Their debut album "Elyria" was released in 1993 and was followed by "Annwyn, Beneath The Waves" in 1996, in part a concept album based around the four elements. 1999 saw the release of their third album, "Evidence of Heaven". In 2001, "Vera Causa" a 2 CD set featuring a live permormance and various rarities was released. "The Burning Season" followed in 2004, and featured a more rock oriented formula. They continued to explore the boundaries of Gothic Rock with their 2009 album, :ankoku butoh: , an album which saw them delve into far-east Asian aesthetics.
Faith and the Muse currently live in Los Angeles, California, USA. Their website is http://www.mercyground.com
Kodama
Faith and the Muse Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To hear the tale of the spiral down.
The ancient heart within us all,
Forced to splinter into nothing at all.
Come the Tall-Tale Industry.
There was The Spirit and The Machine.
That demanded for order and perfection;
Power over the great unseen.
Come the Tall-Tale Industry.
The Spirit was made obsolete,
When the machine hatched a heartless scheme.
That understood she could be enslaved,
To do just what she does so naturally.
Under it's authority, they turned her into a factory.
Tradition ruled that she ought to be.
The farce of law that she give her sons one by one,
Unwillingly, until she's done.
To the Tall-Tale Industry.
You'll give your dreams up one by one,
To the machine until you're gone.
The horrors of etiquette, how to speak and think,
Who to marry and what to eat
To the Tall-Tale Industry.
Come children, to hear the warped generation
Should they realize they were forced to,
Pass on such a twisted belief,
Just because it's always been.
To the Tall-Tale Industry.
Tradition, Laws, and Lies.
The prison of Civility,
Tall-Tale Industry.
In Faith and the Muse's song Kodama, the lyrics describe a cautionary tale about the consequences of valuing order and perfection over the ancient heart within us all. The song speaks to the impact of the Tall-Tale Industry, which promotes and reinforces traditional values and beliefs, and how these beliefs can be twisted and used as a means of control. The Spirit, which represents the ancient heart, is made obsolete by the Machine, the mechanical philistine, which demands perfection and power over the unseen. The Spirit is then turned into a factory to serve the Machine's desires, ultimately resulting in the loss of dreams, individuality, and freedom.
The Tall-Tale Industry is portrayed as a prison of civility, where tradition, laws, and lies are used to control and manipulate people. The lyrics suggest that this system is not only destructive but also cyclical, as children are forced to inherit these twisted beliefs, simply because it's always been that way. The song warns against the dangers of blindly following tradition and reinforces the importance of valuing the ancient heart within us all.
Overall, the lyrics of Kodama provide a thought-provoking commentary on the impact of societal norms and how they can be used as a tool for control and oppression. The song urges listeners to question the status quo and to embrace their individuality and the ancient heart within.
Line by Line Meaning
Come all you mortals and gather round,
Attention all humans, please come together to listen.
To hear the tale of the spiral down.
Listen to the tragic story of decline and fall.
The ancient heart within us all,
The innate emotions and feelings that are part of being human.
Forced to splinter into nothing at all.
Compelled to break apart and disappear completely.
There was The Spirit and The Machine.
Two opposing concepts - emotion and technology.
The mechanical philistine,
The person who values machinery over all else.
That demanded for order and perfection;
The belief that everything must be controlled and flawless.
Power over the great unseen.
Dominance over that which cannot be easily understood or observed.
The Spirit was made obsolete,
Emotion and feeling were no longer valued.
When the machine hatched a heartless scheme.
The technology devised a cruel plan.
That understood she could be enslaved,
The machine knew it could control and oppress the Spirit.
To do just what she does so naturally.
To force the Spirit to perform its natural abilities against its will.
Under it's authority, they turned her into a factory.
The technology's power made the Spirit into a mere production tool.
Tradition ruled that she ought to be.
Society believed that the Spirit should conform to longstanding customs.
The farce of law that she give her sons one by one,
The fake rule that the Spirit must produce offspring, constantly giving up pieces of itself.
Unwillingly, until she's done.
The Spirit was forced to perform these duties without any desire to do so, until it was exhausted.
You'll give your dreams up one by one,
Individuals will sacrifice their aspirations, little by little.
To the machine until you're gone.
Until they are consumed entirely by the technology.
The horrors of etiquette, how to speak and think,
The oppressive nature of societal norms dictating what is proper to say and believe.
Who to marry and what to eat
The restrictions placed on one's personal choices regarding relationships and diet.
Come children, to hear the warped generation
Young people, come and listen to the message of the twisted society that raised you.
Should they realize they were forced to,
If they are able to recognize that they were coerced into this way of life.
Pass on such a twisted belief,
Spread the distorted ideology to others.
Just because it's always been.
Continuing to follow tradition and societal norms, simply because they are longstanding.
Tradition, Laws, and Lies.
The societal norms, rules, and false beliefs that restrict individual freedom.
The prison of Civility,
The stifling environment created by the restrictions of societal expectations.
Tall-Tale Industry.
The manipulation of truth and reality by those in power, ensuring continued oppression of the masses.
Contributed by Wyatt B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.