After leaving Orlando in 1998, Dickon experimented with the Fosca name via several line-ups, lead vocalists and musical directions, playing a handful of London shows and releasing a self-produced EP along the way (the Galaxie 500-bothering Nervous, London (Something Velvet, November 1999), before realising two things: (a) that he needed a musical collaborator for guidance and direction, and (b) that he should take the lead vocal duties himself in the interests of Lyrical Truth.
The former he found in February 2000: Alex Sharkey (guitars, bass, keyboards, programming, backing vocals). Alex's own history includes the groups Brighter (several singles and an album on Sarah Records in the early 1990s) Hal (one single, Vinyl Japan, 1994) and Pinkie. Dickon cites Brighter's Christmas (from their Laurel album) as one of his favourite tracks of all time, and when Alex wrote and suggested they tried making pop music together, he leapt at the chance.
Fosca was completed with the invaluable presence of two players who had both appeared on Nervous, London and at various pre-Alex Fosca shows. One was Rachel Stevenson (synth, backing vocals, band organising), who'd first met Dickon in the audience at a gig - a show by Brighter, in fact - and the other Sheila B (cellos, rehearsal space), a Londoner friend of Rachel's and member of a 1960s-style dance troupe. This permanent version of Fosca made its live debut in March supporting Trembling Blue Stars at London's Spitz Club.
April was spent recording an album, On Earth To Make The Numbers Up, with producer Ian Catt, whose previous credits include Saint Etienne, Kylie Minogue, Trembling Blue Stars and Shampoo. A single, The Agony Without The Ecstasy, was released on Shinkansen in June, and the album followed at the start of October.
At the start of 2001, Fosca began work on their second album, Diary Of An Antibody, again with Ian Catt. Due to various delays in the recording, an EP featuring the first three songs from the sessions was released in October, with Supine On The Astroturf as the lead track.
The band played a short tour of France with Trembling Blue Stars in April, and played the farwell Benno festival in Sweden in July. The band are currently hugely popular in Sweden - they've appeared on the front covers of fanzines, and Dickon has been interviewed by national radio - and they'll be returning there in mid-October for a 4-date tour. This tour will also see the debut of new recruit Kate Dornan on keyboards, as Alex has decided he no longer wished to play live.
Weightless
Fosca Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm trying to deliver what's written in their eyes.
If the rot can't be stopped, then why not o why not,
Can't I swim with the tide but faster?
And you speak about the "Sanctity of Life".
While going out of your way to make someone's hell.
Say what you won't say. Tell what you can't tell.
Death to the future. My choice of freedom.
Hoping is... hopeless. Wait til I'm weightless.
I've been beaten at adult games too many times to mention.
Less and less is making sense. Not sure I was meant to get older.
If it's wrong to prolong what cannot here belong,
Can't I swim with the tide but faster?
Fairly soon I'll be wholly immune to the Hipster Disease of Blanking.
Writing an ode from no fixed abode is cruel on the ones who are STRONGER.
If it's bad to have had not an inkling of Glad,
Is it worse to want no more of Wanting?
If it's bad to have had not a smidgen of Glad,
Is it worse to want no more of Wanting?
And you speak about the wonders of your life.
As if indulgence needs a by-your-leave at all.
To be weightless...
The first two lines of the song "Don't bother with their wisdom, don't bother with white lies" seem to advise against listening to others who offer unhelpful advice or dishonesty. The following lines, "I'm trying to deliver what's written in their eyes" shows that the singer is attempting to please those around them, to fit into the societal expectations set for them. However, the line "If the rot can't be stopped, then why not o why not, can't I swim with the tide but faster?" suggests a feeling of hopelessness or defeatism, an acceptance that the world is inherently flawed and that it's easier to go along with it than fight against it.
The middle section of the song uses powerful imagery to convey a sense of despair or resignation. "Take back your kindness" and "Death to the future" are particularly striking lines. The singer seems to be rejecting any positive sentiment or hope for the future, perhaps feeling that it's all just empty rhetoric if the world is truly as broken as they believe. The repetition of "wait to be weightless" reinforces a sense of heaviness or burden, a feeling of being weighed down by life's trials and tribulations.
The final section of the song seems to continue this theme of questioning and introspection. The lines "If it's bad to have had not an inkling of Glad, is it worse to want no more of Wanting?" suggest a deep cynicism or disillusionment, a questioning of whether it's better to strive for happiness and potentially be disappointed, or to simply give up on the pursuit of joy altogether. The final line, "And you speak about the wonders of your life, as if indulgence needs a by-your-leave at all, to be weightless..." seems to be a confrontation of those who espouse a "live your best life" outlook, as if the singer is asking how anyone can truly be happy in a world that is so deeply flawed.
Line by Line Meaning
Don't bother with their wisdom, don't bother with white lies.
Ignore the false advice and deceptive words of others.
I'm trying to deliver what's written in their eyes.
I'm trying to fulfill others' expectations of me.
If the rot can't be stopped, then why not o why not, Can't I swim with the tide but faster?
If the corruption and decay cannot be prevented, why not just give in and go with the flow, but more quickly?
And you speak about the "Sanctity of Life". While going out of your way to make someone's hell.
You claim to value the importance of life, but your actions show that you are willing to cause suffering and misery for others.
Say what you won't say. Tell what you can't tell.
Speak the truth and share what you have been keeping hidden.
Take back your kindness. Wait to be weightless.
Undo your false kindness and wait until you are free of burdens before acting with sincerity.
Death to the future. My choice of freedom. Hoping is... hopeless. Wait til I'm weightless.
I reject the idea of a predetermined future and choose to pursue my own freedom. Hoping is futile, I will wait until I am free from all constraints before acting.
I've been beaten at adult games too many times to mention.
I have experienced defeat and disappointment in various adult pursuits too many times to count.
Less and less is making sense. Not sure I was meant to get older.
I am becoming increasingly unsure of what is meaningful and purposeful in life, and I question if aging is a necessary or desirable experience.
If it's wrong to prolong what cannot here belong, Can't I swim with the tide but faster?
If it is inappropriate to extend what cannot remain, why not hasten the inevitable?
Fairly soon I'll be wholly immune to the Hipster Disease of Blanking.
Soon, I will be completely immune to the apathy and indifference often associated with being a member of the hipster subculture.
Writing an ode from no fixed abode is cruel on the ones who are STRONGER.
Creating a tribute while lacking a permanent home is unfair to those who are more resilient and established.
If it's bad to have had not an inkling of Glad, Is it worse to want no more of Wanting?
If it is unfortunate to have never experienced happiness, is it more tragic to have lost the desire to pursue it?
If it's bad to have had not a smidgen of Glad, Is it worse to want no more of Wanting?
If it is unfortunate to have never experienced joy, is it more tragic to have lost the motivation to seek it?
And you speak about the wonders of your life. As if indulgence needs a by-your-leave at all.
You boast about the pleasures and luxuries of your life, as if there are no consequences or accountability for such indulgences.
To be weightless...
To be free from all burdens, constraints, and responsibilities.
Contributed by Eliana C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
William Lee
Uninformative waste of time