythm just shot up to the top of my faves after stumbling upon this
Arnaud PARAN
That opening theme!
Andrei Gabriel Ion
Adam Neely brought me here, awesome music!
pseudorismiq
I've been looking for this! Thank you! Their covers are all great
Dustin Pratt
Omg please release a full version of Future Unlimited! So good!
classy mofo105
those trade off solos were amazing! Nice!
TheEastCheese
God I love Future Ulimited