Originally from Milwaukee, they first played together in Camden, an indie favorite with shoegaze flavor. After only a handful of EPs and one stellar full-length – the gorgeous Reel Time Canvas, produced by Chris Walla (Death Cab for Cutie) – they disbanded while on the brink of bigger things. After they disbanded, Osterman followed his heart to Michigan and Weber enlisted Camden alum William Seidel to form the indie-folk outfit Decibully while moonlighting with The Promise Ring. The two friends drifted apart as you do when life happens, but not so far that they couldn’t easily fall in with each other again.
In 2007, Weber took up a teaching post in Armenia for a year; it was in this faraway place where he began the initial sketches of a new project. Reaching out to Osterman was a natural step; writing together again was a matter of exchanging tracks over email. Taking the concept one step further, they invited myriad friends to participate, including members of Shearwater, Dirty Projectors, Owen and a slew of hometown heroes like Maritime, Hey Mercedes, and The Championship. The resulting record, All Those I Know, is a dream-pop composition marked at times by lush reverb and at others, by delicate folk melodies. Released first as a free download in the late winter of 2010, it was pressed in limited-edition vinyl (Ten Atoms) the following summer.
Forever traveling, in 2011 Weber joined the Peace Corps in Kenya while Osterman relocated to Brooklyn. Apart from the inherent challenges of place, little had changed in their creative process. Still the laptops, the Internet connection, the revolving cast of musicians - this time including (amongst others) members of The Delgados, Snailhouse, and Faunts. Night Singers builds on the framework of All Those I Know, building upon the band's hallmark vocals flush with reverb. The end result is an album full of glittering, hushed moments juxtaposed against electro-pop gems.
The coming year will see the release of Night Singers (April) proceeded by an EP, the aptly titled Two Travelers (February). And further travel. Weber returns from Kenya and Osterman has his eye on the Midwest. At the core Eric & Magill are two individuals, but who they are collectively is a reflection of their travels, their relationships and the connectivity of this great spinning world.
Psycho
Eric & Magill Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Lately you languish
And angstful, you anguish
For something to sweeten your day-to-day tea
Your examine existence is rife with resistance
You rot on the spot like forgotten kimchi
So in an attempt to become un-vaclempt
You are seeking diversion to lighten your day
There?s nothing a few dorks won?t do
To renew
Your amused point of view
When you?re viewing the psycho ballet
If your mind is as messy
As old Herman Hessey
And you don?t have the dough for a concert or play
Just come meet me there down in Washington Square
And we?ll take in the psycho ballet, ballet
We?ll take in the psycho ballet
We?ll sit ourselves down on a nice afternoon
I?ll point out performers and let you lampoon
There sure ain?t no dearth of galoots on this earth
But there?s some here that hail from the moon
Like the nuthouse-kateers and the brown-baggied beers
Drunk by drunks who have drunk here for 25 years
The comatose stoned boys and hip-hoppin? homeboys
With blasters abusing our ears
There?s a pan-handling prophet
Who swears he?s been off it
Since early last year or perchance yesterday
Yes, the bullshit will fly and you?ll laugh ?til you?re cryin?
When spyin? the psycho ballet, ballet
When spyin? the psycho ballet
And now pervert observing would not be complete
Without finding something disgusting to eat
The stonerkabob is a constant surprise
But McDougall?s too far and right before your eyes
You?ve got knishes of cardboard
And pretzels of paste
That the Jersey boys barf when they?re face-down and faced
But if that?s insufficient, there?s peddlers proficient
In ways of enhancing the taste
No, there won?t be no ushers
But plenty of pushers
To service your every weed, every day
Though the bar isn?t open
It?s dope to be dopin?
When scopin? the psycho ballet, ballet
When scopin? the psycho ballet
Ganja, ganja
Smoke, smoke
Ganja, ganja
Smoke, smoke
Ganja, ganja
Smoke, smoke
Ganja, ganja
Well
You?ve got bell-bottomed beauties
In swell-bottomed splendor
And frat boys who?ve blown it for the rest of their gender
Tickertape traitors who blew it on blow
And resemble Garcia without all his dough
You?ve got camcording tourists
And Jesus freak jurists
And pud-pounding purists on pisshouse patrol
Mohawked marauders and brain-dead skateboarders
Who don?t seem to mind running straight into poles
Well, there?ll always be accolades
For spandex on rollerblades
And losers in Lennon shades with nothing to say
There?s no need to go formal
A T-shirt is normal
When viewing the psycho ballet, ballet
When viewing the psycho ballet
Ladies and gentlemen, please remain in your seats, the show ain?t over yet!
You?ve got guys who?ll set fire to themselves for a quarter
And girls who unshod would be eight inches shorter
Bozos on benches who bobble their boners
And bimbo, babe bowzers who act like their owners
Egos who masturbate with their guitars
And seduce teeny-boppers convinced that they?re stars
But when the girlies are gone, they are just as alone
And neurotic as they were before
Ain?t your surest chagrin
The asylum you?re in
Is gonna start to make sense in the scariest way
And when the bizarre?uns
Have ceased to seem foreign
You?ll star in the psycho ballet, ballet
You?ll star in the psycho ballet
The song "Psycho Ballet" by Eric & Magill is a satirical critique of the strange and absurd characters one might encounter in New York City's Washington Square Park. The lyrics describe a protagonist who feels stuck in a dull and unfulfilling routine, hoping to escape by seeking out diversion and entertainment. The psycho ballet is suggested as a free and immersive experience, where the audience can observe the bizarre and eclectic individuals of the park, from street performers to drug dealers, from self-obsessed musicians to nonsensical preachers. The lyrics portray the psycho ballet as a spectacle that's simultaneously comical and unsettling, where the audience can laugh and cry, appreciate and criticize the eccentricities of human nature.
The song's tone is light-hearted and ironic, highlighting the subversive and absurdist qualities of the park's inhabitants. The lyrics juxtapose ordinary and extraordinary images to convey a sense of the surreal, from forgotten kimchi to pan-handling prophets, from stonerkabobs to frat boys, from Jesus freak jurists to brain-dead skateboarders. The song's structure follows a waltz-like pattern, with the refrain "ganga ganja, smoke smoke" adding to the sense of dizziness and delirium.
The message of the song is to embrace the weirdness and spontaneity of life, to enjoy the small pleasures and discoveries that undermine the monotony of everyday existence. The psycho ballet serves as a metaphor for the unpredictable and unscripted nature of human behavior, suggesting that there's a hidden beauty and creativity in the chaos of the world.
Line by Line Meaning
Lately you languish
You have been feeling unwell and dissatisfied lately
And angstful, you anguish
You are experiencing anxiety and distress
For something to sweeten your day-to-day tea
You are looking for something to make your life more enjoyable
Your examine existence is rife with resistance
You feel like everything in your life is difficult
You rot on the spot like forgotten kimchi
You feel stagnant and like you are not progressing
So in an attempt to become un-vaclempt
You are trying to become less upset and more clear-headed
You are seeking diversion to lighten your day
You want to do something fun or entertaining to improve your mood
Well, when you?re in New York
New York is a good place to find what you're looking for
There?s nothing a few dorks won?t do
There are people in New York who are willing to do crazy things to entertain you
To renew your amused point of view
To help you see things in a more positive light
When you?re viewing the psycho ballet
Referring to a show or performance that is very strange or absurd
If your mind is as messy
If you are feeling confused or overwhelmed
As old Herman Hessey
Like the novelist, Hermann Hesse, who writes about deep philosophical concepts
And you don?t have the dough for a concert or play
If you don't have enough money for a more expensive event
Just come meet me there down in Washington Square
Come to Washington Square in New York to find this strange show
And we?ll take in the psycho ballet, ballet
We will watch the strange performance together
We?ll sit ourselves down on a nice afternoon
We will find a comfortable place to watch the show
I?ll point out performers and let you lampoon
I will show you the performers and let you make fun of them
There sure ain?t no dearth of galoots on this earth
There are no shortage of strange people in the world
But there?s some here that hail from the moon
Some people are just too weird or otherworldly to be understood
Like the nuthouse-kateers and the brown-baggied beers
Referring to people who are crazy and drink booze out of brown bags
Drunk by drunks who have drunk here for 25 years
People who have been drinking for a very long time
The comatose stoned boys and hip-hoppin? homeboys
People who are very high on drugs or who love hip-hop music
With blasters abusing our ears
Playing very loud music that hurts our ears
There?s a pan-handling prophet
A person who begs for money and claims to have divine knowledge
Who swears he?s been off it
Claims to be sober
Since early last year or perchance yesterday
For an unknown amount of time
Yes, the bullshit will fly and you?ll laugh ?til you?re cryin?
People will say and do crazy things and you will find it funny
When spyin? the psycho ballet, ballet
When watching the strange performance
And now pervert observing would not be complete
Watching this strange show wouldn't be complete without seeing something gross or disgusting
Without finding something disgusting to eat
Without finding a gross food vendor to purchase from
The stonerkabob is a constant surprise
The food options at this event are always unpredictable and strange
But McDougall?s too far and right before your eyes
Referring to a nearby McDonald's restaurant
You?ve got knishes of cardboard
A type of pastry with filling that tastes very bad
And pretzels of paste
A type of snack that tastes similarly bad
That the Jersey boys barf when they?re face-down and faced
That people from New Jersey would not even be able to keep it down
But if that?s insufficient, there?s peddlers proficient
If the food isn't weird enough for you, there are people who can make it even stranger
In ways of enhancing the taste
By adding strange flavor combinations
No, there won?t be no ushers
There will be no staff to help you with your needs
But plenty of pushers
But there will be lots of people pushing drugs
To service your every weed, every day
To sell you any kind of drug you could want
Though the bar isn?t open
Even though there is no actual bar at this event
It?s dope to be dopin?
It's still fun to do drugs
When scopin? the psycho ballet, ballet
When watching the show while high
Ganja, ganja, Smoke, smoke
A reference to smoking marijuana
You?ve got bell-bottomed beauties
There are attractive women wearing bell-bottom pants
In swell-bottomed splendor
Looking very fashionable and stylish
And frat boys who?ve blown it for the rest of their gender
College students who have made bad choices and look foolish
Tickertape traitors who blew it on blow
People who are disloyal to their country and have a drug addiction
And resemble Garcia without all his dough
Referring to famous musician Jerry Garcia, who has a similar appearance
You?ve got camcording tourists
Tourists who are filming everything to remember it
And Jesus freak jurists
Religious people who are strict about their beliefs
And pud-pounding purists on pisshouse patrol
Referring to people who are obsessed with cleanliness and sanitation
Mohawked marauders and brain-dead skateboarders
People with crazy hairstyles and skateboarders who aren't very smart
Who don?t seem to mind running straight into poles
They are so focused on skating that they are not paying attention to their surroundings
Well, there?ll always be accolades
There will always be people who praise strange or terrible things
For spandex on rollerblades
People appreciate the combination of tight clothing and rollerblading
And losers in Lennon shades with nothing to say
People who are trying to look cool but actually have nothing interesting to talk about
There?s no need to go formal
You don't need to wear anything fancy to this event
A T-shirt is normal
A plain t-shirt is a perfectly acceptable attire choice
When viewing the psycho ballet, ballet
When watching the strange performance
Ladies and gentlemen, please remain in your seats, the show ain?t over yet!
A reference to a performer or event that is delaying its conclusion
You?ve got guys who?ll set fire to themselves for a quarter
People who are willing to do crazy or dangerous things for a small amount of money
And girls who unshod would be eight inches shorter
Women who wear high heels and are taller as a result
Bozos on benches who bobble their boners
Men who are so drunk or high that they can't stand up straight
And bimbo, babe bowzers who act like their owners
Women who are vain and act like they own everything
Egos who masturbate with their guitars
Musicians who are conceited and obsessed with their instruments
And seduce teeny-boppers convinced that they?re stars
Musicians who use their fame to attract younger fans
But when the girlies are gone, they are just as alone
When the fans leave, the musicians still feel lonely
And neurotic as they were before
The musician's problems or issues haven't gone away
Ain?t your surest chagrin
Don't you feel embarrassed
The asylum you?re in
Referring to the weird and crazy environment of the show
Is gonna start to make sense in the scariest way
It will start to feel like you belong in this crazy environment
And when the bizarre?uns
When the strange and unusual characters
Have ceased to seem foreign
Don't feel as unfamiliar or strange anymore
You?ll star in the psycho ballet, ballet
You'll become part of the strange and absurd environment
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind